Abstract Nation 1 is seeking to join the nuclear club. Nation 2, its enemy, would like to prevent this, and has the potential to destroy 1's bomb-making facilities. It is uncertain whether 1 has a bomb. So are its intentions. 1 could be seeking to deter an attack. Alternatively, if no bomb is present, 1 might wish to provoke one as a means to secure support at home and abroad. Lacking a bomb, 1 can avoid an attack by allowing inspections. If it refuses inspections, 2 must rely on its imperfect intelligence system to determine whether to attack. This game has a unique sequential equilibrium, possibly separating, possibly pooling. At that equilibrium there is a positive probability that: No bomb is built; 2's intelligence system accurately detects no bomb; 1 refuses inspections; nevertheless 2 attacks. Present and past experiences form Iraq, Iran, Syria, and North Korea illustrate the analysis.


PURPOSE
To study the effects laser plume evacuation on LASIK outcomes using a surgical vacuum and the Nidek EC-5000 excimer laser.

METHODS
Three-month LASIK postoperative data were evaluated retrospectively for 117 eyes treated with a laser plume evacuator and 82 eyes treated without a laser plume evacuator. All eyes were treated with the same Moria CB microkeratome and the same Nidek-EC 5000 excimer laser using the same nomogram.

RESULTS
No statistically significant difference was noted in the frequency of corneal abrasions, flap slippage, or the level of postoperative interface debris. A statistically significant difference (P < .001) was noted in postoperative residual refractive error and uncorrected visual acuity. In the group treated without a plume evacuator, 65% (n = 53) were within +/- 0.50 D of the intended correction, 59% (n = 48) had an uncorrected visual acuity of 20/20 or better, 68% (n = 56) had an uncorrected visual acuity of 20/25 or better, and 90% (n = 73) had an uncorrected visual acuity of 20/40 or better. In the group treated with a plume evacuator, 92% (n = 108) were within +/- 0.50 D of the intended correction, 74% (n = 87) had an uncorrected visual acuity of 20/20 or better, 89% (n = 104) had an uncorrected visual acuity of 20/25 or better, and 96% (n = 112) had an uncorrected visual acuity of 20/40 or better.

CONCLUSION
Laser plume evacuation using surgical tubing and a surgical vacuum improved refractive and uncorrected visual acuity outcomes following LASIK.


Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effect of severe thrombocytopenia in patients underwent transcatheter patent ductus arteriosus occlusion. Methods: Clinical data of 80 pure patent ductus arteriosus patients who underwent interventional occlusion between February 2011 and November 2014 in General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region were retrospective analyzed.A bolus of heparin calcium (80 U/kg) was administered by intravenous injection during the procedure.Blood test was conducted in all patients before and after the procedure.The patients with both platelet reduction rate ≥ 5% and platelet count <100×109/L(severe thrombocytopenia) were treated by following strategies: bed rest, avoidance of activities, intensive control of blood pressure through sodium nitroprusside administration, and inhibition of presumed immunological reaction by glucocorticoids and human immunoglobulin administration.Follow-up ended in May 2015. Results: (1) A total of 54 cases (67.5%) were diagnosed as thrombocytopenia in second days after the procedure.The reduction rate of platelet in 41 out of 54 patients was equal or more than 5% on the second day, and the diameter of occludes were equal or more than 14 mm in 35 out of these 54 patients.Severe thrombocytopenia occurred in 14 patients and the occluder diameter was ≥ 14 mm in these 14 patients.Severe thrombocytopenia did not occur in patients with occlude diameter <14 mm or with reduction rate of platelet <5%.(2) A total of 14 severe thrombocytopenia patients were treated.No bleeding events occurred in hospital and during the whole follow-up period.The the lowest value of platelet count of patients was seen on the 4.5 (3.8, 6.0) days post the procedure.The lowest numbers were 16.5 (7.5, 37.3)×109/L.The platelet count of patients restored to more than 30×109/L on the 8.0 (4.8, 9.5) days and restore to more than 100×109/L on the 12.0 (9.8, 39.3) days post procedure.The average hospitalization day of the patients were 15.5 (11.8, 21.5) days.The platelet counts of severe thrombocytopenia patients were normal during the end of follow up (median 3.8 (1.0, 4.9) years). Conclusion: The patients with very severe thrombocytopenia after transcatheter occlusion of patent ductus arteriosus are associated with a benign outcome in case of timely and proper treatment.


Structures of silica nanoparticles coated with stereocomplex thin films composed of isotactic (it) poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and syndiotactic (st) poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) and with porous it-PMMA thin films under gentle stirring or static conditions were analyzed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The porous it-PMMA films were fabricated by stepwise stereocomplex assembling of it-PMMA and st-PMAA, and subsequent extraction of the st-PMAA from the films. From DLS results, an evident difference was not observed between the it-PMMA films and the stereocomplex films, whereas the it-PMMA films after 10 h of stirring in acetonitrile/water (4/6, v/v) and drying on a SEM stage fused to form nanostructured networks. The fusion of the it-PMMA films on the silica nanoparticles occurred not by the dissolution of it-PMMA in the mixed solvent, but rather by an interaction of the it-PMMA chains driven by the slight solvation of acetonitrile without dissolution. Thus, leaving the solution at rest would be important for film fusion on the particles, and multiple spherical substrates could promote the crosslinking of the it-PMMA chains on the particles.


SUMMARY A combined analysis of the geodetic strain-rate field and the strain-rate field deduced from the seismicity allows us to define the style of deformation and to distinguish seismic from aseismic deformation. We perform this analysis in Iran where the present-day tectonics results from the north‐south convergence between the plates of Arabia to the south and Eurasia to the north. The data consist of velocities measured with a GPS network of 28 benchmarks and of instrumental and historical earthquake catalogues. The axes of the seismic strain-rate tensor have similar orientations to those deduced from the GPS velocity field. This indicates that the seismicity can be used to improve GPS information on the style and the orientation of the deformation. Comparison of seismic and geodetic strain rates indicates that highly strained zones experience mainly aseismic deformation in southern Iran and seismic deformation in northern Iran. A large contrast is observed between the Zagros (less than 5 per cent seismic deformation) and the Alborz‐Kopet-Dag regions (more than 30‐100 per cent seismic deformation). The distribution of the seismic/geodetic ratio correlates with the distribution of large earthquakes: intensive, low-magnitude seismicity is observed in the Zagros whereas the largest earthquakes occur in northern Iran. The contrast of seismic deformation between the Zagros and peri-Caspian mountains is confirmed considering 300 or 1000 yr of seismicity rather than 100 or 200 yr.


We propose a novel algorithm to register multiple 3D point sets within a common reference frame using a manifold optimization approach. The point sets are obtained with multiple laser scanners or a mobile scanner. Unlike most prior algorithms, our approach performs an explicit optimization on the manifold of rotations, allowing us to formulate the registration problem as an unconstrained minimization on a constrained manifold. This approach exploits the Lie group structure of SO 3 and the simple representation of its associated Lie algebra so 3 in terms of R 3. Our contributions are threefold. We present a new analytic method based on singular value decompositions that yields a closed-form solution for simultaneous multiview registration in the noise-free scenario. Secondly, we use this method to derive a good initial estimate of a solution in the noise-free case. This initialization step may be of use in any general iterative scheme. Finally, we present an iterative scheme based on Newton's method on SO 3 that has locally quadratic convergence. We demonstrate the efficacy of our scheme on scan data taken both from the Digital Michelangelo project and from scans extracted from models, and compare it to some of the other well known schemes for multiview registration. In all cases, our algorithm converges much faster than the other approaches, (in some cases orders of magnitude faster), and generates consistently higher quality registrations.


Ferricyanide-mediated (FM) microbial reactions were used for the rapid determination of the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of a range of synthetic and real wastewater samples. Four single-species microbial seeds and a synthetically prepared microbial consortium were compared. In all cases, the microbial consortium exhibited a greater extent and rate of biodegradation compared to the individual microbial seeds. Markedly improved correlation to the standard BOD5 method was also noted for the microbial consortium (compared to the single-species seeds). A linear dynamic range up to 200 mg BOD5 L(-1) was observed, which is considerably greater than the linear range of the standard BOD5 assay and most other rapid BOD assays reported. In addition, biodegradation efficiencies comparable to the 5-day BOD5 assay (and much greater than other rapid BOD assays) were observed in 3 h. A highly significant correlation (R = 0.935, p = 0.000, n = 30) between the FM-BOD method and the standard BOD5 method was found for a wide diversity of real wastewater samples. The results indicate that the FM-BOD assay is a promising, rapid, alternative to the standard 5-day BOD5 assay.


Nocturnal disturbances are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, with almost 70% of these patients reporting nocturnal disturbances. The etiology of sleep disturbances in patients with PD is still controversial. They might be dependent on dopaminergic drugs, on disease progression, or on a combination of these two factors. Nocturnal disturbances can be categorized in four groups: 1) PD-related motor symptoms, including nocturnal akinesia, early-morning dystonia, painful cramps, tremor, and difficulty turning in bed; 2) treatment-related nocturnal disturbances; 3) psychiatric symptoms, including hallucinations, vivid dreams, depression, dementia, insomnia, psychosis, and panic attacks; 4) other sleep disorders, including insomnia, REM behavioral disorder (RBD), restless legs syndrome (RLS), periodic leg movements (PLMS), and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Specific treatment options are supplied for every group. A global evaluation of nocturnal disturbances would provide clinicians with a valuable tool to establish an optimal regimen that could positively influence all nocturnal disturbance categories and thus improve PD management on. However, it is important to consider that management of some nocturnal disturbances in a group may worsen nocturnal symptoms of another group or may increase EDS. PD-related symptoms can be treated with long-acting DA agonists to obtain continuous DA receptor stimulation during the night. Both treatment-related nocturnal disturbances and psychiatric symptoms may be related to drug treatment, and therefore, in both cases, drug reduction or discontinuance should be considered. Some sleep disorders, such as RLS and PLMS, may be controlled by DA agents, and others, such as insomnia and EDS, may be improved by reducing dopaminergic stimulation.


