We present a second-order Godunov method for computing unsteady, one-dimensional wave problems with fracture and cavitation in coupled solid?water?gas systems. The method employs a hydro-elasto-plastic body, the Tait equation, and the ideal gas law for solid, water, and gaseous phases, respectively, and models both fractures and cavities as vacuum zones with distinct borders. The numerical approach utilizes a Lagrangian formulation in conjunction with local solid?water?gas-vacuum Riemann problems, which have unique solutions and can be solved efficiently. The various phases are treated in a unified manner and no supplementary interface conditions are necessary for tracking material boundaries. Calculations are carried out for Riemann problems, wave propagation and reflection in a water?rock?air system, and spallation and cavitation in an explosion?steel?water?gas system. It is shown that the Godunov method has high resolution for shocks and phase interfaces, clearly resolves elastic and plastic waves, and successfully describes onset and propagation of fracture and cavitation zones.


Political correctness, seen as a form of linguistic intervention-ism, and its derivate, political incorrectness, are frequently invoked to take a stand on language. These two formulas are considered as notions whose use is increasing in the media and whose semantic content remains vague. This study focuses on French and German metalanguage polemics on Twitter: these are positions on language in the name of political (in)correctness taken by a speaker who uses metalanguage and/or metalinguistic markers. Political correctness is considered here as a formula in order to show how its use in online exchanges makes it possible to organize the relationships between participants and to shape linguistic norms. The analysis distinguishes, in a polemical and argumentative context, between the use of the formula to disqualify the other and as a decommitment marker that uses humor to defuse the aggressive character of utterances.


The configuration of the cold war determines institutional quality. Countries pertaining to the block of the West display a negative link with bureaucratic development, lack of corruption, credibility of governments and others. Results are maintained even after controlling for regional and colonial variables and, in general, appear robust. In addition, the memberships of blocks according to the configuration of the cold war can thus be used like relevant instruments for the institutional variables. 1 We would like to thank Martin Kabange for lectures.


Abstract: We investigate how giant and supergiant oil and mineral discoveries shape the political fortunes of national leaders using a large dataset of 1255 leaders in 158 countries over the period 1950 to 2010. We depart from the existing literature by using both 'single risk' and 'multiple risk' discrete time proportional hazard models. We find that mineral discoveries reduce risk for the incumbent in a 'single risk model' especially in a non-election year. In contrast oil discoveries reduce risk disproportionately more for the incumbent in countries with weak political institutions. The effects appear to be induced by actual income or rent rather than income expectations. In a 'multiple risk model' oil discovery significantly reduces the risk of losing office via military coup while resource (oil and minerals) discovery in general reduces the risk of resignation. Resource discovery does not seem to have any impact on the risk of election loss.


Both the collection and analysis of large music repertoires constitute major challenges within musicological disciplines such as jazz research. Automatic methods of music analysis based on audio signal processing have the potential to assist researchers and to accelerate the transcription and analysis of music recordings significantly. In this paper, we propose a framework for analyzing improvised monophonic solos in multi-instrumental jazz recordings with special focus on reed and brass instruments. The analysis algorithms rely on prior score-information, which is taken from high quality manual solo transcriptions. Following an initial solo and accompaniment source separation, we propose algorithms for tone-wise extraction of fundamental frequency and intensity contours. Based on this fine-grained representation of recorded jazz solos, we perform several exploratory experiments motivated by questions relating to jazz research in order to analyze the use of expressive stylistic devices such as intonation, pitch modulation, and dynamics in jazz solos. The results show that a score-informed audio analysis of jazz recordings can provide valuable insights into the individual stylistic characteristics of jazz musicians.


In popular culture, mathematicians are portrayed as the most aloof of academics. But increasing numbers of academic mathematicians are applying their knowledge and skills to industrial challenges. This trend is now catching on in the Asia-Pacific region, with countries supporting new institutes, grant programs, and brainstorming sessions. Mathematicians in Japan are working with corporate partners to apply stochastic differential equations to manage financial transactions, group theory to improve computer graphics, and topology—the study of surface deformation—to optimize steelmaking. Their South Korean counterparts are modeling how drugs reach target organs, developing new approaches to analyzing big data sets, and delving into the complex geometry of computer animation. In New Zealand, math specialists are at work thwarting shoplifters and even helping grass grow.


Temsirolimus is a novel inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which is a central regulator of the response of tumour cells to growth and survival signals. When heavily pretreated patients with advanced solid tumours received intravenous (IV) temsirolimus over a broad dose range, antitumour activity was observed in various tumour types, including advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). A study of singleagent temsirolimus in patients with cytokine-refractory metastatic RCC subsequently demonstrated antitumour activity and encouraging progression- free survival and overall survival. Temsirolimus was generally well tolerated over the 3 dose levels tested (25 mg, 75 mg or 250 mg weekly as a 30-minute IV infusion). The most frequent grade 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events reported (n=110) were hyperglycemia (17%), hypophosphatemia (13%), anemia (9%), and hypertriglyceridemia (6%). Results from a randomized phase III study that enrolled previously untreated patients with advanced RCC and poor-prognostic features have recently demonstrated a significant increase in overall survival (p=0.0089) for patients who received temsirolimus 25 mg IV, 30-minute infusion once weekly compared with those who received interferon-alpha up to 18 million units subcutaneously thrice weekly. On the basis of improved survival, temsirolimus can be considered a first-line treatment for patients with advanced RCC.


Fruits and vegetables are considered a good source of polyphenols and antioxidant capacities which are beneficial in protecting the human body against damage induced by reactive species. The objective of this work is to conduct an assessment of the polyphenol content and antioxidant activities of different fruit (kiwi, pear, green apple, raspberry, blackberry, strawberry and blueberry) and vegetable (pumpkin, green and red pepper) extracts using both chemical extraction and a modified in vitro digestive enzymatic extraction in order to compare results. Polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity of different fruits, vegetables and fruit juices were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu and FRAP methods, respectively. It was observed that polyphenol content expressed as gallic acid equivalents of extracts obtained with the two extraction methods was significantly (p<0.05) different (on average 310.3 and 231.8 mg per 100 g of fresh sample in enzymatic and methanolic extracts, respectively). Antioxidant capacity was also significantly (p<0.05) different in the extracts obtained by the two methods, with higher values in enzymatic extracts (1.91 mmol of Fe2+ per 100 g of fresh sample). Analyses of apple samples with and without skin also revealed important differences related to methodology and composition. Additionally, the original enzymatic extraction method was improved to avoid interferences caused by the presence of protein residues in the extract.


The study of the parameters' distribution along the channel axis in a stationary plasma thruster(SPT) helps one to understand the physical characteristics of the SPT's operation. In this paper, the axial distribution of the desired SPT parameters are predicted by combining the improved scaling theory and a one-dimensional hybrid model. The simulation indicates that the SPT parameters' distribution along the channel axis changes with scaling index variable ζ. If ζ is set properly, the similarity of the parameters' axial distribution between the model and a desired thruster can be ensured. In addition, the operation characteristics of the desired thruster, such as the ionization and acceleration processes, are also similar to those of the model. When ζ is set, the improved SPT scaling theory and the one-dimensional hybrid model can be used to predict the axial distribution of the desired SPT parameters with the same propellant (such as Xe).


Background A new real-time collecting system were set up from 2017 based on the first registry cohort in China. This study was an update on the clinical features and remission status of recent results. Methods CSTAR registry was first launched in 2009. Based on CSTAR, a new mobile application program (APP) platform was established to collect real-time data in clinic with predesigned electronic case report form. All data were generated and uploaded in clinic directly without secondary collection, including demography, clinical manifestations, disease activity (SLEDAI-2K), organ damage (SLICC Damage Index), lab results, imaging and medications. Biological samples were preserved for future study at first clinic visit. Meanwhile, data cleaning and validation was managed by a professional backstage statistician. Results A total of 22807 SLE patients from 295 different centers have been registered up to Sep 2019. Male to female rate was 1:12. The most common manifestations at entry were mucocutaneous (59.8%), arthritis (55.3%), hematologic (37.9%) and lupus nephritis (34.6%). In addition, neuropsychiatric disorder and pulmonary arterial hypertension took up for 5.4% respectively. 399 patients (1.7%) had interstitial lung disease at baseline. The prevalence rate of coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease were both 0.7%. The percentage of combined malignancy was 0.6%. 57.6% of the patients were in remission at entry, and 19.6% of the patients had developed irreversible organ damage at baseline. Conclusion The direct online reporting and collecting system of CSTAR had expanded with more than 20,000 patients involved all around China, showing us current situation of clinical practice for SLE in China and what we have achieved by applying Treat-To-Target strategy into daily practice for Chinese SLE patients. Keywords Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, cohort, clinical features, remission


ccording to the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, "Brexit means Brexit" and the
UK will be leaving the EU. From the various statements issued by the Prime Minister
and her new Home Secretary, "Brexit means Brexit" seems to mean that "Brexit
means in any event the end of free movement of (non-British) EU citizens to the UK in
particular for the purposes of extended residence, work and self-employment". There is
much discussion in the media and political circles regarding a 'hard' Brexit and a 'soft'
Brexit, although exactly what the difference may be is unclear. It would seem that a 'soft'
Brexit would include access for the UK to the EU's internal market on terms similar to those
it currently has as a member state. But this is only possible if there is a deal on free
movement of EU citizens to the UK, which is acceptable to the other member states. A 'hard'
Brexit appears at the moment to mean a UK departure for the EU without preferential access
to the internal market and perhaps a fall-back position of movement of goods, services and
capital as regulated by the World Trade Organisation agreements on customs and tariffs


This paper explains the cause of nonlinearity in floor attenuation hither to left unexplained. The performance degradation occurring in air interface for GSM signals is quantitatively analysed using the concept of Radiating Columns of buildings. The signal levels were measured using Wireless Network Optimising Drive Test Tool (E6474A of Agilent Technologies). The measurements were taken in reflected signal environment under usual fading conditions on actual GSM signals radiated from base stations. A mathematical model is derived from the measurements to predict the GSM signal levels in different floors. It was applied on three buildings and found that the predicted signal levels deviated from the measured levels with in +/2 dB for all floors. It is more accurate than the prediction models based on Floor Attenuation Factor. It can be used for planning proper indoor coverage in multi storey buildings. Keywords—GSM air interface, nonlinear attenuation, multistory building, radiating columns, ground conduction and floor attenuation factor.


