Hierarchies have been used for organization, summarization, and access to information, yet a lingering issue is how best to construct them. In this paper, our goal is to automatically create domain specific hierarchies that can be used for browsing a document set and locating relevant documents. We examine methods of automatically generating hierarchies and evaluating them. To this end, we compare and contrast two methods of generating topic hierarchies from the text of documents: one, subsumption hierarchies, uses subsumption relations found within document sets, and the other, lexical hierarchies, utilizes frequently used words within phrases. Our evaluation shows that subsumption hierarchies divide documents into smaller groups, allowing one to find all relevant documents without looking at as many non-relevant documents. However, such hierarchies are more likely to contain no path to a relevant document.


We report a 64-year-old man with incidentally found uncorrected total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC). There have been only a few case reports of untreated TAPVC diagnosed after 60 years of age. Also, this is a first case report of TAPVC in which ECG-gated CT and phase-contrast cine magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI) was performed. He was referred to our hospital for the surgery of rectal cancer. He had been diagnosed to have an arterial septal defect (ASD) and persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC), and Eisenmenger's syndrome was thought to be the cause of cyanosis at first. The vertical vein in TAPVC was initially misdiagnosed as PLSVC on enhanced axial CT images reconstructed with 5-mm slice thickness with gapless. ECG-gated CT and PC-MRI were useful to confirm the diagnosis. The vertical vein in TAPVC is morphologically similar to PLSVC. This kind of abnormality would be somewhat difficult to diagnose on non-ECG-gated CT, and might be misdiagnosed as a large ASD and PLSVC.


Abstract It has recently been shown that torsion can break liquid bridges of viscoelastic fluids, with potential application to their clean and rapid dispensing. However, many commonplace fluids (paints, adhesives, pastes, and foodstuffs like chocolate) have more complex thixotropic elastoviscoplastic (TEVP) properties that depend on the imposed stress and the timescale of deformation. Using a commercial thermal paste, we show that liquid bridges of TEVP fluids can also be broken by torsion, demonstrating the applicability of the technique for improved dispensing of real industrial fluids. The liquid bridge breaking mechanism is an elastic instability known as "edge fracture." Dimensional analysis predicts that the effects of thixotropy and plasticity can be neglected during edge fracture. Simulation using a nonlinear, phenomenological TEVP constitutive model confirms such a prediction. Our work yields new insight into the free-surface flows of TEVP fluids, which may be important to processes such as electronic packaging, additive manufacturing, and food engineering.


The objective of the present study was the analysis of medical and social status of women co-infected with HIV and VHC with the following assessment of their readiness to antiviral therapy of chronic hepatitis C virus infection (CHC) taking into account the mental health and living conditions and sustaining the adherence to antiviral therapy thereafter. Materials and methods. To clarify the social and psychological status, 100 outpatient cards of women co-infected with HIV/HCV were analyzed. The in-depth study with the assessment of the psychosocial and detoxification status and the adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) was held in fifty patients. Results. Most of the women had a long-standing history of HIV infection and HCV. Of these, 78% underwent ART and 84,6% had a high adherence to treatment. The main social problems of the women were connected with their work (34,2%) and family circumstances (26,3%). An increase in the concentration of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), the marker of chronic alcohol abuse, was detected in three of 50 patients, and other three of the 50 had this parameter in the zone of unstable values. 72% of the patients showed mental disorders, while more than half of them (60%) had actively used psychoactive substances, and organic symptomatic mental disorder effects were observed in 20% of the patients. Most of the women were in remission on the use of psychoactive substances. Evaluation of the depression and anxiety levels has showed scattered results but in the meantime 54% of the women expressed complaints of asthenic nature, anxious mood was marked in 38% of the patients, 40% of them earlier had been suicidally inclined. Conclusion. Taking into account the social problems in one-third of patients that may negatively affect the treatment of HCV and HIV infection, it is essential to lend complimentary psychological support and assist with solving difficulties before the treatment assignment in order to increase the adherence to treatment. Due to mental health reasons, the patients need continuous observation and periodic condition correction. The majority of surveyed agree ART of CHC at this moment and in the short term but carefully relate to offered treatment regimens and its duration. Given the mental state of the patients, it can be assumed that virus C in women with HIV/HCV co-infection should be treated with direct-acting antiviral agents that do not exacerbate existing disorders. The next issue of the journal .HIV infection and immunosuppression disorders. (2018. Vol. 10, No. 4) will present the results of the study of clinical status features and the prospects for the therapy.


Use of shore-based high frequency (HF) radar systems for environmental monitoring have become widespread in many countries around the world. In the U.S. various regions, such as the west and northeast coasts, have been instrumented. In California alone, some 50 radar stations contribute to the realtime monitoring of surface currents as part of the state's Coastal Ocean Currents Monitoring Program (COCMP). As recent events in the Gulf of Mexico highlight, environmental security can often hinge upon maintaining comprehensive monitoring systems that are in place and contributing to modeling and response systems at the time of any incident. Beyond real-time surface current maps, low-cost HF radar systems have the potential to contribute to offshore vessel tracking out to ranges of 180 km from the shoreline. Instrument networks that contribute multi-use functionality, such as HF radar networks, provide for effective and efficient long-term installations.


The complement system is a principle mediator of inflammation and serves as an important arm of the body's immune response. It was first discovered as a heat-sensitive serum factor necessary for bacterial lysis in the presence of specific antibody. How it "complements" the antigen-antibody interaction and mediates inflammation has been the subject of intensive research. The complement system consists of 19 well-defined plasma proteins that interact with each other and with cell membranes. The function of many of these proteins has been defined through the study of natural deficiency states.—the primary, inherited complement deficiencies. While much has been written about these,1-4there has been relatively little work addressing secondary disorders of complement. The purpose of this article is to survey diseases in which complement deficiency is secondary to some more primary disorder (Table 1). In most cases the complement deficiency contributes to the clinical presentation or pathogenesis of the


The growing trend towards sustainable and ethically designed textile and clothing is not only helping to create a greener planet, it also created a whole new job market. The sustainable design being part of the education process may give us a considerable edge in the industry, while learning to incorporate sustainable practices at process inception will add both a competitive advantage and encourage eco-design. In this study we will present a series of sustainable design projects to develop the capabilities of students in textile and fashion design to be future generators of sustainable value for business and for the society.


Breastfeeding is natural process that is not easy. The coverage of exclusive breastfeeding cannot be separated from the problems that occur in the breastfeeding process, including the wrong assumption that little milk comes out or breast milk not sufficient for the baby's needs. This condition is caused by several factors, including the food and drink consumed by the mother, psychological or emotional condition of the mother, and abnormal breast shape. A new method introduced to prevent and overcome this problem Digital Modeling Simulation of Injecting Contraception at the Permata Hati Clinic in Karanganyar. Purpose To find Injecting Contraceptive Digital Modeling Simulation at Permata Hati Clinic Karanganyar. The result of community service is that breastfeeding mothers at the Permata Hati Karanganyar clinic have increased the knowledge and skills of breastfeeding mothers with digital modeling simulations for injecting contraceptives at the Permata Hati Karanganyar Clinic. Increased knowledge 2 through digital modeling simulations, which initially was 13.6 increased to 15.6 and there was increased in breastfeeding. Based on the implementation of community service, it can concluded that there is an increase in the behavior of postpartum mothers in the use of contraceptives and the breastfeeding process.


This volume offers a radical new history of Roman citizenship in the long century before Caracalla's universal grant of citizenship in 212 CE. Earlier work portrayed the privileges of citizen status in this period as eroded by its wide diffusion. Building on recent scholarship that has revised downward estimates for the spread of citizenship, this work investigates the continuing significance of Roman citizenship in the domains of law, economics, and culture. From the writing of wills to the swearing of oaths and crafting of marriage, Roman citizens conducted affairs using forms and language that were often distinct from the populations among which they resided. Attending closely to patterns at the level of province, region, and city, this work offers a new portrait of the early Roman Empire, a world that sustained an exclusive regime of citizenship in a context of remarkable political and cultural integration.


Neural circuits underlying male sexual function comprise several nuclei located in the brain and spinal cord. We have previously demonstrated in rats that the gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) system influences spinal centers promoting penile reflexes. Moreover, a group of oxytocin (OXT) neurons, situated in the parvocellular part of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, project into the spinal cord and control penile reflexes. Therefore, it has been hypothesized that OXT is transported by long descending paraventriculospinal pathways and activates proerectile spinal centers. Consequently, we have shown that in rats, axonal distribution of OXT in the lumbar spinal cord exhibits a male-dominant sexual dimorphism. Furthermore, OXT binding is observed in the spinal GRP neurons. Thus, OXT axons may secrete OXT from spinal axonal terminals and regulate male sexual function via an OXT receptor-mediated mechanism in spinal GRP neurons. Future studies should address the relationship between the hypothalamic OXT and spinal GRP systems. Identification of the male-specific brain-spinal cord neural circuit that regulates male sexual behavior may provide new avenues for therapeutic approaches to masculine reproductive dysfunction, including erectile dysfunction and/or ejaculation disorder.