In this paper, we develop a general approach for estimating and bounding the error committed when higher-order ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are approximated by means of the coefficients perturbation methods. This class of methods was specially devised for the solution of Schrodinger equation by Ixaru in 1984. The basic principle of perturbation methods is to find the exact solution of an approximation problem obtained from the original one by perturbing the coefficients of the ODE, as well as any supplementary condition associated to it. Recently, the first author obtained practical formulae for calculating tight error bounds for the perturbation methods when this technique is applied to second-order ODEs. This paper extends those results to the case of differential equations of arbitrary order, subjected to some specified initial or boundary conditions. The results of this paper apply to any perturbation-based numerical technique such as the segmented Tau method, piecewise collocation, Constant...


Background: Increased vascular calcification plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular events in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. It is the result of an active ossification process counteracted by 'protective' proteins, such as matrix GLA protein (MGP). Polymorphisms of MGP have been identified. Methods: The aim of this study was to define the distribution of two MGP polymorphisms (–7, –138) in 99 hemodialysis (HD) patients, in 26 patients with CKD stage 3 and in 135 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Patients were followed up for 12 months to record any cardiovascular deaths. The cause of death was determined by medical doctors, considering the medical history of each patient. The primers were designed with Primer Express software. Results: MGP –138TT homozygotes were more frequent in the HD group versus controls (p = 0.0004). Additionally, the frequency of the T allele was significantly higher in the HD group (p = 0.0006). The frequency of the A allele of MGP-7 was significantly higher both in the HD group (p = 0.033) and in the CKD group (p = 0.0017) versus controls. MGP-7 GG homozygotes were significantly less common in the CKD group than in controls (p = 0.037). Combination –138TT –7AA was significantly more frequent in both CKD patients (p = 0.001) and in HD patients (p = 0.029) than in controls. Seventeen out of 99 HD patients experienced fatal cardiovascular events. Sixteen (94.1%) were –138TT homozygotes and either –7AA homozygotes or –7GA heterozygotes. Conclusion: This study suggests that CKD and HD patients have a different distribution of MGP gene polymorphism as compared with the normal population. Altered MGP gene polymorphism may be a negative prognostic factor for the progression to end-stage renal disease and for cardiovascular events in CKD patients.


The physical characteristics of autonomic microcapsules manufactured with various agitation speeds in a stirred tank were observed experimentally by a particle size analyzer and an optical microscope. The flow characteristics in a stirred tank were also investigated through a 3-dimensional numerical simulation to understand the manufacturing process of autonomic microcapsules. According to the results, we found that the agitation speed was the important factor to determine the sizes of microcapsules. The impeller-induced flow allowed the jet and tip-vortex pair components in the mixed fluid of a stirred tank. The vorticity around the blades in the impeller was increased as increasing the agitation speed. In addition, the size of autonomic microcapsules was strongly affected on the small scale mixing pattern such as a tip-vortex pair.ヨ⨀ᜎࠀ㘳㘮〸㤻Ԁ䭃䑎䴀


ABSTRACT The present study explored the cooperative effect of both alanine (Ala) and gentamicin (Gent) on metabolic mechanisms by which exogenous Ala potentiates Gent to kill antibiotic-resistant Vibrio alginolyticus. To test this, GC-MS-based metabolomics was used to characterize Ala-, Gent- and both-induced metabolic profiles, identifying nitric oxide (NO) production pathway as the most key clue to understand metabolic mechanisms. Gent, Ala and both led to low, lower and lowest activity of total nitric oxide synthase (tNOS) and level of NO, respectively. NOS promoter L-arginine and inhibitor NG-Monomethyl-L-arginine inhibited and promoted the killing, respectively, with the elevation and decrease of NOS activity and NO level. The present study further showed that CysJ is the enzyme-producing NO in V. alginolyticus. These results indicate that the cooperative effect of Ala and Gent causes the lowest NO, which plays a key role in Ala-potentiated Gent-mediated killing.


Seven new phloroglucinol derivatives (1-7) were isolated from the fruit tree Syzygium jambos together with four known triterpenoids (8-11) and two known flavones (12 and 13). According to the spectroscopic analyses (infrared, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS), high-resolution ESIMS, 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance), the structures of compounds 1-7 were elucidated as jambone A (1), jambone B (2), jambone C (3), jambone D (4), jambone E (5), jambone F (6), and jambone G (7). All the isolates were determined for their cytotoxic activities on melanoma cells by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, and compounds 10 and 11 showed potent activities. Moreover, compounds 1, 2, 4-7, 12, and 13 exhibited weak antioxidant activities under ferric-reducing antioxidant power and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl radical-scavenging assays.


ProBiS-Database is a searchable repository of precalculated local structural alignments in proteins detected by the ProBiS algorithm in the Protein Data Bank. Identification of functionally important binding regions of the protein is facilitated by structural similarity scores mapped to the query protein structure. PDB structures that have been aligned with a query protein may be rapidly retrieved from the ProBiS-Database, which is thus able to generate hypotheses concerning the roles of uncharacterized proteins. Presented with uncharacterized protein structure, ProBiS-Database can discern relationships between such a query protein and other better known proteins in the PDB. Fast access and a user-friendly graphical interface promote easy exploration of this database of over 420 million local structural alignments. The ProBiS-Database is updated weekly and is freely available online at http://probis.cmm.ki.si/database.


Highly practical synthetic methods were developed for the C- and N-selective Grignard addition reactions of N-4-MeOC6H4-protected α-aldimino esters in the presence or absence of zinc(II) chloride. Diastereoselective C-alkyl addition, tandem C-alkyl addition-N-alkylation, and some transformations to synthetically useful optically active azacycles were demonstrated.


Introduction. Dysfunction of the temporo-mandibular joint is a frequent, complex, multifactorial disease that is traditionally treated by orthodontic methods, but not always with a positive result. Goal of research — to assess the effect of osteopathic treatment combined with orthodontic treatment on the temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction and osteopathic status of patients with TMJ disfunction. Materials and methods. The study included 40 patients with the temporo- mandibular joint dysfunction receiving orthodontic treatment (hard and soft splints, brace system, exercises). All patients were women without severe somatic pathology divided into 2 groups: treatment group and control group. The mean (±SD) age of participants was 27,5±5,3 and 29,2±5,7 years, respectively. In both groups, osteopathic, orthodontic status have been evaluated, patients completed a questionnaire on the status of the temporo-mandibular joint. In the main group, the described orthodontic methods of treatment were supplemented by osteopathic correction. Results. The study showed a decrease in the number of somatic dysfunctions, objective symptoms and subjective sensations arising from dysfunction of the temporo-mandibular joint. The analysis showed a greater effi cacy of combined osteopathic and orthodontic treatment in comparison with exclusively orthodontic treatment. Conclusion. The obtained results provide possibility of further research of the effectiveness of osteopathic correction in combination with orthodontic treatment of the temporomandibular joint dysfunction.


A new self-heating effect model for 4H-SiC MESFETs is proposed based on a combination of an analytical and a computer aided design (CAD) oriented drain current model. The circuit oriented expressions of 4H-SiC low-field electron mobility and incomplete ionization rate, which are related to temperature, are presented in this model, which are used to estimate the self-heating effect of 4H-SiC MESFETs. The verification of the present model is made, and the good agreement between simulated results and measured data of DC I – V curves with the self-heating effect is obtained.


Objective: Hepatitis is a serious health concern with a high rate of mortality and morbidity world over. Saudi Arabia also has its course of the disease incidence. The data on the prevalence of the disease is still limiting. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus [HBV] and hepatitis C virus [HCV] infection in the Jazan region and study its effects on hematological and hepatic parameters. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at premarital screening centre located in King Fahd Central Hospital, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A total of 7,826, Saudi couples undertaking premarital screening from Jazan region, were enrolled in the study and screened between January 2014 and June 2015 for hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus. Complete blood counts and hepatic profile were carried out for individuals who were Hepatitis B and or C virus positive. Results: A higher prevalence of hepatitis virus infection in male participants [HBV 1.9%; HCV 0.4%] than in females [HBV 1.43%; HCV 0.2%] was seen. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR) ratios were significantly decreased among HBV- and HCV-infected patients. The concentration of hepatic enzymes showed a statistically significant increase in seropositive individuals. The levels of albumin were significantly decreased in individuals with hepatitis B and C when compared with the control group Conclusions: The study concludes that the prevalence of HBV infection among Saudi subjects in Jazan was higher than the prevalence of HCV infection, and both HBV and HCV were higher in men than in women.


In this paper I argue that the political thought of Kant and Hegel contains a critique of revolution, based on their interpretation of the French case. Despite their shared attachment to an ideal image of the French paradigm at the level of principles, Kant and Hegel learned to fear revolution and the loss of freedom entailed by its practical implications. There exist coincidences in their understanding of the problem, but also differences in their responses to revolutionary upheaval. To this extent, Hegel did not exactly respond to Kant on this issue; rather, he deepened some key aspects of the Kantian perspective on the challenge of radical political change, by incorporating an analysis of the causes of modern political revolutions beyond their known consequences. I finally conclude that Hegel's attempt to transcend Kant's authoritarian formulas for taming revolution represents a more articulated, though in the end unsuccessful solution, to deal with the phenomena in question. My case follows this course: First, I look at the problem in Kant. Second, I consider Hegel's views on the issue in the context of his political model. I finally draw some conclusions based on the similarities and differences of their respective outlooks.


