OBJECTIVE
Zinc (Zn) plays an important role in immune function. Several studies have identified an association between a Zn deficiency and infection. Infectious diseases are major complications of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We investigated whether serum Zn concentrations are associated with risk of infection in patients with advanced CKD.

DESIGN AND METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed data from 299 patients with CKD whose serum Zn values were measured to evaluate anemia between January 2013 and December 2016. Among them, 9 who were supplemented with Zn and 67 who had started urgent dialysis at the time of measurement were excluded. We analyzed infection events, length of infection-related hospitalization and infection-related and all-cause mortality in the remaining 223 patients during a median follow-up of 36 months. We assigned the patients to groups with low or high Zn values (≤50 and >50 μg/dL, respectively) based on a median value of 50 μg/dL. Data were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox hazards models.

RESULTS
During a median follow-up of 36 months, 40 patients were hospitalized with infections. The rate of infection-related and long-term hospitalization (>10 days) due to infection was higher for patients with low, than high, Zn values (23.3% vs. 12.6%; P = .042 and 26.2% vs. 12.4%; P = .007, respectively). After adjustment in Cox hazards models, low serum Zn values remained an independent risk factor for infection-related hospitalization (Hazard ratio [HR], 1.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-3.71; P = .048), especially for patients on proton pump inhibitor (PPI) medications (HR, 2.66, 95%; CI, 1.22-5.81; P = .014).

CONCLUSION
Patients with advanced CKD accompanied by low serum Zn concentration, and particularly those medicated with PPI, are at high risk of infection-related hospitalization, which results in long-term hospitalization.


A chemical-based insect repellent such as N, N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) is commonly used against all insects despite its toxicity in humans. Hence, a repellent agent from natural sources of plant essential oil was introduced. Some of the plants which have the repellent potential are catnip, hairy basil, citronella, vetiver, clove, and citrus. Citronellal, citronellol, geraniol, eugenol, eugenol-acetate, and beta-caryophyllene are among the repellent active components in these plants. Citrus hystrix (kaffir lime) was known for several applications in food, health, and skincare, but its potential as mosquito repellent is still new. This overview paper highlights the potential of kaffir lime essential oil as a mosquito repellent and the encapsulation of essential oil related to mosquito repellent. Several studies on kaffir lime essential oil as mosquito repellent was conducted and revealed that the major repellent active components are citronellol and limonene. Pure kaffir lime essential oil provides one-hour repellent protection against the mosquito. However, an addition of 5% vanillin prolongs the protection time to three hours. Essential oil is easily vaporized at room temperature which shortens its effectiveness time. Encapsulation of the essential oil would control the vaporization process and hence prolong its efficiency. Nonetheless, almost no research work reported on the encapsulation of kaffir lime essential oil and the release mechanism of the encapsulated kaffir lime.


Under temperate and subtropical latitudes, ewes and goats display a reproductive seasonal pattern and their sexual activity during the anestrous period can be stimulated and synchronized by the introduction of males in the group, which is called the "male effect". The response of females to the male effect in the middle of the anestrous season is weak or absent. This failure may be due to the inability of the female to respond to males, as a result of a refractoriness of the female to the male stimulus. But, it may also be due to a low quality stimulus provided by the male which is, as the females, in seasonal rest. We tested this latter hypothesis in seasonally inactive goats kept under subtropical conditions by comparing the use of males with their sexual behavior stimulated or not by photoperiodic treatments. Treated males were able to induce estrous activity of females during the whole anestrus season. We have also determined that previous separation of the males and continuous contact during teasing are not absolute requisites when active bucks are used. While odor from the male and its sexual behavior play a primary role in inducing ovulation, vocalizations appear to facilitate the display of the does' estrous. It remains to be determined to which extent these conclusions apply under temperate latitudes and with more seasonal breeds.


This text aims at understanding everyday life in a rural school between 1930 and 1950 through the memories of teachers who worked in Regiao Colonial Italiana (RCI region of Italian immigration) in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. We understand that RCI is the region of the old colonies Conde d'Eu, Dona Isabel, and Caxias, which today are Caxias do Sul, Garibaldi, Carlos Barbosa, and Bento Goncalves municipalities. This region was occupied, from 1875 on, by immigrants, predominantly Italian ones. In the period under study, 1930 to 1950, we emphasize the expansion of the public school system and the nationalization actions carried out by Vargas government. As for theoretical framework, we draw on contributions from Cultural History. For methodology, we use Historic Documental Analysis and Oral History. The documents produced from teachers' narratives belong to two collections: the memory bank of Arquivo Historico Municipal Joao Spadari Adami (AHMJSA Joao Spadari Adami Municipal Historical Archive) and Instituto Memoria Historica e Cultural (Historical and Cultural Memory Institute), which is kept by Universidade de Caxias do Sul. To the oral collections, we have added many documents from municipalities and administrative organs of education. We narrate teachers' stories of life, who are mostly women who became teachers because they had the minimum knowledge required for the job and due to an absolute lack of qualified teachers. Their experiences in isolated rural schools allow us to (re)construct everyday life, aspects of communitarian life, and specially school life. These lay teachers have told us about how they organized their classes, what they taught, how they proceeded in heterogeneous classes. They also talked about their relationship with students and their families, which are, therefore, aspects of the school culture of these rural isolated classes, which mark the history of education.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in time use between Korean and American high school students. The data sources were the `2009 Time Use Survey` conducted by Korea National Statistical Office and the `2009 ATUS (American Time Use Survey)` conducted by Labor Statistics Division in the U.S.. 1,734 Korean diaries (1,311 on weekdays and 423 on Sundays) and 321 American diaries (208 on weekdays and 113 on Sundays) from high school students of 15 to 18 years of age were analyzed. Descriptive statistics and t-test were used for the statistical analysis. The time use patterns of Korean students on weekdays and Sundays were different than those of their American counterparts. On weekdays and Sundays, the sleeping time of Korean students was 2 hours less than the time of their American counterparts. Koreans studied more, nearly double the time of their American counterparts on weekdays and five times more on Sundays. The study-oriented time allocation of Korean students resulted in less leisure time than the American students. Korean students spent their leisure time of more than 30 minutes participating in social activities, media, and hobbies, and their time allocation to volunteer work and religious activities were nil. On Sundays, the time for studying by Korean students was more than five times longer than that spending by their American counterparts. Koreans used their leisure time of 6 hours and 47 minutes mainly for media, hobbies and social activities. The participation rate of volunteering by Korean students was only 0.5%, though it was 31.0% for the Americans. For a study-life balance for Korean students, it was recommended that trends toward time management and social policy should increase the time allocation to sleeping, housework, work, sports, and volunteering and decrease the time use in studying and hobbies.


An application specific integrated circuit for the pressure and temperature measurement at the high temperature oil well bottom conditions is presented in this paper. The circuit is mainly composed of three high performance automatic level controlled (ALC) oscillator circuits, which drive three external crystals (the sensitive elements), as well as mixing and filtering stages. The integrated circuit was successfully tested up to 220/spl deg/C, showing a frequency resolution of 0.0003 ppm (0.0007 psi, for the pressure measurement) and a drift of 1.5 Hz/month (0.5 psi/month) concerning, respectively, the short- and long-term measurement stability. A drastic reduction of the whole measurement tool size and cost was then allowed by means of this application specific BiCMOS integrated circuit.


In this letter, a new physical 1/f noise model is developed for double-stack high-k dielectric MOSFETs. This new model modifies the trapping-time-constant term in multistack unified noise model. Conventional 1/f noise model is built on the simple square potential approximation which did not account the electric field dependence on trapping time constant. The new model takes into account of a resultant tunneling process from the actual sloped potential in order to eliminate the discrepancies of dielectric trap density on the dielectric thickness and the gate bias. Our model successfully predicts 1/f noise data obtained from SiO2/HfO2 double-stack high- k devices with various gate-dielectric thicknesses using a single set of modeling parameter.


We analyze the network congestion game with atomic players, asymmetric strategies, and the maximum latency among all players as social cost. This important social cost function is much less understood than the average latency. We show that the price of anarchy is at most two, when the network is a ring and the link latencies are linear. Our bound is tight. This is the first sharp bound for the maximum latency objective.


Legionella pneumophila (Lp) is a waterborne bacterium known for causing Legionnaires' Disease, a severe pneumonia. Cooling towers are a major source of outbreaks, since they provide ideal conditions for Lp growth and produce aerosols. In such systems, Lp typically grow inside protozoan hosts. Several abiotic factors such as water temperature, pipe material and disinfection regime affect the colonization of cooling towers by Lp. The local physical and biological factors promoting the growth of Lp in water systems and its spatial distribution are not well understood. Therefore, we built a lab-scale cooling tower to study the dynamics of Lp colonization in relationship to the resident microbiota and spatial distribution. The pilot was filled with water from an operating cooling tower harboring low levels of Lp. It was seeded with Vermamoeba vermiformis, a natural host of Lp, and then inoculated with Lp. After 92 days of operation, the pilot was disassembled, the water was collected, and biofilm was extracted from the pipes. The microbiome was studied using 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes amplicon sequencing. The communities of the water and of the biofilm were highly dissimilar. The relative abundance of Legionella in water samples reached up to 11% whereas abundance in the biofilm was extremely low (≤0.5 %). In contrast, the host cells were mainly present in the biofilm. This suggest that Lp grows in host cells associated with biofilm and is then released back into the water following host cell lysis. In addition, water temperature shaped the bacterial and eukaryotic community of the biofilm, indicating that different parts of the systems may have different effects on Legionella growth.