Introduction Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) insertion is established as an important intervention in the management of refractory ascites. We conducted a retrospective analysis of a large series of patients undergoing TIPS insertion for this indication. Aim The aims of this study were to describe the series of patients undergoing TIPS insertion for refractory ascites at the Royal Free Hospital particularly with regards to survival and procedural success. Method A retrospective analysis of the Royal Free Hospital radiology database was conducted to identify all patients who underwent all TIPS procedures between January 1991 and January 2011. Patient records were used to subsequently identify those patients in whom refractory ascites was the principal indication for TIPS insertion and to characterise this patient cohort. Patients were excluded if hydrothorax was the primary indication for TIPS insertion. All patients underwent baseline EEG/echocardiography and cross sectional imaging as part of their pre-procedural work up. Patients were requiring regular paracentesis and were either diuretic insensitive or intolerant. Results 1073 TIPS-related procedures were conducted at the Royal Free Hospital between January 1991 and January 2011. Of these, 159 patients underwent TIPS insertion for refractory ascites. Within this patients cohort, the underlying aetiology of cirrhosis was: alcohol 56.0% (89/159), hepatitis C 12.6% (20/159), cryptogenic 8.8%(14/159) and other causes 22.6% (36/159). 29% (46/159) of the patients were female, 71% (113/159) were male. The mean age at the time of TIPS insertion was 54.3 (±0.94) yrs. The mean pre-TIPS MELD score was 15.26 (±0.57) with a mean pre-TIPS EEG frequency of 7.51 Hz (±0.20). The mean post-procedural portal pressure gradient was 11.0 mm Hg (±0.57). Six month, 12 month and 2-year survival post-TIPS insertion was 78%, 50% and 50% respectively. At 6 months, 63% of patients had no or minimal ascites, 29% had moderate volume ascites and only 8% had persistent large volume ascites. At 12 months, 69% of patients had no or minimal ascites, 21% had moderate volume ascites and 10% had persistent ascites requiring paracentesis. Conclusion In a carefully selected group of patients, TIPS is an effective intervention in the management of refractory ascites.


Abstract. In this paper, we introduce a project for the realization of the first European real-time urban seismic network based on Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology. MEMS accelerometers are a highly enabling technology, and nowadays, the sensitivity and the dynamic range of these sensors are such as to allow the recording of earthquakes of moderate magnitude even at a distance of several tens of kilometers. Moreover, thanks to their low cost and smaller size, MEMS accelerometers can be easily installed in urban areas in order to achieve an urban seismic network constituted by high density of observation points. The network is being implemented in the Acireale Municipality (Sicily, Italy), an area among those with the highest hazard, vulnerability and exposure to the earthquake of the Italian territory. The main objective of the implemented urban network will be to achieve an effective system for post-earthquake rapid disaster assessment. The earthquake recorded, also that with moderate magnitude will be used for the effective seismic microzonation of the area covered by the network. The implemented system will be also used to realize a site-specific earthquakes early warning system.


Background: We examined the association between socioeconomic and health status, and lifestyle and sickness presenteeism among Japanese workers during the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study using an Internet-monitor survey was conducted in December, 2020 in Japan. Of 33,302 survey participants, we analyzed 27,036 participants (13,814 men and 13,222 women) who reported experience with sickness presenteeism. Results: The odds ratio (OR) of sickness presenteeism associated with unmarried versus married status was 1.15. Respective figures for other variables were 1.11 for manual laboring work compared to desk work; 1.79 and 2.29 for loss of employment at the time the pandemic began and continuation of unemployment compared with maintaining employment during the pandemic; and 3.34 for a feeling of financial instability compared with stability. Conclusion: The issue of sickness presenteeism has become more prominent under the COVID-19 epidemic.


Pig 05049 is a book and research project by Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma that chronicles the many consumer products that were made from a pig called 05049. The book offers an insightful look into how this one animal, a single source, provides raw material for a vast number of everyday objects. Meindertsma's clinical presentation of each laboriously researched object, page by page, organised by body part, follows the progress of the dissection of Pig 05049 and the subsequent use of each part. Some products, she found, are expected and familiar, whilst other diverge dramatically: ammunition, medicine, photo paper, cigarettes, conditioner, and bio diesel. PIG 05049 is currently in its 5th edition. The book won the Dutch Design Award in 2008 and the Index award in 2009 in the category Play. The article is a lightly edited transcript of a conversation between Commodity Frontiers editor, Maarten Vanden Eynde and Christien Meinderstma in September 2021.


OBJECTIVES
bla OXA-23 is a class D carbapenemase-encoding gene typical of the Acinetobacter genus. However, its occurrence in the Enterobacteriaceae is uncommon. Here we provide the genome characterization of blaOXA-23-positive Proteus mirabilis.

METHODS
In Singapore, a national surveillance of carbapenem non-susceptible clinical Enterobacteriaceae has enabled the collection of OXA-23 bearing isolates. Three clinical P. mirabilis were whole-genome sequenced using Oxford Nanopore MinION and Illumina platforms. The sequence accuracy of MinION long-read contigs was enhanced by polishing with Illumina-derived short-read data.

RESULTS
In two P. mirabilis genomes, blaOXA-23 was detected as two copies, present on the chromosome and on a 60 018 bp plasmid. blaOXA-23 was associated with the classic Acinetobacter composite transposon Tn2006, bounded by two copies of ISAba1 bracketing the carbapenemase gene. The Tn2006 itself was embedded within an Acinetobacter baumannii AbaR4 resistance island. In the chromosome, the AbaR4 was found integrated into the comM gene, which is also the preferred 'hotspot' in A. baumannii. In the plasmid, AbaR4 integrated into a putative colicin gene.

CONCLUSIONS
Our description of an A. baumannii AbaR4 encoding blaOXA-23 in P. mirabilis is to our knowledge the first description of an Acinetobacter resistance island in Proteus and suggests that P. mirabilis may be a reservoir for this class D carbapenemase gene.


Electrically conductive resins may have applications as fuel cell bipolar plates. The current trend in this technology is a thermosetting polymer as the matrix containing high concentrations of various types of fillers. These fillers are carbon based and electrically conductive powders, particles, or fibers. In this study, we utilized two composite formulations of polyacrylonitrile fibers (Fortafil 243 and Panex 30) in a liquid crystal polymer (Vectra A950RX) with increasing concentrations. Electrical conductivity tests were performed and modified Mamunya and additive models were applied to the experimental data. These models fit the entire range of data for each composite tested. Four alternate models were also produced: linear, quadratic, exponential, and geometric, with a restricted range of electrical conductivity data greater than 10−2 S/cm. The exponential and the geometric resulted in the best fits over this restricted data range. These particular models may allow researchers to extrapolate beyond the maximum filler concentrations studied here. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

Prostate cancer is sensitive to androgen deprivation at the primary androgen-dependent growth stage (ADCa). However, it invariably acquires resistance to androgen withdrawal leading to the recurrence of the castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Androgen receptor (AR) activity that is necessary for the normal prostate development remains active through both phases of the disease. Even at castrate levels of androgen AR remains functional, possibly through several non-mutually exclusive mechanisms including expression of constitutively active AR variants (ARVs). The full-length of AR (ARFL) is a 110 KDa nuclear hormone receptor composed of an N-terminal domain (NTD, exon1), DNA-binding domain (DBD, exon 2 and 3), a hinge region (exon 4), and the C-terminal ligand binding domain (LBD, exon 4-8). To date up to 15 different ARVs lacking LBD have been identified in human prostate cancer cell lines or specimens. It is thought that the altered biological properties of these ARVs may be, in part, correlated to the development of castration resistance. ARVs remain understudied in mouse prostate cancer cell lines; detection of only two ARVs was reported in a mouse cell line. A better definition of ARVs in distinct phases of this cancer in an appropriate mouse model should be valuable for insights into the role of ARVs in therapy and disease progression.

To this end, by using cell lines established from the conditional Pten deletion mouse model of prostate adenocarcinoma, we detected low molecular weight AR protein species (∼50 kDa - 80 kDa) besides the presence of the 110 kDa full-length. We performed 3'RACE and subsequent Sanger sequencing on cell lines derived from both ADCa (E-series) and CRPC stages (cE-series) and identified three different ARVs which we named as mARV-abc. Structurally, mARVa is analogous to the previously reported mAR-V4 and the human ARV567es which only lacks LBD domain retaining exon 1-4 followed by the inclusion of a cryptic exon 4 from intron 4 at the 3'-terminal sequence. More interestingly, we identified two novel ARV isoforms (mARV-b and -c) which merely contains the NTD encoded by exon 1 before the addition of specific sequences from different positions of intron 1. Although these mARVs occur in all the murine cell lines tested, their proportion appears to vary with respect to the stage of the disease from which the cell lines originated. In cE-series established from a CRPC tumor, novel ARVb and ARVc are more abundant than that in E-series from an ADCa tumor; in parallel, ARVa displays an opposite expression profile. These new findings together with the results of ongoing experiments, including the single cell expression analysis and on their biological activities of the splice variants will be discussed.

Citation Format: Mengmeng Liang, Helty A. Adisetiyo, Xiuqing Li, Ren Liu, Parkash S. Gill, Pradip Roy-Burman. Androgen receptor splice variants in mouse prostate cancer cell lines: altered distribution in lines derived from castration-resistant tumors relative to those primary tumors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4087. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4087


General analysis and synthesis methods for neural networks are presented. The techniques proposed are simple, efficient and not restricted to a certain network architecture, i.e., they can be any of the multilayer, fully interconnected feedforward or feedback structures. Based on the signs of connections between neurons (called weight signatures) being excitatory or inhibitory, the methods proposed provide some fundamental rules of learnability in such networks. Various design techniques are presented using these learning rules for the synthesis of neural architectures.<<ETX>>


Ionic liquids (ILs) are designer solvents that find wide applications in various areas. Recently, ILs have been shown to induce the refolding of certain proteins that were previously denatured under the treatment of urea. A molecular-level understanding of the counteracting mechanism of ILs on urea-induced protein denaturation remains elusive. In this study, we employ atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the ternary urea-water-IL solution in comparison to the aqueous urea solution to understand how the presence of ILs can modulate the structure, energetics, and dynamics of urea-water solutions. Our results show that the ions of the IL used, ethylammonium nitrate (EAN), interact strongly with urea and disrupt the urea aggregates that were known to stabilize the unfolded state of the proteins. Results also suggest a disruption in urea-water interaction that releases more free water molecules in solution. We subsequently strengthened these findings by simulating a model peptide in the absence and presence of EAN, which showed broken versus intact secondary structure in urea solution. Analyses show that these changes were accomplished by the added IL, which enforced a gradual displacement of urea from the peptide surface by water. We propose that the ILs facilitate protein renaturation by breaking down the urea aggregates and increasing the amount of free water molecules around the protein.