The objectives of the research were to identify and to what extent STAD method can improve students' learning English motivation, and to describe strength and  weakness  of implementing STAD in this research. This research is a classroom action research. In collecting the data, the researcher used questionnaire, observation, interview and tests. The researcher conducted the tests and questionnaires before research (pre-test) and after implementing the method (post-test 1 and 2). The mean score of each test and questionnaire were compared to know the students improvements in motivation and reading skill. The research finding showed that the motivation of students improved in every cycle. The improvement of students' motivation can be seen from the improvement of mean score of questionnaire (60. 72) before action, in cycle 1 62.03, and cycle 2 63.03. Besides, the reading skill of the students also improved. The improvement can be seen from the improvement of mean score of pre-test (59.75), post test of cycle 1 69.25, and post test of cycle 2 74.38. The researcher also found strength and weakness of this method.


Objective To explore the association between hyperglycaemia and adverse outcomes in very preterm infants. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data were pooled separately for adjusted and unadjusted odds ratios (ORs) using random-effects model. Subgroup analysis was conducted based on study design (cohort and case control). Main outcome measures Association between hyperglycaemia in preterm neonates (<32 weeks or <1500 g) and mortality and morbidities. Findings Forty-six studies (30 cohort and 16 case control) with data from 34 527 infants were included. Meta-analysis of unadjusted ORs from cohort studies found hyperglycaemia to be significantly associated with mortality, any-grade intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH), severe IVH, any-stage retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), severe ROP, sepsis, chronic lung disease and disability. However, pooling of adjusted ORs found significant associations only for mortality (adjusted OR (CI): 2.37 (1.40 to 4.01); I2: 36%; 6 studies), 'Any grade IVH' (adjusted OR (CI): 2.60 (1.09 to 6.20); I2: 0%; 2 studies) and 'Any stage ROP' (adjusted OR (CI): 3.70 (1.55 to 8.84); I2: 0%; 2 studies). Meta-regression analysis found glucose levels >10 mmol/L to be associated with increased odds of mortality compared with <10 mmol/L. Pooled analysis from case–control studies were similar to cohort studies for most outcomes but limited by small sample size. Longer duration of hyperglycaemia was associated with adverse outcomes. GRADE of evidence was 'Low' or 'Very low'. Conclusion Hyperglycaemia in very preterm infants is associated with higher odds of mortality, any-grade IVH and any-stage ROP. A limitation was lack of availability of adjusted ORs from many of the included studies. PROSPERO registration number CRD42020193016. In a systematic review and meta-analysis, hyperglycemia in very preterm infants is associated with higher odds of mortality, IVH, and ROP.


Nanomaterials have been extensively explored in developing sensors due to their unique properties, contributing to the development of reliable sensor designs with improved sensitivity and specificity. Herein, we propose the construction of a fluorescent/electrochemical dual-mode self-powered biosensor for advanced biosensing using DNA-templated silver nanoclusters (AgNCs@DNA). AgNC@DNA, due to its small size, exhibits advantageous characteristics as an optical probe. We investigated the sensing efficacy of AgNCs@DNA as a fluorescent probe for glucose detection. Fluorescence emitted by AgNCs@DNA served as the readout signal as a response to more H2O2 being generated by glucose oxidase for increasing glucose levels. The second readout signal of this dual-mode biosensor was utilized via the electrochemical route, where AgNCs served as charge mediators between the glucose oxidase (GOx) enzyme and carbon working electrode during the oxidation process of glucose catalyzed by GOx. The developed biosensor features low-level limits of detection (LODs), ~23 μM for optical and ~29 μM for electrochemical readout, which are much lower than the typical glucose concentrations found in body fluids, including blood, urine, tears, and sweat. The low LODs, simultaneous utilization of different readout strategies, and self-powered design demonstrated in this study open new prospects for developing next-generation biosensor devices.


The paper examines the relationship between poverty, social inequality and development in Indian context. Several studies and scholars established relation between poverty and social inequality. The paper highlights the same and attempts to relate both these with different opportunities for access to development. The upper castes, especially the dominant castes, and particularly the richer segments of them, who dominate every major political party in the country, have established a nexus over avenues of development and garner the fruits of the same. Consequently, the lower castes continue to be deprived and underdeveloped. The development itself is thus skewed. The impact of globalization is analyzed from the perspective of its impact on the lower castes and poorer sections of the people. The paper also suggests some ways to come out of such unequal setting.


The information revolution is currently undergoing a critical juncture. The paradigm of service provision and utilization on the Internet is under increasing pressure to incorporate changes to cope with the ever rising heterogeneous demands of users who look for any time every where information service availability. We investigate the information distribution mechanism of a demand-oriented information system employed in a supply chain management system by simulating the behavior of such a system under the regulation of a number of information distribution algorithms. We conclude that the information service pattern of a demand-oriented supply chain information system can be fine tuned by the application of information distribution algorithms


The ability to collect seismic-reflection data in the upper 3m of the subsurface (ultrashallow seismic reflection: USR) is important because it offers an alternative to ground-penetrating radar in regions exhibiting high attenuation of electromagnetic signal. Previous work has demonstrated that the critical controllable factors in obtaining USR data are dense spatial sampling and high (>400Hz) frequency content. The frequency content is strongly controlled by the characteristics of the sources used to generate the seismic energy. Qualitative experiments have indicated that the higher-energy near-surface seismic reflection projectile sources lack some of the high-frequency energy exhibited by smaller-energy sources. In addition, soil moisture content has been shown to be an important variable in the frequency content of data even if the same source is used. In both cases, the reduction in the frequency content of the data has been hypothesized to correlate with greater amounts of near-source, nonlinear def...


In the United States, about 28 lives are lost daily in motor vehicle accidents that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. The conventional wisdom is that these accidents can be prevented through the use of strict traffic laws that are robustly enforced, though no consensus exists on the causal impact of these laws in reducing motor vehicle-related fatalities. This paper exploits quasi-random variation in state-level driving and road safety restrictions to estimate the causal effect of select traffic laws on the number of fatal accidents and fatal accidents involving a drunk driver. In this paper, we employ the contiguous-border county-pair approach. This is causally identified from the discontinuities in policy treatments among homogeneous contiguous counties that are separated by a shared state border. This approach addresses the econometric issues created due to spatial heterogeneity that may have biased several studies in the literature. The analysis reveals that the laws related to accident prevention, such as having a good graduated licensing system, Pigovian beer taxes and primary seatbelt enforcement, are the most effective in reducing motor vehicle-related fatalities. Using these estimated coefficients, simple simulations suggest that policymakers have been utilizing existing traffic laws sub-optimally, saving only 17% of the lives lost to motor vehicle crashes.


Embryonic stem (ES) cells fluctuate between self-renewal and the threshold of differentiation. Signalling via the fibroblast growth factor (Fgf)/Erk pathway is required to progress from this dynamic state and promote mouse ES cell differentiation. Retinoic acid also induces differentiation in many cellular contexts, but its mechanism of action in relation to Fgf/Erk signalling in ES cells is poorly understood. Here, we show for the first time that endogenous retinoid signalling is required for the timely acquisition of somatic cell fate in mouse ES cells and that exposure to retinoic acid advances differentiation by a dual mechanism: first increasing, but in the long-term decreasing, Fgf signalling. Rapid retinoid induction of Fgf8 and downstream Erk activity on day 1 in differentiation conditions may serve to ensure loss of self-renewal. However, more gradual repression of Fgf4 by retinoic acid is accompanied by an overall reduction in Erk activity on day 2, and the acquisition of neural and non-neural fates is now advanced by inhibition of Fgf signalling. So, although blocking Fgf/Erk activity is known to promote ES cell self-renewal, once cells have experienced a period of such signals, subsequent inhibition of Fgf signalling has the opposite effect and drives differentiation. We further show in the embryo that retinoid repression of Fgf signalling promotes neural differentiation onset in an analogous step in the extending embryonic body axis and so identify attenuation of Fgf signalling by retinoic acid as a conserved fundamental mechanism driving differentiation towards somatic cell fates.


Two series of labour trial were compared in a forward-looking study. The first series of 24 parturient women (series I) to whom the labour trial took place under peridural analgesy. The second series of 80 parturient women (series II) to whom the labour trial took place without peridural analgesy. The rate of caesarean section is significantly less important in the series I (33.3% versus 58%) P = 0.37. The average duration of the labour trial is significantly prolonged under peridural analgesy but without bared effects for the newborn children. The authors consider that the peridural analgesy is the method that brings ideal conditions for a real test allowing to eliminate dynamic dystocia and maternal restlessness in order to have an accurate cephalo-pelvic confrontation.


This paper demonstrates the strategic importance of developing a capability to manage human resources based on a set of social responsibility principles (normative and structural) with the aim of responding to the interests of the employees. Such corporate social responsiveness will encourage employees' collaboration and could distinguish the company from other organizations. We have tried empirically to test the existence of a significant and positive relationship between organizational results and the institutionalization of a social responsiveness toward employees. To this end, we carried out a study in the Spanish savings bank sector to analyse the strategic value of corporate responsiveness toward employees from the resource-based view. Our results seem to show that those savings banks that have institutionalized high-commitment practices toward employees have greater profitability.


It has often been suggested that retrocausality offers a solution to some of the puzzles of quantum mechanics: e.g., that it allows a Lorentz-invariant explanation of Bell correlations, and other manifestations of quantum nonlocality, without action-at-a-distance. Some writers have argued that time-symmetry counts in favour of such a view, in the sense that retrocausality would be a natural consequence of a truly time-symmetric theory of the quantum world. Critics object that there is complete time-symmetry in classical physics, and yet no apparent retrocausality. Why should the quantum world be any different? This note throws some new light on these matters. I call attention to a respect in which quantum mechanics is different, under some assumptions about quantum ontology. Under these assumptions, the combination of time-symmetry without retrocausality is unavailable in quantum mechanics, for reasons intimately connected with the differences between classical and quantum physics (especially the role of discreteness in the latter). Not all interpretations of quantum mechanics share these assumptions, however, and in those that do not, time-symmetry does not entail retrocausality.