Supplying a comprehensive introduction to next-generation networks, Building Next-Generation Converged Networks: Theory and Practice strikes a balance between how and why things work and how to make them work. It compiles recent advancements along with basic issues from the wide range of fields related to next generation networks. Containing the contributions of 56 industry experts and researchers from 16 different countries, the book presents relevant theoretical frameworks and the latest research. It investigates new technologies such as IPv6 over Low Power Wireless Personal Area Network (6LoWPAN) architectures, standards, mobility, and security. Presenting the material in a manner that entry-level readers can easily grasp the fundamentals, the book is organized into five parts: Multimedia Streamingdeals with multimedia streaming in networks of the futurefrom basics to more in-depth information for the experts Safety and Security in Networksaddresses the issues related to security, including fundamental Internet and cyber-security concepts that will be relevant in any future network Network Management and Traffic Engineeringincludes coverage of mathematical modeling-based works Information Infrastructure and Cloud Computingintegrates information about past achievements, present conditions, and future expectations in information infrastructure-related areas Wireless Networkingtouches on the various aspects of wireless networks and technologies The text includes coverage of Internet architectures and protocols, embedded systems and sensor networks, web services, Cloud technologies, and next-generation wireless networking. Reporting on the latest advancements in the field, it provides you with the understanding required to contribute towards the materialization of future networks. This book is suitable for graduate students, researchers, academics, industry practitioners working in the area of wired or wireless networking, and basically anyone who wants to improve his or her understanding of the topics related to next-generation networks.


A 58-year-old female was diagnosed as mitral regurgitation and tricuspid regurgitation, combined with liver cirrhosis (T. Bil 2.3 mg/dl, ICG-R 37%) and pancytopenia (Hb 9.4 g/dl, WBC 3,000, Plt 56,000). She underwent mitral and tricuspid annular plications. After extracorporeal circulation, the postoperative platelet count was maintained higher than preoperative one by transfusion of platelet-rich plasma. Administration of FOY was begun during operation. Levels of T. Bil. and BUN were highest at 15th postoperative day and decreased gradually. Postoperative pleural effusion was treated by administration of 25% albumin solution keeping the level of Alb. up 3.5 mg/dl.


Introduction: Depression is one of the most prevalent and disabling psychological disorders.The present study aims to relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and worry and metacognitive beliefs in people with symptoms of depression. Aim: The present study aims to relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and worry and metacognitive beliefs in people with symptoms of depression. Method: The research method in terms of purpose is Basical and in terms of implementation method is descriptiverelationship. The study population consists of all patients with depression, psychiatric clinic of Tabriz.The sample consists of 40 patients with major depression who were selected through convenience sampling method. The Standard data collection tools in this research are Metacognitive beliefs of the questionnaire, Pennsylvania concerns a questionnaire and intolerance of uncertainty questionnaire. Results: Statistical data analysis using multiple regression analysis was used. The results showed that the intolerance of uncertainty and worry and metacognitive beliefs in depressed patients there was a significant positive correlation. Multiple regression analysis showed that the structures IU and beliefs could explain 45% of the changes concern. Conclusion: This study is consistent with results of previous studies suggest that taking IU and beliefs in education programs and psychological interventions can prevent emotional disorders, reduction and effective treatment.


Abstract Coughing is one of the most frequent presenting symptoms of many diseases affecting the airways and the lungs of both humans and animals. In piggeries, the continuous on-line monitoring of cough sound can be used to build an intelligent alarm system for the early detection of diseases. In a first study, with experiments under laboratory conditions, algorithms have been developed to detect cough sounds and to classify the animals whether they were ill or not. In this study, the algorithm was tested in field conditions. Pig cough sounds were registered on 44, 150 days old, 60 kg heavy Landrace x Large White x Duroc crosses, by an operator holding a microphone at about 20 to 50 cm from the pigs head. From these sound files, feature vectors were extracted, containing information on the sound energy, spectral properties and time derivates. These feature vectors were compared to a reference set by means of a dynamic time warping algorithm. This leads to a two class classification: ill, no ill. The classification was checked by a veterinarian and found to be correct in 86 % of the cases.


This paper aims to demonstrate how 'research by design,' which is an approach bridging research, design, and planning, can help unpack the complexity of today's metropolitan challenges by considering the resource flows and processes that were omitted by traditional ways of planning. This is crucial for circular developments. By reporting the experience of two university design studios across Europe, this paper can contribute to a better understanding and imagination of desirable future scenarios of resilient regions. The experiments carried out in the Regional design studio: 'Spatial Strategies for the Global Metropolis' held at TU Delft are described alongside with the exercises carried out in the design studio 'Laboratory of Urbanism' of the MAPA Course, held at DiARC UNINA. Both courses focused on the regeneration of wastescapes as a fundamental part of holistic adaptation strategies for more resilient and circular regions. Climate change issues related to resilience thinking have been interwoven with other complex challenges such as the co-existence of wastescapes and land scarcity as well as spatial injustice. Through a 'research by design' approach, these different aspects are brought together to achieve a holistic approach for urban resilience.


AIMS
We aimed to address the question on whether there is a place for shoulder stabilization surgery in patients who had voluntary posterior instability starting in childhood and adolescence, and later becoming involuntary and uncontrollable.

METHODS
Consecutive patients who had an operation for recurrent posterior instability before the age of 18 years were studied retrospectively. All patients had failed conservative treatment for at least six months prior to surgery; and no patients had psychiatric disorders. Two groups were identified and compared: voluntary posterior instability starting in childhood which became uncontrollable and involuntary (group VBI); and involuntary posterior instability (group I). Patients were reviewed and assessed at least two years after surgery by two examiners.

RESULTS
In all 38 patients (40 shoulders) were included: group I (20 shoulders), with involuntary posterior instability (onset at 14 years of age (SD 2.3), and group VBI (20 shoulders), with initially voluntary posterior instability (onset at 9 years of age (SD 2.6) later becoming involuntary (16 years of age (SD 3.5). Mean age at surgery was 20 years (SD 4.6 years; 12 to 35). A posterior bone block was performed in 18 patients and a posterior capsular shift in 22. The mean follow-up was 7.7 years (2 to 18). Recurrence of posterior instability was seen in nine patients, 30% in group VBI (6/20 shoulders) and 15% in group I (3/20 shoulders) (p > 0.050). At final follow-up, the shoulder's of two patients in each group had been revised. No differences between either group were found for functional outcomes, return to sport, subjective, and radiological results.

CONCLUSION
Although achieving stability in patients with so-called voluntary instability, which evolves into an involuntary condition, is difficult, shoulder stabilization may be undertaken with similar outcomes to those patients treated surgically for involuntary instability. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(12):1760-1766.


We consider the conversion of gravitons and photons as a four-wave mixing process. A nonlinear coupled system of equations involving two gravitons and two photons is obtained, and the energy exchange between the different degrees of freedom is found. The scattering amplitudes are obtained, from which a cross section for incoherent processes can be found. An analytical example is given, and applications to the early universe are discussed.


Engineering systems are typically governed by systems of high-order differential equations which require efficient numerical methods to provide reliable solutions, subject to imposed constraints. The conventional approach by direct approximation of system variables can potentially incur considerable error due to high sensitivity of high-order numerical differentiation to noise, thus necessitating improved techniques which can better satisfy the requirements of numerical accuracy desirable in solution of high-order systems. To this end, a novel inverse differential quadrature method (iDQM) is proposed for approximation of engineering systems. A detailed formulation of iDQM based on integration and DQM inversion is developed separately for approximation of arbitrary low-order functions from higher derivatives. Error formulation is further developed to evaluate the performance of the proposed method, whereas the accuracy through convergence, robustness and numerical stability is presented through articulation of two unique concepts of the iDQM scheme, known as Mixed iDQM and Full iDQM. By benchmarking iDQM solutions of high-order differential equations of linear and nonlinear systems drawn from heat transfer and mechanics problems against exact and DQM solutions, it is demonstrated that iDQM approximation is robust to furnish accurate solutions without losing computational efficiency, and offer superior numerical stability over DQM solutions.


Photolytic ligand displacement and salt metathesis routes have been exploited to give access to κ(1) σ-alane complexes featuring Al-H bonds bound to [W(CO)(5)] and [Cp'Mn(CO)(2)] fragments, together with a related κ(2) complex of [Cr(CO)(4)]. Spectroscopic, crystallographic, and quantum chemical studies are consistent with the alane ligands acting predominantly as σ-donors, with the resulting binding energies calculated to be marginally greater than those found for related dihydrogen complexes.


Soil quality attributes, and their contribution to soil function, are inherently linked to agricultural productivity, and the longterm sustainability of agriculture relies on protecting and improving our soils. The influence of soil quality on productivity and ecosystem services has been under-represented in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to date. Recent efforts by the UNEPSETAC Life Cycle Initiative and the European Commission JRC have devised impact assessment frameworks that capture the ecosystem service functions of land, including soil functions. However, there is still ambiguity over the terms used to describe soil processes, elementary flows, and impact indicators. This paper explores important soil processes, identifies how elementary flows can be estimated, and explores how different aspects of soil quality can be characterised to give an integrated assessment of impact. In doing this, we define the language and terms used in the impact pathway that will help delineate inventory development from development of impact assessment methods. We discuss how the tools now available, through the growth of GIS data on land use, soils, and climate, open up the opportunity to parametrise LCI directly with the relevant elementary flows and construct LCIA methods, so that they are matched to real production systems. ( Resume d'auteur)


Tables of Spectra of Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen Atoms and Ions completely updates Charlotte E. Moore's energy levels and multiplet tables derived from analyses of optical spectra of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. The book contains data for neutrals and for all stages of ionization. Configurations, term designations, J-values, energy levels, and ionization potentials are provided as well. The book will benefit astronomers, atomic and optical physicists, plasma physicists, and chemists.


