In an open-economy model with collateral constraint, Schmitt-Grohe and Uribe (2016) propose a procyclical policy (it calls for capital controls that are higher during crises than during normal times) that supposedly solves the externality problem that results from the underestimation of the social costs of decentralized debt decisions. We show that such policy does not solve the problem and recall that previous literature has established that a countercyclical tax on debt (positive during normal times and nil during crisis) does. We also show that the externality problem can be solved as well by a countercyclical subsidy on consumption (positive during crises and zero in normal times). The latter result, however, is not a robust policy recommendation because it is not a solution if we remove the assumption that lenders overlook the effect of lump-sum taxes on borrowing capacity. Classification JEL: F34, F41, G01, H23, D62


The psychological effects of COVID-19 have been documented in the past year, but scarce literature exists on the nature of COVID-19 stressors. Using a random split sample of 1199 young adult university students, results of exploratory factor analyses (EFA) identified a four-factor structure in the COVID-19 Stressors Questionnaire (C19SQ), which were labeled Resource Constraints, Social Restrictions, Future Uncertainty, and Health Concerns. This model was supported by a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) when run on the other split sample of 1139 university students. Higher levels of COVID-19 stress were positively associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms and negatively associated with sleep duration, sleep quality, and the number of exercise days. COVID-19 stress also uniquely predicted poor university adjustment. This study demonstrated the link between COVID-19 stressors and mental and physical health symptoms, thus providing support for conceptualizing the psychological impact of the pandemic as adjustment problems for some individuals.


In expression proteomics, the samples utilized within an experimental design may include technical, biological, or pooled replicates. This manuscript discusses various experimental designs and the conclusions that can be drawn from them. Specifically, it addresses the impact of mixing replicate types on the statistical analysis which can be performed. This study focuses on difference gel electrophoresis (DiGE), but the issues are equally applicable to all quantitative methodologies assessing relative changes in protein expression.


The Black Hills, located about 15 km west of Olympia, constitute one of several large basement uplifts in the Washington Coast Range. The oldest rocks exposed in this west-dipping homocline consist of early to middle Eocene basalt flows and breccias with minor sedimentary interbeds, which are correlated with the Crescent Formation in the northern Olympic Peninsula. K/Ar geochronology of five basalt samples yields an average age of 53.1 ± 2.0 m.y. B.P., or early Eocene. A total of 263 paleomagnetic cores were collected from 37 sites. All sites were cleaned using AF demagnetization, and 35 sites were corrected for measured and inferred tilt. The mean direction of these sites was virtually unchanged by applying tectonic corrections, although the precision was slightly improved. No flattening or steepening of inclination is apparent, although the mean declination of the 35 sites is easterly discordant with respect to the expected early Eocene declination for "stable" North America by 28.7° ± 15.4°. This discordance indicates that the Black Hills have rotated clockwise about 29° since early Eocene time. The Black Hills basalts show significantly less rotation than Eocene rocks in the Oregon Coast Range, but they show nearly the same amount as analogous basalts in the southwestern Washington Coast Range and latest Eocene to late Oligocene volcanic rocks in the Oregon-Washington Cascade Range. Thus, the rotations of coastal Oregon and Washington, while identical in direction, differ significantly in amount, suggesting that the entire Coast Range block, from the Olympic Peninsula to north of the Klamath Mountains, has not been a coherent terrane since early Eocene time. Several tectonic models are discussed that involve accretion and independent clockwise rotation of two or more Coast Range blocks, or "microplates," in response to episodic periods of underthrusting and extensive right-lateral shear along the Farallon-North America plate boundary during early and middle Tertiary time. The easterly discordances of declination that are observed in almost all Tertiary rocks sampled in the Oregon-Washington Coast and Cascade Ranges reflect a composite of differential rotation during accretion of the Coast Range seamount terrane, followed soon afterward by large-scale rotation of the western margin of the Pacific Northwest in response to oblique subduction and consequent distributed shear.


INTRODUCTION: Modern way of living has lead to increased incidence of high velocity accidents. This has resulted in an increasing number of comminuted long bone fractures. These high velocity injuries tend to affect the young and working population and hence associated with increased morbidity and loss of function. Management of these fractures has always been a challenge. The goal of treatment in such situations is not only to heal the fracture, but also to aid the patient to return to pre-injury status as early as possible. Traditionally the fractures were treated by rigid internal fixation after anatomical reduction. However this was associated with increased soft tissue stripping and hence more instances of non unions, delayed unions and other complications like infections – as the swiss surgeon Fehr has said "in no area of surgery so many mistakes have been made as in operative fracture fixation".
AIM: To analyze prospectively the radiological and functional outcome of comminuted fractures of long bones managed by biological plate osteosynthesis in our institute from July 2008 to August 2010.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who sustained comminuted fractures of long bones were
treated by the method of Biological plate Osteosynthesis during the period of July 2008 to August 2010 at Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Madras Medical College and Government General Hospital, Chennai. A total of 32 cases were treated, out of which 2 cases lost to follow up and one died because of an unrelated cause and were excluded from the study. 29 cases were followed up over a mean period of 20 months ( range – 16-24 months). The patients were either directly admitted in our hospital or were referred from a primary centre after hemodynamic stabilization. Out of the 28 cases, 11 presented to us within 6 hours of injury, 6 cases from 6–12 hours following injury and 7 cases from 12–24 hours, and remaining 5 cases presented after 24 hours. The patients were received in our trauma ward, and after hemodynamic stabilization, x-rays of the injured part were taken and the fracture pattern were analysed. CT – scan were done in cases with intra-articular extensions. They were classified according to the AO classification of fractures as it is easily recordable and reproducible. It accurately describes the extensiveness of the fracture. Fractures were immobilized by splinting or by pin traction as per the convenience. Age of the patients averaged 25 years (range 14 to 58 years). 2 were aged between 10-20 years, 8 of them between 20-30 years, 13 were between 30-40 years and 5 were aged between 40-50 years and 1 with age above 50 years.
RESULTS: The mean Neer – Grantham – Shelton score was 83 (range – 45 to 95). The clinical outcome was graded as excellent in 12 cases (41.37%), good in 11 (37.9%) cases, fair in 4 (13.7%) cases and failure in 2 (0.068%) cases. The clinical score of the patients is depicted in graph 5.
CONCLUSION: Indirect reduction and minimally invasive percutaneous fixation appear to be very effective and have a proven value in the management of various spectrum of comminuted diaphyseal — metaphyseal fractures.• Its greatest value appears to be in treating peri-articular metaphyseal and metaphyseo-diaphyseal comminuted fractures.• It reduces the duration of surgery, intraoperative blood loss and hence post operative morbidity, which allows early rehabilitation and early return of function.• It is also associated with less incidence of infections, non unions and implant failures and other complications.• Accurate restoration of Limb length, rotation and alignment is possible.• However the technique appears to be technically challenging. Hence early surgery, careful planning, intra-operative fluoroscopic monitoring and accurate contouring of the plate are essential.• In case of intra-articular fractures, accurate alignment of the articular surface is imperative for good clinical outcome.• The condition of the soft tissues and co-morbid conditions deserves to be respected.


Ninety-four normotensive, type II diabetics with microalbuminuria and normal renal function were randomized to receive enalapril or placebo and were followed for five years. In the patients treated with enalapril, albuminuria decreased initially from 143 +/- 64 (mean +/- SD) mg/24 hours to 122 +/- 67 mg/24 hours, then a slow increase was observed to 140 +/- 134 mg/24 hours after five years. In the placebo group albuminuria increased from 123 +/- 58 mg/24 hours to 310 +/- 167 mg/24 hours after five years. The difference between the rates of change in albuminuria over time in the two groups was highly significant (P < 0.005). Kidney function, expressed as mean reciprocal creatinine, declined by 13% in the placebo group and remained stable (-1%) in the enalapril group (P < 0.05). The initial value of daily albuminuria was a good predictor of the subsequent decline in renal function (r = 0.86, P < 0.001 and r = 0.72, P < 0.001 for the enalapril and the placebo groups, respectively). Initial and subsequent mean values of cholesterol and LDL were lower in the enalapril than in the placebo group. There was a close correlation between mean cholesterol values and the decline in renal function (r = -0.58, P < 0.001). The mean blood pressure was stable in the enalapril group (initial group mean 99 +/- 2.1 mmHg, fifth year mean 100 +/- 3.2 mmHg) and increased in the placebo group from 97 +/- 3.2 mmHg to 102 +/- 3.4 mm Hg at the end of the study (P = 0.082).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of different intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation formulas and develop prognostic nomograms to predict the risk of postoperative refractive error in primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) patients. Methods: A total of 111 eyes with PACG underwent goniosynechialysis combined with phacoemulsification and IOL implantation were included. SRK/T, Barrett II, Hoffer Q, and Kane formulas were used to predict postoperative refraction. Prediction error (PE) and absolute predictive error (APE) produced by the four formulas were calculated and compared. An APE >0.50 D was defined as the event. Binary logistic regression analysis and prognostic nomogram models were conducted to investigate reliable predictors associated with postoperative refraction. Results: The Kane (−0.06 D) and Barrett II (−0.07 D) formulas had mean prediction error close to zero (p = 0.44, p = 0.41, respectively). The Hoffer Q and SRK/T produced significantly myopic outcomes (p = 0.003, p = 0.013, respectively). The percentage of eyes within ± 0.5 D was 49.5% (55/111), 44.1% (49/111), 43.2% (48/111), and 49.5% (54/111), for the Kane, Barrett II, Hoffer Q, and SRK/T formula, respectively. Nomogram showed that AL had the greatest impact on the refractive outcomes, indicating a shorter preoperative AL is associated with a greater probability of refractive error event. The area under the receiver operator curve (AUC) of the nomogram for the Kane, Barrett II, Hoffer Q, and SRK/T was 0.690, 0.701, 0.708, and 0.676, respectively. Conclusions: The Kane and Barrett II formulas were comparable, and they outperformed Hoffer Q and SRK/T in the total eyes with PACG receiving cataract surgery combined with goniosynechialysis. The developed nomogram models can effectively predict the occurrence of postoperative refractive error events.


