In this paper, the design, implementation and characterization of a continuous time transimpedance-based ASIC for the actuation and sensing of a high-Q MEMS tuning fork gyroscope (TFG) is presented. A T-network transimpedance amplifier (TIA) is used as the front-end for low-noise, sub-atto-Farad capacitive detection. The T-network TIA provides on-chip transimpedance gains of up to 25 MOmega, has a measured capacitive resolution of 0.02 aF/radicHz at 15 kHz, a wide dynamic range of 104 dB in a bandwidth of 10 Hz and consumes 400 muW of power. The CMOS interface ASIC uses this TIA as the front-end to sustain electromechanical oscillations in a MEMS TFG with motional impedance greater than 10 MOmega. The TFG interfaced with the ASIC yields a two-chip angular rate sensor with measured rate noise floor of 2.7deg/hr/radicHz, bias instability of 1deg/hr and rate sensitivity of 2 mV/deg/s. The IC is fabricated in a 0.6-mum standard CMOS process with an area of 2.25 mm2 and consumes 15 mW.


In adapting to the intracellular niche, obligate intracellular bacteria usually undergo a reduction of genome size by eliminating genes not needed for intracellular survival. These losses can include, for example, genes involved in nutrient anabolic pathways or in stress response. Living inside a host cell offers a stable environment where intracellular bacteria can limit their exposure to extracellular effectors of the immune system and modulate or outright inhibit intracellular defense mechanisms. However, highlighting an area of vulnerability, these pathogens are dependent on the host cell for nutrients and are very sensitive to conditions that limit nutrient availability. Persistence is a common response shared by evolutionarily divergent bacteria to survive adverse conditions like nutrient deprivation. Development of persistence usually compromises successful antibiotic therapy of bacterial infections and is associated with chronic infections and long-term sequelae for the patients. During persistence, obligate intracellular pathogens are viable but not growing inside their host cell. They can survive for a long period of time such that, when the inducing stress is removed, reactivation of their growth cycles resumes. Given their reduced coding capacity, intracellular bacteria have adapted different response mechanisms. This review gives an overview of the strategies used by the obligate intracellular bacteria, where known, which, unlike model organisms such as E. coli, often lack toxin-antitoxin systems and the stringent response that have been linked to a persister phenotype and amino acid starvation states, respectively.


The effects of coating configurations and hot-pressed strengthening treatment on the properties of ceramic-metal composite coatings were investigated. Alumina and Ni-base self fluxing alloy were plasma sprayed onto mild steel using recommended spray conditions for alumina. Hot-pressed treatments were carried out in vacuum. The adhesive strength of the coatings under static loading and the repeated thermal shock resistance were tested as well as the abrasive wear and electrochemical corrosion resistance. The porosity, coating thickness and microhardness were also measured. The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1) The mixed coatings were superior in wear resistance, whereas the composite coating proved to be more resistant to repeated thermal shock and corrosion. 2) Hot-pressed treatment showed excellent effects on the coatings properties. It tightened the substrate/ coatnig interface which resulted in higher adhesive strength, and it also made the coatings to be denser. The mixed coatings showed improvements in their wear and thermal shock resistance, corrosion and thermal shock resistance were, on the other hand, improved in the case of composite coatings. However, over a certain hot-pressed treatment temperature, the composite coatings performance was reduced.


Aspiration of oral secretions and their bacteria, especially gram-negative bacilli, is increasingly being recognized as an important factor in pneumonia. We investigated whether oral care reduces the frequency of pneumonia in the institutionalized elderly. Nurses or caregivers cleaned patients' teeth with toothbrushes after each meal, and scrubbed the oropharynx with an applicator with povidone iodine (1%) every day. Dentists or dental hygienists gave professional care once a week. During follow up, pneumonia decreased significantly in patients with oral care. Oral care was of benefit for both edentate as well as dentate subjects, although periodontal diseases might cause pneumonia. We suggest that oral care may be useful in preventing pneumonia in institutionalized elderly, irrespective of dentate or edentate status.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the remission rate and outcome of pregnancy of patients who had moderate and severe ovarian endometriosis after conservative surgery. We also wished to analyze the associated factors of recurrence.

METHODS
Weconducted retrospective analyses of 199 cases with stage II-IV ovarian endometriosis who had preserved fertility under laparoscopic surgical treatment. Postoperatively, the 199 patients were divided into three groups: 43 cases underwent surgical treatment alone (group A); 47 were given a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-α) (group B), and 109 were given mifepristone (group C). Ten cases in group A were infertile, 26 cases in group B, and 38 cases in group C. All patients were followed up for 3 years. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Yangpu District Central Hospital.

RESULTS
In groups A, B and C, the remission rate was 58.13%, 70.21% and 60.55% and the difference not significant (P=0.384); Recurrence rates were 27.90%, 12.76% and 24.77%, and the difference between them significant (P<0.05). The recurrence rate in group B was the lowest. The natural pregnancy rate after surgery in the three study groups (untreated, GnRH-α and mifepristone) was 30%, 34.61% and 28.94% but this difference was not significant.

CONCLUSION
Surgery can improve the symptom remission rate and fertility of patients. Postoperative drug therapy does not improve the chance of pregnancy.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Radial shock-wave therapy (RSWT) is a pneumatically generated, low- to medium-energy type of shock-wave therapy. This single-blind, randomized, "less active similar therapy"-controlled study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of RSWT for the management of calcific tendinitis of the shoulder.

SUBJECTS
Ninety patients with radiographically verified calcific tendinitis of the shoulder were tested.

METHODS
Subjects were randomly assigned to either a treatment group (n=45) or a control group (n=45). Pain and functional level were evaluated before and after treatment and at a 6-month follow-up. Radiographic modifications in calcifications were evaluated before and after treatment.

RESULTS
The treatment group displayed improvement in all of the parameters analyzed after treatment and at the 6-month follow-up. Calcifications disappeared completely in 86.6% of the subjects in the treatment group and partially in 13.4% of subjects; only 8.8% of the subjects in the control group displayed partially reduced calcifications, and none displayed a total disappearance.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
The results suggest that the use of RSWT for the management of calcific tendinitis of the shoulder is safe and effective, leading to a significant reduction in pain and improvement of shoulder function after 4 weeks, without adverse effects.


Agent technology is further development of artificial intelligence (AI). Multi-agent system is an agent society made up of several agents. By the collaboration of multi-agent, it can optimize control system and enhance its intelligence and reliability. Wind and solar energy hybrid power generation is a novel and promising power system. Randomicity and complexity of the climate make wind and solar hybrid power generation system a complicated system. In this paper, we first introduce advanced agent technology into wind and solar energy hybrid power generation system, establish the wind and solar energy hybrid power generation multi-agent system (WSHGMAS) and analyze multi agents' collaboration relationship. At last, by the agent' application in WSHGMAS, it can realize sea-island, remote region, unmanned operation' wind-solar energy hybrid power generation system and enhance power system' intelligence and reliability.


The sensitivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis to estradiol was evaluated by monitoring changes in the concentration of receptors for estradiol during gestation and the postpartum period of the ewe. Ewes that had been bred during anestrus so that lambing would occur during the breeding season were killed on d 50 and 140 of gestation or on d 2, 13, 22 and 35 postpartum. Total cytosolic receptors for estradiol were quantified in the anterior and posterior hypothalamus, median eminence, anterior pituitary and cerebral cortex. Concentration and total number of receptors for estradiol in the anterior and posterior hypothalamus and anterior pituitary gland during gestation through d 13 postpartum were similar but increased (P less than .05) by d 22 and 35 postpartum. Changes in the concentration of receptors for estradiol were tissue-specific because stage of reproduction did not influence the number of receptors for estradiol in the median eminence or cerebral cortex. Increases in the concentration of receptors for estradiol in hypothalamic and pituitary tissues on d 22 postpartum immediately preceded the onset of normal ovarian cyclicity in ewes. From these data we conclude that resumption of reproductive cycles in postpartum ewes occurs about the time concentrations of receptors for estradiol in the anterior pituitary gland and hypothalamus increase.


Soft commodities, often referred to as tropics, constitute a significant element of international trade and are also important to the Polish economy. Moreover, Polish investors may invest in foreign markets of soft commodities through commodity-linked ETFs, offered by some brokerage houses. Obviously, each investment decision should be preceded by an analysis of asset performance. This paper provides results of statistical analysis of soft commodities returns over the period January 2007 to December 2016. They reveal the existence of weak positive correlation between the returns, non-normal distributions, negative trends, and serial autocorrelation.


Stitching C-N bonds from nitro groups Numerous compounds in pharmaceutical research have carbon-nitrogen bonds, and chemists are always looking for ways to make them more efficiently. Gui et al. present a method that links the carbon in an olefin to the nitrogen in a nitroaromatic compound (see the Perspective by Kürti). Nitroaromatics are readily available, and the method tolerates a wide range of other chemical groups present on either reacting partner. Science, this issue p. 886; see also p. 863 A method to form carbon-nitrogen bonds via nitro group reduction could streamline synthetic routes in medicinal chemistry. [Also see Perspective by Kürti] The synthesis and functionalization of amines are fundamentally important in a vast range of chemical contexts. We present an amine synthesis that repurposes two simple feedstock building blocks: olefins and nitro(hetero)arenes. Using readily available reactants in an operationally simple procedure, the protocol smoothly yields secondary amines in a formal olefin hydroamination. Because of the presumed radical nature of the process, hindered amines can easily be accessed in a highly chemoselective transformation. A screen of more than 100 substrate combinations showcases tolerance of numerous unprotected functional groups such as alcohols, amines, and even boronic acids. This process is orthogonal to other aryl amine syntheses, such as the Buchwald-Hartwig, Ullmann, and classical amine-carbonyl reductive aminations, as it tolerates aryl halides and carbonyl compounds.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of our study was to investigate the association between high fovea capitis (fovea alta) and hip dysplasia in young adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
In a retrospective study, blinded observers reviewed 82 pelvic radiographic and hip MRI studies of three groups of patients: those with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) (center-edge angle, ≤20°), those with borderline DDH (center-edge angle, 21°-25°), and control patients (center-edge angle, >25°). The center-edge angle and coxa valga (femoral neck-shaft angle, >135°) were assessed on pelvic radiographs, and fovea alta was assessed on MR images (delta angle, ≤10°). The Mann-Whitney and Fisher exact tests were used to correlate fovea alta with DDH and with coxa valga, respectively. Interobserver agreement for center-edge and delta angles and the diagnostic performance of fovea alta as a marker of DDH were calculated.

