Introduction: MicroRNAs (miRNAS) are responsible for post-transcriptional gene silencing. Our hypothesis is that dysregulated miRNAs modify gene expression programs in lupus nephritis (LN), leading to sustained pathology. Methods: RNA was extracted from 18 kidney specimens of LN patients and 6 controls, human kidney cell lines and primary monocytes. Direct digital detection of over 700 miRNAs was performed and confirmed by qRT-PCR. Results: A LN-specific miRNA signature was identified, reflecting cell proliferation and inflammation, according to pathway analysis. When compared to normal tissue, a significant decrease in miR-26a and miR-30b was found in LN (p=0.002; p=0.005, respectively). The results were confirmed by qRT-PCR. miR-26a was associated with crescents in kidney specimens, a classic proliferative sign (p=0.04). Human kidney tubular, mesangial and endothelial cells expressed miR-26a and miR-30b. These miRNAs were increased in primary monocytes from lupus patients and in monocytes exposed to immune complexes, a stimulus for terminal differentiation. Conclusions: We identified, for the first time, decreased miR-26a and miR-30b expression in LN. These miRNAs have been implicated in the regulation of proliferation and our finding of an association with crescents and increased expression in monocytes from lupus patients, which are known to be more differentiated and more prone to apoptosis, is consistent with a role in the regulation of pathologic proliferation in LN.


Kantian disinterest is the view that aesthetic judgement is constituted (at least in part) by a form of perceptual contemplation that is divorced from concerns of practical action. That view, which continues to be defended to this day, is challenged here on the basis that it is unduly spectator-focussed, ignoring important facets of art-making and its motivations. Beauty moves us, not necessarily to tears or rapt contemplation, but to practical action; crucially, it may do so as part and parcel of its appreciation. This claim is defended via reflection on (i) the art of photography, (ii) the concepts of 'attentional salience' and 'experienced mandates', and (iii) a virtue-based account of aesthetic value.1


The main objective of the facial edema evaluation is providing the needed information to determine the effectiveness of the anti-inflammatory drugs in development. This paper presents a system that measures the four main variables present in facial edemas: trismus, blush (coloration), temperature, and inflammation. Measurements are obtained by using image processing and the combination of different devices such as a projector, a PC, a digital camera, a thermographic camera, and a cephalostat. Data analysis and processing are performed using MATLAB. Facial inflammation is measured by comparing three-dimensional reconstructions of inflammatory variations using the fringe projection technique. Trismus is measured by converting pixels to centimeters in a digitally obtained image of an open mouth. Blushing changes are measured by obtaining and comparing the RGB histograms from facial edema images at different times. Finally, temperature changes are measured using a thermographic camera. Some tests using controlled measurements of every variable are presented in this paper. The results allow evaluating the measurement system before its use in a real test, using the pain model approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which consists in extracting the third molar to generate the facial edema.


This study examined teachers' training towards implementation of inclusive education in public primary schools in Dodoma Region. The study was focused on examining teachers' training towards the implementation of inclusive education in Public Primary schools in Dodoma region. The study was grounded in Theory of Justice pioneered by John Rawls and was be guided by one research question. The study employed convergent design under mixed approach. Both probability and non-probability sampling techniques was used to sample respondents. Purposive and stratified sampling techniques followed by simple random sampling technique were used to get the respondents. The target population involved 08 DEO's, 13 head teachers, 280 teachers and 11,460 pupils. Probability and non-probability sampling procedures were employed to determine the study sample of 12 schools, 07 DEO's, 12 head teachers, 84 teachers and 386 pupils, making a total of 489 respondents. The instruments used to collect data were questionnaires and interview guides. Reliability of the questionnaire was tested by using Cronbach Alpha formula; while conformability of qualitative data was ensured by increasing transparency with regards to adherence to data collection procedures and ethics. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. The quantitative data were coded and analyzed through frequencies, percentages, and mean scores in tables and interpreted in relation to research questions. The qualitative data were analyzed by coding contents into themes, interpreting direct quotations and presented in narrative form. The findings revealed that, government primary school teachers need to be involved in long-term pre-service training in special needs education to be equipped with knowledge and skills regarding teaching and learning strategies and inclusive classroom management. The study concluded that, special education training in inclusive education practices is essential element to enhance teachers' preparedness to work with special needs pupils as well as enhances their effectiveness in implementing classroom practices, which is a contributing factor to success in inclusive education. The study recommended that Ministry of Education, Science and Technology should organize seminars, workshops and in-service training courses to enhance teachers' effectiveness in implementation of inclusive education.


We give a simple proof of Hanspeter Schmid's result that $K_n:=2\int_0^\infty\cos t\,\prod_{k=0}^n\mathrm{sinc}\left(\frac{t}{2k+1}\right)\mathrm{d}t=\pi/2$ if $n\in\{0,1,\ldots,55\}$, and $K_n<\pi/2$ if $n\geq 56$. Furthermore, we present two sinc integrals where the value $\pi/2$ is undercut as soon as $n\geq 418$ and $n\geq 3091$, respectively.


Regular expression matching is the time-critical operation of many modern intrusion detection systems (IDS). This paper proposes pattern matching algorithm to match regular expression against multigigabit data stream. As usually used regular expressions are only subjectively tested and often generates many false positives/ negatives, proposed algorithm support the possibility to reduce memory requirements by introducing small amount of faults into the pattern matching. Algorithm is based on the perfect hashing and is suitable for hardware implementation.


Fujiwara no Kintō (966-1041) was one of the most eminent men of letters of his time. Highly appreciated poet of compositions both in Chinese and Japanese, expert in music and court ceremonies, compiler of various anthologies including Wakan rōeishū (Collection of Japanese and Chinese Verses for Recitation), he also contributed to the evolution of Japanese poetics, when the canons established by the first imperial anthology, Kokinshū, were at a turning point. This study will examine two of his writings, Shinsen zuinō (Essentials of Poetry, Newly Compiled) and Waka kuhon (Nine Styles of Japanese Poetry), which constitute the manifesto of new proposals, with a focus on concepts such as sugata and yosei.


The problem of x-ray or neutron multiply internally reflected inside a bent single crystal plate (Bragg geometry) is considered. It is found that such multiple reflections lead to the existence of quasi-stationary (QS) states. QS states are discrete and correspond to the resonance of motion of the tie point between the front surface and a `turning place' inside a single crystal.


The Policy is core decisions or action choices that is directly arranges management and distribution of natural resources, financial and man for the benefit of public, namely publics, resident, public or citizen. Policy is result from existence of synergy, compromise or even competition between various ideas, theory, ideology and importances representing political system a state. Because every policy made by government sealalu is concerning public importance, hence the policy called as public policy In the eyes of ideal of bureaucracy undertakes connects importance of state and public with one commitment of service that is increasing from time to time. Thereby a bureaucrat must enjoy the work without making it burden that is impressing weighs, when having to serves public with various the requirement. Bureaucracy is government infrastructure that is widely has duty and the role of as public service. the Duty and role sticks in each bureaucrat, either civil and also military receiving salary from government Hence, aparatur bureaucracy must reflect importances of public to be adopted and orthogonal transformation as position choice in executing the duty and role


Background: Ankle arthrodesis remains the benchmark of treatment for end-stage arthrosis of the ankle joint. Despite that, the incidence of nonunion can be as high as 15%. Various strategies have been used to reduce the incidence of nonunion, including multiple compression screws and larger diameter screws to improve mechanical stability and compression. The space occupied by an increasing amount of hardware across a finite surface area available for fusion has prompted concern that this strategy may be counterproductive and may reduce the biological potential of the construct. The purpose of this study was to look at 40 anatomic sawbone specimens of the ankle to determine the amount of talar surface contact area used by the screw fixation during arthrodesis. Methods: Four groups were created to examine different techniques for arthrodesis. Simulated ankle arthrodeses were done using two- or three-screw fixation with 6.5-mm and 7.3-mm screws. Hardware was subsequently removed and the surface area used by the passing screws was measured. Total surface areas were calculated for each of the 40 specimens. Results: The maximal surface area of the talus occupied by screws occurred when using three 7.3mm screws. This configuration used 16% of the possible talar surface area available for arthrodesis. Conclusion: The use of additional screw fixation when performing an ankle arthrodesis does not sacrifice a major amount of the tibiotalar contact area and will most likely not affect the biologic environment needed to obtain fusion.


The disturbance rejection problem for discrete-time linear systems with both state delay and control delay is considered. Using a model transformation, the time-delay system is transformed into a nondelayed system. The disturbance rejection control law is obtained by solving its optimal regulation problem. A dynamic compensator is designed, which is combined by an internal model principle corresponding to the disturbances and an optimal control law which consists of state and control memory terms and a disturbance compensator. Numerical simulations are used to illustrate the effectiveness of the optimal regulator


The Greek Ministry of Food and Agriculture is proceeding in its commitment to apply reforms of the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2014-2020. Among other measures, in November 2017 two fundamental agricultural projects were introduced: the 4.1.1., which focuses on potential investments in fixed assets and machinery, and the 4.2.3., which relates to potential investments in renewable energy resources such as net-metering systems. Investments in agriculture are considered of critical importance given their potential contribution to the Greek economy. The CAP is undoubtedly an integral and crucial part of the general Common European Policy in terms of agriculture. Nevertheless, European policies have attracted intense negative criticism including from distinguished and Nobel Prize-awarded writers and researchers such as Krugman and Stiglitz. This paper focuses on the probability and sustainability of rural investments dealing simultaneously with a profile analysis of the prospective investors. It consists of two main parts. The theoretical first part presents the special characteristics of the two implemented measures. The second part presents the empirical research carried out with farmers of the area, which was conducted via questionnaires. Participants submitted Action Improvement Plans supporting the 4.1.1 or/and 4.1.3 measures. Data were collected through personal interviews and the opportunity sampling method was used. Data were analyzed through descriptive and inducted statistical methods. This research expands the discussions around the rural investments concept.
Keywords: Common Agricultural Policy, rural development, investments


Dr. Deborah Stine is Professor of the Practice for the Engineering and Public Policy Department and the Associate Director for Policy Outreach for the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). She was Executive Director of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) at the White House from 2009-2012. From 2007-2009, she was a science and technology policy specialist with the Congressional Research Service, where she wrote reports and advised members of Congress on science and technology policy issues.