A challenge for evolutionary theory is to understand how cooperation can occur in the presence of competition and cheating, a problem known as the tragedy of commons. Here I examine how varying the fitness returns from reproductive competition or cooperation affects the negative impact of competition on a social group. Varying linear returns does not affect the impact of competition. However, diminishing returns, where additional investments in either competition or cooperation give smaller and smaller rewards, reduce the effects of competition on the group. I show that diminishing returns are common in many systems, including social vertebrates, microbes, social insects and mutualisms among species. This suggests that the tragedy of the commons is not so tragic and that the disruptive effects of competition upon social life will often be minor.


Learning objectives communicate the knowledge and skills that instructors intend for students to acquire in a course. Student performance can be enhanced when learning objectives align with instruction and assessment. We understand how instructors should use learning objectives, but we know less about how students should use them. We investigated students' use and perceptions of learning objectives in an undergraduate science course at a public research university. In this exploratory study, students (n = 185) completed two open-ended assignments regarding learning objectives and we analyzed the content of their answers. We found that students used learning objectives in ways that reflected the recommendations of past and present instructors, suggesting that students are receptive to instruction on how to use learning objectives. Students generally found learning objectives to be useful because the objectives helped them to narrow their focus and organize their studying, suggesting that students may need additional help from instructors in order to self-direct their learning. Students who chose not to use learning objectives often found other resources, such as case studies covered in class, to be more helpful for their learning. Some of these students recognized that the concepts included in case studies and learning objectives overlapped, pointing to a benefit of alignment between instructional activities and learning objectives. These qualitative results provide the data necessary for designing a quantitative instrument to test the extent to which students' use of learning objectives affects their performance.


By considering the Darboux transformation for the third order Lax operator of the Sawada-Kotera hierarchy, we obtain a discrete third order linear equation as well as a discrete analogue of the Gambier 5 equation. As an application of this result, we consider the stationary reduction of the fifth order Sawada-Kotera equation, which (by a result of Fordy) is equivalent to a generalization of the integrable case (i) HénonHeiles system. Applying the Darboux transformation to the stationary flow, we find a Bäcklund transformation (BT) for this finite-dimensional Hamiltonian system, which is equivalent to an exact discretization of the generalized case (i) Hénon-Heiles system. The Lax pair for the system is 3× 3, and the BT satisfies the spectrality property for the associated trigonal spectral curve. We also give an example of how the BT may be used as a numerical integrator for the original continuous Hénon-Heiles system.


Goals of ATF2 will be to provide nanometer size beams and sub-nanometer stability. To achieve it, simulations of feedback systems should be done based on realistic ground motion generators. A generator which produces output compatible with the PLACET simulations was developed with Matlab to reproduce the vibration spectra measured on the ATF floor at KEK. Spatial coherence between elements was also introduced in an approximate way. This generator is described here.


This article examines how monologue functions in the work of American playwright Mac Wellman, focusing on his 1992 play, A Murder of Crows. Many of the features that mark Wellman's work as "experimental" are already familiar to readers of canonical modernist and postmodern dramatists, like Gertrude Stein, Samuel Beckett, and Suzan-Lori Parks. Nevertheless, attending to Wellman's language can challenge a pervasive tendency in theatre studies: the consensus that monologue, particularly in contemporary or postdramatic theatre, is fundamentally a form of heightened communication with the audience. Engaging arguments by Hans-Thies Lehmann and other scholars, the article argues that A Murder of Crows uses monologue to withdraw from the co-presence of the theatrical audience. Defiantly solitary, this kind of monologue resists communication in the present, turning theatre into the site of a utopian protest.


Amalgamation is a well-known concept for graph transformations in order to model synchronized parallelism of rules with shared subrules and corresponding transformations. This concept is especially important for an adequate formalization of the operational semantics of statecharts and other visual modeling languages, where typed attributed graphs are used for multiple rules with general application conditions. However, the theory of amalgamation for the double pushout approach has been developed up to now only on a set-theoretical basis for pairs of standard graph rules without any application conditions. For this reason, we present the theory of amalgamation in this paper in the framework of M-adhesive categories, short for weak adhesive HLR categories, for a bundle of rules with (nested) application conditions. The main result is the Multi-Amalgamation Theorem, which generalizes the well-known Parallelism and Amalgamation Theorems to the case of multiple synchronized parallelism. The constructions are illustrated by a small running example. A more complex case study for the operational semantics of statecharts based on multi-amalgamation is presented in a separate paper.


Recently, several new Calibrachoa La Llave & Lexarza (Solanaceae Juss.) cultivars have been developed with novel red and blue flowers. Most wild species of Calibrachoa have purple flowers. The differences in color were not due to anthocyanin composition, but rather to vacuolar pH. The pH of the red-flowered cultivar was 4.8 while that of the blue-flowered cultivar was 5.6. The wild purple-flowered species had an intermediate pH of 5.0. These data suggest that different pH and pigment genes may be introgressed into other Calibrachoa species to increase cultivar diversity.


Educational traffic campaigns aim to alert the population about adoption of behaviors that bring safety and quality in traffic. Animal-vehicle collisions are one of the most visible impacts on roads, and the planning of measures to reduce these collisions is justified for at least three reasons: animal welfare, financial cost, and drivers and passengers' safety. We evaluated whether the impact of animal-vehicle collisions was present in educational traffic campaigns and if campaigns showed any other environmental issues. We analyzed 205 campaigns from state and national traffic departments in Brazil. Although "collision" was the most frequent subject, animal-vehicle collisions only appeared on two campaigns, both portraying domestic animals. The identified environmental issues were "animal-vehicle collision" and "garbage", and most campaigns did not have an environmental focus. We highlighted some directions to include the subject of wildlife-vehicle collisions in traffic campaigns that could raise public awareness and, ultimately, reduce the impact on humans and animals involved in collisions.


Introduction
 Compliance with Multiple Myeloma (MM) recommendations regarding diagnosis and treatment is highly variable worldwide, outside clinical trials. This survey among hematologists from Latin America (LA) aims to describe real access to diagnostic and prognostic analyses and first line treatment for newly diagnosed MM (NDMM).
 Objectives
 To describe the access to diagnostic and prognostic tests and first line treatment options for MM in LA.
 To compare public versus private access to tests and therapies.
 Methods
 This is a multicenter cross-sectional study. A 16-question survey focusing on demographic characteristics of physicians, centers, and standard of care practices for NDMM was emailed to 182 hematologists from 11 LA countries. (Fig 1) The survey was open from Dec/17-Feb/18.
 Results
 We received 103 completed questionnaires (56.6%) from 8 countries: Argentina (45), Uruguay (28), Chile (15), Paraguay (6), Peru (3), Costa Rica (2), Mexico (2), Venezuela (2).
 Most physicians (85/103) work in private and public institutions; the majority (64.7%) treat benign and malignant diseases, 30% mainly malignant diseases, and 4.9% mainly plasma cell disorders.
 Access to diagnostic tests is shown in Table 1. In > 20% of public hospitals there is no access to serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP), serum immunofixation (IFX) or serum immunoglobulins quantification (Igs); in 57.3% serum Free Light Chain (sFLC) assay is not done. Lack of access to Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) is 67%, Computed Tomography (CT) scan 23.5%, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) 45% and Positron Emission Tomography (PET/CT) 66.5%.
 In private centers, lack of access to SPEP is <5%, IFX 10%, Igs 15%, sFLC 16.5%, FISH 33%, CT scan 5%; MRI 7.3% and PET/CT 20%.
 Thalidomide, Bortezomib and autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) are available in all reporting countries, in public and private institutions. Lenalidomide is reported commercially available by 97.9% of physicians, Melphalan 92.7%, Daratumumab 68%, Pomalidomide 67%, Carfilzomib 60%, Ixazomib 18%. (Table 2) Nevertheless, due to reimbursement policies not all patients have access to these drugs, as reflected in treatment choices.
 In private institutions, 86.5% report treating ASCT-eligible patients upfront with Bortezomib-based triplets versus 51.6% in public hospitals [OR 5.72 (IC95% 2.32-14.7) p <0.001). Cyclophosphamide-Thalidomide-Dexamethasone (CTD) is used in the public setting by 40.3% (Table 3). Firstline choice for high risk MM (HRMM) is Bortezomib combinations in all private centers but in only 74.4% of public institutions (p<0.001).
 ASCT ineligible patients: the most used upfront regimen is Cyclophosphamide-Bortezomib-Dexamethasone (CyBorD) in private centers and CTD in public hospitals (Table 4). For HRMM, Bortezomib-based triplets is the first choice in 88.57% and 65.51% in private and public settings, respectively [OR 4.09 (CI95% 1.57-11.16) p=0.0011).
 Most physicians indicate maintenance treatment, mainly until progression/intolerance.(Table 5) Lenalidomide or Bortezomib are used in private centers in all countries, but for Venezuela. Only Thalidomide and Dexamethasone are available in public hospitals from 6/8 countries. Lenalidomide or Bortezomib maintenance approval require special authorization in most countries, delaying its initiation.
 Discussion
 This study shows real word data regarding the challenges LA faces in the care of MM patients. Access to recommended diagnostic and prognostic tests is deficient, particularly in the public setting. Diagnosis, risk assessment and response evaluation are, therefore, inaccurate. In public hospitals, >50% of patients have no access to adequate imaging evaluation, being screened by X-rays.
 Regardless of commercial availability, real access to novel drugs is limited, particularly in the public setting. This causes an ethical dilemma for physicians, which must treat patients depending on the health care provider and reimbursement policies rather than based on evidence.
 One limitation of this work is the high percentage of unanswered surveys.
 Conclusion
 LA is far from complying with international recommendations for MM approach. The most striking finding is the great difference between public and private centers in all variables. This gap is likely to translate into differences in survival, which is greatly concerning. Solving these inequities should be a priority.