RESULTS
Thirty-one patients with DDH, 23 with borderline DDH, and 28 without DDH were included. Excellent interobserver agreement was found for center-edge angle (concordance correlation coefficient, 0.94) and for delta angle (concordance correlation coefficient, 0.91). Fovea alta had a significant association with DDH (p<0.001) but no association with coxa valga (p>0.57). A significant difference (p<0.001) was found between patients with DDH (3.4°) and those without DDH (21.7°) with respect to mean delta angle measurements. Fovea alta had 69.4% sensitivity, 82.1% specificity, 67.2% positive predictive value, 81.0% negative predictive value, and 75.6% overall accuracy as an indicator of DDH.

CONCLUSION
Fovea alta shows promise as a strong MRI marker of DDH.


Counts of lamina propria and intraepithelial cells, lymphoid and polymorphonuclear, have been performed on semithin sections of endoscopic biopsies from the duodenum of patients with ulcer-associated duodenitis, with non-specific duodenitis, and from controls. In both types of duodenitis there were significant increases in lamina propria counts of plasma cells, lymphocytes and eosinophils, and in intraepithelial lymphocyte counts, when compared with controls. In control specimens, neutrophil polymorphs were very infrequent but a substantial neutrophil polymorph infiltration of the epithelium and lamina propria was present in both types of duodenitis. In biopsies from areas of duodenitis scanning electron microscopy showed the presence of cells, which are probably neutrophil polymorphs, on the luminal surface of the mucosa. Abnormalities in cell counts were present only in biopsies taken from visually inflamed areas of the duodenal bulb. These values returned to normal after healing of duodenitis with cimetidine. This study highlights the complex nature of the mucosal cellular infiltrate in in duodenitis, particularly the striking increase in polymorphonuclear leucocytes. Histopathological features of ulcer-associated and non-specific duodenitis are identical.


OBJECTIVE
There is substantial disparity in perinatal outcomes between white and African-American women, but the underlying biological mechanisms are poorly understood. The placenta is the principal metabolic, respiratory, excretory, and endocrine organ of the fetus. We studied the association between maternal race and types and severity of placental pathology.

METHODS
Using data from the U.S. Collaborative Perinatal Project (1959-1966), we studied 32,295 African-American and white women with singleton births. CPP pathologists conducted detailed placental examinations following a standard protocol with quality control procedures. Logistic regression modeling was used to test the association between race and placental pathology adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS
Compared to white women, African-American women had a higher risk of fetal neutrophilic infiltration (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-1.4), and 1.5-fold higher risk of low placental weight (95% CI, 1.3-1.7). However, various placental vascular lesions were significantly less common in African-American women, including infarcts and thrombosis in the cut surface, villous infarcts in the intervillous space, emergence of stromal fibrosis and Langerhans layer in the terminal villi, old hemorrhage in the maternal surface, thrombosis in the intervillous space, and calcification throughout the cut surface (aOR ranging from 0.5 to 0.8). Similar patterns were observed in pregnancies with pregnancy associated hypertension, small-for-gestational-age, and preterm birth.

CONCLUSION
As compared with white women, African-American had higher prevalence of inflammatory lesions but lower prevalence of vascular lesions in placental pathology.


This study presents a green approach on synthesizing cadmium sulfide nanoparticles using plant Panicum sarmentosum. The prepared cadmium sulfide nanoparticles were characterized by UV- Visible spectrophotometer, X- Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transformation Infrared (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X- Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Thennal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) respectively. The UV- Vis spectroscopy analysis revealed the formation of cadmium sulfide nanoparticles by exhibiting the typical surface Plasmon absorption maxima at a wavelength between 300- 400 nm as observed. XRD analysis result revealed the cubic shape with size 4.6 nm of CdSNPs. SEM obtained the infonnation regarding to the surface morphology. XRF analysis confirmed the presence of cadmium and sulphur in nanoparticles. TGA result proven that CdSNPs is more thermal stable than plant material. The presence of alcohol/phenol (OH), amide (NH) and carboxylic functional group were confirmed by FTIR analysis. Antibacterial activity of CdSNPs against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was accomplished by agar Well diffusion method with increasing concentration of nanoparticles and enlarged inhibition zone was noticed. The characterization results revealed that cadmium sulfide nanoparticles were successfully synthesized through Panicum sarmentosum as well as the outcome of antibacterial activity showed that the synthesized cadmium sulfide nanoparticles had an inhibiting activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the predictive value of Neuropad test on occurrence of diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) among type 2 diabetic patients.

METHODS
We divided 725 cases of type 2 diabetic patients into the high-risk and the non-high-risk groups of DFU based on the results of vibration perception thresholds(VPT) examination, which was widely used as a criteria for predicting DFU. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to compare the effectiveness of Neuropad with 10 g Semmes-Weinstein monofilament (10 g SWMF) testing in predicting the risk of DFU.

RESULTS
Among 725 patients of type 2 diabetes, 6.1% were at a high risk of DFU. Compared to non-high-risk group, patients in high-risk group had older age, longer diabetes duration, higher values of complete colour change time (CCC time) of Neuropad and higher abnormal rate of 10 g SWMF (P<0.01). CCC time of Neuropad was shown to be better in predicting the risk of DFU than 10 g SWMF, and the area under the ROC curve was about 0.8, and the best cut-off value was 22.25 min.

CONCLUSION
Neuropad is an effective means for predicting of the risk of DFU, and can be used to prevent diabetic foot ulceration.


INTRODUCTION
Dimensional stability of polymer-based dental materials is compromised by polymerization reaction of the monomer. The conversion into a polymer is accompanied by a closer packing of molecules, which leads to volume reduction called curing contraction or polymerization shrinkage. Curing contraction may break the adhesion between the adhesive system and hard tooth tissues forming microgaps which may result in marginal deterioration, recurrent caries and pulp injury. POLYMERIZATION SHRINKAGE OF RESIN-BASED RESTORATIVE DENTAL MATERIALS: Polymerization of the organic phase (nonomer molecules) of resin-based dental materials causes shrinkage. The space occupied by filler particles is not associated with polymerization shrinkage. However, high filler loading within certain limits, can contribute to a lesser curing contraction.

POLYMERIZATION SHRINKAGE STRESS AND STRESS REDUCTION POSSIBILITIES
Polymerization shrinkage stress of polymer-based dental resins can be controlled in various ways. The adhesive bond in tooth-restoration interface guides the contraction forces to cavity walls. If leakage occurs, complications like secondary caries and pulpal irritation may jeopardize the longevity of a restoration. Stress relieve can be obtained by modifications of the monomer and photoinitiator, or by specially designed tooth preparation and application of bases and liners of low modulus of elasticity. The polymerization contraction can be compensated by water absorption due to oral cavity surrounding. The newest approach to stress relief is based on modulation of polymerization initiation.

CONCLUSION
This work deals with polymerization contraction and how to achieve leak-proof restoration. Restorative techniques that may reduce the negative effect of polymerization shrinkage stress need further research in order to confirm up-to-date findings.


An easily implemented approach to fuzzy system identification is proposed. The proposed approach consists of two phases. The first phase involves a baseline design to effectively identify a prototype fuzzy system for a target system from a collection of input-output data pairs. This is implemented by incorporating the subtractive clustering method to determine the number of clusters and the fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering algorithm to build the actual clusters. If the resulting prototype fuzzy system cannot describe the target system appropriately with respect to the input-output data pairs, the second-phase fine-tuning process to adjust the parameters identified in the baseline design is necessary. This process can be realized by using the steepest descent and recursive least-squares estimation methods. The proposed approach is validated by applying it to a function approximation type of problem: the truck backer-upper problem with an obstacle in the center of the field. For further confirmation, the learning behaviour of the proposed approach for this problem is studied.


Summary

Many pathogens infect a wide range of host species. However, variation in the outcome of infection often exists amongst hosts and is shaped by intrinsic host traits. For example, contact with pathogens may trigger changes in hosts directed toward preventing, fighting, or tolerating infection. Host responses to infection are dynamic; they change over time and vary depending on health, condition and within the context of the environment.
Immunological defences are an important class of responses that mediate host–pathogen dynamics. Here, we examined temporal patterns of immunity in two amphibian species, Pacific tree frogs (Pseudacris regilla) and Cascades frogs (Rana cascadae), exposed to control conditions or experimental inoculation with the emerging infectious fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). For each species, we compared bacterial killing ability of blood and differential white blood cell counts at four different time-points after pathogen inoculation. We also quantified infection load over time and monitored survival.
We detected qualitative and quantitative differences in species responses to Bd. Pseudacris regilla exhibited an increase in infection load over time and 16% of Bd-exposed animals died during the experiment. Tree frogs lacked robust treatment differences in immune responses, but Bd-exposed P. regilla tended to display weaker bacterial killing responses than unexposed control animals. Neutrophil counts did not vary consistently with treatment and lymphocytes tended to be less abundant in Bd-exposed animals at the later sampling time-points.
In contrast, Bd-exposed R. cascadae exhibited a decrease in infection load over time and no mortality occurred in the Bd treatment. Bd-exposed Cascades frogs showed stronger bacterial killing responses and an elevated number of neutrophils in blood when compared with control animals, and both responses were upregulated within 48 h of pathogen exposure. Lymphocyte counts did not vary significantly with treatment.
Although only statistically significant in Cascades frogs, neutrophil:lymphocyte ratios showed a trend of being elevated in Bd-exposed animals of both species and are indicative of pathogen-induced physiological stress.
Our results suggest that variation in systemic immunological responses of two syntopic amphibian species is associated with and may contribute to differential patterns of survival and infection load during exposure to the chytrid fungus. Species variation in immunological responses as soon as 48 h after pathogen exposure suggests that initial host–pathogen interactions may set the stage for subsequent infection and disease progression. Variation in host responses can drive disease dynamics and comparative studies of host responses to pathogens are critical for making predictions about pathogen emergence, spread and persistence.