This paper examines the connection between certain island phenomena for long distance movement, and matching island conditions on focus projection. Based on a description of focus projection that Lisa Selkirk and Michael Rochemont formulate, I take the basic pattern to be that pitch accent on a word may license focus marking on a phrase only if the pitch accented word is not separated from the focus marked phrase by a phrase in Specifier position or in adjunct position. Long distance movement operations are similarly incapable of moving a phrase out of a phrase in Specifier or adjunct position. Using Chomsky's notion of "phase," I argue that this is because Specifiers and adjuncts are phonological phases, and make proposals about what movement and focus projection is that thereby derives this effect. I then propose an interpretation of Chomsky's Bare Phrase Structure that derives the phaseness of these phrases.


CALIFORNIA PATH PROGRAM INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORTATION STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Paramics API Development Document for Actuated Signal, Signal Coordination and Ramp Control Henry X. Liu, Lianyu Chu, Will Recker University of California, Irvine California PATH Working Paper UCB-ITS-PWP-2001-11 This work was performed as part of the California PATH Program of the University of California, in cooperation with the State of California Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency, Department of Trans- portation; and the United States Department Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the State of California. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. Report for MOU 3013 February 2001 ISSN 1055-1417 CALIFORNIA PARTNERS FOR ADVANCED TRANSIT AND HIGHWAYS


In this paper, we investigate how to use the complete flexibility of P-circuits, which realize a Boolean function by projecting it onto overlapping subsets given by a generalized Shannon decomposition. It is known how to compute the complete flexibility of P-circuits, but the algorithms proposed so far for its exploitation do not guarantee to find the best implementation, because they cast the problem as the minimization of an incompletely specified function. Instead, here we show that to explore all solutions we must set up the problem as the minimization of a Boolean relation, because there are don't care conditions that cannot be expressed by single cubes. In the experiments we report major improvements with respect to the previously published results.


We report here a comparative analysis of sweet cherry (Prunus avium) fruits proteome induced by salicylic acid (SA) at different maturity stages. The results demonstrated that SA enhanced the resistance of sweet cherry fruits against Penicillium expansum, resulting in lower disease incidences and smaller lesion diameters, especially at earlier maturity stage. Based on proteomics analysis, 13 and 28 proteins were identified after SA treatment at earlier (A) and later (B) maturity stage, respectively. Seven antioxidant proteins and three pathogenesis related‐proteins were identified at both A and B stages, while five heat shock proteins and four dehydrogenases were only detected at B stage. SA treatment also stimulated higher transcript levels of peroxidase, but repressed that of catalase. Moreover, some proteins regulated by SA at B maturity stage were identified as enzymes involved in glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid cycle. These findings indicated that younger sweet cherry fruits showed stronger resistance against pathogen invasion after SA treatment. It further indicated that antioxidant proteins were involved in the resistance response of fruits at every maturity stage, while heat shock proteins and dehydrogenases might potentially act as factors only at later maturity stages.


Using Brownian dynamics simulations, density functional theory, and analytical perturbation theory we study the collapse of a patch of interfacially trapped, micrometer-sized colloidal particles, driven by long-ranged capillary attraction. This attraction is formally analogous to two-dimensional (2D) screened Newtonian gravity with the capillary length λ as the screening length. Whereas the limit λ→∞ corresponds to the global collapse of a self-gravitating fluid, for finite λ[over ^] we predict theoretically and observe in simulations a ringlike density peak at the outer rim of a disclike patch, moving as an inbound shock wave. Possible experimental realizations are discussed.


This study will seek to encourage communication scholars to take a more active interest in insuring optimum health care for society to the extent that communication can contribute to that accomplishment. It will seek to specify the kinds of communication taking place in physician-patient relationships, identify the major variables relating to the communication process of that relationship and suggest possible directions the relationship and the research may be taking. Three basic statements emerge. First, in seeking to successfully deal with a persistent health care problem, we must come to grips with communication as a significant variable. Second, although we know something about communication in the patient-physician arena, we need to know much more. Third, communication researchers can make important contributions in the ongoing struggle of a modern generation to cope with its medical ills.


Arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptides preferentially bind to alphavbeta3 integrin, an integrin expressed on newly formed endothelial cells and on various tumor cells. When labeled with beta-emitting radionuclides, these peptides can be used for peptide-receptor radionuclide therapy of malignant tumors. These studies aimed to investigate whether tumor targeting and tumor therapy could be optimized by dose fractionation. The RGD-peptide DOTA-E-[c(RGDfK)]2 was labeled with 111In for biodistribution experiments and with 90Y for therapy experiments. In mice with NIH:OVCAR-3 ovarian carcinoma xenografts, optimal tumor uptake was obtained at peptide doses up to 1.0 microg (4.8 %ID/g). A peptide dose of 5 microg, required to administer the maximum tolerable dose (MTD) 90Y-DOTA-E-[c(RGDfK)]2, was administered as 5 portions of 1.0 microg. Tumor uptake of the fifth portion was significantly higher than that of the single 5.0 microg portion (3.3 %ID/g versus 2.1 %ID/g). The therapeutic efficacy of 37 MBq 90Y-DOTA-E-[c(RGDfK)]2 (1 x 5.0 microg) was compared with that of 37 MBq administered in five equal portions (5 x 1.0 microg). No difference in tumor growth between the fractionated and the nonfractionated therapy was observed. In conclusion, dose fractionation resulted in higher radiation doses. However, therapeutic efficacy of the radiolabeled peptide was not significantly improved by dose fractionation.


In this paper, we propose a low complexity pipeline FFT processor for MIMO-OFDM systems with four transmitting and four receiving (4 × 4) antennas. The proposed FFT processor is based on multi-channel structure which enables to support multiple data streams efficiently. With mixed-radix algorithm, the number of non-trivial multiplications of the proposed FFT processor are decreased. Implementation results show that the proposed FFT processor reduces the required number of logic gates by 25% over the conventional 4-channel R4MDC FFT processor which has been considered to be the most area-efficient FFT processor for 4 × 4 MIMO-OFDM systems.


This paper presents the use of flood frequency analysis integrating with 1D Hydraulic model (HECRAS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) to prepare flood hazard maps of different return periods in Ayeyarwady River at Mandalay City in Myanmar. Gumbel's distribution was used to calculate the flood peak of different return periods, namely, 10 years, 20 years, 50 years, and 100 years. The flood peak from frequency analysis were input into HEC-RAS model to find the corresponding flood level and extents in the study area. The model results were used in integrating with ArcGIS to generate flood plain maps. Flood depths and extents have been identified through flood plain maps. Analysis of 100 years return period flood plain map indicated that 157.88 km with the percentage of 17.54% is likely to be inundated. The predicted flood depth ranges varies from greater than 0 to 24 m in the flood plains and on the river. The range between 3 to 5 m were identified in the urban area of Chanayetharzan, Patheingyi, and Amarapua Townships. The highest inundated area was 85 km in the Amarapura Township.


The feasibility of implementation of asymmetric barriers (ABs) made of common materials for completely aluminum-free diode lasers is studied. The ABs adjoining a low-dimensional active region on both sides aim to prevent bipolar population in the waveguide layers and thus to suppress parasitic recombination therein, which in turn would enhance the efficiency and temperature-stability of the device. Our search algorithm for appropriate AB materials relies on the minimization of undesired carrier flow (electrons or holes passing through the active region toward the p- or n-type doped cladding layer, respectively), while maintaining the useful flows of hole and electron injection into the active region. Using an example of an 808-nm GaInAsP laser, it is shown that the n- and p-side ABs can be made, for instance, of GaInPSb and GaInP, respectively. In such a laser, the parasitic recombination flux can be suppressed by a factor of 60 for electrons and 200 for holes. It is found that the contribution of the indirect valleys to the electron flow through the p-side AB can be significant and even decisive in some cases. The contribution of light holes to the transmission through the ABs can also be considerable. The optimal thicknesses of the AB layers are determined and the chemical composition tolerances are estimated for a given flux suppression ratio.


We report x-ray reflectivity measurements of the internal structure of thin wetting films formed on a silicon substrate from the vapor of a binary mixture of methylcyclohexane ~MC! and perfluoromethylcyclohexane ~PF!. At T530 °C ~below the bulk consolute temperature of Tc'46 °C) variation in the difference in temperature between the substrate and the vapor induces changes in film thickness ~25 to 135 Å) that are consistent with complete wetting of both surfaces, with a MC-rich phase wetting the substrate and a PF-rich phase wetting the free surface. The width of the internal liquid/liquid interface, however, is found to be noticeably smaller than values predicted from the convolution of the intrinsic interfacial profile between bulk liquids with the capillary wave roughness as modified by dispersion interactions with the substrate. The difference is attributed to the effects of confinement. Although the width of the liquid/liquid interface is less well defined above the consolute point ( T560 °C), we still find PF enrichment at the free surface and MC enrichment at the substrate.


Evolving relations between carmakers and their parts suppliers have resulted in local, regional, and international shifts in the location of production. An upcoming Chicago Fed conference in Detroit will examine these ongoing structural changes, which are affecting the prospects for the U.S. auto industry's continued concentration in the Midwest. ESSAYS ON ISSUES THE FEDERAL RESERVE BANK MAY 2006 OF CHICAGO NUMBER 226


A significant problem arising in discursive green marketing practices is the growth of greenwashing; companies providing irrelevant, exaggerated or false information regarding a product's sustainable qualities. This has given rise to a number of issues yet has so far fallen short of being rigorously investigated. In this study, focus group discussions are used to provide one of the first assessments of the impact of greenwashing on consumers. The aim of the study is to gain an initial understanding of consumers' evaluation of different corporate green marketing messages both before and after disclosing greenwashing strategies used in the messages, as well as how this affects their perception towards the brands and their purchase intention. The findings from five focus group discussions indicate that the source of the message, eco-labels, brand perception and brand knowledge have a great influence on the perceived credibility of the message. The impact on buying behaviour of disclosing greenwashing strategies is influenced by a number of factors but even in cases where it does not directly result in a change of buying behaviour, consumers felt that being made aware of greenwashing was important to their overall decision making process. More importantly, from a practical tenacity, this research shows evidence that greenwashing influences credibility and opens avenues for further research.


