Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

Background:

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL) is the most common adult leukemia in the United States. Prior studies in Olmsted County, Minnesota, showed a CLL age and sex adjusted incidence rate of 6.6 per 100,000 during 1985-89. Subsequently, the definition of CLL is now based on the 2008 International Workshop on CLL (IWCLL) Guidelines. Individuals having a CLL immunophenotype by flow cytometry are classified as CLL if the absolute B-cell count (ABC) is >5 x 109/L or classified as monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) if ABC is <5 x 109/L. To assess the impact of these changes on the incidence of CLL and clinically discovered MBL, we conducted an incidence study in Olmsted County for the years 2000-2010.

Methods

Using diagnostic indexes available through the Rochester Epidemiology Project and the Mayo CLL database, we identified all CLL and clinically identified MBL cases from 2000-2010. Incidence rates and demographics were compared between the older National Cancer Institute-Working Groups 1996 guidelines (NCI-WG 96) defined as absolute lymphocyte count (ALC)> 5 x 109/L and the IWCLL 2008 guidelines defined as ABC > 5 x 109/L. Incidence rates were age and sex adjusted using the 2010 US white population. Time to treatment (TTT) survival analyses was from time of diagnosis to date of first treatment or last follow-up and Cox regression analysis was used.

Results

Using the NCI-WG 96 classification, there were 8 MBL cases and 115 CLLs in whom 61% were Rai stage 0, 34% were Rai stage 1-2, and 5% were Rai stage 3-4. Using the IWCLL 2008 classification, there were 44 MBL cases and 79 CLLs in whom 43% Rai stage 0, 49% were Rai stage 1-2 and 8% Rai stage 3-4. Median ALC at diagnosis was 8.1 x 109/L for CLL and 5.9 x 109/L for MBL. Median ABC count at diagnosis was 7.1 x 109/L for CLL and 2.8 x 109/L for MBL. The age and sex adjusted incidence rate (per 100,000) for CLL for 2000-2010 was 10.0 using NCI-WG 96 and 6.8 using IWCLL 2008. Rates for MBL were 0.66 using NCI-WG 96 and 3.5 using IWCLL 2008. The median TTT for CLL was 9.2 years using NCI-WG 96 and 6.5 years by IWCLL 2008.

Discussion

This study demonstrates that reclassification of CLL using the IWCLL 2008 guidelines decreases CLL incidence relative to the NCI-WG 96 criteria. For the first time, this population based study also establishes an incidence rate for clinically identified MBL. Approximately 50% of previously labeled Rai 0 CLL are now reclassified as MBL. Re-classification increases the percent of Rai stage 1-2 and decreases the percent of Rai 0 cases at diagnosis. Reclassification also substantially shortens the median TTT for newly diagnosed CLL cases classified by the 2008 criteria relative to the NCI-WG 96 criteria. In summary, the IWCLL 2008 reclassification has significant implications for incidence studies, staging, and prognosis of CLL and MBL.

Citation Format: Aaron D. Norman, Timothy G. Call, Curtis A. Hanson, Neil E. Kay, Clive S. Zent, Wei Ding, James R. Cerhan, Sara J. Achenbach, Kari G. Rabe, Celine M. Vachon, Emily J. Hallberg, Tait D. Shanafelt, Susan L. Slager. Incidence of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis in Olmsted county, 2000-2010: impact of the 2008 International Workshop on CLL Guidelines. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2287. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2287


The power computers increase and the specific calculation software development have made possible, nowadays, the numerical simulation of flow and energy transfer inside the turbomachinery. To teach Fluid Mechanics is not easy not only for the professors but also for the students because the theoretical part must be complemented with a technical part where students can see the phenomena. However, specially in hydraulic turbomachinery, we canit see the phenomena except if we have a specific material, for example a PIV. Even if we would have this material, the access to specific parts of turbomachinery is not possible due to its constructive layout. The use of numerical simulation tools allows us to obtain data in inaccessible positions for the experimentation, as well as the study of unusual or dangerous performances. With the numerical simulation, the pressure fluctuation at any point of the pump can be easily obtained. Other important results are the radial forces on the impeller, which have a significant variation with the working points. One of the advantages of this kind of modelling is the ease to carry out changes in the geometry, parametric studies and analysis of anomalous operation conditions.


