In this paper, we propose a VR design tool framework called DREAMSCAPE, which adopts a direct manipulation approach focusing on embody, experience, and manipulation activities in design. The framework defines a VR design process using intuitive controls without being limited by the preconceptions of conventional CAD systems. To establish and demonstrate the framework, we designed and developed a VR design tool called Dreamscape Bricks VR in Unreal Engine 4, using LEGO bricks as base components in a high-fidelity interactive design environment. We conducted user tests and administered questionnaires assessing usability, performance, and comfort. Results showed that the user experience of the tool is positive. The developed tool is expected to establish the abstract framework and provide insights into the future of VR design tools with implications on design education


The number of hematopoietic stem cell transplantations and recipients with late complications from transplantation are both increasing; therefore, we investigated the status of the long-term follow-up system for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation survivors in Japan using a mail questionnaire; 100 of 194 institutions replied. The median examination time for each patient was 12.5 min. Five percent of institutions had an outpatient transplantation clinic, 1% had a manual for long-term follow-up after stem cell transplantation, and 11% used NIH criteria for the diagnosis of chronic GVHD. The lack of human resources, such as doctors, nurses, and other co-medical staff for transplant patients, was a structural problem. In addition, the development of guidelines for Japanese patients and staff education are also required in the clinical process. Thus, a long-term follow-up system, training of human resources, and appropriate reallocation of funds for medical services are required.


IMPORTANCE
The use of acid suppression has been associated with an increased risk of upper and lower respiratory tract infections in the outpatient setting but the mechanism behind this increased risk is unknown. We hypothesize that this infection risk results from gastric bacterial overgrowth with subsequent seeding of the lungs.

OBJECTIVES
To determine if acid-suppression use results in gastric bacterial overgrowth, if there are changes in lung microflora associated with the use of acid suppression, and if changes in lung microflora are related to full-column nonacid gastroesophageal reflux.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
A 5-year prospective cohort study at a tertiary care center where children ages 1 to 18 years were undergoing bronchoscopy and endoscopy for the evaluation of chronic cough. Acid-suppression use was assessed through questionnaires with confirmation using an electronic medical record review.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Our primary outcome was to compare differences in concentration and prevalence of gastric and lung bacteria between patients who were and were not receiving acid-suppression therapy. We compared medians using the Wilcoxon signed rank test and determined prevalence ratios using asymptotic standard errors and 95% confidence intervals. We determined correlations between continuous variables using Pearson correlation coefficients and compared categorical variables using the Fisher exact test.

RESULTS
Forty-six percent of patients taking acid-suppression medication had gastric bacterial growth compared with 18% of untreated patients (P = .003). Staphylococcus (prevalence ratio, 12.75 [95% CI, 1.72-94.36]), Streptococcus (prevalence ratio, 6.91 [95% CI, 1.64-29.02]), Veillonella (prevalence ratio, 9.56 [95% CI, 1.26-72.67]), Dermabacter (prevalence ratio, 4.78 [95% CI, 1.09-21.02]), and Rothia (prevalence ratio, 6.38 [95% CI, 1.50-27.02]) were found more commonly in the gastric fluid of treated patients. The median bacterial concentration was higher in treated patients than in untreated patients (P = .001). There was no difference in the prevalence (P > .23) of different bacterial genera or the median concentration of total bacteria (P = .85) in the lungs between treated and untreated patients. There were significant positive correlations between proximal nonacid reflux burden and lung concentrations of Bacillus (r = 0.47, P = .005), Dermabacter (r = 0.37, P = .008), Lactobacillus (r = 0.45, P = .001), Peptostreptococcus (r = 0.37, P = .008), and Capnocytophagia (r = 0.37, P = .008).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Acid-suppression use results in gastric bacterial overgrowth of genera including Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. Full-column nonacid reflux is associated with greater concentrations of bacteria in the lung. Additional studies are needed to determine if acid suppression-related microflora changes predict clinical infection risk; these results suggest that acid suppression use may need to be limited in patients at risk for infections.


After the Connemara schists, of Dalradian age, had been folded (F1) and metamorphosed to sillimanite grade, they were strongly hornfelsed by the intrusion of basic magma. From this magma crystallized peridotites, norites, pyroxenites and gabbros, all with An80–87 plagioclase. Movements then caused the magma to break up these ultrabasic rocks and crystallization of basic rocks occurred. They are labradorite (An55–65)-hornblende-relic clinopyroxene rocks that grade into quartz-hornblende-labradorite (An55)-gneiss, quartz-hornblende-labradorite (An55)- and andesine (An40)-gneiss and quartz-andesine (An40)-hornblende-biotite-gneiss. These gneisses formed during strong F2 and F3 movements, and probably during amphibolite-facies metamorphism, and they broke up, injected, metasomatized and amphibolized the earlier basic and ultrabasic rocks, giving a heterogeneous migmatite that commonly contains two plagioclases, An40 and An55. Quartzo-feldspath-ization of metasediment occurred, possibly up to a mile from the migmatites. This, and recrystallization, formed quartz-andesine (An40)-biotite-gneiss that merges into the magmatically crystallized gneisses as do gneisses formed by silicification of basic and ultrabasic rocks. Last to crystallize was K-feldspar gneiss, possibly formed by segregation of residual magma into one zone. This migmatite complex contains evidence of both magmatic and metamorphic crystallization of hornblende and the relative importance of each process remains to be determined. Tight F3folding formed the Cashel syncline, and a series of complementary folds. Later retrogressive metamorphism caused widespread chloritization, sericitization and saussuritization. Last of all was the intrusion of the Galway and Roundstone granites followed by their associated dykes. Twenty-four chemical analyses and nearly five hundred plagioclase determinations are utilized.


Time-based trapping of chromatographically separated compounds onto solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges and subsequent elution to NMR tubes was done to emulate the function of HPLC-NMR for dereplication purposes. Sufficient mass sensitivity was obtained by use of a state-of-the-art HPLC-SPE-NMR system with a cryogenically cooled probe head, designed for 1.7 mm NMR tubes. The resulting (1)H NMR spectra (600 MHz) were evaluated against a database of previously acquired and prepared spectra. The in-house-developed matching algorithm, based on partitioning of the spectra and allowing for changes in the chemical shifts, is described. Two mixtures of natural products were used to test the approach: an extract of Carthamus oxyacantha (wild safflower), containing an array of spiro compounds, and an extract of the endophytic fungus Penicillum namyslowski, containing griseofulvin and analogues. The database matching of the resulting spectra positively identified expected compounds, while the number of false positives was few and easily recognized.


The underestimation of population growth has resulted in the disruptive and uncontrolled expansion of settlements in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). The outcome is a complicated mix of new spontaneous dwelling areas featuring a number of distinct urban morphologies. Previous studies have shown the impacts of urban morphologies on comfort levels in outdoor environments. The paper examines the correlation of microclimatic conditions and constituents that create the urban spatial form of residential neighbourhoods, particularly around 'shophouse' buildings. Understanding that relationship is significant for improving the future planning and design of residential zones and the creation of a pleasant external environment. Seven urban dwelling patterns were studied. Thermal variables were measured on-site over a summer season, while meteorological data were recorded. Additionally, numerical studies of the microclimate around two sample sites showed variations owing to different urban contexts. During summer, the outdoor conditions for the types surveyed ranged from 29.5 to 38.0 °C air temperature, 41% to 79% humidity, and 0.1 to 0.9 m/s airspeed at the occupied level. Environmental variations averaged 1.5 °C, 7% relative humidity, and 0.3 m/s between the urban geometries. Occupant thermal satisfaction was found around formally planned dwelling blocks, while compact neighbourhoods were characterised by cooler temperatures, but poor airflow and daylight. The outcomes are significant for optimising urban and building design.


With more and more users using smartphones to order food online, in order to attract users, advertisements are widely used in various mobile food ordering APPs (MFOAs). The presentation of information in the user interface of MFOA is an essential factor pertinent to the user experience. This study aimed to explore the usability of information layout and dynamic presentation of banner advertising in an MFOA's operation and to suggest future design improvements. A 2 x 2 between-subjects experiment was planned to help explore whether the information layout (i.e., list-style and matrix-style) and dynamic presentation of banner advertising (i.e., static and dynamic ads) affect users' task performance and their subjective evaluations. This experiment used a convenience sampling method, and a total of 32 participants were recruited to participate in the experiment. Data collection for the experiment included participants' task performance, subjective ratings on a 7-point Likert scale and semi-structured interviews. The generated results revealed that: (1) Information layout with different types affected the participants' task performance; (2) Dynamic presentation of banner advertising affected users' task performance; (3) Information layout affected participants' subjective evaluations of the degree of preference and attractiveness; matrix-style was better than list-style; (4) There was a significant interaction between information layout and dynamic presentation of banner advertising in the subjective measure of the degree of preference, list-style is rated significantly higher in static ads than in matrix-style. However, the opposite result is obtained for dynamic ads. The findings generated from the research can be a good reference for developing the user interface design for MFOAs.


In this study, the malfunction characteristics of the integral analog-to-digital converter including voltage-to-frequency converter for the incident conductive noise on power-supply-line is experimentally clarified. It is concluded that the noise immunity of the analog-digital converter for incident conductive noise on power-supply line is dominated by the response characteristics to noise immunity of control multi-vibrator installed in the voltage-to-frequency converter and the integrator shows the abnormal response according to control multi-vibrator's malfunction


Molecularly Imprinted Polymer(MIP) Membrane was traditionally prepared by radical polymerization of solution of template, functional monomer and cross-linker in an organic solvent. This way often cost too much time to preparing the polymers. In addition, the polymer usually suffered from being membrane so that it can not be used as the sensitive material of the sensors. Here, in this paper, A novel way that the MIP membranes were prepared by electrochemical method was developed. The method is fast and easy to prepare the membrane. The membrane has the super ability to combine the original template.


