The rapid development of soft wearable electronics raises an ever-growing demand for power sources with both built-in stretchability and sustainability. Herein, highly stretchable and self-chargeable supercapacitors were fabricated by using graphene-coated elastic styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene electrodes and KNN/PVA/H3PO4-based piezoelectric electrolytes. The as-designed supercapacitor shows not only a high biaxial stretchability up to 300%, but also an intriguing self-charging performance by harnessing and transforming ambient mechanical energy into electricity in a persistent pattern. This highly stretchable device can be finally charged to about 1.0 V by pure palm patting for 300 s (2 Hz) or 0.8 V by repeated stretching for 40 s (1 Hz). Such a stretchable design enables the integration of such supercapacitors with soft/stretchable electronics as an energy collectable, self-rechargeable and sustainable power source for a compact and reasonable structure.


PREMISE OF THE STUDY
Revealing the relative roles of gradual and abrupt transformations of morphological characters is an important topic of evolutionary biology. Gynoecia apparently consisting of one carpel have evolved from pluricarpellate syncarpous gynoecia in several angiosperm clades. The process of reduction can involve intermediate stages, with one fertile and one or more sterile carpels (pseudomonomery). The possible origin of monomery directly via an abrupt change of gynoecium merism has been a matter of dispute. We explore the nature of gynoecium reduction in a clade of Araliaceae.

METHODS
The anatomy and development of unilocular gynoecia are investigated using light and scanning electron microscopy in two members of Polyscias subg. Arthrophyllum. Gynoecium diversity in the genus is discussed in a phylogenetic framework.

KEY RESULTS
Unilocular gynoecia with one fertile ovule have evolved at least four times in Polyscias, including one newly discovered case. The two unilocular taxa investigated are unicarpellate, without any traces of reduced sterile carpels. Carpel orientation is unstable, and the ovary roof and style contain numerous vascular bundles without clearly recognizable dorsals or ventrals. In contrast to pluricarpellate Araliaceae and Apiaceae, the cross zone is apparently oblique in the unicarpellate species.

CONCLUSIONS
No support was found for gradual gynoecium reduction via pseudomonomery. The abrupt origin of monomery via direct change of gynoecium merism and the unstable carpel orientation observed are related to the general lability of the flower groundplan in Polyscias. The apparent occurrence of the unusual oblique cross zone in unicarpellate Araliaceae can be explained by developmental constraints.


Corneal endothelial diseases are leading indications for corneal transplantations. With significant advancement in medical science and surgical techniques, corneal transplant surgeries are now increasingly effective at restoring vision in patients with corneal diseases. In the last 15 years, the introduction of endothelial keratoplasty (EK) procedures, where diseased corneal endothelium (CE) are selectively replaced, has significantly transformed the field of corneal transplantation. Compared to traditional penetrating keratoplasty, EK procedures, namely Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) and Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK), offer faster visual recovery, lower immunological rejection rates, and improved graft survival. Although these modern techniques can achieve high success, there are fundamental impediments to conventional transplantations. A lack of suitable donor corneas worldwide restricts the number of transplants that can be performed. Other barriers include the need for specialized expertise, high cost, and risks of graft rejection or failure. Research is underway to develop alternative treatments for corneal endothelial diseases, which are less dependent on the availability of allogeneic tissues – regenerative medicine and cell-based therapies. In this review, an overview of past and present transplantation procedures used to treat corneal endothelial diseases are described. Potential novel therapies that may be translated into clinical practice will also be presented.


Metonymy is a creative process that establishes relationships based on contiguity or semantic relatedness between concepts. We outline a mechanism for deriving new concepts from WordNet using metonymy. We argue that by exploiting polysemy in WordNet we can take advantage of the metonymic relations between concepts. The focus of our metonymy generation work has been the creation of noun noun compounds that do not already exist in WordNet and which can be profitably added to WordNet. The mechanism of metonymy generation we outline takes a source compound and creates new compounds by exploiting the polysemy associated with hyponyms of the head of the source compound. We argue that metonymy generation is a sound basis for concept creation as the newly created compounds are semantically related to the source concept. We demonstrate that metonymy generation based on polysemy is superior to a method of metonymy generation that ignores polysemy. These new concepts can be used to augment WordNet.


The paper evaluates ongoing efforls in the reform of international business and economics education at Tartu University in the newly independent republic of Estonia. Contested issues include the needed upgrading and allocation of existing staff and research resources in the context of a national, institutional and departmental division of labor. The reform of international business education at TU, as guided by heir new strategic plan, depends, in part, on the effective integration of technically qualified foreign experts, well versed in market economics but often poorly informed on Estonian history, conditions and language, with elhnic Estonian faculty and administrators, entrepreneurs and politicians who were themselves trained in the technically narrow and ideologically constrained world of Marxism-Leninism. Despite the constraints, it is probable that the academic center for international commerce in Estonia will be Tartu University.


Summary. Tillage experiments with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were conducted at 2 sites in south-eastem Australia: one cool and wet (Murrumbateman), the other warmer and drier (Yanco). Following crop residue removal, direct drilling treatments with complete surface disturbance to 3 cm depth of the mediumtextured topsoils (D), or with disturbance only in the narrow seeding slots (DN), were compared with drilling into a surface prepared by cultivating to about 7 cm depth (control). At the 4.5 leaf stage, seedlings from D and DN treatments had less shoot dry weight than the control except at Murmmbateman under very wet postseeding conditions. Simulation of the above tillage treatments in intact soil Cores from both sites kept under controlled temperature and moisture conditions confirmed that DN treatment, with only 11% of the volume of soil disturbance of the control, reduced early growth, especially at Yanco and if post-sowing conditions were drier. Reduced shoot growth was associated with relatively larger effects on the extent of root exploration. Treatment D, with 43% of the volume of disturbed soil, did not reduce shoot growth relative to the control under any circumstances. Although results suggest a minimum volume of disturbed soil for maximum growth, interactions with biotic stresses as reported recently cannot be ruled out.


The cancer immunoediting hypothesis postulates a dual role of the immune system: protecting the host by eliminating tumor cells, and shaping the tumor by editing the genome. However, to what extent immunoediting is shaping the cancer genome is still a matter of debate. Moreover, the impact of cancer immunotherapy with checkpoint blockers on modulating immunoediting remains largely unexplored. Here we elucidated the impact of evolutionary and immune-related forces on editing the tumor in a mouse model of colorectal cancer (CRC). We first show that MC38 cell line is a valid model for hypermutated and microsatellite-unstable (MSI) CRC. Analyses of longitudinal samples of wild type and immunodeficient RAG1 knockout mice transplanted with MC38 cells revealed that upregulation of checkpoint molecules and infiltration of Tregs are the major tumor escape mechanisms. Strikingly, the impact of neutral evolution on sculpting the tumor outweighed immunoediting. Targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway potentiated immunoediting and rendered tumors more homogeneous in the MC38 model. The immunoediting effects were less pronounced in a nonhypermutated/MSI- model CT26. Our study demonstrates that neutral evolution is the major force that sculpts the tumor, and that checkpoint blockade effectively enforces T cell dependent immunoselective pressure in a hypermutated/MSI model of CRC.


Intra-articular lipoma of the hip is a rare entity, with only two reports published in the English-language literature. We present a case of successful arthroscopic resection of an intra-articular peripheral compartment lipoma in a 69-year-old woman with a coincident labral tear. This woman presented with left hip pain that developed gradually over 2 years and increased over 2 months. MRI showed a fat-intense mass in the anterior aspect of the hip joint, convincing for intra-articular lipoma. Physical examination in the operating room reproduced decreased range of motion and evidence of impingement but with a soft endpoint. Arthroscopy revealed an anterior intrasubstance labral tear, which was debrided. The mass was excised and confirmed as true lipoma on histology. The soft endpoint on examination illustrates that a large lipoma of the hip joint can cause clinical symptoms of impingement in the absence of bony abnormality or trauma.


Sequences of clicks comprising a dominant regular interval were investigated psychophysically. The first sequence pattern consisted of one regular interclick interval followed by two random intervals. The second sequence pattern consisted of one regular interval with a randomly interspersed click, followed by a single random interval. These stimuli had a single normalized autocorrelation peak of identical height at the regular interval. They were also equated in average rate. In a pitch matching experiment, the stimuli were found to have different pitches even though the regular interval was identical. The pitch shift persisted when the stimuli were high-pass filtered at 3 or 6 kHz and low-pass noise was added. The combined effects of auditory filtering and hair-cell transduction provide a possible basis for this perceptual shift. This emphasizes the need for physiologically-based models for pitch perception.