BACKGROUND: The importance of the circumferential resection margin has been demonstrated in primary rectal cancer, but the role of the minimal tumor-free resection margin in locally recurrent rectal cancer is unknown. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this work was to evaluate the prognostic importance of a minimal tumor-free resection margin in locally recurrent rectal cancer. DESIGN: This was a single-institution, retrospective study. SETTINGS: This study was conducted in a tertiary referral hospital. PATIENTS: Based on the final pathology report, surgically treated patients with locally recurrent rectal cancer between 1990 and 2013 were divided into 4 groups: 1) tumor-free margins of >2 mm, 2) tumor-free margins of >0 to 2 mm, 3) microscopically involved margins, and 4) macroscopically involved margins. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Local control and overall survival were the main outcome measures. RESULTS: A total of 174 patients with a median follow-up of 27 months (range, 0–144 months) were eligible for analysis. There was a significant difference in 5-year local re-recurrence-free survival in favor of 41 patients with tumor-free margins of >2 mm compared with 34 patients with tumor-free margins of >0 to 2 mm (80% vs 62%; p = 0.03) and a significant difference in 5-year overall survival (60% vs 37%; p = 0.01). The 5-year local re-recurrence-free and overall survival rates for 55 patients with microscopically involved margins were 28% and 16%, and for 20 patients with macroscopically involved margins the rates were 0% and 5%. On multivariable analysis, tumor-free margins of >0 to 2 mm were independently associated with higher re-recurrence rates (HR, 2.76 (95% CI, 1.06–7.16)) and poorer overall survival (HR, 2.57 (95% CI, 1.27–5.21)) compared with tumor-free margins of >2 mm. LIMITATIONS: This study was limited by its retrospective nature. CONCLUSIONS: Resection margin status is an independent prognostic factor for re-recurrence rate and overall survival in surgically treated, locally recurrent rectal cancer. In complete resections, patients with tumor-free resection margins of >0 to 2 mm have a higher re-recurrence rate and a poorer overall survival than patients with tumor-free resection margins of >2 mm.


The health promoting school concept is now a well‐established framework for the development of health promotion initiatives in schools. Increasingly, attention has focused on the evaluation of school‐based health promotion and debate continues over appropriate evaluation designs for the school setting. The authors argue that the case study design provides a useful approach because of its ability to explore the real‐life complexities of social contexts using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, with a strong emphasis on process as well as outcome measures. The current ENHPS project in Scotland uses a multiple‐case study design to evaluate healthy eating initiatives in four schools, based on the principles of the health promoting school. Provides a description of the project and highlights the advantages of case study methodology in addressing key issues around effectiveness of school‐based health promotion based on the health promoting school concept.


The organizational trust literature relies strongly on the notion of trust and trustworthiness as a calculative cause-and-effect relationship aimed at assessing the advantages and disadvantages between two actors. This utilitarian notion of trust has been critiqued by studies that highlight construct inconsistencies related to utilitarian trust, which, it is argued, is deficient, incomplete and misleading. Our empirical study of the Dutch insurance sector identifies and categorizes three process inconsistencies that help to explain why the calculation of trust in a utilitarian sense is seemingly impossible in practice and is a barrier to the unambiguous assessment of individual needs and individual utility. These process inconsistencies successively concern insufficient information, complex behavioural dynamics, and a convoluted pattern of stakeholder influence to assess utility in trust relationships, specifically within complex socio-economic systems. Our findings contribute to the trust literature by proposing a classification of the previous critiques on utilitarian trust, and by showing that in scenarios of systematic rather than dyadic trust, process inconsistencies may be too strong to endure a 'leap of faith', at least with regard to suspension and assessing utilitarian trust in these more complex socio-economic systems.