The violent military method of colonisation embraced by French governors general such as Thomas Bugeaud and the violent resistance espoused by local leaders such as ʿAbd al-Qādir have received the lion's share of attention in the existing scholarship on the first two decades of French rule in Algeria. Although some scholars have emphasised that a number of Algerians had become an integral part of the French army and fought on the French side in many important battles, indigenous notables' ideas on French imperialism, the civilising mission and their sense of loyalty remain opaque. This article examines the writings of a number of influential Algerian leaders who experienced captivity in the colonial prison in southern France during the 1840s and redefined their sense of loyalty as a result of that experience. Most of them jettisoned ʿAbd al-Qādir's ideology of violent resistance and attempted to prove their loyalty to France by pointing to their military service and their belief in the benefits of the French civilising mission, which they interpreted as the uniform extension of the French system of justice in Algeria. In addition, some of them attempted to harmonise the French monarchy with Islam by presenting the French conquest as a divinely ordained and thus legitimate event. By analysing the ideas of Algerian notables who adopted a new sense of patriotism, this article underscores the importance of re-examining the existing narratives of French imperial expansion in North Africa in order to recover the key role that indigenous collaboration played in that development.


This volume constitutes the proceedings of the Horses and Humans Symposium, held in 2000 at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History Powdermill Nature Preserve, in Rector, Pennsylvania, USA, in honor of Mary Aiken Littauer. The four-day symposium brought together 35 academics from Eurasia and America from the disciplines of archaeology, art history, history, paleontology, biology, veterinary medicine, animal husbandry, and other fields for presented papers, round-table discussions, demonstrations and much lively debate in the evenings. The culmination was a one-day public event at the St. Clair Showgrounds called the Celebration of the Horse that involved a wide range of equestrian performances by over 50 horses and riders for a public audience of over 500. In addition to the production of this volume, the symposium introduced many equine scholars to each other and initiated both collaboration and communication amongst this active community.


A 0.15 um gate process using a deep-UV stepper and phase-shifting mask lithography has been developed. This process eliminates the need for low throughput, direct write e-beam gate lithography. Using this process we have fabricated, for the first time, AlInAs/GaInAs MHEMTs on GaAs with f/sub t/'s up to 119 GHz. This optical approach for gate lithography is very attractive for manufacturing high volume, high performance, low cost GaAs integrated circuits.


Nowadays most context-aware applications are independent proprietary pieces of software. A general framework or middleware deployed in the field does not exist; therefore the implementation of context-aware applications and services assumes the development of the whole application stack for each application. Along these development issues, deployment and privacy problems are to be solved. This imposes the following challenges concerning a middleware for context-aware applications: (1) we need an architecture that allows to implement and deploy services easily on the network. (2) We need a user interface that is widespread, well known to users and allows to manage one's privacy settings for every single service transparently. In this paper we describe our middleware's architecture for context-aware applications, based on messenger protocols


SUMMARY: A strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens that had been isolated from a freshwater source on a plastic substratum was grown in continuous culture in minimal medium. The 'adsubble' process (adsorptive bubble separation process) was found to foam-fractionate wild-type cells from the fermenter during flow conditions. This selection pressure favoured the enrichment of two major classes of mutant, both having cell surface characteristics fundamentally different from the wild-type. The wild-type produced very little extracellular polysaccharide, whereas a 'mucoid' mutant, found predominantly in the aqueous-phase, produced an alginate exopolymer. The second class of mutant was isolated from the walls of the fermenter and, like the wild-type, produced little exopolymer. This mutant, with crenated colony morphology, showed increased attachment to solid surfaces compared to the wild-type and mucoid cells when assayed for attachment to polystyrene surfaces for 2 h. Outer-membrane protein, lipopolysaccharides and exopolysaccharides of the wild-type and both mutants were analysed. The results demonstrate the role of cell surface characteristics in the adaptability of the organism to micro-environments such as a solid/liquid or air/liquid interface or the aqueous phase.


Currently glucocorticoid steroid is the mainstay of treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases like asthma, COPD, rheumatoid arthritis. But many chronic inflammatory diseases are resistant to glucocorticoid steroid like pulmonary fibrosis, atherosclerosis related diseases, chronic laryngitis and chronic muscle injury. Glucocorticoid steroid has been thoroughly studied and its therapeutic potential has been exhausted, and therefore there is a need to develop new anti-inflammatory drugs or anti-inflammatory therapies. Moxa (Artemisia Argyi) is a plant, its burning smoke or Tar has strong anti-inflammatory property. In this article the author wants to introduce a new way (Moxa Tar) of treating glucocorticoid steroid resistant chronic inflammatory diseases based on some clinical experiments and hypothesis of the author's personal observation. The purpose of this article is to open up a new field and raise researchers' attention to this new field for developing new anti-inflammatory drugs or anti-inflammatory therapies. The methods used in this study are Crossover design, i.e. patients serve as their own control, comparing the clinical symptoms and signs before and after Moxa Tar treatment.


Throughout Canada in recent years, contractionist policies have predominated in a labour market recession with high levels of unemployment. Government-funded healthcare has become overwhelmingly expensive, hence related policies and programmes have undergone rapid and profound transformations (Dominelli, 1991). Correspondingly, there have been major real-locations in healthcare work in both the public and private domains (Dowler, Jordan-Simpson, & Adams, 1992; Drover & Kerans, 1993). These changes have been especially dramatic in the burgeoning area of longterm care. "The family" is now held responsible for providing care to even the most severely disabled people, and the household has become the primary site for care delivery (Steel & Gezairy, 1994).
 Although health care activities have always been within the realm of domestic responsibilities, the scope and extent of these activities have changed remarkably in the last two decades. These changes have been associated with widespread sentiment against institutional care, the closure of longterm care facilities (Switzky, Dudinski, Van Acker, & Gambro, 1988), and the increasing proportion of very old people in the population (Steel & Gezairy, 1994). In addition, advances in medicine, pharmacology and biotechnology have led to decreased mortality rates and increased rates of severe chronic illness and disability among people of all ages (Dejong & Lifchez, 1983). Consequently, more people now require care at home that is complex, labour-intensive, and very expensive (Plough, 1981).


The temporal niche has received less attention than the spatial niche in ecological research on free-ranging animals. Most studies that have examined the effect of season on the diel activity patterns of small mammals have been conducted in temperate climates where daily temperatures and day length are important predictors of activity. Extremely seasonal rainfall in northern Australia possibly exerts a strong influence on mammalian activity due to the influx of food resources. Using camera traps set over a 3-year period, we documented the diel activity patterns of 5 species of small mammals co-occurring on Groote Eylandt, in the wet-dry tropics of northern Australia. All species were strictly nocturnal but some responded differently to the effect of season. The northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) displayed a bimodal activity pattern that did not differ between the seasons. The northern brown bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus) displayed bimodal activity in the wet season and unimodal activity in the dry. The more sustained activity of I. macrourus in the dry season may be the result of this species utilizing more cellulose-rich food in times of lower insect abundance, whereas D. hallucatus possibly exhibits lower dietary plasticity. The northern hopping-mouse (Notomys aquilo) was consistently active throughout the night in both seasons. Conversely, the delicate mouse (Pseudomys delicatulus) showed great plasticity in its nocturnal activity which altered significantly depending on both season and habitat. The disparity in activity pattern between these 2 rodents possibly reflects differences in predation risks. The grassland melomys (Melomys burtoni) was recorded only during the dry season in coastal grassland habitat, when its activity peaked sharply after nightfall. Our study highlights the interspecific variation in small mammal activity between the wet and dry seasons in northern Australia, which may be explained by differences in diet, habitat use, and predation risk in these species.


Snorting and intravenous use are common routes of administration for advanced opioid abusers. A tablet form of immediate-release oxycodone (IRO) developed using Aversion Technology combines immediate release (IR) oxycodone HCl with inactive functional excipients that are intended to discourage tampering associated with intranasal and intravenous abuse (IRO-A; Oxecta, Pfizer). The purpose of this single-dose, open-label, randomized, 3-period, 3-treatment crossover study was to evaluate the bioequivalence of IRO-A to the marketed immediate-release oxycodone HCl (IRO; Roxicodone, Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals Inc., Newport, KY). IRO-A was also compared with IRO-A with niacin, a product previously developed containing the same functional excipients plus niacin as an aversive agent to discourage oral overconsumption. Healthy adults (N = 40) aged 18–55 years received single 15-mg doses of IRO-A, IRO-A with niacin (60 mg), or IRO after fasting overnight. Naltrexone was administered to diminish opioid effects. Doses were separated by a ≥7-day washout. Plasma samples taken at designated time points were analyzed using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Geometric mean ratios for ln-transformed parameters for IRO-A and IRO were 92%, 104%, and 104% for Cmax, AUClast (AUC is area under the concentration–time curve), and AUCinf; 90% confidence intervals were within the accepted 80%–125% range. IRO-A was also bioequivalent to IRO-A with niacin. Adverse events were mild to moderate in intensity and typical of opioid therapy (nausea, headache, vomiting). Flushing only occurred when the subjects received the IRO-A with niacin treatment (9/37 subjects). The results demonstrated that IRO-A is bioequivalent to IRO and IRO-A with niacin. With features designed to discourage tampering associated with common forms of abuse, IRO-A may provide an alternative to conventional immediate-release oxycodone formulations.