Substantial quantities of wind plant data are being accumulated as interest and investment in renewable energy grows. These data sets can approach tens of terabytes in size, making their management, storage, manipulation, and transmission burdensome. Lossless compression of the data sets can mitigate these challenges without sacrificing accuracy. This paper develops and analyzes lossless compression algorithms that can be applied to data used in integration studies and data used in wind plant monitoring and operation. The algorithms exploit wind speed-to-wind power relationships, and the temporal and spatial correlations in the data. The Shannon entropy of wind power and speed data is computed to gain insight on the uncertainty of wind power and speed and to benchmark performance of the compression algorithms. The algorithms are applied to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Western and Eastern Data Sets and to actual wind turbine data. The resulting compression ratios are up to 50% higher than those obtained by direct application of off-the-shelf lossless compression methods.


Fix integers n, r and d such that 2 ≤ n ≤ r − 1 and let V(n, r, d) be the set of all smooth, irreducible, projective, and nondegenerate varieties V of degree d and dimension n in the projective space P r , such that, only for n ≥ 3, the canonical bundle K V is numerically effective (i.e. K V ·C ≥ 0 for all curves C ⊂ V). Put K(n, r, d) = sup {K V n : V ε ν (n, r, d)}. In this paper we compute K(n, r, d) in terms of n, r and d and classify the varieties attaining the bound, at least when d ≫ r and for some range of n and r. In the case of surfaces, i.e. when n = 2, in the case r ≥ 2n + 1 and for d ≫ r we give a complete classification. It turns out that only in certain cases the varieties reaching the bound K (n, r, d) are Castelnuovo's varieties, that is varieties of maximal geometric genus.


Abstract Root proliferation is important in determining root foraging capability of rangeland grasses to unpredictable soil-nutrient pulses. However, root proliferation responses are often confounded by the inherent relative growth rate (RGR) of the particular species being compared. Additionally, inherent biomass allocation to roots (R:S ratio) can be associated with root RGR, hence likely influencing root foraging responses. The influence of relative growth rate and biomass allocation patterns on the speed and efficiency of root foraging responses at the critical seeding stage was examined in two important perennial rangeland grasses that occur widely in the Great Basin Region of the United States (Whitmar bluebunch wheatgrass [Pseudoroegneria spicata {Pursh} Löve] and Hycrest crested wheatgrass [Agropyron desertorum {Fisch. ex Link} Schult. × A. cristatum L. Gaert.]) as well as in the widespread exotic invasive annual grass, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.). Greenhouse-grown seedlings were exposed to four nutrient regimes: uniform–low, uniform–high, soil-nutrient pulse, soil-nutrient depletion, and to either no clipping or clipping (80% removal of standing shoot biomass). Hycrest was the only species that exhibited root proliferation responses to the short-lived nutrient pulse, and this response occurred through root elongation rather than initiation of lateral root branches. Overall, defoliation inhibited proliferation-based root responses to a larger extent than topological-based root responses. Defoliated plants of Hycrest interrupted root development (topological index did not change) following shoot defoliation compared to undefoliated plants. In contrast, root topological developmental patterns were the same for defoliated and undefoliated plants of Whitmar, whereas cheatgrass exhibited an intermediate response between Whitmar and Hycrest. Our results suggest that inherent biomass allocation to roots contributes to enhanced capabilities of proliferation-based root responses.


BACKGROUND
Several studies have assessed potential associations between use of weight loss products in the periconceptional period and neural tube defects (NTDs). However, the individual studies are inconclusive and there has not been a systematic review of this literature.

METHODS
We conducted a systematic search, using Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed, to identify studies that evaluated the association between products used for weight loss and the risk of NTDs. Because many studies of birth defects only evaluate a composite birth defect outcome, we evaluated studies that defined the outcome as "any major birth defect" or as NTDs. We abstracted data on study design, exposure definition, outcome definition, covariates and effect size estimates from each article that met our inclusion criteria. For studies that evaluated a composite birth defect outcome, we also abstracted the number of NTD cases included in the composite outcome. We used a modified version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to assess the quality of each article.

RESULTS
We screened 865 citations and identified nine articles that met our inclusion criteria. The majority of studies reported positive associations between maternal use of weight loss products and birth defects (overall and NTDs). However, there were few significant associations and there was considerable heterogeneity in the specific exposures assessed across the nine studies.

CONCLUSION
Our systematic review of weight loss products and NTDs indicates that the literature on this topic is sparse. Because several studies reported modest, positive associations between risk and use of weight loss products, additional studies are warranted. Birth Defects Research 110:48-55, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


UNLABELLED
Management of malignant melanoma continues to present a challenge to dermatologists, particularly in advanced cases. In light of the steady increase in the worldwide incidence and mortality rates for melanoma, better understanding of the immune mechanisms regulating melanoma progression and interaction with the host's immune system seems eminently important. New studies on the role of immune mechanisms in the pathogenesis and clinical course of melanoma have recently been published. We review the immune mechanisms involved in tumor progression and ways in which these mechanisms may be applied toward immunotherapeutic management of malignant melanoma.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE
After the completion of this learning activity, participants should be familiar with (1) the immune mechanisms involved in host-tumor interaction and tumor rejection, (2) factors allowing the escape of melanoma cells from immune recognition, and (3) the current rationale for the different types of specific immunotherapy in melanoma. Better understanding of basic mechanisms in tumor immunology should raise awareness of future immunotherapeutic approaches in patients with melanoma, particularly in those who are at high risk of recurrence or who present with advanced disease.


The theory of the electron Raman scattering (ERS) in a size-quantized film within the framework of the Abrikosov-Cohen model for the energy spectrum of Bi is developed. The wavefunctions and spectrum of electrons in the film are obtained. It is shown that the zero boundary conditions must be imposed on the total wavefunction instead of on the envelope. The boundary conditions for the envelope have a complicated form and are similar to those found by Volkov and Pinsker (1976). It is shown that unlike the standard model of the energy spectrum of carriers the scheme of an intraband ERS process with an intermediate state in the valence band is realized within the framework of the Abrikosov-Cohen spectrum. On the basis of the scheme described, the frequency dependence of the ERS differential cross section is calculated. The cross section has a non-zero value for any Delta n ( Delta n is the change in the electron quantum number due to the ERS process) at arbitrary orientation of the polarization vectors of incident and scattered radiation with respect to the film surface.


Part I. A Theory of Speech Acts: 1. Methods and scope 2. Expressions, meaning and speech acts 3. The structure of illocutionary acts 4. Reference as a speech act 5. Predication Part II. Some Applications of the Theory: 6. Three fallacies in contemporary philosophy 7. Problems of reference 8. Deriving 'ought' from 'is' Index.


The Gene Ontology (GO [5]) is a dynamic controlled vocabulary [6] that details the biological processes, molecular functions and cellular components of a generic cell. The UniProt-Gene Ontology Annotation (UniProt-GOA [7]) project uses GO to describe proteins in UniProtKB [8]. The project has assigned GO terms to all complete and incomplete proteomes that exist in UniProtKB, using a combination of manual and automatic annotation [9]. For more information about the Gene Onotology, see the GO quick tour [2].


To further investigate the mechanism and function of allosteric activation by chloride in some α‐amylases, the structure of the bacterial α‐amylase from the psychrophilic micro‐organism Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis in complex with nitrate has been solved at 2.1 A˚, as well as the structure of the mutants Lys300Gln (2.5 A˚) and Lys300Arg (2.25 A˚). Nitrate binds strongly to α‐amylase but is a weak activator. Mutation of the critical chloride ligand Lys300 into Gln results in a chloride‐independent enzyme, whereas the mutation into Arg mimics the binding site as is found in animal α‐amylases with, however, a lower affinity for chloride. These structures reveal that the triangular conformation of the chloride ligands and the nearly equatorial coordination allow the perfect accommodation of planar trigonal monovalent anions such as NO3−, explaining their unusual strong binding. It is also shown that a localized negative charge such as that of Cl−, rather than a delocalized charge as in the case of nitrate, is essential for maximal activation. The chloride‐free mutant Lys300Gln indicates that chloride is not mandatory for the catalytic mechanism but strongly increases the reactivity at the active site. Disappearance of the putative catalytic water molecule in this weakly active mutant supports the view that chloride helps to polarize the hydrolytic water molecule and enhances the rate of the second step in the catalytic reaction.


AIM
Fundus photographs using a nonmydriatic digital camera are the reference method for diabetic retinopathy screening today. The aim of this study was to validate a simplified diabetic retinopathy classification, adapted for diabetic retinopathy screening, including all diabetic retinopathy severity scales.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
One hundred and twenty-one diabetic patients had three digital color fundus photographs taken, which were graded by four independent ophthalmologists according to the proposed screening classification, and a reference examination (nine field fundus photographs and optical coherence tomography examination of the macula).

RESULTS
The proposed diabetic retinopathy screening classification was easy to use, as it was based on a visual comparison between the three digital color fundus photographs and standard retinal photographs. This classification provided the diagnosis of severe levels of diabetic retinopathy with high sensitivity and accurate specificity (100% and 50%-58%,respectively, for a moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy level or higher on the screening examination) and the diagnosis of macular edema with a high sensitivity and specificity (96%-97% and 89%-91%, respectively). The results of the screening examination using this classification were highly reproducible (weighted k for interobserver agreement: 0.78-0.93).

