1. Previous studies examining the disease costs of sociality have largely focused on the link between group size and transmission. However, infectious disease spread is driven by the structure of infection-spreading interactions between individuals.

2. We used statistical tools to review the organization of the interaction networks of 47 species, including mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and insects by categorizing each species into one of four social systems, relatively solitary , fission-fusion , gregarious and socially hierarchical . Additionally, using computational experiments of infection spread, we determined the disease costs of each social system.

3. Our analysis predicts consistent structural differences across social systems, regardless of species or interaction type. We find that solitary species have large variation in numbers of interactions, that socially hierarchical species are the least clustered in their interactions, and that fission-fusion species tend to be the most fragmented. However, these structural differences are primarily driven by low weighted edges, which suggests that different social systems have evolved unique strategies to organize weak ties.

4. Disease simulations show that the organization of interaction networks can mitigate the disease costs of group living for certain social systems under certain conditions. In particular, the low clustered and fragmented interactions networks of socially hierarchical species are expected to cause frequent outbreaks of lowly transmissible pathogens, but a reduced risk of epidemic outbreaks of fast spreading infections. In contrast, the network structure of fission-fusion and gregarious species predict frequent and prolonged epidemic outbreaks of highly transmissible pathogens.

5. By evaluating the implications of network organization across social systems, our finding offers new perspective on the debate about the disease costs of group living. Additionally, this study demonstrates the scope of meta-analytic methods in social network analysis, which in future could be used to test ecological and evolutionary hypotheses on cooperation, group-living, communication, and resilience to extrinsic pressures.


For decades, employees' loafing behaviour has been a concern for employers because by taking time away from work activities it is seen as detrimental to workers' productivity (Bennett & Robinson, 200; Dixon, 2005). Prior to the 1990s, loafing occurred when workers physically allocated time to non-work activities (e.g. chatting with colleagues or running non-work related errands during work hours), but since the development of Internet and Social Networking Sites (SNS) loafing behaviour has moved to include the virtual world ('cyber' space). As a result, loafing has likely become less visible and harder to detect. Paradoxically, though, some types of loafing have recently been found to help employees to recharge their concentration and to improve their satisfaction toward their jobs (Coker, 2013; Lim & Chen, 2012; Messarra, Karkoulian, & McCarthy, 2011).  Although the impact of cyber-loafing and SNS usage at work on employees' productivity or satisfaction has been studied to some extent, little attention has been given to their combined effect with physical loafing. Existing studies have tended to evaluate the impact of loafing on either employees' productivity or satisfaction, and very few examine both outcomes. Building from these empirical findings, this thesis examines the effects of three types of loafing collectively on both job productivity and job satisfaction via three distinct categorisations: 1) time spent loafing, 2) aggregated loafing activities, and 3) combinations of activities at particular times of the work day.   On average, white-collar respondents in this research spent about 4 hours per week loafing at work. This number is comparable but slightly lower than the weekly average of 4.2 hours spent on cyber-loafing in the Asia Pacific region (Zhou & Zhuoqiong, 2005). As expected, the study also found that job satisfaction relates positively to productivity. Similarly, autonomy as part of a job's characteristic has a positive relationship with job satisfaction. Regarding the relationship between loafing behaviour and job productivity, loafing in the morning was found to affect job productivity negatively, especially if it is cyber-loafing activities (except for checking SNS). However, if the same activities are being conducted in the afternoon, it affects productivity positively. As regards to the relationship between loafing behaviour and job satisfaction, when loafing behaviour, both cyber and physical loafing, occurs in the morning, this exhibits a positive relationship with job satisfaction. Conversely, these are negatively related to job satisfaction when they are happening in the afternoon.  The findings of this study contribute to the organisational behaviour literature by considering the effects of the three types of loafing activities collectively on job satisfaction and job productivity. Furthermore, in drawing on international studies for measures of job productivity, job satisfaction, autonomy, and loafing behaviour, this study found appropriate levels of reliability and validity, which suggests that the New Zealand context is comparable to other studies using these measures internationally. This research also has implications for management practitioners in providing a better understanding of white-collar workers' loafing behaviour, which could aid them in designing workplace policies related to loafing. It might also be used to inform employees on how particular loafing activities could in fact enhance their productivity without being detrimental to their organisations.


Little is known about the feasibility and acceptability of interventions designed to address the needs of high school students with emotional and behavioral challenges and adopted by their teachers. In this study, 336 general and special education teachers rated classwide interventions (e.g., expectations, routines, positive student–teacher interactions [PSTI]) and individual student interventions (e.g., study skills, organizational skills) in terms of priority, feasibility, and acceptability before implementation. Teachers who implemented the interventions rated their acceptability post-implementation. Results indicated that acceptability ratings varied across interventions, and it appeared that teachers rated interventions that required the least amount of time to implement (e.g., PSTI) most acceptable and those that required the most time for implementation (e.g., study skills) least acceptable. Lack of time, perceived lack of effectiveness, and poor environmental fit were often cited as reasons for lack of feasibility. Regression analyses revealed that teacher characteristics (e.g., years of experience) and type of intervention (e.g., classwide vs. individualized) contributed to teacher ratings of intervention acceptability. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.


Inverse reinforcement learning (IRL) can solve the problem of complex reward function shaping by learning from expert data. However, it is challenging to train when the expert data is insufficient, and its stability is difficult to guarantee. Moreover, the reward function of mainstream IRL can only adapt to subtle environmental changes. It cannot be directly transferred to a similar task scenario, so the generalization ability still needs to be improved. To address these issues, we propose an IRL algorithm to obtain a stable control policy and transferable reward function (ST-IRL). Firstly, by introducing the Wasserstein metric and adversarial training, we solve the problem that IRL is challenging to train in a new environment with little expert data. Secondly, we add state marginal matching (SMM), hyperparameter comparison and optimizer evaluation to address the model's generalisability problem. As a result, the control policy obtained by ST-IRL achieves outstanding control results in all four Mujoco benchmarks. Furthermore, in both the custom Ant and PointMaze environments, the reward function obtained by our algorithm exhibits promising transferability.


Thirty-three microorganisms capable of growth with cyclohexane carboxylate as the sole source of carbon were isolated from mud, water, and soil samples from the Aberystwyth area. Preliminary screening and whole-cell oxidation studies suggested that, with one exception, all of the strains metabolized the growth substrate by beta-oxidation of the coenzyme A ester. This single distinctive strain, able to oxidize rapidly trans-4-hydroxycyclohexane carboxylate, 4-ketocyclohexane carboxylate, p-hydroxybenzoate, and protocatechuate when grown with cyclohexane carboxylate, was classified as a strain of Alcaligenes and given the number W1. Enzymes capable of converting cyclohexane carboxylate to p-hydroxybenzoate were induced by growth with the alicyclic acid and included the first unambiguous specimen of a cyclohexane carboxylate hydroxylase. Because it is a very fragile protein, attempts to stabilize the cyclohexane carboxylate hydroxylase so that a purification procedure could be developed have consistently failed. In limited studies with crude cell extracts, we found that hydroxylation occurred at the 4 position, probably yielding the trans isomer of 4-hydroxycyclohexane carboxylate. Simultaneous measurement of oxygen consumption and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidation, coupled with an assessment of reactant stoichiometry, showed the enzyme to be a mixed-function oxygenase. Mass spectral analysis enabled the conversion of cyclohexane carboxylate to p-hydroxybenzoate by cell extracts to be established unequivocally, and all of our data were consistent with the pathway: cyclohexane carboxylate → trans-4-hydroxycyclohexane carboxylate → 4-ketocyclohexane carboxylate → p-hydroxybenzoate. The further metabolism of p-hydroxybenzoate proceeded by meta fission and by the oxidative branch of the 2-hydroxy-4-carboxymuconic semialde-hyde-cleaving pathway.


BACKGROUND
A minority of early breast cancer (EBC) patients treated with adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy have sufficient baseline vitamin D (vitD) level. This randomized phase III study assessed the safety and efficacy of a tailored, high-dose, oral vitD supplementation in restoring a normal 25-hydroxy vitD (25OHD) level in this population.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Participants received a 6-month conventional (C) vitD and calcium supplementation or a 6-month high-dose oral vitD regimen tailored on the deficiency (T) and a conventional calcium supplementation. The primary end point was the 6-month percentage of 25OHD serum level normalization.

RESULTS
A total of 215 patients including 197 patients with vitD deficiency were recruited, and 195 patients were randomized (T, 100; C, 95). Compliance to the daily oral supplementation was 68.4% and 67% in the C and T arms, respectively. Discontinuous high-dose vitD compliance appeared higher in the T arm (77%). At 6 months, more patients presented with a normalized vitD level in the T arm (30% versus 12.6%; P = 0.003). Supplementation was well tolerated, and no significant difference in the treatment-related toxicity between the two arms was reported. Fifty-two patients without vitD normalization from the C arm switched to the T arm after 6 months. At 12 months, 44% of these patients achieved vitD normalization.

CONCLUSION
A tailored high-dose oral vitD supplementation safely allows a higher percentage of the serum 25OHD level normalization compared with a conventional regimen in chemotherapy-treated EBC patients. As compliance to a daily oral supplementation remains poor in this setting, an adaptation of the treatment schedule is warranted.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER
NCT01480869.


A typical electrical damping circuit for increasing the damping coefficient of a torsion balance system in high vacuum is discussed in detail. Theoretical analysis and numerical estimation performed with typical experimental parameters show that the signal-noise ratio can be improved by partial cooling of the electrical damping circuit. This is significant for the torsion balance experiments.