 No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


PURPOSE
Pleural nodular histiocytic/mesothelial hyperplasia is a nodular histiocytic/mesothelial proliferation, often delimiting cystic cavities, due to irritation by a pulmonary noxa. Case report results: The patient had right pleural parietal and diaphragmatic thickness, with pleural effusion, without lung alterations. He previously underwent left hemicolectomy and liver resection, due to a diverticulitis and a liver histiocytes-rich abscess. Video-assisted thoracoscopy biopsy showed a double population of reactive mesothelial cells and histiocytes.

CONCLUSION
Nodular histiocytic/mesothelial hyperplasia represents a potential pitfall for pathologists. Immunohistochemistry is crucial for the differential diagnosis with some malignancies. We suggest that in our patient, a chronic mesothelium inflammation happened by transdiaphragmatic involvement as a consequence of the liver abscess. Some pathogenetic mechanisms are hypothesized.


The junction temperature of red, green and blue high power light emitting diodes (LEDs) is measured by using the emission peak shift method and the forward voltage method. Both the emission peak shift and the forward voltage decrease show a linear relationship relative to junction temperature. The linear coefficients of the red, green and blue LEDs for the peak shift method and the forward voltage method range from 0.03 to 0.15 nm/°C and from 1.33 to 3.59 mV/°C, respectively. Compared with the forward voltage method, the peak shift method is almost independent of bias current and sample difference. The variation of the slopes is less than 2% for the peak shift method and larger than 30% for the forward voltage method, when the LEDs are driven by different bias currents. It is indicated that the peak shift method gives better stability than the forward voltage method under different LED working conditions.


Cryptococcus gattii (C. gattii) is a fungal pathogen that once caused an outbreak of cryptococcosis on Vancouver Island, and had spread worldwide, while few data were available in China. In this study, seven clinical isolates of C. gattii VGII were collected from 19 hospitals, Multi-locus Sequence Typing (MLST) analysis and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed, and combined with published data for phylogenetic analysis. In addition, in vitro antifungal susceptibility testing, phenotypic analysis, and in vivo virulence studies were performed, subsequently, histopathological analysis of lung tissue was performed. C.gattii VGII infected patients were mainly immunocompetent male, and most of them had symptoms of central nervous system (CNS) involvement. MLST results showed that isolates from china exhibited high genetic diversity, and sequence type (ST) 7 was the major ST among the isolates. Some clinical isolates showed a close phylogenetic relationship with strains from Australia and South America. All clinical isolates did not show resistance to antifungal drugs. In addition, there was no correlation between virulence factors (temperature, melanin production, and capsule size) and virulence while in vivo experiments showed significant differences in virulence among strains. Lung fungal burden and damage to lung tissue correlated with virulence, and degree of damage to lung tissue in mice may highlight differences in virulence. Our work seeks to provide useful data for molecular epidemiology, antifungal susceptibility, and virulence differences of C. gattii VGII in China. Author Summary Cryptococcus gattii is one of the life-threatening fungal pathogens that can infect immunocompetent individuals. C.gattii can be invaded through the respiratory tract and can be spread to the brain, causing meningoencephalitis and even death. In 1999, an outbreak of C. gattii VGII occurred on Vancouver Island in Canada and spread in the Pacific Northwest region, which attracted more attention. Compared with other nations, the data of C gattii VGII in China was limited. To better understand the molecular epidemiology and microbiological characteristics of C.gattii VGII isolates from China, Bioinformatics analysis and in vivo and in vitro experiments were performed for clinical strains. Multi-locus Sequence Typing and whole-genome sequencing reveal the genetic diversity of the isolates and genetic relationships with isolates from other countries. We also investigated the antifungal drug susceptibility and virulence differences of the isolates. The authors expect that our work can provide useful data for the prevention and control of C. gattii VGII in China and to draw attention to C. gattii.


Return migration of the highly skilled can benefit all, the sending country, the receiving country and the individual if it is supported by adequate policies and environment. Therefore, this article revolves entirely over this issue especially in context of Indian Diaspora and suggests management approaches and policy initiatives on how governments, suffering from brain drain, might initiate and accelerate this process.


Term analyses of the transitions 4p - 4d and 4p - 5s in Zr VII, Nb VIII and Mo IX are reported. A total of 143 lines has been identified and 81 energy levels are established in these previously unknown spectra. The whole isoelectronic sequence of Se I-like spectra is briefly reviewed.


Ficus religiosa Linn is a large evergreen tree found throughout India, wild as well as cultivated. It is popular indigenous system of medicine like Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy. In traditional system of medicine, various parts such as stem bark, root bark aerial roots, vegetative buds, leaves, fruits and latex are used in diabetes, vomiting, burns, gynaecological problems, dysentery, diarrhea, nervous disorders, tonic and astringent. Phytochemical investigation of plant barks, showed the presence tannins, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids and cardiac glycosides. According to Ayurvedic system of medicine, F. religiosa (Peepal tree) is well known to be useful in diabetes. The present work is an attempt to compile an up-to-date and comprehensive review of F. religiosa that covers its ethnobotanical, natural product chemistry, pharmacological data.


Mal de Meleda is a rare autosomal recessive form of palmoplantar keratoderma characterized by hyperkeratosis of the palms and soles. The presence of yeast and dermatophytes was investigated in 29 mal de Meleda patients from Koprucay canyon, Turkey, a newer geographical focus, and was found in 62.0% and 20.7% of cases, respectively. Antifungal resistance of isolates was not detected.


Existing job design models have been criticized for being able to explain affective outcomes more consistently than they do those of task motivation and performance. This study presents an empirical test of several propositions relating to the role of task-related efficacy beliefs as mediators of the relation between job design and task motivation and performance. We begin by highlighting gaps in job design theory, particularly in respect to performance within contemporary work contexts with their increased emphasis on self-management, and draw on social cognitive theory to describe the role of self-management efficacy beliefs as a mediator between job design and task motivation. We hypothesize that self-management efficacy will be a first-level outcome of jobs offering opportunities for self-management and also that these beliefs will mediate the relation between opportunities for self-management and task motivation. We tested these hypotheses in a cross-sectional field study (N = 270). The results support the need to differentiate between paths from job design that lead to affect and paths that lead to task motivation. There was a strong direct relation between skill utilization and affect (job satisfaction) and task motivation. In contrast, self-management efficacy mediated the path between work method control and task motivation, and the relation between work method control and affect was not significant. Finally, we discuss implications of these results for future research and practice.


Diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide (Dco) was measured frequently in a patient with recurrent intrapulmonary hemorrhage secondary to Goodpasture's syndrome. This simple test was found to be a sensitive and useful indicator of the presence or absence of recurrent intrapulmonary hemorrhage. As this is now the major cause of mortality in this disease, we recommended that frequent measurements of the Dco be an important part of its management.


MCSim consists of two pieces, a model generator and a simulation engine. The model generator, mod, was created to facilitate the model maintenance and simulation definition, while keeping execution time fast. Other programs have been created to the same end, the Matlab family of graphical interactive programs being some of the more general and easy to use. Still, many available tools are not optimal for performing time and computer intensive Monte Carlo analysis. MCSim was created specifically to this end: to perform Monte Carlo analysis in a highly optimized, and easy to maintain environment.


SUMMARY: An investigation was undertaken to determine to what extent the properties of oligosporogenous (Osp) mutants allow them to be considered as a separate class of sporulation mutant, distinct from asporogenous (Sp-) mutants. Of thirty Osp mutants examined, seventeen at least had a phenotype which had previously been identified with a Sp- mutant. The majority of cells in an Osp culture either reached a particular stage in the sporulation process and then stopped, or in some cases went on to produce aberrant forms. Some of these aberrant forms have their counterparts in Sp- mutants described by other authors, but some present new features. The morphological and biochemical sequences were linked so that if the majority of cells were blocked at a certain stage, then the biochemical sequence stopped accordingly. The general similarity in behaviour between the two types of mutant is consistent with the assumption that at least some of the Osp mutants have leaky mutations in genes where mutation can also give rise to Sp- phenotypes. Evidence is presented to suggest that the ability of a cell of an Osp mutant to overcome its block, and so go on to form a spore, is a chance event when that stage in the process is reached. A mutant has been obtained in which the spores are octanol-resistant yet contain no measurable dipicolinate. In several other mutants the spores contained well-developed coat layers, but the cortex was poorly formed or completely missing.