We consider a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate in a ring trap in a rotating frame and show how to determine the response of such a configuration to being in a rotating frame via accumulation of a Sagnac phase. This may be accomplished through either population oscillations or the motion of spatial-density fringes. We explicitly include the effect of interactions via a mean-field description and study the fidelity of the dynamics relative to an ideal configuration.


Abstract. Climate change has altered precipitation and temperature patterns in the tropical Andes. As a result, tropical glaciers have retreated significantly over the past 50 years and have even disappeared in some areas. Andean peatlands, one of the most important Andean carbon reservoirs, also seem to be affected by these climate changes, since glaciers have been recognized as one of their vital water sources. Here, we point out the important role of Andean peatlands on carbon accumulation rates (CAR), one of the highest in the world, and the impact of climate on carbon storage over the last 65 years, using four peat cores. The peat cores were radiocarbon-dated and ages were post-bomb calibrated and chronological models indicated basal ages (30 cm depth) ranging from 1957 to 1972 CE, where accumulation rates reached up 1.7 cm yr−1. For both peatlands, carbon accumulation rates are high (mean of 470 and 220 g C m−2 yr−1 at APA 1 and APA 2 sites, respectively) and can reach up to 1010 g C m−2 yr−1. Distichia muscoides is the dominant species in the Peruvian Central Andes peatlands and the high CAR, among other factors, is a characteristic of this species. Our results point out that a marked decrease of CAR after the early 1980s at both peatlands is likely related to an increase in annual temperature, which is responsible for the retreat of glaciers. We use a new high-resolution proxy (Skrzypek et al., 2011) based on the δ13C of Distichia along the cores to evaluate the temperature variability at the site. We observed a general trend of increase in the reconstructed temperature from both studied peatlands from 1.9 to 2 ºC for the period 1970–2015 CE. Comparison with air temperature data from the NCEP-NCAR reanalysis for the higher resolution cores shows a good relationship and an increase of 2.15 °C for the same period. Temperature increase may directly affect CAR by an increase in organic matter degradation rates. The decrease in CAR during the period of study may also be due to a decrease in melt water inflow generated by the retreat of glaciers that have almost disappeared today in the catchments as a consequence of regional warming. Our findings emphasize that marked changes in carbon accumulation rates demonstrate the high ecological sensitivity of tropical high-Andean peatlands, endangering their outstanding role in the regional (and even global) C cycle as large C sinks that contribute to the mitigation of global climate change.


Purpose

Recent research has confirmed an underlying economic logic that connects each of the three vertices of the "fraud triangle" – a fundamental criminological model of factors driving occupational fraud. It is postulated that in the presence of economic motivation and opportunity (the first two vertices of the fraud triangle), the likelihood of an occupational fraud happening in an organization increases substantially if the overall organization culture is perceived as being slack toward fraud as it helps potential fraudsters in rationalizing their actions (rationalization being the third vertex of the fraud triangle). This paper aims to offer a viable approach for collecting and processing of data to identify and operationalize the key factors underlying employee perception of organization culture toward occupational frauds.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reports and analyses the results of a pilot study conducted using a convenience sampling approach to identify and operationalize the key factors underlying employee perception of organization culture with respect to occupational frauds. Given a very small sample size, a numerical testing technique based on the binomial distribution has been applied to test for significance of the proportion of respondents who agree that a lenient organizational culture toward fraud can create a rationalization for fraud.

Findings

The null hypothesis assumed no difference in the population proportions between those who agree and those who disagree with the view that a lenient organizational culture toward fraud can create a rationalization for fraud. Based on the results of the numerical test, the null hypothesis is rejected in favor of the alternative that the population proportion of those who agree with the stated view in fact exceeded the proportion of those who disagreed.

Research limitations/implications

The obvious limitation is the very small size of the sample obtained because of an extremely low rate of response to the survey questionnaires. However, while of course a much bigger data set needs to be collected to develop a generalizable prediction model, the small sample was enough for the purpose of a pilot study.

Practical implications

This paper makes two distinct practical contributions. First, it posits a viable empirical research plan for identifying, collecting and processing the right data to identify and operationalize the key underlying factors that capture an employee's perception of organizational culture toward fraud as a basis for rationalizing an act of fraud. Second, it demonstrates via a small-scale pilot study that a more broad-based survey can indeed prove to be extremely useful in collating the sort of data that is needed to develop a computational model for predicting the likelihood of occupational fraud in any organization.

Originality/value

This paper provides a viable framework which empirical researchers can follow to test some of the latest advances in the "fraud triangle" theory. It outlines a systematic and focused data collection method via a well-designed questionnaire that is effectively applicable to future surveys that are scaled up to collect data at a nationwide level.


The propriety of the autoregressive (AR) method as a means of processing the signals of physiological tremor of human finger (finger tremor) was investigated. Application of the Akaike's criterion demonstrated that the 15-th order AR model was required to describe the recordings of finger tremor. According to Burg's algorithm, both AR spectrum and AR parameters were estimated to study the effects of various weight loads on finger tremor. It was found that, (1) the amplitude of AR spectrum was apparently enhanced by adding the load; (2) the first prediction coefficient (a1) and the first reflection coefficient (rho 1) significantly declined by increasing the weight loads. The results were compared with the calculations from FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) and autocorrelation function. Simple physical interpretation of the AR parameters (i.e. a1 and rho 1) was discussed in relation with system's resonant modes.


Measurements and calculations of the plasma temperature distribution and of the visible emission spectrum have been carried out for high-pressure sodium arcs with a diameter of 7.6 mm. Results are presented for sodium vapour pressures ranging from 50 to 500 Torr and for power inputs per unit arc length of 2800 and 5800 W m-1, which demonstrate an overall agreement between measured and calculated data. The axial temperature lies between 3600 and 4100K.


Vulval extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma (EMC) is a rare cause of vulval swelling, reported <10 times in the literature to date. EMC in this location is frequently misdiagnosed due to its rarity, and patients may incur delays in diagnosis and treatment. We herein present the diagnosis and management of the case of vulval EMC in a 42-year-old Caucasian female patient who presented in 2011 with a swelling on the right labium majus. The tumour was initially misdiagnosed as a Bartholin's cyst and managed conservatively. The tumour was ultimately diagnosed as EMC and treated by radical surgical excision and adjuvant radiotherapy. The aim of the present study was to report the results after a long-term follow-up period and review the available relevant literature.


With advances in compiler optimization and program flow analysis, software assisted cache prefetching schemes using PREFETCH instructions are now possible. Although data can be prefetched accurately into the cache, the runtime overhead associated with these schemes often limits their practical use. We propose a new prefetching scheme, called the Embedded Data Prefetching (EDP), to prefetch array references with constant strides accurately. The basic idea of the EDP scheme is to store constant stride values of array references to be prefetched into a register array, called the stride register file. For each array reference r with constant stride s, the name of the stride register containing s will be embedded into the corresponding LOAD or STORE instruction for r. Then, prefetch hardware will use this embedded prefetching hint and its corresponding value in the stride register for accurate data prefetching. Compared to current software assisted data prefetching schemes, the EDP scheme has much lower runtime overhead without sacrificing prefetching accuracy. Our result showed that the EDP scheme is particularly suitable for computing intensive scientific applications where cache misses are mainly due to array references with constant strides and they can be prefetched very accurately by this EDP scheme.<<ETX>>


The amino acid sequence of ERp57, which functions in the endoplasmic reticulum together with the lectins calreticulin and calnexin to achieve folding of newly synthesized glycoproteins, is highly similar to that of protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), but they have their own distinct roles in protein folding. We have characterized the domain structure of ERp57 by limited proteolysis and N-terminal sequencing and have found it to be similar but not identical to that of PDI. ERp57 had three major protease-sensitive regions, the first of which was located between residues 120 and 150, the second between 201 and 215, and the third between 313 and 341, the data thus being consistent with a four-domain structure abb′a′. Recombinant expression in Escherichia coli was used to verify the domain boundaries. Each single domain and a b′a′ double domain could be produced in the form of soluble, folded polypeptides, as verified by circular dichroism spectra and urea gradient gel electrophoresis. When the ability of ERp57 and its a and a′ domains to fold denatured RNase A was studied by electrospray mass analyses, ERp57 markedly enhanced the folding rate at early time points, although less effectively than PDI, but was an ineffective catalyst of the overall process. The a and a′ domains produced only minor, if any, increases in the folding rate at the early stages and no increase at the late stages. Interaction of the soluble ERp57 domains with the P domain of calreticulin was studied by chemical cross-linking in vitro. None of the single ERp57 domains nor the b′a′ double domain could be cross-linked to the P domain, whereas cross-linking was obtained with a hybrid ERpabb′PDIa′c polypeptide but not with ERpabPDIb′a′c, indicating that multiple domains are involved in this protein-protein interaction and that the b′ domain of ERp57 cannot be replaced by that of PDI.