Aggressive approach has been recommended for the treatment of gastric cancer. Therefore, it is justified to carry out total gastrectomy or upper gastric resection as an ultimate palliation in advanced gastric cancer. 214 patients with advanced gastric cancer have undergone such a palliative treatment. The results of these patients, including operative mortality, survival rate and quality of life, will be compared with the results of those patients who underwent other kinds of palliation such as gastroenterostomy, oesophageal intubation, Witzel fistula. A special designed spiral tuber for the treatment of stenosed and inoperable cardiac and oesophageal carcinoma will be described.


The logic I is the sentential logic defined in the language with just implication → by the axiom of reflexivity or identity " φ→φ " and the rule of Modus Ponens "from φ and φ→ψ to infer ψ". The theorems of this logic are exactly all formulas of the form φ→φ . We argue that this is the simplest protoalgebraic logic, and that in it every set of assumptions encodes in itself not only all its consequences but also their proofs. In this paper we study this logic from the point of view of abstract algebraic logic, and in particular we use it as a relatively natural counterexample to settle some open problems in this theory. It appears that this logic has almost no properties: it is neither equivalential nor weakly algebraizable; it does not have an algebraic semantics; it does not satisfy any form of the Deduction Theorem, other than the most general parameterized and local one that all protoalgebraic logics satisfy; it is not filter‐distributive; and so on. It satisfies some forms of the interpolation property but in a rather trivial way. Very few things are known about its algebraic counterpart, save that its intrinsic variety is the class of all algebras of the similarity type.


In this paper, we propose and analyze an abstract stabilized mixed finite element framework that can be applied to nonlinear incompressible elasticity problems. In the abstract stabilized framework, we prove that any mixed finite element method that satisfies the discrete inf-sup condition can be modified so that it is stable and optimal convergent as long as the mixed continuous problem is stable. Furthermore, we apply the abstract stabilized framework to nonlinear incompressible elasticity problems and present numerical experiments to verify the theoretical results.


This paper is concerned with the template-based face recognition from robot camera images with illumination and distance variations. The approaches used in this paper consist of Eigenface, Fisherface, and Icaface which are the most representative recognition techniques frequently used in conjunction with face recognition. These approaches are based on a popular unsupervised and supervised statical technique that supports finding useful image representations, respectively. Thus we focus on the performance comparison from robot camera images with unwanted variations. The comprehensive experiments are completed for a databases with illumination and distance variations.


Magnesium coatings were fabricated on stainless steel substrates (1Cr11Ni2W2MoV) by a plane magnetron sputteringtechnique. The argon pressure and the substrate condition (including temperature and the substrate was rotated orfixed) were varied in order to evaluate the influence of the parameters on the crystal orientation and morphology of thecoating. The corrosion behavior of the coatings in 1 wt pct NaCl solution was studied by electrochemical methods.The results showed that all coatings exhibited preferred orientation (002) as the argon pressure increased from 0.2 to0.4 Pa. The morphologies of the coatings varied with the argon pressure and with whether the substrate was rotatedor fixed. The open circuit potential of the coatings was more positive than that of cast AZ91D magnesium alloy.However, the immersion test in 1 wt pct NaCl solution showed that the corrosion rates of the coatings were higherthan that of cast AZ91D magnesium alloy.


Quantification of wheezing by a sensor system consisting of a wearable wireless acoustic sensor and smartphone performing respiratory sound classification may contribute to the diagnosis, long-term control, and lowering treatment costs of asthma. In such battery-powered sensor system, compressive sensing (CS) was verified as a method for simultaneously cutting down power cost of signal acquisition, compression, and communication on the wearable sensor. Matching real-time CS reconstruction algorithms, such as orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP), have been demonstrated on the smartphone. However, their lossy performance limits the accuracy of wheeze detection from CS-recovered short-term Fourier spectra (STFT), when using existing respiratory sound classification algorithms. Thus, here we present a novel, robust algorithm tailored specifically for wheeze detection from the CS-recovered STFT. The proposed algorithm identifies occurrence and tracks multiple individual wheeze frequency lines using hidden Markov model. The algorithm yields 89.34% of sensitivity, 96.28% of specificity, and 94.91% of accuracy on Nyquist-rate sampled respiratory sounds STFT. It enables for less than 2% loss of classification accuracy when operating over STFT reconstructed by OMP, at the signal compression ratio of up to 4 $\times$ (classification from only 25% signal samples). It features execution speed comparable to referent algorithms, and offers good prospects for parallelism.