Public policy plays an increasing role in emergency cardiac care. Barriers to increasing the survival rates for sudden cardiac arrest have been laid down by legislators and regulators at the state and federal levels. Legislative activities must complement scientific advances to achieve a fully functioning chain of survival.


In a bounded domain $G$ with smooth border studied boundary value and spectral problems for operators of the rotor (vortex) and the gradient of the divergence $+\lambda\,I$ in the Sobolev spaces. For $\lambda\neq 0$ these operators are reducible ( by B. Veinberg and V. Grushin method) to elliptical matrices and the boundary value problems satisfy the conditions of V. Solonnikov's ellipticity. Useful properties of solutions of these spectral problems follow from the theory and estimates. The $\nabla \text{div}$ and $ \text{rot}$ operators have self-adjoint extensions $\mathcal{N}_d$ and $\mathcal{S}$ in orthogonal subspaces $\mathcal{A}_{\gamma }$ and $\mathbf{V}^0$ which formed from potential and vortex fields in $\mathbf{L}_{2}(G)$. Their eigenvectors forme orthogonal basis in $\mathcal{A}_{\gamma }$ and $\mathbf{V}^0$ elements of which are presented by Fourier series and operators are transformations of series. We define analogues of Sobolev spaces $\mathbf{A}^{2k}_{\gamma }$ and $\mathbf{W}^m$ orders of $2k$ and $m$ in classes of potential and vortex fields and classes $ C (2k,m)$ of their direct sums. It is proved that if $\lambda\neq Sp(\mathrm{rot})$ the operator $ \text{rot}+\lambda\,I$ displays the class $C(2k,m+1)$ on the class $C(2k,m)$ one-to-one and continuously. And if $\lambda\neq Sp(\nabla \mathrm{div})$ operator $\nabla \text{div}+\lambda\,I$ maps class $C(2(k+1), m)$ on the class $C(2k,m)$, respectivly.


Background: Since December 2019, Novel coronavirus pneumonia has been reported from Wuhan, China, we try to analysis the clinical, biological and epidemiological characteristics among the COVID-19 confirmed patients, and find the variation of different clinical staging.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on all patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted for care at Fifth Medical center of PLA General Hospital in Peking, we used the respiratory or blood samples by RT-PCR or highly homologous with COVID-19 by sequencing of virus genes is positive result was the diagnosis standard for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia.

Results: 55 patients (23 female and 32 male) clinical, biological and epidemiological characteristic were collected in our study, the age of them ranging from 3 to 85 years with the mean age was 44.93 years (SD=17.86). 34/55 had travelled or lived in Wuhan or Hubei, and 29/55 had contact with confirmed patients, 4 patients had no the travel or contact history. The most confirmed patients had the fever (47/55) and cough (28/55), fever (85.45%), pneumonia (65.45%), and cough (50.91%) were important sign of COVID-19, the time from exposure to morbidity were ranging from 1 to 22 days with mean time was 7.84 (4.78) days. IL-6 (56.85%), Lactic acid (48.89%), CPR (41.82%), and ESR (39.22%) were significant improvement than normal, and CD4 (44.73%), T-LYM (28.21%), B-LYMV (25.71%), NK-LYMV (25.71%), and CD8 (21.05%) had a decrease than normal.

Conclusion: All people are susceptible for COVID-19, most confirmed patients had the travel history to Wuhan or contact history with confirmed patient, poor immunity had a higher risk to get COVID-19 than others, the most common clinical symptoms are fever, cough, and weakness, the mean incubation in our study are 7.84 days, the confirmed patients usually had the IL-6, Lactic acid, CPR, and ESR. Elder and had anamnesis patients had the high risk of deterioration than others, and the clinical staging and complication had highly correlated.

Funding Statement: None.

Declaration of Interests: None.

Ethics Approval Statement: The study was approved by the Fifth Medical center of PLA General Hospital.


We have conducted a systematic study of the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the electrical resistivity of granular nanometric La2/3 Sr1/3 MnO3 ceramics. The results can be analysed within the framework of a model involving the existence of a Coulomb gap, EC , superimposed on a tunnelling barrier between individual grains, which produces a significant blockade at temperatures below ~100 K. Detailed data analysis allow us to separate the contributions from tunnelling and Coulomb gap and to determine their value and the grain size and magnetic field dependence. It is found that the Coulomb gap increases as 1/ where is the mean grain size and the interface surface barrier also becomes more prominent as is reduced.


Selected prototype characteristics of nonequiripple antimetric elliptic-function filters which can be realized in orthogonal cascaded dual-mode circular or square waveguide structures are presented. Cavity-coupling data for 4-, 6-, and S-section 0.01- and 0.05-dB-ripple passband designs with variable stopband levels are tabulated. Quantitative comparisons of elliptic and Chebyshev filter designs are also discussed, indicating the superior characteristics of elliptic networks.


There is increasing evidence regarding the prevalence of genetic cardiomyopathies, for which arrhythmias may be the first presentation. Ventricular and atrial arrhythmias presenting in the absence of known myocardial disease are often labelled as idiopathic, or lone. While ventricular arrhythmias are well-recognized as presentation for arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy in the right ventricle, the scope of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy has broadened to include those with dominant left ventricular involvement, usually with a phenotype of dilated cardiomyopathy. In addition, careful evaluation for genetic cardiomyopathy is also warranted for patients presenting with frequent premature ventricular contractions, conduction system disease, and early onset atrial fibrillation, in which most detected genes are in the cardiomyopathy panels. Sudden death can occur early in the course of these genetic cardiomyopathies, for which risk is not adequately tracked by left ventricular ejection fraction. Only a few of the cardiomyopathy genotypes implicated in early sudden death are recognized in current indications for implantable cardioverter defibrillators which otherwise rely upon a left ventricular ejection fraction ≤0.35 in dilated cardiomyopathy. The genetic diagnoses impact other aspects of clinical management such as exercise prescription and pharmacological therapy of arrhythmias, and new therapies are coming into clinical investigation for specific genetic cardiomyopathies. The expansion of available genetic information and implications raises new challenges for genetic counseling, particularly with the family member who has no evidence of a cardiomyopathy phenotype and may face a potentially negative impact of a genetic diagnosis. Discussions of risk for both probands and relatives need to be tailored to their numeric literacy during shared decision-making. For patients presenting with arrhythmias or cardiomyopathy, extension of genetic testing and its implications will enable cascade screening, intervention to change the trajectory for specific genotype-phenotype profiles, and enable further development and evaluation of emerging targeted therapies.


The combination of proteomics with highly specific and sensitive affinity techniques is important for the identification of posttranslational modifications by reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS). One of the most pressing problems with this approach is to determine accurately the extent of modification of specific amino acids, such as cysteine residues, in a complex protein sample. A number of techniques relevant to free radical biology use biotin tagging as a method to follow protein modification with high sensitivity and specificity. To realize the potential of this approach to provide quantitative data, we have prepared a series of biotinylated proteins through the modification of lysine residues. These proteins were then used as quantitative standards in electrophoretic separation of protein samples labeled with biotin-conjugated iodoacetamide. The utility of the approach was assessed by measuring modification of thiols in response to exposure to thiol oxidants, as well as the amount of protein adduct formation with a biotin-tagged electrophilic lipid. Furthermore, using a combination of native and biotin-tagged cytochrome c, this method was used to quantitate the amount of thiol relative to the amount of protein in a given spot on a two-dimensional gel. Thus, we have developed a versatile, cost-effective standard that can be used in proteomic methods to quantitate biotin tags in response to oxidative stress.


In the title complex, [Cu(C9H6N3O3S)2(H2O)4]·2H2O, the CuII atom lies on an inversion centre and is coordinated by four water molecules in equatorial positions and two N atoms from two 4-(4-pyridyl)pyrimidine-2-sulfonate ligands in apical positions. The asymmetric unit contains half of the complex and one free water molecule. The water molecules, including the uncoordinated water molecules, and sulfonate O atoms are involved in O—H⋯O and O—H⋯N hydrogen-bonding interactions.


This paper has demonstrated a simple method to fabricate a large-area (~1 cm2) well-ordered gold nanodot array pattern with high throughput at low cost. At first, self-assembled polystyrene (PS) spheres are closely packed on a water surface, and then transferred from the water surface to a solid substrate by dip coating. This results in a large-area defect-free close-packed PS sphere monolayer template on the solid substrate. It is worthy noting that the large-area close-packed PS sphere template can be transferred to the surfaces of various solids including silicon, oxides and metals, offering great flexibility. Furthermore, the close-packed PS monolayer can be tailored to a loose-packed sphere array template by reactive ion etching (RIE) technique. The sphere size is reduced upon etching but the spacing between spheres retains unchanged. By utilizing the PS sphere template, gold nanodot arrays with feature size down to 30 nm have been fabricated.


The karyotypic characteristics of   chub, Squalius cephalus have been investigated by examining metaphase chromosomes spreads obtained from gill and kidney tissues. The fish used in the study were caught with fishing nets from Dumlu Stream, one of the main tributaries of the Karasu River. The live fish were transported to the laboratory,  kept in a well aerated aquarium before analysis and then  were injected intraperitoneally with doses of phytohemagglutinin, 0.01 ml.g-1 BW of 1% solution with 48-h interval to induce cell divisions. At the end of the period, the fish were injected intraperitoneally with doses of colchicine (0.01 ml.g-1 BW of 6% solution) and left for 3 hours before anesthesia and sacrificing. The best treatment parameters for preparing good metaphase chromosome spreads from the gill and kidney cells were performed as hypotonic  (0.075 M KCl) treatment for 50 minutes, fixation with cold Carnoy solution at 3:1 ratio (methanol: acetic acid) and a concentration of 5% Giemsa for 35 minutes. The diploid chromosome number of this species was 2n = 50. The fundamental arm number (FN) was 92. The karyotypes were composed of 5 metacentric, 11 submetacentric, 5 subtelocentric and 4 acrocentric chromosome pairs (10 M + 22 SM + 10 ST + 8 A). No sex chromosomes were cytologically detected in this fish.