Objective: TO evaluate the efficacy of the phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors in the treatment of Raynaud's phenomenon. Data Sources: Searches of MEDLINE (1966–March 2006) and Web of Science (1980–March 2006) were conducted; search terms were sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil, phosphodiesterase, and Raynaud. Studies and case reports published in English were retrieved. Additional references were identified in bibliographic reviews. Data Synthesis: Several small studies and a number of case reports have described the use of PDE5 inhibitors in patients with either primary or secondary Raynaud's phenomenon. The data from the best designed study show a reduced attack frequency and duration, reduced Raynaud Condition Score, and increased capillary blood flow in patients with secondary Raynaud's phenomenon. Conclusions: Available evidence suggests that sildenafil may be associated with improved microcirculation, symptomatic relief, and ulcer healing in patients with secondary Raynaud's phenomenon. Limited information suggests similar effects with tadalafil and vardenafil. Improved blood flow and clinical improvements have also been observed in some patients with primary Raynaud's phenomenon treated with PDE5 inhibitors; however, studies have yielded conflicting results.


The clinical assessment of vitamin E status has traditionally depended upon measurement of tocopherol concentrations in plasma or serum, with 0.5 mg/dl being used as the lower limit of normal. This approach can be supplemented by measurement of tocopherol in erythrocytes or by evaluating their susceptibility to hemolysis in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Data obtained during the last decade indicate that tocopherol concentrations in blood samples may be misleading, and that tocopherol-lipid ratios are more reliable indicators of vitamin E status. In our studies, small populations of healthy children have been evaluated, along with infants and children with a variety of chronic diseases. Of interest is the observation that premature infants susceptible to lung disease, who often require high levels of inspired oxygen, and children with cystic fibrosis who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are almost invariably below 0.5 mg tocopherol per deciliter plasma. A substantial number, however, show no abnormality in peroxide-induced erythrocyte hemolysis. Expression of the tocopherol data per gram of total lipid indicates that many children with "low" tocopherol concentrations per unit volume of plasma are not deficient in vitamin E, but rather are above 0.8 mg/g, the ratio of tocopherol to lipid previously reported as the lower limit of normal.


Abstract. What should be the grand strategy of the European Union (EU)? What are the main arguments about the EU's role in the world that compete in public discourses in Europe? What are their sources and characteristics? The objective of this paper is to identify, clarify, and discuss critically four alternative grand strategies for the EU that can be termed Euro-neutralism, Superpower EU, Euro-Atlanticism, and Civilian power EU. These four grand strategic conceptions underline the policy debates regarding the EU security strategy as well as its implementation. First, I defi ne the notion of grand strategy and I explain its signifi cance for foreign policy making. Second, I uncover and discuss the four competing visions for the EU grand strategy.


Health care needs of this country have increased so rapidly that they have already far outdistanced the supply of physicians and medical facilities. A major response to the current crisis in health care has been reorganization of traditional systems of delivery of medical care, together with a greatly increased use of paramedical personnel. In the face of our pressing health needs, one source of assistance has received curiously little attention, the self-help group. Perhaps the most widely known of these groups is Alcoholics Anonymous, but individuals have organized to help themselves with problems as varied as psychosis, ileostomy, and narcotics addiction. This report deals with Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS), one of two large and rapidly growing national organizations for the control of obesity. The other such organization (Weight Watchers), although it is a commercial venture and thus not strictly a self-help group, is also worthy of careful study. The


An estimated 10% of Haitis urban population and 4% of the rural population is infected with HIV. As recent as a few years ago few commercial sales outlets for condoms existed in Haiti even in the cities. Now however Pante condoms are accessible to Haitians at all hours of the day even in remote areas of the country. Pante is the brand name of the condom that Population Services International (PSI) introduced in Haiti in 1990 and began packaging promoting and selling a year later through a condom social marketing (CSM) program funded by the AIDS Control and Prevention (AIDSCAP) Project. The CSM program allows Pante to be sold at 10% of the cost of commercial condoms. Even in the context of political instability and economic crisis which followed the overthrow of Haitis elected government in 1991 monthly sales of Pante during 1991-95 increased from an average of 3000 to more than 400000 and more than 16 million units were sold over the 4-year period.


We consider probe Dp-branes, p=3,5,7, in global AdS_5 x S^5, rotating along an internal direction in the S^5. These are dual to strongly interacting N=4 SYM on S^3 with massless fundamental flavours, in the presence of an R-symmetry chemical potential for flavour fermions. For massless, "AdS-filling" Dp-brane embeddings at zero temperature, we find an infinite set of threshold values of the chemical potential at which instabilities are triggered. The onset of instability is always preceded by metastability of the zero density state. From the onset values of the chemical potential, we infer that unstable directions favour a homogeneous condensate of a bilinear made from fermion harmonics, or Cooper pairing. We confirm this picture both numerically and analytically. The linearized analysis showing the appearance of instabilities involves a charged scalar in global AdS space coupled to a (large) constant background gauge potential. The resulting frequency space correlator of the fermion bilinear at strong coupling displays poles in the upper half plane. In contrast, the correlator at zero coupling exhibits Pauli blocking due to occupation of states below the Fermi level, but no instabilities. The end-point of the strong coupling instability is not visible in our setup.


The Indian states have been the standard unit of analysis for research on India that uses official data sources. For many empirical questions, states are a natural starting point because state governments set political agendas and budgets and administer a wide range of services. In addition, the boundaries of many states have been unchanged for over half a century and those of all major states were largely unchanged between 1971 and 2000. This stability has resulted in the relatively easy construction and use of panel data sets at the state level and these data have been used to ask a variety of questions relating to the e ectiveness of public policy. The use of more disaggregated district data allows the study of outcomes across regions with similar historical contexts and political regimes. States have an average of 20 districts, so district level panels can also be much larger. Most district-level studies however have relied on cross-sectional analysis because district comparisons over time are complicated by multiple boundary changes. Between 1971 and 2001, the number of districts increased from 356 to 593, a rise of about 67%. The purpose of this paper is to provide information on boundary changes across districts that will facilitate the construction of district-level panel data sets. We use population data from the state and central volumes of the Census of India to document changes in district boundaries between 1971 and 2001. For each decade during the 1971-2001 pe- riod, we classify districts into three categories: those with unchanged boundaries, those created by partitioning existing districts and nally, districts whose current boundaries were located in multiple districts at the time of the previous census. We nd that 136 of the 356 Indian dis- tricts in 1971 (38%) were unaected by boundary changes over the subsequent three decades, 79 districts (22%) were cleanly partitioned into multiple districts over the same period, and the 1 remaining 141 districts experienced more complex changes. Unchanged districts obviously pose no problem for the construction of panel data and the number of these districts can be quite large for short panels. For partitioned districts we provide population weights that permit the construction of panels using boundaries of either later or earlier census years as the base. For districts that are neither unchanged nor partitioned it is in general only possible to generate accurate population weights across adjacent census years. We provide these weights separately for the three periods: 1971-1981, 1981-1991, and 1991-2001. In addition, we amalgamate neigh- bouring districts into composite regions with unchanged boundaries between each census year and 2001. These composite regions, along with the unchanged and partitioned districts, give us the complete set of geographical units with unchanged boundaries between any census year and 2001. The following section provides details on data sources and our methods and compares these to those used by other studies relying on multi-year district data. Section 3 summarises some basic patterns. Section 4 concludes with some caveats on using our data and points to the type of work needed to construct district-level series over long time periods.


Our previous report suggested that increased serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity plays a central part in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension in man. In the present study, we investigated whether such findings can be seen in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The results suggested that serum carboxypeptidase N and kallikrein, rather than ACE, plays a central part in this experimental model. The ACE activity was decreased rather than increased in spontaneously hypertensive rat when compared with that in Wistar-Kyoto rats.


Aim. Surgical septal myectomy is a standard treatment option for patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. Subvalvular abnormalities of the mitral valve may play an important role in residual left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. This study aimed to evaluate the surgical outcomes of septal myectomy with subvalvular interventions.Material and Methods. Between July, 2015 and December, 2016, 40 eligible patients underwent septal myectomy with subvalvular intervention. The peak gradient was 92.3±16.9 mm Hg. The mean septum thickness was 26.8±4.5 mm. Moderate or severe systolic anterior motion syndrome-mediated mitral regurgitation was observed in all patients.Results. There was no residual mitral regurgitation. Residual systolic anterior motion syndrome was observed in 5%. The postoperative gradient was 8.7±4.5 mm Hg. At 12-month follow-up, all patients were alive. According to the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, 87.5 and 12.5% of patients had NYHA functional classes I and II, respectively. The prevalence rate of residual mitral regurgitation was 10%.Conclusions. Concomitant subvalvular intervention during septal myectomy effectively eliminated left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and provided high freedom from residual mitral regurgitation one year after surgery.