Abstract Aluminum phosphate-sulfate (APS) minerals formed around the Athabasca unconformity-type deposits and those from their Australian counterparts are chemically very similar showing the same continuum between the diagenetic Sr-rich APS minerals of the barren sandstones and the LREE-rich composition of the APS minerals in the hydrothermally altered sandstone. The P- and LREE-rich compositions were controlled by the transport and the redistribution of P and LREE elements released from the dissolution of phosphate minerals (principally monazite) in the basement rocks and in the basin during the syn-ore alteration processes. The S/Sr ratio measured in the APS minerals from unaltered sandstone away from the unconformity and any mineralization is preserved during the syn-ore alteration processes suggesting that the fluids involved in both the deep burial diagenetic processes and the syn-ore alteration system were derived from a similar diagenetic reservoir in both the Athabasca and Kombolgie regions. The trioctahedral chlorite host-rock alteration around the Australian basement-hosted U deposits, as compared to the illite and sudoite associated with the Athabasca basement-hosted, along with the more LREE-rich APS compositions in the Australian deposits, suggests that the pH and oxygen fugacity (fO₂) of the syn-ore fluids differed in the alteration systems of the two regions at the time of the U deposition.


A simple method for designing doubly terminated all-pole ladder filters using lossy reactive components is described. Losses in series with inductances or in parallel with capacitances may be freely assigned without the constraint of uniformity. The method requires the solution of a set of simultaneous equations; no network analysis is needed. An example of a 7th-order filter is included, and the algorithm for generating the equations is given.


Background As a new strategy for advanced lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) pathway inhibitors have been used in clinic for several years. However, the roles of PD-1, programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), and CD8A in LUAD are still unclear. In the study, we aimed to assess the correlation between the mRNA expression of these three factors and the clinical characteristics of LUAD, and to explore the influence of the PD-1/PD-L1/CD8A axis on the prognosis of LUAD. Methods The mRNA expression data and clinical characteristics of LUAD patients were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The optimal cutoff value for PD-1, PD-L1, and CD8A was determined by Cutoff Finder. The chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables. The prognostic effects of variables were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards model. Results A total of 484 cases were enrolled in this study according to the selection process. The optimal cutoff values for identifying high/low mRNA expression were defined as 27.4 for PD-1, 29.41 for PD-L1, and 95.52 for CD8A. The high expression of PD-1 (P=0.015) and PD-L1 (P=0.027) was more frequent in women than in men. The high expression of PD-1 (P=0.003), PD-L1 (P=0.002), and CD8A (P=0.003) was associated with early T status, whereas CD8A showed a significantly higher expression in both the early stage (P=0.006) and early N stage groups (P=0.031). PD-1, PD-L1, and CD8A were significantly positively correlated among pairs (P<0.001). High expression of each of the three genes was associated with better prognosis (P=0.030 for PD-1, P=0.046 for PD-L1, P=0.019 for CD8A), although the relation did not reach statistical significance in the Cox regression hazards model. Conclusions The study defined a group of cutoff values for PD-1, PD-L1, and CD8A to identify high and low mRNA expression in LUAD. The high expression of PD-1, PD-L1, and CD8A was associated with early T status, and CD8A showed significantly higher expression in both early stage and early N stage groups. Although the high expression of each of these three genes was associated with favorable overall survival (OS), they were not independent prognostic factors.


With the advance of cloud computing and 4G/5G technology, video contents recorded by in-car cameras (i.e., vehicular digital video recorders) can be uploaded to the cloud to facilitate accident analysis, online surveillance, video sharing, etc. However, the cost of uploading such huge volume of video contents via unstable vehicular access networks (including cellular base stations and road-side units) can be considerable by considering the increasing video quality requirement, time constraint, and limited local buffer space. In this paper, we propose an adaptive video recording and uploading scheme to maximize the overall utility of cloud-based in-car video uploading over vehicular access networks. Specifically, the utility function is defined as the weighted sum of bandwidth cost and video quality and we formulate the problem into a constrained Markov decision process (MDP). Based on the theoretic foundation of MDP, we design and implement an algorithm to obtain an adaptive chunk uploading policy for video contents over vehicular access networks. Extensive simulations have been conducted to demonstrate that our policy can achieve the best performance compared with other alternative strategies.


Physical vapor deposition of metal contacts onto thin film organic functional materials is widely used in organic electronic technologies. Using the oligothiophenes (OTs) α-sexithiophene (α-6T) and 2,2′:5′2″-terthiophene (3T) as models for thiophene-containing functional organic films, the metal/organic interface chemistry, metal penetration and reaction depths, and surface metallization processes are investigated and compared for Ag, Al, Mg, and Ca contacts using Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. Ag shows only modest penetration, with some surface metallization but no reaction chemistry on OTs. Al and Ca induce some OTs reaction but exhibit the least propensity to penetrate these films with the greatest ability to metallize on the surface. In contrast, Mg exhibits complete penetration of 5 ML OT films with no reaction chemistry or surface metallization. On 50 ML OT films, however, Mg still exhibits the greatest depth of penetration with no surface metallization but does induce a small amount ...


Hyperkeratosis lenticularis perstans (Flegel's disease) is a rare form of dermatosis, which can only be diagnosed microscopically. A typical case is reported; histological differential diagnosis and treatment with systemic retinoids are discussed.


A killed armadillo-derived Mycobacterium leprae vaccine was examined for its ability to induce a delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response in purified protein derivative (PPD)-positive human volunteers living in a leprosy non-endemic country. Four groups of individuals aged between 23 and 28 years were given 1.5 x 10(7), 5 x 10(7), 1.5 x 10(8) and 5 x 10(8)M. leprae intradermally. A marked increase in reactivity to the M. leprae-derived skin test antigen (MLSA) was observed in the vaccinated groups receiving the three highest doses of vaccine while there was very little change observed in their PPD reactivity. No unacceptable side-effects attributable to the vaccine were observed. The killed armadillo-derived M. leprae vaccine thus appears to be able to induce a DTH response in man at doses which do not cause unacceptable side-effects.


Patient gender and age are considered to be the risk factors for developing drug‐induced liver injury (DILI). The aim of this study was to analyze gender and age differences in reporting of drug‐induced hepatic failure (HF) to the VigiBase™. VigiBase™ was screened for the HF reports submitted from 2000 to 2009. The information retrieved referred to the suspected drug, age, gender, and a reporting country. Variables were examined by using descriptive statistics and the binomial test. During the 10‐year period there were in total 6 370 HF reports from 38 countries. After the exclusion of cases with missing gender data (379 cases), females counted for 54.03%. The largest portion of HF cases referred to age <55 (42.57%) with female predominance (56.81%), whereas age ≥55 (32.57%) showed almost even gender distribution. Overall, there were 941 different drugs or their combinations reported. Females significantly predominated in HF cases associated with analgesics, antiepileptics, antiinflamatory and antirheumatic drugs, psychoanaleptics, antibacterials for systemic use, and antidiabetic drugs. Males were significantly overrepresented in HF cases associated with antivirals for systemic use. Differences between genders and/or age groups in the reporting of drug‐induced HF depend on drug and/or drug class but may be influenced by multiple factors.


Peripheral CD8+ T cells mainly use CD8α/β, and their development is mainly dependent on the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I proteins Kb and Db in H-2b mice. In this report, we have shown that the development of CD8α/β TCR-α/β cells in lymphoid organs as well as in intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (iIELs) is dependent on the MHC class I Kb and Db proteins. In contrast, TCR-α/β CD8α/α cells are found mainly in iIELs, and their numbers are unaffected in KbDb double knockout mice. Most of the TCR-γ/δ cells in the iIELs also bear CD8α/α, and they are also unaffected in KbDb −/− mice. In β2-microglobulin (β2m)-deficient mice, all of the TCR-α/β CD8α/α and CD8α/β T cells disappear, but TCR-γ/δ cells are unaffected by the absence of β2m.


The ability to invade host cells is a key to the survival and pathogenicity of Apicomplexan parasites. Toxoplasma gondii is an obligatory intracellular parasite. Its motility, invasion into, and egression from host cells are powered by a machinery called acto-myosin motor (AMM). The AMM is composed of myosin A, a myosin light chain (MLC1), two essential light chains (ELC)1, 2 and gliding-associated protein (GAP). The GAP family has been discovered to include GAP45, GAP50, GAP80, GAP70 and GAP40, which are the major components of glideosome that provides power for parasite motility. The glideosome of apicomplexan parasites is an actin- and myosin-based power machine located at the pellicle between the plasma membrane (PM) and inner membrane complex (IMC). This review outlines our current understanding of GAP function and architecture as well as the molecular basis for parasite motility. Meanwhile, the use of GAPs as the candidate toxoplasmosis vaccine is prospected.


The present paper deals with a reliability model of a two unit cold standby system that exposed to two types of failures. In each unit there are hardware and software componentes work together and fail independently. there is a single server who visits the system immediately when required. The server inspects the unit in case of software failure and decides either to repair or replace it. The h/w components undergo for repair at their failure and are replaced by new one in case of arriving to maximum repair time. All time distributions are considered to be exponential. Various measures of reliability of the system are obtained using regenerative point technique. Finally simulation study is done to illustrate the results.