BACKGROUND
To evaluate the efficacy of a miniaturized portable transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) unit (ReliefBand) as an adjunct to standard antiemetic therapy for controlling nausea and vomiting induced by cisplatin-based chemotherapy in gynecologic oncology patients.

METHODS
Forty-two patients were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-subjects trial with a follow-up crossover trial. All patients received a standardized antiemetic protocol, then wore the ReliefBand continuously for 7 days.

RESULTS
Thirty-two patients were evaluable for the parallel-subjects component, 16 in each group. The percentage of patients with absent or minimal nausea was 59% overall, which was similar to that for both the active (56%) and placebo (62%) groups. The incidence and severity of nausea and vomiting was similar for each group. Eighteen patients completed two consecutive cycles and were evaluable for the crossover component. The average age of the crossover patients and their dose intensity were comparable with those of the overall study population (56.3 versus 58.6 years and 22.7 versus 22.7 mg/m2/week, respectively). The percentage of cycles with absent or minimal nausea was 47% overall, which was similar to that of the active (50%) and placebo (44%) cycles. However, the severity of nausea was significantly lower in the active cycles during days 2 to 4. Patients averaged less than one episode of vomiting daily in each cycle.

CONCLUSIONS
The ReliefBand is an effective adjunct to standard antiemetic agents for controlling nausea induced by cisplatin-based chemotherapy in gynecologic oncology patients.


This article seeks to address the debilitating challenge of cholera in Yemen and the space of nurses in curbingthe burden. Cholera in an infectious disease that easily spreads in unhygienic conditions though ingestion of humanwaste-contaminated food stuffs. The developing nations are at steeper slope of falling the eruption of cholera andYemen is already overburdened. In 2017 alone, over 2000 deaths were reported in Yemen despite the governmental,non-governmental and intergovernmental collaborative efforts to improve health burdens and meet the StandardDevelopment Goals of 2030. The outbreak of cholera in Yemen is common due to the persistent conflicts andpolitical violence that disrupts the healthcare service delivery. Nurses and midwives are thus left at the center of theplay to operate by the nursing care theories and models to improve the situation despite the challenges that thwartedthe efforts of other healthcare providers


In the run toward leaner supply chain, organisations have opted for new business paradigms which assume a strict selection between core and non-core activity, cutting costs and reducing waste in every supply chain processes. A number of research and case studies shows that the cost savings from these initiatives were admirable. However, this business ideology leads our supply chains to new extremes. Zero stock as an example of intense cost reduction policy and integrated supply chain management invariably comes with increased risks, related to raising vulnerability to delays and disruptions within supply chain. So the real picture is that lean strategy reduces costs and waste from supply chain, but also reduces supply chain resilience. Thus, creating and assessing the trade-off between cost savings (achieved through lean strategy) and resilience is rather than a necessary. This balance between efficiency and resilience could be reached through supply chain risk management concept. Hence, in this paper an attempt has been made to show how to use general supply chain risk management model to access appropriate balance between lean and resilience.


We constructed ZnO nanorods combining energy of surface and core atoms within B4 and B1 phases. Their morphologies were directly built up based on previous experiments and transformation path. ZnO nanorods were varied in diameter and length. By using density functional theory with GGA exchange-correlation functional, the surfaces were cleaved from the optimized crystal structures at various different pressures in both B4 and B1 phases. A slab model with a fixed top atomic layer was employed to achieve the surfaces under high pressure. The finding shows transition pressure increases with decreasing diameter and as well as increasing length of nanorods, which is in good agreement with previous experiments.


When she was a child, Myrtle Eppler was afraid to stand in front of her class at school. But God turned her into a bold preacher who served Him for over 100 years. She shared her inspiring story in this article written after her 100th birthday in 2015, before going to be with the Lord in March 2016.


The aim of genomic selection (GS) is to predict breeding values with high accuracy for young animals (without own phenotypic record) as early as possible. GS can increase the accuracy of the breeding values at the time point of selection, but often the number of available animals for the reference set within an organization (subpopulation) is the limiting factor. One possibility to overcome this problem is to enlarge the reference population by combining closely (or distantly) related subpopulations within a breed, a so called multi-subpopulation reference population. The assessment of predictive ability of genomic breeding values when using single- and multi-subpopulation references sets within a breed for the trait number of piglets born alive (NBA) was conducted in Chapter 2. Furthermore, a comprehensive comparison of different genomic relationship matrices (partly accounting for subpopulation structures) was investigated to assess their usefulness for multi-subpopulation approaches.
Superiority of multi-subpopulation predictions in pigs compared to within-subpopulation predictions turned out to be rather small. Although predictions were performed within one breed (i.e. Large White), but different subpopulations, no increase or even a decrease in predictive ability was observed. Anyway, closely related subpopulation reference sets performed better than distantly related subpopulation reference sets. Despite the low differentiation of the subpopulations (low FST-values), the genetic connectedness between different subpopulations seems to be too small to improve the prediction accuracy by using multi-subpopulation reference sets, which may be caused by the separate breeding work of different German pig breeding organizations and have led to stratified subpopulations within the breed German Large White. The consideration of possible substructures through the use of different genomic relationship matrices in genomic estimations was also only partially successful. For practical application, resources of pig breeding companies should be used genotyping animals (boars and sows) within organization to create a sufficient large reference population which should be updated continuously.
Since GS is considered to be state-of-the-art in animal breeding, a comprehensive comparison of different genomic models, multi- and single-step, was performed for NBA and two breeds (German Landrace and German Large White) in Chapter 3. Multi-step methods consist of mainly three parts with many parameters and multiple assumptions: (i) constructing of a response variable for genotyped animals that integrate all phenotypic information, (ii) exploiting the association between response variable and marker information through genomic prediction, and (iii) blending the genomic information with parental average. If assumptions in those steps are violated, loss of information, inaccuracies and biases may arise. One possibility to overcome these issues is the single-step method. In single-step methodology, all available information (i.e. pedigree, phenotypic and genetic) is combined within a single model.
Assessment of predictive abilities for young genotyped animals indicated that both genomic methods, multi- and single-step, outperformed conventional predictions, while single-step provided higher reliabilities than multi-step. Bias was assessed by regression of corrected phenotypes on the different genomic breeding values. Predictions were less biased for single-step compared to multi-step. In general, reliabilities and predictive abilities for young animals were relatively small for both breeds, which may be caused by (i) small numbers of genotyped animals in general, (ii) rather moderate reliabilities of pseudo-observations, (iii) low numbers of genotyped progenies per boar and (iv) only few parent-offspring-links between reference and validation set. In order to potentially improve prediction accuracy and reduce bias of genomic predictions, an adjustment of G through sophisticated weighting and scaling strategies was performed. However, an increase of predictive ability through adjustment was not successful for both small empirical data sets. For practice, single-step turned out to be useful and conceptually convincing approach for NBA in moderately sized German Large White and German Landrace populations.
Although GS is considered to be the preferred method, accurately estimated conventional breeding values through (consequent) performance testing along with recording phenotypes still remains one of the most important steps in the animal breeding schemes. Fertility traits such as NBA are economically important and included in most breeding schemes. In order to improve efficiency of breeding programs (and efficiency of piglet producers), traits like mothering ability (MA) of a sow, piglet survival (PS) or number of piglets weaned (NOW) from a sow have become more and more important. Therefore, knowledge of genetic parameters of fertility traits is necessary to estimate conventional breeding values accurately, to combine fertility traits in selection and to optimize breeding schemes. In Chapter 4 estimates of genetic parameters for e.g. heritability, repeatability, genetic and phenotypic variances and correlations between traits were calculated in order to evaluate an appropriate model for the routine breeding value estimation for a German pig breeding organization. The analyzed traits were: NBA, NOW, MA, PS and farrowing interval (FI). Variable selection for fixed effects was performed and different models (bivariate animal or repeatability model) were used to estimate genetic components.
Genetic components were generally close to literature means, although estimated variance components strongly depended on the population structure and data set used, which made a direct comparison (of differences) difficult. However, estimates of additive genetic variance, heritability and genetic correlation indicated that the amount of genetic variation for selection was large enough to improve the traits studied. Trends observed from the data already showed an improvement of NBA (NOW) per sow and year. For the routine breeding value estimation, a bivariate animal model should be used for NBA and NOW, in which the first parity and subsequent parities should be considered as different traits. A repeatability animal model should be used for MA, PS and FI. With regard to animal welfare of sow and piglet, decreasing individual birth weights and biological limitations of reproduction performance of a sow, especially PS and MA are getting more and more important and thus should be further addressed and studied.


Introduction: Ethiopian communities highly depend on local plants to safe and sound their survival and health. Local trees are subjugated and used intensively for medicinal uses. Objective: The aim of the present study was too carried out phytochemical analysis of organic extract of Hagenia abyssinica and to find out antihelmentic property of Hagenia abyssinica. Methods: Hagenia abyssinica female flower extracts was used for plant component analysis and for determination of antihelmentic activity. Earth worm (Pheretima posthuma) strains were used for experimental purpose. Disc diffusion method was used to assess the antibacterial effect of the extracts on micro-organisms. Results: The phytochemical screening indicated the presence of flavonoids, tannins, steroid, alkaloid, saponins in all extracts. Antibacterial and antihelmentic activity of Ethanolic, Methanolic, Hexane and Petroleum Ether extract of Hagenia abyssinica female flowers was highly active against Adult earthworm (Pheritima posthuma) and active against Staphyloccoccus aureus and showed less activity against Salmonella typhi. Conclusion: The present study finally demonstrates that Hagenia abyssinica is a good source of various phytochemical such as Saponins, Phlobathanins, Flavonoids, Anthraquinones, Phenols, Terpenoids, Alkaloids, Steroids, Glycosides, Tannins. The antibacterial activity Hagenia abyssinica was clearly shown by the present study against bacteria. All these preliminary reports affirm an in depth analysis of the usefulness of Hagenia abyssinica as miracle drug against various ailments.