This paper defines a decomposition of technical efficiency for a series of nonparametric deterministic reference technologies related to the Free Disposal Hull. More specifically, introducing several returns to scale assumptionsinto this non-convex production model allows one to distinguish between technical and scale inefficiencies.These technologies and the resulting efficiency decomposition are illustrated with several data sets and contrasted with results based on the traditional, convex Data Envelopment Analysis models. In particular, data on UK rates departments are extensively analysed. Furthermore, samples of French urban transit companies and of Belgian municipalities serve to verify certain empirical regularities.


Flight 10 of NASA's Subsonic Assessment (SASS) Ozone and Nitrogen Oxide Experiment (SONEX) extended southwest of Lajes, Azores. A variety of chemical signatures was encountered. These signatures are examined in detail, relating them to meteorological data from a high-resolution numerical model having a horizontal grid spacing of 30 and 90 km with 26 vertical levels. The meteorological output at hourly intervals is used to create backward trajectories from the locations of the chemical signatures. Four major categories of chemical signatures are discussed: stratospheric, lightning, continental pollution, and a mixed chemical layer. The strong stratospheric signal is encountered just south of the Azores in a region of depressed tropopause height. Three chemical signatures at different altitudes in the upper troposphere are attributed to lightning. Backward trajectories from these signatures extend to locations of cloud-to-ground lightning. Specifically, results show that the trajectories pass over regions of lightning 1–2 days earlier over the eastern Gulf of Mexico and off the southeast coast of the United States. The lowest leg of the flight exhibits a chemical signature consistent with continental pollution. Trajectories from this signature are found to pass over the highly populated Northeast Corridor of the United States. Surface-based pollution apparently is lofted to the altitudes of the trajectories by convective clouds along the East Coast that did not contain lightning. Finally, a mixed layer is described. Its chemical signature is intermediate to those of lightning and continental pollution. Backward trajectories from this layer pass between the trajectories of the lightning and pollution signatures. Thus they likely are impacted by both sources.


In this investigation, three different chemical compositions of Fe-Cr-C alloys were fabricated on AISI 1010 steel substrates by gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). The optical emission spectroscopy (OES), optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), techniques and corrosion test were used for determining chemical composition studying the microstructure and corrosion behavior of the Fe-Cr-C alloys. The OM and SEM results show that the microstructure of these alloys consisted of (Cr,Fe)7C3 carbides with austenite, and by increasing of the carbon and chromium content in hardfacing alloys, the volume fraction of (Cr,Fe)7C3 carbides in microstructure was increased. The polarization curves of the corrosion tests show that the increase of the volume fraction of (Cr,Fe)7C3 carbides in the microstructure promotes the corrosion resistance of the Fe-Cr-C hardfacing alloys. The corrosion mechanism of the Fe-Cr-C hardfacing alloys was intergranular and galvanic corrosion.


The commonest constituent of all hair dyes is paraphenylene diamine (PPD) being used by the people to color their hair all over the world. Hair dye poisoning is emerging as one of the emerging causes of intentional self-poisoning to commit suicide. In this article, the importance of clinical manifestations and of hair dye poisoning is discussed due to the lack of specific diagnostic tests. Since there is no specific antidote for PPD poisoning, the early supportive treatment modalities are discussed.


This paper describes the conclusions of a reflection driven by a virtual team, composed of three research teams (one in computing at LORIA, one in telecommunications at France Telecom R&D, and a last one in building construction and design at CRAI) in the context of a common project. The topic of this project is the coordination of a virtual team in the context of a virtual enterprise, with experiments in the field of building construction. More precisely, our goal is to define a model of cooperative work allowing the partners of a building construction to coordinate their efforts in an efficient way.


Systemic autoimmune diseases (SADs) are a group of chronic inflammatory conditions with autoimmune aetiology and many common clinical features, leading to a difficult diagnosis or deciding the appropriate treatment. Finding new treatments or applying the existing ones in a more effective way is especially hard in SADs due to the heterogeneity of molecular mechanisms within the same disease class. Based on this premise, the first step towards establishing a precision medicine strategy for SADs is to reclassify these conditions at the molecular level, which might result in a more homogenous stratification in terms of pathological molecular pathways. It is well known that the interplay of DNA methylation patterns and environmental factors, and between these, is determinant in the regulation of the immune system. This, along with the fact that the genetic contribution to disease is dependent on regulatory variants with very small effects, and the low concordance for autoimmunity in monozygotic twins suggests that epigenetic regulation may play an important role in the development of these diseases. Thus, DNA methylation information might be a valuable marker to reclassify the autoimmune disorders molecularly. We performed an unsupervised clustering analysis of genome-wide DNA methylation profiling of 437 cases distributed across 7 different clinical entities (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, primary Sjögren´s syndrome, primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, mixed connective tissue disease and undifferentiated connective tissue disease) and 115 healthy individuals. In this analysis we were able to identify new groups of patients composed of the different clinical diagnoses but with common biological features.


Two studies tested the hypothesis that self-rated unhappy individuals would be more sensitive to social comparison information than would happy ones. Study 1 showed that whereas unhappy students' affect and self-assessments were heavily affected by a peer who solved anagrams either faster or slower, happy students' responses were affected by the presence of a slower peer only. These between-group differences proved to be largely independent of 2 factors associated with happiness, i.e., self-esteem and optimism. Study 2 showed that whereas the unhappy group's responses to feedback about their own teaching performance were heavily influenced by a peer who performed even better or even worse, happy students' responses again were moderated only by information about inferior peer performance. Implications for our appreciation of the link between cognitive processes and "hedonic" consequences are discussed.


This paper presents a set of rotating machine models, namely synchronous, asynchronous and permanent magnet synchronous machines, with increased stability characteristics compared to traditional state-space based methods. In this work, the machine models are all derived using the state-space-nodal (SSN) theory. This results in machine models that are stable without any parasitic load or numerical snubber. This is an important improvement for these models in solver packages based on the state-space approach, such as SimPowerSystems or PLECS.


Currently, we observe a gap in terms of technological resources used in
the teaching-learning process in networks of public education in Brazil and the
lack of detail of the social identity of the subjects included in this process
for the implementation of more effective public policies for a more inclusive
and democratic education. This text discusses on the implementation of public
virtual rooms of learning in elementary and high schools, with strict control
of social factors, as complementary to the traditional education method still
in force. It is intended: 1) to present and discuss a matrix of control of
social identity for diverges cycles in which education takes shape, 2) to introduce
a first model of formatting of these virtual rooms for each cycle of the
education so that the control of social factors might be in accordance with the
Brazilian Nacional Council of Education (Brasil, 2010) and the guidelines of the LDB (Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educacao) (Brasil, 1996) for each stage/cycle of the current educational process, 3) to examine
the advantages of this new tool in mainstream education.


The present study examined whether peer collaboration between friends and acquaintances differed in respect to performance on two scientific reasoning tasks and in the processes of social interaction that occurred between the partners. Peer collaboration, where pairs of equally skilled partners work together in problem solving, has demonstrated immediate and long-term benefits on the cognitive development of children. One controversial question that remains is whether friends should be paired together, or whether the practice of pairing friends should be avoided. In the present study, sixty children aged 10-to-12 years from a suburban school in Adelaide, South Australia completed friendship and familiarity ratings. Pairs of friends and acquaintances were subsequently matched as closely as possible on familiarity. The pairs then worked together to solve two 'isolation of variables' tasks. Two weeks later an individual post-test was administered to see if any gains from collaboration persisted. Results indicated that friends outperformed acquaintances in the collaboration, but not on the individual post-test. Of the process measures, only acceptance and monitoring differed between friends and acquaintances, and only acceptance was associated with task performance. A regression analysis revealed acceptance to mediate the relationship between friendship and task performance. The results indicate that peer collaboration is an effective learning strategy for primary school children, and friends provide a unique context for increasing cognitive performance in collaboration between peers.


Sociodemographic characteristics of individuals evaluated and it is determined that 200 (99.5%) were male, 99 (49.3%) were single, 129 (64.1%) were primary school graduates, and 118 (58.7%) were self-employed. The average of age at onset of substance usage were 25.64 years, on the other hand, average of duration of use were 9.64 among the individuals of mean age 33.7. As a result of total case examination through urine analysis and data sheets; cannabis was found in 196 (97.5%) cases. Conclusion:


Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been associated with neurotoxicity, hepatoxicity, oncogenicity, and endocrine‐disrupting effects. Although the recent studies have demonstrated that PCB exposure leads to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the underlying mechanism has remained unsolved. In this study, we examined the hepatic effects of a PCB mixture, Aroclor 1260, whose composition mimics human bioaccumulation patterns, and PCB 126 in C57BL/6 mice. Male C57Bl/6 mice were fed a standard diet or a 60% high‐fat diet and exposed to Aroclor 1260 (10 mg/kg or 20 mg/kg) or PCB 126 (1 mg/kg or 5 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection for a total of four injections (2, 3, 4, and 5 weeks) for 6 weeks. In mice, both Aroclor 1260 and PCB 126‐induced liver damage, hepatic steatosis and inflammation. We also observed that PCB exposure‐induced hepatic iron overload (HIO). We previously demonstrated that hepatic six transmembrane protein of prostate 2 (STAMP2) may represent a suitable therapeutic target for NAFLD patients. Thus, we further examined whether hepatic STAMP2 is involved in PCB‐induced NAFLD. We observed that hepatic STAMP2 was significantly decreased in PCB‐induced NAFLD models in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, overexpression of hepatic STAMP2 using an adenoviral delivery system resulted in improvement of PCB‐induced steatosis and HIO in vivo and in vitro. Our findings indicate that enhancing hepatic STAMP2 expression represents a potential therapeutic avenue for the treatment of PCB exposure‐induced NAFLD.