Most existing information extraction schemes in sensor networks rely on in-network processing that requires information routing and coordination between sensor nodes and incurs a corresponding overhead in delay and energy consumption. In this paper, we propose a viable alternative-active wireless sensing (AWS)-in which a wireless information retriever (WIR) queries a select ensemble of nodes to obtain desired information in a rapid and energy-efficient manner. AWS has two primary attributes: i) the sensor nodes are "dumb" in that they have limited computational ability, and ii) the WIR, is computationally powerful, is equipped with an antenna array, and directly interrogates the sensor ensemble with wideband space-time waveforms. AWS is inspired by an intimate connection with communication over multipath channels: the sensor nodes act as active scatterers and produce a multipath response to the WIR's interrogation signals. We develop the basic communication architecture in AWS and explore various signaling and reception strategies at the WIR, and encoding strategies at the sensors. The basic communication architecture is quite flexible and can cater to a variety of information retrieval tasks. In particular, we illustrate the framework in two extreme information retrieval tasks: high-rate information retrieval corresponding to distributed independent sensor measurements, and low-rate retrieval corresponding to localized correlated measurements. A low-complexity interference suppression technique is proposed for significantly increasing the capacity and reliability of high-rate information retrieval. Performance analysis reveals a fundamental rate versus reliability tradeoff in AWS and is illustrated with accompanying simulation results


Reprogrammable magneto-responsive soft actuators capable of working in enclosed and confined spaces and adapting functions under changing situations are highly demanded for new-generation smart devices. Despite the promising prospect, the realization of versatile morphing modes (more than bending) and local magnetic control remains challenging but is crucial for further on-demand applications. Here, we address the challenges by maximizing the unexplored potential of magnetothermal responsiveness and covalent adaptable networks (CANs) in liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs). Various magneto-actuated contraction-derived motions that were hard to achieve previously (e.g., bidirectional shrinkage and dynamic 3D patterns) can be attained, reprogrammed, and assembled seamlessly to endow functional diversity and complexity. By integration of LCEs with different magneto-responsive threshold values, local and sequential magnetic control is readily realized. Many magnetic actuation portfolios are performed by rationally imputing "logic switch" sequences. Meanwhile, our systems exhibit additional favorable performances including stepwise magnetic controllability, multiresponsiveness, self-healing, and remolding ability.


Between January 2000 and June 2003, 70 patients (63 men and 7 women) with acute-on-chronic lower limb vascular occlusion underwent thrombolysis with 1 million units of urokinase. Forty-eight patients had unilateral and 22 had bilateral involvement; 9 had gangrenous changes. The mean age was 47 ± 9 years, 73% were smokers, and 13% had diabetes. The definition of a good response was either return of distal pulses or a warm limb and relief of pain at rest. Fifty-three (76%) patients (including 5 with gangrenous changes) had symptomatic improvement with thrombolysis (group 1), and 17 (24%) did not respond (group 2). All 70 patients (including 7 who later required amputation) underwent surgical intervention with a polytetrafluoroethylene interposition graft or arterioplasty. A good response to surgical treatment was found in significantly more patients (49/53, 92%) in group 1 compared to group 2 (7/17, 41%). Claudication distance after 6 months of follow-up improved in a significantly higher percentage of patients in group 1 (85%) than group 2 (38%). Preoperative thrombolysis improved the outcome and predicted the result of arterial surgery.


Many firms implemented various initiatives such as outsourced manufacturing which could make a supply chain (SC) more vulnerable to various types of disruptions, so managing risk has become a critical component of SC management. Different types of SC vulnerability management methodologies have been proposed for managing SC risk, most offer only point-based solutions that deal with a limited set of risks. This research aims to reinforce SC risk management by proposing an integrated approach. SC risk Criteria are identified and a SC risk response selection approach developed based on the group decision making methods under the fuzzy environment where the vagueness and subjectivity are handled with linguistic terms parameterized by triangular fuzzy numbers.


This study aimed to determine utility of a short-term controlled internal drug release (CIDR)-based protocol for hormonal therapy to large ovarian cysts and inactive ovaries in postpartum anestrous Mehsana buffaloes under field conditions in a highland area of Thailand. Anestrous buffaloes were diagnosed by transrectal ultrasonography as having ovarian cysts (n=5) or inactive ovaries (n=14). These 19 buffaloes were submitted to a CIDR-prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α)- pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG)-based protocol with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injections. Cows that exhibited estrus were bred with bulls. Pregnancy was diagnosed by transrectal ultrasonography at 35 days after mating; the non-pregnant cows were continuously resynchronized by the same protocol. In the initial synchronization and resynchronization phases, the estrous and pregnancy rates did not differ between buffaloes diagnosed with large ovarian cysts or inactive ovaries. Although the pregnancy outcome did not differ between the two groups, 57.9% of the anestrous Mehsana buffaloes became pregnant after therapy with the short-term CIDRbased protocol. Thus, these data demonstrated that a CIDR-PGF2α-PMSG-based protocol with hCG injection effectively treated large cystic and inactive ovaries in infertile buffaloes, allowing for subsequent pregnancy; this hormonal therapy is recommended for anestrous Mehsana buffaloes under field conditions in the highland areas of Thailand.


. Referring to Law Number 7 of 2016 concerning Fishermen Protection and Empowerment, the purpose of the protection and empowerment of fishermen is provide infrastructure and facilities needed in developing business, provide certainty of sustainable business, and running independent, productive, advanced, modern and sustainable businesses. Folowing Articel 33 of 1945 Constitution Republik Indonesia The article seems to mandate the state and government to control natural resources and manage them for the prosperity of its people. The constitution above, has a clear constitutional basis related to protection and empowerment of fishermen. Utilizing the beauty of coastal tourism destinations, is gifts of extraordinary natural resources. Role of local government Coastal tourism - based tourism management by local government is expected to improve the economy of coastal communities, the majority of whom are fishermen. Regulations are the basis of tourism management which is legal umbrella for preparing coastal tourism development plans. Sampang Regency in development of coastal tourism, currently not only centered on the beach and results of fisheries or fishing in the sea. The development of coastal tourism potential in Sampang Regency expected to managed properly and sustainably by local government. Potential to improve economy, welfare community And alternative livelihood for fishing families.


Transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation (TPVI) within a failed bioprosthetic valve is safe and effective Coronary artery compression is a potential risk, requiring careful preimplantation balloon dilation testing Prestenting is required for TPVI in stentless conduits Improvements in right ventricular volume, pressure, pulmonary stenosis, and regurgitation can be maintained in the intermediate term Long‐term risk for Melody valve endocarditis and valve dysfunction necessitates careful monitoring


Near the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary, the filament event corresponds to the massive occurrence of thin elongate shells, probably bivalves which constitute, in the Bahloul Formation, about 40% of allochems. This biosedimentary event was described in several areas, such as in Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, North America, Oman and Tibet. In Tunisia, filaments are well represented within well laminated black shales constituting the Bahloul Formation, late Cenomanian – early Turonian in age. These black shales were deposited under anoxic conditions developed in an outer ramp environment. Filaments are particularly abundant in the upper part of the Bahloul Formation, which is topped by a condensation level exhibiting encrusted ammonites associated with frequent burrows, and phosphatic and glauconitic grains. In terms of depositional environments, the filament concentrations announce an evolution towards "normal"-marine conditions, which followed the anoxic conditions favouring black-shale formation. This trend coincided with a deepening that led to maximum flooding at the condensation surface. The petrographic study of samples taken along a N-S transect shows a clear evolution of filament structures from distal to proximal ramp. Limestones deposited in the outer ramp environment mainly contain well preserved "pelagic" bivalve shells showing a thin-shelled structure composed of elongated filaments. Laterally, toward the proximal ramp, the bivalve shells are progressively disintegrated, the filaments being arranged parallel to bedding. In an even more proximal setting, filaments appear finer, highly fragmented and arranged without preferential orientation. The Cenomanian-Turonian "pelagic" bivalves thus probably lived in an outer ramp environment and their thin shells disintegrated progressively into filaments. This happened during high energy conditions generated by storms.

The filament event, which is associated to other bio-events expressed by the extinction and the first occurrence of some pelagic species, could be used to establish local to global correlations.

When the ammonite Watinoceras, the main early Turonian marker, is rare or absent, the filament-rich facies could indicate the proximity of the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary.

At a global scale, the filament event illustrates a sea-level rise in relation with eustatic and climatic changes. The maximum flooding of this transgressive event was identified in several localities and dated about 93 Ma. The very high sea-level conditions are favourable to accumulation and preservation of organic-rich facies such as black shales, which illustrate the anoxic event OAE2.

The abundance of filaments near the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary is an indicator of high organic productivity following a climatic change to warmer conditions. The latter have clearly influenced oceanic water-masses circulation, water column stratification and nutrient partitioning.


Resonantly enhanced multiphoton ionization via the EF(1)Σg (+), v' = 6 double-well state has been used to probe the energy region below the third dissociation limit of H2 where several high vibrational levels of the 4(1)Σu (+) state are expected. Theoretical ab initio potential energy curves for this state predict a deep inner well and shallow outer well where vibrational levels above v = 8 are expected to exhibit the double-well character of the state. Since the 4(1)Σu (+) state has f-state character, transitions to it from the ground state are nominally forbidden. However, the d character of the outer well of the EF(1)Σg (+) state allows access to this state. We report observations of transitions to the v = 9-12 levels of the 4(1)Σu (+) state and compare their energies to predicted energies calculated from an ab initio potential energy curve with adiabatic corrections. Assignments are based on measured energies and linewidths, rotational constants, and expected transition strengths. The amount of agreement between the predicted values and the observations is mixed, with the largest discrepancies arising for the v = 9 level, owing to strong nonadiabatic electronic mixing in this energy region.


Malaysian philosophy, purpose and objective of the education system is rooted and based on policies stated in the National Education Policy 1956 and Education Act 1961. Whereas the Education Ordinance 1952 urged all Chinese and Tamil schools to be given equal opportunity to learn English and Malay language together with their mother tongue. This policy has open up opportunity to the non-Bumis to learn their mother tongue without any fixed rules. The learning of mother tongue was not only limited to the basic level, but it continues to the university level. The findings of this research is important especially in the teaching of Malay language as the medium of instruction in the education system. All these three parties the Ministry of Education, Translation Institute and Ministry of Higher Education play important roles in producing the quality translation materials.