An analytical method is described for determining residues of the estrogens zearalenone and/or zearalanol in animal chow at levels as low as 10 ppb. The chow is extracted with methanol and cleaned up by a 3-step procedure employing a Sephadex LH-20 column, liquid-liquid partitioning at pH 13 and 8.3, and a silica gel column. Residues of the 2 compounds, separated on silica gel, are assayed by using high pressure liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. Additional data are also included concerning p-values of the compounds in several solvent systems, Rf values from thin layer chromatography with 9 solvent systems, solubilities in 3 solvents, and a procedure for preparing their pentafluoropropionyl derivatives for analysis by electron capture gas-liquid chromatography.


Objective Recent literature has questioned the accuracy of paramedic diagnosis of congestive heart failure and appropriateness of administration of diuretics. This study determined the agreement between paramedic administration of furosemide and emergency physician diagnosis of congestive heart failure. Treatments administered in the pre-hospital and emergency departments and adverse events are also described. Methods This retrospective study included patients treated with furosemide by paramedics from November 1, 2006 to June 1, 2008. Paramedic reports were matched with Emergency Department (ED) charts. Emergency physician diagnosis, prehospital and ED treatments, adverse events and mortality were identified. Results Of 94 patients, emergency physician diagnosis was congestive heart failure (CHF) in 60 cases, indicating agreement of 63.8% of paramedic administration of furosemide for this diagnosis. Leading alternate diagnoses were: pneumonia (n = 14); acute coronary syndrome (n = 8); chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 7). The rate of death was higher in patients not diagnosed with congestive heart failure (6/28 vs. 2/58, p=0.017). Eight non-fatal adverse events were identified, all were patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure by emergency physicians. Conclusion Paramedic administration of furosemide demonstrates moderate agreement with physician diagnosis of congestive heart failure. This adds to the evidence that diagnosing the cause of dyspnea in the prehospital setting is difficult, most often confused with pneumonia. Paramedics should be cautious when administering furosemide, as it may be related to increased mortality.


Procedurally generating history is a daunting task. The process of proceduralization requires codifying relationships into rules, and real-life histories are tangled networks of people, places, and events whose complexities obscure their relational mechanics. The task is further complicated by the fact that history serves a rhetorical function, i.e., historical accounts are used to promote certain cultural narratives that can belie the facts they purport to narrativize (this function is routinely neglected in video games' treatment of history). This paper describes a novel approach for procedurally generating coherent biographical narratives for historical figures, as implemented in our far-future roguelike game Caves of Qud. Using a state machine and replacement grammar as procedural tools, we construct a system that subverts the logic of cause and effect in favor of a process that first generates historical events and rationalizes them ex post facto.


Abstract Background: Universities are at risk for COVID-19 and Fall semester begins in August 2020 for most campuses in the United States. The Southern States, including Mississippi, are experiencing a high incidence of COVID-19. Aims: The objective of this study is to model the impact of face masks and hybrid learning on the COVID-19 epidemic on Mississippi State University (MSU) campus. Methods: We used an age structured deterministic mathematical model of COVID-19 transmission within the MSU campus population, accounting for asymptomatic transmission. We modeled facemasks for the campus population at varying proportions of mask use and effectiveness, and Hyflex model of partial online learning with reduction of people on campus. Results: Facemasks can substantially reduce cases and deaths, even with modest effectiveness. Even 20% uptake of masks will halve the epidemic size. Facemasks combined with Hyflex reduces epidemic size even more. Conclusions: Universal use of face masks and reducing the number of people on campus may allow safer universities reopening.


The development of high-resolution positron emission tomography (PET) devices is an area of increasing interest to engineers and physicists. Because this technology is eminently translatable to the clinic, PET is becoming established as an invaluable - if not the premier - molecular imaging technique. This paper gives an overview of the clinical applications of PET and dual modality CT-PET systems as well as the challenges in small-animal PET imaging.


Background: Epidemiological data are limited regarding clinical characteristic of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in India. Aim: The aim was to assess ADRs with reference to the causative drugs, seriousness and their other clinical characteristics in Indian tertiary care teaching hospital. Methods: A spontaneous reporting based ADR monitoring study was conducted over a period of 2 years. The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of an ADR and its seriousness was adopted. The organ system involvement was labeled by WHO-ADR terminology. ADRs were analyzed for causality by Naranjo's algorithm, preventability by modified Schumock and Thornton's criteria and types of reactions by Rawlins and Thompson classification. Subgroup analysis was performed between serious and non-serious reactions. Results: Of the total of 135 reactions reported 111 reactions from 97 patients were included for analysis. The incidences of overall and serious ADRs were 0.25 and 0.06 per 1000 patients, respectively. The most commonly implicated organ systems were skin and appendages (52.25%). The major causative drug classes were antimicrobials (40.28%), central nervous system (23.61%) and autacoids (15.97%). About twothirds of the reactions (65.77%) were classified as probable and one-tenth (8.10%) as preventable. The factors significantly associated with serious reactions were age group 40-60 years (odds ratio [OR]: 5.51), parenteral drugs (OR: 2.96), central and peripheral nervous system disorders (OR: 5.06), body as a whole - general disorders (OR: 9.05) and acute onset reactions (OR: 52.62). Conclusion: Antimicrobials are common causative agents. Cohort study is recommended to confirm the risk factors of serious ADRs in Indian population.


In a retrospective cohort study we compared the clinical outcome and complications, including dysphagia, following anterior cervical fusion for the treatment of cervical spondylosis using either a zero-profile (Zero-P; Synthes) implant or an anterior cervical plate and cage. A total of 83 patients underwent fusion using a Zero-P and 107 patients underwent fusion using a plate and cage. The mean follow-up was 18.6 months (SD 4.2) in the Zero-P group and 19.3 months (SD 4.1) in the plate and cage group. All patients in both groups had significant symptomatic and neurological improvement. There were no significant differences between the groups in the Neck Disability Index (NDI) and visual analogue scores at final follow-up. The cervical alignment improved in both groups. There was a higher incidence of dysphagia in the plate and cage group on the day after surgery and at two months post-operatively. All patients achieved fusion and no graft migration or nonunion was observed. When compared with the traditional anterior cervical plate and cage, the Zero-P implant is a safe and convenient procedure giving good results in patients with symptomatic cervical spondylosis with a reduced incidence of dysphagia post-operatively.


We are presenting a case of 37 years old male with large lipoma of the right thigh. We discuss the clinical presentation, diagnosis and surgical treatment of the case. Large dimensions (35cm x 30cm) and the intramuscular origin of the tumour in the anteromedial aspect of right thigh are its particular features. Tumour is treated by successful surgical


This paper describes ceramic feedthrough capacitor electromagnetic interference (EMI) broadband filter design and installation techniques that generally make cardiac pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) immune to EMI from handheld wireless communication devices (including cellular phones) and other RF emitters. A typical cardiac pacemaker with four platinum lead wires which egress through a titanium housing (can) via a gold brazed alumina hermetic terminal is studied. The titanium can is seam welded to act both as an electromagnetic shield and a hermetic barrier to protect the internal components from body fluids. These lead wires, which normally carry the pacing pulses and sense cardiac activity, can also act as an antenna and conduct undesirable RF carrier signals (such as EMI induced by cellular phones) to sensitive internal electronic circuits. The EMI filter design described herein effectively de-couples and shields such signals over a broad frequency range before they can enter into the titanium can and disrupt normal pacemaker or ICD functions.


ABSTRACT Introduction: In high-risk cardiac surgical patients the intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) is the most frequent used tool for temporary mechanical circulatory support during the perioperative phase. The effects of IABP are an increase in diastolic blood pressure, an improvement in coronary perfusion and a reduction of ventricular afterload, so it increases the stroke volume and cardiac output. Objective: To study the effect of preoperative use of intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) on the outcome of high-risk patients that were subjected to coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Methods: From June 2009 to June 2011. Group of 100 patients considered as high-risk patients were subjected to elective bypass cardiac surgery at our center. Forty patients subjected to preoperative IABP as a prophylactic measure and 60 patients were not subjected to IABP. This is retrospective study of prospectively collected data .The definition of High risk was the presence of two or more known risk factors. The patient's outcome is compared regarding the predicted mortality of the Euro SCORE. The preoperative effect of IABP on the outcome, mortality and 30 days follow-up was statistically analyzed. Results: Forty patients subjected to preoperative IABP as prophylactic measure due to higher Euro SCORE-predicted mortality than other 60 patients did not subject to IABP(60% vs 40 %, P = ˂0.05). Seventy patients (70%) were male while (30%) were female with a mean age of 58.62 ± 9.65 years. Patients subjected to preoperative IABP had increased a percentage of hospital mortality (P = ˂0.05) but this percentage is relatively lower than predicted by Euro SCORE.    Patients subjected to preoperative IABP had lower rate of postoperative complication (acute kidney insult (P = 0.045), cardiac surgical intensive care unit (CSICU) stay (P = 0.032) and decrease the need for postoperative inotrope (P = 0.046)) compared to patients without preoperative IABP use. Other complications postoperative were low and similar in both groups. Conclusions: We conclude that patients have high-risk CABG, the preoperative IABP in this group with higher predicted mortality was associated with a relative reduction than predicted by Euro score. The preoperative IABP in this group has a reliable and acceptable outcome on postoperative complications. Keywords: intra-aortic balloon pump, High Risk, Cardiac Surgery


PURPOSE
To assess the feasibility and safety of using cooled-tip electrodes to increase the volume of coagulation necrosis obtained or reduce the number of treatment sessions necessary with percutaneous tumor radio-frequency (RF) ablation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Twenty-nine patients with 44 hepatic metastases (1.3-5.1 cm diameter) from colorectal (n = 22), gastric (n = 5), pancreatic (n = 1), or breast (n = 1) carcinoma were treated with RF ablation using cooled-tip, 18-gauge electrodes with 2-3 cm tip exposure. Each tumor was treated in one or two treatment sessions.