Abstract: Possible roles of prostaglandins (PGs) in interleukin‐1 (IL‐1)‐induced activation of noradrenergic neurons were examined by assessing norepinephrine (NE) turnover in the brain and peripheral organs of rats. An intraperitoneal injection of human recombinant IL‐1β accelerated NE turnover in the hypothalamus, spleen, lung, diaphragm, and pancreas. A similar increase in NE turnover was also observed after intracerebroventricular injection of corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH). Pretreatment with indomethacin (cyclooxygenase inhibitor) abolished the IL‐1‐induced, but not the CRH‐induced, increase in hypothalamic and splenic NE turnover. To elucidate which eicosanoid‐cyclooxygenase product(s) is responsible for accelerating NE turnover, PGD2, PGE2, PGF2α, U‐46619 (stable thromboxane A2 analogue), or carbacyclin (stable prostacyclin analogue) was administered intracerebroventricularly. Among them, PGE2 was the only eicosanoid effective in increasing NE turnover in spleen, whereas PGD2 was effective in the hypothalamus. The stimulative effect of PGD2 was abolished by pretreatment with intracerebroventricular injection of a CRH antiserum. These results suggest that the action of IL‐1 is mediated through PGD2 production to activate the noradrenergic neurons in the hypothalamus, and through PGE2 production to increase sympathetic nerve activity in spleen.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the role of different ventilatory modes and spontaneous breathing (SB) in prevention of derecruitment in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

METHODS
Eighteen dog ARDS models were established by injection of oleic acid into the central vein and ventilated with volume controlled ventilation (VCV,) with the positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 16 cm H(2)O, tidal volume (V(T)) of 10 ml/kg, and respiratory rate (RR) of 30 bpm, and the steady state in this mode was defined as baseline (0 min). After the baseline state was reached, all dogs accepted recruitment maneuver (RM) in pressure controlled ventilation (PCV) mode at the level of 15 cm H(2)O and PEEP of 35 cm H(2)O for 1 min, and then assigned into three groups and ventilated for 4 hs: VCV group (VCV with V(T) of 15 ml/kg), PCV group in which the peak inspiratory airway pressure was adjusted for keeping 15 ml/kg of V(T), and SB grouping which PCV with SB activity and inspiratory airway pressure were adjusted for keeping 15 ml/kg of V(T). PEEP of 10 cm H(2)O, RR of 20 bpm, and inspiratory/expiratory ratio of 1/2 were kept for all animals. Four hours later the dogs were killed and their lungs were taken out.

RESULTS
(1) The lower inflection points were identified as 16.1 +/- 1.9, 17.4 +/- 1.5, and 17.1 +/- 1.6 cm H(2)O for the VCV, PCV, and SB group respectively. (2) After RM, the PaO(2) levels of the PCV and SB groups were kept higher than baseline, but the PaO(2) level was as same as that in the baseline state in the VCV group. Compared with the VCV group, higher PaO(2) the PaO(2) level 30 min after RM in the SB group was found (P < 0.05). The intrapulmonary shunt 5 min, 30 min and 1 hr after RM in the SB group were all lower than those in the VCP group, however, not significantly (P = 0.077, 0.058, 0.076). (3) Compared with baseline levels, the plateau pressure and mean airway pressure in all animals were decreased significantly after RM. The plateau pressure in the SB group was significantly lower than that in the VCV group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
PCV with spontaneous breathing activity can offset the effect of antiderecruitment for lower PEEP; it would be more safe and effective than VCV.


Research on the process or, more specifically, the stages of psychotherapy has been difficult to carry out and can lead to spurious results. An initial step in furthering knowledge of the stages of successful therapy would be the use of an N of 1 design with Markov chain analyses. This design would allow one to incorporate the uniqueness of each therapy dyad, the interactional nature of the psychotherapeutic process, and a statistical test of the changes in the interactional behavior over time that is not often available in nonbehavioral single case designs. The purpose of this paper is to familiarize the reader with N of 1 designs and Markov chain methodologies and to propose how they could be combined in an attempt to study the stages of successful therapy. A hypothetical study is presented to exemplify the operation and value of the proposed N of 1 Markov chain design.


The web is an eminently visual medium. However, not everyone accesses web content visually. Research shows that using the web is challenging for blind users. To create a good user experience for blind users on the web, we need a comprehensive understanding of the users' problems. Currently, there is little knowledge about the problem differences between blind and sighted users, which makes it difficult to suggest and test design solutions that address these problems.
This research aims to provide a further understanding of the problems blind users have on the web by comparing and contrasting problems between blind and sighted users and testing how design solutions to prevalent problems benefit blind users' experience.
The first study draws together the research literature into a common unified definition of web accessibility that was used to operationalise studies. The second study compared which verbal protocol (concurrent or retrospective) is better in user-based studies. The results showed that retrospective verbal protocol is a better option for eliciting problems on the web for blind and sighted users.
Then, an empirical study compared the problems between blind and sighted users on the web. The results showed that the problems the two user groups encounter largely differ. There are specific problem types distinct to blind users, but also the characteristics of the problem types that had instances by both user groups were very different. Moreover, many problems blind users encounter were in relation to the search and browse features of the websites.
A further investigation by two studies with blind users of how specific design solutions to prevalent problems users had (poor page structure, lack of feedback and excessive effort) in this specific design aspect showed that simple design solutions improve specific aspects of users' experience. Although, for major improvements in the overall user experience a combination of design solutions is needed.


Kerosene-fueled wick lamps used in millions of developing-country households are a significant but overlooked source of black carbon (BC) emissions. We present new laboratory and field measurements showing that 7-9% of kerosene consumed by widely used simple wick lamps is converted to carbonaceous particulate matter that is nearly pure BC. These high emission factors increase previous BC emission estimates from kerosene by 20-fold, to 270 Gg/year (90% uncertainty bounds: 110, 590 Gg/year). Aerosol climate forcing on atmosphere and snow from this source is estimated at 22 mW/m² (8, 48 mW/m²), or 7% of BC forcing by all other energy-related sources. Kerosene lamps have affordable alternatives that pose few clear adoption barriers and would provide immediate benefit to user welfare. The net effect on climate is definitively positive forcing as coemitted organic carbon is low. No other major BC source has such readily available alternatives, definitive climate forcing effects, and cobenefits. Replacement of kerosene-fueled wick lamps deserves strong consideration for programs that target short-lived climate forcers.


ABSTRACT Over the last decade, there has been debate about whether parents should be involved in their children's schooling. Although some have argued that parent involvement benefits children, others have argued that it does not and even has costs. Drawing on the large body of research relevant to this controversy, we make the case that, in general, parent involvement in children's schooling facilitates children's motivation, engagement, and learning, particularly when such involvement is autonomy supportive and affectively positive. However, parent involvement can have costs for children when it is controlling and affectively negative, which may be most common in the homework context because of the pressure associated with it. We offer a set of recommendations for educators to consider in taking the pressure out of the parent involvement equation, thereby facilitating parents' optimal support of children's motivation, engagement, and learning.


We introduce a class of real-time scheduling problems as they arise in distributed multiaccess broadcast communication channels. This class of problems is more general, hence more realistic, than the problems considered when assuming periodic or sporadic releases of messages. The authors examine the most popular algorithms and protocols, such as STDMA, polling and bus/ring token-passing. Contrary to widespread belief, the authors demonstrate that they cannot solve the class of real-time problems they are interested in. Adversary arguments are used for this purpose. The class of pure on-line distributed deadline-driven non-preemptive contention detection-and-resolution algorithms, referred to as D-NP-EDF/CDR, is shown to dominate any other class of algorithms for the problems considered. Consequently, optimal algorithms for the authors' problems can only belong to this class. The authors then show how to establish the desired timeliness properties as well as feasibility conditions for algorithms in the class D-NP-EDF/CDR.


The limited-memory quasi-Newton method with simple bounds is used to develop a novel, fully 3D magnetotelluric MT inversion technique. This nonlinear inversion is based on iterative minimization of a classical Tikhonov regularized penalty function. However, instead of the usual model space of log resistivities, the approach iterates in a model space with simple bounds imposed on the conductivities of the 3D target. The method requires storage proportional to 2 ncp N, where N is the number of conductivities to be recovered and ncp is the number of correction pairs practically, only a few . These requirements are much less than those imposed by other Newton methods, which usually require storage proportional to N M or N N, where M is the number of data to be inverted. The derivatives of the penalty function are calculated using an adjoint method based on electromagnetic field reciprocity. The inversion involves all four entries of the MT impedance matrix; the x3D integral equation forwardmodeling code is used as an engine for this inversion. Convergence, performance, and accuracy of the inversion are demonstrated on synthetic numerical examples. After investigating erratic resistivities in the upper part of the model obtained for one of the examples, we conclude that the standard Tikhonov regularization is not enough to provide consistently smooth underground structures. An additional regularization helps to overcome the problem.


The authors have proposed Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) constant envelope modulation (CEM) systems that enable to use a power-efficient nonlinear power amplifier on the transmitter side and a low resolution analog-to-digital converter (ADC) on the receiver side, where power consumption at the analog devices is effectively reduced by employing a low resolution ADC at the receiver. In such a receiver, the received signal is seriously affected by severe quantization error by the ADC and therefore BER performance is degraded. As a solution to performance degradation at the MIMO-CEM receiver affected by quantization error, in this paper, we propose efficient nonlinear (Viterbi) equalization schemes that estimate both inter-symbol interference in multi-path channel and quantization error in ADC, where quantization error is estimated by using a simple function that models the relation between the received signal level and the resulting quantization error. In addition, the proposed scheme effectively reduces the number of states in Viterbi equalization to achieve computational complexity reduction for equalizations. Computer simulation results show that the proposal nonlinear equalization scheme improves BER performance of MIMO-CEM receiver seriously affected by quantization error, while computational complexity is effectively reduced.


Extraction of quantitative information about spatio- temporal events happening in cells is the key to understanding biological processes. In this paper we present a finite state machine (FSM)-based model for specification and identification of spatio-temporal events at the single-cell level. Cells are modeled as objects with specific attributes such as color, size, shape, etc., and events are modeled in terms of the specific values of attributes of participating objects along with the spatial relationships between these objects. Results for a time-lapse apoptosis screen are presented where the extra information provided by per cell-based analysis is used to compensate for experimental artifacts. The model is general and is applicable to other cell-based studies also.


AbstractIn this study, three individual descriptions of anxiety as experienced in social situations were analyzed so that a general structure representing social anxiety could potentially be obtained. The descriptions analyzed produced results that not only overlapped with already existing literature from various perspectives on the topic, but also highlighted certain key factors that have largely been unaccounted for by prior studies. By utilizing the Descriptive Phenomenological Method in Psychology (Giorgi, 2009), these factors were brought to light in more depth and clarity than if the same phenomenon were studied using a third person approach. Specifically, six constituents of social anxiety were revealed; including factors related to inter-subjectivity, the relationship between fear and anxiety, and the relationship between desire and self-lack.