A single 1-Gm dose of cefazaflur, a new semisynthetic cephalosporin derivative, was compared in a crossover study to the same dose of cephalothin and cefazolin by intramuscular injection in seven healthy volunteers. Serum concentrations were measured at several time intervals during 6 hours following each administration. The mean peak serum levels obtained after 30 minutes were 25.2, 17.2, and 62.3 mug/ml, respectively, for cefazaflur, cephalothin, and cefazolin. In each of the seven subjects, serum concentrations were higher at each sampling time with cefazolin than with the other two cephalosporins. The percentage of total administered dose recovered in urine in a microbiologically active form for the 0-24-hour collection was, respectively, 92.7, 59.2, and 94.9 per cent with cefazaflur, cephalothin, and cefazolin, the largest part being excreted during the first 6 hours. Neither drug appeared to have any pronounced effect on various laboratory tests. Local reactions at the site of intramuscular injection were minor with cefazaflur and cefazolin, but were more pronounced with cephalothin.


Alumina-based coatings are employed in many industrial applications, in order to protect the surface of metal components against high temperature, wear, corrosion and erosion. The corrosion deterioration process of plasma sprayed alumina coatings on AZ31B magnesium alloy was investigated using potentiodynamic polarization test in NaCl solution at different chloride ion concentrations, pH value and exposure time. Furthermore, an attempt was made to develop an empirical relationship to predict the effect of pH value, chloride ion concentration and exposure time on corrosion rate of plasma sprayed alumina coatings. The corroded surface was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the corrosion deterioration of alumina coated magnesium alloy in NaCl solutions was significantly influenced by chloride ion concentration and pH value. The alumina coatings were found to be highly susceptible to localized damage, and could not provide an effective corrosion protection to Mg alloy substrate in solutions containing acidic environments (pH3), higher chloride concentrations and exposure time.


Abstract

The pharmaceutical industry is challenged by the Industry 4.0 which facilitates numerous change processes. Innovations such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Internet of Services (IoS), Smart Factory, and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are being employed (Ding, 2018, p. 155). These new circumstances stimulate change, innovations, competition, and partnerships. At the same time, technologies such as Big Data Analytics (BDA), artificial intelligence (AI), or Self-Service BI disrupt and enhance financial processes.
In light of the changing environment, the discourses regarding budgeting effectiveness, managerial control, and organizational performance gain new importance. Organizations are dared to ensure solution-oriented approaches that solve budgeting problems that are detrimental to innovation and motivation whilst reinforcing slack-building behavior and inflexibility. In this context, the given paper focuses on budgeting challenges and opportunities with an emphasis on the pharmaceutical industry. As a result of an extensive review, the authors suggest a checklist on how to sustainably improve budgeting processes.
Research data about financial planning cycles are collected from multiple sources such as practitioner literature and online presentations. The propositions made should be investigated with empirical verification and further comparisons with other organizations.

JEL classification numbers: F30, G30, G31.
Keywords: Budgeting, Better-budgeting, Beyond-budgeting, Change management, Pharmaceutical industry, Big data, Artificial intelligence


Portable devices like smartphones, tablets, wearable electronic devices, medical implants, wireless sensor nodes, and Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices have tremendous constraints on their energy consumption. Adding more functionalities onto the portable devices increases its energy consumption significantly. However, the energy capacity of the battery does not increase proportionally. Hence, to overcome the constraints on energy consumption, two main approaches are being undertaken by the designers to integrate more functionalities onto the energy-constrained systems. One approach involves reducing the inherent energy consumption of circuits, and the other involves harvesting energy from the ambient sources and utilizing it to power the circuits. In this thesis, both the approaches mentioned above are followed in developing energy-saving techniques for energy-constrained CMOS circuits and systems. Switched-capacitor-assisted power gating technique is proposed to reduce the leakage current of large digital circuits. Benefits in overall energy saving using nano-electromechanical switches (NEMS) for power gating is quantified on a system-on chip for a mobile platform made using a 14 nm gate length FinFET. For reducing the quiescent current in the analog front-end circuits, this thesis proposes a novel technique of realizing discrete-time (D-T) signal amplification using nano-electromechanical switches (NEMS). Apart from the three energy reduction techniques mentioned above, harvesting energy from mechanical vibrations using an efficient technique of power extraction from the piezoelectric transducer is proposed.


As the nature of managing hazards and disasters grows increasingly complex, educating the next generation of emergency management practitioners and scholars requires innovative strategies. This article describes the utilization of a collaborative teaching approach when offering a study abroad course examining hazards, emergency management, and crisis communication in Central and South America. Co-taught cross-disciplinary courses provide opportunities for students to gain exposure to the different perspectives inherent in the study and management of hazards and disasters. This, coupled with the study abroad experience, offers students a unique viewpoint on how hazards, risks, and communication are managed and perceived in other countries. This paper highlights the recent research about benefits of co-teaching and study abroad courses, provides a description of our study abroad programs, and offers tips and suggestions for developing similar courses at other higher education institutions.


In the information society large amounts of information are being generated and transmitted constantly, especially in the most natural way for humans, i.e., natural language. Social networks, blogs, forums, and Q&A sites are a dynamic Large Knowledge Repository. So, Web 2.0 contains structured data but still the largest amount of information is expressed in natural language. Linguistic structures for text recognition enable the extraction of structured information from texts. However, the expressiveness of the current structures is limited as they have been designed with a strict order in their phrases, limiting their applicability to other languages and making them more sensible to grammatical errors. To overcome these limitations, in this paper we present a linguistic structure named ?linguistic schema?, with a richer expressiveness that introduces less implicit constraints over annotations.


Hydrogensulfate and tetrakis(hydrogensulfato)borate ionic liquids have been synthesised and characterised. These ionic liquids are halogen-free, available from cheap raw materials and easy to prepare. They have been used as additives to sulfuric acid in the Friedel–Crafts-alkylation of benzene with 1-decene. The results clearly demonstrate an interplay of acidity and solubility effects caused by the ionic liquid additive. In some cases, low amounts of ionic liquid additive result in a dramatic improvement of product yield.


Background: Diabetes is one of the commonest chronic non communicable disease affecting the society at large both in developing and developed countries. Present study aimed to study the Pattern and Prevalence of lipid profile abnormality in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus. Subjects and Methods: In this study, 100 newly diagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients were evaluated. A cross section of both male and female diabetes patients diagnosed within the last 3 months (new onset) was taken into study. A detailed history, clinical examination and relevant investigations were performed. Collected data were analysed by using appropriate software. Results: In our study 60% were male and 40% were female. Majority of cases were in the age group of 46-55 years, followed by in age group 56-65 years. Dyslipidemia was present in 36.66% of male and 35 % of female. Highest prevalence of dyslipidemia was present in 56 -65 age group. Hypertriglyceridemia was present in 33.33% of cases, Hypertriglyceridemia with low HDL-C was present in 33.33 % of cases, Hypertriglyceridemia with low HDL-C and low LDL –C was present in 13.88% of cases while 19.44 % were having other mixed pattern of dyslipidemia. Conclusion: Endeavour should be made to control hyperglycemia and hyperlipidia tightly by appropriate therapeutic measures so that the occurrence and worsening of complications could be mitigated. in diabetes mellitus. Present study aimed to study the Pattern and Prevalence of lipid profile abnormality in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus.


The human gut microbiota is a complex ecosystem and has an essential role in maintaining intestinal and systemic health. Microbiota dysbiosis is associated with a number of intestinal and systemic conditions and its modulation for human health is of great interest. Gut microbiota is a source of novel health-promoting bacteria, often termed as next-generation probiotics in order to distinguish them from traditional probiotics. The previous lessons learned with traditional probiotics can help the development of next-generation probiotics that target specific health issues and needs.


The new chemical entities discovered by the pharmaceutical industry up to 40% to 50% are poorly soluble or lipophilic compounds, which leads to poor oral bioavailability. Currently a number of technologies are available to deal with the poor solubility, dissolution rate and bioavailability of insoluble drugs. Recently much attention has been paid to lipid based formulations with particular emphasis on self emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS), to improve the oral bioavailability of lipophilic drugs. Self emulsifying formulations are mixtures of oils and surfactants, ideally isotropic, and sometimes containing co-solvents, which emulsify spontaneously to produce fine oilin- water emulsion when introduced into aqueous phase under conditions of gentle agitation. The present review examines the recent advances in Solid SEDDS (S-SEDDS) with regard to the selection of lipid systems for current formulations, solidification techniques by adsorbing agents and the development of solid SE (self-emulsifying) dosage forms and their related problem.


In the field of operations research, the vehicle routing problem with time windows (VRPTW) has been widely studied because it is extensively used in practical applications. Real-life situations discussed in the relevant research include time windows and vehicle capabilities. Among the constraints in a VRPTW, the practical consideration of the fairness of drivers' performance bonuses has seldom been discussed in the literature. However, the shortest routes and balanced performance bonuses for all sales drivers are usually in conflict. To balance the bonuses awarded to all drivers, an auction bidding approach was developed to address this practical consideration. The fairness of performance bonuses was considered in the proposed mathematical model. The nearest urgent candidate heuristic used in the auction bidding approach determined the auction price of the sales drivers. The proposed algorithm both achieved a performance bonus balance and planned the shortest route for each driver. To evaluate the performance of the auction bidding approach, several test instances were generated based on VRPTW benchmark data instances. This study also involved sensitivity and scenario analyses to assess the effect of the algorithm's parameters on the solutions. The results show that the proposed approach efficiently obtained the optimal routes and satisfied the practical concerns in the VRPTW.