Benign intracranial hypertension (BICH) is a rare adverse event. We report the case of a 31-year-old female drug addict who had been seropositive for HIV since 1987. She had stage IV C1 AIDS, and was receiving intravenous amphotericin B for generalized cryptococcosis with no neuromeningeal involvement. She developed BICH that regressed when the antifungal drug was withdrawn and treatment for cerebral edema was started. BICH is a clinical entity involving intracranial hypertension with no focal neurological signs or detectable intracranial lesion. The manifestations include headache, transitory or permanent visual disturbances (diplopia, loss of visual acuity) and the perception of intracranial noise. The cerebrospinal fluid is under increased pressure but the composition is normal. The eye fundus examination shows papillary edema, and the neuroradiological workup is normal. BICH can only be diagnosed once an expansive intracranial process, neuromeningeal infection, and non-communicative hydrocephalus have been ruled out. In the majority of cases, no etiology is found. Such cases of idiopathic BICH usually occur in overweight young women, although drugs can be implicated. Amphotericin B has not previously been held responsible for BICH. On the basis of this observation, we present a review of the literature.


This study was conducted to clarify the effects of chemicals and physical treatment on the split of flower stalk and the vase life of Lycoris squamigera and Lycoris radiata. There was no split of flower stalk for the Lycoris squamigera and the Lycoris radiata after the harvest of flowers and the immersion in 4 mM STA solution for 30 minutes. It was effective for the vase life of Lycoris squamigera that cut flower was pre-treated in 4 mM STS solution for 30 minutes and immersed in sucrose + 150 ppm 8-HQS +4 ppm Rox preservative solution. The optimum periods of hot water treatments for the prevention of flower stalk split and the elongation of vase life for the cut flowers were 15 to 25 seconds for the Lycoris squamigera and 5 to 10 seconds for Lycoris radiata. Burning the cut parts of flower stalk for 10 to 30 seconds was effective for the prevention of flower stalk split and the elongation of vase life for the Lycoris squamigera, and 10 to 15 seconds for the Lycoris radiata. The vase lifes of Lycoris squamigera and Lycoris radiata were elongated when flower stalk was cut by an incline of 45 degrees compared with the horizontal cut. And Banding the flower stalks of cut flowers was effective for the prevention of flower stalk split and the elongation of vase life for the Lycoris squamigera and the Lycoris radiata.


Measurements of respiratory volumes involve a great deal of effort, either by immobile equipment such as bodyplethysmography or by consumables as with spirometers. Contactless measurement methods can remedy this situation. In this paper, a depth camera is used to generate a contactless respiratory signal. A region of interest is placed over the subject's upper body and the distance-time curve of respiratory motion is recorded. Via selected signal features and the use of an artificial neural network, we can show that this method is equal to the use of conventional volume determination. From a comparison with a spirometer connected in parallel as a reference, a mean error for tidal volume of −0.10 l and vital capacity of 0.09 l is obtained.


The objective of this study is to detrmine whether alloxan-induced diabetic Lactoferrin knockout (LFKO-/-) mice are more susceptible to periodontal disease caused by Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans compared to the diabetic wild-type (WT) mice. Diabetes was induced in mice by a single dose of alloxan (60 mg/kg) injected intravenously. Mice were categorized as diabetic when blood glucose levels >250 mg/dL were measured on the 7th day after the injection. Periodontal disease was experimentally induced by A. actinomycetemcomitans infection in alloxan induced diabetic WT and LFKO-/- mice. Fasting blood glucose levels and body weight were monitored throughout the study. At the end of the 12th week of infection, mice were sacrificed and bone loss among the groups was estimated by measuring the distance between cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) to the alveolar bone crest (ABC) at 12 sites on the molars. A. actinomycetemcomitans infected mice groups developed more alveolar bone loss than sham-infected animals. Diabetic LFKO-/- infected mice exhibited significant bone loss (P<0.01) and a higher mean fasting blood glucose level (P<0.05) when compared to diabetic WT infected mice. No statistically significant difference in fasting blood glucose level was found between the infected and sham-infected groups. Peripheral blood analysis at the end of the 12th week revealed a significant reduction in the platelet counts in LFKO-/- mice when compared to WT mice. Furthermore, diabetic LFKO-/- presented with lower counts than non-diabetic LFKO-/- mice (P<0.01). In conclusion, diabetic lactoferrin deficient mice are at a higher risk of developing periodontal infection induced by A. actinomycetemcomitans when compared to diabetic WTI mice.


Exposure of the skin to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation has both risks and benefits for human health. Absorption of UV-B radiation by DNA results in mutations that underlie the development of skin cancers, as is apparent from genetic studies showing high occurrence of UV signature mutations within these tumors. UV-B radiation is also absorbed by 7-dehydrocholesterol to initiate vitamin D synthesis. In experimental studies vitamin D metabolites enhance apoptosis of malignant cells, inhibit angiogenesis and proliferation and increase differentiation, potentially reducing skin cancer development and improving prognosis after diagnosis. There are some supporting human data. We review the links between sun exposure, vitamin D and skin cancers.


The lasing transition in ZnSe epitaxial layers has been investigated at 77 K. The lowest lasing threshold (I/sub th/) was achieved when the layers were resonantly excited at the photon energy of the exciton level. It was found that the exciton level at the excitation intensity just above the I/sub th/ was red-shifted by about 16 meV compared with the free exciton line (2.792 eV) under weak excitation condition. The energy difference between the exciton line and the lasing peak was about 19 meV at I=I/sub th/ and increased with increasing excitation intensity up to I=8/spl times/I/sub th/. This suggests that the stimulated emission occurs due to the inelastic exciton-exciton scattering process at this temperature.<<ETX>>


A procedure which allows an investigator to supply a crystal with fresh mother material without inducing significant growth defects is described. This technique requires that the crystal is grown in a gelled hanging or sitting drop. An example concerning a model macromolecule, hen egg-white lysozyme, is given. Extension of this procedure to other macromolecules is discussed.


Synopsis : Human activities have increased an input of nitrogen to coastal waters. Hyper nitrogenous and phosphorous limiting condition induces red tides of harmful algae which can vitally grown on a wide variety of phosphorous compounds. Environmental quality there is then reduced by altered phytoplankton composition. We hypothesize that such hyper nitrogenous condition can be turned into healthy eutrophic condition, where desirable phytoplankton assemblage can grow, by use of a steelmaking slag as a source of phosphate and silicate. We examined the effect of enrichment of the dephosphorization slag on a natural phytoplankton assemblage in the hyper nitrogenous water with treated municipal sewage. The enrichment enhanced phytoplankton growth particularly of diatoms, such as Skeletonema costatum, while excess enrichment (200 mg/l) suppressed phytoplankton growth probably due to pH increase and/or ammonia toxicity (un-ionizedNH3 form) appeared under increasing pH. These results indicate that slag enrichment would be effective at lower dose to avoid pH increase. Although 20 mg// slag and 20% sewage was confirmed to be the best dose at 10°C, the dose should be reduced during summer since the percent NH3 increases with temperature.


BACKGROUND
The present study investigated the effect of repeated hypercapnic challenges on the sensory (intensity [I]) and affective (unpleasantness [U]) dimensions of breathlessness.

METHODS
Three subsequent rebreathing trials (Read, 1968) were administered to healthy men and women (n = 39). The I and U of breathlessness were rated every 20 s during the baseline, rebreathing, and recovery phases. Breathing behavior (fractional end-tidal CO(2) [Fetco(2)] and minute ventilation [Ve]) was monitored continuously. Intraindividual linear regression slopes for Fetco(2) and Ve] were calculated and standardized, separately for both rating dimensions.

RESULTS
Both the absolute magnitude and the slope of the I of breathlessness were higher compared to U (p < 0.05). Across-trial habituation of the peak I and U of breathlessness occurred in both genders (p < 0.001), but habituation was larger for the U than for the I (p = 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
The findings show that the sensory and affective dimensions of breathlessness can meaningfully be distinguished during hypercapnic challenges and that repeated exposures have different effects on both dimensions.


Objectives & Background The primary purpose of the study was to compare the metrics on the effectiveness of chest compressions obtained through an advanced CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) manikin and a real-time CPR feedback device during simulated CPR. Methods This was a prospective, randomized controlled study. The study group consisted of 21 medical school and 62 paramedic students who were already trained in BLS skills. A five-question pretest on high-quality CPR was administered to all participants and they all performed a two-minute chest compression on an advanced CPR manikin. No statistically significant relationship was found in terms of pretest results, basal compression rates and depths between the two groups (p>0.05). The population was then randomly divided into two groups. The control group, consisting of 43 students, performed two-minute CPR on an advanced CPR manikin, followed by a two-minute CPR session with a simple metronome feedback. The study group performed two-minute CPR on an advanced CPR manikin, followed by a two-minute CPR using a TrueCPR real-time feedback device. We analyzed the compression rate and depth of both techniques. Results The compression rate during CPR with a simple metronome feedback was significantly higher compared to that obtained during standard CPR (108±6.2 vs 119.0±18.2/min;p<0.05). However there was no significant difference in compression depth between the techniques (p>0.05). Use of the TrueCPR feedback device resulted in significant improvement in both the compression rate (106.2±4.8 vs 121.6±13.1/min;p<0.05) and the compression depth (56.5±5.8 mm vs 53.6±7.0 mm; p<0.05) compared to standard CPR without feedback. When CPR performance obtained by using both feedback methods was compared, there was no statistical difference between compression rates (p>0.05), whereas the TrueCPR device yielded significantly deeper compression depth compared to the simple metronome (56.5±5.8 vs 53.3±6.5 mm; p<0.05). Conclusion Feedback with a device during CPR is an effective method to achieve adequate compression rate and depth. The real-time feedback device can be particularly effective and offer advantages during the actual CPR procedure based on the more effective CPR metric achieved by its use. However, further studies to show the clinical effectiveness of the real-time CPR feedback devices are needed.