Abstract Promephitis is a widespread late Tertiary Eurasian skunk in the family Mephitidae (Carnivora, Musteloidea), but many of the currently-recognized nine species were established on isolated dental material. Recent discoveries of Promephitis comprised of numerous nearly perfectly preserved skulls and jaws from Gansu Province, China, together with material from other Chinese localities plus unpublished material in the Frick Collection, make the Chinese record of Promephitis unrivaled in terms of quality, quantity, and species diversity. Four species of Promephitis are present in the Baodean land mammal age of East Asia: Promephitis parvus, sp. nov., from Hezheng region of Gansu Province; Promephitis qinensis, sp nov., from Fugu area of Shaanxi Province; Promephitis hootoni, the most common Chinese species; and Promephitis alexejewi from the terminal Miocene locality of Ertemte, which is still poorly known. Promephitis parvus represents the smallest known species of the genus and is also the most primitive in cranial and dental morphologies. Promephitis qinensis is a transitional form that may have given rise to P. hootoni. If so, the Turkish occurrence of P. hootoni must be the result of westward expansion of its range.


havior. Involving more Americans in discussion or action concerning the war in Vietnam does not necessarily mean suppression of civil liberties. Also, without mass involvement, suppression can still occur. Why doesn't Verba mention the kind of public atmosphere created by HUAC, General Hershey and those leading public figures who find dissent close to treason? Is that also mass behavior? You would think that in this generation the civil rights movement would have demonstrated that mass movements are not necessarily threats to such democracy as we have. Verba says he welcomes as well as fears challenges to authority. That might be sensible, depending on the kind of challenge and the nature of the authority. Yet his emphasis is on the fear, not the welcome. He looks with dread toward the possibility of a decline in fundamental loyalty, yet he makes no mention of how present challenges may make new policies possible, and may in fact alter the nature of national loyalty for the better. Why? Beyond this, isn't it reasonable to fear also the acquiesence that allows authority to go unchallenged when challenge is needed? The issues involved are not only democracy and stability, but survival and human decency itself. Why, ten years ago, were so few political scientists telling us that what we needed was a dose of humane and democratic instability?


Thematic oral stories developed from 2010 to 2011. The purpose was to describe the nursing professionals' experience in the treatment of patients with mental disorders according to the asylum model (1960-2000). The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, carried out by two baccalaureate nurses and four nursing assistants in a psychiatric hospital in the state of Parana. Data were analyzed and presented in categories in accordance with the proposal of thematic analysis. The staff reported the following types of treatment delivered to patients with mental disorders: drug therapy, cardiazol shock, insulin therapy, electroconvulsive therapy - seen as an important resource to control agitation - use of cubicles and strong cells as common practices in psychiatric wards, and praxis physical therapy as occupation. They also made reference to bed sheet restraint, straightjackets and bed restraint using cotton bandages. Although many of these treatments are now discontinued and criticized, they were available and used during the studied period. DESCRIPTORS: Nursing. Psychiatric nursing. Mental health. Treatment. History of nursing.


—Al/Cu clad sheet has been fabricated by using differential speed rolling (DSR) process, which caused severe shear deformation between Al and Cu plate to easily bond to each other. Rolling was carried out at 100 and 150 o C with speed ratios from 1.4 to 2.2, in which the total thickness reduction was in the range between 14 and 46%. Interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of Al/Cu clad were investigated by scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive X-ray detector, and tension tests. The DSR process was very effective to provide a good interface for atoms diffusion during subsequent annealing. The strength of bonding was higher with the increasing speed ratio. Post heat treatment enhanced the mechanical properties of clad sheet by forming intermetallic compounds in the interface area.


The purpose of this project was to design and implement a system containing all the equipment necessary to monitor, record and control an experiment while still maintaining portability. A portable data acquisition system, with wireless local area network (LAN) connection, was designed and implemented using off-the-shelf and custom-made components. The Engineering Faculty was consulted regarding their individual needs in data acquisition. Components were selected in accordance to the Department's needs while taking into account the most cost-effective solutions.


Photoprotective function of anthocyanins along with xanthophyll cycle and antioxidant system in fruit peel was investigated in red 'Anjou' vs green 'Anjou' pear (Pyrus communis) during fruit development and in response to short-term exposure to high light. The sun-exposed peel of red 'Anjou' had higher maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (F(V)/F(M)) than that of green 'Anjou' and both the sun-exposed peel and the shaded peel of red 'Anjou' had smaller decreases in F(V)/F(M) after 2-h high light (photon flux density of 1500 mumol m(-2) s(-1)) treatment than those of green 'Anjou'. At the middle and late developmental stages, the xanthophyll cycle pool size on a chlorophyll basis, the activity of superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase (APX), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDAR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) and glutathione reductase (GR) and the level of reduced ascorbate and total ascorbate pool in the sun-exposed peel were either the same or lower in red 'Anjou' than in green 'Anjou', whereas the xanthophyll cycle pool size on a chlorophyll basis and the activity of APX, catalase, MDAR, DHAR and GR in the shaded peel were higher in red 'Anjou' than in green 'Anjou'. It is concluded that red 'Anjou' has a higher photoprotective capacity in both the sun-exposed peel and the shaded peel than green 'Anjou'. While the higher anthocyanin concentration along with the larger xanthophyll cycle pool size and the higher activity of some antioxidant enzymes may collectively contribute to the higher photoprotective capacity in the shaded peel of red 'Anjou', the higher photoprotective capacity in the sun-exposed peel of red 'Anjou' is mainly attributed to its higher anthocyanin concentration.


The bottled butter consisted of anhydrous fat, consequently it is highly susceptible to lipid oxidation, and also it is craftsmanly prepared without adequate processing control. In this context, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the composition of fatty acids, predominantly on saturated fat and trans fatty acids, in 10 bottled butter produced and marketed in different regions of Bahia, Brazil. Also, the stability of bottled butter for period of seven months in samples stored at 5oC was assessed by determining the peroxide index and acidity. The saturated fatty acids contents in analyzed samples ranged from 67.13 to 69.22% and the unsaturated ranged from 23.73 to 24.28%. The 18:1 trans fatty acids contents varied from 3.69 to 3.94%. All of analyzed butter samples showed high amount of peroxide at initial time (2.01-2.31 mEq / kg) and a slight change after being stored for seven months (2.10-2.42 mEq / kg). The same pattern was observed in relation to acidity, being at fi rst time 0.53-0.62% of oleic acid and 0.54-0.61% after seven months of storage. Although these bottled butter samples are handmade products, similarities on the identity characteristics were found among bottled butter samples on the market at different microregions of Bahia, Brazil.


Stauntonia hexaphylla (Thunb.) Decne. (Lardizabalaceae) leaves (SHL) have been used traditionally as analgesics, sedatives, diuretics, and so on, in China. To date, no data have been reported on the inhibitory effect of SHL and its constituents on rat lens aldose reductase (RLAR) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Therefore, the inhibitory effect of compounds isolated from SHL extract on RLAR and AGEs was investigated to evaluate potential treatments of diabetic complications. The ethyl acetate (EtOAC) fraction of SHL extract showed strong inhibitory activity on RLAR and AGEs; therefore, EtOAc fraction (3.0 g) was subjected to Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, for further fractionation, with 100% MeOH solvent system to investigate its effect on RLAR and AGEs. Phytochemical investigation of SHL led to the isolation of seven compounds. Among the isolated compounds, chlorogenic acid, calceolarioside B, luteolin-3′-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, and luteolin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside exhibited significant inhibitory activity against RLAR with IC50 in the range of 7.34–23.99 μM. In addition, 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl) propionic acid, neochlorogenic acid, and luteolin-3′-O-β-D-glucopyranoside exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity against formation of AGEs, with an IC50 value of 115.07–184.06 μM, compared to the positive control aminoguanidine (820.44 μM). Based on these findings, SHL dietary supplements could be considered for the prevention and/or treatment of diabetes complication.


We report on experiments exploring Stark-tuned Förster resonances between Rydberg atoms with high resolution in the Förster defect. The individual resonances are expected to exhibit different angular dependencies, opening the possibility to tune not only the interaction strength but also the angular dependence of the pair state potentials by an external electric field. We achieve a high resolution by optical Ramsey interferometry for Rydberg atoms combined with electric field pulses. The resonances are detected by a loss of visibility in the Ramsey fringes due to resonances in the interaction. We present measurements of the density dependence as well as of the coherence time at and close to Förster resonances.


Human resource management is part of organizational management that focuses on the elements of human resources. The task of Human Resource Management (HRM) is to manage the human element well in order to obtain a workforce that is satisfied with their work. The problem raised in this study is whether the conflict (X1) affects the performance of employees (Y) at the Fave Hotel Kartika Plaza, and whether work stress (X2) affects the performance of employees (Y) in Kartika Plaza Hotel Fave and how much influence is the Conflict (X1) and work stress (X2) on Employee Performance (Y) in Fave Hotel Kartika Plaza. The population in this study amounted to 75 people. This study uses the entire population as a sample. Data analysis techniques used are data quality test, classic assumption test, multiple linear regression analysis, t-test analysis and analysis of determination. The results of the analysis show the regression model Y = 10,157 - 0,446X1 - 0,035X2. The conclusion obtained is the conflict (X1) partially has a negative and significant effect on employee performance (Y) in the Fave Hotel Kartika Plaza shown by the regression coefficient b1 X1 which is negative, work stress (X2) partially has a negative and significant effect on the performance of employees (Y) in Fave Hotel Kartika Plaza as indicated by thecoefficient b2 X2 negative, and the magnitude of the effect of work conflict (X1) and work stress (X2) on employee performance (Y) of 52.8% and the remaining 47.2% is influenced by other variables such as motivation, work environment and work discipline that are not discussed in this study.


The stochastic root finding problem (SRFP) involves finding points in a region where a function attains a prespecified target value, using only a consistent estimator of the function. Due to the properties that the SRFP contexts entail, the development of good solutions to SRFPs has proven difficult, at least in the multi-dimensional setting. This paper discusses certain key issues, insights and complexities for SRFPs. Some of these are important in that they point to phenomena that contribute to the difficulties that arise in the development of efficient algorithms for SRFPs. Others are simply observations, sometimes obvious, but important for providing useful insight into algorithm development.