CONCLUSION
These results suggest that this new simplified classification is accurate. The screening method should not be used above the threshold level of mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy. Thus, from the moderate nonproliferative level (inclusive), a complete fundus examination should be undertaken. Severe levels of diabetic retinopathy will be referred to an ophthalmologist without delay for laser treatment.


Traditionally, universal design hasn´t been addressed in architectural competitions. This paper analyses the factors that were important for the development of a mind-set about equality and thus the organising principles of the winning entry of an architectural competition. Hence, an insight is established into how knowledge about the users enters the design process. Empirically, the paper is based on a post-occupancy evaluation, POE of Vandhalla – a sports centre at the Egmont folk high school. Interviews and walkthroughs were conducted with the winning team, the client, the teachers and the students. The concept of "experience" and "eye-opener" is introduced and used as an analytical framework. Both of the concepts are characterised by a relation to the episodic memory and the concept of context-dependent knowledge. During the competition, knowledge about the users is integrated in the design process when the knowledge appears as experience and eye-openers. It is characteristic that experience and eye-openers inspires and contribute to the winning team´s interpretation of the brief and the development of a mind-set and the design. Because of this effect, experience and eyeopeners serve as drivers for the architecture from a universal design perspective.


The present study reports on a multi-dimensional analysis (Biber, 1988) of the Tswana Learner English (TLE) corpus, together with the Louvain Corpus of Native English Essays (LOCNESS). A new multidimensional model is extracted, since the similarities between nativeness and non-nativeness mask differences between linguistic features to such an extent that it is not possible to come to a complete understanding of such differences using the standard 1988 model.A basic five factor model was extracted. Dimension 1 can be taken to capture advanced literacy, specifically as far as complex noun phrase structure is concerned, with the function of expressing information densely. Dimension 2 can be regarded as an indication of transparency and Dimension 3 captures a range of informal style features. The features that group together as Dimension 4 represent a style of writing that is more nuanced and precise and as a provisional label, we propose contextualisation of information. Dimension 5 can be regarded as the persuasive dimension in student writing, a feature that has been identified as a very important characteristic by Biber and Grabe (1987), and also in our own study of student writing.The most striking differences between the two corpora are on Dimensions 1 and 4. LOCNESS shows more advanced literacy than the TLE, and also contextualises information more extensively than the TLE. On the other dimensions, both corpora contain essays that display the various different styles available, showing that as a register, student writing allows for some internal stylistic variation independent of whether the writers are native or non-native speakers of English. The results confirm the usefulness of the multidimensional model, particularly to the extent that a new model is extracted. Substantial overlap between some of the dimensions in this study and dimensions in other models indicate that multidimensional modals are sensitive to particular kinds of feature groupings, which should be taken as evidence in favour of the general validity of this kind of approach.


Jan Jansen uber: Clancy-Smith, Julia A.: Mediterraneans. North Africa and Europe in an Age of Migration, C. 1800-1900. Berkeley 2012.


The HARA radiation code is fully-coupled to the FUN3D unstructured-grid CFD code for the purpose of simulating high-energy hypersonic flows. The radiation energy source terms and surface heat transfer, under the tangent slab approximation, are included within the fluid dynamic ow solver. The Fire II flight test, at the Mach-31 1643-second trajectory point, is used as a demonstration case. Comparisons are made with an existing structured-grid capability, the LAURA/HARA coupling. The radiative surface heat transfer rates from the present approach match the benchmark values within 6%. Although radiation coupling is the focus of the present work, convective surface heat transfer rates are also reported, and are seen to vary depending upon the choice of mesh connectivity and FUN3D ux reconstruction algorithm. On a tetrahedral-element mesh the convective heating matches the benchmark at the stagnation point, but under-predicts by 15% on the Fire II shoulder. Conversely, on a mixed-element mesh the convective heating over-predicts at the stagnation point by 20%, but matches the benchmark away from the stagnation region.


This paper proposes an online Bayesian method to detect change points in auto-regressive (AR) processes with unknown model orders. The AR model is frequently used in the spectral analysis of RR series extracted from electrocardiographic signals (ECG) [1, 2]. By relaxing the model order constraint, we aim to detect apnea-bradycardia (AB) episodes from abrupt changes in the model space. An efficient recursive algorithm inspired from the work of Godsil et al. [3, 4] is proposed to update with fixed complexity the joint posterior distribution of the AR coefficients and model orders. Simulation results show fast convergence of the estimated distribution, thus making it an efficient tool to detect underlying AR model changes in time series. For AB detections with annotated ECG data, the detection sensitivity (TP/(TP + FN)) reaches 98% over a total of 50 episodes with 92% specificity (TN/(TN + FP)). We also discovered an interesting property in terms of detection delay (−3.64s ± 4.34), compared with the experts' off-line annotations. The negative mean in detection delay suggests that AR model changes might occur before the onset of AB episodes while from the clinical point of view, it is essential to achieve reliable early stage detection of AB episodes to enable the initiation of quick nursing actions [5].


A method of roentgen diagnostics for patients with phlegmons of the maxillofacial area with suspicion of spread of pyo-inflammatory processes into the fat space of the neck is proposed which consists of radiographic survey of the neck with soft rays in two (direct and lateral) projections. The timely diagnosis of spread of pyo-inflammatory processes into the fat space of the neck allows to make necessary corrections in the plan of treatment.


Background There is growing evidence that our stress mindset can be changed and thereby might beneficially influence our health and productivity. This study examined whether stress mindset can be changed, whether this change comes with a corresponding increase in mental well-being and whether the three personality traits extraversion, neuroticism and openness moderate those changes in stress mindset.
Methods: A German sample (n = 78), with a mean age of 36 years and a majority of female participants (61.5%), was randomly assigned to a stress mindset (n = 52) or control condition (n = 50). Participants had to complete online surveys at baseline, post-test and follow-up.
Results: The mixed two-way repeated measures ANOVA did not reveal a significant time x condition interaction effect neither on stress mindset nor on mental well-being. The moderation analyses using PROCESS (Hayes, 2019) did not reveal any significant interaction effects at post- test or at follow-up for extraversion, neuroticism, or openness
Limitations: The study was limited by the form, duration and frequency of its manipulation as well as a high dropout rate.
Conclusion: Since the phenomenon of stress mindset presents a possible solution to the perceived growing stress levels and the corresponding health risks in today's society it still remains important. Thus, future research should test which manipulations effectively change people's stress mindset and then check for corresponding health implications.


In this paper, attempts will be made to study and understand the lawful and unlawful foods in the light of Islamic Medical law focus on ethical aspect that has been practiced during Islamic civilization. We will realize that lawful and unlawful foods are not, as some imagine, mere pretense, but rather constitute the divine command which protects against many diseases. In order to present such a law, the jurists of Islam needed great acuteness and power of reflection to make them understand the matters relating to lawful and unlawful foods in Islam. To attempt to follow these jurists, in their treatment, of the different school of thoughts (madhahib) would take us far beyond the limits of this research. Thus, we will rather confine ourselves to those laws which are clearly stated in the Qur'an and tradition (hadith), as well as a few of the most important issues dealt with in the different school of thoughts (madhahib).


It has been proposed a novel method for obtaining of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-7-carboxylic acid as Arg-mimetic within the framework of search for novel fibrinogen receptor antagonists. New alpha (IIb)beta(3) antagonists were prepared on a base of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-7-carboxylic acid. Their high antiaggregatory activities in a human platelet rich plasma and ability to block FITC-Fg binding to alpha (IIb)beta(3) on washed human platelets were estimated.


Understanding and elucidating the diverse structures and functions of lipids has motivated the development of many innovative tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) strategies. Higher-energy activation methods, such as ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD), generate unique fragment ions from glycerophospholipids that can be used to perform in-depth structural analysis and facilitate the deconvolution of isomeric lipid structures in complex samples. Although detailed characterization is central to the correlation of lipid structure to biological function, it is often impeded by the lack of sufficient instrument sensitivity for highly bioactive but low-abundance phospholipids. Here, we present precursor exclusion (PEx) UVPD, a simple yet powerful technique to enhance the signal-to-noise (S/N) of informative low-abundance fragment ions produced from UVPD of glycerophospholipids. Through the exclusion of the large population of undissociated precursor ions with an MS3 strategy, the S/N of diagnostic fragment ions from PC 18:0/18:2(9Z, 12Z) increased up to an average of 13x for PEx-UVPD compared to UVPD alone. These enhancements were extended to complex mixtures of lipids from bovine liver extract to confidently identify 35 unique structures using liquid chromatography PEx-UVPD. This methodology has the potential to advance lipidomics research by offering deeper structure elucidation and confident identification of biologically active lipids.


SYNOPSIS. The basic elements of the NO/cGMP signaling pathway have been identified in the nervous systems of animals from nearly all of the major phyla. In crustaceans, the NO/cGMP pathway is associated with certain fundamental neuronal processes, including sensory integration and the organization and production of motor behavior. Here I review the evidence for NO synthesis and action in crustacean neural networks, with an emphasis on the rhythmic motor circuits of the crab stomatogastric ganglion (STG). In the STG, NO appears to be released as an orthograde transmitter from descending projection neurons. NO's receptor, a cytopasmic isoform of guanylate cyclase (sGC), is expressed in a subset of the cells that participate in the gastric mill and pyloric central pattern generating networks. In spontaneously-active, in vitro preparations of the STG, pharmacological inhibitors of the NO/cGMP pathway cause the two rhythmic motor patterns to collapse into a single conjoint rhythm. Parallel motor output is restored when the ganglion is returned to normal saline. Although precise mechanisms have yet to be determined, these data suggest that NO and cGMP play an important role in the functional organization of STG networks. The STG, as well as other crustacean models, provides a promising context for studying the physiological and behavioral aspects of NO-mediated signaling in the nervous system.