Data encryption techniques are used to protect data against hackers. Text-to-Image encryption algorithm (TTIE) is an encryption algorithm proposed for data encryption. The TTIE algorithm is used to map a given text into an image. The algorithm was analyzed and it was found that the dominant time is the storage time, i.e., saving images on the hard disk). In this paper, it is analyzed that the TTIE algorithm on a single machine when a large data collection is used. A high running time is recorded. To overcome this problem a distributed TTIE (DTTIE) algorithm is proposed in order to investigate reducing the encryption time. In DTTIE a server is responsible for distributing a large data collection (5.77 GBytes) among a cluster of nodes in a round robin fashion. Each node encrypts the document it receives into an image and then stores the resulting image on its local disk. In this paper the speed up of the proposed algorithm DTTIE is calculated.


A method proposed by W.H. Senn has proven to be a powerful tool in the analysis of power line carrier (PLC) systems on horizontal transmission lines. A similar method, applicable to the more general case of delta transmission lines, would be highly desirable. In this paper, the validity of Senn's method, when applied to delta lines, is investigated first. Secondly, an extension to the method in order to account for the departure from the horizontal line geometry is proposed. The performance of Senn's method and of its extension are assessed by comparisons with exact modal transformations. It is concluded that the application of both Senn's method as a first approximation and its extension allow for the design of reliable PLC systems on delta transmission lines.


Extending the data set used in Beyer (2009) to 2017, we estimate I(1) and I(2) money demand models for euro area M3. After including two broken trends and a few dummies to account for shifts in the variables following the global financial crisis and the ECB's non-standard monetary policy measures, we find that the money demand and the real wealth relations identified in Beyer (2009) have remained remarkably stable throughout the extended sample period. Testing for price homogeneity in the I(2) model we find that the nominal-to-real transformation is not rejected for the money relation whereas the wealth relation cannot be expressed in real terms.


Three extraction methods were compared for their effectiveness in the quantitative removal of endotoxin from unused and used bulk water-soluble metalworking fluid (MWF) samples. Soluble, synthetic, and semisynthetic fluids were studied. The three modes of extraction consisted of (1) pyrogen-free water (PFW); (2) PFW and Tween 20 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate); and (3) PFW, Tween 20, and sonication. Results suggest that vigorous recovery methods yield higher amounts of endotoxin from MWF samples than mild recovery methods in PFW alone. Additional studies are required to aid in the understanding of the factors that significantly affect endotoxin extraction yields from these fluids.


This paper focuses on how people process information obtained directly (through own observation) or indirectly (through communication). In two experiments, participants read about a complex legal case partly consisting of directly or indirectly obtained information. Next, participants made judgments about who was guilty in the case. Participants made their judgments immediately (immediate decision condition), could consciously think about their judgments for a couple of minutes (conscious thought condition), or were distracted for a couple of minutes and then made their judgments (unconscious thought condition). Results indicated that judgments about who was guilty in the conscious thought condition suffered from directly obtained information but not from indirectly obtained information, whereas the reverse was found in the immediate judgment condition. Judgments made through unconscious thinking were not influenced by the distinction between directly and indirectly obtained information, and were always b...


This paper considers the problem of sampling clock synchronization and channel estimation for orthogonal-frequency-division multiplex (OFDM) systems. In such systems, when the number of subcarriers is large, a sampling clock frequency mismatch between the transmitter and the receiver dramatically degrades the performance. So far, the literature proposes ad hoc estimation algorithms. However, a complete performance analysis, especially the Crame/spl acute/r-Rao bound (CRB) derivation, remains to be done. Obviously, the channel-impulse response is unknown at the receiver and also needs to be estimated. Therefore, the CRB associated with this joint estimation is theoretically evaluated. When the number of subcarriers and the channel degree are large, very compact closed-form expressions for the CRB are obtained. Furthermore, along with the maximum-likelihood (ML) estimator, suboptimal estimation algorithms are introduced and compared with some existing approaches and with the CRB.


Viscoelastic flow through an abrupt planar contraction geometry above a certain Weissenberg number (Wi) is well known to become unstable upstream of the contraction plane via a central jet separating from the walls and forming vortices in the salient corners. Here, for the first time we consider three-dimensional (3D) viscoelastic contraction flows in a microfabricated glass square-square contraction geometry. We employ state-of-the-art microtomographic particle image velocimetry to produce time-resolved and volumetric quantification of the 3D viscoelastic instabilities arising in a dilute polymer solution driven through the geometry over a wide range of Wi but at negligible Reynolds number. Based on our observations, we describe new insights into the growth, propagation, and transient dynamics of an elastic vortex formed upstream of the 3D micro-contraction due to flow jetting towards the contraction. At low Wi we observe vortex growth for increasing Wi, followed by a previously unreported vortex growth plateau region. In the plateau region, the vortex circulates around the jet with a period that decreases with Wi but an amplitude that is independent of Wi. In addition, we report new out-of-plane asymmetric jetting behaviour with a phase-wise dependence on Wi. Finally, we resolve the rate-of-strain tensor D and ascribe local gradients in D as the underlying driver of circulation via strain-hardening of the fluid in the wake of the jet.


This study was conducted to compare the impact of NaCl, MgCl2 and CaCl2 on the germination of B. rapa rapa seed and seedling growth. Three varieties of salts (NaCl, MgCl2, and CaCl2) at different concentration (25, 50, 75 and 100 mM) and deionized water as control were used. A fifteen sterilized seeds were put in petri dishes containing 5 ml of deionized water or each salinity solution and kept in the growth chamber at twenty one ± 1°C. The experiment is conducted in a completely randomized design with nine replicates. The numbers of germinated seeds were recorded day by day till day tenth. On day 10th, the length of the hypocotyl, radicle and the biomass of seedlings were measured. Germination percentage, seed vigor and salt tolerance were calculated. Data were analyzed using SPSS windows version 21 (one way ANOVA p<0. 05 ) to determine the significant difference between treatment and followed Tukey at p<0.05 for means comparison. Results show the response of B. rapa rapa seed on NaCl, MgCl2, and CaCl2 is completely different. It indicates that the viability of (B. rapa rapa ) seed to germinate relatively high in NaCl followed by CaCl2 and MgCl2.


Foreword, Al Aynsley-Green. 1. Introducing the Study. 2. Implementation. 3. Involving Families in the Assessment Process. 4. The Experiences of Social Service Managers and Practitioners. 5. Inter-Agency and Inter-Professional Collaboration in Assessment of Children in Need. 6. Referrals: Findings from the Audit. 7. Initial Assessments: Findings from the Audit. 8. Core Assessment: Findings from the Audit. 9. The Cost of Undertaking Core Assessments, Pamela Meadows. 10. Conclusions and Implications for Policy and Practice. Appendix I. Aims and Methods. Appendix II. Tables. Appendix III. Time-sheet for social workers to record time spent in undertaking a core assessment. References


Structural equation model integrate factor analysis and path analysis of two mainstream model. Relationship has reserved variables for information complete and the processing of direct effect and indirect effect. Reflect more accurately of the real situation. In view of the student satisfaction important meaning for promoting higher education in china,this article carries on the questionnaire survey of 300 college students. According to the structural equation model about customer satisfaction evaluation model is established for the college student satisfaction model and the potential effects of factors on student satisfaction change was analyzed. The experiment data obtained shows that the data of satisfaction model presented in this paper is the same as what gotten from people software testing center. Therefore, college student satisfaction model based on structural equation model has a strong practical value.,which has a broad prospect.


It is important to establish a reliable and progressive model of the acrosome reaction. Here, we present a progression model of the acrosome reaction centering around the acrosomal membrane-anchored protein equatorin (MN9), comparing the staining pattern traced by MN9 antibody immunofluorescence with that traced by Arachis hypogaea agglutinin (PNA)-FITC. Prior to the acrosome reaction, equatorin was present in both the anterior acrosome and the equatorial segment. Since sperm on zona pellucida showed various staining patterns, MN9-immunostaining patterns were classified into four stages: initial, early, advanced, and final. As the acrosome reaction progressed from the initial to the early stage, equatorin spread from the peripheral region of the anterior acrosome toward the center of the equatorial segment, gradually over the entire region of the equatorial segment during the advanced stage, and finally uniformly at the equatorial segment at the final stage. In contrast, the PNA-FITC signals spread more quickly from the peripheral region of the acrosome toward the entire equatorial segment, while decreasing in staining intensity, and finally became weak at the final stage. MN9-immunogold electron microscopy showed equatorin on the hybrid vesicles surrounded by amorphous substances at advanced stage of acrosome reaction. Equatorin decreased in molecular mass from 40-60 to 35 kDa, and the signal intensity of 35 kDa equatorin increased as the acrosome reaction progressed. Thus, the established equatorin-based progression model will be useful for analyzing not only the behavior of equatorin but also of other molecules of interest involved in the acrosome reaction.