Oral and maxillofacial surgery is the recognized specialty of dentistry that is responsible for the diagnosis and surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries and defects involving both the functional and esthetic aspects of the bone and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. This article will present a review of the educational process for residents in oral and maxillofacial surgery as it has evolved and current training standards.


Despite multiple importations resulting in local chains of transmission, Singapore has been able to control the COVID-19 outbreak without major disruption to daily living In this article, we describe the combination of measures taken by Singapore to contain COVID-19 and share some early lessons learnt from the experience


P2P file sharing systems are the most popular forms of file sharing to date. Its client-server architecture attains faster file transfers, however with its peer anonymity and lack of authentication it has become a gold mine for malicious attacks. One of the leading sources of disruptions in the P2P file sharing systems is the index poisoning attacks. This attack seeks to corrupt the indexes used to reference files available for download in P2P systems with false data. In order to protect the users from these attacks it is important to find solutions to eliminate or mitigate the effects of index poisoning attacks. This paper will analyze index poisoning attacks, their uses and solutions proposed to defend against them.


Microarray technology facilitates the monitoring of the expression profile of a large number of genes across different experimental conditions or tissue samples simultaneously. Microarray technology is being utilized in cancer diagnosis through the classification of the tissue samples. In this article, we have presented an integrated unsupervised technique for cancer classification. The proposed method is based on multiobjective differential fuzzy clustering of the tissue samples. In this regard, real coded encoding of the cluster centres is used and two fuzzy cluster validity indices are simultaneously optimized. The resultant set of near-Pareto-optimal solutions contains a number of non-dominated solutions. Each such solution has been improved by a novel technique based on Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification. Thereafter, the final clustering solution is produced by majority voting ensemble technique of all improved solutions. The performance of the proposed multiobjective clustering method has been compared to several other microarray clustering algorithms for three publicly available benchmark cancer data sets, viz., leukemia, Colon cancer and Lymphoma data to establish its superiority. Also statistical significance tests have been conducted to establish the statistical superiority of the proposed clustering method.


Many multimedia and telecommunications applications are modeled as multi-rate, parallel data flow systems. We present techniques to model and schedule such applications using structured systems of recurrence equations. We show that the schedule can be obtained first by computing the period of each component of the system, then by applying structured scheduling to the entire system. This method is implemented in the MMAlpha software, and it is applied to model a WCDMA uplink receiver.


The two isomyosins of smooth muscles, G1 and G2, were extracted from various visceral organs of chicken, mice, rats, rabbits and dogs. They were separated by electrophoresis in pyrophosphate polyacrylamide gels. Their mobility was the same for all samples, being higher than the mobility of several isomyosins of striated muscles obtained from leg, eye, middle ear, heart ventricle or newborn rat leg.


Purpose To synthesize evidence of the effects and potential effect modifiers of different electronic health (eHealth) interventions to help people quit smoking. Methods Four databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, and The Cochrane Library) were searched in March 2017 using terms that included "smoking cessation", "eHealth/mHealth" and "electronic technology" to find relevant studies. Meta-analysis and meta-regression analyses were performed using Mantel–Haenszel test for fixed-effect risk ratio (RR) and restricted maximum-likelihood technique, respectively. Protocol Registration Number: CRD42017072560. Results The review included 108 studies and 110,372 participants. Compared to nonactive control groups (eg, usual care), smoking cessation interventions using web-based and mobile health (mHealth) platform resulted in significantly greater smoking abstinence, RR 2.03 (95% CI 1.7–2.03), and RR 1.71 (95% CI 1.35–2.16), respectively. Similarly, smoking cessation trials using tailored text messages (RR 1.80, 95% CI 1.54–2.10) and web-based information and conjunctive nicotine replacement therapy (RR 1.29, 95% CI 1.17–1.43) may also increase cessation. In contrast, little or no benefit for smoking abstinence was found for computer-assisted interventions (RR 1.31, 95% CI 1.11–1.53). The magnitude of effect sizes from mHealth smoking cessation interventions was likely to be greater if the trial was conducted in the USA or Europe and when the intervention included individually tailored text messages. In contrast, high frequency of texts (daily) was less effective than weekly texts. Conclusions There was consistent evidence that web-based and mHealth smoking cessation interventions may increase abstinence moderately. Methodologic quality of trials and the intervention characteristics (tailored vs untailored) are critical effect modifiers among eHealth smoking cessation interventions, especially for web-based and text messaging trials. Future smoking cessation intervention should take advantages of web-based and mHealth engagement to improve prolonged abstinence.


Abstract Recently, Hofreither, Langer and Pechstein have analyzed a nonstandard finite element method based on element-local boundary integral operators. The method is able to treat general polyhedral meshes and employs locally PDE-harmonic trial functions. In the previous work, the primal formulation of the method has been analyzed as an inexact Galerkin scheme, obtaining H 1 error estimates. In this work, we pass to an equivalent mixed formulation. This allows us to derive error estimates in the L 2-norm, which were so far not available. Many technical tools from our previous analysis remain applicable in this setting.


Background Previous case reports describe the reversal of phrenic nerve blockade from the interscalene nerve block using normal saline injectate washout. This randomized clinical trial aimed to evaluate whether using normal saline injectate to wash out local anesthetic from an interscalene nerve block catheter would restore phrenic nerve and diaphragm function, while preserving analgesia. Methods Institutional review board approval, clinical trial registration and consent were obtained for patients undergoing shoulder surgery with an interscalene nerve block catheter. 16 patients were randomized to receive three 10 mL aliquots of normal saline injectate (intervention group, n=8) or three sham injectates (control group, n=8) via their perineural catheters in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). Primary outcome measures were the effects on ipsilateral hemidiaphragmatic paralysis, and secondary outcome measures included PACU opioid consumption, pain scores and change in brachial plexus sensory examination and motor function. Results There was no significant difference in reversal of hemidiaphragmatic paralysis. However, there was a greater number of patients in the intervention group who ultimately displayed partial, as opposed to full, paralysis of the hemidiaphragm (p=0.03). There was no significant difference in pain scores, PACU opioid requirement, and brachial plexus motor and sensory examinations between the two groups. Conclusions All patients had persistent hemidiaphragmatic paralysis after the intervention, but fewer patients in the intervention group progressed to full paralysis, suggesting that a larger bolus dose of normal saline may be needed to completely reverse hemidiaphragmatic paralysis. Although normal saline injectate in 10mL increments given through the interscalene nerve block catheter had no clinically significant effect on reversing phrenic nerve blockade, it also did not lead to a reduction in analgesia and may be protective in preventing the progression to full hemidiaphragmatic paralysis. Trail registration number NCT03677778.


Sarcopenia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality after emergency laparotomy skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) has been previously used to diagnose sarcopenia preoperatively. SARC-F (Strength, assistance, rising from a chair, climbing stairs, and falls) questionnaire is a new tool used to assess sarcopenia presence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive role of SARC-F questionnaire on postoperative outcomes.

 This prospective observational single center study recorded SARC-F questionnaire scores in patients undergoing emergency laparotomy between September and November 2022. SMI scores were also recorded by dividing CT derived psoas muscle area by patient's height2. Postoperative mortality rates and severity of complications were graded using Clavien–Dindo classification. SARC-F score and SMI were correlated to postoperative outcomes.

 A total of 20 patients were recruited with a mean age of 60. Indications for emergency laparotomy included: perforated viscus, bowel obstruction, spleen injury and appendicitis. Median SARC-F score was 3 (IQR: 6) and median SMI was 13.7 cm2/m2 (IQR: 5.8). The mortality rate was 20% and 50% of patients had post-operative complications. Results of multivariate regressions show that SARC-F score has a statistically significant positive relation and statistically significant effect on post operative complications (p value = 0.04) and mortality (p value = 0.03), while SMI has no statistically significant effect on post operative complications (p value = 0.08) and mortality (p value = 0.59).

 SARC-F questionnaire may be a more accurate method of assessing sarcopenia in patients undergoing emergency laparotomy and may be a useful prognostic tool.


Abstract Brazilian fossil snakes have had a rich and diverse record since the Late Cretaceous. Here, we provide an overview of the snake fossil record from Brazil, gathering all available data to reconstruct the diversity and distribution of taxa through time. Mesozoic snakes are scarce, represented by the putative ophidian Tetrapodophis amplectus, the snake Seismophis septentrionalis, and some undescribed material referred to 'Anilioidea.' The Paleocene of São José do Itaboraí holds the richest and most-diverse Brazilian snake fauna composed of several taxa of madtsoids, 'aniloids,' boids, 'booids,' and caenophidians. Fossils from the Brazilian Neogene are reported for the Late Miocene of the Solimões Formation including boids, Colubroides, and an alethinophidian of uncertain relationships, Colombophis. Quaternary deposits yield a rich snake fauna represented by extant species such as boids and colubroids. The Brazilian snake fossil record is crucial for understanding issues about the early evolution of snakes and provides valuable insights into paleobiogeography, paleoenvironmental, and morphological studies.