Acute oesophageal necrosis, also known as 'black oesophagus', is a rare condition characterised by the black discolouration of the oesophageal mucosa on endoscopy and involves the distal oesophagus in majority of cases but may also extend proximally. A number of conditions are found to be associated with it and it is thought to occur due to a combination of hypovolaemia and inadequate oesophageal protective mucosal barrier function. Gastric secretions may have a direct effect on the oesophageal mucosa. We present a case of a woman who presented with haematemesis and significant hypotension after a session of haemodialysis. Black oesophagus was confirmed on esophagogastroduodenoscopy. She was given two units of packed red blood cells and one unit of platelets, and started on a pantoprazole infusion. However, despite rigorous attempts at resuscitation the patient failed to recover.


Against the backdrop of the neo-institutionalist and national business systems approaches to the global–local question in international management, this paper discusses the implications of the rise of CSR in continental Europe for HRM and employee representation. Europe is undoubtedly subject to convergence processes, not least through the emergence of global CSR tools, yet the influence of national business systems remains visible too, as European companies tend to foreground different aspects of CSR to Anglo-American ones. Both HR managers and employee representatives are jostling for positions to shape the resulting adaptation processes. This situation highlights not only the importance of first-mover advantages in such a contested terrain but also the need for both HRM and employee representatives to gain internal legitimacy before being able to play an active role in CSR.


Porous ceramics are being used in many industrial applications and processes that require extreme environment exposure due to its chemical inertness to corrosive medium and its ability to withstand high temperatures. Tailoring the porosity through pore modifier is one of the method available to ensure that the strength of ceramic is homogeneous. In order to improve the strength of the porous ceramic, the addition of aluminium powders was explored in this research. With the addition of agricultural waste source pore modifier and aluminium as reinforcement, the microstructure, linear shrinkage, porosity (open, closed and total), density, hardness and failure strength of this ceramic composite were examined. The ceramic composites were fabricated through powder metallurgy processing routes. Alumina, Al2O3 with the respective amounts of 0 to 10 wt.% (intervals of 10 wt.%) of RHA and 0 to 10 wt.% (intervals of 2 wt.%) of aluminum, Al, were mixed homogeneously with 12 wt.% of sucrose solution. The mixtures were compacted and heat-treated for 1 h at each of the soaking temperatures of 200°C, 600°C and 1000°C followed by full sintering at 1550°C for 2 h in a furnace. The results have shown that open and total porosity increases with increasing amounts of RHA and aluminum. Meanwhile, the linear shrinkage, close porosity, density, hardness and failure strength was reduced. In this research, the strength was expected to increase with the addition of aluminum. However, due to the increasing percentage of the total porosity with the increased addition of aluminum, the samples behave inversely. Phase transformations to mullite (3Al2O3. 2SiO2) were seen in this research with the addition of RHA. This phase formation helps to increase the overall strength of the ceramic composites, showing that 10 wt% addition of RHA have a positive impact, not only as a medium to modify the pore formation, but it also has a positive effect on the strength property of the ceramic composite.


A recent case report is reviewed and an alternative model for the radionuclide kinetics is presented; it estimates in an absorbed dose differing by a factor of two from the published calculation. Both models are consistent with observed data. Within a compartment model, one may choose to monitor a compartment of interest directly, or to monitor another compartment and (indirectly) solve for the activity in the compartment of interest. Advantages and disadvantages are reviewed.


lending me the specimen for exhibition to you. A second condition found in this disease is a wasting of the nerve-cells, indicated by a loss of their sharp contour and an increase of the contained dark granules, which look like a heap of particles ready to fall asunder. You may see under the microscope a specimen which Dr. Lockhart Clarke was good enough to prepare for me, in which this state is shown. A granular condition of the surface of the floor of the fourth ventricle has been described; but this condition does not belong only to progressive paralysis, but may be observed in all conditions of irritation of the brain and over the whole ependyma. This granulation I am very familiar with, and you may often see it in this hospital in the post mizortemit room; it belongs to the epithelial formations, and its most common seat is the septum lucidum. I have sometimes seen the brain, or a part of it, in the condition called hypertroplhic, or exhibiting an increase of the neuroglia. Dr. Westphal mentions the subject, but he denies the existenlce of the increase of the connective tissue. There is, however, no doubt that the condition is not an uncommon one. A fatty state of brain, likewise, also sometimes exists, and, in some cases, coipora amjy7acc' are also to be found ; the existence of these last mentione(l states probably is accidental, and must not be considered as essential. The conditions of the cord have been found to vary considerably. Dr. Boyd has described softening. Dr. Lockhart Clarke has also found softening in some cases; in others he has found areas granular, and fluid disintegration. Dr. Westphal, who has written very ably on the subject, has found wastina of the posterior columns and the posterior and lateral columrns, and wasting of the nerve-roots * and my own experience confirms this observation, and, with that of Westphal, tends to pathologically associate, if it does not identify, the disease as found in asylums with locomotor ataxy and other forms of progressive paralysis as found in general hospitals. The wasting or softening of the cord may be only questions of degree, and depend upon the length of time through which the case has run its course. It has been asked-Does locomotor ataxy ever become progressive paralysis as seen in lunatic asylums ? and clinically, I should be inclined to answer affirmatively. I have now at the Infirmary for Epilepsy and Paralysis a case of locomotor ataxy of two years' standing, in wlhich fatuity, loss of memory, and epileptiform seizures have lately made their appearance. I must request Voui, however, to retain in your minads the general description and the remarks which I lhave made upon tlle disease as found in lunatic asylums or as recognised by alienists, whilst you consider the subject in the light in whiclh I have placed it before you. There is no reason why we should not regard progressive paralysis in the light of a large class, of which the various forms with which we are acquainted may be looked ulpon as divisions, but not in the liglht of genera or species, for all the forms without line of demarcation run into one another. The causes of this malady are wrapped in mystery; it occurs alike without assignable cause in the subjects of the highest mental attainment, and in the very ordinary beings of every-day life; it has not been shown to be necessarily of lhereditary origin, and it appears sometimes to follow accidents, as shocks and various excesses, whether of labour both mental and physical, or of alcohol and venery. It also is seen to follow sun-stroke, but much of its etiology has yet to be determrrined. In conclusion, I would again repeat that the character of the disease is paraly sis, progressive and incomplete, of body or mind, or of both; the somatic failure being that of sensation or motion, or both; and the mental, when it occurs, being chiefly expressed in defect, though it may range from slight loss of memory through varied conditions of forgetfulness, fatuity, mania, and melancholia, to the most absolute and the most profound dementia.


Because of the normative and subjective nature of the terms sustainability and sustainable development, solutions tend to be applicable for specific regions but not the whole of society. Thus, it is imperative understand better how community stakeholders and decision makers define the concept of sustainability. Not only will greater understanding of such definitions add to our understanding of nature-society relations, but also in certain contexts, this understanding may help to promote realistic and effective decision-making at local levels. The objective of this study was to determine how amenity-driven gateway communities surrounding Yellowstone and Grand Teton National parks define, conceptualize, and perceive sustainability, and if those perceptions varied between time in residence, community of origin, or role within the community. Thirty-five key informant interviews were conducted with decision makers within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to meet the study objectives. Throughout study communities, definitions of sustainability focused on the environment, the economy, and multi-generational thinking, and it is believed that these similarities can be the starting point for communication and collaboration among gateway communities, the long-term sustainability of their individual communities, and the collective resource upon which they all depend, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.


The integration of advanced practice providers (APPs) into pulmonology practice is in flux and deepening across numerous settings, from outpatient clinics to intensive care and inpatient pulmonary consult services – and as it evolves, so do training issues. Some institutions are developing pulmonary fellowship programs for APPs. This is a good indication that team-based pulmonology may be moving toward a time in the future when nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) join pulmonologists in practice after having undergone formal education in the subspecialty, rather than learning solely on the job from dedicated mentors. Neither NPs nor PAs, who compose almost all of the APP workforce in pulmonology, currently have a pulmonary tract for training. "Weight falls on the employer's shoulders to train and educate their APPs," said Corinne R. Young, MSN, FNP-C, FCCP, director of APP and clinical services at Colorado Springs Pulmonary Consultants and founder and president of the Association of Pulmonary Advanced Practice Providers (APAPP), which launched in 2018. The role and scope of practice of these providers are determined not only by state policies and regulations – and by their prior experience, OSA overlap impairs functional performance in COPD


We propose a partially adaptive estimator based on information theoretic maximum entropy estimates of the error distribution. The maximum entropy (maxent) densities have simple yet flexible functional forms to nest most of the mathematical distributions. Unlike the nonparametric fully adaptive estimators, our parametric estimators do not involve choosing a bandwidth or trimming, and only require estimating a small number of nuisance parameters, which is desirable when the sample size is small. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that the proposed estimators fare well with non-normal error distributions. When the errors are normal, the efficiency loss due to redundant nuisance parameters is negligible as the proposed error densities nest the normal. The proposed partially adaptive estimator compares favorably with existing methods, especially when the sample size is small. We apply the estimator to a bio-pharmaceutical example and a stochastic frontier model.