The mechanical properties of the molecular deposition film deposited on an Au substrate are studied in the theory for the first time. Firstly, the quantum mechanics have been used to calculate the structure parameters and potential parameters of the molecular deposition film. Secondly, molecular dynamics simulations have been used to study indent process of the molecular deposition film with the action of Au tip. The results showed that an obvious jump to contact appears during the Au tip approaches the molecular deposition film; furthermore, the tilt angle and load of the molecules near the tip have the same tendency of hysteresis, which may be caused by the adhesive force between the tip and the molecular deposition film.


Jean Cocteau pays tribute to his idol, the poet Anna de Noailles, in the 'La Comtesse de Noailles Oui Et Non.' Anna de Noailles is one of the most popular and widely admired among the 20thcentury poets because of her unique talent and controversial topics. Her sensual lyricsm has received the criticism of many writers. Likewise, it has also been admired by great critics, such as Proust, Colette and Maurice Barres.


User Interfaces (UI) layout design is one of the most important part of any software requirement activities. User interfaces (UI) emerged as an essential accomplice in fulfilling the potential of an application. Layout design of UI screens has always been very expensive and time consuming activities. However, owing to the ad-hoc nature of UI design process coupled with user involvement throughout the process have inevitably surfaced in the UI construction and management phases. This includes the amount of effort involved in fulfilling multiple user requirements which in turn lead to the generation of a large number of screen layout designs with numerous similarities among them. Taking into considerations on the amount of effort required in maintaining masses of UI layouts with plentiful commonalities, this paper focuses on the integration of an object-oriented approach towards UI layout design along with an evolution tracking system to address the issues projected. Cases were used at the end of this paper to evaluate the effectiveness and accomplishments of the proposed approach so that future research work could be planned.


This paper investigates Value-at-Risk (VaR) in the Australian interconnected power markets. We model the price change using seven different volatility models and perform the back testing from both investors' (sellers' side) and retailers' (buyers' side) perspectives. From investors' perspective, we find that GARCH (1,1) model outperforms moving average (MA) and EWMA models. On the other hand, the moving average (MA) outperforms various GARCH (1,1) models from retailers' perspective. Our findings lead to a new insight to analyze carefully the position of modelling risk in power market since different position generates different result. Keywords : Power markets; Volatility; Value-at-Risk; Back-testing JEL Classifications: G17; G32; Q40


Implications A debate on the adoption of a tobacco age-of-sale of 21 in Europe has not occurred, with the recent exception of the United Kingdom. The current legally set age of 18 years is proving to be inadequate as adolescents continue to access cigarettes. Tobacco 21 laws have the potential to further limit access to cigarettes by minors. We believe that soon the time will be ripe for this discussion to spread throughout Europe, specifically among countries that have adopted a smoke-free generation movement.


Background Physical frailty and cognitive decline are two major consequences of aging and are often in older individuals, especially in those with multimorbidity. These two disorders are known to usually coexist with each other, increasing the risk of each disorder for poor health outcomes. Mental health disorders, anxiety and depression, are common in older people with multimorbidity, in particular those with functional or sensory deficits, and frailty. Purpose The aim of this study was to show how physical frailty, cognitive impairments and mental disorders, cluster in the real life setting of older primary care (PC) patients, and how these clusters relate to age, comorbidities, stressful events, and coping strategies. Knowing that, could improve risk stratification of older individuals and guide the action plans. Methods Participants were older individuals (≥60, N = 263), attenders of PC, independent of care of others, and not suffering from dementia. For screening participants on physical frailty, cognitive impairment, and mental disorders, we used Fried's phenotype model, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS), and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). For testing participants on coping styles, we used the 14-scale Brief-Coping with Problems Experienced (Brief-COPE) questionnaire. To identify clusters, we used the algorithm fuzzy k-means. To further describe the clusters, we examined differences in age, gender, number of chronic diseases and medications prescribed, some diagnoses of chronic diseases, the number of life events, body mass index, renal function, expressed as the glomerular filtration rate, and coping styles. Results The most appropriate cluster solution was the one with three clusters, that were termed as: functional (FUN; N = 139), with predominant frailty or dysfunctional (DFUN; N = 81), and with predominant cognitive impairments or cognitively impaired (COG-IMP; N = 43). Participants in two pathologic clusters, DFUN and COG-IMP, were in average older and had more somatic diseases, compared to participants in cluster FUN. Significant differences between the clusters were found in diagnoses of osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, anxiety/depression, cerebrovascular disease, and periphery artery disease. Participants in cluster FUN expressed mostly positive reframing coping style. Participants in two pathological clusters were represented with negative coping strategies. Religion and self-blame were coping mechanisms specific only for cluster DFUN; self-distraction only for cluster COG-IMP; and these two latter clusters shared the mechanisms of behavioral disengagement and denial. Conclusion The research approach presented in this study may help PC providers in risk stratification of older individuals and in getting insights into behavioral and coping strategies of patients with similar comorbidity patterns and functional disorders, which may guide them in preparing prevention and care plans. By providing some insights into the common mechanisms and pathways of clustering frailty, cognitive impairments and mental disorders, this research approach is useful for creating new hypotheses and in accelerating geriatric research.


Previous studies have reported that coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar flares lead to the development of huge storms and high-speed streams. Our aim in this paper is to investigate the response of the geomagnetic index SYM/H to the solar wind parameters, such as solar wind speed V, dynamic pressure P, input energy IE and the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz component, associated with solar flares and CME events. The response of the ground geomagnetic field (H-component) to the solar wind parameters and the IMF Bz component at three low-latitude stations has also been analysed. Our findings show that the delay of the solar wind changes in the Earth's magnetosphere in response to the weak geomagnetic storm (SYM/H = −30 nT) at the beginning of 2014 December 21. A weak storm of SYM/H = −30 nT in the middle of 2014 November 5 is suggested by a low magnetic reconnection process in the magnetosphere. In addition, the strong southward IMF Bz component and high solar wind changes in the magnetosphere system, which were a result of the X2.0 solar flare event and the CMEs on 2014 October 27, responded to the moderate storm (SYM/H = −60 nT) at the beginning of 2014 October 28. This dynamic physical process in the magnetosphere caused by solar wind variation is seen to excite the Earth's H-component through ultra low frequency at the ground-based magnetometers at the BCL (Vietnam), TIR (India) and SCN (Indonesia) stations during the geomagnetic storm. This study relates to seismic investigations and geomagnetic-induced current on the ground.


It is no secret that medical residencies are tremendously challenging positions. Being a resident physician often means long, grueling hours of patient care, a relatively small salary for the hours worked, and a steep learning curve of training and education under the scrutinizing eyes of seasoned physicians and fellow residents. The process for securing a residency is no leisurely stroll, either. Participation in the National Resident Match Program (NRMP), also known as "the match," is a competitive endeavor in which medical students vie for a coveted residency placement at one of several institutions of their choice; their ranked selections are factored against the choices of those institutions by an automated algorithm that makes the final determination. Although most medical school graduates accept that participating in the match and a residency program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is the only way to become a licensed physician, a small group of physicians sought to challenge this system through legal action starting in 2002 with Jung v. Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)—a case that ultimately led to the legal solidification of this system for the foreseeable future [1].


Cathodic electrochemiluminescence (ECL) behaviours of the acetonitrile, acetonitrile-1,10-phenanthroline (phen) and acetonitrile-ternary Eu(III) complex systems at a gold electrode were studied. One very weak cathodic ECL-2 at -3.5 V was observed in 0.1 mol/L tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TBABF(4)) acetonitrile solution. When 10 mmol/L tetrabutylammonium peroxydisulphate [(TBA)(2)S(2)O(8)] was added to 0.1 mol/L TBABF(4) acetonitrile solution, another cathodic ECL-1 at -2.7 V appeared and the potential for ECL-2 was shifted from -3.5 to -3.1 V. Furthermore, ECL-2 intensity was enhanced about 20-fold. When 1 x 10(-4) mol/L phen was added to 0.1 mol/L TBABF(4) + 10 mmol/L (TBA)(2)S(2)O(8) acetonitrile solution, the ECL intensities of ECL-1 and ECL-2 were enhanced about 20-fold compared with those of 0.1 mol/L TBABF(4) + 10 mmol/L (TBA)(2)S(2)O(8) acetonitrile solution. The maximum emission peaks of ECL-1 and ECL-2 in the three systems mentioned above appeared at about 530 nm. The products obtained by electrolysing 0.1 mol/L TBABF(4) acetonitrile solution at -3.5 V for 20 min were analysed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and the emitter of ECL-1 and ECL-2 was identified as excited state polyacetonitrile. When ternary Eu(III) complexes were presented in 0.1 mol/L TBABF(4) + 10 mmol/L (TBA)(2)S(2)O(8) acetonitrile solution, another maximum emission peak with a narrow band centred at about 610 nm appeared in ECL-1 in addition to the maximum emission peaks at about 530 nm for ECL-1 and ECL-2. The emitter of ECL emission at 610 nm was identified as the excited states Eu(III)*. The mechanisms for cathodic ECL behaviours of the acetonitrile, acetonitrile-phen and acetonitrile-ternary Eu(III) complex systems at a gold electrode have been proposed. The extremely sharp emission bands for ternary Eu(III) complexes may have analytical potential.


A 1-day-old boy in respiratory distress had a midline soft tissue band between the floor of the mouth and the posterior edge of the hard palate. There was also a soft palatal cleft, cardiac anomalies, and a hypoplastic right fifth finger and toe. Although his airway initially improved following urgent excision of the subglossopalatal band, he continued to have episodic desaturations. A tongue–lip adhesion opened his airway, and he subsequently underwent resection of juxtaductal aortic coarctation and ligation of patent ductus arteriosus and left superior vena cava. Congenital oral synechiae are uncommon. Affected infants often require prompt intervention secondary to respiratory distress and feeding difficulty. Review of the literature indicates that midline subglossopalatal synechia with cardiac and digital anomalies may be in the oromandibular–limb hypogenesis spectrum.