The political representation of minorities is regarded as a key indicator of the level of democracy in any contemporary political system, and, in the case of ethnic minorities, of their rights and integration in society. In post-communist Eastern Europe, external factors, and particularly the European Union integration process, have played an important role in establishing the framework of minority policy, including their integration and representation. This paper examines the behavior of ethnic parties and their electorates in four new EU member states at the 2009 European Parliament elections. The paper builds on earlier arguments that the EU-level political process influences the behavior of parties in post-communist Europe to a greater extent than that of the parties and party systems in Western Europe (Lewis 2008, Ladrech 2008); and that this trend is particularly strong in the case of ethnic parties and that this is observable at both programmatic and electoral level (Spirova and Stefanova, forthcoming). This paper develops and extends this argument and examines it in the context of the experience of ethnic minority parties in Bulgaria, Latvia, Romania and Slovakia. It uses the EuroManifesto and the Voter Studies of the European Elections Study (2009) to bring a stronger comparative base and an individual level component into the study.


Airborne fungal spores are well known to cause respiratory allergic diseases particularly bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, rhino-conjunctivitis and allergic broncho-pulmonary aspergillosis in both adults and children. In order to monitor and analyze airborne fungal flora of the Karachi environment, an aeromycological study was conducted using a Burkard 7-Day Recording Volumetric Spore Trap from January to December 2010. The data recorded from the Spore Trap was further analyzed for percent catch determination, total spores concentration, seasonal periodicities and diurnal variations. Cladosporium spp (44.8%), Alternaria spp. (15.5%), Periconia spp (6.1%), Curvularia spp (2.1%), Stemphylium spp (1.3%) and Aspergillus/Penicillium type (1%) emerged to be major components constituting more than 70% of the airborne fungal flora. Cladosporium, Curvularia and Stemphylium displayed a clear seasonal trend, while there were no clear seasonal trends for other fungal spore types. Diurnal variations were observed to be mainly having daytime maxima. Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient analysis was conducted using various weather parameters. The various fungal types showed a negative correlation with heat index, dew point, wind velocity and wind chill. However, a positive correlation was found with humidity, rain and barometric pressure. In fact, Alternaria, Bipolaris and Periconia showed a negative correlation with temperature, while Cladosporium and Periconia showed a negative correlation with heat index, dew point, wind velocity and wind chill. The barometric pressure was positively correlated with Cladosporium. On the basis of these findings, it can be concluded that a number of fungal spores are present in the atmosphere of Karachi throughout the year, with certain atmospheric conditions influencing the release, dispersion, and sedimentation processes of some genera. It is expected that clinicians will use the identified fungal flora for diagnosis and treatment and/or adopt preventative measures for allergic individuals.


INTRODUCTION
Onion (Allium cepa L.) and garlic (Allium sativum L.) extracts are traditionally used in many cultures as antimicrobial agents. Nonetheless, there is still a dearth of scientific validation pertaining to the antibacterial and possible antibiotic potentiating activity of these plants.

METHODS
Decoction as traditionally used and methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate, and acetone extracts of onion and garlic were evaluated for their antibacterial activity against 15 bacterial strains (6 ATCC strains and 9 clinical isolates) using the broth microdilution method to establish the minimum inhibitory concentration. The bacteriostatic and bactericidal actions were determined as compared to conventional antibiotics (streptomycin and chloramphenicol). Fractional Inhibitory Concentration (FIC) was determined to establish any synergistic interaction between the extracts and antibiotics using a modified checkerboard assay.

RESULTS
The ethyl acetate extract of garlic showed bactericidal effect against 1 ATCC (E. coli) and 2 clinical isolates. Streptomycin produced only indifferent effect (FIC 1< and ≤ 4) when combined with ethyl acetate extract of onion. Chloramphenicol showed synergism with ethyl acetate extract of onion against ATCC S. aureus (FIC 0.27-0.30) and Micrococci species (FIC 0.27-0.32). Streptomycin showed mostly antagonism whereas chloramphenicol showed synergism effects with the ethyl acetate extract of garlic. The observed antibacterial activity might be justified due to the presence of high concentration of phenolic compounds in the extracts.

CONCLUSION
This study has provided an opportunity to establish valuable baseline information on the antibiotic potentiating activity of onion and garlic which can be further exploited for the treatment and/or management of infectious diseases.


We have developed a wideband and compact power amplifier module (PA-module) for a driver stage amplifier of a base station transmitter system using AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), a nonhermetic package, clip leads, and a printed circuit board (PCB). Linear gain of 30dB, gain flatness of less than 0.5dBp-p, and saturation output power of more than 40dBm were achieved from 1.8GHz to 2.3GHz, operating at drain bias voltage (Vds) of 50V and gate bias voltage (Vgs) of -3V. We demonstrated an adjacent channel leakage power ratio (ACLR) of -50dBc at average output power of 19dBm in practical 2-carrier W-CDMA signals, dissipating 13W. This PA-module covered wide frequency band and its package volume was only 2cm/sup 3/. It could be compactly incorporated into various base station transmitter systems without difficulty.


What we see may often be interpreted in several ways. Under
such conditions, our visual system seems to alternate spontaneously
between the various possible interpretations: sometimes one percept
will be experienced and sometimes another.
The present thesis is concerned with a particular form of
perceptual instability known as 'monocular rivalry'. It is argued
that both the extent to which one percept dominates over another,
and the rate at which such changes occur, may be best understood in
terms of basic physiological processes. If this is accepted, it
appears that perceptual alternations may provide a useful alternative
method of investigating the processes underlying pattern analysis
in the human visual system.
The present experiments were not designed to investigate the 1 nature of the mechanism underlying perceptual alternations. It is
argued nevertheless that taken in conjunction with previous findings,
they are most'satisfactorially understood in terms of a 'cyclic
decision' model (Vickers, 1972). Although the present findings are
of primary interest in that they appear to resolve certain discrepancies
and to suggest a correlation between areas often regarded as disparate,
it is suggested that the phenomena of monocular rivalry may, for
several reasons, be particularly appropriate for testing more general
issues in this area.


MICROGLIA are activated by amyloid β (Aβ) in vivo and in vitro, and Aβ-activated microglia may be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We investigated the mechanism of microglial chemotaxis induced by Aβ (25–35), an active fragment of Aβ. Aβ (25–35) 0.1 and 1 nM stimulated microglial chemotaxis. The protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors chelerythrine (0.5 and 2 μM), calphostin C (1 μM) and staurospine (10 nM) significantly inhibited the microglial chemotaxis induced by Aβ (25–35) (1 nM). The chemotactic effect of Aβ (25–35) on microglia was desensitized by pretreatment of microglia with 1 ng/ml 12-O-tetrade-canoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA). Pretreatment of cells with Aβ (25–35) (1 nM) also desensitized the chemotactic effect by Aβ (25–35) (1 nM). The desensitization by TPA or Aβ (25–35) was inhibited when staurosporine was present in the pretreatment media. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor herbimycin A (0.1 and 1 μM) significantly inhibited the microglial chemotaxis induced by Aβ (25–35) (1 nM). Based on these observations, it seems likely that PKC and tyrosine kinase are involved in the Aβ-induced chemotaxis of microglia.


The article investigate the role of communication in the digital age, between consumers and business and seeks to render highlighting changes within the Romanian society in the last 26 years, with the effects occurred in people's behavior, but also the changes of university education at the discipline I teach, Merchandising and International Marketing, with impact on the delivery of new information to the students of the Faculty of Economic Sciences, within Spiru Haret University. We live in an era where everything seems to change and evolve almost overnight. "The world economic order went through a tectonic transformation, accompanied by, and in part caused by, groundbreaking advances in science and technology and the rise of globalization" . New industries start to develop, while others are on their last legs or already extinct in a world of advanced, emerging, and developing countries. As a result, lots of jobs from years past aren't as relevant today as they once were, and many no longer exist. Therefore it's easy to predict that eventually , today's jobs will evolve into something completely different. And some will become obsolete. And it is those changes that lead to multiple consequences, affecting many other fields, one being education. We need a broad, flexible and motivating education that recognizes the different talents of all children and delivers excellence for everyone. Studying methods and curricula from the 20th century may no longer be relevant in the constantly evolving and changing world of the 21st century, in preparing you for your future job. And in order to maximize your chances of having a successful career in the field of your choice, you have to constantly adapt and evolve. Creative education involves a balance between teaching knowledge and skills, and encouraging innovation. New branches of industries will appear, and potential employers and employees will need to acquire new skills and abilities. And it is these new skills and abilities that should be taught and attained in schools, especially by those attending higher education, which is at an inflection point. It is this constant change, the need to permanently evolve and adapt, that has led to the development of various groups, organizations and networks, tasked with generating answers and solutions to present day problems, as well as predicting future trends in their respective fields of activity. Finally, I try to find the answer to the question "what is the future of humanity?" what typology of man must we form to save the future of the planet. The answer is "the beautiful man", as Dan Puric called in his book.


This study correlated changes in the plasma levels of estradiol- (E2) with changes in the gonadosomatic index (GSI) and ovarian development during the annual reproductive cycle of the pike eel Muraenesox cinereus, collected at the Tongyung coast region. Ovarian maturity was classified based on histological observations; the perinucleolus stage (November to February), the oil droplet stage (March to April), the early vitellogenic stage (April to May) and the late vitellogenic stage (June to October). Seasonal changes in the GSI were correlated with water temperature and reflected the degree of ovarian maturity. Plasma E2 levels were correlated with changes in the GSI, which increased from April to a peak in July, and the levels remained comparatively high until October. These data indicated that changes in the GSI and plasma E2 levels are correlated with the annual ovarian activity of the pike eel. In this study, however, female pike eels were not collected during the spawning stage. Therefore, spawning of this species seemed to be closely related to its migration toward the deep sea of offshore.