This paper deals with the path of Albanian Language terminology formation before the Second World War. Over the decades, especially during the last century, when basic works were composed, the linguistics science developped with quick steps and consequently new concepts of linguistic categories treatment were elaborated for all subsystems, creating thus a rich terminology, more and more accurate in this area. Through some significant examples, we emphasize the priceless contribution of well-known Albanian institutions and linguists that laid the foundations of the Albanian terminology on several levels. Based on historic data given in chronological order, we carry out a time incision with some cultural and linguistic events that marked the establishment and development of Albanian terminology, even in comparison with the terminology of different fields of knowledge in other languages that have been in contact with Albanian language. Nevertheless, today's opinion of our linguists and even this stage which our linguistic and philological studies have reached, in new contacts with linguistic schools and orientations that have penetrated and are penetrating into our language area of science, Albanian language terminology formation the is a long-term process, especially with the scientific and cultural opening of the Albanology.


Gastrin level was measured in frozen serum samples of 215 adult Estonians, who took part in a representative population study in 1979, and were followed-up in 1985. Gastric morphology was verified by multiple biopsy specimens from the fundal and antral parts of the stomach, obtained at direct-vision gastroscopy. Certain combinations of antral-body mucosa were revealed which have, and which do not have a significant influence on the fasting gastrin levels. Low values might be observed in subjects having severe atrophic gastritis simultaneously in fundal as well as in antral area. However, in others low concentration of gastrin was seen without any (or without severe) changes of the mucosa. Therefore different factors as duodenal gastrin-producing cells, several molecular forms of gastrin, age of the person seems to contribute to the total serum gastrin level besides the gastric mucosa. High values of gastrin are characteristic to normal antral mucosa accompanied by moderate or severe fundal gastritis.


Research on written communication shows that rhetorical knowledge is a key domain of disciplinary writing expertise (Gere et. al. 2019). Much of the recent work in this area has focused on the social dimensions of learning this knowledge. This article builds on these conversations with a presentation of two "advanced academic writers" (Tardy, 2009) and interpreting how they conceptualize rhetorical knowledge through an understanding of academic communication as transaction and symbolic exchange (Britton & Pradl, 1982). I make a case for the value of a transactional framework for interpreting writers' performance of genre situations. I also show that this framework can provide a "metagenre" (Carter, 2007), a way of doing writing in the discipline, and a "threshold concept" (Adler-Kassner & Wardle, 2015), a way of thinking about writing tasks that shapes writers' experiences of and learning with them. The two case studies provide an argument for the efficacy of rhetorical knowledge in fostering disciplinary genres when it is framed as understanding situations of communication.


Progress in the study of the peripheral nuclear interactions in N dissociation at 2.1A GeV in nuclear emulsion is outlined. The leading role of the multiple fragmentations in the most peripheral nucleus interactions is discussed. The production of unusual states, for which a regrouping of nucleons beyond the α-particle clustering is needed, is identified for this channel.


The work of developing quality measurements needed to improve the performance of buildings and the serviceability of facilities lies not so much in what the measurements are but in how suitable they are to the needs of those that will be using them in the development, design, construction, management and operation of buildings and facilities. Users must first articulate their needs, then development of measurement will follow. Dr. Francis Ventre, presenting the Keynote paper, outlined a sequence for metrological measurement of naming, ordering and scaling the variables of interest. The paper included a discussion of metrological history and measurement theory.


We characterized the spectral structure of the soft X-ray emission and determined the plasma parameters in laser-produced highly charged platinum plasmas. The spectral structure observed originated from Pt21+ to Pt34+ ions, emissions from which overlapped to produce a high output flux in the carbon-window soft X-ray spectral region. Using dual laser pulse irradiation, we observed the maximum output flux, which was 20% larger than that obtained under single-laser irradiation, and the evolution of a strongly absorbed spectral structure, which was attributed to the effects of both opacity and long-scale length of the expanding pre-plasma.


This resource guide is an accompaniment to Representing Adolescence and provides links to online content, identifies course resources, and directs to specialized library collections and help.


An electrochemical biosensor for potassium has been developed combining specific potassium-aptamer binding and RecJf exonuclease mediated signal amplification. Generally, the DNA probe with a stem-loop structure containing an anti-K(+) aptamer sequence is designed and modified on a gold electrode. K(+) can specifically bind to the aptamer and a G-quadruplex structure forms, which breaks the original stem-loop structure. The induced single-stranded 5' end can be further digested by RecJf exonuclease, releasing K(+) which can bind to another DNA probe on the electrode. After cycles of RecJf exonuclease cleavage initiated by K(+), the electrochemical signal intensity is significantly decreased, and can be used to determine the concentration of K(+). This aptasensor shows high sensitivity, selectivity as well as excellent stability and accuracy, which provides possibilities for further applications of K(+) assay in clinical diagnosis.


A new mode of operation for the Aerodyne Quadrupole Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (Q-AMS) has been developed and used to improve the detection limits and time resolution of the instrument. The Jump Mass Spectrum (JMS) mode works by stepping through a small number of specific user defined positions within the mass spectrum, increasing the time spent scanning specific m/z's . The JMS mode is conceptually similar to the "Selected Ion Monitoring" mode of some commercial quadrupole-based instrumentation and can be used for direct quantification when the fragmentation pattern is known. The JMS mode can also be used to augment the standard Q-AMS operation in Mass Spectrum mode when the fragmentation pattern is not known, improving the effective signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and in turn the detection limits and time resolution. A decrease in detection limits for the Q-AMS by factors of 4.6, 3.9, 1.3, and 3.5 for nitrate, sulphate, total organics, and m/z 43 mass loadings respectively was achieved for 1 minute sampling (20 s in each of the three Q-AMS modes, monitoring 10 m/z in JMS mode). Although the benefit to the SNR of the total organic mass concentration measured by the Q-AMS is smaller, sensitivity to organic fragments which can act as markers for various sources and processes (such as fresh primary anthropogenic emissions, aged secondary organics, and biomass burning aerosol), is greatly increased by the JMS mode. Example data from applications that benefit from this technique are presented, including an aircraft platform and in smog chamber experiments, alongside high time-resolution, ground-based data.


Introduction The ketogenic diet is a diet that relies on reducing carbohydrate intake to a minimum while increasing fat intake. This induces a state of ketosis where it is hypothesized to favor fat metabolism for energy instead of carbohydrates. The diet is used to treat pediatric patients with seizures to control their symptoms. Today, it is used by many to help in weight loss. Extensive research is being conducted on the benefits of the diet, as it gains popularity among patients with diabetes and obesity, to evaluate its effects on glycemic control. Methods This review looks at the published literature and summarizes the interventional trials that use the ketogenic diet for glycemic control. Emphasis was on pooling the results of selected variables such as weight, glycemic control, and lipid profile. The meta-analysis was conducted by a trained statistician using the Cochrane software review manager (Revman version 5.4; Cochrane, London, UK). Results were reviewed by an independent reviewer adhering to the Cochrane Collaboration's guidelines. Results The findings of this review show a significant effect of the ketogenic diet as compared to controls in terms of weight reduction, glycemic control, and improved lipid profile. A noticeable improvement was seen in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), favoring the ketogenic diet as compared to control. Conclusion This review concludes that the ketogenic diet is superior to controls in terms of glycemic control and lipid profile improvements, and the results are significant enough to recommend it as an adjunctive treatment for type two diabetes.


Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to offer a reflection on what evidence might be persuasive, powerful, and influential in decision making. Design/methodology/approach - Fictional poem. Findings - Meditation on the way that we decide what to do, account for it, be responsible for it to others, and be accountable to them. Research limitations/implications - Stimulates thought about how organisations construct an agreed set of terms and language for measuring progress and organising accountability. Originality/value - An individual comment on assessing what language is appropriate for building organisations.


The objective of this study was the evaluation of spray volume and nozzle type effect on different formulation (water dispersible granules - WG and oil dispersion - OD) of two sulfonylurea herbicides: the mixture iodosulfuron methyl sodium + amidosulfuron and iodosulfuron methyl sodium + mesosulfuron methyl efficacy. There were investigated three levels of spray volume (125 l*ha-1, 250 l*ha-1 and 350 l*ha-1) and two types of nozzle (extended range flat nozzle TeeJet XR 11003-VS and drift guard flat nozzle TeeJet DG 11003-VS). Each herbicide was used at recommended dose and reduced by half. Spray volume and nozzle type did not affect activity of the mixture iodosulfuron methyl sodium + amidosulfuron, but differentiated the efficacy of OD formulation of iodosulfuron methyl sodium + mesosulfuron methyl, when it was applied at lowered dose. As spray volume rose, herbicide efficacy decreased. Nozzle type influenced OD formulation of the mixture iodosulfuron methyl sodium + mesosulfuron methyl, independently on dose. Significantly weaker efficacy was obtained when drift guard nozzle was used.


Electromagnetic (EM) integral equation solvers based on the partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC) approach have proven to be well suited for modeling combined circuit and EM problems. The solution of the full-wave electromagnetic part is transformed to the circuit domain and general well-known circuit solver techniques are applied. However owing to the mutual couplings in the PEEC formulation, the MNA matrix is not sparse as in the case of general lumped circuits. This gives rise to a time and memory bottleneck. A Gauss-Seidel relaxation (GSR) solver is presented as an appropriate alternative to SPICE sparse LU solvers, for the PEEC class of problems in the frequency domain. Circuit based block partitioning schemes similar to the ones used in waveform relaxation methods with known convergence properties are used to insure fast convergence. Furthermore, circuit coupling thinning schemes based on QR compression techniques are used to accelerate the inter block updates and also intra block solutions.