In the Arabidopsis hypocotyl, stomata develop only from a set of epidermal cell files. Previous studies have identified several negative regulators of stomata formation. Such regulators also trigger non-hair cell fate in the root. Here, it is shown that TOO MANY MOUTHS (TMM) positively regulates CAPRICE (CPC) expression in differentiating stomaless-forming cell files, and that the CPC protein might move to the nucleus of neighbouring stoma-forming cells, where it promotes stomata formation in a redundant manner with TRIPTYCHON (TRY). Unexpectedly, the CPC protein was also localized in the nucleus and peripheral cytoplasm of hypocotyl fully differentiated epidermal cells, suggesting that CPC plays an additional role to those related to stomata formation. These results identify CPC and TRY as positive regulators of stomata formation in the embryonic stem, which increases the similarity between the genetic control of root hair and stoma cell fate determination.


As one of the big cities in Indonesia, the development of entertainment places in the city of pekanbaru growing each day. Starting from family karaoke until the cinema mini or known Movie Box. But many of Movie Box is pointed out as the place is misused to visitors do immoral. Freely in determining the Movies what to wact, and a various facilities that to make visitors comfortable and safe in the room. Additionally Movie Box also provide food and drinks to order. Interesting thing, this Movie Box design the room is very closed and the room lights can be turned off. In terms of supervision, nothing is done by the owner even CCTV was not available. Additionally the weak supervision of government make a Movie Box increasingly exist and a favorite young couple in pekanbaru.


One of the major challenges faced by the Public Administration is how to create more value for both citizens and firms, mainly because of the increasing budgetary constraints and challenging demands from society. In fact, over the past two decades there has been a general movement of public reform in most developed countries, and for this reason it is essential to understand how users assess public services' quality. This paper aims at understanding the determinants of public services' quality. Due to the nature of the research problem, we have adopted a case-study methodology. The research involved an extensive qualitative and quantitative data collection with managers, citizens and front and back-office public servants, by means of interviews, questionnaires and focus groups. The paper presents the case of Citizen Shops in Portugal, a recent and innovative channel of public services' delivery, within a strong relationship perspective. Firstly, it explores the kind of relationships that are developed during the public service encounter between the citizen, the public organization and society. Secondly, both citizen's satisfaction and dissatisfaction with public services are investigated. The basic premise is that these two concepts are not opposite but have different determinants instead. Furthermore, the paper also explores the existence of a zone of tolerance and emphasizes the importance of managing emotions in the public service encounter. Finally, it is discussed that public services' quality assessment should also take into consideration the implications on the value to society.


This research rests on earlier research suggesting that there is a definitive connection between physical activity and the health and wellness of older adults. Aspects of this connection were examined through a qualitative research project with a sample of older adults in Prince George, the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada. The research explored the experiences and perspectives of older adults about the impact o f physical activity on their health and wellbeing. Using a purposeful sampling method, data was generated through focus group and in-depth interviews. The data generated was analyzed using thematic analysis. The following eight themes emerged from the data analyzed: (1) Enthusiasm to learn more about and be involved in physical activity, (2) Effects of northern climate on involvement in physical activity, (3) Prominent physical activity, (4) Impact of physical illness, (5) Reason for being involved in physical activity, (6) Reasons for not being involved in physical activity, (7) Physical activity contributes to good health, and (8) Other views on physical activity in the community. The findings of this research are expected to benefit older adults, their families, and Northern Health and its agencies / programs involved in delivering services to older adults in Prince George and neighboring towns.


Video-conference is one of the main features of any telemedicine technology platform. Currently, telemedicine platforms deployed across the country are hardware based. For mass scale deployment it will work out expensive. Alternate video-conference solution based on software needs to be worked out which not only meet the purpose but also work out cheaper and can be configured in portable telemedicine platform. A study to this effect was carried out at the School of Telemedicine and Biomedical Informatics, SGPGIMS, Lucknow to evaluate the video-conference based on IP solutions available currently on the following parameters - quality of video and audio, option of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), compatibility with industry standard protocols, ease of installation & integration , user friendliness and machine dependency, conference recording, features of desktop and application sharing, file transfer and power point sharing, optimum bandwidth requirement etc. Result of comparative evaluation forms the basis of this study.


Abstract Toxocara canis is an important but neglected zoonotic parasite, and is the causative agent of human toxocariasis. Chondroitin proteoglycans are biological macromolecules, widely distributed in extracellular matrices, with a great diversity of functions in mammals. However, there is limited information regarding chondroitin proteoglycans in nematode parasites. In the present study, a female-enriched chondroitin proteoglycan 2 gene of T. canis (Tc-cpg-2) was cloned and characterized. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was employed to measure the transcription levels of Tc-cpg-2 among tissues of male and female adult worms. A 485-amino-acid (aa) polypeptide was predicted from a continuous 1458-nuleotide open reading frame and designated as TcCPG2, which contains a 21-aa signal peptide. Conserved domain searching indicated three chitin-binding peritrophin-A (CBM_14) domains in the amino acid sequence of TcCPG2. Multiple alignment with the inferred amino acid sequences of Caenorhabditis elegans and Ascaris suum showed that CBM_14 domains were well conserved among these species. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that TcCPG2 was closely related to the sequence of chondroitin proteoglycan 2 of A. suum. Interestingly, a high level of Tc-cpg-2 was detected in female germline tissues, particularly in the oviduct, suggesting potential roles of this gene in reproduction (e.g. oogenesis and embryogenesis) of adult T. canis. The functional roles of Tc-cpg-2 in reproduction and development in this parasite and related parasitic nematodes warrant further functional studies.


A memo from Julie Abel, program associate of the Getty Center for Education in the Arts, to the Regional Insitute Directors, Sheila Brown, Maggie DiBlasio, Edith Curtis Johnson, Anne Lindsey, Nancy MacGregor, Tom McMullen, Nancy Roucher, Joyce Wright, Jack Davis, Dwaine Greer, Phyllis Scott Johnson, Jessie Lovano-Kerr, Bill McCarter, Jeffery Patchen and Frances Thurber. The memo is in regards to an enclosed transcript from the meeting of October 28 - 31, 1990. cc'd on the memo are Ann Bassi, Pamela Glintenkamp, Vicki Rosenberg, Leilani Lattin Duke, Michael Kendall, Mary Ann Stankiewicz.


Summary This minireview addresses problems of financing the vaccine development, regulatory questions, the ethics and efficacy of vaccine prioritization strategies and the coverage of variant viruses by current vaccines. Serious adverse effects observed with adenovirus vectored vaccines and mRNA vaccines in mass vaccination campaigns are reported. The ethical problems of continuing with placebo controlled vaccine trials and alternative clinical trial protocols are discussed as well as concrete vaccination issues such as the splitting of doses, the delaying of the second dose, the immunization with two different vaccine types and the need of vaccinating seropositive subjects. Strategies to increase vaccine acceptance in the population are shortly mentioned.


The existence of a piezoelectric surface wave, which does not arise in nonpiezoelectric materials has been reported in hexagonal crystals by Bleustein and Gulyaev. In this letter, similar waves are reported to exist in cubic crystals of 23 and 43m classes and orthorhombic crystals of mm2 class. Velocity equations for the piezoelectric surface waves in these symmetry classes are presented. It has been demonstrated that the velocities are always smaller than the piezoelectrically stiffened but always larger than the unstiffened bulk shear waves in the corresponding direction of propagation. Numerical results for the particular examples of Bi12GeO20(23) and Ba2NaNb5O15(mm2) are also presented.


BACKGROUND
A major goal in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is to ensure that the burden of the disease for patients with COPD is limited and that patients will have the best possible quality of life.

AIMS
To explore all the possible factors that could influence disease-specific quality of life and health status in patients with COPD.

METHODS
A systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis were performed to explore the factors that could have a positive or negative effect on quality of life and/or health status in patients with COPD.

RESULTS
Quality of life and health status are determined by certain factors included gender, disease severity indices, lung function parameters, body mass index, smoking, symptoms, co-morbidity, depression, anxiety, and exacerbations. Factors such as dyspnoea, depression, anxiety and exercise tolerance were found to be more correlated with health status than the widely used spirometric values. Forced expiratory volume in one second had a weak to modest Pearson weighted correlation coefficient which ranged from -0.110 to -0.510 depending on the questionnaire used.

CONCLUSIONS
The broad range of determining factors suggests that, in order to reach the management goals, health status should be measured in addition to lung function in patients with COPD.


Introduction Acute respiratory failure is a common clinical condition accounting for nearly 116 000 admissions in the UK hospitals. Acute type 2 respiratory failure is also called acute hypercapnic respiratory failure (AHRF) and characterised by an elevated arterial CO2 level of >6 kPa due to pump failure. Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the most common cause of AHRF. High-flow nasal therapy (HFNT) is a new oxygen delivery system that uses an oxygen-air blender to deliver flow rates of up to 60 L/min. The gas is delivered humidified and heated to the patient via wide-bore nasal cannula. Methods and analysis We hypothesised that HFNC as the initial oxygen administration method will reduce the number of patients with AHRF requiring non-invasive ventilation in patients at 6 hours post intervention when compared with low-flow nasal oxygen (LFO). A randomised single-centre unblinded controlled trial is designed to test our hypothesis. The trial will compare two oxygen administration methods, HFNT versus LFO. Patients will be randomised to one of the two arms if they fulfil the eligibility criteria. The sample size is 82 adult patients (41 HFNT and 41 LFO) presenting to the emergency department. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was obtained from the Office for Research Ethics Committees Northern Ireland (REC reference: 20/NI/0049). Dissemination will be achieved in several ways: (1) the findings will be presented at national and international meetings with open-access abstracts online and (2) in accordance with the open-access policies proposed by the leading research funding bodies we aim to publish the findings in high-quality peer-reviewed open-access journals. Trial registration number The trial was prospectively registered at the clinicaltrials.gov registry (NCT04640948) on 20 November 2020.