Sericulture is an important cottage industry of Assam producing natural silk of both Mulberry and Non-Mulberry silk. The sericulture industry is closely associated with the Assamese traditions and rituals. In non-mulberry silk, Muga silkworm which is endemic to North-East India only produce exquisite silks of golden color. Rearing of Muga silkworm is one of the important aspects to producing silk of high quality. The quality of the primary host plant i.e. Som (Persea bombycina Kost.) greatly affects the quality of cocoon and silk produced by these industries. Therefore, planting and growing a disease-free plant has its own importance in sericulture. However, Som is very susceptible to different foliar diseases caused by fungi, which can reduce the yield of leaf from 13.8 – 41.6% annually. Therefore, a comprehensive mycofloral study of the host plant is important to forecast the future diseases and design different disease management procedures. This study has been done for a period of two years from 2014 – 2016 in Goalpara district of Assam and overall mycoflora of pedosphere (rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere), phyllosphere and aerosphere were identified and correlated with the seasonal variation. The rhizosphere, air, and phylloplane was dominated by Rhizopus stolonifer (22.13%; 15.08; 24.01) while Aspergillus niger (12.63%) was the dominant flora of non-rhizosphere. Seasonal variation was found to play an important role in shaping the mycofloral community structure in soil and phyllosphere. In summer, soil was majorly dominated by Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Curvularia lunata while Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus clavatus, Penicillium chrysogenum dominated the winter soil. In phyllosphere, the Chatuwa and Jaruwa, the winter generations were mainly dominated by Rhizopus stolonifer. While as the environmental temperature gradually increased with relative humidity in Aheruwa, Bhodia, Kotia and Jethuwa generation there was a shift in diversity with a gradual increase in occurance of Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus flavus. Pestaloptiopsis disseminata one of the major pathogen of Som was found highest in aerosphere followed by phyllosphere and it was only dominated in Aheruwa generation. It was found that occurrence of P. disseminata were high when the temperature ranges between 25° – 28° with 70 −80% of relative humidity. This study provides a deep insight into the fungal diversity of host plant Som with respect to pedosphere, aerosphere, and phyllosphere and this knowledge can be used to better select the plantation area and design different disease management strategies to sustain and proliferate the industry for socio-economic development and to conserve its cultural essence.


We present an interstellar medium and stellar population analysis of three spectroscopically confirmed z > 7 galaxies in the ERO JWST/NIRCam and JWST/NIRSpec data of the SMACS J0723.3-7327 cluster. We use the Bayesian spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting code Prospector with a flexible star-formation history (SFH), a variable dust attenuation law, and a self-consistent model of nebular emission (continuum and emission lines). Importantly, we self-consistently fit both the emission line fluxes from JWST/NIRSpec and the broad-band photometry from JWST/NIRCam, taking into account slit-loss effects. We find that these three z = 7.6 − 8.5 galaxies (M⋆ ≈ 108 M⊙) are young with rising SFHs and mass-weighted ages of 3 − 4 Myr, though we find indications for underlying older stellar populations. The inferred gas-phase metallicities broadly agree with the direct metallicity estimates from the auroral lines. The galaxy with the lowest gas-phase metallicity (Zgas = 0.06 Z⊙) has a steeply rising SFH, is very compact (<0.2 kpc) and has a high star-formation rate surface density (ΣSFR ≈ 22 M⊙ yr−1 kpc−2), consistent with rapid gas accretion. The two other objects with higher gas-phase metallicity show more complex multi-component morphologies on kpc scales, indicating that their recent increase in star-formation rate is driven by mergers or internal, gravitational instabilities. We discuss effects of assuming different SFH priors or only fitting the photometric data. Our analysis highlights the strength and importance of combining JWST imaging and spectroscopy for fully assessing the nature of galaxies at the earliest epochs.


Abstract The khondalites of the Eastern Ghats Province, India represent a sedimentary sequence of shale–greywacke, but the relatively more ferruginous composition can be attributed to some mafic rocks in the provenance. While a high La/Sc ratio and an insignificant Cr-enrichment over V in the majority of samples indicate dominantly granitic source rocks; a low La/Sc ratio and high Cr/V ratio in some samples indicate some mafic source rocks as well. High La/Sc ratio, LREE (light rare earth element)-enrichment, negative Eu anomaly and negative ϵ values, along with evidence of significant weathering and recycling in the provenance, indicate Old Upper Continental Crust-type provenance. Nd-model dates indicate Palaeoproterozoic provenance, which could be the Eastern Dharwar Craton and/or the Napier Complex of East Antarctica. (La/Yb)N ratios are variable and their co-variance with both (La/Sm)N and (Gd/Yb)N are noticeable, and could be attributed to the complexity of possible provenance composition.


Gastric marginal zone lymphoma (GMZL) is strongly associated with Helicobacter pylori infection, which induces a chronic inflammatory response. Inflammation can result in DNA damage related to its severity, the cellular antioxidant capacity, and the integrity of DNA repair mechanisms. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) polymorphisms have been shown to be important mediators of inflammation, while glutathione S-transferase GST T1 and GST M1 polymorphisms are believed to affect cellular antioxidant capacity. We aimed to determine whether polymorphisms at the IL-1 and GST T1 and GST M1 loci modulate the risk of developing GMZL. Blood and biopsy samples were obtained for a historical series of 66 GMZL cases, whereas blood samples were available from 163 healthy controls. Genotypes were obtained for GST T1, GST M1, IL-1 RN, and IL-1B-31 using PCR-based techniques. H pylori infection was found in 86.0% of cases, whereas in the control population only 37.4% tested positive. The IL-1 RN 2/2 genotype was significantly associated with risk of GMZL (odds ratio [OR], 5.51; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.16-14.07), but not the IL-1B-31 genotype. Likewise, the GST T1 null genotype was strongly associated with risk of GMZL (OR, 9.51; 95% CI 4.57-19.81), but not the GST M1 genotype. Evidence was found of effect modification between the IL-1 RN and GST T1 genotypes (P =.02). The combination of the IL-1 RN 2/2 and GST T1 null genotype was most strongly associated with risk of GMZL (OR, 32.29; 95% CI 6.92-150-63). These results support the hypothesis that the risk of developing GMZL is influenced by inter-individual variation in the cellular inflammatory immune responses to H pylori infection, and to antioxidative capacity.


ABSTRACT Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) represent a great barrier to functional recovery for individuals with schizophrenia. It is important to use research on treatment of SUDs in schizophrenia to guide treatment recommendations and program planning. Objectives: We review studies of pharmacological and psychosocial interventions to treat SUDs in individuals with schizophrenia. Methods: The criteria used to select studies for inclusion are (1) the percentage of the sample with a schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis is at least 25%; (2) participants have a comorbid SUD or problem use of substances; (3) an intervention for SUD is provided; (4) a substance use-related outcome is measured; and (5) the study design enabled examination of pre–post outcome measures including open label trials, nonrandomized evaluations (quasi-experimental designs, nonrandom assignment to groups), or randomized controlled trials. Results: There are few psychopharmacology outcomes studies. Most have examined use of antipsychotic medications to treat SUDs in schizophrenia. Several trials have yielded positive findings for naltrexone in reducing drinking compared to placebo in this population. Motivational and cognitive-behavioral interventions are associated with decreased substance use in several trials. Conclusion: Treatment for SUDs is feasible within a range of settings and acceptable to many individuals with schizophrenia. All individuals with schizophrenia should be offered brief or more extended psychosocial interventions that incorporate discussion of personal reasons to change and training in cognitive-behavioral strategies to reduce use, cope with cravings and stress, and avoid relapse. Future research must include larger samples, longitudinal designs, and similar outcome measures across studies.


Cubane-type Mo3S4 cluster hydrides decorated with phosphine ligands are active catalysts for the transfer hydrogenation of nitroarenes to aniline derivatives in the presence of formic acid (HCOOH) and triethylamine (Et3N). The process is highly selective and most of the cluster species involved in the catalytic cycle have been identified through reaction monitoring. Formation of a dihydrogen cluster intermediate has also been postulated based on previous kinetic and theoretical studies. However, the different steps involved in the transfer hydrogenation from the cluster to the nitroarene to finally produce aniline remain unclear. Herein, we report an in-depth computational investigation into this mechanism. Et3N reduces the activation barrier associated with the formation of Mo-HHOOCH dihydrogen species. The global catalytic process is highly exergonic and occurs in three consecutive steps with nitrosobenzene and N-phenylhydroxylamine as reaction intermediates. Our computational findings explain how hydrogen is transferred from these Mo-HHOOCH dihydrogen adducts to nitrobenzene with the concomitant formation of nitrosobenzene and the formate substituted cluster. Then, a β-hydride elimination reaction accompanied by CO2 release regenerates the cluster hydride. Two additional steps are needed for hydrogen transfer from the dihydrogen cluster to nitrosobenzene and N-phenylhydroxylamine to finally produce aniline. Our results show that the three metal centres in the Mo3S4 unit act independently, so the cluster can exist in up to ten different forms that are capable of opening a wide range of reaction paths. This behaviour reveals the outstanding catalytic possibilities of this kind of cluster complexes, which work as highly efficient catalytic machines.


Plastic deformation of the commercial magnesium sheet alloy AZ31 under monotonous loadings has been investigated by means of mechanical tests and numerical simulations. Additionally to the commonly used uniaxial test two complementary mechanical tests have been performed: a biaxial test using cruciform specimens and a hydraulic bulge test. Both test lead to consistent results and evidence the differential strain hardening character of the considered material. A polycrystalline aggregate has been generated from measured texture data. Simulations using the visco-plastic self consistent (VPSC) scheme indicate the primary role of pyramidal slip in equibiaxial tension. Contours of equal plastic work have been generated using a methodology based on probing the aggregate in space of principal strains. The contours were compared with respective tests. Hardening parameters have been fitted in order to capture initial yield and evolution of iso-work contours. Limitations of the numerical framework's predictive capability as well as directions for parameter identification of phenomenological yield surfaces are formulated.