CD38 is a multifunctional protein widely expressed in cells from the immune system and as a soluble form in biological fluids. CD38 expression is up-regulated by an array of inflammatory mediators, and it is frequently used as a cell activation marker. Studies in animal models indicate that CD38 functional expression confers protection against infection by several bacterial and parasitic pathogens. In addition, infectious complications are associated with anti-CD38 immunotherapy. Although CD38 displays receptor and enzymatic activities that contribute to the establishment of an effective immune response, recent work raises the possibility that CD38 might also enhance the immunosuppressive potential of regulatory leukocytes. This review integrates the current knowledge on the diversity of functions mediated by CD38 in the host defense to infection.


The article is devoted to psychological features of the emotional sphere in a children's home (mercy'ouilly) and home village (SOS). It includes comparisons of psychological development of children raised in an intact family and the orphanage. Along with practical ideas and results of research on the possibility of determining the influence of the passivity of emotional communication on the development of children raised in orphanages as a subject of social relations.


ABSTRACT
Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious infectious disease remains a public
health problem in the world, including Indonesia. The purpose of this study is the
extension to the known effectiveness of SMS in the PMO method to change the
attitude and behavior of pulmonary TB drug compliance.
Quassy this study with an experimental design with two group post-test
approach to design. The research was conducted in January 2013 with a sample
of 30, divided 15 experimental group and 15 control group. The independent
variable is the extension method on PMO SMS. The dependent variable is the
attitude of pulmonary TB drugs and medication adherence behavior of pulmonary
tuberculosis. A questionnaire designed to measure attitudinal variables and the
validity and reliability tests before use. Data were analyzed with the Wilcoxon
test.
The results showed Counseling by SMS on PMO effective methods to
change attitudes about the Pulmonary TB drugs in health centers with proven
Wilcoxon attitude variable obtained a significant value of 0.02, which means p
behavior of pulmonary TB drug compliance in health centers with proven
Wilcoxon test on behavioral variables obtained significant value of 0.046 which
means p val
It is recommended for health centers that extension with the SMS method
in which PMO warning when taking medication is an effective way to improve
patient adherence attitudes and behavior of pulmonary tuberculosis in pulmonary
tuberculosis medicine, therefore it is a very good way applied to all existing
pulmonary TB patients .
Keywords: Effectiveness, PMO SMS by Counseling, attitudes and compliance.


We demonstrate that, like other Type III restriction endonuclease, PstII does not turnover such that a DNA substrate is only fully cleaved at a Res2Mod2-to-site ratio of ∼1:1. However, unlike other Type III enzymes, the cleavage rate profiles varied with protein concentration: using 5 nM DNA and 25 nM PstII, approximately half of the DNA was cut at a fast rate while the remainder was cut 24 times more slowly; in comparison, with 100 nM PstII cleavage occurs at a single fast rate. The inclusion of the methyl donor S-adenosyl methionine does not alter the rates with 100 nM PstII but with 25 nM PstII the reaction stopped after completion of the initial fast cleavage phase owing to methylation. Concentration-dependent rates were also observed in methylation assays: at 100 nM PstII, a single slow rate was measured while at lower PstII concentrations both fast and slow rates were measured. We propose a model in which the intact Res2Mod2 complex favoured at high PstII concentrations is a fast endonuclease/slow methyltransferase while the various subassemblies which coexist at lower concentrations are fast methyltransferases. A potential role for disassembly in control of restriction activity in vivo is discussed.


In this article we discuss which controllability properties of classical Hamiltonian systems are preserved after quantization. We discuss some necessary and some sufficient conditions for small-time controllability of classical systems and quantum systems using the WKB method. In particular, we investigate the conjecture that if the classical system is not small-time controllable, then the corresponding quantum system is not small-time controllable either.


The BlueGene/L supercomputer has been designed with a focus on power/performance efficiency to achieve high application performance under the thermal constraints of common data centers. To achieve this goal, emphasis was put on system solutions to engineer a power-efficient system. To exploit thread level parallelism, the BlueGene/L system can scale to 64 racks with a total of 65536 computer nodes consisting of a single compute ASIC integrating all system functions with two industry-standard PowerPC microprocessor cores in a chip multiprocessor configuration. Each PowerPC processor exploits data-level parallelism with a high-performance SIMD oating point unitTo support good application scaling on such a massive system, special emphasis was put on efficient communication primitives by including five highly optimized communification networks. After an initial introduction of the Blue-Gene/L system architecture, we analyze power/performance efficiency for the BlueGene system using performance and power characteristics for the overall system performance (as exemplified by peak performance numbers.To understand application scaling behavior, and its impact on performance and power/performance efficiency, we analyze the NAMD molecular dynamics package using the ApoA1 benchmark. We find that even for strong scaling problems, BlueGene/L systems can deliver superior performance scaling and deliver significant power/performance efficiency. Application benchmark power/performance scaling for the voltage-invariant energy delay 2 power/performance metric demonstrates that choosing a power-efficient 700MHz embedded PowerPC processor core and relying on application parallelism was the right decision to build a powerful, and power/performance efficient system


OBJECTIVE
To describe and analyze lumbar epidural contrast spread patterns in antero-posterior (AP), lateral, and contralateral oblique (CLO) views.

METHODS
Lumbar epidural contrast spread patterns after interlaminar injection were prospectively collected in AP, lateral, and several CLO views and analyzed for multiple variables; three-dimensional mapping was also performed.

RESULTS
Epidural contrast patterns were prospectively analyzed in 28 subjects. The median volume of contrast injected was 2 mL; the AP view was more sensitive than the lateral view to detect foraminal uptake (13/28, 46%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 27-66%, vs 7/28, 25%, 95% CI = 11-45% subjects). CLO view demonstrated the most consistent location for epidural contrast spread, with contrast contacting the ventral laminar margin in 28/28 (100%, 95% CI = 87-100%) patients. The most common location of contrast spread in the lateral view was at the facet joint lucency, with only 8/28 (29%, 95% CI = 13%-49%) subjects showing contrast contacting the spinolaminar junction. Lateral view was more sensitive than the CLO view in ventral epidural contrast spread detection. The extent and distribution of the spread did not bear any relationship to the volume injected or to the needle location in AP view.

CONCLUSIONS
CLO view provides the most consistent landmark for lumbar epidural contrast spread, and lateral view is most suited to confirming ventral epidural spread. The AP view may be the most optimal for determining target access when considering access to the dorsal root ganglia; in an individual patient, the volume injected and needle location in AP view do not reliably predict target access. The volume to be injected and the need to re-access or obtain multisite access must be prospectively determined, based upon observation of the spread.


We propose software agent-based ldquoforward analysisrdquo for efficient information retrieval in a network of sensing devices. In our approach, processing is pushed to the data at the edge of the network via intelligent software agents rather than pulling data to a central facility for processing. The agents are deployed with a specific query and perform varying levels of analysis of the data, communicating with each other and sending only relevant information back across the network. We demonstrate our concept in the context of face recognition using a wireless test bed comprised of PDA cell phones and laptops. We show that agent-based forward analysis can provide a significant increase in retrieval speed while decreasing bandwidth usage and information overload at the central facility.


Project High-tech Omics-based Patient Evaluation (HOPE), including comprehensive whole-exome sequencing (WES) and gene expression profiling (GEP) using freshly resected tumor specimens, has been in progress since its implementation in 2014. Among a total of 1,685 cancer patients, 13 melanoma patients were registered in the HOPE Project and were characterized using multi-omics analyses. Among the 13 melanoma patients, 4 were deceased, and 9 were alive. The mean overall survival (OS) and relapse‑free survival (RFS) times of the melanoma patients were 16.9 and 14.7 months, respectively. Previously, we developed an immune response‑associated gene list, which consisted of 164 genes in Project HOPE, for evaluating the immunological status. In the present study, the association of immune response‑associated gene expression with immunological parameters, such as programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and CD8 expression levels, single nucleotide variant (SNV) number, and Vogelstein driver gene mutation number, was investigated. With respect to PD-L1 expression, both immuno-suppression and immuno-stimulation-related genes were upregulated in PD-L1-positive melanomas. In contrast, regarding Vogelstein driver mutations, several T-cell activation-related genes were significantly downregulated in the high driver gene mutation group. In addition, many T-cell activation-related genes were upregulated in the CD8-positive melanomas. The correlation of immune response-associated gene expression with the survival time of the melanoma patients was investigated. Eight specific genes were commonly identified as genes that were significantly correlated for both the overall OS and RFS time, which could be possible prognostic factors for melanoma patients. These results revealed that an immune response-associated gene panel could be an informative tool for evaluating the immunological status prior to clinical immunotherapy in the upcoming era of genomic cancer medicine.


Fossil charged-particle tracks and uranium contents were examined in major silicate phases in Yamato-74013, -74080, -74094, -74362 and -74459 chondrites. The tracks recorded in bronzite in diogenites and olivine in chondrites are expected to be mostly due to cosmic-ray heavy primaries, because of their extremely low uranium contents. Assuming that the cosmic-ray exposure age, 31 my, of Yamato-6902 is also applicable to other diogenites, the distance from the preatmospheric surface to the test crystals is estimated to be 10, 17 and 15 cm for Yamato-74013, -74037, and -6902, respectively. For Yamato-74014 and -74080 chondrites, the exposure age of about 3 ~ 5 and 14 my, each, can be evaluated, assuming the shallow burial depth of the samples, which have a fusion crust on one side. A small polished section with a fusion crust was etched to investigate the effect of the ablation heating. Cosmic-ray tracks were survived in olivine grains at the depth of more than 0.9 mm from the meteorite surface. According to the high-temperature annealing experiments, the temperature higher than 550℃ had not continued for 1 sec at the position. Pyroxene in chondrites usually contains much higher uranium contents and fossil tracks than in olivine. These tracks cannot be explained only by cosmic-ray and the spontaneous fission of 238U during 4.6 × 10^9 yrs. On the assumption that the excesses are due to the spontaneous fission of the presently extinct isotope, 244Pu (half life, 82 my), the time intervals between the end of nucleosynthesis and the onset of track retention, ΔT, were calculated. They are ranging from 3×10^7 to 3 × 10^8 yrs for five chondrites. No apparent relations were found between the results and the chemical and petrologic types of the chondrites.