In the rabbit 5% phosphonoacetic acid ointment suppressed herpetic keratitis as well as 0-5% idoxuridine ointment. After 5 days of treatment quantitative virus titres showed that phosphonoacetic acid was superior to idoxuridine in the inhibition of herpes virus replication. Phosphonoacetic acid was found to be nontoxic to the eye in both clinical and histopathological studies. Recent reports suggest that the mechanism of action of phosphonoacetic acid appears to be the blocking of the virus DNA polymerase, which is essential for the synthesis of herpes virus DNA.


Purpose: This study was to investigate the influence of male nurses' gender role conflict and job satisfaction on their organizational commitment. Methods: Data were collected through a mixed method design using structured questionnaires (N=162) and a sequential qualitative interviews (N=8) from 2nd October, 2012 to 7th February, 2013. Data analysis included t-test, ANOVA, regression with SPSS/WIN 19.0 program and a qualitative thematic analysis. Results: Factors affecting participants' organizational commitment were job satisfaction and marital status which accounted for 36.2% of the total variance. In particular, low job satisfaction was not correlated with low organizational commitment despite lower job satisfaction. Three main themes connoting meanings of ambivalence were extracted from the data: desiring for the better future in spite of the current difficulty, strengthening their masculinity in tandem with complementing femininity in the midst of gender role conflict, leading their organization at times, and enduring hard work with responsibility for raising their family as a head of household. Conclusion: The findings indicate that male nurses' adjustment to the organization is controlled by ambivalence. It is essential to understand sociocultural contexts of male nurses as a minority in nursing fields for further research.


OBJECTIVES
Cognitive impairment caused by cerebrovascular disease accounts for more than half of vascular dementia. However, neuropsychological tests are limited by their subjectivity. Additional effective approaches to evaluate cognitive impairment in patients with cerebrovascular disease are necessary.

METHODS
One hundred and thirty-two patients with cerebrovascular disease were recruited. One hundred subjects met the criteria and completed neuropsychological scales. Sixty-nine subjects proceeded with polysomnography, and 63 of them had their peripheral blood biomarkers measured. According to MMSE scores, patients were divided into cognitively impaired and cognitively normal groups. The differences of biomarkers and sleep parameters between the groups were compared, and decision tree models were constructed to evaluate the evaluation ability of these indicators on cognitive decline.

RESULTS
The integrated decision tree model of sleep parameters yielded an AUC of 0.952 (95% CI: 0.911-0.993), while that of plasma biomarkers yielded an AUC of 0.872 (95% CI: 0.810-0.935) in the assessment of cognition status. Then the participants were automatically clustered into mild and severe cognitive impairment groups by multiple neuropsychological test results. The integrated plasma biomarker model showed an AUC of 0.928 (95% CI 0.88-0.977) and the integrated sleep parameter model showed an AUC of 0.851 (95% CI 0.783-0.919) in the assessment of mild/severe cognitive impairment.

CONCLUSIONS
Integrated models which consist of sleep parameters and plasma biomarkers can accurately evaluate dimentia status and cognitive impairment in patients with cerebral small vessel disease. This innovative study may facilitate drug development, early screening, clinical diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of the disease.


We reviewed 31 patients treated by meniscal suture from 1994 to 1998. They consisted 19 males and 12 females with a mean age of 19.1 years (range: 10-34 years). The average follow-up period was 9.6 months (range; 1 to 36 months). We evaluated factors about the return to sports activity after meniscal repair. The important factors are sex (female), age (after 30 years), ligament insuf-ficiency, and type of sports (requiring jumping). The rehabilitation method shoud be considered to shorten the return period to sports activity.


Adirect emcient optimization techniquehas been eHectedfor automatically optimizing thereload of PWR. The objective functions include: maximization of end-of-cycle(EOC) reactivityand maximization of average discharge burnup. The fuel loading optimization and burnable poison(BP) optimization are separated into two stages by using Haling principle. In the first stage, theoptimum fuel reloading pattern without BP is determined by the Linear Programming method us-ing enrichments as control variable,while in the second stage the optimum BP allocation is deter-mined by the Flexible Tolerance Method using the number of BP rods as control variable. A prac-tical and efficient PWR reloading optimization program based on above theory has been encodedand successfully applied to Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant(QNP) cycle 2 reloading design.


MicroRNA-150-5p (miR-150-5p) plays a complex role in normal early hematopoietic development and is also implicated in the development of various different leukemias. We have reported previously that, in myeloid and lymphoid malignancies associated with dysregulated fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) activities, miR-150-5p is down-regulated compared with healthy cells. Here, using murine cells, we found that this down-regulation is accompanied by CpG methylation of the miR-150-5p promoter region. Of note, analysis of human acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cohorts also revealed an inverse relationship between miR-150-5p expression and disease progression. We also found that the DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) enzyme is highly up-regulated in FGFR1-driven leukemias and lymphomas and that FGFR1 inhibition reduces DNMT1 expression. DNMT1 knockdown in stem cell leukemia/lymphoma (SCLL) cells increased miR-150-5p levels and reduced levels of the MYB proto-oncogene transcription factor, a key regulator of leukemogenesis. FGFR1 directly activates the MYC proto-oncogene basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, which, as we show here, binds and activates the DNMT1 promoter. MYC knockdown decreased DNMT1 expression, which, in turn, increased miR-150-5p expression. One of the known targets of miR-150-5p is MYB, and treatment of leukemic cells with the MYB inhibitor mebendazole dose-dependently increased apoptosis and reduced cell viability. Moreover, mebendazole treatment of murine xenografts models of FGFR1-driven leukemias enhanced survival. These findings provide evidence that MYC activates MYB by up-regulating DNMT1, which silences miR-150-5p and promotes SCLL progression. We propose that inclusion of mebendazole in a combination therapy with FGFR1 inhibitors may be a valuable option to manage SCLL.


Most children's ministries focus their creative energies on the evangelization and discipleship of children. They offer excellent, well-planned events and programs that encourage children to form significant relationships, memorize Scripture, learn Bible stories in new and innovative ways, and experience deep and moving worship. Often overlooked is the importance of creating opportunities for children to serve. This article will argue that it is our biblical mandate to serve and that serving is spiritually forming for both adults and children. Various models of how churches are involving children in service opportunities will be explored, as well as the effects that it is having on children, their families, and our churches.


Abstract The engagement of the for-profit private sector in health, social and humanitarian services has become a topic of keen interest. It is particularly contentious in those instances where for-profit organizations have become recipients of public funds, and where they become key decision-makers in terms of how, and to whom, services are provided. We put forward a framework for identifying and organizing the ethical questions to be considered when contracting government services to the for-profit sector, specifically in those areas that have traditionally remained in the public or not-for-profit spheres. The framework is designed to inform both academic debate and practical decision-making regarding the acceptability, feasibility and legitimacy of for-profit organizations carrying out humanitarian work. First, we outline the importance of posing ethical questions in government contracting for-profit vs. not-for-profit organizations. We then outline five key areas to be considered before then examining the extent to which ethics concerns are warranted and how they may be safeguarded.


Expression of cytoplasmic intermediate filament (IF) proteins starts in the gastrula with three keratins (k1, Y1, D1) and protein X1. The number of IF proteins expressed increases at the neurula and early larval stages to seven and 11, respectively, and reaches 13 in the adult. Using antibodies specific for a single IF protein the expression patterns of nine of the 13 IF proteins were analyzed at different developmental stages. Keratin k1 of the larval epidermis is replaced in the juvenile by keratin E1. Protein C1 of the larval epidermis persists only weakly and only in the most ventral part of the adult. While down-regulated in the adult epidermis k1 and C1 are major proteins in the atrial epithelium which forms in the later larva. B1 is currently the only IF protein expressed in mesodermally derived tissues such as the muscle tails and some coelomic epithelia. Two-dimensional gels confirm that keratins are the major IF proteins in the nerve cord. Immunogold electronmicroscopy shows that proteins X1 and C2 are present in epidermis and nerve cord in keratin IF. q 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.


We calculate axisymmetric magnetic modes of a neutron star possessing a mixed poloidal and toroidal magnetic field, where the toroidal field is assumed to be proportional to a dimensionless parameter $\zeta_0$. Here, we assume an isentropic structure for the neutron star and consider no effects of rotation. Ignoring the equilibrium deformation due to the magnetic field, we employ a polytrope of the index $n=1$ as the background model for our modal analyses. For the mixed poloidal and toroidal magnetic field with $\zeta_0\not=0$, axisymmetric spheroidal and toroidal modes are coupled. We compute axisymmetric spheroidal and toroidal magnetic modes as a function of the parameter $\zeta_0$ from $0$ to $\sim 1$ for the surface field strengths $B_S=10^{14}$G and $10^{15}$G. We find that the frequency $\omega$ of the magnetic modes decreases with increasing $\zeta_0$. We also find that the frequency of the spheroidal magnetic modes is almost exactly proportional to $B_S$ for $\zeta_0\lesssim 1$ but that this proportionality holds only when $\zeta_0\ll 1$ for the toroidal magnetic modes. The wave patterns of the spheroidal magnetic modes and toroidal magnetic modes are not strongly affected by the coupling so long as $\zeta_0\lesssim 1$. We find no unstable modes having $\omega^2<0$.


structural modifi cation of yarn is opening up new fi elds of application. In the present study, the struc- ture of polyester/polyvinyl alcohol (PVAL) blended ring spun yarns was modifi ed with a dissolution of PVAL, while the yarns were prepared using various percentage of the PVAL fi bre. The elastic recovery and elastic performance coeffi cient (EPC) were measured before and after the dissolution of PVAL for a comparative as- sessment. Fibre fi neness and twist multiplier were also selectively altered to study the eff ect. The experi- ments were carried out to study the elastic recovery at 2% and 4% extension, while EPC was calculated us- ing 30% and 50% of breaking load of respective yarns. The t-test result confi rmed some signifi cant diff erence in EPC and recovery behaviour of the yarns on modifi cation through the removal of PVAL. Fibre fi neness and applied twist were found to infl uence the behaviour. Modifi ed yarns were found to exhibit improved elas- tic recovery properties.