Pregnancy and puerperium increase the risk of venous thromboembolic disease. As it is potentially life-threatening, all patients with the suspicion of pulmonary embolism require proper diagnosis and, possibly treatment. Venous ultrasonography is usually applied. However; in most cases the examinations with the use of ionized radiation--computer tomography or scintigraphy--are indispensable. In treatment of pulmonary embolism, low molecular weight heparins play the key role. However; in case of dramatic pulmonary embolism with shock and hypotension, thrombolytic therapy may be necessary. Low molecular weight heparins as well as oral anticoagulants can be used after the delivery.


Extreme image or video completion, where, for instance, we only retain 1% of pixels in random locations, allows for very cheap sampling in terms of the required pre-processing. The consequence is, however, a reconstruction that is challenging for humans and inpainting algorithms alike.We propose an extension of a state-of-the-art extreme image completion algorithm to extreme video completion. We analyze a color-motion estimation approach based on color KL-divergence that is suitable for extremely sparse scenarios. Our algorithm leverages the estimate to adapt between its spatial and temporal filtering when reconstructing the sparse randomly-sampled video. We validate our results on 50 publicly-available videos using reconstruction PSNR and mean opinion scores.


Background Seizures constitute a serious public health concern, especially in pediatric patients. They are among the most prevalent medical issues affecting children. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a widely used imaging modality to evaluate, assess, and follow up on brain abnormalities. Objectives The purpose of the study is to explore the clinical findings of pediatric patients with seizures and their associated findings on MRI examinations. Material and methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted between 2021 and 2022 at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH). A total of 171 pediatric patients (ages 1-14 years old) who had seizures and underwent brain MRI examinations were included in the study. The mean age of the group was two years. Results Focal seizures represented the majority of seizure types in 62 (60.2%) patients compared to 42 patients who presented with generalized seizures and 67 patients who presented with normal findings based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis. The most common finding in imaging was the presence of developmental anomalies, which were found in 31 (18.5%) patients. This was followed by hypoxic-ischemic injury in 12 patients, vascular abnormalities in 10 patients, inherited metabolic disorders in nine patients, and infection-related findings in six patients. Conclusion MRI has an invaluable role in managing pediatric patients with seizures. Accurate diagnosis of patients is an essential step for delivering proper care to patients. MRI is considered the main imaging modality to establish a correct diagnosis and thereby improve prognosis, and electroencephalogram (EEG) should be taken into account during standard neurodiagnostic testing.


We investigate the scenario that a robot needs to reach a designated goal after taking a sequence of appropriate actions in a non-static environment that is partially structured. One application example is to control a marine vehicle to move in the ocean. The ocean environment is dynamic and oftentimes the ocean waves result in strong disturbances that can disturb the vehicle's motion. Modeling such dynamic environment is non-trivial, and integrating such model in the robotic motion control is particularly difficult. Fortunately, the ocean currents usually form some local patterns (e.g. vortex) and thus the environment is partially structured. The historically observed data can be used to train the robot to learn to interact with the ocean tidal disturbances. In this paper we propose a method that applies the deep reinforcement learning framework to learn such partially structured complex disturbances. Our results show that, by training the robot under artificial and real ocean disturbances, the robot is able to successfully act in complex and spatiotemporal environments.


In this paper the application of the class-specific features approach to classification is demonstrated for the problem of discriminating between speech and music. Feature extraction is class-specific and can therefore be tailored to each class meaning that segment size, model orders and the type of features used can be different for the classes. The performance of the discriminator is evaluated and an example of how classification is possible without training is given.


This paper proposes a new shadow removal approach for input single natural image by using subregion matching illumination transfer We first propose an effective and automatic shadow detection algorithm incorporating global successive thresholding scheme and local boundary refinement. Then we present a novel shadow removal algorithm by performing illumination transfer on the matched subregion pairs between the shadow regions and non‐shadow regions, and this method can process complex images with different kinds of shadowed texture regions and illumination conditions. In addition, we develop an efficient shadow boundary processing method by using alpha matte interpolation, which produces seamless transition between the shadow and non‐shadow regions. Experimental results demonstrate the capabilities of our algorithm in both the shadow removal quality and performance.


Before calculating the thermal patterns arising from buried heat sources, the factors which control heat loss from the skin and heat transport within tissue are first reviewed and the relevant thermal constants estimated. The various modes of heat loss from the skin seem to be adequately approximated by Newton's law. Temperature distributions due to conduction from veins and tumours are then derived, using line-source and point-source models respectively.


Providing efficiency and cost-savings over paper payments (cash and checks), commercial payment cards are among the fastest growing card segments in recent years. Today, they account for nearly one in every five dollars spent using general-purpose payment cards. And since business and government payments are three times larger than consumer transactions, there is ample room for future growth. Adoption by government and small business has been especially noteworthy. Adoption among large companies, which account for half of commercial expenditures, has been more modest. This paper provides an overview of the commercial card product set, its successes and challenges, and the adaptations that have been made to meet market demands and expectations.


An icon of horror, the zombie blunders with apparent mindlessness, bringing only contagion and chaos. It has lost its ego, its individuality, its reasoning self. It is a repellent vision of posthumanity. Mindfulness is a therapeutic practice rooted in the meditative traditions of Buddhism. Liberated from the stresses and anxieties of capitalist society, practitioners escape the demands of an ego driven to exhaustion by instrumental rationality. This essay explores the growing interest in mindfulness meditation and flourishing portrayals of the zombie apocalypse in contemporary societies to suggest a connection between these models of (post)selfhood.


Objective: This study aims to develop a fast, fitted, and accurate classification method for authenticating honey.
Methods: The authentic honey samples were obtained from local beekeepers and distributors, while most of the adulterated honey samples were made from a mixture of fructose syrup, authentic honey, sodium bicarbonate, and sweet soy sauce, while others were received from local distributors. To authenticate the honey, samples were divided into two classes, real honey, and adulterated honey. Similarly, to classify the honey, we categorized two classes, Apis spp. and stingless bee. ATR-FTIR spectra data were collected using Thermo Scientific's OMNIC FTIR software and processed using Thermo Scientific's TQ Analyst software by dividing the wavelengths into six regions between 550-4000 cm-1. and Raman spectra data were collected using HORIBA LabSpec 6 software and processed using CAMO's Unscrambler X10.4 software by dividing the Raman shifts into five regions between 200-3350 cm-1.
Results: Our methods effectively authenticate the honey-based on ATR-FTIR and Raman spectra. Based on ATR-FTIR spectra data, the best region of honey's authenticity is Region 1,3,4,5,6 (2800-3000 cm-1; 1640-1760 cm-1; 1175-1455 cm-1; 950-1175 cm-1; 750-950 cm-1) and the best region for classification is 750-950 cm-1. Based on Raman spectra data, the best region of honey's authenticity is 970-1150 cm-1 and the best region for classification are 1150-1480 cm-1 and 970-1480 cm-1.
Conclusion: This study successfully demonstrated accurate methods based on ATR-FTIR and Raman spectral data to authenticate and classify the honey.


Design-based learning (DBL) has many affordances for promoting deep and lasting learning of both content and complex skills. However, careful orchestration and scaffolding are usually needed to achieve its full potential. In this paper, we describe our efforts at implementing a software suite to meet the cognitive and meta-cognitive needs of learners engaged in DBL. In Study 1, our software suite gave learners the opportunity to design in simulation, to run experiments to learn the effects of variables, and it scaffolded science explanation construction. Through our analysis of study 1 we identified both cognitive and metacognitive needs that the software did not provide for. To meet these additional requirements, we added an interactive science resource and a case library to the software to provide multi-representational content material, to facilitate exploration, and to invite metacognitive reflection needed to do well at learning through design. Learners recognized what they did not understand, took initiative to explore those science concepts, and applied them in novel ways. We present here our analysis of the kinds of metacognitive help learners need to productively learn from design activities and some ways of providing that help. Our conclusion is that cognitive aid without related metacognitive aid is insufficient in a DBL environment.


As a result of the growing use of multiple geochemical proxies to reconstruct ocean and climate changes in the past, there is an increasing need to establish temporal relationships between proxies derived from the same marine sediment record and ideally from the same core sections. Coupled proxy records of surface ocean properties, such as those based on lipid biomarkers (e.g. alkenone-derived sea surface temperature) and planktonic foraminiferal carbonate (oxygen isotopes), are a key example. Here, we assess whether 2 different solvent extraction procedures used for isolation of molecular biomarkers influence the radiocarbon contents of planktonic foraminiferal carbonate recovered from the corresponding residues of Bermuda Rise and Cariaco Basin sediments. Although minor Δ14C differences were observed between solvent-extracted and unextracted samples, no substantial or systematic offsets were evident. Overall, these data suggest that, in a practical sense, foraminiferal shells from a solvent-extracted residue can be reliably used for 14C dating to determine the age of sediment deposition and to examine age relationships with other sedimentary constituents (e.g. alkenones).


Three microsatellite-enriched libraries of the european hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) were constructed: library A for CA repeats, library B for GA repeats, and library C for GAA repeats. Twenty-fi ve primer pairs amplifi ed easy-to-score single loci and were used to investigate polymorphism among 20 C. avellana genotypes and to evaluate cross-species amplifi cation in seven Corylus L. species. Microsatellite alleles were estimated by fl uorescent capillary electrophoresis fragment sizing. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 12 (average = 7.16) in C. avellana and from 5 to 22 overall (average = 13.32). With the exception of CAC-B110, di-nucleotide SSRs were characterized by a relatively large number of alleles per locus (≥5), high average observed and expected heterozygosity (Ho and He > 0.6), and a high mean polymorphic information content (PIC ≥ 0.6) in C. avellana. In contrast, tri-nucleotide microsatellites were more homozygous (Ho = 0.4 on average) and less informative than di-nucleotide simple sequence repeats (SSRs) as indicated by a lower mean number of alleles per locus (4.5), He (0.59), and PIC (0.54). Cross-species amplifi cation in Corylus was demonstrated. These microsatellite markers were highly heterozygous and polymorphic and differentiated among genotypes of C. avellana irrespective of geographical origin. They will aid in fi ngerprinting genotypes of the european hazelnut and other Corylus species, genome mapping, and genetic diversity assessments.