Procedure of lower ritidectomy performance, taking into account analysis of parameters of the adipose/cutaneous flaps stretching and relaxation, was improved. Results of treatment of 30 patients, suffering involution ptosis of facial lower third, were analyzed. In 15 of them lower ritidectomy, using results of biochemical and morphological investigations, was conducted, and 15 were operated on in accordance to routine methods.


Coastal city-regions are dealing with new wicked problems due to climate change. Therefore, there is a demand for alternative paradigms and methodologies beyond the neoconservative perspective, demanding a transformative planning practice based on a territory-landscape plan as a catalyst for change. Landscape approaches are not 'new,' but they have become a driving paradigm in the international realm during the last decades. This paper explores the differences in taking a landscape approach on the Global North and South and discusses how a landscape approach can add value to coastal planning theory, especially when looking for the territories of the 21st metropolis. Conclusions have shown that landscape approaches from both Global North and South can strongly lead to a transformative and adaptive response.


This paper studies the optimal compensation problem between shareholders and the agent in the Leland (1994) capital structure model, and finds that the debt-overhang effect on the endogenous managerial incentives lowers the optimal leverage. Consistent with data, our model delivers a negative relation between pay-performance sensitivity and firm size, and the interaction between debt-overhang and agency issue leads smaller firms to take less leverage relative to their larger peers. During financial distress, a firm's cash flow becomes more sensitive to underlying performance shocks due to debt-overhang. The implications on credit spreads and debt covenants are also considered.


We consider the problem of routing multiple teams of health workers during a vaccination campaign. We formulate the routing problem as a bi-objective team orienteering problem with additional constraints. The two objectives are to minimize the total time and to maximize vaccination coverage. The set of Pareto-optimal solutions is computed by an epsilon-constraint method. Small instances of the problem can be solved exactly by branch-and-cut, and larger instances by heuristic methods. As an example for the model, we consider optimal tour planning for the Measles and Rubella Campaign in Kochi, South India.


Structural data of integrin αIIbβ3 have been interpreted as supporting a model in which:

1. the receptor exists primarily in a "bent," low affinity conformation on unactivated platelets, and

2. activation induces an extended, high affinity conformation prior to, or following, ligand binding. Previous studies found that "clasping" the αIIb head domain to the β3 tail decreased fibrinogen binding.

To study the role of αIIb extension about the genu we created and analyzed an energy-optimized model of the complete extracellular domain of αIIbβ3 and then introduced a disulfide "clamp" between the αIIb thigh and calf-1 domains by mutating αIIb R597 and Y645 to cysteine residues. Increased mobility of the clamped mutant on SDS-PAGE under nonreducing, but not reducing conditions, relative to the WT receptor supported the successful introduction of a new disulfide bond. Clamped αIIbβ3 had markedly reduced ability to bind the large soluble ligands fibrinogen [induced by mAb AP5; net normalized fluorescence intensity (NNFI) of 17 ± 2 for normal αIIbβ3 and 0.4 ± 0.2 for clamped αIIbβ3; n=3; p<0.001] and PAC1 [induced by mAb PT25-2; NNFIs of 17 ± 7 and 2 ± 1, respectively (n=3; p<0.001)]. The defect in fibrinogen and PAC-1 binding could be partially restored (~40–50%) by treating the cells with the reducing agent DTT. In contrast, the clamp had little effect on the binding of the Mr 7,500 snake venom kistrin (non-significant ~30% reduction) or αIIbβ3-mediated adhesion to immobilized fibrinogen (non-significant ~20% reduction). Remarkably, the defect in binding the large soluble ligands was rescued by co-expressing clamped αIIb with the β3- activating mutation N339S. The clamped αIIbβ3 also displayed a defect in kistrin-induced (200 nM) exposure of the mAb AP5 epitope in the PSI domain of β3 (NNFI 50 ± 11 for normal αIIbβ3 vs. 24 ± 5 for clamped αIIbβ3; p<0.001; n=5), and this abnormality was also reversed by DTT. By analyzing the solvent accessible areas in our model of αIIbβ3 with and without extension, we determined that extension results in a 370 A2 reduction in buried solvent-accessible area in the PSI domain as a result of losing some of its interactions with the IEGF-2 domain. We hypothesize that clamping αIIb may, therefore, partially preserve these PSI-IEGF-2 domain interactions. Collectively, our studies support a role for αIIb extension in the binding of large, but not small ligands, and suggest that αIIb extension is less important for interactions with immobilized than soluble fibrinogen. Our data are consistent with αIIb extension resulting in increased access to the ligand binding site and/or destabilizing β3 headpiece-tailpiece interactions and thus facilitating the conformational change(s) that affect the intrinsic affinity of the binding pocket for ligand. They may also provide an explanation for the paradoxical finding that platelet binding of soluble fibrinogen requires exogenous activation, whereas platelet adhesion to immobilized fibrinogen does not.