Summary Several chiral neolignan skeletons and a benzodioxane were prepared from a tartrate derivative with the crucial chiral aryl alkyl ether formation being accomplished with cesium phenolate and 18-crown-6. These compounds have greater than 96% enantiomeric excess, and this work represents the first successful synthetic preparation of optically active 8-O-4′ type neolignan skeletons. The chiral aryl alkyl ethers were also synthesized from several protected carbohydrates, which can serve as chiral auxiliaries for a wide variety of target molecules.


A general-theoretical and mathematics model whose aim is deffing of production assortment that will provide a maximum net income with fulfilling all conditions (limiting factors) is formulated in this paper. Such defined model was solved by applying of method of linear programinng. On the basis of tehnicallytehnological and marketing factors (limitations) two variants of the model have been formulated. The first variant conditions utilization of capacities, while in the second variant the optimum assortment is the result, first of all, of marketing conditions. By the parallel analysis of the model variants we arrived to conclusion that the production assortment was the best. The quality of solution was tested trough a past-optimum analysis, and the results of this research indicate the possibility to improve financial indices subject to modifying of production direction and production assortment of the object for fruit processing analysed.


A method of measuring the flow rate in a pipe is proposed. The method utilizes one-dimensional acoustic pressure signals that are generated by a loud speaker. A microphone array mounted flush with the inner pipe wall is used to measure the signals. A formula for the flow rate, which is a function of the change of wave number, is derived from a simple mathematical model of sound field in the pipe conveying a viscous fluid. The change of the wave number, which is one of the results caused by flow, is estimated from the recursive relation among the measured microphone array signals. Since measurement errors, due to extraneous measurement noise and mismatch of response characteristics between microphones, exist in the estimated flow rate, a method of compensating the errors is proposed. By using this measurement method, the flow rate can be obtained more accurately than that of our previous method. To verify applicability of the measurement method, numerical simulation and experiments are performed. The estimated flow rates are within 5% error bound.


Bagasse spraying wastewater (BSW) is a source of organic pollutants during bagasse processing. In this study, the feasibility of anaerobic treatment of BSW under different calcium concentrations (60 to 2400 mg/L) was studied. The experiment was performed in a lab-scale up-flow multistage anaerobic reactor (UMAR) inoculated with granular sludge, and operated for 160 days at a constant organic loading rate of 6 kg COD/(m3·d). Treatment of BSW with 60 to 800 mg Ca2+/L resulted in 80.7 to 82.7% of COD removal, 161 to 232.7 mg COD/L of volatile fatty acid (VFA) yield, 0.56 to 0.79 m3/(kgCOD·d) of biogas production rate, and 2.4 to 2.66 m3/(m3·d) of volume loading rate (VLR). The pH remained within the optimal range for anaerobic digestion (adjust to pH = 6.8 to 7.0). The VFAs were composed of 77 to 85% acetic acid, 8.4 to 13.2% butyric acid, and 6.6 to 9.6% propionic acid. At higher influent calcium concentrations (> 800 mg/L), the hydrolysis process appeared to be inhibited, affecting the anaerobic digestion performance of the reactor. In particular, the COD removal efficiency decreased to 55.5%, and the VFA content in the effluent significantly increased due to the lower pH. Microbial community analysis showed that at the end of anaerobic digestion, the Syntrophobacter disappeared, and Clostridium and Anerolineaceae were the main genus and family, respectively. Overall, the results indicated that low calcium (< 300 mg/L) had a positive effect on the UMAR performance.


Ceria and ceria-based materials are becoming promising resources for a number of applications in microelectronics, electrochemical devices, ultraviolet blockers and surface treatment of different metals due to their corrosion resistance. These materials are also used for the development of electrochemical gas sensors in environmental applications and food industry since they have fast response, high sensitivity to threshold concentrations and low cost. In this study, electrodeposition technique was used to prepare ceria film on nanostructured, gold-coated, polycarbonate track-etched membrane (PCTE) template. Both constant potential and pulse deposition techniques were used and the influence of deposition parameters on film surface characteristics was investigated. The structure and the electrochemical properties of the films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). A comprehensive electrochemical study was performed to understand the factors that could be controlled and optimized for a given set of surface properties. Surface properties of the ceria films were examined to study the impact of constant potential and pulsed electrodeposition techniques in creating ceria films.


We describe the development of an efficient cryopreservation protocol for proembryogenic masses (PEMs) of date palm variety 'Barhee'. Proembryos were induced by inoculating small pieces of juvenile leaves on MS medium supplemented with 0.3 mg per liter 2,4-D. Application of these in vitro conditions led to true-to-type plants as observed after plant fructification. When compared to the standard vitrification protocol, the ultra-rapid droplet-vitrification technique proved to be superior. Sucrose preculture considerably increased post-cryopreservation recovery. The highest regeneration after cryogenic exposure reached 63.3 percent when PEMs were treated with PVS2 for 30 min at 0 degree C and 56.7 percent when PVS2 treatment lasted for 15 min at 25 degree C. The first signs of regrowth of cryopreserved PEMs were observed after 2 to 3 weeks. Cryopreservation did not affect the morphogenetic capacities of the plant material. Moreover, highly proliferating suspension cultures could be established from the cryopreserved material. The overall production of somatic embryos from 500 mg cryopreserved PEMs reached 1030 +/- 50 units after 1 month. The morphological study of date palms regenerated from cryopreserved material confirmed the stability of clonal material following cryopreservation.


The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by a coronavirus identified in December 2019 has caused a global pandemic. COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020 and has led to more than 6.3 million deaths. The pandemic has disrupted world travel, economies, and lifestyles worldwide. Although vaccination has been an effective tool to reduce the severity and spread of the disease there is a need for more concerted approaches to fighting the disease. COVID-19 is characterised as a severe acute respiratory syndrome . The severity of the disease is associated with a battery of comorbidities such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic lung disease, and renal disease. These underlying diseases are associated with general cellular stress. Thus, COVID-19 exacerbates outcomes of the underlying conditions. Consequently, coronavirus infection and the various underlying conditions converge to present a combined strain on the cellular response. While the host response to the stress is primarily intended to be of benefit, the outcomes are occasionally unpredictable because the cellular stress response is a function of complex factors. This review discusses the role of the host stress response as a convergent point for COVID-19 and several non-communicable diseases. We further discuss the merits of targeting the host stress response to manage the clinical outcomes of COVID-19.


Maternal glucose levels that were high but below the diagnostic threshold for gestational diabetes were strongly associated with high fetal insulin levels and birth weights in an international study of 23,316 pregnant women. There were also weaker—but still significant—associations between maternal hyperglycemia that fell short of overt gestational diabetes and a host of neonatal problems: hypoglycemia in the neonate, the need for cesarean delivery, premature delivery, shoulder dystocia or birth injury, the need for intensive neonatal care, hyperbilirubinemia, and preeclampsia, investigators reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. These findings "indicate the need to reconsider current criteria for diagnosing and treating hyperglycemia during pregnancy," reported Dr. Boyd E. Metzger of Northwestern University, Chicago, and his associates in the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome study (N. Engl. J. Med. 2008;358:1991-2002). The researchers assessed the 23,316 gravid women "to clarify the risk of adverse outcomes associated with degrees of maternal glucose intolerance less severe than overt diabetes mellitus." The study subjects underwent standard oral glucose tolerance testing at 24-32 weeks' gestation at 15 medical centers in nine countries. Cord blood specimens were obtained at delivery to assess serum C-peptide levels, an indicator of fetal β-cell function. High levels of fasting, 1-hour, and 2-hour plasma glucose were strongly correlated with birth weight above the 90th percentile and C-peptide levels above the 90th percentile, and the rates of these problems increased as plasma glucose levels increased. There were weaker but significant correlations between maternal hyperglycemia and two other primary outcomes of this study (cesarean delivery and clinical neonatal hyperglycemia), as well as five secondary outcomes. A similar dose-response relationship was seen between increasing maternal glucose level and rising rates of these problems, Dr. Metzger and his associates said. In a separate study of gestational diabetes published in the same issue, Dr. Janet A. Rowan of Auckland City (New Zealand) Hospital and her associates in the Metformin in Gestational Diabetes trial found that metformin was "noninferior" to insulin in safety and efficacy, and was preferred by patients with overt disease. In that open-label study, Dr. Rowan and her associates compared oral metformin with insulin therapy in 733 women who had overt gestational diabetes and were followed at 10 New Zealand and Australian obstetric hospitals. The composite outcome of numerous neonatal complications, including hypoglycemia in the infant, was no different between the metformin group and the insulin group, at 32% in both. There also were no differences between the two groups in neonatal anthropometric measures or in umbilical cord serum insulin concentrations. The women preferred metformin to insulin. However, 46% of those who took metformin eventually required supplemental insulin as well, Dr. Rowan and her associates said (N. Engl. J. Med. 2008; 358:2003-15). Further follow-up data on the offspring are needed to determine the long-term safety of metformin use in pregnancy, they noted. ■


Using microcatheter blood pressure telemetry, the pressure-lowering effect of prindolol (Visken), a beta-blocking drug, was tested at a dose of 10 mg three time daily by mouth in eight patients with essential hypertension (WHO stage II) and low to normal plasma-renin activities. After about ten days of treatment, the hypertensive reaction to everyday physical exercise (walking, climbing stairs, bicycle ergometry) was especially favourably affected. The average blood-pressure reduction at rest was 18.6/12.1 (systolic/diastolic), on stair climbing 41.5/17.2 mm Hg.