Haptic search is a common everyday task, usually consisting of two processes: target search and target analysis. During target search we need to know where our fingers are in space, remember the already completed path and the outline of the remaining space. During target analysis we need to understand whether the detected potential target is the desired one. Here we characterized dynamics of exploratory movements in these two processes. In our experiments participants searched for a particular configuration of symbols on a rectangular tactile display. We observed that participants preferentially moved the hand parallel to the edges of the tactile display during target search, which possibly eased orientation within the search space. After a potential target was detected by any of the fingers, there was higher probability that subsequent exploration was performed by the index or the middle finger. At the same time, these fingers dramatically slowed down. Being in contact with the potential target, the index and the middle finger moved within a smaller area than the other fingers, which rather seemed to move away to leave them space. These results suggest that the middle and the index finger are specialized for fine analysis in haptic search.


High-gain antennas best for covering long distance communication applications. This paper describes a High-gain, dual band L-shaped Micro strip patch antenna is printed on a FR-4 substratefor WLAN systems, and has dimensions of 60 × 70 ×1.6mm3 with a ground plane. The dual-band operation is obtained by embedding a pair of L-shaped slots. This proposed antenna is simulated using a CST microwave studio suite™ 2010. The simulated results shown the proposed micro strip patch antenna achieves a frequency range from 5.0 GHz to 6.0 GHz (return loss less than -10dB), so maximum gain with the values of 8.4 and 7.1 dB are achieved in the lower and higher frequency band respectively. This antenna satisfies the requirements of wireless local area network (WLAN)IEEE802.11a (in the frequency range 5.15~5.35GHz, 5.725~5.825GHz) within a 2:1 VSWR. The return loss, radiation pattern, voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR), gain and the critical design parameters are also investigated in detail. Simulated results verify that the presented antenna is a good solution for dual-band WLAN applications.


Spesolimab is a drug developed to treat worsening disease (known as flares) of generalized pustular psoriasis (shortened to GPP). GPP is a rare disease in which pus-filled blisters or pustules suddenly form all over the body. Before a drug can be approved to treat the symptoms of a disease, clinical studies are performed to test how well it works and whether there are any side effects. This summary reports the results from a clinical study called Effisayil™ 1 that was performed to understand if spesolimab is effective at treating people with GPP flares. The study showed that a single dose of spesolimab rapidly cleared pustules and skin lesions (areas of skin affected by redness, pustules, and scaling) within 1 week of treatment, and continued to improve skin lesions for up to 12 weeks. Spesolimab also reduced pain and improved the quality of life of participants over time. Some participants experienced side effects, which were mostly mild or moderate. The results indicate that spesolimab is an effective treatment for GPP flares. Although spesolimab is not yet available for doctors to prescribe as medication to their patients, the results of this study are currently under review by the official body that approves drugs for use in the USA.


Since 75 years research results has failed to change the practice of repetition among the educational community. Research has found grade repetition ineffective and inefficient in terms of academic and socio-emotional development of students. Furthermore repeaters tend to drop out from school earlier and may end up with behavior problems and low self-esteem. Despite strong evidence against the use of repetition majority of teachers around the world practice it, which makes the issue controversial. The reason is likely that research findings are seldom communicated with teachers and parents. As a result teachers mainly rely on their own experiences. Parents and teachers over-focus on the short term benefits of repetioin, and take repetition decisions on unjustified assumptions. Moreover, student's vioce is largely missed in repetition decission.In Afghanistan a seven fold increase in access to education in the last decad, put pressure on MoE in provission of quality education. Low quality education causes high drop out and repetition rates. On average, these rates are estimated to be 5 % and 19 %, respectively. However there is not much research found that gives a clear idea of repetition reasons. Besides, many studies in developing countries have shown that teachers have an important role in repetition decisions.The general aim of the study was to find whether the theoretical understanding and practical approaches among Afghan teachers differ or are similar to the rest of the world. The particular aim was to find how teachers perceived grade repetition as an educational policy.Most finding of this study corresponds to what has been found in many other studies conducted in developing countries. The fact that teachers, although aware of the negative effects of students' feelings and self-confidence believed in learning effects of repetition says something about teachers' understanding of how and when learning occurs best.


Against a background of research suggesting that brand symbolism understanding does not develop until 7 to 11 years of age, two studies investigate various aspects of preschool children's brand knowledge. While children's recognition of child-oriented brands is found to be significantly greater than their recognition of brands that are marketed primarily to teens and adults, these young children do recognize brands. In a second study, children's ability to form mental representations of brands is assessed, along with their understanding of brands as social symbols. Cognitive ability, theory of mind, and executive functioning are assessed as predictors of these brandrelated outcomes. Theory of mind and executive functioning are both significant predictors of the ability to form mental representations of brands. Children's brand symbolism understanding shows a significant link with theory of mind. It is concluded that 3- to 5-year-olds have emerging knowledge of brands that are relevant in their lives. The impact of individual differences in theory of mind and executive functioning on children's brand knowledge aligns with current theories of child development. Methodological contributions and societal implications are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Prions are composed solely of the disease-causing prion protein (PrPSc) that is formed from the cellular isoform PrPC by a post-translational process. Here we report that short phosphorothioate DNA (PS-DNA) oligonucleotides diminished the levels of both PrPC and PrPSc in prion-infected neuroblastoma (ScN2a) cells. The effect of PS-DNA on PrP levels was independent of the nucleotide sequence. The effective concentration (EC50) of PS-DNA required to achieve half-maximal diminution of PrPSc was ~70 nM, whereas the EC50 of PS-DNA for PrPC was more than 50-fold greater. This finding indicated that diminished levels of PrPSc after exposure to PS-DNA are unlikely to be due to decreased PrPC levels. Bioassays in transgenic mice demonstrated a substantial diminution in the prion infectivity after ScN2a cells were exposed to PS-DNAs. Whether PS-DNA will be useful in the treatment of prion disease in people or livestock remains to be established.


Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a health condition characterized by glucose dysregulation and affects millions of people worldwide. The presentation of heart failure in diabetic cardiomyopathy extends over a wide phenotypic spectrum, commencing from asymptomatic, subclinical structural abnormalities to severely symptomatic biventricular dysfunction with increased mortality risk. Similarly, the spectrum of systolic dysfunction in diabetic-induced heart failure is diverse. DM leads also to cardiac electrical remodeling reacting on various targets. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors reduce glucagon and blood glucose levels by raising levels of the endogenous hormones glucagon-like-peptide 1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide and constitute a safe and effective glucose lowering treatment option in patients with type 2 DM. Despite DPP-4 inhibitors' efficacy regarding glycemic control, their effect on cardiovascular outcomes (myocardial infarction, stroke, hospitalization for heart failure, hospitalization for unstable angina, hospitalization for coronary revascularization, and cardiovascular death) in diabetic patients has been neutral. The potential correlation between atrial flutter and DPP-4 inhibitors administration needs further investigation.


Generally, the characteristics of the conductor that was affected by forest fire can be analyzed only when the forest fire is accurately modeled and its effect is identified. Few studies have been conducted with a forest fire model for transmission lines, and no results of the examination of the actual test specimens that were exposed to forest fire have been reported. As the deterioration characteristics of a forest fire are difficult to analyze in the actual field, an environment that was similar to that in the field was used in this study. Deterioration was deposited on a wire using an artificial flame experiment device, to analysis the temperature, surface and component characteristics. It seems that this analysis data in this study can be used as the basic data for the database that can be utilized to analyze wires exposed to forest fire and deterioration and to predict the ACSR wire refurnishment life.


An optimal design strategy based on genetic algorithms (GA) is proposed for nonlinear hysteretic control devices that prevent pounding damage and achieve the best results in seismic response mitigation of two adjacent structures. An integrated fuzzy controller is used in order to provide the interactive relationships between damper forces and input voltages for MR dampers based on the modified Bouc-Wen model. Furthermore, Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) and H2/LQG (Linear Quadratic Gaussian) controllers based on clipped voltage law (CVL) are also used to compare the results obtained by fuzzy controller. This study employs the main objectives of the optimal design that are not only to reduce the seismic responses but also to minimize the total cost of the damper system. A set of Pareto optimal solutions is also conducted with the corresponding results obtained from the optimal surface of Pareto solutions in this study. As a result, decreasing the number of dampers does necessarily increase the efficiency of the system. In fact, reducing the number of dampers for the dynamic response of the system can contribute more than increasing the number of dampers.


The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how Swedish Migration agency and Swedish Migration courts reasoned regarding sexuality, gender identity and persecution within the home country in asylum assessments of LGBTQ+ people through a qualitative analysis of court decisions. Within this study fifteen court decisions have been analysed, all of which judgments relied on grounds of protection against persecution because of sexual orientation or gender identity. The material has been analysed from a queer perspective, focusing on heteronormativity and intersectionality. This study found that the assessments are of a difficult nature as there is great diversity in sexuality, something the Migration Board did not consider as much as the Migration Courts. In the judgments, the country's demographic characteristics has had a decisive impact on the burden of proof, where the outcome in some respects has been negative if the complainant's data did not match the prevailing facts in the country. Despite guidelines that assessments may not be based on stereotypical and inappropriate perceptions, some of the Migration Board's reasons show lack of credibility and reliability based on stereotypical assumptions about LGBTQ+ people. (Less)


This paper analyses the differences of the tripartite systems of the most active private standards (UTZ Certified, Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade) involved in the cocoa value chain. During the last decade, private standards have gained momentum within the cocoa value. This is reflected in the level of engagement from industry and retail actors as well as on the continuous increase of certified producers (volume of product) at the producing countries. These private standards are very similar in their overarching aim, namely, to improve the income, the yields, the environment or social conditions of the farmers they certify. Herewith they aim to improve the livelihood and food security of those farmers. Although, these standards make an effort to differentiate themselves from each other at the market place i.e. emphasis on environmental issues or working conditions and social aspects. All standards are based on the same concept of a tripartite system. However, the differences among the systems in place result in considerable implications on the quality infrastructure which can be reflected during implementation such as costs or efficiency. We analyse all the documentation publicly available related to the quality infrastructure in place of the above mentioned standards and analyse it using basic institutional parameters/indicators. Key informant interviews were done to verify the results and for cross-verification. We conclude that these standards are converging in their systems over time. Furthermore, we urge to bring into the discussion the accreditation bodies in place and/or the system in place to control/monitor the certification bodies, since the latter control/monitor the implementation of the standards at the farm level and thus a considerable amount of integrity is needed, which is being currently questioned by various actors in the cocoa value chain.