Escitalopram is an antidepressant belonging to the class of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. It is effective in the treatment of generalized anxiety and major depressive disorders. It also has an off-labeled use of treating mild agitation associated with dementia in non-psychotic patients. The most common adverse effects of escitalopram are a headache, fatigue, and diarrhea. Escitalopram-induced hyponatremia is rare; it is seen in elderly, especially in women. This is a rare case of escitalopram-induced hyponatremia which was observed in a 73-year-old female patient who was admitted, with complaints of increased tension and palpitation, in the psychiatry department. She also had a history of asthma for the past 30 years, a surgery done for carpel tunnel syndrome 6 years back and had no history of liver or renal disease. Tablet Nexito (escitalopram) 10 mg 1-0-0 was started as an antidepressant, and after 1 day, she developed fatigue due to hyponatremia which was evident from the laboratory values of sodium. The sodium level was found to be 122.3 mmol/l, the normal range is between 135 and 145 mmol/l. Hence, she was advised to include 2 g of salt in her diet. As she had hyponatremia, NS 3% was added, and also her dose of escitalopram was decreased to 5 mg OD, resulting in a gradual increase in the sodium level. This case showed a causality score of 8 according to Naranjo Scale and the causality to be probable.


The novel technique introduced here aims to accomplish the first stage of transferring low-level cognitive skills between two individuals (e.g. from expert to learner) to ease the consecutive higher level declarative learning process for the target "learner" individual in a game environment. Such low-level cognitive skill is associated with the procedural knowledge and established at low-level of mind which can be unveiled and transferred by only a novel technique (rather than by a traditional educational environment ) like a highly interactive computer game domain in which a user exposes his/her unconscious mind behaviors via the game-hero non-deliberately during the game sessions. The cognitive data exposed by the game-hero would be recorded, and then be modelled by the artificial intelligence technique like Bayesian networks for an early stage of cognitive skill transfer and the cognitive stimuli are also generated to be used as game agents to train the learner.


The precise adjustment of handedness of helical architectures is important to regulate their functions. Macroscopic chirality inversion has been achieved in organic supramolecular systems by pH, metal ions, solvents, chiral and non-chiral additives, temperature, and light, but rarely in coordination polymers (CPs). In particular, salt-assisted macroscopic chirality inversion has not been reported. In this work, we carried out a systematic investigation on the role of pH and salt in regulating the morphology of CPs based on Gd(NO3)3 and R-(1-phenylethylamino)methylphosphonic acid (R-pempH2). Without extra NO3−, the chirality inversion from the left-handed superhelix R-M to the right-handed superhelix R-P can be achieved by pH modulation from 3.2 to 3.8. The addition of NaNO3 (2.0 eq) at pH 3.8 results in an inversion of chiral sense from R-P to R-M as a pure phase. To our knowledge, this is the first example of salt-assisted macroscopic helical inversion in artificial systems.


The Controller Area Network (CAN) is widely employed in automotive control system networks. In the last few years, the amount of data has been increasing rapidly in these networks. With the purpose of improving CAN bandwidth efficiency, scheduling and analysis are considered to be particularly important. As an effective method, it has been known that assigning offsets to the CAN messages can reduce their worst case response time (WCRT). Meanwhile, the fact is that many commercial CAN controllers have been equipped with a priority or first-in-first-out (FIFO) queue to transmit messages to the CAN bus. However, previous researches for WCRT analysis of CAN messages either assumed a priority queue or did not consider the offset. For this reason, in this paper we propose a WCRT analysis method for CAN messages with assigned offset in the FIFO queue. We first present a critical instant theorem, then we propose two algorithms for WCRT calculation based on the given theorem. Experimental results on generated message sets and a real message set have validated the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.


The paper presents a discussion of the objectives, scope and progress of a 4-year research project on the mechanical properties of high-performance concretes with particular reference to highway applications. High performance concrete is defined by certain requirements of strength and durability.


The kinetics of Na+ efflux from Escherichia coli RA 11 membrane vesicles taking place along a favorable Na+ concentration gradient are strongly dependent on the generation of an electrochemical proton gradient. An energy-dependent acceleration of the Na+ efflux rate is observed at all external pHs between 5.5 and 7.5 and is prevented by uncoupling agents. The contributions of the electrical potential (delta psi) and chemical potential (delta pH) of H+ to the mechanism of Na+ efflux acceleration have been studied by determining the effects of (a) selective dissipation of delta psi and delta pH in respiring membrane vesicles with valinomycin or nigericin and (b) imposition of outwardly directed K+ diffusion gradients (imposed delta psi, interior negative) or acetate diffusion gradients (imposed delta pH, interior alkaline). The data indicate that, at pH 6.6 and 7.5, delta pH and delta psi individually and concurrently accelerate the downhill Na+ efflux rate. At pH 5.5, the Na+ efflux rate is enhanced by delta pH only when the imposed delta pH exceeds a threshold delta pH value; moreover, an imposed delta psi which per se does not enhance the Na+ efflux rate does contribute to the acceleration of Na+ efflux when imposed simultaneously with a delta pH higher than the threshold delta pH value. The results strongly suggest that the Na+-H+ antiport mechanism catalyzes the downhill Na+ efflux.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Stress research in military populations has largely been devoted to specialized situations "at risk" for high levels of stress, such as combat, recruit training, sea duty, as well as post-traumatic stress in veterans. Though the armed forces continue to train for war during peacetime, military personnel also carry out administrative, executive, and technical job functions not directly related to combat preparations. Little data exists researching stress experienced in military non-combat environments. A study was conducted assessing levels of stress of 900 Marine Corps officers assigned to various headquarters and stations. Randomly selected participants completed the Derogatis Stress Profile (DSP). The study examined stress as a function of rank and the individual officer's perception of stress. Total stress levels of the subjects were compared to those used to norm the DSP.


CsPbI3 inorganic perovskites have attracted significant attention due to their desirable bandgap for tandem solar cells and excellent thermal stability. However, CsPbI3 perovskite solar cells (PSCs) still exhibit low efficiency and high energy loss due to nonradiative recombination. Herein, functionalized Ti3C2Fx quantum dots (QDs) are prepared and selected as interface passivators to enhance the performance of CsPbI3 PSCs. The systematic experimental results reveal that Ti3C2Fx QDs serve as effective passivators mainly in three aspects: 1) p‐type Ti3C2Fx QDs can tune the energy level of perovskite films and provide an efficient pathway for hole transfer; 2) Ti3C2Fx QDs can effectively passivate defects and reduce interfacial nonradiative recombination, and 3) Ti3C2Fx QDs form a barrier layer to prevent water invasion and improve the stability of CsPbI3 PSCs. Consequently, the champion CsPbI3 PSC with Ti3C2Fx QDs treatment exhibits an excellent efficiency of 20.44% with a high open‐circuit voltage of 1.22 V. Meanwhile, the corresponding device without encapsulation retained 93% of its initial efficiency after 600 h of storage in ambient air.


In a report to the UN Human Rights Council the author focuses on the relationship between extreme poverty and extreme inequality and argues that a human rights framework is critical in addressing extreme inequality. The analysis provides an overview of the widening economic and social inequalities around the world; illustrates how such inequalities stifle equal opportunity, lead to laws, regulations and institutions that favor the powerful, and perpetuate discrimination against certain groups, and further discusses the negative effects of economic inequalities on a range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
The Study also analyses the response of the international community, including the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, to the challenge of extreme inequality, finding that human rights are absent in the inequality debate and that little has been done to follow up on any of the studies or recommendations emerging from the United Nations human rights system.
In conclusion, the study proposes an agenda for the future for tackling inequality, including: committing to reduce extreme inequality; giving economic, social and cultural rights the same prominence and priority as are given to civil and political rights; recognizing the right to social protection; implementing fiscal policies specifically aimed at reducing inequality; revitalizing and giving substance to the right to equality; and putting questions of resource redistribution at the center of human rights debates.


Abstract Background Although current efforts are made to diminish the incidence and burden of disease, cancer is still widely identified late at stage. This study aims to conduct a systematic review mapping the existent and emerging clinical research on artificial intelligence (AI) in the treatment of cancer and to underpin its integration challenges and opportunities in the European Union (EU) health sector. Methods A systematic literature review (SLR) evaluating global clinical trials (CTs; published between 2010 and 2020 or forthcoming) was concluded. Additionally, a horizon scanning (HS) exercise focusing on emerging trends (published between 2017 and 2020) was conducted. Results Forty-four CTs were identified and analyzed. Selected CTs were divided into three research areas: (i) potential of AI combined with imaging techniques, (ii) AI's applicability in robotic surgery interventions and (iii) AI's potential in clinical decision making. Twenty-one studies presented an interventional nature, nine papers were observational and 14 articles did not explicitly mention the type of study performed. The papers presented an increased heterogeneity in sample size, type of tumour, type of study and reporting of results. In addition, a shift in research is observed and only a small fraction of studies were completed in the EU. These findings could be further linked to the current socio-economic, political, scientific, technological and environmental state of the EU in regard to AI innovation. Conclusion To overcome the challenges threatening the EU's integration of such technology in the healthcare field, new strategies taking into account the EU's socio-economic and political environment are deemed necessary.


The seed-induced crystallization system has been adopted for the synthesis of submicrometer sized zeolite ZSM-5 in the absence of organic structure directing agent (SDA). The structural (phase purity), particulate (sizes and morphologies) and chemical compositions (framework Si/Al ratios) of the crystalline end products could be well controlled via the variation of synthesis parameters such as size and amount of silicalite-1 seed nanocrystals, batch alkalinity, excess of sodium ions and ageing of reaction mixtures. More importantly, the crystallization mechanism has also been revealed as a typical linear, size-independent growth process on the surface of silicalite-1 seed nanocrystals, embedded in the gel matrix, without the formation of new nuclei either on the surface of growing seed crystals or in the gel matrix. The critical processes happened during crystallization have also been characterized by different methods and evaluated by population balance modeling approach.


Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), an acute, immune-mediated paralytic disorder affecting the peripheral nervous system, is the most common cause of acute flaccid paralysis in the postpolio era. GBS is classified into several subtypes based on clinical and pathologic criteria, with acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP) and acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) being the most common forms observed. To better understand the pathogenesis of GBS and host susceptibility to developing the disease, the distribution of HLA class II Ags along with the seroreactivity to Campylobacter jejuni were investigated in a population of GBS patients from northern China. Using DNA-based typing methods, 47 patients with AMAN, 25 patients with AIDP, and 97 healthy controls were studied for the distribution of class II alleles. We found that the DQβ RLD55–57/ED70–71 and DRβ E9V11H13 epitopes were associated with susceptibility to AIDP (p = 0.009 and p = 0.004, respectively), and the DQβ RPD55–57 epitope was associated with protection (p = 0.05) from AIDP. These DQβ/DRβ positional residues are a part of pockets 4 (DQβ 70, 71, DRβ13), 6 (DRβ11), and 9 (DQβ 56, 57, DRβ9); have been demonstrated to be important in peptide binding and T cell recognition; and are associated with other diseases that have a pathoimmunological basis. Class II HLA associations were not identified with AMAN, suggesting a different immunological mechanism of disease induction in the two forms of GBS. These findings provide immunogenetic evidence for differentiating the two disease entities (AMAN and AIDP) and focuses our attention on particular DRβ/DQβ residues that may be instrumental in understanding the pathophysiology of AIDP.


This study of HIV positive patients in Umlazi, KwaZulu Natal, receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), focuses on the impact of HAART on respondents' reported sexual behaviour and perceptions of infectiousness while on HAART using qualitative and quantitative methods. The findings indicate relatively high levels of consistent condom use among respondents, and that they encounter certain common challenges to condom use including their partner's attitude to HIV/AIDS, communication patterns and openness in their relationships. Other factors specifically related to being HIV-positive or on HAART that influence consistent condom use are disclosure, partner communication and knowledge of partner's status. However, findings show that participants have both a good understanding of reasons for consistent condom use and a strong motivation to use them. This survey reflects a substantiated positive link between partners' disclosure and condom use, underlining the importance of positive communication patterns in respondents' relationships. Nothing in this study suggests a relationship between commencing HAART and an increase in risky sexual behaviour. Rather, the findings indicate a decrease in sexual partners and an increase in consistent condom use among respondents on HAART.


Browse our resources on Industry and Employer Research [1] Pace University Career Service's Guidebooks (PDF documents) FULL of information developed by the Career Service staff. Careers in the Federal Government Handbook [2] Negotiating Salary and Benefits Tip Sheet [3] Complete Job Search Guide (3 in 1) [4] Theater Resume Guidebook [5] Correspondence/Letter Writing Guidebook [6] Resume and Cover Letter Guidebook [7] Counseling Guidebook [8] Writing Letters of Recommendation [9] Education Guidebook [10] For teacher candidates Interviewing for Success Guidebook [11] Graduate Career Management Guide [12] Guide for Athletes [13] Healthcare Professionals Guidebook [14]


abstract:It is wonderfully clear from recent work that as George Eliot rapidly approaches her bicentenary, she matters more than ever. In reading her, many of the scholars reviewed here are inclined to point out the gender inequities she experienced in life (pay inequity, for example) or the inaccuracy of gendered assumptions about her life and work which have gone unchallenged. From the ecology of Middlemarch to the character of Eliot as "Editress" of The Westminster Review, recent scholars have brought a new George Eliot into the twenty-first century, challenging old dogma (even the once sacred "death of the author") along the way. While new attention has been paid to George Eliot's individual work as an editor, new approaches also tend to place her in the field of cultural production, often among other women, stressing the collective, social nature of women's professional experiences in, for example, the British Library's Round Reading Room, or on staff at periodicals. The now venerable field of periodical studies as well as the recent digitization of materials has facilitated a new feminist scholarship that digs deep into the collective experiences of being a professional woman writer in the Victorian period.


Ulva is a commercially important marine macroalga. It hosts both epiphytes and endophytes. The latter are assumed to protect Ulva through secondary metabolites. Previously, we demonstrated bioactive endophytes from macroalgae with great potential to control diseases of aquaculture. In this study, we introduced a bioactive bacterial endophyte back into its original host (Ulva sp.) and demonstrated its survival over time in fresh and freeze-dried Ulva sp. We visualized the endophyte's location and survival in the seaweed using a Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) reporter gene. The isolate colonized the intercellular space and survived for at least 5 months in fresh, and 12 months in freeze-dried algae, while maintaining its bioactivity against the aquaculture pathogen Streptococcus iniae. We studied the influence of the endophyte on the bacterial community in the Ulva sp. We found that once introduced, the endophyte significantly changed algal microbiota diversity and abundance. Two of Ulva's associated bacterial species were quantified over time, suggesting different trends in absolute abundance of these bacteria between treatments. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the successful introduction of an endophytic microorganism into macroalgal tissue. These findings may be useful in applied research for the potential management of aquaculture diseases.


This demonstration of photoacoustics involves a focused light-emitting diode (LED) pulse (620 nm wavelength) which illuminates an optically absorbing target. The rapid expansion generates an ultrasonic pulse detected by an immersion transducer. An LED is a cost-effective alternative
 to the traditional neodymium-doped Yttrium-Aluminum Garnet (Nd:YAG) laser and laser diode- that is most effective in near-infrared. The LED is driven by a home-made MOSFET driver capable of 100 A pulses. Focused pulses illuminate a horizontal 1.2 mm capillary tube filled with Fast Green Dye.
 A highly-diffuse Teflon cylindrical cavity (9 cm tall, 6 cm diam) contains the mounted capillary tube. A 2.25 MHz immersion transducer with four low-noise amplifier gain blocks (combined 86 decibel gain, 0.5- 30 MHz bandwidth), detects a time-averaged signal from over 1000 trials. Comparisons
 are made using India ink. Earlier, T. J. Allen and P. C. Beard used 35 percent hematocrit blood in a capillary tube at a 620 nm wavelength demonstrating the feasibility of photoacoustic medical imaging of vascular systems under the skin or shallow-tissue cancerous tumors (using tomography)
 as an alternative to radioactive medical imaging. Our work precedes a photoacoustic tomography demonstration using three targets in an open acrylic tank.


Abstract. Light-absorbing particles (LAPs) deposited on snow can decrease snow albedo and affect climate through the snow-albedo radiative forcing. In this study, we use MODIS observations combined with a snow albedo model (SNICAR) and a radiative transfer model (SBDART) to retrieve the radiative forcing by LAPs in snow (RFLapsMODIS) across Northeastern China (NEC) in January–February from 2003 to 2017. RFLapsMODIS presents distinct spatial variability, with the minimum (22.3 W m−2) in western NEC and the maximum (64.6 W m−2) near industrial areas in central NEC. The regional mean RFLapsMODIS is ~ 45.1 ± 6.8 W m−2 in NEC. The positive (negative) uncertainties of retrieved RFLapsMODIS due to atmospheric correction range from 14 % to 57 % (−14 % to −47 %) and the uncertainty value basically decreased with the increased RFLapsMODIS. We attribute the variations of radiative forcing based on remote sensing and find that the spatial variance of RFLapsMODIS in NEC is 74.6 % due to LAPs, while 21.2 % and 4.2 % due to snow grain size, and solar zenith angle. Furthermore, based on multiple linear regression, the BC dry and wet deposition and snowfall could totally explain 81 % of the spatial variance of LAP contents, which confirms the reasonability of the spatial patterns of retrieved RFLapsMODIS in NEC. We validate RFLapsMODIS using in situ radiative forcing estimates. We find that the biases in RFLapsMODIS are negatively correlated with LAP concentrations and range from ~ 5 % to ~ 350 % in NEC.


The automobile market is, nowadays, characterized by a growing demand for cars equipped with diesel engines. This is because these offer smaller fuel consumption and better engine performance. A modern common rail turbocharged diesel engine provides performance equal to a gasoline engine, with same displacement, not turbo-charged but with a higher torque at lower engine speeds and with smaller fuel consumption. The methyl esters of vegetable oils, known as biodiesel, are receiving increasing interest because of their low environmental impact and their potential as an alternative fuel for diesel engines as they would not require any significant modification of existing engines. The modern common rail (CR) diesel engines are normally optimized for commercial diesel fuel. Consequently, the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) calibrations are defined to offer the best compromise between performance and emissions. If the engine is fuelled with an alternative fuel with different characteristics (net heating value, stoichiometric air fuel ratio (a/f), density, viscosity, etc.), it is clear that the calibration must be modified. In past experiments the authors have demonstrated that it is possible to optimize emissions and performances of a light duty CR diesel engine fueled with a vegetable derived fuel (rapeseed methyl ester) pure or blended with commercial diesel fuel, changing ECU parameters. This paper will show a detailed analysis of combustion in a modern diesel engine fueled with biodiesel and in particular some of the influences on engine parameters will be analyzed in order to demonstrate how an optimization strategy of ECU parameters could be applied to a diesel engine, when it is fueled with different fuels, with different physical/chemical characteristics.


Introduction Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a clonal malignant disease characterized by excessive proliferation of myeloid lineage, followed by a progressive loss of cell differentiation, with evolution including progression from chronic phase to accelerated or blastic phase. The disease is associated with a specific cytogenetic abnormality, the Philadelphia chromosome, which results from a reciprocal translocation between the long arms of chromosomes 9 and 22 [t(9;22)(q34;q11)], leading to the generation of the new leukemia-specific gene BCR-ABL, resulting in the production of an oncoprotein with tyrosine kinase activity, responsible for the pathophysiology of disease. Effective treatments with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are available for CML patients and differences in adverse events (AE) and incidences occurring during therapy are reported in the literature depending on the type of TKI.