Intercorrelation among surface chemical composition, packing structure of molecules, water contact angles, amounts and structures of adsorbed proteins, and blood compatibility was systematically investigated with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with continuous chemical composition gradients. The SAMs were mixtures of two thiols: n-hexanethiol (hydrophobic and protein-adsorbing) and hydroxyl-tri(ethylene glycol)-terminated alkanethiol (hydrophilic and protein-resistant) with continuously changing mixing ratios. From the systematic analyses, we found that protein adsorption is governed both by sizes of proteins and hydrophobic domains of the substrate. Furthermore, we found a clear correlation between adsorption of fibrinogen and adhesion of platelets. Combined with the results of surface force measurements, we found that the interfacial behavior of water molecules is profoundly correlated with protein resistance and antiplatelet adhesion. On the basis of these results, we conclude that the structuring of water at the SAM-water interface is a critical factor in this context.


The current paper analyses the similarities between the Bretton Woods system (BWS) and the Eurozone and looks into the future of the world monetary system. The gold standard, the Keynes Plan and the White Plan are identified as the most important sources of ideas that formed the BWS. Although Keynes was not particularly successful in Bretton Woods, his plan played a decisive role later on in the critique of the BWS as well as in the design of the European Monetary System. Either system was based on the concept of fixed exchange rates which were seen as more apt for international economic relations than flexible rates. In the BWS, fixed rates were seen to be achieved by coordinating economic policies of member states and by sporadic realignments of exchange rates. In the Eurozone, only policy coordination is available to fulfil this function. The favourable experience made so far with the euro may be utilised for monetary integration in other parts of the world. The Eurozone is also considered good practice for any reform of the international monetary system. Given the diverging political and economic goals of the major currency blocks, it may be questioned, however, whether the success of the euro also furthers the idea of developing a single world currency.


Defining Asian literature is always problematic, whether the terminology covers the literary work written by Asians, about Asian or by Asians about Asian(s). Regarding the issue, the women's position in defining Asian literature is even more problematic since women are considered secondary to men and cultural dominance themes. This paper aims at giving a contribution to what to add in defining Asian literature through the advancement of women's portrayal, position, and chance in three different female writers. The objects of the review are Ami Tan's The Joy Luck Club (1989), Ayu Utami's Saman published in 1998 and translated by Pamela Allen in 2005, Balzac's My Journey from Paris to Java (2010).  This study found that there is an advancement in the women's portrayal, position, and chance in Asia which are reflected in the three literary works. This advancement confirms the significance of women in representing Asia in the literary works as well as becoming its distinctiveness.


Droughts have warmed faster than the average climate in southern U.S.; these changes are likely driven by concurrent atmospheric moisture shifts. During droughts, low surface moisture may translate surface heating into warming, since excess energy will be converted into sensible heat instead of evaporating as latent heat. Recent concurrent occurrences of droughts and heatwaves have caused compounding ecosystem and societal stresses, which prompted our investigation of whether there has been a shift in temperatures under meteorological drought conditions in the United States. Using historical observations, we detect that droughts have been warming faster than the average climate in the southern and northeastern United States. Climate model projections also show a pronounced warming shift in southern states between the late 20th and 21st centuries. We argue that concurrent changes in vapor pressure deficit and relative humidity influence the amplified warming, modifying interactions between the land surface and the atmosphere. We anticipate that the magnified shift in temperatures will bring more concurrent extremes in the future, exacerbating individual impacts from high temperatures and droughts.


Rectangular waveguide stepped-impedance structures have been recently proposed to achieve band-pass filters with reduced sensitivity to fabrication tolerances and routing capabilities. In this paper, a novel method is presented to enhance their selectivity. The design technique preserves the advantages of the baseline filter while allowing the inclusion of transmission zeros in its band-pass frequency response. This is achieved by introducing λg/4-stubs in some of the filter sections following a modular design process which implies a quick redesign of the sections affected only. The inclusion of the transmission zeros does not alter the good in-band behavior of the original filter and the method avoids cumbersome optimization processes. The technique has been tested by designing a Ku-band filter with two transmission zeros, one on each side of the passband.


Many works have been written on the early Korean Catholic Church, but little has been said concerning the legal angle of the repression conducted by the Chosŏn state. Each anti-Christian campaign had a legal basis and was officially implemented in the frame of the legal system supported by the Great Ming Code, which was the penal code in use during the Chosŏn dynasty. The present study thus suggests that legal history may provide a suitable framework for the analysis of the anti-Christian campaigns of the nineteenth century and complement existing literature. I begin with investigating which laws were referred to during Catholic-related judicial cases and, then, I propose a few elements in order to explain why the government put such an emphasis on immediate decapitation, which was the gravest legal punishment. I also analyze how government officials enforced and misused the penal code to reach their objectives, and I conclude that laws, in the end, constituted an ideal means to justify the repression of Catholicism.


This paper defines regular and weakly regular equilibria for monotone Bayesian games with one-dimensional actions and types. It proves an index theorem and provides applications to uniqueness of equilibrium. It also provides analyses of stability with respect to perturbations and dynamic stability.


The fiber quality after a conventional drying treatment used for wood-plastic composites (WPCs) cannot be ascertained prior to use. Through the application of scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction, the effect of an impulse-cyclone drying (ICD) treatment on the quality of poplar wood fiber was first investigated. Subsequently, the effect of ICD conditions, such as inlet temperature, inlet wind velocity, and feed rate on the mechanical properties of WPCs and fiber dispersibility was considered. Also, the quality of fibers and WPCs was compared to those treated via an oven-drying method. Poplar wood fibers with a moisture content of 12.4% were pre-treated at different drying conditions by ICD. The obtained fibers were compounded with high-density polypropylene. The results showed that ICD could promote the hydration of poplar wood fibers and improve the mechanical properties of WPCs. The ICD-treated wood fibers were uniformly dispersed in the plastic matrix. With the increase of inlet temperature, the number of hydroxyl and carbonyl groups of poplar fibers decreased, whereas the degree of crystallinity increased as the in-let temperature and fiber meshes was increased. This study demonstrated the feasibility for the application of an ICD treatment in the WPCs production industry.


The evolution of an optical beam in a graded-index single-mode nonlinear optical fibre is treated by means of a variational principle. Approximate analytic solutions are obtained for the propagation characteristics of a cw Gaussian beam profile in the nonlinear optical fibre. We demonstrate that spot width variations depend only on a single parameter which encapsulates the dynamical interplay of diffraction, waveguiding, and nonlinear effects. Based on this parameter we can distinguish diffraction and self-focusing dominated regimes, and in a straight forward manner obtain the self-trapping and self-focusing conditions.


Metastatic tumours to the thyroid have been reported to arise from several organs.1,2 We describe a unique case of caecal neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) metastatic to the thyroid gland, mimicking a primary medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC).

A 56 year old woman was referred after complaining of dysphagia and hoarseness. Fifteen months before, she underwent surgery because of a well differentiated caecal NEC, low grade malignant, with metastases to the left ovary, the omentum, and the abdominal lymph nodes (World Health Organisation classification).3 The tumour was composed of spindle shaped cells, exhibiting scanty eosinophilic cytoplasm, salt and pepper nuclei, and inconspicuous nucleoli (fig 1). Neoplastic cells showed intense reactivity with antibodies against CAM 5.2, …


This paper addresses the existence and implementation of the infinitehorizon controller for the case of active steady-state input constraints. This case is important because, in many practical applications, controllers are required to operate at the boundary of the feasible region (for instance, in order to maximize global economic objectives). For this case, the usual finite horizon parameterizations with terminal cost cannot be applied, and optimal solutions are not generally available. We propose here an iterative algorithm that generates two finitehorizon approximations to the true infinite-horizon problem, where the solution to one of the approximations yields an upper bound on the true optimum, while the other approximation yields a lower bound. We show convergence of both bounding approximations to the optimal solution, as the horizon length in the approximations is increased. We outline a procedure, based on this result, to provide a solution to the infinite-horizon problem that is exact to within any user-specified tolerance. Two examples with comparison between optimal and suboptimal controllers are presented.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the incidence of severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and the management on the treatment and follow-up of this disease in Jiangsu Province, China.

METHODS
The neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia who were admitted to 13 hospitals in Jiangsu Province from January to December, 2018, were enrolled as subjects. A retrospective analysis was performed on their mediacal data and follow-up data.

RESULTS
In 2018, 740 neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia were reported from the 13 hospitals in Jiangsu Province, accounting for 2.70% (740/27 386) of the total number of neonates admitted to the department of neonatology. Among these neonates, 620 (83.8%) had severe hyperbilirubinemia, 106 (14.3%) had extremely severe hyperbilirubinemia, and 14 (1.9%) had hazardous hyperbilirubinemia. Four neonates (0.5%) were diagnosed with acute bilirubin encephalopathy. A total of 484 neonates (65.4%) were readmitted due to severe hyperbilirubinemia after discharge from the delivery institution, with a median age of 7 days, among whom 214 (44.2%) were followed up for jaundice at the outpatient service before readmission, with a median age of 6 days at the first time of outpatient examination. During hospitalization, 211 neonates (28.5%) underwent cranial MRI examinations, among whom 85 (40.3%) had high T1WI signal in the bilateral basal ganglia and the globus pallidus; 238 neonates (32.2%) underwent brainstem auditory evoked potential examinations, among whom 14 (5.9%) passed only at one side and 7 (2.9%) failed at both sides. The 17 neonates with acute bilirubin encephalopathy or hazardous hyperbilirubinemia were followed up. Except one neonate was lost to follow-up, and there were no abnormal neurological symptoms in the other neonates.