Author(s): Ritter, Gabriel Richard | Advisor(s): Nelson, Steven D; Winther-Tamaki, Bert | Abstract: This dissertation traces the life and work of the artist Kitawaki Noboru (1901-1951), utilizing his story as a case study to explore issues related to surrealism in Japan, the pressures on avant-garde expression during wartime, and the general shift from authoritarianism toward a postwar artistic subjectivity and discovery of individual autonomy. While Kitawaki's work is often dense and idiosyncratic, bringing together obscure references from science, philosophy, and Chinese divination, his search for meaning in the underlying order and structure of the natural world was part of a more universal pursuit of knowledge and a fundamental understanding of the world in which he lived. Like some of his contemporaries, Kitawaki saw surrealism through the lens of Japanese nativism, often locating foreign surrealist concepts and terms within an indigenous Japanese-specific context. This impulse was not simply a means to make sense of surrealism in Japan, but more specifically, a means of making sense of surrealism within the unique context of wartime Japan and its immediate aftermath. Kitawaki was first and foremost a realist who believed that surrealism could provide the means and methods for unlocking hidden meaning in the world as it exists—not its imagined alternative. He viewed the world through the lenses of natural science, color theory, morphology, and physics—all of which have concrete, measurable results based in reality—but when trying to synthesize this worldview into an all-encompassing theory that could explain the meaning, order, and interconnectedness of such phenomena, he turned to irrational practices such as numerology and Chinese divination to fill in the gaps. Kitawaki's surrealism, or transcendence of reality, then, is most compelling when the artist attempts to articulate the structure and order of a world that is so inherently complex and multi-faceted so as to render such attempts fundamentally impossible. It is this intellectual paradox, and its surrealistic pursuit that defines Kitawaki and his work. This study attempts to articulate Kitawaki's unique position within the history of Japanese art, providing needed context to the life and work of an artist who was synonymous with surrealism in Japan, but ultimately transcended this categorization.


The Hyam technique of cauterizing the tubal mucosa at the corner of the uterus is discussed. Technical difficulties include placement of the electrode, different thicknesses of the uterine wall in different women, care not to burn through the wall and cauterize the small intestine, and making sure sufficient cauterization current is used to allow adequate scar formation and tubal closure. Advantages include no need for anesthesia, no hospitalization of patients, and short operating time. Disadvantages include a high rate of failure the first time the procedure is done; however, improvements are being made in this technique.


Lithium-ion batteries with ultra-thick electrodes have high energy density and low manufacturing costs because of the reduction of the inactive materials in the same battery volume. However, the partial usage of the full capacity and the low rate capability are caused by poor ionic and electronic conduction. In this work, the effects of two approaches, such as electrode binder carbonization by heat treatment and 3-dimensionalization by the laser structuring of ultra-thick graphite anodes to lithium-ion batteries for high energy density, are investigated. During the heat treatment, the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) binder is carbonized to form fluorinated graphitic carbons, thereby increasing the number of lithium-ion storage sites and the improvement of the electrode capacity by 14% (420 mAh g−1 and 20 mAh cm−2). Further, the carbonization improves the rate capability by 31% at 0.1 C by simultaneously reducing the ionic and electronic resistances. Furthermore, after the laser structuring of the carbonized electrode, the areal discharge capacity increases to 50% at the increasing current rates, resulting from drastically improved ionic conduction. In addition to the electrochemical characteristics, these two approaches contribute considerably to the fast wetting of the electrolyte into the ultra-thick electrode. The carbonization and laser structuring of the ultra-thick graphite anodes are practical approaches for high-energy batteries to overcome the thickness limitation.


The supersonic advanced trainer based on digital flight-by-wire flight control system uses aircraft flight information such as altitude, calibrated airspeed and angle of attack to calculate flight control law, and this information is measured by IMFP(Integrated Multi-Function Probe) equipment. The information has triplex structure using three IMFP sensors. Final value of informations is selected by mid-value selection logic to have more flight data reliability. As the result of supersonic flight test, pitch oscillation is occurred due to IMFP noise when altitude hold autopilot mode is engaged. This tendency may affect stability and handling quality of an aircraft during autopilot mode. This paper addresses autopilot control law design to remove pitch oscillation and these control laws are verified by non-real time simulation and flight test. Also, pitch response characteristics of pitch attitude hold autopilot mode is improved by upgrading the control law structure and feedback gain tuning during bank turn.


PT. XYZ is a private company engaged in the sale of vehicles and spare parts and also car service. The problem that occurs is the increment of customer complaints. This is very contradictory to the service received by the customer. The purpose of this research is to produce a service system required by customers that is able to give satisfaction to the customers. This study resulted in ten service attributes required by customers based on the Kano model categorization, namely: complete facilities, comfortable waiting room temperature, indoor and outdoor cleanliness, ease of contacting bookings, ease of getting service schedules, long waiting time for service advisors, length of service time, the suitability of work, condition of the vehicle after service, and ease of payment. This research has 9 attributes. Technical characteristics include the addition of an air conditioner, online booking service, preparing appointments, vehicle pick-up service, home service, express maintenance service, explaining the results of work carried out by service advisor (SA) officers, service advisor officers (SA) accompany customers during payment, Maintenance Reminder Appointment (MRA) officers follow up to customers


Prior research in biology and mechanics has shown the importance of hierarchy to the performance of dry adhesive systems on rough surfaces. The gecko utilizes several levels of hierarchy that operate on length scales from millimeters to 100s of nanometers in order to maneuver on smooth and rough vertical surfaces ranging from glass to rock. The gecko's hierarchical system serves two main purposes: it permits conformation to the surface for a large effective area of contact, and it distributes the load evenly among contacting elements. We present a new two-tiered directional adhesive system that provides these capabilities for a gecko-inspired climbing robot. The distal features consist of wedge-shaped structures with a base width of 50 µm and a height of approximately 180 µm. The wedges are mounted atop angled cylindrical features, 380 µm in diameter by approximately 1 mm long. Together, the proximal and distal features bend preferentially in the direction of inclination when loaded with a tangential force, achieving a combination of directional adhesion and conformation to rough surfaces. Using this system, a four legged robot that was previously restricted to climbing smooth surfaces is able to climb vertical surfaces such as a wood panels, painted metals, and plastics. On rougher surfaces, the two-tiered system improves adhesion by a factor of five compared to the wedge features alone. The hierarchical system also improved alignment and performance for large patch sizes.


Genetic approaches that allow lineage tracing are essential to our future understanding of melanocytes and melanoma. To date, the approaches used to label melanocytes in mice have relied on random integration of transgenes driven by the promoters of the Tyrosinase and Dopachrome tautomerase genes, knock‐in to the Dopachrome tautomerase locus or knock‐in to the Mlana locus in a bacterial artificial chromosome. These strategies result in expression in other tissues such as telencephalon and other cell types such as nerves. Here we used homologous recombination in mouse embryonic stem cells to generate a targeted multicistronic allele of the Pmel locus that drives melanocyte‐specific expression of CreERT2, nuclear localised H2B‐Cerulean and membrane localised marcks‐mKate2 allowing live imaging of melanocytes and activation of other conditional alleles. We combined this allele with R26R‐EYFP mice allowing induction of EYFP expression on administration of tamoxifen or its metabolite 4‐OHT. The fluorescent proteins H2B‐Cerulean and marcks‐mKate2 label the cell nucleus and plasma membrane respectively allowing live imaging and FACS isolation of melanoblasts and melanocytes as well as serving to provide an internal control allowing estimation of recombination efficiency after administration of tamoxifen. We demonstrate the utility of the transgene in embryonic and adult tissues.


The problem of uncertainty of indicators of psychological resources actualization, as a psychological state, characterizing the completeness of a certain stage, the phase of self-fulfillment is defined in the article. It is stated, that the problem of revealing the indicators of psychological resources actualization is caused by the empirical uncertainty of the coordinates of general and particular units in the system of human relations, while solving this problem will make it possible to determine the constructiveness of personality-based development. According to the results of correlation, multifactor, classification, regression analysis, it is proved, that it is reasonable to characterize the relationship between coherence, self-efficacy, systemic reflection, believe in good, The article is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) ISSN 2227-6246 (Print) / ISSN 2663-6956 (Online) Problems of modern psychology (2019), 44, 346–367 DOI 10.32626/2227-6246.2019-44.346-367 http://journals.uran.ua/index.php/2227-6246 Проблеми сучасної психології. 2019. Випуск 44 347 creativity, knowledge of their resources, ability to update and invest, as an indicator of psychological resources actualization. It is advisable to single out the components of the external and internal configuration of the individual – respectively coherence, self-efficacy, systemic reflection and the resources of believe in good, creativity, knowledge of their resources, the ability to update and invest them. Knowledge of resources is a determinant for all components of the external and internal configuration of the personality. At the same time, this knowledge should not be self-constructed, but achieved through self-transcendence. The state of psychological resources actualization is characterized as the awareness of the personality of a new measure of spiritual tension, caused by the renewal of its knowledge of the regarding correlation of its own abilities and capabilities.