RESULTS
Technical success, ablation of all visualized tumor, was achieved in 40 (91%) metastases. Findings at computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging performed 3-6 months after treatment confirmed complete necrosis of the entire metastasis in 66%. Disease-free survival was 50% at 12 months and 33% at 18 months, with localized progression of disease in 34% of treated lesions. Overall survival was 100%, 94%, and 89% at 6, 12, and 18 months, respectively. Only one complication, self-limited hemorrhage, was seen.

CONCLUSION
Use of cooled-tip electrodes was a safe and feasible adjunct for tumor RF ablation therapy that produced larger volumes of coagulation necrosis with fewer electrode insertions than is produced with other RF ablation techniques.


Gestational Trophoblastic Diseases (GTD) are characterized by abnormal proliferation of different trophoblastic cells during placentation. Gestational Trophoblastic Diseases include complete mole, partial mole, invasive mole, placental site trophoblastic tumor and choriocarcinoma. The aim of the study is to determine the incidence of hydatidiform mole, invasive mole, persistent trophoblastic disease and choriocarcinoma and to evaluate the histomorphological features of Gestational Trophoblastic Diseases with light microscopy The study is conducted between three year period from October 2008 to September 2011. The total number of pregnancies encountered in the three years period was 34,649.Total no of live births reported was 33794.A total of 13,593 biopsies were received in the department of pathology, Thanjavur medical college during the period of 3years. Among these, 326 were gynecological neoplasms, The analysis of biopsies and hysterectomy specimens revealed 55 cases of hydatidiform mole, 1 case of invasive mole, 6 cases of choriocarcinoma and 1 case of persistent trophoblastic disease.The spectrum of gestational trophoblastic disease included in this study were hydatidiform mole 55(87.3%), invasive mole 1 (1.58%), choriocarcinoma 6 (9.5%). The incidence of gestational trophoblastic diseases is found to be 1 in 550 pregnancies. The incidence of hydatidiform mole is found to be 1 in 630 pregnancies , incidence of invasive mole is found to be 1 in 35714 pregnancies and the incidence of choriocarcinoma is found to be 1 in 5780 pregnancies .Hydatidiform mole was found to be highest in the age group of 21 – 30 years (70.9%), whereas choriocarcinoma was widely distributed in the age group of 21 – 40 years. Hydatidiform mole were more common in the primi para followed by para 3 and para 2. Choriocarcinoma was found to have an equal occurrence in 2nd, 3rd and 4th parity. Complete mole constituted about 69.08% of cases and partial mole constituted about 30.9 %cases . The incidence of gestational trophoblastic diseases was found to be 1 in 597 live births. Choriocarcinoma following an antecedent molar pregnancy and term pregnancy have an equal incidence.


The last few years have witnessed a significant growth in the number of identity management solutions. Because of the nature of the information that is handled by such systems, and because of their potential ubiquity, privacy and practicality issues are of great importance for such schemes. This book aims to provide an academic overview of the concepts of identity and identity management. It focuses on two categories of identity management systems, namely Information Card-based (ICIM) and Federated identity management systems. In addition to that, two novel schemes to enhance the privacy of identity management systems are given. The first aims to improve the privacy of ICIM systems, and the second aims to enhance user authentication within by adding an additional authentication layer. With regard to practicality, the book presents two novel schemes designed to enhance the practicality of identity management systems. The first enables the integration of ICIM and Federated identity management systems; whereas the second scheme aims to enhance the practicality of Federated identity management systems by introducing a framework for delegation services.


Pair bonding leads to increases in dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) binding in the nucleus accumbens of monogamous prairie voles. In the current study, we hypothesized that there is similar up‐regulation of D1R in a monogamous primate, the titi monkey (Callicebus cupreus). Receptor binding of the D1R antagonist [11C]‐SCH23390 was measured in male titi monkeys using PET scans before and after pairing with a female. We found that within‐subject analyses of pairing show significant increases in D1R binding in the lateral septum, but not the nucleus accumbens, caudate, putamen, or ventral pallidum. The lateral septum is involved in a number of processes that may contribute to social behavior, including motivation, affect, reward, and reinforcement. This region also plays a role in pair bonding and paternal behavior in voles. Our observations of changes in D1R in the lateral septum, but not the nucleus accumbens, suggest that there may be broadly similar dopaminergic mechanisms underlying pair bonding across mammalian species, but that the specific changes to neural circuitry differ. This study is the first research to demonstrate neuroplasticity of the dopamine system following pair bonding in a non‐human primate; however, substantial variability in the response to pairing suggests the utility of further research on the topic.


Literature data indicate that some calixarene derivatives with antimicrobial activities may be useful as drugs; one of the aspects of the biological activity of different classes of antibiotics concerns interactions with lipid membranes. Here, the possibility of incorporation and/or translocation of three amphiphilic p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene derivatives across membranes was studied using lipid monolayers. The derivatives used have 6-aminopenicillanic acid or benzylpenicillin moieties grafted in alternate positions at the calixarene lower rim; 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DMPE), a model bacterial membrane lipid, was used to prepare the monolayers. The miscibility of calixarene-antibiotic conjugates with lipid films was studied using surface pressure and surface potential measurements, as well as Brewster angle microscopy. The results obtained show that the miscibility is significantly different for the 6-aminopenicillanic acid and the two benzylpenicillin derivatives. Molecular modeling allowed the assessment of the lowest energy conformations of the calixarene derivatives and gave more insight into the interactions with the DMPE films.


This study investigates the phonetic realizations of Thai tones in monomoraic syllables produced with three different speeds. The results do not support previous claim that tones in monomoraic syllables are neutralized to mid, and lend support to a phonological representation in which the mora is associated to either H or no tone at all. In normal speech, a /H/ vs. / / opposition is found. In slow speech, a /H/ vs. /L/ distinction is found. Past research used the contrastive tonal status observed in slow speech as evidence to posit the underlying high and low tones for monomoraic syllables. In the present study, it is argued that the moraic association of the phonological low tone takes place as a result of glottal stop insertion.


Purpose: The aim was to evaluate the effects of ovarian cortex vitrification on follicle number and morphology. Materials and Methods: We excised approximately 5 mm of ovarian tissue from one ovary of each of 10 reproductive aged women who underwent surgery for the removal of benign ovarian tumors. A cryoprotectant agent containing 7.5% dimethylsulphoxide and 7.5% ethylene glycol was added to the ovarian cortex. Post-vitri fi cation ovarian cortex was placed in a Cryotissue device and frozen in liquid nitrogen. We evaluated the shape and number of the follicles as well as the granulosa cell layers. The quality of the follicles was evaluated based on the morphological integrity of the oocytes, granulosa cells, and basal membranes as determined by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Results: The median age of the patients was 33 years (range: 28-40 years). The mean number of follicles per patient was 17 ± 7. After thawing, 59 primordial follicles (35.3%), 45 (26.9%) primary follicles and 6 (3.5%) secondary follicles were retrieved. The remaining follicles (34.1%) were atretic. There was a signi fi cant relationship between number of follicles and age ( P = 0.012, r = − 0751). No differences were found in the morphology of the granulosa cells, stroma or collagen in both groups. The number of primordial follicles, primary follicles, secondary follicles, and follicular atresia were not signi fi cantly different before and after vitri fi cation. Conclusion: In our study, vitri fi cation does not cause signi fi cant changes to the morphology and number of follicles.


Abstract Serine deficiency disorders can result from deficiency in one of three enzymes. Deficiency of the second enzyme, 3-phosphoserine aminotransferase (PSAT), has been reported in two siblings; the eldest investigated for acquired microcephaly, spasticity and epilepsy. Our patient had neurological symptoms at birth. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 35-week gestation demonstrated microencephaly and gyral simplification (anterior > posterior) which was confirmed upon postnatal MRI. Congenital microcephaly was apparent at birth. PSAT deficiency was confirmed when exome sequencing identified biallelic mutations in PSAT1 and biochemical testing noted low plasma serine and cerebral spinal fluid serine. Despite oral serine and glycine supplementation at 4 months old, the patient showed little neurodevelopmental progress and developed epileptic spasms at 10 months old. PSAT deficiency should be considered for patients with congenital microcephaly. Although further characterization of MRI findings in other patients is required, microencephaly with simplified gyral pattern could provide imaging clues for this rare metabolic disorder.


We attempt to show the unique nature of Grice's Cooperation Principle within the analytic discourse. The analytic alliance is the transference of Grice's maxims to the Other: Due to the split of the ego, the imaginary conscious speech has to violate the maxims for them to return in inverted form as the discourse of the Other (unconscious), and hence attain to the maxims. For each of Grice's categories (quantity, quality, relation, and manner), we check this hypothesis against examples from Freud and Lacan. Psychoanalysis centers on discourse. This discourse is not only a means for therapy. By his speech, the analysand recognizes his unconscious, that speech-making existence from absence (lack) is in itself a symptom undergoing the 'talking cure'. The analytic discourse is characterized as a therapeutic pact between analysand and analyst: The analysand loses himself in words and says whatever comes to mind with no censorship or judgment, subjecting himself to the Other. The analyst meeting the analysand's 'free associations' with 'evently suspended attention' situate himself in the locus of that Other reflecting the discourse of the Other. By its nature, this pact cultivates transference. Transference is a speech act, so such discourse is not a hermeneutic interpretation but a working-through of the speaker's identity (who he is: age, role, and whom is he calling).