CONCLUSIONS
Neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia account for a relatively high proportion of the total number of neonates in the department of neonatology. Jaundice monitoring and management after discharge from delivery institutions need to be strengthened. For neonates with severe hyperbilirubinemia, relevant examinations should be carried out more comprehensively during hospitalization and these neonates should be followed up comprehensively and systematically after discharge.


Abstract Metapogonia snizekisp. nov. from northeastern Tanzania is described. The new species is compared with the morphologically closely similar species M. elgonensis (Burgeon, 1945). A previously unknown female of M. elgonensis is described, and the species is recorded from Uganda for the first time. Relevant diagnostic characters (parameres, shape of male protarsomeres, female pygidium) are illustrated.


In interactive machine translation (MT), human translators correct errors in automatic translations in collaboration with the MT systems, which is seen as an effective way to improve the productivity gain in translation. In this study, we model source-language syntactic constituency parse and target-language syntactic descriptions in the form of supertags as conditional context for interactive prediction in neural MT (NMT). We found that the supertags significantly improve productivity gain in translation in interactive-predictive NMT (INMT), while syntactic parsing somewhat found to be effective in reducing human effort in translation. Furthermore, when we model this source- and target-language syntactic information together as the conditional context, both types complement each other and our fully syntax-informed INMT model statistically significantly reduces human efforts in a French–to–English translation task, achieving 4.30 points absolute (corresponding to 9.18% relative) improvement in terms of word prediction accuracy (WPA) and 4.84 points absolute (corresponding to 9.01% relative) reduction in terms of word stroke ratio (WSR) over the baseline.


Determinations of structure functions and parton distribution functions have been recently obtained using Monte Carlo methods and neural networks as universal, unbiased interpolants for the unknown functional dependence. In this work the same methods are applied to obtain a parametrization of polarized Deep Inelastic Scattering (DIS) structure functions. The Monte Carlo approach provides a bias-free determination of the probability measure in the space of structure functions, while retaining all the information on experimental errors and correlations. In particular the error on the data is propagated into an error on the structure functions that has a clear statistical meaning. We present the application of this method to the parametrization from polarized DIS data of the photon asymmetries A1p and A1d from which we determine the structure functions g1p(x,Q2) and g1d(x,Q2), and discuss the possibility to extract physical parameters from these parametrizations. This work can be used as a starting point for the determination of polarized parton distributions.


This article examines the nafkah iddah of divorce lawsuit in the Islamic Law Compilation (KHI) Article 149 (b) and the verdict issued by the Supreme Court Number 137/K/AG/2007. It also analyses their legal basis based on the Jasser Auda's maqāṣid al-sharī'ah approach concerning the preservation of life and treasure. The primariy objective of this article is to find the main differences between the KHI and the Verdict in determining the nafkah iddah of divorce suit. Although some scholars have concerned about the case of nafkah iddah , the Jasser Auda's maqāṣid al-sharī'ah approach seems to be rare to be dealt with the case. Accordingly, the maqāṣidi approach will be mainly utilised in order to consider the effectiveness of both the KHI and the Verdict. This article finds that the KHI states that a wife who applies for a divorce is considered disloyal. As a consequence, she is undeserving of receiving nafkah iddah . The additional finding is that the Verdict decides that in the case of the divorce filled by the ex-wife, it brings a responsibility for the former husband to pay the nafkah iddah . From the perspective of maqāṣid al-sharī'ah , this article argues that the implementation of the Verdict gains better benefit rather than the KHI, because the legal basis evolved for the nafkah iddah of divorce suit is in line with the maqāṣid principles of the preservation of life and property. In the particular case, the principles tend to protect the ex-wife's safety and welfare after the divorce.


Press coverage of Myrtle McGraw's study of Johnny and Jimmy Woods was examined for the years 1933 to 1942 to illustrate how the shift from scientist to reporter as popularizer contributed to psychology's declining public image in the 1930s. McGraw attempted to determine whether or not a child's later motor performance might be accelerated through stimulation at an early age. Early reports of Johnny, the "conditioned" twin, outperforming his brother, Jimmy, attracted heavy publicity in the press of the day because the results were novel, controversial, timely, and of human interest. However, as it became apparent at a later age that the differences in motor performance between the twins were not so great, the press began to promote the study as a test of the efficacy of scientific child-rearing, suggesting that psychology was even less effective than common sense in the raising of a child.


The incidence and cause of premature corpora lutea failure and the response to luteinizing hormone treatment was investigated in superovulated dairy goats. Does were treated with 1000 IU pregnant mare serum gonadotropin intramuscularly, followed by either luteinizing hormone (treated group) or saline (control group). Serum progesterone concentrations were used to monitor corpus luteum function. The dose of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin used induced superovulation in a majority of the does, but the responses varied depending on the time of year. Premature regression of the corpora lutea occurred in 4 of 18 does after pregnant mare serum gonadotropin treatment, but there was no difference in the incidence of corpora lutea failure between treated and control groups. Decreases in serum progesterone concentrations were evident by day 3 after ovulation in does that experienced corpora lutea failure indicating this to be the critical time for premature regression of the corpora lutea in superovulated does.


In the present study, strain-rate dependence and temperature dependence of failure mode are numerically simulated by finite element analyses. In the analyses, interface failure and matrix failure are expressed by cohesive zone modeling and continuum damage mechanics, respectively. It is assumed that the damage initiates dependently of strain rate and temperature, and cohesive zone modeling is assumed to be temperature- and time-independent. In the continuum damage mechanics, Christensen's failure criterion of multi-axial stress states for each strain rate are applied into the resin properties. Interfacial strength which is obtained by microbond test is introduced into cohesive zone modeling. When temperature is high and/or strain rate is low, matrix crack occurs very often and the failure mode is matrix-failuredominant mode. On the other hand, when temperature is low and/or strain rate is high, interface crack significant, i.e. failure mode becomes interface-crack-dominant mode.


Studies were made on the incorporation of uracil into RNA in different tissues in rats subjected to procedures designed to alter protein metabolism and tissue growth. Starvation, hypophysectomy, growth hormone, and cortisone were employed for this purpose, in rats with and without transplanted tumors. After the administration of growth hormone, uracil incorporation into liver RNA increased in adult rats but decreased in young, intact, and hypophysectomized animals and also in the RNA of certain tumors. Cortisone, in a dosage that decreased this incorporation in "preneoplastic" liver, had no such effect on normal liver, regenerating liver, the tumors studied, or the livers of the tumor-bearing animals. Starvation resulted in increased incorporation into RNA of tumors and of normal and regenerating liver, but not into RNA of the livers of the tumor-bearing animals. In the presence of a mammotropic tumor, incorporation of uracil was depressed in tissues in which high values are obtained characteristically. Utilization of this auxiliary pathway of nucleic acid biosynthesis in the rat may be variably influenced in different cells by hormonal and nutritional factors. This may serve to reveal differences among tissues that may not be apparent otherwise.


A full appreciation of die fourteenth edition of the National Formulary requires an understanding of its purpose, its historical relation to the United States Pharmacopeia and the unique circumstances under which it was prepared. The purpose of the National Formulary is the establishment of official tests and standards of identity, strength, quality and purity for the articles admitted. The National Formulary must be reviewed with this purpose in mind and cannot be critically analyzed with respect to its usefulness, or lack thereof, to the contemporary physician or pharmacist. In reference to the stated purpose, three major changes were made in this edition. First, the tests have been modified and improved so that they now conform to current pharmaceutical analysis and drug standardization procedures. Second, the format of the monographs has been amended. Solubility and descriptive information have been removed from the tests and standards section, implying that these two factors are no longer legal requirements for product identification. Finally, the fourteenth edition contains the first officially adopted tests for container tightness. These tests have obvious implications for the pharmacist with regards to the repackaging of pharmaceuticals and is of special interest to the institutional pharmacist, for unitdose packages must also meet the new standards. Moisture permeation tests are included and official definitions are given for "tight" and "well-closed" containers. Thus, this edition presents up-dated information and provides new perspectives on the tests and standards used to evaluate pharmaceuticals. The fourteenth edition of the National Formulary is significant also in that it adds another dimension to the historical relationship between it and the U.S.P. As a legal document the National Formulary carries all the power and prominence of its counterpart. However, since it was originally established to provide standards for drugs omitted from the older publication, it is frequently thought of as "the other U.S.P." The fourteenth edition represents an attempt to overcome this image not only through the improvements and changes mentioned above, but also through the inclusion of over three hundred new articles. One can speculate that the admissions policy was influenced by the impending merger and it is interesting to note that some of the new articles described are of the type once reserved for the pages of the U.S.P., and not die traditional province of the National Formulary. Both publications include a separate section on pharmaceutical aids in their forth-coming editions. A knowledge of the circumstances under which it was prepared is an essential criterion for evaluating die current edition. The National Formulary Board probably found this task somewhat trying and nostalgic, for the fourteenth edition will be the last. A portion of the preface contains an explanation of the transfer of the responsibility of die N.F. to the United States Pharmacopeial Convention. The Board is to be congratulated on its enthusiastic endorsement of the consolidation.


To the Editor.— We read with interest the report by Novick et al 1 regarding the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in parturient women in New York State. In Italy, where cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) among women and children represent 17.7% and 3.2%, respectively, of all patients with AIDS reported, we carried out a program similar to that described by Novick et al. Using blood samples collected on adsorbent paper during June through December 1988 for the routine detection of hereditary metabolic disorders, we examined for the presence of anti-HIV antibodies (HIV-Ab) 23 492 consecutive newborn babies from 63 hospital nurseries in nine Italian regions. At the National Blood Transfusion Center of the Italian Red Cross, one blood-saturated disk was punched out from each collection paper, without identification of the patient. The sample was eluted in phosphate-buffered saline as described previously 2 and screened for HIV-Ab