Hearing thresholds were measured in 224 Tbilisi citizens, 128 females and 96 males, at the frequencies of 0.125-16 kHz. None of the subjects reported any job-related noise exposures or other potentially confounding history. Initial signs of age-related hearing impairments were detected in females and males of 40-49 and 30-39 years of age, respectively. In both genders they involved high frequencies. In the following age decades, 50-59, 60-69, and 70-79 years, the hearing losses increased in magnitudes and extended to lower frequencies. From the age of 30-39 years to that of 40-49 and 50-59 years the dynamics of threshold elevations appeared more rapid in males than in females. The gender differences in hearing acuity increased respectively in this age period. Thereafter, in the ages of 60-69 and 70-79 years, the hearing alterations became steeper in females than in males. As a result, the gender differences in hearing smoothed significantly.


Abstract. We have recently introduced the mass-polariton (MP) theory of light to describe the coupled dynamics of the field and matter when a light pulse propagates in a transparent medium. The theory is based on combining the electrodynamics of continuous media and continuum mechanics, which are both widely used standard theories in their fields of physics. The MP theory shows that a light pulse propagating in a transparent medium is accompanied by a mass density wave (MDW) of atoms set in motion by the optical force density of the light pulse. In the corresponding quantum picture, the covariant coupled state of the field and matter is described as the MP quasiparticle, which has coupled field and medium components. We study a schematic experimental setup that would enable measurements of the atomic displacements and the excess mass density related to the MDW of a Gaussian MP pulse propagating in an optical fiber made of fused silica.


Background: Diabetes is an increasing health problem. Diet and nutritional knowledge are the most important factors in diabetes. This study was done to investigate the association between nutritional knowledge and food habits in relation to cardiometabolic risk factors in the patients with diabetes. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 260 subjects with diabetes in Motahhari Diabetes Clinic in Shiraz, southern Iran. Dietary intakes were evaluated using a 147-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Also socio-economic, demographic and nutritional knowledge questionnaires were completed. Weight, height and waist circumference were measured. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high density lipoproteincholesterol (HDL) and triglyceride TG were extracted from patients' medical records. Results: Of 73 male and 187 female patients, 39.2% were overweight and 33.5% were obese. There was a significant correlation between nutritional knowledge and vegetables intake. Also, getting more dairies and fats were significantly correlated to the levels of FBS. A positive significant correlation was seen between serum HDL and beans and cereals intake. Conclusion: Nutritional awareness cannot lead to a healthy diet alone because socioeconomic status, motivation, and other factors also affect dietary intake. Dietary habits can affect blood lipids and FBG. Therefore, improving the diet of diabetic patients is essential.


The article contains a hygienic assessment of the working conditions of female coil winders engaged in high-powered electric engines' assembling. Relationships were established between the unfavourable labour conditions, anthropometric inadequacy of the equipment used and the female workers' labour capacity, their functional states and morbidity. Corresponding preventive measures were proposed to lower the labour intensity of female electric coil winders.


Housing construction in the Moscow agglomeration is closely linked with the migration of the population to the capital region. The acquisition of real estate by nonresident buyers in the primary market of the Moscow capital region (MСR) in the amount of 2.5 mln m2 provides housing for about 100 000 migrants per year, or about 40 % of the net migration inflow. Buyers from other regions account for 17 % of transactions in Moscow and 23 % in Moscow Oblast. The activity of buyers in the real estate market of the MCR has a spatial differentiation by the Russian regions, which is determined by the factors of natural resource rents, agglomeration effect, the status rents in the large cities, the distance from the MCR. Regional identity of buyers was determined by the addresses of their initial registration. Factor of natural resource rents is evident in the high share (6.4 %) of housing buyers in Moscow from Khanty-Mansi and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrugs that is almost four times higher than their share in the population. The factor of distance leads to exceeding 2.1 times the share of housing buyers in Moscow from the neighboring regions of the first order over their shares in the population. The greatest activity in the housing market of Moscow is characteristic for residents of cities with the 250 000-500 000 population, of Moscow Oblast - with the 100 000-250 000 population. The share of buyers from the million-plus cities (17.7 %) is slightly greater than their share in the population. Small towns and rural areas have weak buying activity in the housing market. Thus, the development of alternative to Moscow centers of attraction at the national level is associated with a change in migration incentives for residents of cities with 100 000-500 000 population.


Much of the attention surrounding local climate protection in the United States is associated with two networks: ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability's Cities for Climate Protection and the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement (MCPA). However, the impact of these networks on member-city actions has not been clearly established. This paper examines whether, and to what extent, participation in climate networks leads to the implementation of greenhouse gas (GHG)-reducing policies, above and beyond what would have been done in their absence. To account for the possibility that cities which join climate networks are systematically different from those that do not and control for self-selection induced bias, three statistical techniques—propensity score matching, Heckman full information maximum likelihood, and instrumental variables—are employed to estimate the "treatment effect" of participation. Results suggest that impact is network specific: ICLEI membership causes small to moderate increases in cities' GHG-relevant activity, whereas the MCPA has no such effect. The characteristics of each network are evaluated in light of these findings.


The preferential formation of one solid over the other, as it precipitates out from the melt at specific temperatures, is often explained by invoking a competition between thermodynamic and kinetic control. A quantitative theory, however, could not be developed because of the lack of accurate values of relevant surface tension terms. Motivated by the observations that wetting of the interface between two stable phases by multiple metastable phases of intermediate order can reduce the surface tension significantly (Kirkpatrick-Thirumalai-Wolynes (KTW), Phys. Rev. A 1989, 40 (2), 1045; Santra et al., J. Phys. Chem. B, 2013, 117, 13154 ), we develop a statistical mechanical approach based on a Landau-Ginzburg type free energy functional to calculate the surface tension between two stable phases in the presence of N number of metastable phases. Simple model calculations are performed that show the surface tension between two coexisting stable phases (melt and the stable crystalline forms) depends significantly on the number, relative depths and arrangements of the free energy minima of the metastable phases, in addition to the size of the nucleus. We provide an explanation of the quickly disappearing polymorphs (QDPMs) that often melt back to the liquid (or, the sol) phase. It is shown that our model systems could describe some aspects of solid formation in real polymorphic systems, like phosphates and zeolites.


With 100 Social Court proceedings instituted in Germany (according to the territory of 1989), there could be shown the law-suits not being based on substantial arguments in two thirds and, therefore not having chances of success in foro. Among medical expert testimonies concerning with psychiatric matters female plaintiffs predominated; in contrast, neurologic testimonies were predominantly requested for males. The proportion of foreigners amounted to 5-15% depending from the matter on which testimony was requested. Mean age of the plaintiffs was approximately 50 years, they had been retired from business life on an average of 3 years before. Two thirds of the plaintiffs briefed an attorney or a representation of interests for instituting legal proceedings; the latter did not result in charges to the plaintiffs. Medical examinations to elaborate the testimony included tests employing technical measures such as neuroimaging in about one third of the cases. Relating to the latter, there is an increasing tendency obviously.


Monaelesser and Taguet (1) published in 1933 the results in 115 cancer patients treated with gradually increasing doses of cobra venom. They observed distinct relief of pain in cases of compression of nerves by cancer tissue, also in carcinoma of the prostate and the vulva; no relief was afforded in most instances of visceral cancer, though some remarkable exceptions were noted. There was also in many cases a slowing down of tumour growth, sometimes even regression, up to cicatrization and apparent cure. These hopeful results appeared to be corroborated by the experimental studies of Calmette (2) and his co-workers on transplantable and spontaneous mouse cancer. While these results, in view of their apparent importance, led many workers to try the method in animal experiments and on human cases, two previous papers, published by Morelli (3) in 1930 and by Essex and Priestley (4) in 1931 respectively, had apparently escaped attention. Morelli had treated IS tar-painted mice with injections of venom originating from Lachcsis lanceolatus (family: Viperidae), while IS other tar-painted mice served as controls. In 8 of the venom-injected mice, which died after two months, there were multiple cancer nodules in the lungs; two of these mice had also skin epitheliomata. None of the 15 control mice died with tumours. Thus, in this experiment, the snake venom appears to have stimulated tumour and metastasis formation. Essex and Priestley (4) injected, during a period of six weeks, white rats, bearers of the Flexner-Jobling carcinoma, intravenously with crotalin solutions (rattlesnake venom) and found that the tumours grew as well in the treated animals as in the controls.


Transport of molecules between the nucleus and the cytoplasm is tightly regulated by the nuclear pore complex (NPC). Even very large cargoes such as many pathogens, mRNAs and pre-ribosomal subunits can pass the NPC intact. Compared to small import complexes, for such large cargoes >15 nm there is very little quantitative understanding of the mechanism for efficient transport, the role of multivalent binding to nuclear transport receptors via nuclear localisation sequences (NLSs) and effects of size differences. Here, we assayed nuclear import kinetics in cells for a total of 30 large cargo models based on four capsid-like particles in the size range of 17-36 nm, with tuneable numbers of up to 240 NLSs. We show that the requirements for transport scale non-linearly with size and obey a minimal cut off of functional import requiring more than 10 NLS in the lowest case. Together, our results reveal the key molecular determinants on large cargo import kinetics in cells.