One goal in Bayesian machine learning is to encode prior knowledge into prior distributions, to model data efficiently. We consider prior knowledge from systems of linear (partial and ordinary) differential equations together with their boundary conditions. We construct multi-output Gaussian process priors with realizations dense in the solution set of such systems, in particular any solution (and only such solutions) can be represented to arbitrary precision by Gaussian process regression. The construction is fully algorithmic via Grobner bases and it does not employ any approximation. It builds these priors combining two parametrizations via a pullback: the first parametrizes the solutions for the system of differential equations and the second parametrizes all functions adhering to the boundary conditions.


A Search for the stochastic complexity of the observed data, as the greates lower bound with which the data can be encoded, represents a global maximum likelihood principle, which permits comparison of models regardless of the number of parameters in them. For important special classes, such as the guassian and the multinomial models, formulas for the stochastic complexity give new and powerful model selection criteria,while in the general case approximations can be computed with the MDL principle. Once a model is found with which the stochastic complexity is reached, there is nothing further to learn from the data with the proposed models. The basic notions are reviewed and numerical examples are given.


ABSTRACT Expression of the cytoprotective enzyme heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is significantly reduced in the brain prefrontal cortex of HIV-positive individuals with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Furthermore, this HO-1 deficiency correlates with brain viral load, markers of macrophage activation, and type I interferon responses. In vitro, HIV replication in monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) selectively reduces HO-1 protein and RNA expression and induces production of neurotoxic levels of glutamate; correction of this HO-1 deficiency reduces neurotoxic glutamate production without an effect on HIV replication. We now demonstrate that macrophage HO-1 deficiency, and the associated neurotoxin production, is a conserved feature of infection with macrophage-tropic HIV-1 strains that correlates closely with the extent of replication, and this feature extends to HIV-2 infection. We further demonstrate that this HO-1 deficiency does not depend specifically upon the HIV-1 accessory genes nef, vpr, or vpu but rather on HIV replication, even when markedly limited. Finally, antiretroviral therapy (ART) applied to MDM after HIV infection is established does not prevent HO-1 loss or the associated neurotoxin production. This work defines a predictable relationship between HIV replication, HO-1 loss, and neurotoxin production in MDM that likely reflects processes in place in the HIV-infected brains of individuals receiving ART. It further suggests that correcting this HO-1 deficiency in HIV-infected MDM could provide neuroprotection above that provided by current ART or proposed antiviral therapies directed at limiting Nef, Vpr, or Vpu functions. The ability of HIV-2 to reduce HO-1 expression suggests that this is a conserved phenotype among macrophage-tropic human immunodeficiency viruses that could contribute to neuropathogenesis. IMPORTANCE The continued prevalence of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) underscores the need for adjunctive therapy that targets the neuropathological processes that persist in antiretroviral therapy (ART)-treated HIV-infected individuals. To this end, we previously identified one such possible process, a deficiency of the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory enzyme heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in the brains of individuals with HAND. In the present study, our findings suggest that the HO-1 deficiency associated with excess glutamate production and neurotoxicity in HIV-infected macrophages is a highly conserved phenotype of macrophage-tropic HIV strains and that this phenotype can persist in the macrophage compartment in the presence of ART. This suggests a plausible mechanism by which HIV infection of brain macrophages in ART-treated individuals could exacerbate oxidative stress and glutamate-induced neuronal injury, each of which is associated with neurocognitive dysfunction in infected individuals. Thus, therapies that rescue the HO-1 deficiency in HIV-infected individuals could provide additional neuroprotection to ART.


Nowadays, nanostructured titania and titanate materials have been widely studied due to their multi-function properties. In particular, titanate nanotubes have received a great deal of attention because of large surface area that leads to a wide variety of applications, including secondary lithium batteries, dye sensitized solar cells, catalysts and bio-composite [1-6]. Titanate nanotubes have also been tested for use as photocatalysts in heterogeneous photodegradation and have shown excellent performance for degrading textile dyes, which makes them very important ecomaterials [7]. The exploitation of this material in the photochemical and sensor are also appears promising [8-10]. However, high temperature within the range of 100-700 °C are necessary in these applications, for example, for oxygen sensors in car exhaust management. Therefore, the investigation on the thermal stability of synthesized titanate nanotubes on crystal structure and morphological properties is importance in order to retain their performance activity. This is interesting subject for new investigations in order to further elucidate the nature and the thermally induced structural transition and morphological evolution of this material. Thus, this paper study the thermal stability on morphology and crystal Thermal Stability on Morphology and Crystal Structures of Hydrothermally


Malaria is one of the most common diseases imported to the Czech Republic with an upward trend in incidence. Travelers are leaving for abroad without antimalarial prophylaxis or refuse preventive antimalarial drugs. Failure to comply with antimalarial prophylaxis in high-risk areas can lead to malaria infection which may manifest itself even after returning home. As the disease is often mistaken for influenza, any traveler to malaria risk areas who presents with fever needs to be tested for malaria. Individual preventive measures consist in the correct use of repellents, insecticides, and bed nets LLITNs, wearing light colored clothing, and regular use of antimalarial prophylaxis.


The authors discuss the use of autotransfusion in elective surgery. Three hundred hip arthoplasty had been performed between September, 1989 and November, 1993 at their department, in 259 cases of which (86%) autotransfusion had been used by means of preoperative blood donation. Studying the methods cost effectiveness, they point out that, due to their calculation, 270 patients had donated altogether 531 units of whole blood (213.6 liters) during the examined period, of 1,062,000 Fts value. This method compared with the perioperative hemodilution and the intraoperatively collected autotransfusion technique, is more profitable, considering that there is no need of extra instrumentation and both the duration of operation and anaesthesia take no longer. Thus, the blood-donating patient takes part in the treating process, becoming and active factor of his own cure. Of the different methods of autotransfusion, the authors suggest the use of preoperative blood-donation to every department performing elective surgery because of its simpleness, cost-effectiveness and security.


Retracing elementary mathematics. Macmillan This book is a pedagogically oriented deductive development of the real number system from postulates for the positive integers. One might say this was also the aim of Landau's Grundlagen der Analysis. But what a difference! The Landau classic has one hundred thirty-four small pages and is pitilessly direct; in contrast, the Henkin-Smith-Varineau-Walsh book has over four hundred large pages and is unusually replete with clear explanations and adequate motivations for the progression of ideas. Of the countless noteworthy features we mention a few. There are preliminary chapters on intuitive set theory and logic. Then, in Chapter IX, the essentials of set theory are developed from the Zermelo postulates (in the form not including Ur-elemente). This chapter is followed by one on mathematical logic, limited to the sentential calculus and contrasting the semantic with the formal syntactic aspects. The categoricalness, i.e., with respect to standard models, of the Peano postulates (slightly modified) is nicely emphasized by considering first the non-categorical partial system with but two of the axioms, namely associativity and induction. While the general recursion theorem justifying definition by induction is not proved, it is mentioned, and a special case of it, for multiplication, is proved in an appendix. There is a chapter on counting (i.e., on the number of elements in a finite set) and a section on Arabic numerals, defined as special ordered sequences of the digits (the numbers 0, • • • , 9). The various "extensions" of the number system are beautifully organized and compared with their abstract counterparts — indeed, model-theoretic and abstract algebraic notions, carefully explained, are very much in evidence. A generation of teachers educated by this book would do wonders for the future of mathematics.


Although the superior properties of compacted graphite iron (CGI) are well known, its application to the series production of complex castings such as passenger car engine blocks has been precluded by the absence of a reliable foundry production technique. Despite the narrow chemistry range over which high quality CGI is stable, recent advances in cast iron foundry process control technology now serve as the starting point for a comprehensive CGI engine development program at Adam Opel AG. The Opel CGI program originated with the 2.5 liter V6 DTM racing engine which now delivers 2.7 times more power and weights 20% less than the standard grey iron production. Acoustical evaluations were then performed on identically designed 2.0 liter Family 2 engines to show that the audible noise level of the CGI engine was 1.1 to 1.5 dB(A) less than that of the grey iron engine. Simultaneously the 35% higher elastic modulus of CGI relative to conventional grey iron resulted in a 7% increase of the torsional vibration frequency. Other benefits realized from the CGI studies include a 70% reduction in bore distortion, 44% improvement in honed surface roughness (Ra) and more than 40% improvement in cylinder bore wear resistance. As amore » result of these positive results Opel has recently undertaken a complete redesign of its 1.4/1.6 liter Family 1 gasoline engine block for series production. The new CGI block is 29.4% lighter than its grey iron predecessor while providing the same power output (105 hp). The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the compacted graphite iron engine development programs at Adam Opel AG.« less


Mapping activities for the implementation of basic and executive projects for electric power transmission lines systematically involves topographic surveys. This study presents the results of a comparative study on the influence of the density of aerial survey points, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), for the calculation of digital terrain models (DTMs) in typical areas of the northeastern region of Brazil, in the context of modeling ground for planning electricity transmission lines. The study area is the region covered by the 230 kV Ibicoara/Brumado transmission line, located in the state of Bahia/Brazil.. In part of this region, elevations of the mountains of the Western Edge of Chapada Diamantina predominate. Therefore, points with varying densities were used to interpolate DTMs in different environments. Point cloud classification (Airborne LiDAR) was performed using the TerraScan program using semi-automatic classification methods, followed by manual refinements. To evaluate the terrain models obtained with different point densities, four areas were selected under transmission line: Area 1 (24.4/m2), Area 2 (46.0/m2), Area 3 (33.7/m2) e Area 4 (29.7/m2). The Airborne LiDAR survey was performed with an Optech ALTM Pegasus HD500 sensor, calibrated to obtain a density of 15 points/m2. The results showed that, depending on the nature of the vegetation cover, less dense laser surveys do not offer enough quality to generate DTMs. However, in some cases, when the vegetation is denser and the terrain is not flat, the quality of the DTM decreases as the density of the points decreases. The study shows that the survey density must be suitable for the region to be analyzed. An important guideline would be to repeat this study in other areas with different coverage and relief variations, in order to create specifications to serve as a basis for planning LiDAR surveys on other transmission lines.