Different low molecular weight carbohydrates including saccharides, polyalcohols, sugar acids, and glycosides have been identified and quantified in different edible vegetables from Asteraceae, Amarantaceae, Amarylidaceae, Brassicaceae, Dioscoreaceae, and Solanaceae families by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Apart from glucose, fructose, and sucrose, other saccharides such as sedoheptulose in chicory, spinach, cabbage, purple yam, eggplant, radish, and oak leaf lettuce, rutinose in eggplant skin, and a glycosyl-inositol in spinach have been identified. chiro-Inositol was found in all vegetables of the Asteraceae family (3.1-32.6 mg 100 g(-1)), whereas scyllo-inositol was detected in those of purple yam, eggplant, artichoke, chicory, escarole, and endive (traces-23.2 mg 100 g(-1)). α-Galactosides, kestose, glucaric acid, and glycosyl-glycerols were also identified and quantified in some of the analyzed vegetables. Considering the bioactivity of most of these compounds, mainly chicory leaves, artichokes, lettuces, and purple yam could constitute beneficial sources for human health.


Ultrafast light pulses can be used to control electronic, magnetic and structural phases of complex solids. Here, we investigate the dynamics of insulator-metal phase transitions in colossal magnetoresistive (CMR) manganites by a combination of femtosecond visible-to-midinfrared pump-probe techniques and transport measurements. We show that an insulator-metal transition can be stimulated in CMR manganites by both above bandgap excitation and selective excitation of individual vibrational degrees of freedom. These two approaches rely on the ultrafast manipulation of parameters controlling the electronic filling and the electronic bandwidth respectively, extending the concepts of filling and bandwidth control to the ultrafast timescale. The ultrafast vibrational control of correlated-electron phases may provide new insights into the role played by lattice vibrations in determining the electronic properties of complex solids.


The low-kV, solid-state backscattered detector is the preferred choice for phase distribution data collection. It features 0.1 delta Z resolution to differentiate phases with very small atomic number differences by different shades of gray in the image.


CONTEXT
The authors hypothesized that in people with hip-related groin pain, less static ankle dorsiflexion could lead to compensatory hip adduction and contralateral pelvic drop during step-down. Ankle dorsiflexion may be a modifiable factor to improve ability in those with hip-related groin pain to decrease hip/pelvic motion during functional tasks and improve function.

OBJECTIVE
To determine whether smaller static ankle dorsiflexion angles were associated with altered ankle, hip, and pelvis kinematics during step-down in people with hip-related groin pain.

DESIGN
Cross-sectional Setting: Academic medical center.

PATIENTS
A total of 30 people with hip-related groin pain (12 males and 18 females; 28.7 [5.3] y) participated.

INTERVENTION
None.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Weight-bearing static ankle dorsiflexion with knee flexed and knee extended were measured via digital inclinometer. Pelvis, hip, and ankle kinematics during forward step-down were measured via 3D motion capture. Static ankle dorsiflexion and kinematics were compared with bivariate correlations.

RESULTS
Smaller static ankle dorsiflexion angles were associated with smaller ankle dorsiflexion angles during the step-down for both the knee flexed and knee extended static measures. Among the total sample, smaller static ankle dorsiflexion angle with knee flexed was associated with greater anterior pelvic tilt and greater contralateral pelvic drop during the step-down. Among only those who did not require a lowered step for safety, smaller static ankle dorsiflexion angles with knee flexed and knee extended were associated with greater anterior pelvic tilt, greater contralateral pelvic drop, and greater hip flexion.

CONCLUSIONS
Among those with hip-related groin pain, smaller static ankle dorsiflexion angles are associated with less ankle dorsiflexion motion and altered pelvis and hip kinematics during a step-down. Future research is needed to assess the effect of treating restricted ankle dorsiflexion on quality of motion and symptoms in patients with hip-related groin pain.


Through its research, physical oceanography tries to answer to the numerous problems stated by thermal, optical and dynamical properties of the ocean.This paper deals with the means used to determine these properties. After the definition of measured quantities and the quantities deducted by processing, it reviews some sensors and instruments used to provide the oceanographers useful parameters: temperature, salinity, pressure, speed and direction of sea currents, water height, state of the sea, turbidity and chemical-physical properties. It describes briefly some means employed for measurements at sea and other process under development.


There is a principle similar to the theory of exchange in the marketing of health services, meaning that what is delivered to the target market (i.e. the beneficiaries) must be equal to or greater than what is to be received (i.e. the price). The price level in the marketing mix is influenced by how the consumer perceives the respective medical service and is quantified in the profit and the turnover of the organization respectively. The cost of the medical act as a whole is the value of all the tangible and intangible variables associated with it, and the planning, distribution and promotion of the product must be taken into account in the price setting.


Multimetal high-entropy alloys (HEAs) have been recognized as potential catalysts that can possibly replace the conventional metal oxides and noble metals for use in energy conversion and water splitting such as oxygen evolution reactions (OERs). However, their higher catalysis is restrained by the difficulty in the synthesis of HEAs with desirable morphologies and deformed crystal lattice structures. In this work, an advanced approach was developed to fabricate the smallest possible HEA (i.e., MnFeCoNiCu) with deformed nanoparticles supported on the carbon cloth (CC) surface. The nanoparticles were characterized to be single face-centered cubic (FCC) crystals with highly deformed lattices, giving rise to various defects (such as twins, dislocations and stacking faults). The high surface tension caused by these defects leads to a substantial reduction in the overpotential down to 263 mV for the production of 10 mA cm−2 with a very low Tafel slope of 43 mV dec−1 and a rather small charge transfer resistance of 0.644 Ω in 1.0 M KOH, which is exceptionally lower than that of RuO2 and the state-of-the-art HEAs and competitive in comparison to most metal oxides. This work proves that the lattice deformation manipulates the displacement of atoms over the nanoparticle surface that facilitates their catalytic activities that are higher than those of the state-of-the-art counterparts reported in the literature. It also provides an insight into the performance improvement of other nanostructures in energy applications.


Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a high flow vascular malformation, in which arteriovenous shunting occurs in a central nidus. AVM in the internal acoustic meatus is rare. We report a case of 53 year-old lady presenting with right hearing associated with hemifacial hypoaesthesia and facial asymmetry for 2 years. Preoperatively working diagnosis was acoustic neuroma and excision of tumor via translabyrithine approach was performed. Histophathological result revealed as AVM of internal acoustic meatus (IAM). Post-operatively, the hemifacial hypoaesthesia had complete resolution and there was improvement of the facial asymmetry.


In the rapidly advancing field of multi-modal machine learning (MMML), the convergence of multiple data modalities has the potential to reshape various applications. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the current state, advancements, and challenges of MMML within the sphere of engineering design. The review begins with a deep dive into five fundamental concepts of MMML:multi-modal information representation, fusion, alignment, translation, and co-learning. Following this, we explore the cutting-edge applications of MMML, placing a particular emphasis on tasks pertinent to engineering design, such as cross-modal synthesis, multi-modal prediction, and cross-modal information retrieval. Through this comprehensive overview, we highlight the inherent challenges in adopting MMML in engineering design, and proffer potential directions for future research. To spur on the continued evolution of MMML in engineering design, we advocate for concentrated efforts to construct extensive multi-modal design datasets, develop effective data-driven MMML techniques tailored to design applications, and enhance the scalability and interpretability of MMML models. MMML models, as the next generation of intelligent design tools, hold a promising future to impact how products are designed.


Abstract BACKGROUND Although early coagulopathy increases mortality in adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI), less is known about pediatric TBI. OBJECTIVE To describe the prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and platelet levels of children with moderate to severe TBI to identify predictors of early coagulopathy and study the association with clinical outcomes. METHODS Using the Pediatric Acute and Critical Care Medicine Asian Network (PACCMAN) TBI retrospective cohort, we identified patients <16 yr old with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) ≤13. We compared PT, APTT, platelets, and outcomes between children with isolated TBI and multiple trauma with TBI. We performed logistic regressions to identify predictors of early coagulopathy and study the association with mortality and poor functional outcomes. RESULTS Among 370 children analyzed, 53/370 (14.3%) died and 127/370 (34.3%) had poor functional outcomes. PT was commonly deranged in both isolated TBI (53/173, 30.6%) and multiple trauma (101/197, 51.3%). Predictors for early coagulopathy were young age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.94, 95% CI 0.88-0.99, P = .023), GCS < 8 (aOR 1.96, 95% CI 1.26-3.06, P = .003), and presence of multiple trauma (aOR 2.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.37-3.60, P = .001). After adjusting for age, gender, GCS, multiple traumas, and presence of intracranial bleed, children with early coagulopathy were more likely to die (aOR 7.56, 95% CI 3.04-23.06, P < .001) and have poor functional outcomes (aOR 2.16, 95% CI 1.26-3.76, P = .006). CONCLUSION Early coagulopathy is common and independently associated with death and poor functional outcomes among children with TBI.