Importance Recent studies have shown that Friedewald underestimates low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) at lower levels, which could result in undertreatment of high-risk patients. A novel method (Martin/Hopkins) using a patient-specific conversion factor provides more accurate LDL-C levels. However, this method has not been tested in proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor–treated patients. Objective To investigate accuracy of 2 different methods for estimating LDL-C levels (Martin/Hopkins and Friedewald) compared with gold standard preparative ultracentrifugation (PUC) in patients with low LDL-C levels in the Further Cardiovascular Outcomes Research With PCSK9 Inhibition in Patients With Elevated Risk (FOURIER) trial. Design, Setting, and Participants The FOURIER trial was a randomized clinical trial of evolocumab vs placebo added to statin therapy in 27 564 patients with stable atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The patients' LDL-C levels were assessed at baseline, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, 24 weeks, and every 24 weeks thereafter, and measured directly by PUC when the level was less than 40 mg/dL per the Friedewald method (calculated as non–HDL-C level − triglycerides/5). In the Martin/Hopkins method, patient-specific ratios of triglycerides to very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) ratios were determined and used to estimate VLDL-C, which was subtracted from the non–HDL-C level to obtain the LDL-C level. Main Outcomes and Measures Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol calculated by the Friedewald and Martin/Hopkins methods, with PUC as the reference method. Results For this analysis, the mean (SD) age was 62.7 (9.0) years; 2885 of the 12 742 patients were women (22.6%). A total of 56 624 observations from 12 742 patients had Friedewald, Martin/Hopkins, and PUC LDL-C measurements. The median difference from PUC LDL-C levels for Martin/Hopkins LDL-C levels was −2 mg/dL (interquartile range [IQR], −4 to 1 mg/dL) and for Friedewald LDL-C levels was −4 mg/dL (IQR, −8 to −1 mg/dL; P < .001). Overall, 22.9% of Martin/Hopkins LDL-C values were more than 5 mg/dL different than PUC values, and 2.6% were more than 10 mg/dL different than PUC levels. These were significantly less than respective proportions with Friedewald estimation (40.1% and 13.3%; P < .001), mainly because of underestimation by the Friedewald method. The correlation with PUC LDL-C was significantly higher for Martin/Hopkins vs Friedewald (&rgr;, 0.918 [95% CI 0.916-0.919] vs &rgr;, 0.867 [0.865-0.869], P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance In patients achieving low LDL-C with PCSK9 inhibition, the Martin/Hopkins method for LDL-C estimation more closely approximates gold standard PUC than Friedewald estimation does. The Martin/Hopkins method may prevent undertreatment because of LDL-C underestimation by the Friedewald method. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01764633


Using amide hydrogen exchange combined with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, we have in this study determined the number of amide hydrogens on several peptides that become solvent-inaccessible as a result of their high-affinity interaction with the urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR). These experiments reveal that at least six out of eight amide hydrogens in a synthetic nine-mer peptide antagonist (AE105) become sequestered upon engagement in uPAR binding. Various uPAR mutants with decreased affinity for this peptide antagonist gave similar results, thereby indicating that deletion of the favorable interactions involving the side chains of these residues in uPAR does not affect the number of hydrogen bonds established by the main chain of the peptide ligand. The isolated growth factor-like domain (GFD) of the cognate serine protease ligand for uPAR showed 11 protected amide hydrogens in the receptor complex. Interestingly, a naturally occurring O-linked fucose on Thr(18) confers protection of two additional amide hydrogens in GFD when it forms a complex with uPAR. Dissociation of the uPAR-peptide complexes is accompanied by a correlated exchange of nearly all amide hydrogens on the peptide ligand. This yields bimodal isotope patterns from which dissociation rate constants can be determined. In addition, the distinct bimodal isotope distributions also allow investigation of the exchange kinetics of receptor-bound peptides providing information about the local structural motions at the interface. These exchange experiments therefore provide both structural and kinetic information on the interaction between uPAR and these small peptide antagonists, which in model systems show promise as inhibitors of intravasation of human cancer cells.


Potential acceptance of quality protein maize byfarmer families in Northern Nicaragua. The objective ofthis analysis was to estimate the potential acceptance of threequality protein maize cultivars (QPM): Nutrader, Nutrinta Amarillo and Mazorca de Oro, in northern Nicaragua. In 2009, for a nutrition study, 142 farmers were surveyed; 95of them reported producing maize, and were included in this analysis. Although none of them had heard about these QPM cultivars, 45,3% would accept them only if they had greater yield and quality compared with traditional cultivars; thesewere classifi ed as "potential acceptance". The other 54,7% said they would not harvest QPM or they would do so only if they had a higher price in the market, for which there isno evidence. The probability of acceptance was higher infarmers with a greater number of children less than fi ve years age, for whom low yields is not a problem, not affi liated withan association or cooperative, who consider they need tospend the same or less money to prepare food with qualityprotein maize, or expects no taste differences between QPM and traditional cultivars (p<0,10).


In this study, chromium (III) oxide (Cr2O3) and potassium oxide (K2O) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by combustion. Mixed oxides of varying concentrations in the form of (1-x)Cr2O3/xK2O (x = 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7) were prepared. X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and optical measurements were used to investigate the properties of these nanoparticles. XRD indicates that the grain size decreased as the K2O content increased. Additionally, HR-TEM revealed several types of shapes, such as hexagonally-shaped nanoparticles. The optical measurements showed a blue shift indicating a minor modification to the band structure during the Cr2O3/xK2O mixing. The (1-x)Cr2O3/xK2O nanoparticles were used as catalysts in wastewater during a photocatalytic process. Orange G was chosen as an impurity in the water. The absorbance curves of Orange G in the water were measured at different times in the presence of the same quantity of Cr2O3/xK2O NPs. After 120 min, the efficiency reached 13% and 38% for (1-x)Cr2O3/xK2O NPs with x = 0.1 and 0.7, respectively. The experimental results were analyzed by pseudo first- and second-order models and intra-particle diffusion models. A first-order kinetic model had the best fit for the (1-x)Cr2O3/xK2O NPs. The strongest relationship occurred with a composition of 0.1Cr2O3/0.7K2O.


Sebastian Mallaby ambitiously sets out to accomplish three tasks in one book. He draws a portrait of Alan Greenspan the man. He chronicles more than half a century of history and Greenspan's corresponding career as a private analyst and public servant. He also offers a lesson for future central bankers on the importance of giving sufficient weight to financial stability, not just price stability, in setting interest rates. The Man Who Knew is an impressive achievement and an important piece of scholarship that both deserves and rewards the careful reader. The footnotes alone are worthy of their own treatment, containing not only citations to Mallaby's extensive primary research and interviews but also a running subtext of Mallaby's commentary on Greenspan and on much of the relevant economic literature. The reviewer is daunted, left mostly to quibble over emphasis and inference. The portrait is finely drawn, one many of us will both recognize and learn from. The chronicle is a brilliant rendering of key moments in recent economic and financial history that provides the context needed to appreciate Greenspan's extraordinary mixed legacy. Mallaby's lesson is an important one but his focus is more on the morality tale of Greenspan ignoring his own youthful insights and not enough on why and how central banks can actually apply Greenspan's insights and Mallaby's lesson. Fortunately for us, The Man Who Knew provides many more important insights than Mallaby could possibly choose to highlight. Future central bankers ignore Mallaby's volume at their peril.


This paper presents the simple model of the disinflation, being located in a mainstream of economics and based on the traditional view that nominal rigidity don't allow for fast reducing the rate of inflation. These rigidities cause costs in the form of the transitional growth of the unemployment rate and fluctuation of the rate of growth of the production. The principle of the exchangeability of the inflation and unemployment is the main point of the presented model. It results from it that periodic slowing down the rate of growth of the production is needed in order permanently to lower the inflation rate, because prices and wages don't accommodate themselves immediately to the reduced money supply.


Introduction Occupational asthma (OA) due to cobalt exposure is reported in diamond polishers and cobalt production workers, but rarely in metalworkers. We describe a case series of cobalt OA in a valve manufacturing company, where exposure was from metal-working fluid (MWF) aerosols containing dissolved cobalt. Methods Cases of cobalt OA from a manufacturer of stellite (cobalt alloy) engine valves were identified from the West Midlands SHIELD database. Case note data on demographics and symptoms at diagnosis were gathered, along with details of diagnostic tests, including serial peak flow, skin prick tests (SPT), non-specific bronchial reactivity (NSBR) and specific inhalational challenge (SIC) tests to 1-10mg/ml cobalt chloride (CoCl2). Results 14 workers were diagnosed with OA 1996-2005. Workers were predominantly white, British males (86%), with a mean symptom latency of 30 months (24-48) to diagnosis. 70% had urinary cobalt concentrations suggestive of occupational exposure. Skin sensitization was demonstrated to ≥1 aeroallergen in 64% of workers, and to 1-10mg/ml CoCl2 in 75%. 86% had definite OA on peak-flow analysis (OASYS score 3.3-4.0); 43% of exposed workers demonstrated NSBR at diagnosis. Sensitization to cobalt was confirmed in 7 workers by SIC to 1-10mg/ml CoCl2, including 3 immediate, 1 late and 3 dual asthmatic reactions. Discussion Strong evidence for sensitization was demonstrated in most workers by positive SPT and SIC to CoCl2. This is the first case-series of cobalt asthma from the automotive industry, where hard-metal tipped tools and stellite alloys are in common usage. Awareness and vigilance is therefore required in this industry.


This paper talked about how to use winsock control in the programming of the client/server,to discuss the problems in the client/server communication thoroughly and how to solve it.


Objectives We aimed to evaluate and compare the qualities of chest compressions performed manually by healthcare professionals and by a mechanical chest compression device on a training model during an ambulance transfer. DesignThis is an experimental trial. Setting This study was performed by the EMS of Ankara City (Capital of Turkey). 20 (10 male and 10 female) paramedic participated the study. We used LUCAS 2 as mechanical chest compression device in the study. A total of 40 rounds were driven on the track; in that moving ambulance, the model was applied chest compression in 20 rounds by paramedics, while in 20 rounds were applied by mechanical chest compression device. The depth, rate and hands-off time of chest compression were measured by means of the model's recording system. Results The median chest compression rate was 120.1 compressions per minute (IQR 25–75%=117.9–133.5) for the paramedics, whereas it was 102.3 compressions per minute for the mechanical chest compression device (IQR 25–75%=102.1–102.7) (p<0.001). The median chest compression depth was 38.9 millimeters (IQR 25–75%=32.9–45.5) for the paramedics, whereas it was 52.7 millimeters for the mechanical chest compression device (IQR 25–75%=51.8–55.0) (p<0.001). The median hands-off time during cardiopulmonary resuscitation was 6.9% (IQR 25–75=5.0–10.1%) for the paramedics and 9% (IQR 25–75%=8.2–12.5%) (p=0.09). Conclusion Chest compressions performed by the mechanical chest compression device were found to be within the range recommended by the guidelines in terms of both speed and duration.