This paper presents a real-life example of using industrial robots to automate the testing procedures of aerospace products. Three different scenarios are proposed as potential solutions to allow a Mobile Manipulator to help automate the environmental testing process. An overview of different simulation and Off Line Programming (OLP) software packages are presented and discussed as methods to test and validate the scenarios. A framework is presented consisting of a product data model to be used for the identification of the different products and a unified modelling system is introduced to allow information exchange at the operational level. The focus of this paper and future work is towards integrating all the elements of the proposed framework into a human machine interface to create a collaborative process involving human, robots, machines and products.


The COVID-19 pandemic, adverse effects of climate change, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and other threats have been calling on all relevant stakeholders from varied disciplines to collaborate via the One Health approach, addressing the health of people, animals, plants, and their shared environment. This narrative review examines the need to add two more dimensions to the One Health approach: food systems and resilience, thus laying down the foundation of the Food System, One Health, and Resilience (FOR) approach. By doing so, all FOR approach elements would benefit from collaborative, multisectoral, transdisciplinary, planet-based, and system-focused efforts. Addressing more comprehensive determinants that positively impact resilience and sustainability would upgrade the One Health approach. We share some examples of academic institutions and innovation hubs that use this approach to improve access to adequate, safe, nutritious, and sustainable diets for all on our planet. We call on other FOR stakeholders, including governing institutions, to embrace the FOR approach and join the "FOR-runners". It is suggested to widen the FOR community by including the doers, the food system's workers, and consumers and to create the needed common grounds to drive for solutions rooted in equitable, just, locally tailored, inclusive, and sustainable solutions that withstand emergencies.


The social and economic burden of treating patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) is rapidly rising. Current projections estimate the global prevalence of individuals with DM to rise from 6.4% (285 million) in 2010 to 7.7% (439 million) in 2030.1 The main problem with this disease entity is its propensity to incur macro- and micro-vascular complications over time, including diabetic nephropathy (DN). Diabetic nephropathy affects approximately one-third of individuals with diabetes. It is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) worldwide, accounting for 42% of all patients on renal replacement therapy (RRT) in the United States.2 The magnitude of this problem has continued to grow in the face of an inexorable rise in the number of diabetic patients. The search for therapeutic modalities to stem this tide remains the quest of many nephrologists. One of the hallmarks of DN is increased urinary protein excretion, and microalbuminuria has long been proposed as an early manifestation of this disease.3,4 Albuminuria and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are strong determinants of cardiovascular disease and to a large extent, the survival of patients with DN is determined by cardiovascular morbidity. Although there remains no cure at present, treatment options to prevent or slow disease progression are available. In this update, we aim to address the current armamentarium in the management of DN.


Since initially extending First Amendment protection to commercial speech in 1976, the Supreme Court has devoted many pages in many decisions to determining the contours and scope of this protection. The Court has devoted the overwhelming portion of its attention, however, to determining the scope of First Amendment limitations on government suppression of commercial speech. Only rarely has the Court considered the constitutionality of First Amendment restrictions, if any, on compelled commercial speech, and when it has done so it has often written in confusing and seemingly inconsistent ways. This is so, even though the Court has spoken eloquently of the need to protect against compelled speech in the context of non-commercial expression. The purpose of this Article is to tackle the issue of compelled commercial speech head on, in order to determine under what circumstances it is constitutionally inappropriate for government to compel a commercial speaker to make statements the speaker does not wish to make. After reverse engineering the constitutional and democratic pathologies sought to be avoided by the prohibition on compelled non-commercial speech, this Article determines that many of those pathologies apply with equal force to compelled commercial speech, and therefore the First Amendment should, as a general matter, be construed to protect against compelled commercial speech. This does not mean that no circumstances exist in which government may compel commercial speech, however. In order to shape the proper theoretical and doctrinal framework, this Article establishes a system of qualifiers and disqualifiers. Initially, government must satisfy at least one of the two qualifiers in order to shift the constitutional default position that government may not interfere with communications between private speaker and private listener. Government must be using compelled speech either to (1) protect public health or safety, or (2) protect the consumer from economic harm due to intentionally or recklessly fraudulent statements. Even if the government satisfies one of those qualifiers, however, compelled speech will nevertheless be unconstitutional if it triggers one of the two disqualifiers: (1) the factual or scientific statements required to be conveyed by the commercial speaker are reasonably disputed by that speaker, or (2) the compelled speech effectively, albeit indirectly, interferes with the commercial speaker's ability to convey its own message to the consumer. If either of these disqualifiers is present, the compelled speech triggers one or more of the underlying constitutional or democratic pathologies sought to be avoided by the extension of First Amendment protection to compelled expression. Finally, this Article considers the extent to which the First Amendment protection extended to compelled commercial and non-commercial speech should be deemed fungible. It concludes that at least in the abstract, they should be so viewed. However, it recognizes that in application, there are likely to be more instances where compelled commercial speech will be justified by application of the qualifiers than compelled non-commercial speech.


OBJECTIVE
Assessment of the outcomes on the articular and periarticular pain of the knee, by a reflexotherapy with local anesthetics, denominated also neuraltherapy.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Retrospective observational study with 3 years' follow-up.

ENVIRONMENT
An Ambulatory Center for Pain Management.

PATIENTS
All the patients (N = 115) with knee pain treated with neuraltherapy in the period 1982-31 August 1996 (retired patients 2, mean age 68 +/- 15.2 years in the remaining).

INTERVENTIONS
The employed reflexotherapy, denominated also neuraltherapy by Huneke, uses a local anesthetic (prevalently lidocaine) in 0.5-1% concentration and small quantity (0.5-1 ml for point) on tender/trigger and/or acupuncture points, as well as in anatomical structures like articulations, nerves, arteries or veins. The number of sessions has been of 7.03 +/- 3.3.

OUTCOME MEASURES
Outcomes are evaluated in terms of percentage subjective improvement of the pain at the end of the therapy and at 1-3-6 months, 1-2-3 years, and then divided in 5 groups (no improvement-fair-good-very good-excellent).

RESULTS
At the end of the therapy the improven cases were the 91.2%, the 83.7% at 1 month, the 64.6% at 3 months, the 41.3% at 6 months, the 22.5% at 1 year, the 12.1% at 2 years and the 7.9% at 3 years.

CONCLUSIONS
These outcomes suggest a good effectiveness of this treatment in the painful diseases of the knee, but further randomised double-blind trials are necessary.


Neural networks that are capable of representing symbolic information such as logic programs are said to be neural-symbolic. Because the human mind is composed of interconnected neurons and is capable of storing and processing symbolic information, neural-symbolic networks contribute towards a model of human cognition. Given that natural evolution and development are capable of producing biological networks that are able to process logic, it may be possible to produce their artificial counterparts through evolutionary algorithms that have developmental properties. The first step towards this goal is to design a genome representation of a neural-symbolic network. This paper presents a genome that directs the growth of neural-symbolic networks constructed according to a model known as SHRUTI. The genome is successful in producing SHRUTI networks that learn to represent relations between logical predicates based on observations of sequences of predicate instances. A practical advantage of the genome is that its length is independent of the size of the network it encodes, because rather than explicitly encoding a network topology, it encodes a set of developmental rules. This approach to encoding structure in a genome also has biological grounding.


Market mechanism is applied to build grid resource management, where grid resource consumers and providers can buy and sell computing resource based on an underlying economic architecture. A new Competitive Pricing Model is presented to make a competitive and reasonable price and to maximize the utilization rate of grid system. The design and implementation of this model is described. The experiment results show the effectiveness of this model.


This article characterizes chondral injuries and reviews the results of microfracture treatment in high-level competitive and recreational athletes. Thirty-eight high-level and 140 recreational athletes completed functional questionnaires preoperatively and yearly postoperatively, recording symptoms, function, and activity level. Second-look arthroscopy tapes were available in 26 high-level and 54 recreational athletes. The mean follow-up for the high-level athletes was 3.7 +/- 1.4 years. Chondral defects averaged 223 +/- 180 mm2. Lesion size and follow-up were not significantly different in the recreational group. Functional questionnaire responses demonstrated significant improvements from the time of microfracture to final follow-up. Improvement in function and symptoms was similar for the competitive and recreational athletes.


Abstract The most prevalent "rare" disease worldwide, cystic fibrosis (CF), is an autosomal recessive multisystem disease, caused by mutations in the CFTR gene. The knowledge of CFTR mutations present in certain population is important for designing a simple, fast and cost-effective genetic testing approach, also for better management of CF patients, including the administration of novel targeted therapies. Here, we present genetic results of 158 unrelated CF patients from the National CF Registry of the Republic of North Macedonia. Initially, patients were screened for the 11 most common CF mutations. Additional CF mutations and large deletions/duplications in the CFTR gene were analyzed using commercial kits. If the genotype was undetermined, all CFTR exons were analyzed using Sanger DNA sequencing or next generation sequencing (NGS) (since 2014). The most common CF mutation, c.l521_ 1523del (legacy name F508del), was found with an overall incidence of 75.9%. Additionally, 26 other pathogenic variants and three large deletions were identified in the CFTR gene as a genetic cause of CF. Two of these, c.1070 C>T (p.Ala357Val) and c.2779_2788dup CTTGCTATGG (p.Gly930AlafsTer48), were novel. According to the distribution and prevalence of the pathogenic variants detected in our patients, a fast and cost-effective method, based on a single base extension was designed as a first-line CF genetic test with a 90.0% detection rate within our population. Furthermore, the knowledge of CFTR mutation classes in our CF patients represents the first step toward personalized therapy for CF in our country.


Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged into a novel vaccine platform, a biomarker and a nano-carrier for approved drugs. Their accurate detection and visualization are central to their utility in varied biomedical fields. Owing to the limitations of fluorescent dyes and antibodies, here, we describe DNA aptamer as a promising tool for visualizing mycobacterial EVs in vitro. Employing SELEX from a large DNA aptamer library, we identified a best-performing aptamer that is highly specific and binds at nanomolar affinity to EVs derived from three diverse mycobacterial strains (pathogenic, attenuated and avirulent). Confocal microscopy revealed that this aptamer was not only bound to in vitro-enriched mycobacterial EVs but also detected EVs that were internalized by THP-1 macrophages and released by infecting mycobacteria. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that detects EVs released by mycobacteria during infection in host macrophages. Within 4 h, most released mycobacterial EVs spread to other parts of the host cell. We predict that this tool will soon hold huge potential in not only delineating mycobacterial EVs-driven pathogenic functions but also in harboring immense propensity to act as a non-invasive diagnostic tool against tuberculosis in general, and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis in particular.


A unified theory for the mathematical description of Gibbs random fields that answers some important theoretical and practical questions about their statistical behavior is presented. The local transfer function is introduced, and the joint probability measure of the general Gibbs random field is derived in terms of this function. The resulting probability structure is required to satisfy the property of mutual compatibility. A necessary and sufficient condition for a Gibbs random field to be mutually compatible is developed and used to prove that a mutually compatible Gibbs random field is a unilateral Markov random field. The existence of some special nontrivial cases of Gibbs random fields that are mutually compatible is demonstrated. Conditions on the translation invariance and isotropy of the general Gibbs random field with a free boundary are studied. The class of Gibbs random fields with a homogeneous local transfer function and the class of horizontally and vertically translation-invariant Gibbs random fields are introduced and treated. The concept of a translation-invariant Gibbs random field is also explored. The problem of the statistical inference of mutually compatible Gibbs random fields is discussed. >


This paper addresses the issue of the transition from Stage Two of EMU to Stage Three. The criteria established in the Maastricht Treaty for this transition include an ERM qualification. Under this criterion a participating country would have had to maintain its position in the normal bands of the ERM for a period of not less than two years. The accepted interpretation of `normal' has been `narrow' (2.25%). The speculative crises of 1992 and 1993 and their resolution in the form of the present `broad-bands' ERM complicate the problem of satisfying this criterion. The paper asks whether the criterion on its accepted interpretation is well-founded and, if so, what policies would need to be pursued, in the light of recent experience, in order to satisfy it. A critical part of the conclusion is that the EMI must be given, by agreement, greater powers of decision and recommendation than currently envisaged.


In 1975, disability activist Victor Finkelstein modestly but pointedly proposed an "imaginary example which turns the world upside down," where wheelchair users lived together in a village no longer obliged to accommodate the able-bodied, who found themselves comparatively disabled by their ill fit into their surroundings. That same year, Peter Eisenman's pointedly disorienting House VI was completed, intentionally confounding inhabitation by even the most robust physical specimens. Nearly two decades earlier, in 1956, Selwyn Goldsmith contracted polio in the same year he earned his degree from the Bartlett School of Architecture. With his drawing hand paralyzed, his life and career had to adjust themselves accordingly. His life's work would engage his insights into both realms –architecture and disability – and in his seminal work, Designing for the Disabled, he upended established views on 'medical disability,'exposing instead the idea that architecture was responsible for the creation of disabling environments, and, further, that "the architect can prevent people from being disabled when they use buildings."


Abstract: Autoantibody responses to endometrial and serum antigens are a common feature of endometriosis. We have shown that the serum autoantibody response in endometriosis to a number of previously identified antigens, including α2‐Heremans Schmidt glycoprotein and carbonic anhydrase, is specific for a carbohydrate epitope common to these proteins. Removal of carbohydrate moieties from these antigens resulted in a loss of antibody binding. Antibody reactivity was abolished following adsorption with the lectin jacalin, which specifically binds the Thomsen‐Friedenreich (T) antigen (Galβ1‐3GalNAc). Demonstration that the autoantibodies also reacted with other Thomsen‐Friedenreich antigen‐bearing proteins, such as serum IgA1, hemopexin, and MMP‐9, confirmed that this glycotope is involved in the autoantibody response. However, the autoantibody binding requires the presence of at least one sialic acid residue. Thus, the glycotope involved may be a sialylated T antigen. These findings allow us to hypothesize a number of mechanisms whereby the autoimmune response plays a direct role in several aspects of the disease process. The proposed mechanisms take into account the salient endocrine dependency of endometriotic lesions and other aspects of the disease process such as aberrant matrix metalloproteinase function and the ability of endometrial cells to implant at ectopic sites. The anti‐T‐like response may also be indicative of an underlying genetic defect in glycosylation or in the control of glycosylation by steroid sex hormones. Further characterization of this autoimmune response may prove useful in the development of serum‐based diagnostic tests for endometriosis and may lead to the development of therapeutic strategies.


Vibrations in rotor bearing systems are mostly produced by misalignment, imbalance, mechanical looseness, cracks and other malfunctions. Now-a-days, diagnostics of rotor defects gaining importance day by day. This paper introduces a new methodology to detect cracks based on amplitude and frequency of vibration data. Experiments were conducted at different levels of crack depth, its position and shaft rotational speed on a shaft which was held between two bearings. Experimental results of amplitude and frequency of vibration were measured in axial, vertical and horizontal directions at both the bearings. Signal to noise ratios were calculated for the experimental results using Taguchi method to identify significant parameters which are having effect on the experimental results. Neural network models were developed for the experimental results to predict them. The neural network was trained with the experimental data and predicted the responses. In addition to that, Taguchi method was also used to predict the responses. A comparison was carried out among the experimental results, artificial neural networks (ANN) predicted values and Taguchi predicted values. The comparison reveals that there is good agreement among them and the ANN and Taguchi methods can be used to predict the amplitude and frequency of responses.


SUMMARY: Serum lipoamide dehydrogenase activity and kinetics were studied in nine patients with Friedreich's ataxia before and three months after therapy with oral lecithin. Results disclosed a significant reduction in LAD inhibition by NADH in all patients after therapy. Three patients normalized their increased Km for lipoamide and one patient showed the opposite results after therapy. Two patients ceased lecithin after one month. All seven patients who remained in the trial group and one additional patient, showed subjective and objective signs of improvement in physical resistance. This study has offered some biochemical basis for the apparent clinical improvement in patients with Friedreich's ataxia who undergo lecithin therapy.


During the 70s of the twentieth century economists realized that public expenditures and rulemaking have similar effects on resource allocation and equity. Thus, the process of creating regulations entered the orbit of the economic cost-benefit analysis. This article is dedicated to the genesis and development of impact assessment in the United States, the European Union and Bulgaria.


The global energy challenges along with global warming are regarded as the most important issues faced by humankind in the 21st century. A fossil fuels-based energy economy cannot support the rapidly increasing world energy demand in a sustainable manner. Hence, the development and implementation of alternative solutions to the use of fossil fuels have become a top priority for goverments, industries and academia. In this regard, a collaborative project (ALTEREGO) – funded by the European Union with the involvement of four industrial partners and four academic institutions, was carried out to develop novel forms of energy for intensified chemical manufacturing. In this thesis, the application of microwave plasma technology to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into added-value products was studied with a twofold purpose: the storage of electricity into chemicals and the chemical recycling of CO2. This thesis is divided into four different sections where fundamental and engineering aspects of microwave plasma and its application to CO2 transformation are investigated. The first section tries to determine whether microwave plasma reactors can outperform conventional thermal chemical reactors, particularly when CO2 is part of the feedstock. The second section explores further optimization of microwave plasma reactors by combining experimental and modelling work. The third section tackles the problem of implementation of complex kinetic models, exemplified for CO2 dissociation, into multidimensional multiphysics simulations. The last section discusses scale up of microwave plasma technology, potential applications in the chemical industry and the milestones on the way to implementation of the technology to commercial scale. In this doctoral work, a bench-scale microwave plasma reactor was built to investigate two key chemistries: the reduction of CO2 with hydrogen (H2) and the splitting of pure CO2. In Chapter 2, we prove that microwave plasma can outperfom conventional thermal reactors; a chemical CO2 conversion as high as ~80% was attained under microwave plasma conditions, compared to ~60% via thermal processes. High microwave power input, high H2 content in the feed and low operating pressure favoured the attaitment of high CO2 conversions. Chapter 3 shows that two-dimensional multiphysics models with simple chemistries (e.g. argon) allow to study different reactor configurations in order to find the optimum performance. Thus, modelling results were used to develop a modified downstream section of the microwave plasma reactor that led to the improvement of chemical CO2 conversion (from 40 to 60%) at low H2 content in the feed, which is beneficial given the current limited scalability of the microwave plasma technology. In Chapter 4, a new simplification approach of state-to-state kinetic models in microwave plasma conditions is presented for the CO2 molecule. By means of chemical lumping, significant reduction in the number of species and reactions, 13 and 44 respectively, was achieved as opposed to its benchmark state-to-state kinetic model that required about 100 species and 10000 reactions. Lastly, Chapter 5 summarizes the current state-of-the-art applications of the microwave plasma technology, along with the existing possibilities for scale up. Additionally, a detailed description of the scientific and engineering challenges towards the commercialization of this technology is given. In the last chapter (Chapter 6), the major conclusions of the project are summarized and recommendations for continuation of the research are provided.