The ASME Special Working Group on Computational Modeling for Explicit Dynamics was founded in August 2008 for the purpose of creating a quantitative guidance document for the development of finite element models used to analyze energy-limited events using explicit dynamics software. This document will be referenced in the ASME Code Section III, Division 3 and the next revision of NRC Regulatory Guide 7.6 as a means by which the quality of a finite element model may be judged. One portion of the document will be devoted to a series of convergence studies that demonstrates the effect of hourglass control settings on solution convergence for reduced integration elements. These convergence studies will demonstrate the importance of selecting an appropriate hourglass control setting to achieve accurate results for large deformation simulations using reduced integration elements.In this paper, the authors present the results of a convergence study for an impulsively loaded propped cantilever beam constructed of LS-DYNA reduced integration hexahedral elements using different hourglass control settings. A large load is applied to produce large deformations and large plastic strains in the beam.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


Most philosophical theories generally accept a set of ideas concerning the nature of norms together with a certain conception of action that can be traced back to Hume. These ideas can be expressed clearly through several theses that are notoriously plausible. On the one hand, there is the thesis that norms, and the duties constituted by norms, are objective in a certain sense, while on the other hand, there is the thesis that the concept of "norm" implies the possibility of complying (or not complying) with the relevant normative requirements. The problem is that these theses cannot be held simultaneously, thus giving rise to a genuine dilemma. This paper explores several ways of avoiding the dilemma, and argues that they are all ultimately unsuccessful. | The Spanish original of this paper was published in Doxa. Cuadernos de filosofía del derecho (2008) 31: 91–104.


State-of-the-art techniques for probability sampling of users of online social networks (OSNs) are based on random walks on a single social relation (typically friendship). While powerful, these methods rely on the social graph being fully connected. Furthermore, the mixing time of the sampling process strongly depends on the characteristics of this graph. In this paper, we observe that there often exist other relations between OSN users, such as membership in the same group or participation in the same event. We propose to exploit the graphs these relations induce, by performing a random walk on their union multigraph. We design a computationally efficient way to perform multigraph sampling by randomly selecting the graph on which to walk at each iteration. We demonstrate the benefits of our approach through (i) simulation in synthetic graphs, and (ii) measurements of Last.fm- an Internet website for music with social networking features. More specifically, we show that multigraph sampling can obtain a representative sample and faster convergence, even when the individual graphs fail, i.e., are disconnected or highly clustered.


Alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGT) 2 is a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate dependent, mitochondrial enzyme which, in the rat, is expressed at a high level in the kidney. The amino acid sequences of nine tryptic and seven CNBr peptides of the rat kidney AGT2 were determined. Three overlapping cDNAs encoding the AGT2 were cloned on the basis of its partial amino acid sequences by means of a polymerase chain reaction-based approach involving rat kidney poly(A)+ RNA. The complete cDNA sequence comprised 1,919 bases, and contained a 1,536-base open reading frame which encodes a polypeptide of 512 amino acid residues with a putative presequence consisting of 39 amino acid residues at the amino terminus, giving a precursor protein with a molecular mass of 57,150 Da. The sequence of AGT2 exhibits significant homology with neither peroxisomal AGT1 from human liver nor mitochondrial AGT1 from rat liver. However, the sequence of AGT2 exhibited 30.8, 29.2, and 27.1% identity with those of Escherichia coli 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferase, rat ornithine aminotransferase, and Pseudomonas cepacia 2,2-dialkylglycine decarboxylase, respectively. The active site sequences were also well conserved among these aminotransferases. AGT2, thus, is more similar to the other aminotransferases than to AGT1. The results suggest that the rat kidney AGT2 may play a biological role in amino acid metabolism distinct from that of AGT1.


Rail transport plays an important role in creating a sustainable future for transport. Safety can be defined as qualitatively or quantitatively to prevent unacceptable risks. Improving safety is the main goal of each railway company as safe operation helps in increasing the level of service offered to the users. This paper deals with quantitative and qualitative analysis of accidents in Egyptian National Railway for annual accidents during the period of 2011 till 2017 for the six zones classified according to causes as absolute values and relative values to determine the worst zones and the most popular causes to improve the safety level and put the corrective plan to minimize the effective of accidents on both economic and safety of the society, to realize this goal a data collections were obtained and traffic fluction were calculated by the use of the official time table in train.km/year for the six zones. The study proposes effective solution for the decision maker to enface this very dangerous problem and improve the economic efficiency of the system, and preserve the environment surrounding the system.


The effects of fast-neutron radiation damage in narrow-base PNPN devices were measured and compared with a simple, one-dimensional theory for PNPN devices, based on the work of Kuz'min. The limitations of a PNPN device in a radiation environment are primarily determined by the increased forward "on" voltage. A reasonably good fit of observed and calculated "on" voltages for a variety of PNPN's was obtained using a silicon lifetime damage constant of ?106 sec-N/cm2. Design considerations for radiation-resistant PNPN's are discussed, and devices capable of operating after exposure to more than 1015 neutrons/cm2 are described. PNPN's are shown to be superior to bipolar transistors as power switches in a radiation environment.


This paper suggests the method of the spherical signature description of 3D point clouds taken from the laser range scanner on the ground vehicle. Based on the spherical signature description of each point, the extractor of significant environmental features is learned by the Deep Belief Nets for the urban structure classification. Arbitrary point among the 3D point cloud can represents its signature in its sky surface by using several neighborhood points. The unit spherical surface centered on that point can be considered to accumulate the evidence of each angular tessellation. According to a kind of point area such as wall, ground, tree, car, and so on, the results of spherical signature description look so different each other. These data can be applied into the Deep Belief Nets, which is one of the Deep Neural Networks, for learning the environmental feature extractor. With this learned feature extractor, 3D points can be classified due to its urban structures well. Experimental results prove that the proposed method based on the spherical signature description and the Deep Belief Nets is suitable for the mobile robots in terms of the classification accuracy.


Clonal expansion and differentiation of various T helper subsets, such as Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells, depend on a complex of transcription factors, IRF4 and a BATF-containing AP-1 heterodimer. A major BATF heterodimeric partner, JunB, regulates Th17 differentiation, but the role of JunB in other T helper subsets is not well understood. Here we demonstrate that JunB is required for clonal expansion of Th1, Th2 and Th17 cells. In mice immunized with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), papain, or complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), which induce predominantly Th1, Th2 and Th17 cells, respectively, accumulation of antigen-primed, Junb-deficient CD4+ T cells is significantly impaired. TCR-stimulated Junb-deficient CD4+ T cells are more sensitive to apoptosis, although they showed largely normal proliferation and cellular metabolism. JunB directly inhibits expression of genes involved in apoptosis, including Bcl2l11 (encoding Bim), by promoting IRF4 DNA binding at the gene locus. Taken together, JunB serves a critical function in clonal expansion of diverse T helper cells by inhibiting their apoptosis.


Recent progress of the technology of large-scale high pressure apparatus have permitted us to produce synthetic diamond powders in larger quantities at a lower cost. The advances in high-pressure and high-temperature control technique have enabled the commercialization of high-purity large synthetic diamond crystals. In this article, recent advances and future prospects in the high-pressure apparatus technology for synthetic diamonds are described.


Anaerobic dehalogenation is attracting great interest since it opens new research horizons based on the novel biochemical mechanisms identified in this field such as halorespiration, i.e. the utilization of halogenated compounds as electron acceptors. Moreover, anaerobic bacteria seem to be more efficient than their aerobic counterparts in removing halogen atoms from polyhalogenated compounds. Thus, anaerobic dehalogenation can be considered as a promising means for bioremediation treatments of persistently polluted environments. In this line, identification of pure strains capable of dehalogenation will give important information about the diversity of organisms implicated in this process and also fundamental explanations of the diverse biochemical mechanisms involved. In light of these considerations, we chose to focus this review on the physiological descriptions, dechlorination activities, phylogenetic diversity, and potential biotechnological applications of these pure anaerobic strains capable of dehalogenation.


Donor-substituted acyl gold carbenes are challenging to access selectively by gold-promoted intermolecular oxidation of internal alkynes as the opposite regioisomers frequently predominate. By using alkynyl sulfones or sulfonates as substrates, the oxidative gold catalysis in the presence of substituted pyridine N-oxides offers regiospecific access to acyl/aryl, acyl/alkenyl, and acyl/alkoxy gold carbenes by in situ expulsion of sulfur dioxide. The intermediacies of these reactive species are established by their reactivities, including undergoing further oxidation by the same oxidant, cyclopropanation of styrenes, engaging in a [3+2] cycloaddition with α-methylstyrene, and conversion into dienones.


ABSTRACT Up to now it is still doubtful whether there is a real risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) after initial monosymptomatic optic neuritis (ON). In this study we evaluated 43 patients with isolated acute‐onset ON, in order to demonstrate the presence of oligoclonal bands (OBs) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and any additional clinically silent central nervous system (CNS) lesions. All examinations were performed from 5 days to 4 months (mean 43 days), from the onset of visual disturbances. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detected white matter areas with increased signal in 21 patients (49%), while somatosensory and brainstem auditory evoked potentials revealed CNS abnormalities in only 5 patients (12%). OBs were present in the CSF of 20 patients (46%). Visual evoked potentials were abnormal in 39 patients (91%). Seven out of the 37 patients (19%) with at least one year follow‐up, (mean duration of the follow‐up = 32 months, range=12‐74), developed clinically definite MS (CDMS). All 7 patients had positive brain MRI and 6 had positive CSF examination at the basal evaluation. Our data suggest that MRI and CSF‐OBs are the most reliable means of identifying patients with isolated ON who subsequently develop CDMS. They may therefore have a predictive value in defining MS risk.