In acute experiment on rabbits a rise in arterial pressure was induced by intravenous administration of noradrenaline with simultaneous recording of the changes in the vessel diameter on the surface of the brain in arterial bordering zones and in the basin of the middle cerebral artery and permeability of the hematoencephalic barrier to Evans blue. Autoregulation disorder manifesting itself in dilatation of the arteries and spreading out of their enternal elastic membrane developed first of all in arterial bordering zones, appeared earlier and was marked mainly in the anastomoses of the major type and small arteries lying at an acute angle which are more often detected in the occipital regions of the blood supply area. Similar results were obtained with an analysis of 3-section cases of hypertensive encephalopathy.


Background Several studies have shown structural and clinical benefit of corticotherapy (CT) for 1 to 2 years treatment of recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, because of its numerous adverse effects (AE), CT prescription is still under debate. Objectives The aim of this study is to evaluate the tolerance to CT for early RA Methods We carried out a systematic literature review on PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane library until July 2013. The research was manually completed by the analysis of all references identified and of all abstracts presented at ACR and EULAR conferences of the past 2 years. All randomised placebo-controlled trials conducted on adult patients recently diagnosed (<3 years) with RA were selected. Data regarding AE, serious AE, arterial hypertension (HTN), diabetes, gastrointestinal AE, cephalgia, osteoporotic fractures and ophthalmic complications within 2 years of treatment were collected. Discontinuations due to treatment intolerance were also taken into account. Pooled Odds-Ratios were calculated by meta-analysis using the Mantel-Haensen method. In case of significant heterogeneity, a random-effects model was used. Sensitivity analyses were based on the dose used (low-dose ≤10mg/day of equivalent prednisone and high-dose) and duration of treatment. Results Out of 1367 selected articles 16 were analysed. These were based on 12 randomised controlled trails involving a total of 2481 patients (mean age=54 years, 67% of women, mean of RA progression=5.3 months). Eight studies were based on low-dose CT and 4 on high-dose CT. A significant higher number of epigastralgia but not ulcers were reported in the CT group compared to placebo. No other significant difference could be observed in terms of AE (see table). Criterion Odds ratio [95% CI] Adverse event 1.13 [0.80, 1.59] Serious adverse events 0.94 [0.61, 1.45] Discontinuation due to intolerance 1.36 [0.93, 1.98] HTN 1.15 [0.72, 1.85] Hyperglycemia 1.73 [0.75, 4.03] Epigastralgia 1.76 [1.05, 2.95] Osteoporotic fractures 1.46 [0.56, 3.79] Conclusions CT associated with background treatment is well tolerated in recent-onset RA, with only an increase of epigastralgia events in the first two years of treatment. Although patients included in clinical trials are selected and subject to long term AE, a low-dose may be recommended for early RA. Disclosure of Interest : None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.5481


ABSTRACT Although the call repertoire and its communicative function are relatively well explored in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), little empirical data are available on the physics and the physiology of this species' vocal production mechanism. Here, a 6 year old female Japanese macaque was trained to phonate under an operant conditioning paradigm. The resulting 'coo' calls and spontaneously uttered 'growl' and 'chirp' calls were recorded with sound pressure level (SPL) calibrated microphones and electroglottography (EGG), a non-invasive method for assessing the dynamics of phonation. A total of 448 calls were recorded, complemented by ex vivo recordings on an excised Japanese macaque larynx. In this novel multidimensional investigative paradigm, in vivo and ex vivo data were matched via comparable EGG waveforms. Subsequent analysis suggests that the vocal range (range of fundamental frequency and SPL) of the macaque was comparable to that of a 7–10 year old human, with the exception of low intensity chirps, the production of which may be facilitated by the species' vocal membranes. In coo calls, redundant control of fundamental frequency in relation to SPL was also comparable to that in humans. EGG data revealed that growls, coos and chirps were produced by distinct laryngeal vibratory mechanisms. EGG further suggested changes in the degree of vocal fold adduction in vivo, resulting in spectral variation within the emitted coo calls, ranging from 'breathy' (including aerodynamic noise components) to 'non-breathy'. This is again analogous to humans, corroborating the notion that phonation in humans and non-human primates is based on universal physical and physiological principles. Summary: In vivo and ex vivo empirical data of Japanese macaque phonation suggest universal physical and physiological principles of voice production in humans and non-human primates.


Comparative studies of defect microstructure in 4H-SiC wafers have been carried out using photoluminescence (PL) imaging and grazing-incidence Synchrotron White Beam X-ray Topography. Images of low angle grain boundaries on the PL images correlate well with SWBXT observations, and similar correlation can be established for some micropipe images although the latter is complicated by the overall level of distortion and misorientation associated with the low angle grain boundaries and the fact that many of the micropipes are located in or close to the boundaries. This validation indicates that PL imaging may provide a rapid way of imaging such defect structures in large-scale SiC wafers.


Weeds are one of the main obstacles in the recovery of degraded areas. This research aimed to study the selectivity of herbicides on Trema micrantha (Jamaican nettletree), Schinus molle (Peruvian peppertree), and Apuleia leiocarpa (garapeira) seedlings. An experiment was installed in Junqueirópolis and another in Jaboticabal/SP, Brazil. The experimental design used was completely randomized design with four replications. Treatments consisted of clethodim + fenoxaprop-pethyl (50 + 50 g a.i. ha-1), sethoxydim (184 g a.i. ha-1), quizalofop-p-ethyl (75 g a.i. ha-1), nicosulfuron (50 g a.i. ha-1), fluazifop-p-butyl (125 g a.i. ha-1), fomesafen (225 g a.i. ha-1), haloxyfop-methyl (48 g a.i. ha-1), bentazon (720 g a.i. ha-1), chlorimuron-ethyl (15 g a.i. ha-1), and control without herbicide. The analyzed characteristics were stem diameter, plant height, and phytointoxication at 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 days after herbicide application (DAA), in addition to shootdry matter accumulation in seedlings at the end of the study. Nicosulfuron and chlorimuronethyl caused intoxication in all the studied tree species. In Jaboticabal, these herbicides impaired the initial growth of Jamaican nettletree seedlings, while no herbicide delayed its initial development in Junqueirópolis.A similar result was obtained regarding dry matter accumulation for garapeira in both cities. The herbicides clethodim + fenoxaprop-p-ethyl and sethoxydim decreased dry matter accumulation in Peruvian peppertree plants in Jaboticabal and Junqueirópolis, respectively, thus not being recommendedtheir use for these species.


The authors report newly recorded species of bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) on the Volcan Etna (Sicily). A total of ten species belonging to three families are recorded: Halictidae (8 species), Megachilidae (1 species), and Apidae (1 species). Pseudapis valga (Gerstaecker), Lasioglossum convexiusculum (Schenck) (Halictidae), Hoplitis laevifrons (Morawitz) (Megachilidae) and Tarsalia ancyliformis Popov (Apidae), are reported for the first time for Sicily and the presence of other bee species is confirmed for the Island. Furthermore, this is the first record of the genus Tarsalia Morawitz for the fauna of Sicily. For each species data are given in relation to the altitudinal level, the plants visited, and the ecological quality of the sites where the specimens were found.


In Japan, nursery school children go to bed about 30 min later than kindergarteners of the same age. Moreover, nursery school children also reported having several symptoms suggesting more severe daytime malfunctioning. Japanese nursery school children's delayed bedtime was considered to be caused by their long afternoon nap routine, which was obligatorily taken by all students. Japanese elementary schools have no nap routine. This study aimed at investigating how long the delayed sleep pattern of the ex-nursery school children lasts after entering elementary schools. We surveyed elementary school children's sleep-related variables and tested whether there are differences concerning these variables between the children who attended kindergartens (ex-kindergarteners) and children who attended nursery schools (ex-nursery school children) during their preschool period. The total number of survey participants was 981. Ex-nursery school children still showed 'late bedtime', 'sleep insufficiency', and 'unwillingness to go to school', which were their characteristics at the preschool period, even after their obligatory afternoon nap, which was closely associated with those symptoms during their preschool period, was stopped.


This work focuses on development of a mathematical apparatus that allows to perform an approximate description of inhomogeneities of finite sizes in a continuous bodies by arranging the sources given on sets of smaller dimensions. The structure and properties of source densities determine the adequacy of the model. The theory of differential forms and generalized functions underlies this study. The boundary value problems with nonsmooth coefficients are formulated. The solutions of such problems is sought in the form of weakly convergent series and as an alternative - an equivalent recurrent set of boundary value problems with jumps. A feature of this approach is the ability to consistently improve the adequacy of the description of inhomogeneity. This is important because it allows to qualitatively assess the impact of real characteristic properties on the accuracy of the model description. Reducing the dimensions of inhomogeneities allows the use of efficient methods such as the Green's function and boundary integral equations to obtain a semi-analytic solution for direct and inverse problems. The work is based on a number of partial problems that demonstrate the proposed approach in modeling of inhomogeneities. The problems of modeling of the set of finite defects in an oscillating elastic beam, the set of inhomogeneities of an arbitrary shape in an oscillating plate, fragile cracks in a two-dimensional elastic body under static loading are considered.