The high energy polarised muon beam available at CERN, with positive or negative charge, makes COMPASS a unique place for studies of General Parton Distributions (GPDs). The first GPD related COMPASS results were obtained for exclusive vector meson production on transversely polarised protons and deuterons. The data were taken in 2003-2010 with solid-state polarised targets, although without recoil detector. Results on various transverse target spin dependent azimuthal asymmetries are presented and their relation to GPDs is discussed. The dedicated COMPASS GPD program started in 2012 with commissioning of a new long liquid hydrogen target and new detectors, such as the large recoil proton detector CAMERA and the large-angle electromagnetic calorimeter. It was followed by a short pilot 'DVCS run'. The performance of the setup and first results on DVCS channel are presented. The full data taking for the GPD program approved within COMPASS-II proposal is planned in 2016 and 2017.


We introduce a new technique for solving some discrete optimization problems exactly. The motivation is that when searching the space of solutions by a standard branch-and-bound (B&B) technique, often a good solution is reached quickly and then improved only a few times before the optimum is found: hence, most of the solution space is explored to certify optimality, with no improvement in the cost function. This suggests that more powerful lower bounding would speed up the search dramatically. More radically, it would be desirable to modify the search strategy with the goal of proving that the given subproblem cannot yield a solution better than the current best one (negative thinking), instead of branching further in search for a better solution (positive thinking). For illustration we applied our approach to the unate covering problem. The algorithm starts in the positive-thinking mode by a standard B&B procedure that generates recursively smaller subproblems. If the current subproblem is "deep" enough, the algorithm switches to the negative thinking mode where it tries to prove that solving the subproblem does not improve the solution. The latter is achieved by a new search procedure invoked when the difference between the upper and lower bound is "small". Such a procedure is complete: either it yields a lower bound that matches the current upper bound, or it yields a new solution better than the current one. We implemented our new search procedure on top of ESPRESSO and SCHERZO, two state-of-art covering solvers used for computer-aided design applications, showing that in both cases we obtain new search engines (respectively, AURA and AURA II) much more efficient than the original ones.


Despite current regulations, which limit the levels of certain air pollutants, there are still a number of adverse health effects that result from exposure to these agents. Numerous epidemiological studies have noted an association between the levels of air pollution and hospital admissions for a variety of different health reasons, including a number of respiratory diseases, as well as increased morbidity and mortality associated with various respiratory conditions and diseases. Because of the large impact respiratory virus infections have on morbidity and even mortality, it is important to understand whether and how exposure to common air pollutants could exacerbate the susceptibility to and severity of respiratory virus infections. This review focuses on current epidemiological and experimental studies, which have examined the association between and effect of air pollutants and respiratory viral infections, as well as potential mechanisms associated with these effects. Examined in this review are U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) "criteria" pollutants nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and particulate matter (PM), as well as indoor pollutants such as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and combustion products of biomass fuels. Although a number of studies indicate associations between exposure to air pollutants and increased risk for respiratory virus infections, potential mechanisms mediating these effects are largely unexplored. Therefore, additional studies, both epidemiologic and mechanistic, are necessary to increase our understanding of how exposure to air pollutants could affect respiratory virus infections, especially in populations already at risk of developing significant morbidity/mortality after infections with respiratory viruses.


A simple nonlinear leader-following protocol, referred to as reset control, is introduced to improve the transient performance. Reset control laws are developed for multi-agent systems, in which the leader is modeled by a step signal, and the followers are characterized as double integrators. The controller structure is a proportional integrator (PI) plus Clegg integrator (CI) compensator, where the integral term is reset whenever the zero-crossing of the tracking error occurs. Tuning algorithms have been developed to guarantee both the stability and desired transient performance of the tracking error system. Numerical comparison is performed among the static, dynamic, and reset leader-following protocols, which shows favorite to the reset control.


Background Digital resources in learning are increasingly available and offer new possibilities in education. Mobile learning devices (MLD) such as tablets provide easy and flexible access for users. Purpose To investigate whether the introduction of MLDs in radiology education affected time spent on studies over a longer time frame and whether learning behavior and attitudes changed. Material and Methods The radiology residents employed during 2015–2016 were invited to participate in this 12-month MLD intervention study. Results were evaluated using online questionnaires at six months (6 m) and 12 months (12 m). Results Thirty-one residents were included, of whom half were in the early stages of residency (<2 years). After the MLD introduction, most participants (91% [6 m] and 83% [12 m]) estimated increased time spent on studies. Of these, 32% stated "a lot more" at 6 m but only 8% at 12 m (P = 0.12). The MLDs showed positive effects on the experience of radiology studies, as a majority of participants stated better quality and effectiveness in their studies (100% [6 m]–92% [12 m]), that MLD facilitated access to educational materials to a high degree (83% [6 m]–75% [12 m]), and that studies had become better and more fun (96% [6 m]–100% [12 m]). Conclusion The use of MLDs seems to facilitate learning effectively for radiologic residents. However, a larger scale study is required as a trend of decreasing figures in the longer term was seen, but our results did not show a significant reduction of time spent on radiology studies.


This paper shows that economic fundamentals can generate reliable out-of-sample forecasts for exchange rates when prediction is based on a "kitchen-sink" regression that incorporates multiple predictors. The key to establishing predictability is estimating the kitchen-sink regression with the elastic-net shrinkage method, which improves performance by reducing the effect of less informative predictors in out-of-sample forecasting. Using statistical and economic measures of predictability, we show that our approach outperforms alternative models, including the random walk, individual exchange rate models, a kitchen-sink regression estimated with ordinary least squares, standard forecast combinations and popular ad-hoc strategies such as momentum and the 1/N strategy.


It is proposed a set of methods to assess the statistical properties of CCD-measurement of the Solar system. As data sources are used the Series of CCD-frames of asteroid surveys, as well as Internet services: archive MPC, Minor Planet Checker, service NASA HORIZONS. They are processed by CoLiTec software. The proposed methods investigate the average deviation and standard deviation of the estimates between the equatorial coordinates of catalog and the measured values, the coefficients of skewness and kurtosis of estimates of equatorial coordinates of objects. The developed methods allow us to investigate the accuracy of performance of the software used by astronomers for astrometry of small bodies of the Solar system, and also to investigate the statistical characteristics of estimates of position and brightness of asteroids that are stored in the archive MPC or contained in CCD-dimensions, the relevant personnel investigated; as well as quality indicators to detect the objects in the Solar system. As part of the research, the proposed methods are implemented by the authors in a research software tool SSOAnSe, which is the first tool with similar functions. SSOAnSe allows the analysis, including operational, an expanded set of indicators measuring accuracy and quality of the discovery of asteroids in the extension set of analyzed subsamples of measurements and frames.


In this report, we first propose a new classification of non-rigid registratio- n algorithms into three main categories: in one hand, the geometric algorithms- , and in the other hand, intensity based methods that we split here into standard intensity-based (SIB) and pair-and-smooth (P&S) algorithms. We then focus on the subset of SIB and P&S algorithms that are competitive, i.e. that use a regularization energy which is minimized together with the intensity similarity energy. In SIB algorithms, these two energies are combined in a weighted sum, and thus the trade-off between them is direct. P&S algorithms alternates their respective minimization, leading to the characteristic two steps: pairing of points, and smoothing. We theoretically compare the behavior of SIB and P&S algorithms, and more precisely, we explain why in practice the smoothness of the transforms estimated by SIB algorithms is non-uniform, thus difficult to control, while P&S algorithms estimate a motion that is more uniformly smooth. We give an example illustrating this behavior. Very few P&S algorithms minimize a global energy. We therefore propose a new image registration energy whose minimization leads to a \PAS algorithm. This energy is general, and can use any existing similarity or regularization energy. Its behavior is also compared to the previous SIB and \PAS algorithms. This new energy allows uniformly smooth solutions, as for our previous P&S algorithm, while preventing registration of non-informative, noisy areas, as for SIB algorithms.


Surfactant protein B (SP-B) metabolism was studied in primary cultures of alveolar type II cells. Iodinated SP-B reconstituted with surfactant was incorporated rapidly into lung pneumocytes and degraded to trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-soluble products after a lag period of 1 h. Cellular degradation of SP-B occurred whether or not phospholipid liposomes or surfactant was added to the phospholipid-poor SP-B. Uptake and degradation of SP-B at 37 degrees C showed a linear increase up to 3 micrograms SP-B/ml after which the slope of the curve became less steep with increasing concentrations of SP-B in the media. After 4 h of incubation with SP-B, 35% of the SP-B processed was recovered as degradation products. Ninety-six percent of the degradation products were in the media and only 4% were recovered in the cell. The bulk of the breakdown of SP-B occurred inside the type II cells since degradation did not occur at 4 degrees C, showed a 1-h lag period, was proportional to the SP-B protein internalized by the cells, was inhibited 47% by ammonium chloride, was unaffected by the addition of protease inhibitors to the medium, and cell-conditioned medium produced only limited SP-B degradation. Alveolar macrophages also degraded SP-B, whereas other cell types degraded SP-B to a lesser extent. Thus the specificity of the metabolism of SP-B may be through the capability of lung cells to degrade SP-B.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


To utilize technology of various areas effectively and efficiently, a grid enabled problem solving environment for bioinformatics (PSE-Bio) is built. This paper describes the architecture of PSE-Bio and proposes the new layer, Agent bundle, based on classical architecture with three layers. As a service bundle, Agent provides common single mechanism to access grid services, by which portal services can communicate with key grid components. Agent bundle not only search and select appropriate software in grid, but also have strategies to reuse local legacy program to save time and cost. Users can utilize PSE-Bio easily without any details about grid technology because PSE-Bio is service- oriented. An example application of PSE-Bio workflow is implemented.