The COVID-19 pandemic heightened uncertainties in people's lives—and was itself a source of fresh uncertainty. We report a study of homeworkers on whether such uncertainties, and particularly those related to their work environment, are associated with lower levels of well-being and whether this association is exacerbated by prior poor well-being. We focus on five uncertainties surrounding the pandemic and employment—the virus, the job quality, workload, logistics of work lives, and support from the employer. Our empirical tests show that uncertainties around the virus, employer support, and their job quality have the strongest negative associations with well-being. These are based on data collected over three time periods in the first year of the pandemic from a sample of university staff (academics and non-academics) and well-being is measured on two continua, anxiety–contentment and depression–enthusiasm. The effects of uncertainties around workload and logistics are less pronounced, but more apparent among employees with better (not poorer) past well-being, at various times of the recession. The study adds to our understanding of the pandemic and highlights the need to link uncertainty to mental health more than it has in the past.


In the summer of 2021, users on the livestreaming platform Twitch were targeted by a wave of "hate raids," a form of attack that overwhelms a streamer's chatroom with hateful messages, often through the use of bots and automation. Using a mixed-methods approach, we combine a quantitative measurement of attacks across the platform with interviews of streamers and third-party bot developers. We present evidence that confirms that some hate raids were highly-targeted, hate-driven attacks, but we also observe another mode of hate raid similar to networked harassment and specific forms of subcultural trolling. We show that the streamers who self-identify as LGBTQ+ and/or Black were disproportionately targeted and that hate raid messages were most commonly rooted in anti-Black racism and antisemitism. We also document how these attacks elicited rapid community responses in both bolstering reactive moderation and developing proactive mitigations for future attacks. We conclude by discussing how platforms can better prepare for attacks and protect at-risk communities while considering the division of labor between community moderators, tool-builders, and platforms.


Abstract. Leadership is the ability to influence a group towards achieving goals. A leadership certainly has a benchmark of leadership success which will further be referred to as an indicator of leadership success, which is certainly related to the course of the organization during his leadership. The success of leadership is caused by several factors, one of which is spiritual intelligence. The purpose of this study is to describe the spiritual intelligence of President BES JA, the success of President BES JA's leadership, and the relationship between the two. This research is a descriptive type of research with a qualitative approach. The subjects of this study were the three old Presidents of BES JA. The results of this study are that the President of BES JA has a good relationship with Allah SWT and relations with fellow human beings and their leadership at BES JA in each period is considered quite successful in developing work programs, formulation and implementation of the regulations of the cottage, and the way BES JA stewardship wheels. And there is a link between spiritual intelligence and leadership success.


Background. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia (MRSAB) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Vancomycin (VAN) is the drug of choice for MRSAB, optimization of VAN dosing is challenging in the setting of an elevated MIC (>1-2mcg/ml). Daptomycin (DAP) is an alternative for MRSAB, however DAP MICs tend to be elevated among patients with elevated VAN MICs or that failed VAN, increasing the risk for DAP failure. Ceftaroline (CFT) is active against MRSA and may be considered in the management of MRSAB as well. We summarize our experience with CFT as salvage therapy (ST) for MRSAB and the correlation observed between elevated VANMIC and/or VAN failure and DAP MIC. Methods. All adult patients that received CFT ST for MRSAB following VAN failure and/or in the setting of elevated VAN MIC (>1-2 mcg/ml) between August 31, 2012 to April 30, 2014 were included. Patients were evaluated for clearance and duration of positive blood cultures, MIC data, ST regimen, and VAN duration. MIC methodology included: VAN (Vitek-2); DAP (Etest); CFT (agar dilution). Results. Six MRSAB patients initially treated with VAN received CFT ST. All patients received prior or concomitant DAP with CFT. Five of 6 patients received an additional anti-MRSA antibiotic. Median VAN duration was 9 days and median total duration of positive blood cultures was 8.5 days. 83.3% (N = 5) of patients grew MRSA isolates with a VAN MIC of 1-2 mcg/ml, 3 of these isolates were DAP non-susceptible (NS). An additional MRSA isolate found to be DAP NS occurred in a patient that received 25 days VAN, and was reported to have had an elevated VAN MIC based on outside hospital cultures that could not be confirmed. All isolates were susceptible to CFT (MIC of 0.5-1 mcg/ml). One patient died prior to documented clearance of blood cultures, the remaining 5 survived and cleared blood cultures within 2-3 days following CFT. Conclusion. CFT in combination with an additional agent is effective as ST for MRSAB, resulting in blood culture clearance within 2-3 days. MRSA isolates with elevated VAN MIC values and patients with prolonged courses of VAN exhibited elevated DAP MIC values. CFT may be preferred over DAP for MRSAB following VAN failure and/or an elevated VAN MIC given the prevalence of elevated DAP MICs. Disclosures. J. Pisano, Pfizer: Grant Investigator, Research grant


There has been a long debate on the relationship betwen investment on human resources and economic growth. This paper examines the affect of investment and three level of education, namely elementary school, junior high school, and senior high school, on regional economic growth in Central Java. It estimates a General Least Square on a pool data of 35 districts from 2004 to 2008. The results suggest that regional economic growth is influenced by investments and the growth of junior high school attainment. However the growth of senior high school attainment and growth of elementary school attainment do not affect regional economic growth. Keywords: Investment, education, regional economic growth, panel data JEL classification numbers: O15, O43


In 27 post-menopausal patients with soft-tissue lesions of advanced breast cancer, temperature changes in skin-over tumour have been evaluated for their ability to predict response to additive hormone therapy. The thermoprofile across the tumour and its bed was selected for measuring purposes in preference to other thermographic methods. Serial measurements were carried out before and during therapy, and the observations correlated with the clinical response to therapy. Of the 14 patients who showed decrease of at least 1 degree C in the thermoprofile peak value within 2 weeks of initiating hormonal therapy, 57% showed clinical evidence of tumour regression 3 months later. Of 13 patients who did not show this change, none showed tumour regression later.


Successful apparel brand management calls for crafting brand imagery, such as brand personality, around the apparel brand. Building a brand personality around the apparel brand is one way to form an attachment between consumers and the brands they choose to wear on the grounds of self-identification. The aim of this study is to explore the applicability of Aaker's (1997) brand personality dimensions to apparel brands for Generation Y in Turkey, one third of whose population belongs to this generation. Generation Y consumers posit a profitable target market for apparel brands, based on the size of the group and its apparel consumption. The findings of the study confirm the widely accepted brand personality dimensions of sincerity, excitement, competence and sophistication. Ruggedness, on the other hand, was not extracted, probably due Generation Y's postmodern way of life. The study found a new apparel brand personality dimension, uniqueness, which might be elaborated in detail in future studies. Another dimension that appeared in this study was traditionalism, which confirmed previous brand personality studies in Turkey. Implications for apparel brand managers are provided in terms of how to communicate their brand personality alternatives to Generation Y through conducting various marketing mix activities.


Steven Deering's multicast communication model offers a powerful and flexible service for group communicating processes. Sending a multidestination datagram with only one local source operation, implicit source discovery for an open group, and logical binding. All theses features without limits on group size and dynamics. This proposition, later called Any Source Multicast (ASM) has not been deployed at large scale on Internet partially because of the unscalability of multicast routing protocols. A new service model but potentially scalable to the whole Internet has been proposed : Source Specific Multicast (SSM). It is less powerful because it needs an explicit source discovery mechanism for receivers. In this paper, we propose and evaluate such a session layer mechanism. This protocol offers the source discovery service missing from source specific multicast routing. We have implemented this protocol, which permits us to evaluate its feasability and scalability.


More than 100,000 Somali refugees have resettled in the United States, creating a need for additional research about mental health needs and premigration experiences that precede resettlement. The purpose of this study was to learn more about premigration traumatic experiences, the process of acculturation following resettlement, and the relationship between premigration trauma, acculturation, and mental health. Eighty Somali refugees from two mid-sized Midwestern cities participated. It was hypothesized that acculturation would mediate the relationship between premigration trauma and mental health symptoms. The results partially supported this hypothesis, dependent upon the dimension of acculturation included in the path analysis. Unexpected relationships among the various acculturation dimensions in the model (American cultural identity, English language competency, and American cultural competency) occurred with traumatic experiences, mental health symptoms, and time in the United States. We discuss implications and directions for future research, practice, advocacy, and training.


This concept paper explores the use of extended reality (XR) technology in nursing education, with a focus on three case studies developed at one regional university in Australia. Tertiary education institutions that deliver nursing curricula are facing challenges around the provision of simulated learning experiences that prepare students for the demands of real-world professional practice. To overcome these barriers, XR technology, which includes augmented, mixed, and virtual reality (AR, MR, VR), offers a diverse media platform for the creation of immersive, hands-on learning experiences, situated within virtual environments that can reflect some of the dynamic aspects of real-world healthcare environments. This document analysis explores the use of XR technology in nursing education, through the narrative and discussion of three applied-use cases. The collaboration and co-design between nursing educators and XR technology experts allows for the creation of synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences beyond traditional nursing simulation media, better preparing students for the demands of real-world professional practice.


In contrast to making male body armor, manufacturers of body armor encounter problems in design and manufacture of female body armor because of the curvaceous body shape of females. The traditional cut-and-sew method could be used to form the dome shape to accommodate the bust area but it gives rise to weakness at the seams against projectile impact. Fabric folding has been another way to form the domes but it also leads to reduced impact performance and wearing discomfort. In this paper, angle-interlock woven fabrics are proposed as an alternative to the conventional plain woven fabrics in making female body armor due to their advantages in moldability without the need of cutting or folding and ease in manufacture. However, it is vital that the angle-interlock fabrics satisfy the ballistic requirements before being employed for the body armor application. Part Ι of this paper reports on an investigation on the ballistic performance of angle-interlock fabrics. It has been found that the angle-interlock fabric is not less than the conventional fabric constructions used for body armor against ballistic impact. Based on the employment of the angle-interlock fabric, Part ΙΙ presents the mathematical modeling of molding of angle-interlock fabrics to form the front panel of female body armor, which would lead to quick creation of female body armor based on the input of the body and bust sizes.