West Nile virus infection has been known since 1937, yet only in 2002 primary reports about its prevalence among pregnant women appeared in the Western medical Literature. The questions of maternal-fetal transfer of the infecting virus through the placenta or via breastfeeding in the neonate are currently unresolved. There is no specific treatment against the infection during pregnancy and currently only supportive therapy is available. Recommendations regarding prevention, as well as fetal or neonatal follow-up for an offspring of an infected mother exist, but their validity is questionable. Experience with the natural expression of this infection during pregnancy is still being gathered. In Israel, no cases of West Nile virus infection during pregnancy have been reported. Considering that this infection is endemic in Israel and based on reported cases from the U.S.A., this disease merits attention.


In this study, the guaranteed cost control of continuous T-S fuzzy systems using piecewise Lyapunov function based switching fuzzy controller is presented. In our previous paper, the switching fuzzy controller, which switches depending on the piecewise Lyapunov function, was proposed. Based on the piecewise Lyapunov function and the switching fuzzy controller, more relaxed guaranteed cost control conditions are obtained. The relaxed conditions are bilinear with the s-procedure parameters. In this paper, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, which is useful for the nonlinear optimization problem, is utilized to get the optimal control performance. A design example is provided to illustrate the validity of the design approach.


Objectives: To investigate the relationship between laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and recurrent (ROM) or chronic otitis media with effusion (COME). Databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library. Methods: Three authors searched articles published between January 1980 and September 2020 about the association between LPR and the development of recurrent or chronic otitis media. Inclusion, exclusion, diagnostic criteria, and clinical outcome evaluation of included studies were analyzed using PRISMA criteria. The bias analysis of included studies was evaluated with the Tool to assess Risk of Bias of the CLARITY group. Results: Twenty-six clinical and three experimental articles met our inclusion criteria, accounting for 1,624 children and 144 adults with COME or ROM. According to the pH study type, the prevalence of LPR and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in OM patients were 28.7% (range, 8–100%) and 40.7 (range, 18–64%), respectively. The majority of studies identified pepsin or pepsinogen in middle ear effusion, with a range of mean concentrations depending on the technique used to measure pepsin. There was an important heterogeneity between studies regarding definition of COME, ROM, and LPR, exclusion criteria, methods used to measure pepsin/pepsinogen in middle ear secretions and outcome assessments. Conclusion: The association between LPR and OM is still unclear. Future clinical and experimental studies are needed to investigate the association between LPR and OM in both children and adults through extensive gastric content analysis in middle ear suppurations and impedance-pH monitoring considering acid, weakly acid, and alkaline reflux events.