In the context of a state-space model for nominal and TIPS yields, we identify the liquidity premium in the TIPS market as the common component in TIPS yields unspanned by nominal yields. Using daily US yields, we find that the TIPS liquidity premium explains up to 22% of the variation in TIPS yields and that it sharply spiked during the recent financial crisis. A counterfactual exercise shows that the QE2 program had only limited effects on the liquidity premium in the TIPS market.


The determination of antiproliferative properties of compounds on tumour cells is important for assessment of their efficacy in cancer treatment. CFSElabelled K562 cells were incubated with doxorubicin and orthoor para-fluorosubstitute Schiff bases (compounds 1 and 2 respectively). CFSE intensities were analysed using flow cytometry. K562 cells treated with doxorubicin resulted in homogeneous high intensity fluorescence after 96 h of incubation. Schiff bases exhibited antiproliferative effects, but lower than doxorubicin. Our results reveal that CFSE assay can be used for determining in vitro antiproliferative features of anticancer drugs and/or compounds from herbal or chemical sources.


PURPOSE
To evaluate the utility of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in bone and soft tissue tumors, especially whether or not the N-acetyl aspartate signal (NAA) could be recognized in neurogenic tumors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Forty-nine proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies were performed in 60 bone and soft tissue tumors. The patients were 28 males and 30 females. Eleven studies were incomplete, and were excluded from analysis. A point-resolved spectroscopy sequence (TR=1500 or 2000 ms, and TE=30, 60, 136, or 272 ms) was used on a 1.5-Tesla clinical MR scanner.

RESULTS
An unassigned signal at about 2.0-2.1 ppm was recognized in six of 47 lesions: clear cell sarcoma (2/2), Ewing sarcoma (1/1), malignant fibrous histiocytoma (1/3), malignant schwannoma (1/1), and mucoepidermoid carcinoma (1/1). Neuroblastoma (1/1), primitive neuroectodermal tumor (1/1), and malignant melanoma (1/1) after chemotherapy or radiotherapy did not show this signal. This signal was not detected in neurofibroma (9/9), schwannoma (6/6), pheochromocytoma (2/2), or other mesenchymal tumors of non-neuroectodermal origin.

CONCLUSIONS
The assigned signal at about 2.0-2.1 ppm was detected in a small percentage of bone and soft tissue tumors and could be suggestive of an untreated malignant tumor of neuroectodermal origin.


Objective: Studies demonstrated that as one of the newly developed restorative materials, monolithic zirconia resolved several issues of zirconia restoration. Therefore, marginal accuracy and internal fit are necessary for clinical success and quality of restorations, and cement space may influence the marginal fit. Thus, the present research aimed to investigate the effects of the cement thickness and kind of restoration on the marginal discrepancy. Material and methods: In this study, 20 maxillary left first molars, prepared by DRSK Co., were used to fabricate a full crown. Two types of material included monolithic zirconia (Zolid) and Sintron were used to make a full crown. Samples from each group were scanned by dental laboratory 3D scanner and designed and processed using CAD-CAM. The samples were divided into four groups of five with 30- and 50- µm cement spaces. In order to assess the vertical marginal discrepancy, the crowns were fitted on their respective teeth without using any mediator and examined by a micro-CT scanner. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. Results: It has been found that marginal discrepancy in Sintron is higher than the discrepancy of monolithic zirconia. In fact, monolithic zirconia with 50-micron cement space exhibited the least marginal discrepancy and the cement space in Sintron did not significantly influence the marginal discrepancy. Conclusion: It has been concluded that the material kinds and cement space influence the restoration marginal discrepancy constructed by digital workflow.
KEYWORDSDental cements; Dental marginal adaptation; X-Raymicrotomography.


The purpose of this study is to determine the role and place of cloud technologies in the modern school, the main task – determining components of cloud technology tools support individual learning school subjects, the object of study – the tools of support and e-learning in secondary schools, the subject – means cloud technologies for e-learning students, the main research method – a theoretical study. The system of cloud technology training tools for specific school subject consists of general education tools cloud technologies (tools for online e-learning materials development and online storage, cloud technology learning management tools) and specialized cloud technologies tools – browser-based system of programming and simulation (to support learning computer science), mathematical mobile environments (to support the study of mathematics), virtual online labs and simulation system (to support the study of physics, chemistry or biology) etc. The use of cloud technologies in the educational process of general education schools especially will solve the problem of providing equal access for students and teachers to high-quality educational resources in the classroom and in their spare time.


An exploitation of the generally unwanted sensitivity to light of chain-end functions in polymers synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) is proposed. This reactivity can be purposely enhanced through the simple introduction of a strongly absorbing chromophore on the terminal monomer unit. The concept was validated on RAFT polymers with a xanthate chain-end function and a terminal monomer unit derived from N-vinylcarbazole (NVC). We demonstrate that such compounds can be considered as efficient and versatile macrophotoinitiators, being able to initiate both free radical and radical promoted cationic polymerizations under UV irradiation.


Previous studies have shown differences in expression levels of apoptosis regulatory proteins in non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) and indicated the correlation of procaspase-3 (proC-3) and caspase-3 activation to the response of chemotherapy. We investigated whether proC-3 expression in tumor biopsies of childhood NHLs is related to clinical outcome. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from 58 children with NHL were evaluated for proC-3 expression by immunochemistry analysis. The study included 20 cases of Burkitt lymphoma, 7 cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 18 cases of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), and 13 cases of precursor lymphoblastic lymphoma. The highest expression level of proC-3 was observed in ALCL. In the multivariate analysis the higher clinical stage of disease and higher expression level of proC-3 were independent and appear to be significant prognostic factors of treatment failure. Our results suggest that the high expression level of proC-3 may be a powerful independent predictor of response to chemotherapy and progression-free survival in childhood NHLs.


We present the results with 2 techniques for periurethral polytetrafluoroethylene (Polytef) injection in 21 female subjects with type III stress urinary incontinence. The standard technique included the use of a stainless steel needle for injection, paste "sopping" and a Wolff, Storz or Lewy syringe as an injecting element. Postoperatively, no catheters were left indwelling and all patients were encouraged to urinate following recovery from the anesthesia. The modified technique included the use of a 14F angio-catheter for injection of the paste, paste heating and a Lewy syringe or Mentor gun as injector. Postoperatively, all patients were left with an indwelling suprapubic catheter for 3 to 5 days. A total of 27 injections was performed, including 9 with the standard technique and the last consecutive 18 with the modified technique. Average followup has been 11.4 months. Cure, improvement and no change rates from the preoperative condition were 11%, 22% and 67% with the standard technique and 39%, 17% and 44% with the modified technique, respectively. In the latter group 3 patients had received pelvic radiotherapy as definitive treatment for pelvic malignancies. The overall failure rate in patients with a stable detrusor was 42% compared to 75% in the group with bladder instability and low compliance. Advantages of the modified technique include avoidance in the formation of intraoperative and postoperative fistulas, and easier handling and injection of the heated paste to achieve urethral compression. Improved short-term results with the modified technique indicate that a larger group of patients and long-term followup are essential requirements to determine the true efficacy of this technical modification. Based on these preliminary results, we now prefer the modified technique to the standard technique in the management of type III stress urinary incontinence.


ABSTRACT

Composite absorbing material is a branch of study that relates electromagnetic compatibility to radio and microwave frequency applications. Thus, many researchers have been made to focus on the composite fabrication and its characteristic of microwave signal performance. Generally, a light weight, high absorption and low cost absorber is highly demanded. Therefore, this work aims to investigate the return loss (RL) characteristics of graphene oxide/zinc ferrite/epoxy composite in the range of frequency 8.2 GHz to 12.4 GHz. The structural patterns of graphene oxide (GO) and Zn ferrite (ZnFe2O4) were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Surface morphologies of the composites were characterized by Coxem Table Top SEM equipped with an energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) system and the tracing elements were identified. The bulk density of ZnFe2O4 could be reduced by addition of GO based on the measurement results. Electromagnetic properties were calculated using Nicolson-Ross-Weir (NRW) conversion technique based on measured S-parameters by vector network analyzer (VNA). Complex relative permittivity increases as the GO content increases due to the increment of dipolar polarization whereas a minor change occurred in permeability. Generally, the dissipation factor happens in the range of 10 – 11 GHz for both properties. A minimum RL is found to be -12.7 dB at 10.5 GHz with 2.35 mm for 3-GO-ZnFe2O4 composite sample. The RL performance of the sample could be tuned as low as -55 dB using higher thickness samples.


Tumor development was observed for 24 months in neonatally thymectomized (nTx) and normal (C3H/HeMs x 129/J)F1 mice. Thymectomy was performed at 3 days of age. Ovarian (29%, with significant difference from the control at P less than 0.001), pituitary (6%, P less than 0.08), and lymphoreticular tumors (16%, P less than 0.05) were observed in higher incidence in nTx females compared with normal controls, resulting in a significant increase in overall tumor incidence (99 tumors in 114 nTx females vs. 37 tumors in 71 normal females, P less than 0.01). No apparent difference in overall tumor incidence was observed between nTx and non-Tx males. Also, there was no higher risk for lung, liver, and mammary tumors in males and females after neonatal thymectomy. The finding that increased tumor incidence was limited to endocrine and lymphoreticular tissues does not support the concept of immune surveillance of carcinogenesis, but rather suggests the importance of tumor-prone conditioning of endocrine or immune systems as a result of neonatal thymectomy.