In addition to round nanofibers, electrospinning a polymer solution can produce thin fibers with a variety of cross-sectional shapes. Branched fibers, flat ribbons, ribbons with other shapes, and fibers that were split longitudinally from larger fibers were observed. The transverse dimensions of these asymmetric fibers were typically 1 or 2 μm, measured in the widest direction. A correlation of the branches and bends, observed in high-frame-rate videography of the electrified jets of polymer solutions from which the ribbons and branched fibers were produced, suggest that these phenomena occur at scales ranging from around 1 mm to 1 μm. The observation of fibers with these cross-sectional shapes from a number of different kinds of polymers and solvents indicates that fluid mechanical effects, electrical charge carried with the jet, and evaporation of the solvent all contributed to the formation of the fibers. The influence of a skin on the jets of polymer solutions accounts for a number of the observations. The observed shapes can be used as guides for the extension of mathematical or computer-generated models for the electrospinning process. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 2598–2606, 2001


Recordings to depths of 5 km have been made on the Pacific Ocean bottom with self-rising internally recording seismometers. Simultaneous recordings have been made at land stations. The ocean-bottom noise spectrum is between one and five orders of magnitude higher power than the land spectrum in the region from 0.1 to 9.0 cps. Coherence between two simultaneous instruments separated one-quarter kilometer is above the 95 percent confidence level from 0.1 cps to 0.6 cps. Attempts to associate narrow-beam Love and Rayleigh peaks with large storm-generating areas or with heavy swell striking shore have not produced consistent results. Although some records show the bulk of the microseism peak energy in well-defined modes, the energy is carried in different modes at different times and locations. Some of our data fit a model of microseism generation in a 100-mile strip, by a statistical superposition of incident waves and waves reflected from shore; and the subsequent conversion of the energy to Rayleigh and Love modes propagating away from the generation zone. However, the shapes of the mid-ocean spectra strongly imply additional sources far from shorelines or recognized storms, unless microseisms attenuate far less in the ocean than on land.


Recent studies show that presence of hypertension during pregnancy results to neonatal morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to investigate and identify the neonatal out comes, which their mothers were afflicted with hypertension during pregnancy. This was a Cohort type of study and in this regard, 160 pregnant women with hypertension were considered from Obs & Gyn Department of Taleghani Hospital, Shahid Beheshti Medical Sciences University. 80 pregnant women without hypertension were considered as control group. Morbidity and mortality were compared in these neonates. Results of this study showed that in group of mothers afflicted with hypertension, morbidity and mortality of neonates were 7.5 times, low apgar scores, 9 times birth of premature neonate, 3.5 times, low birth weight of neonate (fetal growth retardation) 2 times of control group. Since hypertension in pregnant women has many serious side effects for neonates, therefore it is recommended that there should be improved cares during pregnancy and on time of recognition and control of this disease, which can be lead to serious problems, and mortality of neonates.


This study evaluated the remineralizing effect of a toothpaste containing surface pre-reacted glass-ionomer (S-PRG) filler on demineralized enamel in situ. For this, 180 bovine enamel samples were demineralized by using a microcosm biofilm model for 3 days. Thereafter, the samples were randomly signed to 15 healthy volunteers and to 3 cross-over in situ phases corresponding to the following treatments: (1) toothpaste containing 1,500 ppm F as NaMFP (positive control, Colgate®Cavity Protection), (2) toothpaste containing 5% S-PRG filler (Shofu®), and (3) placebo toothpaste (negative control prepared by Shofu®). Four demineralized enamel blocks were fixed into each palatal appliance per phase. The volunteers wore the appliances for 5 days and were trained to brush their teeth 2 times for 2 min a day, while one drop of the toothpaste's slurry (1:3) was dripped on each sample for the same period. The surface hardness and TMR analyses were done and analyzed by ANOVA/Tukey and t test (p < 0.05). S-PRG filler and Colgate® toothpastes were equally able to improve 2–2.5× enamel remineralization by the analysis of % surface hardness recovery. However, S-PRG toothpaste was the only one able to significantly improve ΔΔZ (the integrated mineral loss recovery: 1,489 ± 503 %vol.μm) compared to placebo (1,050 ± 467 %vol.μm), while Colgate® did not differ from placebo. No differences were seen between the groups with respect to ΔLD. S-PRG filler and Colgate® toothpastes show similar potential to remineralize the lesion surface. However, S-PRG toothpaste is better to recover mineral loss at the subsurface area.


This article analyses the emerging discourse on 'climate security' and investigates whether and how attempts to consider environmental problems as security issues are transforming security practices. Attempts to broaden the security agenda have been deemed as spreading the confrontational logic of security—which, within international relations, is traditionally associated with the exceptional decision that brings into existence the logic of war—into sectors from which it had been excluded. This problematic development has been described as 'securitization'. This article argues that this perspective does not consider whether and how by securitizing nontraditional sectors, alternative security logics are evoked and practices associated with securitization are challenged and transformed. The securitization of the environment, it is argued, is transforming existing security practices and provisions. This process is part of broader re-articulation of the spaces in which a logic of security based on emergency and contingency is legitimated and those in which a logic of prevention and management prevails. It implies new roles for security actors and different means to provide security.


dioscin has been shown to affect the regulation of metabolic diseases, including diabetes; however, the mechanism of action is still unclear. under high glucose (HG) conditions, the expression of scavenger receptors and the uptake of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxldl) are upregulated in dendritic cells (dcs), which are critical steps in atherogenesis and inflammation. In this study, the focus was on the impact of dioscin on the function of dcs. immature dcs were cultured with: 5.5 mM glucose medium (control group); 30 mM glucose medium (HG group); HG + 10 mM dioscin; HG + 20 mM dioscin; HG + 30 mM dioscin; and HG + 40 mM dioscin. For subsequent experiments, 30 mM dioscin was used as the experimental concentration. Dichlorodihydrofluorescein fluorescence was used to measure the intracellular production of reactive oxygen species (roS) in dcs. The expression levels of the scavenger receptors, including class a scavenger receptors (Sr-a), cd36 and lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (loX-1) were determined via quantitative Pcr. The protein expression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MaPK) was determined by western blotting. Furthermore, eliSa was used to detect the levels of interleukin (il)-6, il-10 and il-12. Finally, dcs were incubated with diOlistic (Dil)‐labeled oxLDL, and flow cytometry analysis was used to investigate the dil-oxldl-incorporated fraction. The incubation of dcs with dioscin inhibited the induction of roS production, in a dose-dependent manner, under HG conditions. The upregulation of Sr-a, cd36 and loX-1 genes was partially abolished by dioscin, which also partially reversed p38 MaPK protein upregulation. Furthermore, increased secretion of il-6 and il-12, and decreased secretion of il-10 in dcs, induced by HG, was also reversed by dioscin. To conclude, dioscin could attenuate the production of roS, inflammatory cytokine secretion and oxLDL uptake by DCs in HG conditions by preventing the expression of scavenger receptors and p38 MaPK, thus playing a positive role in preventing atherogenesis.


This paper provides a policymaker's perspective on some lessons from the recent financial crisis. It focuses on questions in three areas. First, what lessons can be drawn regarding the institutional framework for monetary policy? Has the experience changed the pre-crisis consensus that monetary policy is best performed by an independent central bank focused on achieving and maintaining price stability? Second, what lessons can be drawn regarding the monetary policy strategy that should be followed by a central bank? How activist should a central bank be in dampening macroeconomic fluctuations? Should the "output gap" serve as an important policy guide? Are there lessons regarding the stability-oriented approach followed by the ECB? How activist should a central bank be in tackling perceived asset price misalignments? Does the ECB's monetary analysis pillar help incorporate the pertinent information in formulating policy? Third, is monetary policy pursuing price stability enough to ensure overall stability in the economy? Or is there room for improvement regarding how central banks can contribute to financial stability? Should the role of monetary policy be seen as completely separate from the broader institutional environment governing financial markets and institutions in our economy? Or would greater central bank involvement in regulation and supervision pertaining to credit and finance allow better management of overall economic stability?


Background : Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) secondary to surgery or infections implies a therapeutic challenge, either expectant or surgical treatment. Nowadays, the endoscopic closure procedure is performed more often.  Objective : Case-report of a child presenting a successful endoscopic closure of a bronchopleural fistula during acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).  Case-report : A 14 year-old boy with previous left lower lobectomy due to chronic bronchiectasis, who developed a central BPF after transthoracic drainage of a lingular abscess, associated to mechanical ventilation failure, septic shock and ARDS. The BPF was sealed through bronchoscopy with Tetracycline and Gelfoam, with great decrease of BPF high flow until definitive closure 3 weeks after the procedure.  Conclusion : BPF development after pulmonary abscess drainage could be effectively treated with bronchoscopic closure during ARDS in a critically ill child, avoiding higher surgical risks.


Recently a number of researchers have proposed and investigated new video-on-demand architectures that make use of network multicast to achieve vastly improved efficiency. Techniques such as batching, patching, periodic broadcasting, chaining, and piggybacking have been explored both in isolation and in combinations. This study investigates a new tool in the arsenal-channel folding, where aggressive client-side caching is used to merge clients from one multicast channel into the other. In particular, this channel folding algorithm is applied to a previously proposed unified video-on-demand (UVoD)) architecture to demonstrate and to quantify its impact on the performance and the tradeoff in a multicast video distribution architecture. This paper presents this channel folding algorithm in the context of UVoD) and derives a performance model to obtain the system latency, the near-optimal channel partition policy, and the client buffer requirement. Numerical results show that channel folding can double the capacity of UVoD) with a remarkably small overhead in the client buffer requirement.