Endometriosis extending into the thoracic cage or the lung might induce defect of the tissue and show catamenial symptoms, such as pneumothorax or hemothorax. These events usually occur 48 to 72 hours after menstruation. A 37-year-old woman with ten year history of recurrent catamenial pneumothorax was scheduled for removal of ovarian cyst. Since intermittent positive pressure ventilation or pneumoperitoneum might induce pneumothorax, we selected epidural anesthesia for laparotomy. Epidural cannulations were performed at Th 9/10 and L 4/5 interspaces. After administration of 2% mepivacaine (400 mg) and fentanyl (0.1 mg), the block extended from Th 6 to S 5. The surgery was done without any complication. In this case epidural anesthesia for laparotomy was useful for the patient with catamenial pneumothorax.


Detaching from work – defined as mentally and physically disengaging from work during off-hours – is an important prerequisite to effective daily recovery and psychological well-being. However, the extant literature has yet to articulate exactly why some employees fail to detach from work and, furthermore, offers few concrete recommendations on how to increase detachment on a daily basis. I illustrate how both of these limitations may be resolved by extending the definition of psychological detachment to more clearly specify from what employees are failing to detach. Drawing from self-regulation research, the theoretical framework developed in this study proposes that employees' minds continue to linger over goal-related content after the workday is finished. This proposition was supported in a longitudinal sample of 103 employees pursuing 1,127 goals. Consistent with a self-regulatory perspective, employees had more difficulty detaching from incomplete (vs. completed) work goals later in the day, especially when these goals possessed high valence. Furthermore, an experimental manipulation demonstrated that creating plans to resolve incomplete goals increased psychological detachment among employees with traits that chronically inhibit detachment. I discuss how this refined conceptualization of psychological detachment catalyses future theoretical development and provides groundwork for evidence-based interventions.

Practitioner points
Creating plans at the end of the day that describe where, when, and how unfulfilled work goals will be completed is an effective, low-cost intervention that enhances psychological detachment among employees, which will ultimately improve occupational health and performance.
The planning intervention was primarily effective among employees who typically have difficulty detaching from work during leisure time, indicating that intervention efforts should be targeted at specific types of employees.
When setting daily work goals, employees should be encouraged to focus on smaller, concrete goals at the end of the day in order to reduce unfulfilled work goals and facilitate psychological detachment.


Acylation of bovine prothrombin by cytraconic anhydride results in the formation of the thrombin active site, which provides the degradation of highly specific thrombin substrate, N-bensoyl-Phe-Val-Arg p-nitroanilide. This reaction is inhibited with hirudin, highly specific thrombin inhibitor.


Model analyses of an alongshelf flow over a continental shelf and slope reveal upwelling near the shelf break. A stratified, initially uniform, alongshelf flow undergoes a rapid adjustment with notable differences onshore and offshore of the shelf break. Over the shelf, a bottom boundary layer and an offshore bottom Ekman transport develop within an inertial period. Over the slope, the bottom offshore transport is reduced from the shelf's bottom transport by two processes. First, advection of buoyancy downslope induces vertical mixing, destratifying, and thickening the bottom boundary layer. The downward-tilting isopycnals reduce the geostrophic speed near the bottom. The reduced bottom stress weakens the offshore Ekman transport, a process known as buoyancy shutdown of the Ekman transport. Second, the thickening bottom boundary layer and weakening near-bottom speeds are balanced by an upslope ageostrophic transport. The convergence in the bottom transport induces adiabatic upwelling offshore of the shelf break. For a time period after the initial adjustment, scalings are identified for the upwelling speed and the length scale over which it occurs. Numerical experiments are used to test the scalings for a range of initial speeds and stratifications. Upwelling occurs within an inertial period, reaching values of up to 10mday 21 within 2 to 7km offshore of the shelf break. Upwelling drives an interior secondary circulation that accelerates the alongshelf flow over the slope, forming a shelfbreak jet. The model results are compared with upwelling estimates from other models and observations near the Middle Atlantic Bight shelf break.