. In 1992, Pukhlikov and Khovanskii provided a description of the cohomology ring of toric variety as a quotient of the ring of differential operators on spaces of virtual polytopes. Later Kaveh generalized this construction to the case of cohomology rings for full flag varieties. In this paper we extend Pukhlikov–Khovanskii type presentation to the case of K - theory of toric and flag varieties. First we study the Gorenstein duality quotients of the group algebra of free abelian group (possibly of infinite rank). Then we specialize to the K -ring of integer (virtual) polytopes with a fixed normal fan. Finally we show that the K -theory of toric and flag varieties can be realized as polytope K -rings and describe the classes of toric orbits or Schubert varieties in them.


Vehicle collision avoidance is a promising safety approach to new transportation systems, with innovative capabilities, such as obstacle detection, vehicle collision avoidance control strategy and adaptability to different obstacles. Many accidents happen on the highway due to the high light intensity of the vehicles at night. The problem is mainly due to negligence of human behavior. Due to this situation, a lot of accidents occur. Goa has a typical demography with lot of curves and long straight running up, down and around Goa's winding, sometimes very narrow road network of 4,461 kilometers [3] which makes it more susceptible to road accidents. The Authors attempts to present in this paper a novel model considering the designing aspects of vehicles to overcome such accidents.


Abstract Objective: There is a need to identify effective switch therapies for patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who experience high disease activity despite receiving disease-modifying therapy (DMT). The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of fingolimod versus placebo in patients with RRMS who had experienced high disease activity despite previously receiving DMT, using post hoc analyses of two phase 3 trials: FREEDOMS (NCT00289978) and FREEDOMS II (NCT00355134). Research design and methods: Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging outcomes over 24 months were analyzed in patients from FREEDOMS and FREEDOMS II who had received treatment in the previous year and had: (1) ≥1 relapse in the previous year and either ≥1 gadolinium (Gd) enhancing T1 lesion or ≥9 T2 lesions at baseline and/or (2) as many or more relapses in the year before baseline as in the previous year (as per fingolimod's EU label). Main outcome measures: The inclusion criteria were fulfilled by 249 and 257 patients in the fingolimod and placebo groups, respectively. Annualized relapse rates were reduced by 48% for fingolimod versus placebo (p < 0.001). Fingolimod reduced the risk of 3 month and 6 month confirmed disability progression by 34% (p = 0.031) and 45% (p = 0.016), respectively, versus placebo. Brain volume loss was reduced by 46% for fingolimod versus placebo (p < 0.001). The reduction in Gd-enhancing T1 lesion counts for fingolimod versus placebo was 65% (p < 0.001). Furthermore, fingolimod reduced the number of new or newly enlarged T2 lesions by 69% relative to placebo (p < 0.001). Limitation: The analyses are post hoc, but the population is specified by the European Medicines Agency in the label for fingolimod. Conclusions: Fingolimod demonstrated efficacy across all four key RRMS disease measures analyzed in patients with high disease activity despite previous DMT.


Objective: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) varies greatly in different regions and populations. This study aims to assess the heritability and environmental risk factors of T2DM among rural Chinese adults. Methods: Thousand five hundred thirty three participants from 499 extended families, which included 24 nuclear families, were recruited in the family-based study to assess the heritable risk of T2DM. Heritability of T2DM was estimated by the Falconer method. Using conditional logistic regression model, couple case-control study involving 127 couples were applied to assess the environmental risk factors of T2DM. Results: Compared with the Henan Rural Cohort, T2DM was significantly clustered in the nuclear families (OR: 8.389, 95% CI: 5.537–12.711, P < 0.001) and heritability was 0.74. No association between the heredity of T2DM and sex was observed between the extended families and the Henan Rural Cohort. Besides, results from the couple case-control study showed that physical activity (OR: 0.482, 95% CI: 0.261–0.893, P = 0.020) and fat intake (OR: 3.036, 95% CI: 1.070–8.610, P = 0.037) was associated with T2DM, and the proportion of offspring engaged in medium and high physical activity was higher than that of mothers in mother-offspring pairs. Conclusion: People with a family history of T2DM may have a higher risk of developing T2DM, however, there was no difference in genetic risk between males and females. Adherence to active physical activity and low fat intake can reduce the risk of T2DM.


Abstract The medicinal use of cannabis is a growing phenomenon in the U.S. predicated on the success of overcoming specific spatial challenges and establishing particular human-environment relationships. This article takes a medical geographic "snapshot" of an urban site in Washington State where qualifying chronically ill and debilitated patients are delivered locally produced botanical cannabis for medical use. Using interview, survey, and observation, this medical geographic research project collected information on the social space of the particular delivery site and tracked the production cost, reach, and health value of a 32-ounce batch of strain-specific medical cannabis named "Plum" dispensed over a four-day period. A convenience sample of 37 qualifying patients delivered this batch of cannabis botanical medicine was recruited and prospectively studied with survey instruments. Results provide insight into patients' self-rated health, human-plant relationships, and travel-to-clinic distances. An overall systematic geographic understanding of the medical cannabis delivery system gives a grounded understanding of the lengths that patients and care providers go, despite multiple hurdles, to receive and deliver treatment with botanical cannabis that relieves diverse symptoms and improves health-related quality-of-life.


This paper documents the observed decentralization trends of employment in Bogota and Cali using several sets of household survey data and the Colombian social security data. Then, it summarizes the theoretical and empirical framework developed for the location choice of manufacturing firms. Drawing on these behavioral underpinnings of the firm's location choice the paper evaluates several policy issues related with employment decentralization based on the policies implemented in the Seoul region.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of onion juice addition on the lipid oxidation of tuna spread. The tuna spread was stored at for 49 days. The results of this study were as follows: Lipid oxidation in samples was measured by AV, POV and TBA value. AV and TBA value of the samples treated with 15% and 30% onion juice were lower than those treated with 5% and 45% onion juice. POV of samples treated with onion juice were lower than control group. Lightness of sample treated with onion juice was higher than control group. The score of overall quality in sensory evaluation was the highest in the sample treated with 15% onion juice.


The author made a research of the reasons for formation of the institution of self-regulatory organizations, and explained the basic concepts of the legal nature of these institutions in modern democracies. The basic models of self-regulation which formed in the world were also analyzed. The author explained the main problems of the self-regulatory organizations in other developed countries, as well as in Ukraine. On the basis of this analysis the author suggested ways of improving the legislation in this sphere in Ukraine


Author(s): Lanier, John Banister | Advisor(s): Baldi, Pierre | Abstract: Dealing with sparse rewards is a longstanding challenge in reinforcement learning. The recent use of hindsight methods have achieved success on a variety of sparse-reward tasks, but they fail on complex tasks such as stacking multiple blocks with a robot arm in simulation. Curiosity-driven exploration using the prediction error of a learned dynamics model as an intrinsic reward has been shown to be effective for exploring a number of sparse-reward environments. We present a method that combines hindsight with curiosity-driven exploration and curriculum learning in order to solve the challenging sparse-reward block stacking task. We are the first to stack more than two blocks using only sparse reward without human demonstrations.


Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is an X-linked primary immunodeficiency that is usually associated with thrombocytopenia and eczema. The very variable phenotype of WAS results from defects in the WAS protein (WASP), the function of which is not well understood. In many cases causative mutations have now been identified in the WAS gene. Attempts have been made to correlate the nature of the mutations with the severity of the disease. In this study we investigated mutations in 13 patients with WAS and analyzed the expression of WASP in patient blood samples by immunoblot analysis. We found that despite extensive variation in the nature of the mutations in patients with severe WAS symptoms, none express the protein. However, in 1 patient with a mild clinical phenotype WASP expression was detected. Such an analysis could be used as an initial screening procedure for the diagnosis of WAS prior to genotypic analysis.


Since Hantavax, formalin inactivated Hantaan virus vaccine (10,240 ELISA units/ml), has been developed in 1990 to prevent against haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by Hantaan or Seoul virus, it has been commercially available in Korea. Twenty-one healthy people were booster shot once and twice after prirnary basic vaccination with Hantavax. Seroconversion rates were measured by immunofluorescent antibody technique (IFAT), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), high density composite particle agglutination (HDPA), and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). Seroconversion rates of 21 vaccinees at one year after primary basic vaccination were 52.3%, 95.2%, 0.0%, 47.6%, and 28.6%, and 13 vaccinees at one month after 1st booster vaccination were 100%, 100%, 30.7%, 100% and 100% by IFAT, ELISA (IgG, IgM), HDPA and PRNT, respectively. Seroconversion rates declined slightly by twenty months, and they were 84.6%, 92.3%, 0.0%, 84.6% and 69.2% by IFAT, ELISA (IgG, IgM), HDPA and PRNT, respectively. Seroconversion rates of 9 vaccinees at three months after 2nd booster vaccination were 100%, 100%, 0.0%, 100%, and 88.9%, and 16 vaccinees at one year after the 2nd booster vaccination were 87.5%, 93.8%, 0.0%, 87.5% and 81.3% by IFAT, ELISA (IgG, IgM), HDPA and PRNT, respectively. Based on the above result Hantavax has proved a vigorous anamnestic response after the 1st and the 2nd booster vaccination and has persisted higher fluorescence, agglutination and neutralizing antibody titers in vaccinees.


It is a well-worn trope to view Plato's banishment of the poets in Republic as a crude form of philistinism. In this paper I defend Plato against this charge. I argue that Republic does not present a final view of poetry, for it leaves room for a philosophical love of poetic beauty. First I analyse the political nature of Plato's critique of poetry. I suggest that Plato does not reject the political order of change and decay, but opens space for a new kind of political project. I then suggest that Plato's discussion of tragic poetry in Book X supports this claim, for it contains the hope for a reconfigured love of poetic beauty. I conclude that Plato does not limit aesthetic experience to artistic solace or metaphysical escapism, but opens a way to see aesthetic experience as a vital part of building a world in which it makes sense to live.