The increasingly wide acceptance of precooked frozen foods has led to the establishment throughout the United States of new frozen food plants devoted entirely to the precooked products. Among the problems facing this rapidly expanding industry is the development of adequate quality control standards for flavor, attractiveness, stability, and wholesomeness. As early as 1947 the question of wholesomeness was raised by Fitzgerald, who pointed out the importance of high quality raw materials, adequate cooking, careful plant sanitation during processing and packaging, rapid handling, and quick-freezing. Food sanitarians and public health officials presently are focusing their attention on the potential health hazards resulting fron unsanitary operations and improper handling durinig the production and distribution of these foods. For effective sanitary control in the industry, processors may find it desirable to employ a standardized bacteriological testing program as an adjunct to rigidly supervised measures of cleanliness. The purpose of this report is to describe and evaluate laboratory methods used for estimating levels of bacterial populations surviving in the precooked frozen products. When frozen meals were introduced into the U. S. Air Force in-flight feeding program in 1951, a military specification for these foods was published by the U. S. Army Quartermaster Corps. The sanitary requirements specified for their production included a provision for continuous plant inispection by the Veterinary Corps and imposed bacterial standards for the finished product. At present the specifieation (MIL-M-13966) provides for a standard plate count not to exceed 100,000 organisms per g, and a coliform plate count not to exceed 10 per gram. The two counts serve as an index of ade(uate cooking. Since the relatively heat-labile colon-aerogenes group of organisms cannot survive the


The accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant contaminated the soil of densely populated regions in Fukushima Prefecture with radiocaesium, which poses risks of internal and external exposure to the residents. However, extensive whole-body-count surveys have shown that internal exposure levels of residents are negligible. In addition, data from personal dosimeters have shown that external exposure levels have decreased, so the estimated annual external dose of the majority of people is <1 mSv in most areas of Fukushima. Despite these reassuring data, many problems remain in Fukushima, many of which are psychosocial rather than radiological. This article will discuss the roles of measurement and communication in the postaccident phase based on 5 years of experience.


SUMMARY The growth of the three free-living stages of N. dubius was measured in terms of dry and fresh weight. Changes in body water content during moulting were demonstrated by variations in dry weight when expressed as a percentage of fresh weight. The respiration rate of the larvae increased until they became infective, after which time it decreased until five days later no oxygen consumption could be recorded. The inability of all larval stages to withstand anaerobic conditions indicated that their metabolism was essentially aerobic. The relationship between body size and metabolic rate was established for each stage and its significance in relation to the life-cycle discussed.


The concept of work-life balance developed on the premise that career and personal life should not be seen as competing concerns but as balanced components of one's overall existence. Initiatives to promote work-life balance become mandatory requirements for employees to maximize productivity and retain talent. This study examines the effect of work-life balance initiatives on organizational citizenship behavior in the case of commercial bank branches in Werabe (Ethiopia). Descriptive and explanatory research designs were employed by using a quantitative research approach. The data was collected through a standard questionnaire. The study used the census method. 150 employees from nine different commercial bank branches in Worabe town were selected to provide the study's primary data. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The study found that most employees' perceptions were low for all significant work-life balance initiative variables included in this study; they were also medium in perceiving organizational citizenship behavior. Among the independent variables under investigation, three of them (flexible work arrangements, work leave programs, and dependent care initiatives) have positive and significant effects on organizational citizenship behavior. In contrast, the other two (working hours and workload) negatively and significantly affect organizational citizenship behavior. The beta coefficients of this study indicated that flexible work arrangements have a high effect on organizational citizenship behavior, followed by work leave programs. Therefore, it is better to adopt them in the organization. The influence of the abovementioned variables on organizational citizenship behavior is significant. This study fills this gap and extends the understanding of the role of variables. The bank's management needs to offer initiatives by allowing employees to schedule their time and assisting and advising them on childcare costs and responsibilities such as schools, offering extended leave if something goes wrong, and sharing charges for education.


The unique optical properties of Se2- radicals located in the cages of the sodalite structure are reported. By means of luminescence, photoluminescence excitation, and absorption spectroscopy, three different centers are identified. Two of them are Se2- anions in sites with presumably a tetrahedral Na4(4+) coordination and a Na3(3+) environment with cation deficiency, respectively, giving rise to a red luminescence band with two different progressions. The third center is the intermediate Se2 molecule, created photochemically by UV laser excitation. It induces an additional blue luminescence. The electronic properties of the Se2- centers, particularly in the excited states, are significantly influenced by steric constraints imposed by the limited space in the sodalite host polyhedra. Thus, the sodalite structure can be viewed as a model system for studying effects of this kind on chromophores imbedded in the cages of the zeolite-type lattice.


Bernard L. Madison, Stuart Boersma, Caren L. Diefenderfer, and Shannon W. Dingman. Case Studies for Quantitative Reasoning: A Casebook of Media Articles (Pearson Learning Solutions, 2012). 215 pp. ISBN 9781256512875. Concisely organized and timely to a tee, Case Studies for Quantitative Reasoning contains a wealth of articles and exercises to promote higher-order thinking in any course where quantitative literacy is a goal. The text is a self-contained package complete with just enough mathematics to ensure that all students can join in. It contains a total of twenty-four case studies, each of which highlights how numbers appear in day-to-day media. The text is broken into six broad mathematical topics, each of which includes any background mathematics necessary for reading. Each individual study includes warm-up exercises and follow-up questions that demand critical thinking. Notwithstanding the elementary mathematics prerequisite to read the text, the topics and questions are sufficiently challenging to keep a class – and accompanying instructor – engaged for an entire semester.


the frontal areas of the brain. Habituation may therefore play an important part in what is generally described as acclimatization; this point has not always been appreciated by physiologists. Important as habituation may be in the process of acclimatization to hot or cold environments or to high altitudes, it is not, as the author seems to suggest, the whole story. His book would have gained in value if he had been rather more objective in assessing the role of habituation. Nevertheless, in spite of reservations, physiologists and pharmacologists should read this book.


A market capacity model is proposed to predict the maximum acceptable amount of incoming fresh produce per unit area in the Kramat Jati central wholesale market in metropolitan Jakarta. Engineering fieldwork as well as stakeholder analysis were carried out for nine months to investigate the performance of the market as a part of the supply chain for fresh produce and the impact of solid waste from the market on the terminal garbage dump. The results of the stakeholder analysis revealed that eighteen or more stakeholders were involved in the problems of solid waste disposal in metropolitan Jakarta. The total solid waste from 151 fresh produce markets in Jakarta was 1,034 m 3 per day, which corresponds to 4% of the gross volume of solid waste in Jakarta. The central market disposed of 199 m 3 per day of solid waste, which was not significantly affected by the total amount of incoming fresh produce. Moreover, three problemsolving approaches are proposed to manage the issues in the long run; consensus-building, topdown and bottom-up.


Purpose To compare the ability of the nerve fiber analyzer (GDx) and the retinal thickness analyzer (RTA) to discriminate between glaucomatous and healthy eyes. Methods Thirty-seven glaucoma patients (early to moderate severity) and 34 healthy controls were included. Glaucoma patients were defined as those with two repeatable abnormal visual fields by automated perimetry within 1 year. All subjects were examined with a GDx scanning laser polarimeter and RTA. Twelve GDx retinal nerve fiber layer parameters and 12 RTA optic disk topography parameters were obtained. GDx and RTA measurements were compared between both experimental groups using t-tests. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) for discriminating between healthy and glaucomatous eyes using GDx and RTA parameters were calculated and compared, and sensitivities at ≥80% and≥95% specificity were reported. Results Statistically significant differences between glaucomatous and healthy eyes were found for most GDx and RTA parameters. For GDx, the parameter with the largest AUROC for discriminating between healthy and glaucomatous eyes was the number (AUROC = 0.91, sensitivity = 85% at specificity = 84%, sensitivity = 73% at specificity = 95%). For RTA, the parameter with the largest AUROC was mean cup depth (AUROC = 0.79, sensitivity = 61% at specificity = 82%, sensitivity = 33% at specificity = 95%). The AUROC for the GDx number was significantly larger than the AUROC for RTA mean cup depth (p<0.05). Conclusions GDX showed better discrimination and better sensitivities at fixed specificities than RTA. The currently available RTA optic disk analysis software likely cannot replace GDx RNFL analysis software for successful glaucoma diagnosis.


In the paper, we present an approach for learning a single model that universally segments 33 anatomical structures, including vertebrae, pelvic bones, and abdominal organs. Our model building has to address the following challenges. Firstly, while it is ideal to learn such a model from a large-scale, fully-annotated dataset, it is practically hard to curate such a dataset. Thus, we resort to learn from a union of multiple datasets, with each dataset containing the images that are partially labeled. Secondly, along the line of partial labelling, we contribute an open-source, large-scale vertebra segmentation dataset for the benefit of spine analysis community, CTSpine1K, boasting over 1,000 3D volumes and over 11K annotated vertebrae. Thirdly, in a 3D medical image segmentation task, due to the limitation of GPU memory, we always train a model using cropped patches as inputs instead a whole 3D volume, which limits the amount of contextual information to be learned. To this, we propose a cross-patch transformer module to fuse more information in adjacent patches, which enlarges the aggregated receptive field for improved segmentation performance. This is especially important for segmenting, say, the elongated spine. Based on 7 partially labeled datasets that collectively contain about 2,800 3D volumes, we successfully learn such a universal model. Finally, we evaluate the universal model on multiple open-source datasets, proving that our model has a good generalization performance and can potentially serve as a solid foundation for downstream tasks.