Recently, damages resulting from light trespass that affects the human body (sleep) as one of light pollution control elements of outdoor Luminaires equipment are leading to continuous civil complaints and disputes and this is gradually expanding into a social problem. Accordingly, this study considers the need to develop a shielding plate in consideration of light distribution performance as an efficient measure to cope with damages from light trespass. Therefore, this study developed a shielding plate for LED Luminaires with a fine view that maximally inhibited light toward the backlight area compared to existing shielding plates and verified its performance.


Using a combination of optical experiments and computer simulations, we found that live cells act as traps to produce anomalous subdiffusive translational motion of molecules exemplified by the glucocorticoid receptor α. The glucocorticoid receptor α was expressed as a fusion protein with the green fluorescent protein in living mammalian U2OS cells. The measurements were carried out by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. The glucocorticoid receptor α was either a homodimer or a monomer in the nucleoplasm depending on the presence or absence of the stimulus dexamethasone. Our simulations showed that the experimentally measured rates of translational diffusion could be attributed to spatial and temporal traps. Thus, traps acted by spatial and temporal heterogeneity and randomness, respectively. As we prove here for the first time, anomalous translational diffusion caused by spatial randomness was different from anomalous translational diffusion caused by heterogeneous temporal randomness. For this purpose, we explored two classes of transformations in the time domain for which the assumption that they are stable and have probability density functions was satisfied. The first one was the Inverse Gamma distribution and the second class was a stable Levy distribution. The spatial exponent α that was extracted from time series expressed scale invariance in the space domain. The time exponent γ measured limited time scaling of the embedding complex dynamics. Hence, both exponents must not be mixed up by a single exponent. Fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy (FCS) is the method of choice for measuring the exponents of anomalous subdiffusive translational motion of molecules in live cells.


The code smell is a sign of design and development flaws in a software system that reduces the reusability and maintainability of the system. Refactoring is done as an ongoing practice to remove the code smell from the program code. Among different code smells, the God class or Blob is one of the most common code smells. A god class contains too many responsibilities, violating object-oriented programming design's low coupling and high cohesiveness principles. This paper proposes an automatic approach to extracting a God class into multiple smaller classes with more specific responsibilities. To do this, we first construct a graph of methods (as nodes) for the concerning god class. The edge between any two methods is determined by their structural similarity, and the feature for each method is initialized using different semantic representation methods. Then, the variational graph auto-encoder is used to learn a vector representation for each method. Finally, the learned vectors are used to cluster methods into different groups to be recommended as refactored classes. We assessed the proposed framework using three different class cohesion metrics on sixteen actual God Classes collected from two well-known open-source systems. We also conducted a comparative study of our approach with a similar existing approach and found that the proposed approach generated better results for almost all the God Classes used in the experiment.


The aim of this research is to examine the effect of voluntary risk management disclosure and its implication to firm value. Independent variables used in this research are product diversification, geographical diversification, type of industry and company size. Intervening variable is voluntary risk management disclosure. While the dependent variable in this study is firm value measured using Tobin's Q. This research used a sample of non financial companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in 2017. The sampling method in this research is purposive sampling and acquired 418 companies that meet the criteria. Hypothesis testing using multiple regression analysis. The results of this research showed that the higher the level of product diversification, geographical diversification, type of industry and company size, the higher the voluntary risk management disclosure. Voluntary risk management disclosure has a positive influential on firm value, the wider the disclosure of corporate risk management, will increase the firm value, otherwise the less disclosure of corporate risk management, will decrease the firm value or the value are getting worse. Keywords:  Product diversification, geographical diversification, type of industry, company size, voluntary risk management disclosure, firm value


The written certification exam that accompanies the Gearing Up for Safety-Agricultural Production Safety Training for Youth curriculum was designed to partially meet the testing requirements of the Agricultural Hazardous Occupations Order (AgHOs) Certification Training Program. This curriculum and accompanying assessment tools are available for national implementation. Psychometric properties of the exam were examined based on a sample of highschool agricultural education students, who were consistent with the population of youth for which the AgHOs were designed to protect from certain workplace hazards. The analyses included evaluation of score reliability (i.e., internal consistency) and the theoretical structure of the exam via confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability estimates were satisfactory. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the preferred theoretical model had adequate fit. Implications and future directions are discussed.


Cotard's Syndrome (CS) is a rare clinical event described for the first time in 1880 by the neurologist and psychiatrist Jules Cotard and characterized by negation delusions (or nihilists). Immortality and hypochondriac delusions are also typical. Nowadays, it is known that CS can be associated with many neuropsychiatric conditions. In this article, we describe the case of a patient that believed not having more organs and having the body deformed and whose CS was associated with a bigger depressive disorder. Although the electroconvulsive therapy is the most described treatment modality in the literature, the reported case had therapeutic success with association of imipramine and risperidone.


Kinsbourne's syndrome (ataxia--opsoclonus--myoclonus) is described. The characteristics of this syndrome are: infections of the upper respiratory tract and enteric system and behavioural disturbances leading to the typical symptomatological triad. Various tests were carried out to determine the presence of neuroblastoma which is often associated (46%) to this syndrome. These tests resulted negative. Differential diagnosis was considered in relation to other conditions which present a characteristic symptomatology similar to Kinsbourne's syndrome. Synthetic ACTH (Synacthen) treatment produced a regression of the clinical symptoms. Based on the examinations carried out, which always resulted negative even after 36 months, and on the drug dependence, the present case was diagnosed as primitive opsoclonus.


Pot marigold is a valuable medicinal plant with great decorative value. Three combinations of light (white (W)—170 μmol m−2 s−1, white + blue (W+B)—230 μmol m−2 s−1, white + red (W+R)—230 μmol m−2 s−1) were used to analyse the influence of a diversified light spectrum on the morphological traits and flowering of Calendula officinalis L. "Radio". The effect of foliar treatment of the plants with 6-benzyladenine (BA) at concentrations of 100, 150 and 200 mg dm−3 at all the light spectrum combinations was analysed. BA had negative influence on the earliness of florescence and delayed it even by more than 10 days. W+B light intensified the delay, whereas red light partly reduced it. The BA treatment had the greatest influence on the biometric traits of the plants at the initial period of their development. W+B light significantly inhibited the growth of the plants. A high share of red light in the spectrum positively affected the Fv/Fm value, the relative chlorophyll content and the percentage of dry matter in the plants. When the amount of blue or red light in the spectrum increased, it was possible to obtain specific biometric traits of Calendula without the BA treatment.


This thesis is an investigation of the semantic and morpho-syntactic properties of nouns and noun phrases in Turkish. Adopting a hybrid model of formal and lexical semantic views on noun semantics and nominal number as a theoretical basis, the primary objective of this work is to account for why nouns and noun phrases behave the way they do in the language. The arguments laid out in this work constitute an alternative to the claims that nouns in Turkish are no different from adjectives as they have the same distributional properties and are used interchangeably. Thus the current study aims to characterize the denotational and number related properties of nouns in a unified framework. The semantic as well as the morpho- syntactic characteristics of nouns in Turkish reveal the fact that nouns pattern with what are often referred to as set nouns as a noun subtype within the broad typology of noun subcategories. The analysis also shows that certain grammatical elements that are generally regarded as typical number markers need to be reclassified as nominal aspect markers in the language. Moreover, a careful examination indicates that even though there is hardly any difference between nouns with respect to their morpho-syntactic distribution, there are still certain distinctions between nouns that point to a count-mass distinction. Specifically, it is shown that the referential properties of NPs headed by set nouns and mass nouns are significantly different from one another in Turkish. This distinction is captured by proposing that there are in fact two processes that are relevant to number specification, namely singularization that applies to NPs headed by set nouns and unitization that applies to NPs headed by mass nouns. Last but not least, the claim that languages with set nouns display number discord which takes place between plural subject NPs and verbal elements is also confirmed by data from Turkish. The conclusions not only show the fact that number discord is correlated with the semantic/pragmatic parameters such as distinctness and topicality, but also provide further evidence for the classification of nouns as set nouns in the language.


This Special Issue, entitled "Personalized Diagnosis and Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis" encompasses eight publications that we consider relevant, because their reading will help the clinician working regularly with people who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS) [...].


C(sp3)-H bond functionalization has emerged as a robust tool enabling rapid construction of molecular complexity from simple building blocks, and the development of asymmetric versions of this reaction creates a powerful methodology to access enantiopure sp3-rich materials. Herein, we report the stereoselective functionalization of C(sp3)-H bonds of cyclic ethers employing a photochemically active diaryliodonium salt in combination with an anionic phase-transfer catalyst. The synthetic strategy outlined herein allows for regio- and stereochemical control in the α-C-H acetalization of furans and pyrans using alcohol nucleophiles, thus providing the ability to control the configuration at the stereogenic exocyclic acetal carbon.


PURPOSE
To retrospectively re-calculate dose distributions for selected head and neck cancer patients, earlier treated with HDR 192Ir brachytherapy, using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and compare results to distributions from the planning system derived using TG43 formalism. To study differences between dose to medium (as obtained with the MC code) and dose to water in medium as obtained through (1) ratios of stopping powers and (2) ratios of mass energy absorption coefficients between water and medium.

METHODS
The MC code Algebra was used to calculate dose distributions according to earlier actual treatment plans using anonymized plan data and CT images in DICOM format. Ratios of stopping power and mass energy absorption coefficients for water with various media obtained from 192-Ir spectra were used in toggling between dose to water and dose to media.

RESULTS
Differences between initial planned TG43 dose distributions and the doses to media calculated by MC are insignificant in the target volume. Differences are moderate (within 4-5 % at distances of 3-4 cm) but increase with distance and are most notable in bone and at the patient surface. Differences between dose to water and dose to medium are within 1-2% when using mass energy absorption coefficients to toggle between the two quantities but increase to above 10% for bone using stopping power ratios.