I enjoyed reading the thorough and thoughtful editorial M.A. Blajchman wrote, entitled "Transfusion-associated immunomodulation and universal white cell reduction: are we putting the cart before the horse?"1 He very effectively summarized a great deal of literature and pointed out the limitations of much of the information. Thus, I was quite surprised that, with the title he used and the comprehensive evaluations he carried out, he did proceed to put "the cart before the horse" and recommend universal, prestorage white cell (WBC) reduction. Without performing the appropriate studies (preferably randomized, controlled trials) to validate the presumed efficacy of this method of potentially reducing the purported adverse consequences of transfusion-induced immunomodulation, we will never get the horse back out in front of the cart, where it (usually) belongs. Once universal WBC reduction is in place, how could one stop doing it? More important, how could one really do the proper, randomized, controlled trials to validate the proposed efficacy of this process in reducing the risks of postoperative infections and cancer recurrence once it is the standard of care? One of my mentors, Thomas Chalmers, MD, formerly of the Boston Inter-Hospital Liver Group, and one-time Director of the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health, made the observation that not doing the proper, controlled clinical trial is more unethical than proceeding with implementation of a medical policy or practice without such a trial having been done. In Canada, universal WBC reduction has been implemented without benefit of the randomized, controlled, prospective, double-blind trial needed to prove the benefits of this costly process. Such a trial might have revealed whether Blajchman's statement, that "prestorage WBC reduction is an intervention that is virtually risk free," is true. There may be some unimagined and, certainly, unintended adverse consequences of universal WBC reduction, but these will not become evident unless they are quite frequent and/or serious. Some less startling, unanticipated adverse effects might, however, be identified in a randomized, controlled trial. While I believe it's true that universal WBC reduction, especially before storage, is a tidal wave that we cannot stop, even in the United States, I don't believe hastening it is in anyone's interest. Good, bad, or indifferent, once universal WBC reduction is in place, we cannot step back and truly evaluate its assumed benefits and potential risks.


Background Identification of risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) is of utmost importance to improve current prophylactic regimes and treatment guidelines. The extent to which a family history contributes to the risk of VTE needs further exploration. To examine the relative rate of VTE in first-degree relatives compared with the general population.


The second and third sentences of the first paragraph of the General Behavioral Performance section of the results were incorrectly merged. The correct sentences are: Across subjects, the mean and median go trial RT were 393.6659.7 (mean 6 SD) and 376.8660.5 ms, respectively, consistent with a right-skewed distribution of RT in an RT task [34]. The rate of successful stop trials was 48.662.3%, suggesting the success of the staircase procedure in eliciting errors in approximately half of the stop trials. Table 1 and Table 2 are incorrect. The correct Table 1 and Table 2 are below.


The research question here was whether whole-word shape cues might facilitate reading in dyslexia following reports of how normal-reading children benefit from using this cue when learning to read. We predicted that adults with dyslexia would tend to rely more on orthographic rather than other cues when reading, and therefore would be more affected by word shape manipulations. This prediction was tested in a lexical decision task on words with a flat or a non-flat outline (i.e. without or with letters with ascending/descending features). We found that readers with dyslexia were significantly faster when reading non-flat compared with flat words, while typical readers did not benefit from whole-word shape cues. The interaction of participants' group and word shape was not modulated by word frequency; that is word outline shape facilitated reading for both rare and frequent words. Our results suggest that enhanced sensitivity to orthographic cues is developed in some cases of dyslexia when normal, phonology-based word recognition processing is not exploited.


OBJECTIVE
Individual studies of the associations between P53 codon 72 polymorphism (rs1042522) and bladder cancer susceptibility have shown inconclusive results. To derive a more precise estimation of the relationship, we performed this systemic review and meta-analysis based on 15 publications.

METHODS
We used odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the strength of the association.

RESULTS
We found that there was no association between P53 codon 72 polymorphism and bladder cancer risk in the comparisons of Pro/ Pro vs Arg/Arg; Pro/Arg vs. Arg/Arg; Pro/Pro plus Pro/Arg vs. Arg/Arg; Arg/Arg vs. Pro/Arg plus Arg/Arg (OR=1.06 95%CI 0.81-1.39; OR=1.06 95%CI 0.83-1.36; OR=0.98 95%CI 0.78-1.23; OR=1.06 95%CI 0.84-1.32). However, a significantly increased risk of bladder cancer was found among Asians in the homozygote comparison (Pro/Pro vs. Arg/Arg, OR=1.36 95%CI 1.05-1.75, P=0.790 for heterogeneity) and the dominant model (Arg/Pro plus Pro/Pro vs. Arg/Arg, OR=1.26 95%CI 1.05-1.52, P=0.564 for heterogeneity). In contrast, no evidence of an association between bladder cancer risk and P53 genotype was observed among Caucasian population in any genetic model. When stratifying for the stage of bladder, no statistical association were found (Pro/Pro vs. Arg/Arg, OR=0.45 95%CI 0.17-1.21; Pro/Arg vs. Arg/Arg, OR=0.60 95%CI 0.28-1.27; Dominant model, OR=0.56 95%CI 0.26-1.20; Recessive model, OR=0.62 95%CI 0.35-1.08) between P53 codon 72 polymorphism and bladder cancer in all comparisons.

CONCLUSIONS
Despite the limitations, the results of the present meta-analysis suggest that, in the P53 codon 72, Pro/Pro type and dominant mode might increase the susceptibility to bladder cancer in Asians; and there are no association between genotype distribution and the stage of bladder cancer.


The collection, processing, and analysis of sweat samples to determine sodium losses during endurance exercise is common amongst sports and exercise nutrition practitioners, and necessary for researchers investigating sodium losses and replacement strategies. Several factors influence sweat sodium concentration ([Na+]) that need to be controlled or considered when interpreting results. Dietary sodium intake in the days preceding exercise is one factor that may influence sweat [Na+]. A systematic review was undertaking using six databases (CINAHL, Embase, Medline Ovid, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science) to determine the impact of dietary sodium intake on sweat [Na+] in response to endurance exercise. Six papers met the inclusion criteria. They varied in the level of sodium intake (<196 to 9177 mg/d), intervention timeframe (3 to 42 days), exercise modality (cycling ergometry, treadmill walking and running), and sweat collection method (whole body washdown and regional patch techniques). Two studies showed significant differences in sweat [Na+] due to diet, two showed no significant difference, and two were not analysed statistically. No relationship was found across studies comparing the difference in sodium intake between interventions and sweat [Na+]. Several limitations were identified, including lack of validation of the intervention, collecting regional sweat samples from limited sites or averaging results across sites or collection days, and lack of statistical analysis. It is concluded that the impact of dietary sodium intake on sweat [Na+] in response to endurance exercise remains uncertain, however the review provides useful insights into the optimal study design for future research in this area.


Agriculture plays a vital role in the economic development of our country. Crop yield primarily depends on soil fertility and moisture level. Fertilizers are normally recommended based on the nutrient present in the soil. To recommend a suitable fertilizer level, the soil nutrient analysis is essential which is done mostly using laboratory techniques. Manual methods of measuring soil nutrients are time consuming. Many farmers refrain to perform soil testing in the laboratory and grow the same crop in the land continuously, hence soil loses its fertility. A system has been proposed to adopt precision agriculture using Wireless Sensor Networks, which enables remote monitoring of soil fertility and other parameters namely soil moisture, pH and temperature. This data is transmitted to the cloud and the corresponding values are displayed on a mobile application. The proposed Internet of things (IoT) based software system has the intelligence to recommend the quantity of water and fertilizer which improves the quality of the soil and ensures optimum growth of the crop.


The present study examined the association of the Tyrosine hydroxylase Val-81-Met polymorphism with alcohol dependence. One hundred and fifty-nine patients in a psychiatric unit with alcohol dependence were genotyped as well as 92 healthy volunteers. The Val allele was more frequent in patients with alcohol dependence (69.5%) than in controls (62.5%). This effect was largely due to the association with early-onset alcoholism (77.8%), whereas no difference was noted between late-onset patients and controls. Our results suggest a role for tyrosine hydroxylase in early-onset alcoholism.


This study is causal to investigate the effect of job stress on employee's job satisfaction with the moderating effect of social support.  In Job stress, two dimensions are analyzed first is work-life balance and second is work place anxiety. Primary data were collected through the questionnaire from 500 employees of public and private sector organizations. Data was collected from only those organizations that are listed with SECP (Security and Exchange Corporation of Pakistan) as well as listed in stock exchange. This study proved a negative relationship between Work-life balances on employee job satisfaction. Moreover, there has been also a negative relationship between work place anxiety on the employee job satisfaction perform. Social support decreases the negative relationship between work-life balance and employee job satisfaction. In addition to that, its effect is also positive in the negative relationship between work anxieties on employee's job performance. This study is helpful for the top managerial policy makers to improve the employee's satisfaction level by incorporating job stress management and also by providing the social support. Keywords: Work-Life balance,, Work-Place Anxiety, Social Support, Employee job satisfaction DOI : 10.7176/RHSS/9-1-10


Background Recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have reported several genetic variants to be reproducibly associated with type 2 diabetes. Additional variants have also been detected from a metaanalysis of three GWASs, performed in populations of European ancestry. In the present study, we evaluated the influence of 17 genetic variants from 15 candidate loci, identified in type 2 diabetes GWASs and the metaanalysis, in a Han Chinese cohort. Methodology/Principal Findings Selected type 2 diabetes–associated genetic variants were genotyped in 1,165 type 2 diabetic patients and 1,136 normoglycemic control individuals of Southern Han Chinese ancestry. The OR for risk of developing type 2 diabetes was calculated using a logistic regression model adjusted for age, sex, and BMI. Genotype-phenotype associations were tested using a multivariate linear regression model. Genetic variants in CDKN2A/B, CDKAL1, TCF7L2, TCF2, MC4R, and PPARG showed a nominal association with type 2 diabetes (P≤0.05), of whom the three first would stand correction for multiple testing: CDKN2A/B rs10811661, OR: 1.26 (1.12–1.43) P = 1.8*10−4; CDKAL1 rs10946398, OR: 1.23 (1.09–1.39); P = 7.1*10−4, and TCF7L2 rs7903146, OR: 1.61 (1.19–2.18) P = 2.3 * 10−3. Only nominal phenotype associations were observed, notably for rs8050136 in FTO and fasting plasma glucose (P = 0.002), postprandial plasma glucose (P = 0.002), and fasting C-peptide levels (P = 0.006) in the diabetic patients, and with BMI in controls (P = 0.033). Conclusions/Significance We have identified significant association between variants in CDKN2A/B, CDKAL1 and TCF7L2, and type 2 diabetes in a Han Chinese cohort, indicating these genes as strong candidates conferring susceptibility to type 2 diabetes across different ethnicities.