There is limited knowledge about the consumption and interaction of methane (CH4) and ethylene (C2H4) in forest soils under disturbances of temperature and acidification. Temperate volcanic forest topsoils (0‐5 cm) sampled under different tree species (e.g. Pinus sylvestris, Cryptomeria japonica and Quercus serrata) were used to study the capacities for CH4 and C2H4 consumption and their sensitivity to temperature and pH. We also studied the responses of soil nitrogen (N) transformations to temperature and relationships to consumption of both CH4 and C2H4. The C2H4 consumption rates increased with temperature up to 35oC, whereas the optimum temperature for CH4 consumption rates was approximately 25oC. Both Q10 values and activation energies for CH4 consumption rates over the range 5 to 25oC were larger than corresponding values for C2H4 consumption rates. The rates of nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitric oxide (NO) evolution and net N mineralization in the soils increased exponentially with temperature up to 35oC, with relatively large Q10 values and activation energies for NO evolution. In these forest topsoils, rates of CH4 and C2H4 consumption at pH < 4.0 were negligible, and the pH optimum for both consumptions varied from 5.5 to 6.2. Most of the tested forest soils had an optimum pH for CH4 and C2H4 consumption that was above natural pH values, which indicated that soil acidification would inhibit CH4 and C2H4 consumption in situ. There was a high rate of net C2H4 evolution from forest soils acidified experimentally to pH < 4.0, particularly from Cryptomeria japonica forest soil, and 67% of the variation in C2H4 evolution rates could be accounted for by the increase in soil water‐soluble organic carbon concentrations. Previous studies have shown that addition of C2H4 in headspace gases can inhibit atmospheric CH4 consumption in such forest soils. Hence, the evolution of C2H4 from temperate volcanic forest soils at decreasing pH can exacerbate inhibition of the soil atmospheric CH4 consumption in situ.


In this period, the opportunity to get a job has been very competitive. Many companies only look for the highest quality human resources for recruiting new employees. The tendency to use international standards requires that prospective employees have high quality and competence in their fields. English language skills are a priority requirement for a company to choose human resources. English job interviews are a tool to test the English skills of job seekers. however, job interview skills are not widely taught in formal schools. But today an English job interview must be faced for every job seeker, especially in most large or foreign companies. Ma'arif Vocational School in Cirebon district has many students majoring office administration. After graduating from school they are prepared to work in companies. So, they need English language knowledge the skills to have an English job interview to get a job in a good place. The purpose of the program is English job interview training for 30 students of office administration department 12th grade at SMK Ma'arif using lecture and demonstration methods. This method contains tips and tricks for facing an English Job Interview using demonstration methods and a direct simulation of the English Job Interview process. Therefore this training has many advantages over their needs and it will be effective for their daily activities. This training also provides the main lesson for job interview questions that are frequently used and how to answer them. Using this training, it is hoped that they will have enough perspective, knowledge, and skills in dealing with job interviews at foreign companies


Quantitative methods are needed to evaluate the ecological effects of fishing forage species upon which predators depend. African penguin Spheniscus demersus numbers at the Robben Island colony rose during the 1990s co-incidental with a marked increase in sardine Sardinops sagax and anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus abundances, but decreased appreciably during the 2000s as sardine suffered a series of poor recruitments. A population dynamics model is developed which relates penguin adult annual mortality to local sardine biomass, and is fit to penguin moult counts and re-sightings of tagged penguins. The predator–prey interaction is best explained by a sardine–penguin mortality relationship with average penguin survival decreasing only when the local sardine biomass is less than approximately one-quarter of the maximum observed. Results suggest that the rapid growth of the colony during the 1990s was driven primarily by immigration. Penguin projections are generated by linking to future sardine abundances predicted under the operational management procedure used to set catch limits for these sardine and anchovy fisheries, and compared with equivalent scenarios without fishing. Results indicate that fishing is likely to have a relatively small impact on penguins, especially when compared with uncertainties that arise from the variable spatial distribution of the sardine population.


Multiple Access protocols are distributed algorithms that enable a set of geographically dispersed stations to communicate using a single, common, broadcast channel. We concentrate on the class of Conflict Resolution Algorithms. This class exhibits very good performance characteristics for ''bursty'' computer communications traffic, including high capacity, low delay under light traffic conditions, and inherent stability. One algorithm in this class achieves the highest capacity among all known multiple-access protocols for the infinite population Poisson model. Indeed, this capacity is not far from a theoretical upper bound. After surveying the most important and influential Conflict Resolution Algorithms, the emphasis in our presentation is shifted to methods for their analysis and results of their performance evaluation. We also discuss some extensions of the basic protocols and performance results for non-standard environments, such as Local Area Networks, satellite channels, channels with errors, etc., providing a comprehensive bibliography. 1. Conflict Resolution Based Random Access Protocols The ALOHA protocols were a breakthrough in the area of multiple access communications.1 They delivered, more or less, what they advertized, i.e., low delay for bursty, computer generated traffic. They suffer, however, from stability problems and low capacity.2 The next major breakthrough in the area of multiple access communications was the development of random access protocols that resolve conflicts algorithmically. The invention of Conflict Resolution Algorithms (CRAs) is usually attributed to Capetanakis [Capet78, Capet79, Capet79b], and, independently, to Tsybakov and Mikhailov [Tsyba78]. The same idea, but in a slightly different context, was also presented, earlier, by Hayes [Hayes78]. Later, it was recognized [Berge84, Wolf85] that the underlying idea had been known for a long time in the context of Group Testing [Dorfm43, Sobel59, Ungar60]. Group Testing was developed during World War II to speed up processing of syphilis blood tests. Since the administered test had high sensitivity, it was suggested [Dorfm43] that many blood samples could be pooled together. The result of the test would then be positive if, and only if, there was at least one diseased sample in the pool, in which case individual tests were administered to isolate the diseased samples. Later, it was suggested that, after the first diseased sample was isolated, the remaining samples could again be pooled for further testing. The beginning of a general theory of Group Testing can be found in [Sobel59], where, as pointed out in [Wolf85], a tree search algorithm is suggested, similar to the ones we present in section 1.2. The first application of Group Testing to communications arose when Hayes proposed a new, and more efficient, polling algorithm that he named probing [Hayes78]. Standard polling schemes are unacceptable for large sets of bursty stations because the overhead is proportional to the number of stations in the system, and independent from the amount of traffic. Hayes' main idea was to shorten the polling cycle by having the central controller query subsets of the total population to discover if these subsets contain stations with waiting packets. If the response is negative, the total subset is ''eliminated'' in a single query. If the response is positive, the group is split into two subgroups and the process is continued, recursively, until a single active station is polled. This station is then allowed to transmit some data, which does not have to be in the form of constant size packets. Clearly, this is a reservation protocol. In subsequent papers Hayes has also considered direct transmission systems. Notice that the controller receives feedback in the form something — nothing (at least one station, or no station with waiting packets). 1.1. Basic Assumptions The protocols that will be presented in this section have been developed, and analyzed, on the basis of a set of common assumptions3 that describe a standard environment that is usually called an ALOHA-type channel. 1. Synchronous (slotted) operation: The common-receiver model of a broadcast channel is usually implicitly assumed. Furthermore, messages are split into packets of fixed size. All transmitters are (and remain) synchronized, and may initiate transmissions only at predetermined times, one packet transmission time apart. The time between two successive allowable packet transmission times is called a slot and is usually taken as the time unit. Thus, if more than one packet is transmitted during the same slot, they are ''seen'' by the receiver simultaneously, and therefore, overlap completely. 2. Errorless channel: If a given slot contains a single packet transmission, then the packet will be received correctly (by the common receiver). 1 For an introduction to the area of multiple access communications see the books by Bertsekas and Gallager [Berts92, chapter 4] and [Rom90]. Actually, chapter 4 of [Berts92] and chapter 5 of [Rom90] also present good expositions of Conflict Resolution Algorithms. 2 If no special control is exercised to stabilize the protocols, the term capacity must be taken in the ''broader'' sense of maximum throughput maintained during considerable periods of time, since the true capacity is zero [Fergu75, Fayol77, Aldou87]. However, having to stabilize the protocols detracts from their initial appeal that was mainly due to their simplicity. 3 Some of the protocols can operate with some of the assumptions weakened. When this is the case we point it out during their presentation. In section 6 we discuss protocols and analyses techniques that weaken or modify some of these assumptions.


ABSTRACT AMD070 is an oral CXCR4 antagonist with in vitro activity against X4-tropic human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Thirty fasting healthy male volunteers received oral doses of AMD070 ranging from a single 50-mg dose to seven 400-mg doses given every 12 h (q12h). Nine subjects received a 200-mg dose during fasting and prior to a meal. Subjects were monitored for safety and pharmacokinetics. AMD070 was well tolerated, without serious adverse events. Transient headaches (13 subjects) and neurocognitive (8 subjects) and gastrointestinal (7 subjects) symptoms were the most common complaints. Seven subjects had sinus tachycardia, and two were symptomatic. AMD070 plasma concentrations peaked 1 to 2 h after patient dosing. The estimated terminal half-life ranged from 11.2 to 15.9 h among cohorts. Dose proportionality was not demonstrated. Less than 1% of the drug appeared unchanged in the urine. Food reduced the maximum concentration of drug in serum and the area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 h by 70% and 56%, respectively (P ≤ 0.01). A dose-dependent elevation of white blood cells (WBC) demonstrated a maximum twofold increase over baseline (95% confidence interval, 2.0- to 2.1-fold) in an Emax model. In healthy volunteers, AMD070 was well tolerated and demonstrated mixed-order pharmacokinetics, and food reduced drug exposure. AMD070 induced a dose-related elevation of WBC which was attributed to CXCR4 blockade. Using leukocytosis as a surrogate marker for CXCR4 inhibition, this dose-response relationship suggests that the doses used in this study were active in vivo, though not maximal, throughout the dosing interval. Trough concentrations with the 400-mg dose q12h exceeded the antiviral in vitro 90% effective concentration of AMD070.