in the asthmatic condition-namely, the measurement of airway resistance either by the body plethysmograph, the interrupter technique, or by means of plotting flow against transpulmonary pressure during flow. Although these other indices give useful information they are not as practical as the indirect M.B.C. in assessing the change in the asthmatic condition, and anyhow not many people are equipped with body plethysmographs. Asthma by definition means difficult breathing, and in the great majority of the cases of asthma it is simply the " bellows " function of the lungs that becomes impaired. The indirect M.B.C. (or F.E.V.) gives an overall measure of this bellows function whatever the cause of impairment may be, and is now widely used as an index of change in asthma and other lung conditions.-We are, etc.,


Abstract In a challenge to our notions of what constitutes live performance, Philip Auslander illustrates his discussion through the technology of the 'chatterbot'. Auslander intimates that the ontological origin of the performer is not of primary importance when deciding whether or not a performance can be considered 'live.' To explore this crisis, I propose that we imagine a hypothetical machine, a theoretical construct inspired by Auslander's suggestion that machines are capable of live performance; this machine, 'Auslander's Robot,' can be built to demonstrate the theories that Auslander has outlined in his work on performance, presence, resistance, liveness, and the postmodern body. Such a construct may give us a deeper understanding of these theories and a deeper understanding of the nature of live performance. In each of these instances, we find that a distinction must be made regarding such terms when used in a technological context against a cultural context; sometimes these categories intersect. Chatterbots destabilize notions of presence and liveness based on analog technology and the ontological status of the body; the Mars Rover is capable of performing resistance; autonomous robots such as those built by the MIT Humanoid Robotics Group are capable of demonstrating Auslander's principle of the postmodern body. This paper suggests that we define 'performance' as 'the transmission of cultural content' (or 'liveness') and define 'theatre' as 'the transmission of cultural content through the medium of the body' (or 'lifeness').


New three-coordinate and electronically unsaturated aluminum hydride [LAlH]+ [HB(C6 F5 )3 ]- (LH=[{(2,6-iPr2 C6 H3 N)P(Ph2 )}2 N]H) and aluminum methyl [LAlMe]+ [MeB(C6 F5 )3 ]- cations have been prepared. The quantitative estimation of Lewis acidity by Gutmann-Beckett method revealed [LAlH]+ [HB(C6 F5 )3 ]- to be better Lewis acid than B(C6 F5 )3 and AlCl3 making these compounds ideal catalysts for Lewis acid-mediated reactions. To highlight that the work is of fundamental importance, catalytic hydroboration of aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes and ketones have been demonstrated. Important steps of the catalytic cycle have been probed by using multinuclear NMR measurements, including successful characterization of the proposed aluminum benzyloxide cationic intermediate, [LAl-O-CH2 Ph]+ [HB(C6 F5 )3 ]- . The proposed catalytic cycle has been found to be consistent with experimental observations and computational studies clearly indicating the migration of hydride from cationic aluminum center to the carbonyl carbon is the rate-limiting step of the catalytic cycle.


Pay-for-Creativity is a type of compensation system designed to motivate and retain employees in an organization. Traditionally, professionals are motivated extrinsically, intrinsically, or a combination of both to think creatively. This study suggests that an individual's motivation alone does not lead to creativity or retention. Other factors contribute to creative thinking. This study argues that the most effective way to foster creativity is to provide individuals with a tangible reward.


1. The method of breeding six different insect species on a 'synthetic' diet consisting of casein, starch or glucose, chloesterol, yeast, salts and water has been described, and the relative importance of the constituents, carbohydrates, sterols and yeast, has been analysed. 2. If the diet contains water-soluble yeast extract instead of whole yeast, it becomes deficient in sterols and another factor contained in the insoluble fraction of yeast. 3. Some of the insects under investigations require carbohydrates and others not. The presence or absence of carbohydrates is shown to be a determining factor in the distribution of insects on different foods. 4. The composition of the 'synthetic' diet is compared with that of similar diets devised for similar purposes by other authors.


We present a case in which a single stage hybrid repair was successfully for a complicated acute type B dissection of the aortic arch involvement in a 63-year-old male patient. We performed a combination of different techniques; left subclavian artery debranching, elephant trunk insertion without aortic arch replacement, and thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) from antegrade approach. The postoperative course was successful, and the patient was discharged on day 11 after surgery. A-half-year's follow up computed tomography (CT) scan showed shrinkage of thrombus lumen, vascular reverse remodeling.


Corporations, business groups and other business organizations are increasingly concerned about social challenges that directly impact the future of capitalism. Colombia's Fundacion Social (FS)−a century-old Latin American business group − has from its start operated under two different but closely intertwined rationales: as a market, profit-seeking player; and as a civil society organization practicing solidarity. Social aims are at the core of FS' mission, and business firms are instrumental. Remarkably, despite decades of growth as a ranking business group, FS' underlying objective remained grounded in concern for the poor: ʻʻTo fight the structural causes of poverty.''


With the advent of the Internet, most organizations offer more and more access to their information systems in order to increase their benefits. However, such an opening may cause security issues if sufficient precautions are not taken. An adequate solution to secure access to information systems consists in (1) defining the sufficient security policies and (2) ensuring their correct deployment on a given technological infrastructure. The present paper deals with the first point by introducing a formal approach that permits to develop a secure filter for an information system that respects different kinds of security rules: functional, static and dynamic rules. The proposed approach uses the SecureUML language to express the static rules and adapts the UML activity diagrams for dynamic ones while the structure of the manipulated data and the functionalities are expressed using a UML class diagram. Starting from these graphical notations, the approach consists in mapping them into a B formal specification to ensure their consistency and validate the system. Finally, a proved filter, which permits to take into account different security rules, is formally derived using the B refinement technique.


Amberlyst A21 catalyzed one-pot three-component coupling of aldehyde and malononitrile with active methylene compounds such as acetylacetone and ethyl acetoacetate for the synthesis of pharmaceutically important polyfunctionalized 4H-pyrans has been reported. Simple experimental procedure, no chromatographic puri�cation, no hazardous organic solvents, easy recovery and reusability of the catalyst, and room temperature reaction conditions are some of the highlights of this protocol for the synthesis of pharmaceutically relevant focused libraries.


A self-report questionnaire was devised to assess cognitive distortions of a general depressogenic nature and ones specifically related to concerns about food, eating, shape, and weight. This questionnaire was administered to three groups: those established by interview to experience bulimic episodes, those reporting bulimic episodes on a self-report questionnaire (but not confirmed by interview), and controls. The group definitely experiencing bulimic episodes was found to differ from the others in terms of the extent of personalization, overgeneralization, catastrophization, and selective abstraction in relation to themes concerning food, eating, shape, and weight. This difference remained when the effect of more general depressogenic distortions was removed statistically.


Over 60% of Australian PhD graduates land their first job after graduation outside academia, but this job market remains largely hidden to these job seekers. Employers' low awareness and interest in attracting PhD graduates means that the term "PhD" is rarely used as a keyword in job advertisements; 80% of companies looking to employ similar researchers do not specifically ask for a PhD qualification. As a result, typing in "PhD" to a job search engine tends to return mostly academic jobs. We set out to make the market for advanced research skills more visible to job seekers. In this paper, we present PostAc, an online platform of authentic job postings that helps PhD graduates sharpen their career thinking. The platform is underpinned by research on the key factors that identify what an employer is looking for when they want to hire a highly skilled researcher. Its ranking model leverages the free-form text embedded in the job description to quantify the most sought-after PhD skills and educate information seekers about the Australian job-market appetite for PhD skills. The platform makes visible the geographic location, industry sector, job title, working hours, continuity, and wage of the research intensive jobs. This is the first data-driven exploration in this field. Both empirical results and online platform will be presented in this paper.


Clinical interventions can cause changes in tissue perfusion, oxygenation or temperature. Real-time imaging of these phenomena could be useful for surgical strategy or understanding of physiological regulation mechanisms. Two noncontact imaging techniques were applied for imaging of large tissue areas: LED based multispectral imaging (MSI, 17 different wavelengths 370 nm-880 nm) and thermal imaging (7.5 to 13.5 μm). Oxygenation concentration changes were calculated using different analyzing methods. The advantages of these methods are presented for stationary and dynamic applications. Concentration calculations of chromophores in tissue require right choices of wavelengths The effects of different wavelength choices for hemoglobin concentration calculations were studied in laboratory conditions and consequently applied in clinical studies. Corrections for interferences during the clinical registrations (ambient light fluctuations, tissue movements) were performed. The wavelength dependency of the algorithms were studied and wavelength sets with the best results will be presented. The multispectral and thermal imaging systems were applied during clinical intervention studies: reperfusion of tissue flap transplantation (ENT), effectiveness of local anesthetic block and during open brain surgery in patients with epileptic seizures. The LED multispectral imaging system successfully imaged the perfusion and oxygenation changes during clinical interventions. The thermal images show local heat distributions over tissue areas as a result of changes in tissue perfusion. Multispectral imaging and thermal imaging provide complementary information and are promising techniques for real-time diagnostics of physiological processes in medicine.


It is proposed that a size scale may be introduced into a crystal plasticity model by including the energy associated with boundaries between adjacent crystal segments. A finite element model is developed where the crystal behavior is governed by a crystal plasticity model and the boundary energy between neighboring elements is taken to follow a modified Read-Shockley relation. The results are encouraging in that the spacing of bands of constant lattice orientation appearing in the model scales with the physical size of the model region. However, the results are not definitive since the band spacing is also very sensitive to the discretization, initial lattice orientation, boundary conditions and to the details of the modification to the boundary energy relation.