The thesis of this Article is that under an exclusive recording agreement entered into in the United States between a record label and recording artist on or after January 1, 1978, any key member of recording artist that signed the recording contract is a bona fide author of a sound recording for purposes of claiming standing in order to effectuate a termination of transfer of grant under Section 203 of the 1976 Copyright Act. Part I will summarize the history of sound recordings as copyrightable subject matter. Part II will examine record industry custom and practice as it relates to the relationship between recording artists and record labels under exclusive recording agreements. Part III will examine what occurs in a typical recording session for the purpose of offering indicia of who is making substantive creative decisions that affect the final sound recording. Part IV will explore different theories of who may reasonably articulate a claim of authorship credit in a sound recording. Part V will present a nuanced, reasonable and practical solution to the issue of determining who has standing as an author of a sound recording for purposes of terminating a grant of transfer under Section 203 of the 1976 Copyright Act.


Power systems influence nowadays society in such a number of ways that one cannot ignore its importance. This translates to economical, structural and humanitarian factors that are a pillar to modern society. Understanding and developing these systems are pivotal for a development of any country. Brazil has been surging as a country in development on the past years, with reflections on its power system. Historically analysing and comprehending the current paradigm of the system and its structure is the first step one has to make. With billions of euros at stake within the electricity market, modelling and simulating are necessary steps when investing large sums of money. PLEXOS for Power Systems is a software that can provide the support for this kind of analysis, which was used in the development of this work. After understanding how PLEXOS plays with complex databases revolving around the system, some simplifications were made due to the lack of data. Hydroelectric generation and load demand were estimated, types of generators were grouped, and interconnections were simplified. Introduction of wind generation and load intermittency creates less stable systems, resulting in the need of ancillary systems. The Brazilian system has its own rules regarding primary, secondary and tertiary reserves. A high dependency on hydroelectric sources is easily observed, the quick response times of the expensive fuel generators are critical, while gas powered utilities provide a steady, yet controllable and cheap, power source. The complexity of the system and lack of data translates into some errors in the simulation which are promptly discussed.


Objective: Preparation of a topical prolong release gel for loxoprofen sodium using optimized nano-sized transfersome dispersion using different gelling agents with in vitro and in vivo evaluation in comparison to the marketed gel prepared by a conventional method.
Method: The optimum nano transfersome dispersion containing 5% egg lecithin (as an oil phase) 1% span 60 (as an emulsifying agent) was converted into a gel using different gelling agents including carbopol 974p, carbopol 940, carbopol 934 and hydroxyl propyl methylcellulose (HPMC K100) at ratio of (1:1). Each prepared gel was then evaluated in vitro to determine the homogenisity, consistency, spreadability, viscosity, and in vitro drug release as well as skin permeation test, human skin irritation test, and in vivo effectiveness.
Result: The selected gel formula (TG3) showed best homogenisity, consistency and spreadability as well as it produced initial burst release of 60.3% (within 1 hour) followed by the prolonged release of 95.4% continued for 6 hours. In addition, the optimum gel formula (TG3) has shown remarkable prolong release, which was significantly higher than the marketed gel (loxonin® gel 1%) without any sign of skin irritation with better effectiveness
Conclusion: This work succeeded in preparing topical gel for loxoprofen sodium using carbopol 974p as gelling agent and utilizing ultra elastic lipid vesicles (transfersomes) with prolong release that reduces dose frequency and improves patient compliance How to cite this article: Maraie, N.K. and Kadhium, H.S. (2019). Efficacy of Gelling Agents on The In Vitro Release and Physical Properties of Loxoprofen Sodium Gel Containing Ultra Elastic Vesicles. International Journal of Drug Delivery Technology, 9(4): 671-677.
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None.


XML has become a popular standard for information exchange via web. Each XML document can be presented as a rooted, ordered, labeled tree. The Node label shows the exact position of a node in the original document. Region and Dewey encoding are two famous methods of labeling trees. In this paper, we propose a new insert friendly labeling method named IFDewey based on recently proposed scheme, called Extended Dewey. In Extended Dewey many labels must be modified when a new node is inserted into the XML tree. Our method eliminates this problem by reserving even numbers for future insertion. Numbers generated by Extended Dewey may be even or odd. IFDewey modifies Extended Dewey so that only odd numbers are generated and even numbers can then be used for a much easier insertion of nodes. Keywords—XML, Tree Labeling, Query Processing.


The construction industry, one of the most important ones in the development of a country, generates unavoid- able impacts on the environment. The social demand towards greater respect for the environment is a high and general outcry. Therefore, the construction industry needs to reduce the impact it produces. Proper waste management is not enough; we must take a further step in environmental management, where new measures need to be introduced for the prevention at source, such as good practices to promote recycling. Following the amendment of the legal frame applicable to Construction and Demolition Waste (C&D waste), important developments have been incorporated in European and International laws, aiming to promote the culture of reusing and recycling. This change of mindset, that is progressively taking place in society, is allowing for the consideration of C&D waste no longer as an unusable waste, but as a reusable material. The main objective of the work presented in this paper is to enhance C&D waste management systems through the development of preventive measures during the construction process. These measures concern all the agents intervening in the construction process as only the personal implication of all of them can ensure an efficient management of the C&D waste generated. Finally, a model based on preventive measures achieves organizational cohesion between the different stages of the con- struction process, as well as promoting the conservation of raw materials through the use and waste minimization. All of these in order to achieve a C&D waste management system, whose primary goal is zero waste generation.


Excess distortions in government transfer policies might result from the government lack of ability to commit not to help unlucky agents. Incentive considerations that are crucial in standard insurance in the presence of moral hazard play, no role in this case. A benevolent government that sets transfers after agents have chosen their effort faces a pure risk-sharing problem and provides full insurance, inducing too little effort. The lack of commitment ability might also cause indeterminacy: the economy might end in any of several equilibria, without the government being able to push it to a particular one.


The effect of secondary injection on the performance of a fluidised bed reactor has been studied. A modified Kunii and Levenspiel model was used to predict the effect on conversion and indicates that the reduction in bubble size caused by secondary injection results in a significant increase. This effect was confirmed experimentally, although the model appears to underestimate the experimental values.


Container vessels arriving in a port before or after their scheduled time can cause problems in the container terminal planning and planning of hinterland transportation. This in turn leads to an increase of the costs in the supply chain. Vessels communicate their Estimated Time of Arrival via Automatic Idetification System(AIS) data to the port. This arrival time is estimated by the crew of the vessel and manually inputted into the AIS. In this research a proof of concept is shown that the Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) prediction of container vessels can be improved. Vessels en route to the Port of Rotterdam are used as a case study. Different frameworks and algorithms are introduced to improve the data quality of AIS messages, to identify a set of possible routes and to do predictions based on the set of possible routes. It is possible to do predictions based on pre-processed AIS messages and a set of possible routes that perform at the same level as the best guess of a vessel's crew.


Epidermolysis Bullosa(EB) is rare, chronic mechanobullous disease, which easily produce bulla by minor trauma or spontaneously. There are three major forms of Epidermolysis bullosa - Epidermolysis bullosa simplex, Junctional epidermolysis bullosa, Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. This report is on the 21-year-old female patient who has Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa(Recessive Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa-mitis). The Korean medical treatments such as acupuncture and herbal medication were used, with light therapy : Carbon Are, which is known for effect of dermal resuscitation. As a result, Carbon Arc and Korean medical treatment's effect of dermal resuscitation is proved in this study. But more cases are necessary for establishing more effective treatment methods.


Background Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is often considered for risk stratification of patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). We sought to determine the contemporary utilization of early TTE (within 72 hours of PE diagnosis) and explored the association between TTE findings and PE‐related mortality. Methods and Results Data from the RIETE (Registro Informatizado Enfermedad TromboEmbolica) registry, a multicenter registry of consecutive patients with acute PE, were used (2001–July 2017). We used a generalized linear mixed model to determine predictors of early TTE performance. Moreover, the association between 3 TTE variables (right atrial enlargement, right ventricular hypokinesis, and presence of right heart thrombi) and 30‐day PE‐related mortality was assessed in generalized linear mixed models adjusted for PE severity index, and other comorbidities. Among 35 935 enrollees with acute PE, 15 375 (42.8%) underwent early TTE. There was an increase in early TTE utilization rate over time (P<0.001 for trend). Younger age, female sex, enrollment in countries other than Spain, history of coronary disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, tachycardia, and hypotension were the main predictors of early TTE (P<0.01 for all). In multivariable analyses, right atrial enlargement (adjusted odds ratio: 3.74; 95% confidence interval, 2.10–6.66), right ventricular hypokinesis (adjusted odds ratio: 3.11, 95% confidence interval: 1.85–5.21) and right heart thrombi (adjusted odds ratio: 4.39, 95% confidence interval, 1.99–9.71) were associated with increased odds for PE‐related mortality. Conclusions Early TTE is commonly performed for acute PE and utilization rates have increased over time. Right atrial enlargement, right ventricular hypokinesis, and right heart thrombi are predictive of worse outcomes. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02832245.