CONCLUSION
MC predicts target doses for head and neck cancer patients in close agreement with TG43. MC yields improved dose estimations outside the target where a larger fraction of dose is from scattered photons. It is important with awareness and a clear reporting of absorbed dose values in using model based algorithms. Differences in bone media can exceed 10% depending on how dose to water in medium is defined.


This study sought to determine whether visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and/or its anthropometric surrogates could significantly predict health-related variables (HRV) in overweight Caucasian (CC) (n = 36) and African-American (AA) (n = 30) women. With the use of magnetic resonance imaging, findings showed significantly higher volume and area of VAT (P < 0.0001 for both) as well as higher triacylglycerol (P = 0.009) in CC compared with AA women. Furthermore, VAT volume, race, and VAT volume x race interaction could significantly predict triacylglycerol (P = 0.0094), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.0057), insulin (P = 0.0002), and insulin resistance (P < 0. 0001). Additionally, the VAT volume x race interaction for insulin (P = 0.040) and insulin resistance (P = 0.003) was significant. In a separate analysis, waist circumference and race predicted the identical variables. Our results support the use of volume or area of VAT in predicting HRV in CC women; however, its use in AA women appears limited. In contrast, waist circumference can provide a suitable VAT alternative for both CC and AA women; however, VAT clearly represents the more powerful predictor.


Doripenem (DRPM) is a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent often used as empirical therapy for critically ill patients, although there is a lack of studies validating the recommended dosage regimen for patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU), based on pharmacokinetic (PK)/pharmacodynamic (PD) index. In this study, we estimated the free time above minimum inhibitory concentration (fT>MIC (%)) of DRPM using population PK analysis of 12 patients in ICU, and evaluated the validity of the dosage regimen stratified by creatinine clearance. Using a 2-compartment population PK model reported previously, the mean total clearance or distribution volume of DRPM estimated by Bayesian estimation was significantly lower or higher than that of based on population PK model. The estimated fT>MIC (%) of the recommended standard (normal renal function: 0.5 g every 8 h, moderate: 0.25 g every 8 h, severe renal impairment: 0.25 g every 12 h) and higher doses (normal: 1.0 g every 8 h, moderate: 0.5 g every 8 h, severe: 0.25 g every 8 h) against MICs of 0.5, 1 and 2 µg/mL exceeded 40% in all patients. When stratified by creatinine clearance, the PK/PD breakpoints estimated by Monte Carlo simulation in three grades of renal function tended to be higher than the previously reported PK/PD breakpoints for patients with urinary tract infection, an infection of lesser severity than ICU patients. These results suggest that the dosage regimen stratified by renal function derived from Japanese package insert may be sufficient to achieve effective treatment in ICU patients.


The incidence of surgical infections after laparoscopic cholecystectomy is reported to be <2%, because of the minimal trauma due to this approach. We report the results of a prospective study of antibiotic prophylaxis in laparoscopic cholecystectomy, comparing ceftriaxone vs ceftazidime. From Jan 1 to Dec 31 2002 a consecutive series of 242 cholecystectomies were performed, consisting in 18 open cholecystectomies and 224 laparoscopic cholecystectomies, 7 of which (3.1%) were converted to open cholecystectomies for technical and/or anatomical reasons. One hundred and eleven patients received 1 g i.v. ceftazidime 1 h before surgery, and 105 patients 1 g i.v. ceftriaxone on an alternate basis. Thirty-nine patients (17.4%) with acute cholecystitis received at least one booster dose at the end of the operation; 30 out of 39 were given further therapy for 2-3 days, i.e. 1 g i.v. bid. Twenty-two patients treated elsewhere with ceftriaxone or ceftazidime before surgery were transferred to another prophylactic regimen. The final diagnosis in the laparoscopic cholecystectomy group was 219 bile stones, 3 adenomas, and 2 occult carcinomas. We had 4 complications (1.8% of 217 laparoscopic cholecystectomies), 2 of which were minor (infection of the umbilical access by S. aureus) and 2 major (1 biliary fistula [accessory duct] and 1 acute pancreatitis), both treated conservatively. Positive bile cultures (27 cases) were unrelated to the clinical course. The incidence of infections after laparoscopic cholecystectomy in our prospective series was <2%. Ceftriaxone is confirmed as the gold standard in biliary tract surgery, but ceftazidime was equivalent (no statistical difference between the two antibiotics, P=0.59 NS). Ultra-short prophylaxis is enough in most cases, except in cholecystitis. We found no correlation between positive bile cultures and surgical infections after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The umbilicus was the preferred site of infection in obese patients after the laparoscopic procedure. Major complications are usually related to technical pitfalls.


In quest of its energy policy intertwined with national climate strategy, Georgia has endeavoured to modernize the energy normative framework with the special focus on renewables as the fastest growing source of energy in the country. On the flip side, the European Union, as a 'regulatory superpower' urges the third countries to intensify their efforts alongside the EU and expands internal energy law and policy application to non-Member States. In this natural affinity, the EU-Georgia energy and climate partnership comes as no surprise cooperation anchored by the so-called EU's conditionality policy. This article offers a bird's eye view of Georgia's energy sector emphasizing on the emergence of new renewable energy legal regime that is designed in response to the EU course. The article also displays some of the future trends zooming in on a flagship European Green Deal initiative and examines its possible implications for the country. In a nutshell, legal impact analysis aiming to record and explain how a particular law or rather a group of subject-linked laws (EU energy law) works within a certain geographical setting (in this case Georgia).
Energy law, EU law, renewable energy, climate change, Europeanization, European Green Deal, Clean Energy Package, Georgia


Gene flow is often considered to be one of the main factors that constrains local adaptation in a heterogeneous environment. However, gene flow may also lead to the evolution of phenotypic plasticity. We investigated the effect of gene flow on local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity in development time in island populations of the common frog Rana temporaria which breed in pools that differ in drying regimes. This was done by investigating associations between traits (measured in a common garden experiment) and selective factors (pool drying regimes and gene flow from other populations inhabiting different environments) by regression analyses and by comparing pairwise FST values (obtained from microsatellite analyses) with pairwise QST values. We found that the degree of phenotypic plasticity was positively correlated with gene flow from other populations inhabiting different environments (among‐island environmental heterogeneity), as well as with local environmental heterogeneity within each population. Furthermore, local adaptation, manifested in the correlation between development time and the degree of pool drying on the islands, appears to have been caused by divergent selection pressures. The local adaptation in development time and phenotypic plasticity is quite remarkable, because the populations are young (less than 300 generations) and substantial gene flow is present among islands.


This paper presents findings of a study that examined the results of tenure and legal protection on lesbian, gay male, and bisexual public school teachers. Specifically, it describes the effect of tenure, state laws, inclusive contracts, and local ordinances on the openness and public identities of gay teachers. A total of 904 out of 1,400 lesbian, homosexual male, and bisexual teachers completed a survey. Of these, 611 were contacted through lesbian and gay teacher organizations and 289 acquaintances were contacted through the members of these organizations. Findings indicate that tenure had a strong negative influence on issues related to job satisfaction. Tenure did not appear to provide protection or an avenue to openness about the respondents' sexual preference. The data raised two further questions: (1) Why did tenure fail to provide the expected increase in teacher openness about their sexual identities? and (2) Why were respondents largely uninformed about their civil rights? To answer these questions, 11 respondents, none of whom were explicitly "out" in their schools, were contacted for follow-up interviews. They reported that they were not open about their sexual identities because of the fear of professional, social, and physical reprisals. In conclusion, homophobia drives many qualified and talented teachers away from teaching. Those who stay must constantly attend to the prospect of exposure with all its consequences. The wider implication is that any teacher, straight or gay, who holds and expresses unpopular views may experience fear and isolation. Fourteen tables and an appendix containing 27 interview narratives are included. (LMI) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************


The accretionary orogenesis of the Central Asian orogenic belt is essential for understanding the reconstruction and growth of the Asian continent. The origin and accretion of the Bainaimiao arc along the northern margin of North China remain controversial. Here, a comprehensive study of field geology, geochemistry, and geochronology was performed on plutons and an ophiolite-bearing accretionary complex in the Ganqimaodu region, Inner Mongolia. Geochemical data indicate that ca. 445−431 Ma plutons were generated in an intra-oceanic arc and represent the western extent of the Bainaimiao arc. Field mapping and zircon U-Pb dating revealed that the ophiolitic mélange contains ca. 470−435 Ma tectonic blocks of ultramafic rocks, gabbros, plagiogranites, and metavolcanic and siliceous rocks in a matrix of intensely foliated quartz schist. The pillow basalt−limestone sequence might have originated from a seamount and then been incorporated into the accretionary complex. Northward subduction of the South Bainaimiao Ocean was responsible for the early Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the Bainaimiao arc, based on the spatial-temporal configuration of arc magmatism and accretionary complexes. Integration of new data with previous studies indicates that the Bainaimiao arc was an Alaska-type arc with various components of intra-oceanic and continental arcs. We suggest that a scissor-like arc-continent collision led to the accretion of the Bainaimiao arc onto the northern margin of North China, which played a fundamental role in the continental growth of the southern Central Asian orogenic belt.