Objective Improve the standard of resources used and reduce later treatment costs of treatment-related haematological and non-hematological adverse events of CML patients, from the perspective of the Brazilian National Health System. Cost of treatment per event will be presented as a result.

Method A Delphi methodology was applied in Brazil to study the management of adverse events related to CML treatment by collecting data on resource used., considering the resource use and its cost associated.  Based on the literature, a questionnaire was developed on the available resources for the treatment of select adverse events. Ten experts completed the questionnaires and the results were compiled and validated. The data collected were related to percentage of patients affected by each AE and percentage of each resource used to manage the AE. A consensus meeting was held after questionnaire completion. The unit cost of resources was based on the Bank Price and Health Management System Procedures Table of SUS (SIGTAP). Cost of treatment of the AEs consisted of the cost of the treatment options and monitoring costs (e.g., outpatient visits, laboratory tests and procedures, hospitalizations) in the Brazilian Public Health System.

Results Among non-hematologic adverse events grade 3-4, gastrointestinal bleeding and central nervous system (CNS) hemorrhage presented the highest costs of treatment per event (R$ 1.022,90 and R$ 1.173,34, respectively).  Hospitalization is the resource with more impact; mainly in CNS hemorrhage, with an average length of hospitalization reported by the experts of 1 week and also being demanded by 100% of patients affected by this AE. Management of cardiac events is R$973,35 and Pericardial effusion is R$3.896,55. Cytopenias are the most commonly occurring events in patients with CML receiving BCR–ABL inhibitors. Experts suggest the use of growth factors, such as granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, interleukin-11 and erythropoietin in patients with CML receiving TKI therapy. The Panel experts agreed the cost associated with the management the hematologic adverse events are: Anemia: R$14,93, Thrombocytopenia: R$14,47 and neutropenia: R$211,54.

Conclusion All adverse events related to treatment of CML, with differences in the occurrence and intensity should be valued and recorded as contributing to the estimated total cost of treating the disease. Adverse event management in CML patients has important clinical and economic impact.

I Banco de Preco em Saude. Disponivel em: http://bps.saude.gov.br/visao/consultapublica/publico\_interno\_item.cfm  - Accessed in 08/04/2013

II Sistema de Gerenciamento da Tabela de Procedimentos, Medicamentos e OPM do SUS. DATASUS – SIGTAP.  Available in http://sigtap.datasus.gov.br/tabela-unificada/app/sec/inicio.jsp  -  Accessed in: 08/04/2013

Disclosures: Alves: Novartis: Employment. Lemos: Novartis: Employment. Boquimpani: Novartis: Consultancy.


In today's competitive environment, firms face strong challenges. We live in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment where open innovation is a strategic choice and, on top of that, the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized most of these disrupting forces. Incumbent companies must act strategically by adapting their business model to minimize the risk and to capture the new value that emerges. This article intends to contribute to the development of the nascent stream of research that seeks to understand the evolution of Business Models through time—known as Business Model Dynamics (BMD)—and explores how to better align this evolution to the implementation settings of strategy. This exploratory study is built upon a meta-synthesis approach to identify, analyze, and clarify how academics have dealt with the three terms used in the Business Model Dynamics research strand: Business Model Innovation, Business Model Adaptation, and Business Model Evolution. The results of the meta-synthesis show that a disambiguation of concepts is necessary as, from an organizational learning point of view, it is required to provide a better connection between strategic value appropriation and changes on Business Models. This article contributes to the researcher and practitioner's literature on Business Model Dynamics offering a clear and rigorous definition of each term from a strategic point of view, thus preventing the conceptual incoherence and their reiterated wrong use as synonyms.


Leprosy, one of the oldest diseases known to man, is a stigmatising, potentially disabling disease. Throughout history, leprosy has been associated with fear, prejudice and immense social stigma. It remains one of the leading causes of deformity and physical disability from an infectious disease. Tremendous advances in leprosy control were made by the World Health Organization, and the 'elimination of leprosy', defined as a decrease of disease prevalence to less than 1 case per 10,000 population, was achieved by 2000. However, the reality is that true 'elimination' is yet to be achieved. Despite almost 30 years of effective multidrug treatment, the prevalence and incidence of leprosy have plateaued since 2005. Moreover, new cases with Grade 2 disability and new cases occurring in children remain unchanged since 2010, reflecting a failure in early leprosy detection, and indicating that transmission is clearly continuing. This review examines the challenges of elimination, and proposes further measures to reduce the disease burden, including future research possibilities.


Novel carbon clusters isolated in the solid phase have been characterized by electron ionization (EI) mass spectrometry. The crystalline material contains the C60 and C70 molecules in a ratio of 37:1. Both of these molecules form singly charged ions that appear at m/z 720 and 840, respectively, and doubly charged ions that appear at m/z 360 and 420, respectively. Only the C60 molecule produces the triply charged species, at m/z 240. C60 undergoes fragmentation by losing successive multiples of C2 through C16. The C70 molecule only loses the fragments C2 and C4. Collisionally activated decomposition of these molecules in the first field-free region did not reveal any more extensive fragmentation than was observed under EI conditions.


We conjecture a formula supported by computations for the valuation of Kac polynomials of a quiver, which only depends on the number of loops at each vertex. We prove a convergence property of renormalized Kac polynomials of quivers when increasing the number of arrows: they converge in the ring of power series, with a linear rate of convergence. Then, we propose a conjecture concerning the global behaviour of the coefficients of Kac polynomials. All computations were made using SageMath.


F or several decades, archaeologists who have excavated sites in complex societies have confronted the same problem: How are status differences reflected in the archaeological remains? Traditionally archaeologists have routinely inferred the status of site inhabitants from the qUality and quantity of archaeological evidence, even though the true status of the inhabitants was unknown (e.g., Trigger in Chang 1968). Many archaeologists have assumed that there was a perfect correlation between the archeaological remains they found and the status of the former site inhabitants. They assumed that high status was always associated with higher quality and quantities of housing, possessions, and foods; in tum, they assumed that low status was always associated with lower quality and quantities of material rewards. In complex societies, however, there are a great variety of status differences which may produce ~tteming in_lhe a[.c£laeoLogical re_cgrd. In addition to age and sex differences, there are racial, ethnic, linguistic, occupational, legal, and political differences. These various status positions are ranked in hierarchies and have differing access to symbolic and material rewards. These rewards include power or the legal right to coerce others; psychic rewards such as prestige, dignity, security , and a sense of independence, and property or access to material wealth and labor (Tumin 1967: 39-46 ; Warner in Tumin 1970: 233, 241) . Evidence of these symbolic and material rewards may be difficult to recover at archaeological sites. The symbolic rewards such as power and prestige, which may have been of equal or greater concern to site inhabitants than material rewards, will be lost or only partially described in the incomplete written record. In turn, since so much of material culture is perishable, material rewards such as housing, possessions, and foods will be only partially preserved in the incomplete written record.


The relationship of clonogenic cells, cellular radiation sensitivity at tumor control does in vivo, and tumor rescuing units at different tumor sizes was investigated in the human squamous cell carcinoma FaDu growing in NCr/Sed nude mice. The composition of the tumors was determined in single cell suspensions and compared to tumor control data after single-dose irradiation. To avoid the influence of varying oxygen concentrations in the tumors, all irradiations were performed under clamp hypoxia. Nude mice and animals further immunosuppressed by 6-Gy whole-body irradiation were used to assess the immunological effects. The numbers of total cells, cells excluding trypan blue, host cells, and colony-forming cells increased linearly with the weight of FaDu tumors. Comparable results were obtained for cell suspensions prepared from tumors growing in nude of pretreated nude mice. The radiation dose required to control 50% of tumors (TCD50) of different sizes between 36 and 470 mm3 increased from 52.1 to 60.1 Gy when the tumors were maintained in normal nude mice and from 50.8 to 61.3 Gy in whole-body-irradiated mice. The D0 of FaDu cells in vivo was calculated by regression analysis of TCD50 vs the logarithm of the clonogenic cell number, assuming an oxygen enhancement ratio of 3.0. The resultant D0S of 1.1 and 1.2 Gy in vivo correspond well to the radiosensitivity of FaDu cells in vitro determined previously. Assuming the single-hit multitarget model of cell killing and extrapolation numbers between 2 and 20, the mean number of tumor rescuing units would be 10(5) to 10(6) for a 100-mm3 tumor growing in whole-body-irradiated nude mice. Comparison of the number of tumor rescuing units to the estimated number of clonogenic cells does not conflict with the assumption that every surviving clonogenic cell is able to repopulate FaDu tumors after irradiation; however, it seems more likely that more than one clonogenic cells is necessary. The proportion of tumor rescuing units in the clonogenic cell population is independent of tumor size.


Ben Lillie is the co-founder and host of the Story Collider, a live storytelling series, podcast, and online magazine devoted to presenting true, personal stories about the effect of science on people's lives. Since 2010, scientists and non-scientists alike have told stories at events held at bars and other casual venues in Brooklyn and Manhattan, as well as other cities. They can be heard on the Story Collider podcast, available on iTunes and at the organization's website: storycollider.org. Lillie is also a writer and contributing editor at TED. He earned his Ph.D. in high-energy physics at Stanford University. Peter Linett recently spoke with Lillie about the broader storytelling revival and the changing culture of science communication.


This paper presents the results of a test program for flexural strengthening characteristics of continuous unidirectional carbon-fiber sheets bonded or/and developed to reinforced concrete (RC) beams. A total of six 150mm×250mm×2,000 mm concrete beams were tested. Various sheet development locations were studied to determine their effects on the ultimate flexural strength of the beams. From the test, it was found that the strength increases remarkably with the development of sheets at shear bar. Among the various location, multi-developed sheet provided the most effective strengthening for concrete beam. Beam strengthened using this scheme showed 53% increase in flexural capacity as compared to the control beam without any strengthening.