Currently, the main drawback of ceramic scaffolds used in hard tissue regeneration is their low mechanical strength. Stabilized zirconia, especially the tetragonal 3% yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) phase, has been considered as a bioinert ceramic material with high mechanical strength. In the present work, flexible nanofibrous YSZ scaffolds were prepared by electrospinning. The obtained scaffolds showed remarkable flexibility at the macroscopic scale, while retaining their stiffness at the microscopic scale. The surface nanoroughness of the scaffolds could be tailored by varying the heat treatment method. Our results demonstrate that the osteogenic differentiation and mineralization of seeded human mesenchymal stromal cells were supported by the nanofibrous YSZ scaffolds, in contrast to the well-known bioinert behavior of bulk YSZ. These findings highlight that flexible ceramic scaffolds are an appealing alternative to the current brittle ceramics for bone tissue regeneration applications.


We demonstrate a compact photonic device based on efficient and wavelength-tunable doubling of an all fibre-format source. Quasi-phase-matched second-harmonic generation in periodically poled lithium niobate is used to generate 90.6mW at 775.9nm with a single-pass conversion efficiency of 14.7%. A tuning bandwidth of 2.1nm and a tuning temperature range of 150.6 ± 1.7°C can be achieved. The Er-doped seed fibre source is amplified by a clad-pumped Er3+/Yb3+ -codoped fibre laser with a high output power up to 2.18 W over a tunable wavelength range from 1535 nm to 1570 nm.


Fact: we no longer control our lives, algorithms do. Mortgage-backed securities, college rankings, online advertising, law enforcement, human resources, credit lending, insurance, social media, politics, and consumer marketing; algorithms live within each one of these – collecting, segmenting, defining, and planting each one of us into arbitrary, unassailable buckets. The algorithms and the data that feed this process is what data scientist and international bestselling author, Cathy O'Neil, calls Weapons of Math Destruction (WMDs). In her captivating and frankly, bone-chilling account of the power amassed by algorithms, O'Neil sheds much needed light into the seemingly omnipotent world of destructive algorithms.

Keywords: algorithms, algorithmic transparency, algorithmic bias, communications, public relations, ethics, data, predictive models


A new method based on the grazing incident angle scattering geometry was applied for stress measurement in near surface layers. The advantage of this geometry is a constant penetration depth of the X-ray beam during experiment. The anisotropy of diffraction elastic constants has to be taken into account for the proper interpretation of experimental results.


Color plan that contains corporate color of Seoul apartment has a great influence on city environment, considering high-rise vertical dispersion and extent. Therefore, it is necessary to view color plan from an integrative viewpoint. Here, this research aimed at deriving guideline factors of esthetic color plan based on city identity, by recognizing the importance of apartment color and color plan characteristic of recently built brand apartments. Exterior color plan characteristic of Seoul brand apartments seen in this research, first, most of dominance colors were in same color similar tone with warm color in bright and warm image, as the psychological function, accessory colors appeared in similar tone of similar color harmonious with the dominance color. Also, accent color was highlighted with its identity through cooperative color. Second, emotional effect diminished size and weight of high-rise apartment. The upper levels showed clear and clean image, middle to lower level showed stability and comfortable image, on the whole, refined and urbane image that aim for natural and modern image. Therefore, apartment color plan requires, first, in respect of dominance color, unity is required proper for urban image by preparing color permission limitation standard. Second, dominance color and accessory color require historicity and differentiation in sociality that urban identity gets. Third, high-rise upper level cooperative color accent color requires compatibility with urban landscape. Lastly, guideline along with rate is required for color, tone, and pattern, etc. by extent contrast. Here, apartment color plan requires consistent research as urban environment color, also, base study should be accelerated as a part of competitive city branding.


PurposeThe promising factor for success in a prevailing knowledge-based economy is the excellence in customer service. Private universities are now becoming customer- and service-oriented organizations due to the competition. Therefore, many educational institutions treat their students as customers and restructure their educational practice based on the concept of market consumption. Therefore, many educational institutions treat their students as customers and restructure their educational practice. The purpose of this study is to determine the students' preferences as customers while studying at private universities and factors that affect their intentions to study at private universities when they adopt the student-as-customer concept.Design/methodology/approachThe research model is analyzed with structural equation modeling. The analysis is done with the application of the measurement model and the structural model. The measurement model is first evaluated by examining scale reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity, whereas the assessment of the structural model is conducted for determining the predictive power and analyzing the hypothesized relationships between the proposed constructs through path analysis.FindingsIn the paper, seven path shows a significant and positive relationship. However, four relationships are positive but insignificant.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature theoretically as well as methodologically. Moreover, it is among the first research that is being conducted in Karachi. Secondly, this study developed a hybrid model by integrating one theory and a conceptual model to determine the factors affecting students' attitudes toward acceptance of the student-as-customer concept and their intentions. Therefore, this paper is useful in filling the gap in the higher education literature and also provides direction for universities to consider and prepare for the consequences of the concept's adoption associated with the number of students who intend to study at their universities.


This chapter contains sections titled: Competition Means More than ��Struggle�� The Efficiency of Perfect Competition Short- and Long-Run Equilibrium Dynamics Why Is Competition Good For Consumers?
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In this study gender language differences in the written description of color were analyzed. The total number of words used, number of tertiary level terms used, and normative emotionality were assessed. Women were found to use more words to describe color than men. An interaction effect among gender and age was found for the number of tertiary level words used. A main effect of gender for total mean emotionality was found that was not ameliorated by age or education level.


The environment and climate change are the most complicated issues that world is facing. So change is the need of hour for the survival and continuous efforts should be made for the environmental management in a sustainable manner. Hence some measures need to be taken urgently to save the planet. Being a financial organization which is responsible for financing the economic and developmental activities of the nation, banks have to address these above Issues, both in terms of its obligations and opportunities by virtue as a responsible corporate house. Banking activities are not physically related to the environment, but the external impact of their customer activities is substantial. So there is need for banks to adopt green practices into their operations, buildings, investments and financing strategies. Further this paper attempts to categorize the phase of green Marketing initiatives of the banks on the basis of their green banking initiatives as given by Peattie.


In Japan, mergers of cities, towns, and villages have occurred rapidly as a result of the Special Law on the Merger of Municipalities, enacted in 2005. These mergers may impact civil servants' psychological adjustment. We developed the Municipal Merger Stress Questionnaire (MMSQ) to measure the impact of the municipal mergers and collected responses from 570 employees who had experienced a municipal merger (Study 1). We examined the relationships among the impact of municipal merger, Stress Responses, Self-concept (self-esteem and interpersonal dependency), and Social Support (Study 2). Two factors (Increased Workload and Worthlessness) were derived from the MMSQ in Study 1. Additionally, a structural equation model showed that the impact of the loss of value of their job (Worthlessness) related to the psychological stress responses, while job discretion did not differentiate an entire stress situation in Study 2. The result implies that psychological aspects of interventions focused on worthlessness are required to maintain good mental health of public servants at workplaces.


A moderate strike-slip earthquake (ML = 4.8) occurred on the San Jacinto fault system about 60 km northwest of the Salton Sea on August 2, 1975. Analysis of main shock and aftershock data suggest that stress release during this earthquake took place in two stages. During one stage faulting occurred over a relatively small source area (source radius of ∼0.5 km), with a rapid dislocaton rate (rise time ∼0.1 sec), possibly associated with an asperity on the fault. During the second stage of faulting, the rupture front grew, but at a much slower rate (rise time ∼10 sec), to a final source radius of ∼1.0 km. The above model explains the larger moment estimate based on 20-sec surface waves compared to shorter period body-wave estimates, and also the apparent increase in source dimension with time. The model allows for large stress drops over small source dimensions, but when averaged over the final extent of the rupture plane, stress drops are much lower. The rupture of the asperity is characterized by a moment of 6.5 × 1022 dyne-cm and a stress drop of about 225 bars. The total moment is about 3.0 × 1023 dyne-cm with an averaged stress drop over the fault plane of approximately 90 bars and a dislocation of 25 cm. Observations similar to the ones reported on here have been noted for other earthquakes with a wide range of magnitudes, including: a few large earthquakes in Japan, the 1971 San Fernando earthquake and some of its aftershocks, the 1975 Oroville earthquake, and some swarm events in the Imperial Valley. These observations suggest that a two-stage rupture mechanism may be a fairly common occurrence in shallow faulting and may reflect possible large variations in stress over a length scale of kilometers within the crust.


Battery technologies and advanced battery management systems are amongst the most trending research in automotive sectors as a result of the unprecedented push for electric vehicles. This paper, among existing methods for S tate of Charge (SoC) estimation of Lithium-Ion batteries used in Electric Vehicles (EV), explores various artificial intelligence-based and direct measurement techniques. A performance comparison of SoC estimation using the coulomb counting approach, Support Vector Machine (SVM) methods, and an optimal feed-forward artificial neural network (ANN) for different storage temperature, initial conditions, and stress tests have been presented for a Lithium-Ion battery for a variety of standard data sets. The stated models are trained using to predict SoC when voltage and current are given as inputs. Both the models are tuned and trained in a cloud-based open-source jupyter environment, collaboration. The results obtained post-performance analysis depicts the potential of ANN for accurate SoC estimation of battery used in EV. ANN has achieved a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) in a range of 0.5-1.4% over one complete cycle. This work can be further extended to validate the real-time performance of ANN with data collected from a hardware setup.


Invasive meningococcal disease has a fulminant course and high mortality. Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A is predominantly responsible for meningococcal disease in India and the developing countries. Group B meningococcus, which is prevalent in the developing world is uncommon in India. We herein report the second case of group B meningococcal infection from the country, two decades after the reporting of the first case. Ineffective vaccines against serogroup B warrant the need for close surveillance of this disease.