Breast cancer is a heterogenous disease. The inferior prognosis of the triple-negative phenotype was primarily shown in studies, examining outcome by intrinsic subtype, determined via gene expression profiling. Several population based studies, determining the subtype via immunohistochemistry illustrated an analogous result. However in many of these studies a comparison of the triple-negative cohort with the non-triple negative cohort, including all subtypes of invasive breast cancer, was done. Data comparing the triple negative with the triple positive subgroup are limited. Purpose: To determine patients characteristics and prognostic significance of triple negative breast cancers in comparison to triple positive breast cancers as defined by immunohistochemistry. Patients and Methods: A database of 3346 primarily not metastasized, invasive breast cancer patients, diagnosed between 1998 and 2008, in whom all 3 markers (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and Her2/neu) were available, was reviewed. 197 patients (5,9 %) had triple negative phenotype, 91 (2,7 %) triple positive phenotype. Patients were treated by surgery (either mastectomy or breast conserving), followed by radiation therapy; a small subset of patients received IORT. Systemic therapy was given according to standard protocols used during the mentioned 10 year interval. Determination of ER and PR status was done by immunohistochemistry. Her2/neu status was obtained using the Hercep Test (DAKO). Hercep Test Scores of 2+ were additionally tested by fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH). Results: Median follow-up time was 47,9 months in the triple negative and 51,4 months in the triple positive cohort. Triple negative breast cancer patients experienced a significantly reduced 3-year total relapse-free survival (82,7 % vs. 93,4 %, p=0,019), 10-year local breast relapse-free survival (92,9 % vs. 97,8 %, p=0,036) and breast-cancer related overall survival (89,7 % vs. 100 %, p=0,002 at 3 years; 85,7% vs. 92,3%, p=0,041 at 10 years). Median survival time to progression and consequently to death was significantly reduced in this cohort (13,9 months vs. 32,1 months, p=0,023 and 8,7 months vs. 39,5 months respectively, p=0,006). In a model adjusted for known prognostic variables triple negative breast cancers were at significantly higher risk for total relapse (HR 4,081, 95 % CI 1,538-10,828, P Conclusions: In comparison with triple positive breast cancer patients those classified as triple negative have a poorer prognosis even under omission of adjuvant trastuzumab treatment (70,3 % of the triple positive patients failed to receive adjuvant trastuzumab in our study) Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-11-03.


Scholars, and even the presidential candidates, have described the 2008 election as an extended interview process for a high-ranking job. Following that characterization of the Presidential race, questions about sexism and gender bias along the campaign trail implicate the law. Title VII protects individuals from sex bias in the workplace. And while modern conceptions of how such bias actually operates, largely drawn from social and cognitive psychology, aids legal decision-makers in determining whether such bias indeed took place in any particular case, greater insight into the intersection of psychology and the law is needed. Here, we explore the role of sexism and implicit (subconscious) gender bias in the Presidential race through the lens of Title VII. Further, we buttresses the proposition put forth by a growing body of legal scholars that the role of implicit attitudes in decision-making has significant implications for Title VII jurisprudence.


In this paper, we analyzed the dataset IBM Employee Attrition to find the main reasons why employees choose to resign. Firstly, we utilized the correlation matrix to see some features that were not significantly correlated with other attributes and removed them from our dataset. Secondly, we selected important features by exploiting Random Forest, finding monthlyincome, age, and the number of companies worked significantly impacted employee attrition. Next, we also classified people into two clusters by using K-means Clustering. Finally, We performed binary logistic regression quantitative analysis: the attrition of people who traveled frequently was 2.4 times higher than that of people who rarely traveled. And we also found that employees who work in Human Resource have a higher tendency to leave.


A commercially available ion-selective electrode for nitrate was used to continuously monitor tetrathionate oxidation by Thiobacillus dentrificans. The electrode was much more sensitive to tetrathionate than to nitrate. The same electrode could also be used for the determination of trithionate.


Background: Probiotics was defined as living organisms by the World Health Organization. These organisms when consumed as in food items or in the form of supplements, can lead to improvements in the health status of the host. Disturbances of intestinal biology contribute to the development of DM. Many trials have shown that the gut microbiome plays a role in the etiology and progression of type 1 and type 2 diabetes and its complications. This trial was designed to identify the effects of multi-species of probiotic supplementation on fasting blood glucose, lipid profile, inflammatory biomarkers, and in type 2 diabetic patients. Participants and methods: 65 type 2 diabetics were divided into 2 groups T (trial) and C (control) or placebo. The T group received daily one capsule of 14 differnt species of probiotic and C group received capsules filled with roasted ground chickpea. Fasting blood glucose, Serum Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNFα) and C Reactive Protein (CRP), HDLC, LDLC, TG, TC levels were measured and anthropometric measurements such as weight, height, waist circumference and BMI were recorded at beginning and the end of the study which lasted for 10 weeks. Results and discussion: In the probiotic group, fasting plasma glucose decreased significantly (P <0.05) compared to the control group, 131.1 ± 10.1 vs 145.7 ± 9.8 (mg/dL). Furthermore, a significant reduction was also apparent TC level in the trial group before and after supplementation (184 ± 31 vs 199 ± 21 ) the difference was significant (P < 0.05). The group which received probiotic also showed significant reduction in TG (P < 0.05) compare to control group ( 128 ± 23 vs 1 1 ± 32 respectively). Also, the LDL value, significantly reduced in the probiotic compared to the control group 137 ± 30 and 149 ± 31 ( P < 0.05). Probiotic supplementation significantly increased HDL 41 ± 13 vs 29.8 ± 12 (P < 0.05). Significant differences (P <0.05) in the serum levels of inflammatory markers at the end of the study were observed. Probiotic supplementation decreases CRP (mg/dL) levels and TNFa (pg/ml) (2.11± 4.3 vs 1.68 ± 3.33 and 2.51 ±2.3 vs 2.31 ± 3.6 respectively).. A significant reduction in TNF-α level was observed. The level was 6.8 5.6 ± at the beginning of the trial and reduced to 5.4± 5.1 whereas in the control group TNF-α levels were 5.6 ± 7.6 and 5.6 ± 7.8 at the beginning and at the end of the study respectively .Probiotics supplementations reduced significantly (P <0.05(BMI of participants in trial group (27.6 ± 5.2 vs 33.8 ± 10.1). Conclusion: The results obtained from this study suggest that probiotic supplementation may have positive effects and can be considered as method to control glucose levels, lipids, inflammatory biomarkers, and reduce body weight in type 2 diabetic patients.


The existing tote bag designs are often open at the top and vulnerable to pickpockets. Straps cannot be adjusted in length. Narrow straps, size, and the weight of their bags are causing pain. This study aims to develop a multifunctional tote bag to meet consumer needs to make it easier to carry goods of various sizes using only one bag. The population in this research is women and tote bag users who live in Tuban, East Java. The sample in this study was 30 tote bag users determined using a purposive sampling technique with the criteria being tote bag users for at least one month and aged 16-45 years. The data collection tool in this study is the Google Form questionnaire. The method in this study uses Kansei Engineering. The data were analyzed by SPSS 26. The results 14 Kansei words represent consumer desires for product development of multifunctional tote bags and are grouped into four factors: function, appearance, impression, and capacity. The old tote bag design is different from the three-in-one tote bag design based on the results of the Wilcoxon signed-rank test with a significance value of 4 factors < 0.05.


In this paper, a discretization-oriented describing function is derived for nonlinear devices combining backlash and quantization ( resolution) while being subject to discretization through a sampler and zero-order hold. Such a describing function is frequency-dependent so that the overall nonlinearity, which includes both resolution and backlash, is interpreted as one posessing nonlinear inertia. That inertia is generated by the sampling process since it does not appear if the system is continuous. The presence of limit cycles is investigated through simulated examples.


A new catheter for retrograde cerebral perfusion (RCP) was developed that can be used to deliver blood directly into the internal jugular vein (IJV) beyond the venous valves at the jugular-subclavian junction and prevent blood from draining into the lower half of the body. This catheter can be inserted into the IJV via a standard puncture technique by use of a 14 Fr sheath. The catheter shaft has two channels for balloon inflation and blood perfusion, respectively. A balloon for occlusion of drainage veins (superior vena cava and azygos vein) is installed at the catheter tip. Side holes, through which oxygenated cold blood is delivered into the IJV, are located 95 mm from the catheter tip. In a mock circulatory study, the pressure at the perfusion line (16–118 mmHg) increased with the increasing flow rate (0–400 ml/min). In clinical application, under circulatory arrest with profound hypothermia, inflation of the balloon effectively reduced blood drainage into the lower half of the body and, consequently, RCP was successfully performed (flow rate, 300–350 ml/min; pressure at the IJV, 15 mmHg). Because all of these procedures were controlled from outside the operative field, RCP by use of this catheter could be useful in distal arch replacement via left lateral thoracotomy. ASAIO Journal 1997; 43:M731-M735.


P-type doping of molecular beam epitaxy grown GaN has been investigated using beryllium, magnesium and carbon, the sample being characterized by luminescence under optical excitation by He - Cd laser light of energy 3.815 eV. Doping resulted in a strong reduction of the band-edge luminescence in some samples and the appearance of deep level bands at around 2.3 and 2.5 eV. Photoluminescence spectra in the region of the band gap using high gain revealed the presence of narrow lines at positions 3.541, 3.449, 3.357 and 3.266 eV in a wide variety of these samples. These lines were constant in position with respect to temperature over the range of 5 K to 300 K and it was noted that they are separated by the GaN longitudinal optical phonon energy of 92 meV. It is believed that these lines are caused by resonant Raman scattered replicas appearing in the photoluminescence spectra.


CIAM, the Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne, founded by a coalition of European architects in 1928, was an international forum for new ideas about the urban design of housing and cities in an emerging socialist context. Its most influential concepts were the Existenzminimum, the small family housing unit affordable on a minimum wage income and the focus on CIAM 2, 1929; the design of housing settlements of such units, the focus of CIAM 3, 1930; and the Functional City, the idea that entire cities should be designed or redesigned on this basis. This article briefly explains these ideas and considers some of their subsequent outcomes.


We present a new method for determining pulse imperfections and improving the single-gate fidelity in a superconducting qubit. By applying consecutive positive and negative π pulses, we amplify the qubit evolution due to microwave pulse distortions, which causes the qubit state to rotate around an axis perpendicular to the intended rotation axis. Measuring these rotations as a function of pulse period allows us to reconstruct the shape of the microwave pulse arriving at the sample. Using the extracted response to predistort the input signal, we are able to reduce the average error per gate by 37%, which enables us to reach an average single-qubit gate fidelity higher than 0.998.