In spite of the merits of laser welding being able to obtain the high welding quality such as smaller width of melting and heat affected zone, smaller welding deformation and fine grains of weldment compared to arc welding, laser welding is mainly used in joining of thin steel parts of electronics industry. Laser welding is getting widely used in joining thick plate and special kinds of steel due to its high power. While the arc welding is still applied for 2.25Cr-1Mo steel which is the essential material of atomic power generation equipment, the laser welding is not yet applied despite its high quality. So it has a trial to a special case demanding high welding quality such as atomic power plant. Accordingly, in this research, the mechanical properties of weldments by arc and laser welding were investigated using FEM to confirm the applicability of laser welding to 2.25Cr-1Mo steel. The Charphy test was carried out to understand the effect on the fracture toughness of weldments. The results of examination and test of the mechanical properties showed the validity of this research.


This study aims to identify and analyze the effect of tax avoidance on firm value with the company transparency as a moderating variable. The study population used is the manufacturing companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange. Sampling method using purposive sampling and normal samples obtained by 50 years of research with 2010 – 2012. Testing hypotheses using multiple regression analysis. Based on test results, obtained information that the variable tax avoidance is a significant negative effect on firm value, which means that the higher the tax avoidance, the lower the value of the company. Variable transparency able to moderate the relationship between tax avoidance on firm value. The positive influence shows that the higher the level of transparency in corporate tax evasion, the value of the company will be increased . Keywords : tax avoidance, transparency, firm value


More than half of the cases of plague in the United States are diagnosed in children. In the 1970s, 105 cases were reported, a 350% increase over the 1960s. Plague should be considered in the differential diagnosis of children from the western United States who have sepsis, especially those with lymphadenopathy. Complications of plague include meningitis, metabolic encephalopathy, abscess, and pneumonia. With appropriate treatment, prompt clinical response usually occurs. Careful isolation and epidemiologic investigation are essential to prevent the spread of the disease.


Octreotide (SMS, synthetic miniature somatostatin) effectively alleviates the secretory diarrhea of the malignant carcinoid syndrome. Although SMS inhibits tumor release of serotonin (5HT) and other bioactive agents, it also inhibits the diarrhea in patients who continue to exhibit elevated serum levels of 5HT. This observation suggest that SMS may directly inhibit mediator-stimulated intestinal ion secretion at the mucosal level. To test this hypothesis, intestinal ion secretion was studied in rabbit ileal mucosa mounted in Ussing chambers. Maximal changes in short circuit current (delta Isc) were observed as an indicator of mucosal ion secretion. The application of pathophysiologic concentrations of 5HT (10(-5) M) to the mucosal preps resulted in a delta Isc of 52 +/- 6 microA/cm2. This 5HT-stimulated delta Isc was significantly inhibited by serosal furosemide (10(-3) M) or use of a chloride-depleted medium, indicating that 5HT stimulates electrogenic chloride secretion in the rabbit ileum. Pretreatment with a therapeutic concentration of SMS (10(-8) M) resulted in a significant inhibition of 5HT-stimulated electrogenic Cl- secretion (9 +/- 1 microA/cm2) (P < 0.005). This inhibitory effect of SMS was not seen in tissue pretreated with pertussis toxin. The results of these experiments demonstrate that octreotide inhibits 5HT-stimulated electrogenic chloride secretion at the mucosal level. Additionally this inhibitory effect of octreotide is likely mediated by activation of the inhibitory subunit of membrane-bound GTP-binding regulatory proteins. These results thus provide experimental evidence in support of the ability of SMS to ameliorate the carcinoid diarrhea by a direct effect on stimulated mucosal ion secretion.


Pyrolysis of 29 coals with carbon contents of 71–92 mass% on a dry, ash-free basis (daf) has been performed mainly in a temperature-programmed mode at 10 ° C/min up to 800 ° C with a flow-type fixed bed quartz reactor, and some factors controlling HCl formation have been examined. The rate profiles of HCl formation exhibit at least three distinct peaks at around 260–360, 470–510 and 580–630 ° C, and the lowest temperature peak is present for 8 coals alone, whereas the middle and highest temperature peaks are common with almost all of the coals. The HCl profile is also affected by the size of coal particles and the height of coal particles in the fixed bed. Yields of HCl and char-Cl at 800 ° C for 28 coals except an American bituminous coal are 44–95 and 4–54%, respectively, and tar-Cl is as low as ≤ 7% in all cases. The chlorine distribution is almost independent of the heating rate in the range of 2.5–400 ° C/min and has no distinct relationship with carbon or chlorine content in coal, but HCl tends to increase with increasing amount of (Na + 2Ca) in coal with a corresponding decrease in char-Cl. When an Indonesian sub-bituminous coal is injected into an O 2 -blown entrained bed gasifier under pressure, there is an almost 1:1 relationship between carbon and nitrogen conversions, whereas the sulfur and chlorine are enriched in the remaining char, and the degree of the enrichment is higher with chlorine. The method of evaluating coal-Cl forms quantitatively using model chlorine compounds is proposed.


It remains one of the main challenges for mobile robots in a human inhabited environment to interact with surrounding individuals. Usually, recognizing touch gestures, perceiving proximity information, or distinguishing between individuals is both a cost and configuration intensive task. In this demonstration we utilize inexpensive Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices attached to the robot and participants. We derive information of participants by measuring the received signal strength (RSS) between BLE devices. The system's flexibility is shown by using a proprietary mobile spherical robot. Three proof-of-concept demonstrations will be presented, each refers to one information factor about individuals in the surrounding environment: A) proximity, B) touch, and C) who is interacting with the robot. The audience can observe the robot's output data of the raw RSS to surrounding BLE devices attached to wristbands worn by interacting participants.


A recently described method to investigate growth hormone (GH) receptors on circulating human blood cells has been used to study the effect of a trypsin preparation and antitrypsin moieties on hormone binding to lymphocytes. Trypsinization with one defined dose of trypsin (10 ng/ml) led to a considerable decrease both of specific binding and of binding affinity (affinity constant after 60 min trypsinization 0.5 X 10(9) vs 1.5 X 10(9) M-1 in untreated control cells). Exposure of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) to antitrypsin activities was followed by a steady increase of affinity and specific binding (affinity constant: with 10 KIU anti-trypsin 1.9 X 10(9) M-1, with 100 KIU 2.4 X 10(9) M-1, with 1000 KIU 3.6 X 10(9) M-1). This antitrypsin effect exceeds the binding values expected after blocking trypsin activities in the incubation medium. In a subset of experiments somatomedin-B (SM-B) was used as the antitrypsin moiety and was shown to increase specific GH binding to PBL in a similar manner as did antitrypsin (with 1000 ng SM-B affinity constant (Ka) 12.0 X 10(9) M-1, specific binding 9.7% of total radioactivity). It is concluded that enzymatic factors and their inhibitors including partially GH dependent moieties like SM-B modulate specific GH binding to human peripheral lymphocytes in vitro.


Surface fluxes in the western equatorial Pacific warm pool region and their influence on sea surface temperature (SST) variability were investigated for the period November 15, 1992, to February 15, 1993, during the Intensive Observing Period of the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response Experiment (COARE). A blended flux data set was developed using a "reanalysis" of surface meteorology from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), turbulent flux components from the COARE bulk flux algorithm, and shortwave radiation and precipitation estimates from satellite remote sensing. Comparison with in situ fluxes from the center of the warm pool showed that the blended fluxes captured variability associated with the intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) while the fluxes produced by ECMWF did not. The influence of surface forcing on SST was assessed by comparing the observed SST tendency to that produced by a one-dimensional model forced by the blended fluxes. On the ISO timescale, SST changes in a substantial portion of the warm pool were found to be dominated by local surface forcing, although significant contributions from other processes (e.g., horizontal advection) were not ruled out. The results emphasize the fact that high-quality surface fluxes are essential to developing accurate predictions of SST variability in the warm pool region.


A numerical investigation was made of the structure of thermocapillary convection of a laser melt formed by radiation with various parameters in the specific case of SS304 stainless steel. A critical Reynolds number was found: above this number a single-vortex structure of the melt flow changed to two vortices. A comparison of the shape of the molten pool predicted by numerical calculations with experiments confirmed the existence of a two-vortex structure initiated solely by thermocapillary forces on the melt surface. A correlative dependence was proposed for relating the laser radiation parameters to those of the molten pool when a two-vortex flow structure appeared.


The Alere PlGF test and the Roche sFlt-1/PlGF ratio test may provide a new way of diagnosing pre-eclampsia in pregnant women who have signs and symptoms of the condition. The Alere PlGF test measures a biomarker called placental growth factor (PlGF) and the Roche sFlt1/PlGF ratio test measures PlGF and soluble FMS-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) in blood samples. It is claimed that these tests may provide earlier and more accurate diagnosis and therefore improved management of this potentially serious condition.


This book is targeting at audience who has basic wireless communication background and would like to learn more about spectrum coordination problems in cognitive radio networks. This book focuses on the problem of efficiently sharing spectrum resources in wireless networks through the use of appropriate spectrum etiquette protocols and related coordination algorithms. The performance of the proposed class of spectrum etiquette protocols is evaluated in various wireless network scenarios and compared with simpler reactive interference avoidance schemes. After validating its utility for coordination between existing wireless standards (such as IEEE 802.11/WiFi, Bluetooth, and 802.16/WiMax), the spectrum etiquette protocol is extended to serve as the foundation for a more complete adaptive wireless network where radio nodes may cooperate by forming or joining autonomous ad hoc clusters with multi-hop routing. A cognitive radio protocol stack is proposed for this scenario. Validation results using a combination of ns-2 simulations and experiments on the 20x20 ORBIT radio grid testbed are presented in this book.