Nowadays, one of the most significantly improving area in security is the world of biometric identifiers. Within the biometric identifiers, the research group is working with the gait recognition speciality. The research group realized a complex gait recognition system in NI LabVIEW, that can detect more reference points simultaneously with a universal camera and is capable of suiting predetermined curves on the detected points. Moreover, the program can compare the functions suited on the reference curve and the actual curve and evaluate if the two gait images are the same or not. In the program there is a saving and a reloading function which contributes to the production of the reference gait image. The foot analysis program before the gait recognition is designed to improve accuracy. The self-developed gait recognition system was tested on more persons and the False Acceptance Rate (FAR) was zero.


Japanese dermatologists have successfully used single-hair grafts and grafts of two and three hairs for the reconstruction of eyebrows, eyelashes, pubic hair, and alopecic scars in scalps. A brief review of the Japanese literature and surgical technique is given followed by a case report of transplantation of hairs from the scalp as lashes by the author's modification of the Japanese technique.


Coinciding with the decline in caries prevalence observed among children and adolescents, changes in the distribution and progression rates of the disease have been found. The aim of this study was to assess occlusal and approximal caries behaviour and disease distribution within a group of Danish teenagers, and to determine whether the presence of occlusal fillings at baseline could be used as predictor for caries behaviour. The material used was bitewing radiographs taken twice in 197 adolescents, at the age of 14.5 years (first examination) and approximately 3 years later (second examination). Of the occlusal surfaces assessed at both examinations, 93% remained unchanged, 1% developed new carious lesions, and 6% had been filled during the study period. All occlusal dentinal lesions found at the first examination and left unrestored during the study period did not appear to have progressed. Of the approximal surfaces, 86% remained unchanged, 9% developed caries, 2% showed caries progression, and 2.5% had been filled during the study period. 22% of the approximal enamel lesions found at the first examination progressed into the dentine during the study period. 18% of all the children were responsible for 50% of the total number of new lesions and fillings. The proportion of children exhibiting new lesions at the second examination was almost evenly distributed among children with and without occlusal fillings at the first examination. In the group of children with occlusal fillings at baseline, significantly more individuals than in the other group showed new fillings and lesions with and without progression. It is concluded that the progression percentage for approximal enamel lesions to penetrate into the dentine was low, that the distribution of new carious lesions and fillings among the children was polarized, and that the presence of occlusal fillings at baseline could not be used to identify children with a specific caries behaviour.


Bubble nasal continuous positive airway pressure (BnCPAP) is a management strategy for newborns with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), either as early initial treatment to prevent intubation (Type 1) or to prevent reintubation after weaning from ventilator support (Type 2). Prevention of chronic lung disease (CLD) by minimizing mechanical ventilation is the goal of BnCPAP. The purpose of this study was to document clinical factors that may predict success of BnCPAP in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), thus identifying patients likely to benefit with respect to CLD. Method Retrospective chart review of newborns admitted to a referral NICU requiring respiratory support. Results There were 86 patients with 93 applications of BnCPAP (average estimated gestational age [EGA] 30.5 weeks, range 25-37 weeks, and average birth weight [BW] 1527 gm, range 480-5015 g). Patients < 30 weeks EGA and < 1251 g BW had higher BnCPAP failure rates than older, larger newborns, requiring intubation (Type 1: 33% vs 22%; Type 2: 44% vs 17%, p < .05, relative risk [RR] 1.75 and 3.75, respectively). Among those who failed BnCPAP, more had CLD (remained oxygen dependent at 36 weeks CGA), 50% vs 31%, p < .01, RR 1.8. For 38 patients with Type 1 BnCPAP applied during the first postnatal day, the average first day oxygenation index (OI) was lower and arterial/alveolar (a/A) estimated oxygenation ratio was higher among patients with BnCPAP success than those who failed but these differences did not reach statistical significance in predicting Type 1 outcome, p = .09. The most common causes for both types of BnCPAP failures were respiratory failure (35% of failures), nasal abrasions (22 %), and abdominal distention (17%). There were 2 deaths, 3 pneumothoraces, and 1 case of necrotizing enterocolitis among study patients. Conclusions Successful BnCPAP is associated with greater EGA, larger BW, and lower risk of CLD. Careful attention to placement of nasal prongs and evacuation of gastric air could potentially reduce failures and decrease the risk of CLD.


Introduction: We investigated the hypothesis that histopathological changes occur in corpora cavernosa (CC) of patients with combined venous leakage and testosterone deficiency, and that these changes could be corrected by testosterone administration. Material and Methods: Study included 21 patients with low plasma testosterone and erectile dysfunction. Investigations revealed corporal veno-occlusive dysfunction. Patients were administered 200 mg testosterone undecanoate injection every 2 weeks for 6 months. CC biopsy was examined and serum testosterone was recorded. Results: Fourteen of the 21 patients showed increased serum testosterone and improved erectile function after 15.6 ± 2.2 weeks of androgen treatment. Pretreatment CC biopsy showed degenerated muscle fibers and collagen; post-treatment picture was normalized in 6 of 8 patients. Seven patients showed no improvement. Conclusion: Histopathological changes are detected in patients with venous leakage and low serum testosterone. Correction of testosterone deficiency can improve histopathologic changes and erectile dysfunction in most of the patients.


The velocity of ultrasonic waves has been measured in a series of organic vapours at frequencies 566, 1192 and 4000 kc./sec., temperatures 20 and 100° C, and pressures ranging from 0.25 to 4 atm. Ultrasonic dispersion was found with benzene, cyclopropane and ethane. No dispersion was found with propane, n-hexane, cyclohexane, cyclohexene, ethylchloride, chloroform, acetonitrile, acetaldehyde, acetone, diethyl ether and methyl alcohol. The mechanism and rate of the activation of vibrational energy by intermolecular collisions are discussed in relation to molecular structure. It is concluded that, for polyatomic molecules in general, there is little hindrance to the interconversion of translational and vibrational energy, especially at high temperatures. Slow interconversion, leading to ultrasonic dispersion, only occurs with small or rigid molecules, where internal rotations or vibrations of low frequency are absent. Interchange of vibrational energy between the different modes within the molecule is usually very rapid.


Background and Objective Increased thromboembolic events are well known in patients suffering from malignant diseases. In the following pilot study, we investigated the usefulness of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) as a possible prognostic marker in patients with colorectal carcinoma (CRC). Methods Plasma FVIII levels were measured in 79 patients with CRC, correlated with tumor characteristics, and compared with normal ranges of blood group (BG) 0 and BG A/AB/B and with 19 control patients. Results In CRC patients mean FVIII levels were elevated compared with controls (BG 0: p=0.283, BG A/AB/B: p=0.001) and normal ranges. Interestingly, mean FVIII levels varied significantly in different blood groups (p=0.002). UICC stage I CRC patients presented with mean FVIII plasma levels within normal ranges, whereas UICC stage II-IV CRC patients presented with elevated FVIII plasma levels. In BG A/AB/B a significantly elevated FVIII level was found in G2 compared with G1 tumors (p< 0.001). Patients with elevated carcinoembryonic antigen also showed significantly elevated FVIII levels (p=0.050). FVIII levels at time of surgery did not correlate with survival within the first 2 years following surgery. Conclusion In this pilot study, we demonstrated that FVIII plasma levels are elevated in patients with CRC and affected by T-stage and differentiation of the tumor. Whether FVIII is a clinical useful marker needs to be tested in a larger cohort.


Dealing with identities means facing multiple ways of walking a pathway. Each collective, each paradigm, each historical period, carries its own capacity to bring up new perspectives to the theme of identities. Bearing such assumption as standpoint and keeping interest for a collective or occupational identity, we aimed to know identity elements of an outsourced housekeeper group in a Brazilian federal public institution. In order to do so, we used the perspective of memory as an aid in the process of revelation and constituent element of identities, as well as the context of social class to seek the understanding of the reality learned in the field. As methodological procedures, we used a semi-structured interview with the cleaning team supervisor, two focus groups, individual narrative interviews with the eight housekeepers and a brief period of participant observation. The confirmation was that past memories are an essential part of understanding this collective identity and that the group has in common a profession that does not come from a choice based on skills or vocation, but from conditions of social vulnerability. The identity of the group is marked by: dramatic events, however, surrounded by gestures of solidarity; an intense and heavy daily work, marked by the hierarchy of distinctions; and a trajectory that is based on elements such as faith and daily dedication, so that, when playing a role in the system, they need to use conformism as a survival strategy.


Equipment used in hybrid or electric vehicles (HEVs) must meet certain requirements. Beyond issues of electro-magnetic compatibility (EMC), it's necessary to assess the risks related to the exposure of the passengers to electromagnetic field inside an HEV. At low frequencies, using the electromagnetic shielding as protection is inefficient. The compliance can be achieved done by defining the harness's architecture or by the use of permeable materials. In this paper, we will focus on the prediction of the shielding effectiveness of materials subjected to a near magnetic field source at low frequency (9 kHz–10 MHz).We will focus our study on two cases. In the first case, we will work on the numerical modeling of an enclosure with and without opening. The result from the model is compared to the measurement's results obtained with a test bench developed in our laboratory. In the second case, the impact of the slot in the enclosure will be studied. An analytical method based on magnetic moments approximation is developed to predict the shielding effectiveness for infinite plane with slot. The results obtained with the latter are compared with the numerical results.


A 25‐year‐old woman underwent plateletpheresis 101 times over a 33‐month period. The equivalent of 5.8 to 7.5 units of platelet concentrate was removed during each pheresis. Two machine‐related complications occurred, resulting in the loss of one unit of blood and 150 milliliters of plasma. Other complications included a mild anemia consistent with iron deficiency. The donor's platelet count decreased but remained in the normal range. There were no significant changes in the serum proteins or immunoglobulins. Serum hepatic emymes became elevated and were consistent with a mild, subclinical hepatitis. These returned toward normal during continued pheresis.