Abstract The majority of Changhsingian orthotetid brachiopod species from the Southern Alps were described by the end of the nineteenth century, but were then neglected by subsequent authors who proposed further new species, giving rise to great taxonomical confusion. An examination of type-specimens and newly collected material permits the consideration of Orthothetina ladina (Stache, 1878) and Ombonia tirolensis (Stache, 1878), type-species of Ombonia, as the only valid species and describe Teserina nerii as a new genus and species. The former two species are mostly located within a short stratigraphic interval, which is a few centimetres thick, limited by the trigger and peak of the end-Permian mass extinction. Teserina nerii n. gen. n. sp. occurs 2–3 m above the extinction peak and represents one of the last Permian rhynchonelliform brachiopod holdovers in the Southern Alps.


Innovative fluorescence security technologies for paper-based information are still highly pursued nowadays because data leakage and indelibility have become serious economic and social problems. Herein, we report a novel transient bio-fluorochromic supramolecular co-assembly mediated by a hydrolytic enzyme (ALP: alkaline phosphatase) towards rewritable security printing. A co-assembly based on the designed tetrabranched cationic diethynylanthracene monomer tends to be formed by adding adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as the biofuel. The resulting co-assembly possesses a time-encoded bio-fluorochromic feature, upon successively hydrolyzing ATP with ALP and re-adding new batches of ATP. On this basis, the dynamic fluorescent properties of this time-encoded co-assembly system have been successfully enabled in rewritable security patterns via an inkjet printing technique, providing fascinating potential for fluorescence security materials with a biomimetic mode.


.....................................................................................................................................3 INTRODUCTION:..........................................................................................................................4 EPIGENETICS IN CANCER......................................................................................................5 GENE EXPRESSION PROFILING IN CANCER.........................................................................7 GENE EXPRESSION PROFILING IN PEDIATRIC EPENDYMOMA.........................................8 WHAT IS PEDIATRIC EPENDYMOMA?.........................................................................................9 ALTERED CHROMATIN STATES IN CANCER.......................................................................12 ALTERED CHROMATIN STATES IN PEDIATRIC EPENDYMOMA.......................................13 HISTONE MODIFYING ENZYME SUV4-20H2 EFFECT ON CHROMATIN STATE...................13 METHODS:....................................................................................................................................16 ANALYSIS OF MICROARRAY DATA......................................................................................16 REAL-TIME PCR FOR VALIDATION OF MICROARRAY DATA...............................................18 ANALYSIS OF REAL-TIME PCR DATA...................................................................................19 CHROMATIN IMMUNOPRECIPITATION.............................................................................20 REAL-TIME PCR OF CHIP PULLDOWNS (AND ANALYSIS)..................................................23 ChIP-SEQUENCING..............................................................................................................23 RESULTS:......................................................................................................................................26 THERE ARE SIGNIFICANTLY ALTERED PATTERNS OF GENE EXPRESSION IN SUBTYPES OF PEDIATRIC EPENDYMOMA..........................................................................26 POOR PROGNOSIS SUBGROUP SHOWS ALTERED EXPRESSION OF GENES RELATED TO CELL CYCLE REGULATION, TUMOR SUPPRESSION, AND DNA REPLICATION AND REPAIR.................................................................................................27 MICROARRAY ALTERED EXPRESSION VALIDATED AND REPLICATED IN VCU COHORT OF PEDIATRIC EPENDYMOMA.............................................................................29 SUV4-20H2 BINDS NEAR TERT PROMOTER........................................................................31 H4K20me2 AND H4K20me3 MODIFICATION ARE FOUND NEAR TERT PROMOTER..........................................................................................................................33 ChIP-SEQUENCING EXPERIMENTS.....................................................................................34 DISCUSSION:...............................................................................................................................36 REFERENCES:.............................................................................................................................41 TABLES:........................................................................................................................................45 Table 1: ChIP-qPCR RESULTS WITH anti-SUV4-20H2 ......................................................................58 Table 2: ChIP-qPCR RESULTS WITH anti-H4K20me2 ......................................................................61 Table 3: ChIP-qPCR RESULTS WITH anti-H4K20me3 ......................................................................62 FIGURES:......................................................................................................................................45 Figure 1: EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS AND CHROMATIN STATE ................................................45


In modular organisms, the propagation of genetic variability within a clonal unit can alter the scale at which ecological and evolutionary processes operate. Genetic variation within an individual primarily arises through the accretion of somatic mutations over time, leading to genetic mosaicism. Here, we assess the prevalence of intraorganismal genetic variation and potential mechanisms influencing the degree of genetic mosaicism in the reef corals Orbicella franksi and Orbicella annularis. Colonies of both species, encompassing a range of coral sizes and depths, were sampled multiple times and genotyped at the same microsatellite loci to detect intraorganismal genetic variation. Genetic mosaicism was detected in 38% of corals evaluated, and mutation frequency was found to be positively related with clonal size and negatively associated with coral depth. We suggest that larger clones experience a greater number of somatic cell divisions and consequently have an elevated potential to accumulate mutations. Furthermore, corals at shallower depths may be exposed to abiotic conditions such as elevated thermal regimes, which promote increased mutation rates. The results highlight the pervasiveness of intraorganismal genetic variation in reef-building corals and emphasize potential mechanisms generating somatic mutations in modular organisms.


Progress in microwave and millimeter-wave technologies has made possible advanced diagnostics for application to various fields, such as, plasma diagnostics, radio astronomy, alien substance detection, airborne and spaceborne imaging radars called as synthetic aperture radars, living body measurements. Transmission, reflection, scattering, and radiation processes of electromagnetic waves are utilized as diagnostic tools. In this report we focus on the reflectometric measurements and applications to biological signals (vital signal detection and breast cancer detection) as well as plasma diagnostics, specifically by use of imaging technique and ultra-wideband radar technique.


The experiment was carried out at College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences farm, Duhok University, the experiment was laid out in Randomize Complete Block Design with three replications and arranged in factorial experiment to evaluate the effect of organic fertilization levels and bread wheat genotypes (Tamoz-2, IPA-95 and Abu. Garib-3), and the foliar organic mineral fertilizer used at three rates 0.5, 0.75 and one litter. The results showed highly significant effect of bread wheat genotypes in all studied characters with exception of weight grain spike -1 , also organic fertilizer exhibited significant effect in plant height, leaf area, 1000-grain weight, number of grain spike, length of spike and grain yield, while the effect of interaction between genotypes and organic fertilizer levels showed highly significant effect for all characters except of spike length, the results indicated that the rate 1 liter and Abu. Garib-3 gave the maximum plant height, leaf area, 1000 grain weight, number of grain spike-1 , weight of grain spike-1 , spike length and grain weight with values (91.2, 56.9, 47.5, 48.7, 2.8, 8.7 and 355.0 gm) respectively. The correlation coefficient of grain yields gave highly significant with plant height (0.972), leaf area (0.916), 1000 grain weight (0.923), number of grain spike-1 (0.951) and spike length (0.974). The results for this study had shown that, using organic fertilizer and suitable wheat genotypes effects significantly on yield and most of yield components.


Severely Malformed Children J. Lorber, F.R.C.P ......................... 46 Antibiotic-sensitivity Tests R. Blowers, F.R.C.P., and others ............ 46 Ampicillin for Sore Throat H. Pullen, M.R.C.P.ED.; D. C. Turk, F.R.C.PATH ............................... 47 Drugs for Angina Pectoris G. Nyberg, M.D ......................... 47 Potassium Deficiency during Treatment with Brinaldix K R. T. Taylor, M.R.C.P., and M. J. T. Peaston, M.R.C.P ................................. 48 Fenfluramine and Growth Hormone Release D. L. F. Dunleavy, M.B., D.P.M. and others. .48 Transmission of Trichuris trichiura Elizabeth A. Green, M.B., D.P.M., and others.. .48 Gram-negative Bacilli on Hands S. Selwyn, M.D ........................... 49 Hepatitis-associated Antigen in Chronic Hepatitis C. Del Vecchio-Blanco, and others........ 49 Androgens and Exercise M. H. Briggs, D.SC., and others ............ 49


Nanofiltration (NF) was investigated as an alternative to desalting electrodialysis (ED) and ion exchange for the recovery of ammonium lactate from fermentation broth. Three commercial NF membranes, NF45, NF70, and NTR‐729HF, were characterized with 50 mM NaCl, MgSO4, and glucose solutions. NF45 membrane was selected because it showed the lowest rejection of monovalent ion, the highest rejection of divalent ion, and the highest rejection of nonpolar molecule. Effects of the operating pressure were investigated in a range of 100–400 psig, on the flux, lactate recovery, and glucose and magnesium removal from a real fermentation broth containing about 1.0 M of ammonium lactate. The flux and recovery rate increased linearly with the pressure. However, lactate rejection also increased with the pressure, lowering the recovery yield. More magnesium ions and glucose were rejected as the pressure was increased, and at 400 psig, for example, magnesium ion was almost completely rejected, highlighting the chance of obviating the necessity of ion exchange to remove hardness, by using NF instead of desalting ED. Membrane fouling was not so severe as expected, considering the complex nature and a rather high concentration of the fermentation broth treated.


Spectroscopy of the ν1 band of the astrophysically relevant ion HCO(+) is performed with an optical parametric oscillator calibrated with an optical frequency comb. The sub-MHz accuracy of this technique was confirmed by performing a combination differences analysis with the acquired rovibrational data and comparing the results to known ground-state rotational transitions. A similar combination differences analysis was performed from the same data set to calculate the previously unobserved rotational spectrum of the ν1 vibrationally excited state with precision sufficient for astronomical detection. Initial results of cavity-enhanced sub-Doppler spectroscopy are also presented and hold promise for further improving the accuracy and precision in the near future.