This paper presents an updated compilation of occupational radiation exposures in Taiwan, Republic of China, for the years 1962-1983. The highest collective dose equivalent occurred in 1981 and was estimated to be 535.318 man-rem, and the average measurable dose equivalent per worker is about 0.25 rem in the same year. All data analyzed were plotted on log-probability paper. A brief prospectus on the health implications of the annual occupational dose equivalents is also provided, using the year 1981 as an example.


COVID-19 novel coronavirus has created a global pandemic. Affected patients may develop acute lung injury and its more severe form - acute respiratory distress syndrome. Hypoxia and severe inflammation increase the production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which induces vascular endothelial proliferation. Administration of the anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody bevacizumab is proposed for usage in moderate to severe pneumonia. We aim to present two cases of COVID-19 induced atypical pneumonia, which were treated with the anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody bevacizumab.


Abstract Chemical analyses of dolerites and metadolerites from the Scourie-Loch Laxford area have been made, together with analyses of amphiboles and a pyroxene from these rocks. Chemical variation within the dykes as originally emplaced has been investigated. Introduction of material during metamorphism is limited, only potassium showing a marked increase in concentration. In the least-altered dykes a relationship between degree of clouding in felspar and amount of H2O+ present is indicated. Chemical analyses and optical properties of amphiboles show no distinctive trends which could be associated with the progress of the metamorphism.


Distribution shifts, in which the training distribution differs from the testing distribution, can significantly degrade the performance of Graph Neural Networks (GNNs). We curate GDS, a benchmark of eight datasets reflecting a diverse range of distribution shifts across graphs. We observe that: (1) most domain generalization algorithms fail to work when applied to domain shifts on graphs; and (2) combinations of powerful GNN models and augmentation techniques usually achieve the best out-of-distribution performance. These emphasize the need for domain generalization algorithms tailored for graphs and further graph augmentation techniques that enhance the robustness of predictors.


Summary: Methylophilus methylotrophus produced viscous and non-viscous exopolysaccharides (EPS) when grown in batch culture. Both types contained glucose, galactose, mannose and an unidentified 6-desoxyhexose, and were substituted with pyruvate and acetate residues. When the organism was grown in continuous culture only the non-viscous EPS was synthesized; the rate of production was 18·5 mg h−1 (g biomass)−1 in methanol-limited cultures and increased by approximately 3- and 4-fold when growth was limited by oxygen or nitrogen respectively. The specific activity of methanol dehydrogenase in cell extracts was relatively low when bacteria were grown under conditions of methanol excess and increased 2-fold in carbon-limited cells, reflecting the need to 'scavenge' the small amounts of available methanol. In contrast, the specific activities of several key enzymes of the ribulose monophosphate (RuMP) pathway were greater in cells grown under conditions of nitrogen or oxygen limitation than when growth was Limited by the availability of carbon, indicating the potential for increased carbon flux round the cycle when excess methanol was present in the growth medium. When methylotrophs are grown under conditions of methanol excess it is important that there is a mechanism to prevent the overproduction of formaldehyde, and we suggest that these changes in EPS production and in the specific activities of the key enzymes of the RuMP cycle are necessary for the efficient removal of this toxic metabolite of methanol.


Some issues in the relationship of coding style and compiler optimization are discussed with regard to Fortran 90 array notation. A review of several important Fortran 90 array constructs and their performance on vector and scalar hardware sets the stage for a more detailed example based on the kernel of a finite difference computational fluid dynamics model, specifically the nonlinear shallow water equations. Special attention is paid to the optimization of memory use and memory traffic. It is shown that the style of coding interacts with the rules of Fortran 90 and the current state of the art of Fortran 90 compilers to produce a fairly wide range of performance levels. Although performance degradations are typically small, a few cases of more serious loss of effciency are identified and discussed.


In 1978, after a party in a Cape Town suburb attended by several hundred people, 69 persons were treated for typhoid fever. The precise source of the infection could not be traced, although it is reasonable to suppose that food eaten at the party had been contaminated by the main caterer. All 57 cultures of Salmonella typhi phage-typed were of phage type 46, including that obtained from the stool of the main caterer, who was asymptomatic. An epidemiological profile of the cases and an account of the management of the outbreak is given. There were no deaths and no patient became a carrier. Although the outbreak was contained, certain problems relating thereto are aired, including in particular the potential hazard of food-borne disease wherever housing and environmental standards are low.


Magnetic bearings have been studied that use bulk superconductors as a field shaping material and need only a steel component on the rotor side. Two bearing configurations are considered: the bulk magnet type and the mixed-/spl mu/ type. In both systems, stable levitation of the steel rotor has been demonstrated. Electromagnetic force measurements have shown that the mixed-/spl mu/ type has better vertical force characteristics and similar radial force characteristics to the bulk magnet type. Rotation tests have been also carried out, which indicate that eddy current loss in the steel rotor is dominant and a larger loss was observed in the mixed-/spl mu/ type.


An 81-year-old woman with progressive cough was hospitalized 2 weeks following transcutaneous pacemaker implantation. Imaging revealed an absent brachiocephalic vein and aberrant course of a ventricular lead into the aorta with implantation into the left ventricle. We describe the unusual anatomic course, diagnosis, and surgical extraction of a malpositioned pacer lead.


Goodwill as a phenomenon may seem generally known, but when one delves deep into the definition of the concept, there are many question marks.
- What is goodwill?
- How are goodwill protected for brands?
- Are there any legal rights that ensure that you own "your" goodwill, and in particular, how far does these rights extend?
In the society today, in Sweden and around the EU, there seems to be a hole in the legislation. It does not really catch up on the essence of the goodwill that has become. One speaks of goodwill both legally, financially and within accounting, but the definition is far from homogeneous in the different branches.

The economic importance of goodwill has increased recently with the emerging information society. Today we are influenced by advertising everywhere, in stores, on TV, social media and newspapers. The media flow of information in today's society is enormous and seems to grow larger. Regardless of whether we consciously receive this information or if it is done on a subconscious level, we are constantly building up a feeling and attitude towards brands and their products or services. This has meant that brand-promoting measures, in order to build up their goodwill, have never been as important as today.

This essay investigates the issues concerning the protection that goodwill can receive, both within Swedish law and at EU level. It is an overall economic perspective to highlight the importance of goodwill and also the great financial risk one suffers if someone infringes one's brand.


The second-order hyperpolarizability of two multi-adducts of fullerene, C70 5-aminonitrile and C70 5-dicyandiamide, was measured by using a femtosecond time-resolved optical Kerr effect at 810 nm wavelength. The magnitude was estimated to be as large as 4.1×10-32 esu for C70 5-aminonitrile and 5.8×10-32 esu for C70 5-dicyandimide. This showed that the optical nonlinearity of C70 was strongly enhanced by forming a multi-addition charge-transfer complex.


Bipolar disorder is a chronic and severe mental disorder. Little is known about the experiences of the spouses of such patients. A grounded theory study was undertaken to examine the burden for spouses living with a partner with a bipolar disorder and to explore how they cope and what support they need. Fifteen spouses and ex-spouses were interviewed; they experienced heavy burden and found themselves to be 'alone together.' Their coping process is found to involve appraisal of the situation and attempts to achieve a balance between self-effacement and self-fulfilment. While support can clearly reduce experienced burden, the spouses surprisingly receive virtually no professional support. A theory is developed that constitutes a starting point for the development of adequate support for spouses.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of topical mitomycin C (MMC) on growth factor expression in tympanic membrane (TM) wound healing.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Forty (20 male and 20 female) adult Wistar albino rats that varied from 250 to 300 g in weight were divided into five groups. In the first group, no intervention was performed, and the intact TMs were excised after the rats were sacrificed. In the other groups, both ears of rats underwent an electrocautery myringotomy procedure; MMC was applied to the right ears and saline to the left ones. In all groups, on the 3(rd), 7(th), 14(th), and 30(th) days, macroscopic examinations of TM patency and the expressions of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and keratinocyte growth factor-1 (KGF-1) in TM epithelia, fibroblasts, and macrophages were performed by immunohistochemical staining and compared among the groups.

RESULTS
Complete healing was significantly less in the MMC group with respect to the saline group on the 7(th) and 14(th) days (p<0.05). On immunohistochemical study, no significant differences in the expressions of bFGF or KGF-1 were observed among the groups with one exception; on the 3rd day, the expression of TGF-β1 in macrophages was more elevated in the MMC group than in the saline group (p=0.001).

CONCLUSION
Application of MMC to acute perforations of the TM delays closure and has significant effects on some growth factors for certain durations.


Abstract Purpose We propose a novel method to assess overbeaming and overranging, as well as the effect of reducing longitudinal exposure range, by using a dynamic z‐collimator in area detector computed tomography. Methods and materials A 500‐mm diameter cylindrical imaging plate was exposed by helical scanning in a dark room. The beam collimation of the helical acquisitions was set at 32 and 80 mm. Overbeaming and overranging with the dynamic z‐collimator were measured. Results The actual beam widths were approximately 39 and 88 mm at 32 and 80 mm collimation, respectively, and were relatively reduced owing to increased beam collimation. Overranging was 27.0 and 48.2 mm with a pitch of 0.83 and 1.49 at 32 mm collimation and 72.5 and 83.1 mm with a pitch of 0.87 and 0.99 at 80 mm collimation. The dynamic z‐collimator relatively reduced the overranging by 17.3% and 17.1% for the 32 and 80 mm collimation, respectively. Conclusion We devised a method to simultaneously measure overbeaming and overranging with only one helical acquisition. Although the dynamic z‐collimator reduced the overranging by approximately 17%, wider collimation widths and higher pitch settings would increase the exposure dose outside the scan range.