As amorphization may improve the solubility and bioavailability of a drug substance, the aim of this work was to assess to what extent the crystallinity of caffeine (CAF) and theophylline (TF) can be reduced by homogenization with a polymeric excipient. To realize this purpose, the physical mixtures of both methylxanthines with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) were examined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), hot-stage microscopy (HSM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. Moreover, phase diagrams for the physical mixtures were calculated using theoretical data. Results of DSC experiments suggested that both CAF and TF underwent amorphization, which indicated proportional loss of crystallinity for methylxanthines in the mixtures with HPMC. Additionally, HSM revealed that no other crystalline or amorphous phases were created other than those observed for CAF and TF. FTIR and Raman spectra displayed all the bands characteristic for methylxanthines in mixtures with HPMC, thereby excluding changes in their chemical structures. However, changes to the intensity of the bands created by hydrogen bonds imply the formation of hydrogen bonding in the carbonyl group of methylxanthines and the methyl polymer group. This is consistent with data obtained using principal component analysis. The findings of these studies revealed the quantities of methylxanthines which may be dissolved in the polymer at a given temperature and the composition at which methylxanthines and polymer are sufficiently miscible to form a solid solution.


The effect of ash composition on the fluidized bed gasification behaviour of poultry wastes was investigated by operating a pre-pilot scale reactor with two batches of manure obtained from an industrial chicken farm. The experimental runs were carried out by keeping the fluidized bed velocity fixed (at 0.4m s−1) and by varying the equivalence ratio between 0.27 and 0.40, so obtaining bed temperature values between 700 and 800 °C. The performance of the gasification process was assessed by means of mass balances as well as material and feedstock energy analyses, and reported in terms of cold gas efficiency (CGE), specific energy production, low heating value of obtained syngas and yield of undesired by-products. The experimental results indicate the crucial role of ash amount and composition of the two poultry wastes. In particular, higher ash content (25.1% instead of 17.2%) and higher fractions of calcium, phosphorous and potassium (with an increase of 24, 30 and 28%, respectively) induce a dramatic reduction of all the process performance parameters: CGE reduces from 0.63 to 0.33 and the specific energy from 2.1 to 1.1 kWh kgfuel−1. At the same time, the formation of alkali compounds and their behaviour inside the fluidized bed reactor determine an increase of feedstock energy losses, which is related to occurrence of sintering and bridging between bed particles.


This study, based on the model of Positive Behavior Support, aims to identify how 40 primary school directors describe the process of development, application, and evaluation of educational strategies for pupils with behavioral problems. The results from a questionnaire indicated that 77.5% of the directors had pupils with behavioral problems. The most commonly used educational strategies of intervention were to speak with the child (13.3%) or with the parents (13.3%). The most common action for evaluation was observation of the child (27.6%). In general, the study verified that the strategies were employed informally and unsystematically. These findings indicate that research about the inclusion of children with behavioral problems is needed and challenge to rethink about the educators professional training.


Autoimmune thyroid disease is common in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). About 20% of SLE patients have secondary Sjšgren's syndrome. We undertook this study to determine whether autoimmune thyroid disease is associated with secondary Sjšgren's syndrome in SLE. Families with more than one SLE patient were identified. All patients met the revised classification criteria, while SLE-unaffected relatives were confirmed not to satisfy these criteria. Diagnosis of autoimmune thyroid disease and Sjšgren's syndrome was made on the basis of medical records review, interview, and questionnaire in the SLE patients and by questionnaire in the SLE-unaffected subjects. Of a total of 1138 SLE patients, 169 had Sjšgren's syndrome. Fifty of these 169 (29.6%) also had autoimmune thyroid disease. Of the 939 SLE patients without Sjšgren's syndrome, 119 (12.7%) had autoimmune thyroid disease (Π2 = 20.1, p < .000009). There was no association of hypertension with secondary Sjšgren's syndrome (42% versus 47%). Among 2291 SLE-unaffected relatives, 44 had primary Sjšgren's syndrome and 16 (36.3%) of these also had autoimmune thyroid disease. 265 of 2247 (11.8%) had autoimmune thyroid disease but no Sjšgren's syndrome (Π2 = 24.2, p < .000009). Autoimmune thyroid disease is found in excess among SLE patients with secondary Sjšgren's syndrome as well as among their SLE-unaffected relatives with primary Sjšgren's syndrome.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the interaction between fashion brands and consumers on social network sites. More precisely, the goal is to assess the relationship that is established between the low-cost fashion company Primark and followers of the brand on the Facebook social network in Spain, and to evaluate the brand's use of consumer passion through this social network.

Design/methodology/approach

The fieldwork for this research was conducted over September-October 2015, which coincided with the final stages in the sales and the start of the autumn-winter 2015 season. The methodology was based on a daily study of all Primark publications and user interactions with the brand on Facebook.

Findings

The results of this study show that there is some engagement between Facebook users and Primark. However, the company does not respond to this user interaction, thereby missing opportunities in the field of consumer passion.

Originality/value

Until now, research into the interaction of fashion brands with users of the social networks has focused mainly on the luxury sector. This study makes an important contribution to research into the interaction between a low-cost fashion brand and users of social network sites. Primark was chosen as the focus of this case study because the brand has become a model since it broke into the mature Spanish fashion market.


Two kinds of processing repeaters which may find application on communication satellites in the near future are described. The type I repeater allows access only if the transmitted signal contains a predetermined code structure. This serves three purposes: first, unauthorized users are excluded, second, co-channel interfering signals are not retransmitted on the downlink, so as not to waste a portion of the satellite transmitter power, and, third, removal of the interference signal at the satellite avoids having to do this at the ground receiving terminal. Thus such a repeater would find particular application where there are a large number of ground receiving stations. The type 2 repeater routes signals received at its N input terminals to be transmitted at N output terminals, thus acting as a "switchboard in the sky." Two purposes are served: first, the satellite capacity is more fully utilized in the presence of fluctuating traffic demands, and, second, single-frequency transmission and reception are possible for user ground stations, thus simplifying these stations and still allowing communication to any station in the network. It is established when the type 1 repeater is able to increase the satellite communication capability beyond that of a simple repeater and further that fairly simple filtering is sufficient on the satellite. For the type 2 repeater, a proposed frequency control plan minimizes the filtering required on the satellite where frequency division multiplex is used and reduces the amount of switching required on the satellite to N single-pole N-throw switches where time division multiplex is used without the requirement of any memory on the satellite. A summary of present-day translating repeaters, as used in the Intelsats III and IV and DSCS II satellites, is included.


INTRODUCTION
We assess the attitudes of Spanish doctors towards immigrant patients.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

DESIGN
cross-sectional descriptive study carried out in January-June 2003.

SAMPLE AND SETTING
Family doctors and third-year residents of 15 health care centers in Zaragoza, Spain.

INSTRUMENT
specifically designed interview answered in anonymously and on a voluntary basis.

RESULTS
A total of 62.3 % of the sample responded. Nearly 75 % of the doctors had received training on immigration, mainly from a theoretical point of view. Almost 25 % of immigrant consultations are not related to health matters. Doctors think that immigrant patients somatize more than Spanish ones but they do not suffer from more psychiatric illness. They also think immigrants show less treatment compliance and are more demanding. They disagree about possible racial biases in diagnosis or treatment of these patients. Spanish doctors consider that the different ethnic groups present similar management difficulties. The group with the most negative stereotype was the patients from Muslim North African countries.

DISCUSSION
These findings are discussed from a psychological and anthropological perspective.


Radiographic contrast media (RCM) can vary widely in their physicochemical properties, e.g. the iodine concentration, osmolality, molecule structure, chemotoxicity, hydrophilicity, electric charge and viscosity. Besides the necessary effect of Roentgen ray absorption, which provides contrast-rich images of vessels, RCMs can have varying adverse effects. As one possible cause of microcirculatory disorders, changes in morphology and function of endothelial cells are discussed. Therefore, RCM media-induced release of nitric oxide from arterial as well as from venous endothelial cells in contact with two commercially available RCMs (Iodixanol and Iomeprol) was investigated. NO concentrations started to increase slightly in the HUVEC control cultures after 3 min incubation time, however, NO concentrations in the cultures incubated with Iomeprol 350 and Iodixanol 320 did not change over time (Iomeprol 350: p = 0.4905; Iodixanol 320: p = 0.784). On the whole, the time-dependent NO release differed for the three groups (RCM × time: p = 0.00224). This difference was due to the fact that, after incubation with the two contrast agents (Iodixanol 320: p = 0.0003; Iomeprol 350: p = 0.0168), less NO was released by the exposed HUVEC at 3 minutes and after 12 hours than by the control cells. In the control cultures of arterial endothelial cells as well as in cultures incubated with 30% v/v Iodixanol supplemented culture medium the NO release did not change. In those cultures of arterial endothelial cells supplemented with 30% v/v Iomeprol the NO release was significantly less than in control cultures and in cultures supplemented with Iodixanol (p = 0.021; p = 0.043). Inspite of a missing shear stress in our static plane vessel wall model there was a RCM-dependent difference in NO release from endothelial cells in vitro. The NO release from venous endothelial cells differed significantly from the NO release from arterial endothelial cells. While the administration of Iomeprol induced a decrease in NO release no changes occurred after Iodixanol administration.


Transgender men are individuals who identify as men but were assigned female at birth. Gender-affirming medications include testosterone hormone therapy, known for its diverse effects throughout the body, which include endometrial atrophy and the induction of amenorrhea by suppressing ovulation, without however affecting the ovarian follicle pool. This paper reports the first case in Brazil involving a transgender man and a cisgender woman attempting to form a family. A 34-year-old transgender man and a 28-year-old woman came to our assisted reproduction service. He had been on testosterone for two years. At their initial consultation, testosterone therapy was discontinued. Controlled ovarian stimulation for the transgender man was achieved using a combination of recombinant gonadotropins FSH and LH. Pituitary blockage was performed using a GnRH antagonist protocol. Twenty follicles were aspirated and 16 oocytes were retrieved, 12 of which mature. They were inseminated with donor semen. On the fifth day of development, one high quality blastocyst was transferred to the cisgender woman, resulting in an ongoing pregnancy. Five supernumerary embryos were cryopreserved. Controlled ovarian stimulation with high quality oocytes, high quality embryos, and clinical pregnancy are possible for transgender men, even with a history of testosterone use.