The functional optimization of the composition of radiopharmaceutical pairs based on the prostatespecific membrane antigen (PSMA) for the radionuclide theranostics of castration-resistant prostate cancer was carried out. The analysis of radiation-physical and dosimetric characteristics of 9 radionuclides for diagnostic components of theranostic pairs and 6 radionuclides for therapeutic components is carried out. It was shown that positron-emitting radionuclides 18F and 68Ga should be considered optimal for the diagnosis and monitoring of the effectiveness of theranostics, and 177Lu beta-emitting radionuclide and 225Ac alphabeta-emitting radionuclide should be considered as the radionuclide therapy. The values of the total and organ radiation risks of secondary radiation-induced cancers in patients who have completed several courses of theranostics are calculated. It is shown that for 2 teranostic pairs based on 177Lu‑PSMA the radiation risk is higher than significant, while for 2 teranostic pairs based on 225Ac the risk falls within the range of a significant level. The calculated radiological criteria for discharge of patients after a course of theranostics from nuclear medicine departments show the fundamental possibility of performing an outpatient treatment regimen using any of the 4 considered theranostic pairs.


The most extensively studied space discipline of the post-Sputnik period is that of the "particles and fields" in the upper environment of the earth. Some 700 instruments on over 100 spacecraft have been used to make measurements of these phenomena. Consequently, over one billion relevant measurements have now been made in space, and an appreciable proportion of these were made during the period of the quiet sun, i.e., during the IQSY. However, because of long lead times and uncertain launch dates in space flights, it is difficult to isolate IQSY activities per se. This review, therefore, is intended to summarize the present knowledge of magnetospheric particles and fields. The need for an international coordinated program (such as the IQSY) has of course been recognized on several occasions. This need can be shown to be particularly strong in studies of auroral and magnetospheric phenomena, since these phenomena are neither controllable nor reproducible, as are many laboratory measurements. Thus a concerted worldwide study of individual phenomena-such as was permitted and encouraged by the IQSY-can yield far more worthwhile scientific results than the equivalent number of uncoordinated studies of separate "events." Historical General Review.--In the 1930's, Chapman and Ferraro (1932), after noting that great "worldwide" auroras occurred a day or two after a very large solar flare, speculated that the energy that sustained the auroras was supplied by corpuscular radiation emitted in the solar outburst. They considered only the rare "great" auroras, and envisaged the geomagnetic field as hollowing out a cavity in this fast-streaming flow of solar particles. Subsequently, Parker (1959) suggested that this solar-corpuscular flow might be continuous and due simply to the immersion of the earth in the supersonically expanding hot atmosphere of the sun. This plasma flow came to be called the "solar wind." It was also recognized that auroras occur continuously (O'Brien, 1967) and so the relationship of auroras and the solar wind as its ultimate source of energy seemed even closer, although no direct theoretical causal links were established. Figure 1 illustrates crudely the comparison between the magnetospheric concepts of the 1950's and one of those of the 1960's. Theoretical ideas and direct space measurements have developed a concept shown in more detail in Figure 2. The supersonic solar wind, travelling at around M\ach 5, is obstructed by the geomagnetic field, so that an enormous collisionless shock front is set up (see Fig. 2). Behind the shock front the solar wind particles are thermalized. Due to the fight for control between plasmas and local magnetic fields, the thermalized solar wind sweeps back the geomagnetic field into a cometlike tail behind the earth (see Fig. 2). The length of this tail has been estimated theoretically, and estimates differ by factors of 1000 or more, but it does appear that the tail reaches beyond the orbit of the moon. Auroras: Auroras are among the most spectacular of geophysical phenomena, with their tremendous variations in shape, brightness, color, and time and height. During the IGY, rocket flights into visual auroras demonstrated that most of their energy came from the kinetic energy of electrons of some 1 to 10 keV as they bombarded and were absorbed in the atmosphere at altitudes of some 100 to 150 km.


The main objective of this paper is to present the range of distribution of direct employee participation, its subject scope, and its effects in Polish enterprises. The first part of the paper presents the essence of employee participation and its basic levels, measures and types. The paper also discusses the principal consultative and delegative forms of direct participation. Particular attention has been paid to the benefits resulting from the deployment of participatory methods of work organization in enterprises. The analysis in the study is primarily based on the results of our own survey and case studies conducted under the NCN funded project titled "The types, extent and economic effectiveness of direct forms of employee participation in Poland compared to the old EU countries." Conducted analysis reveals a widespread use of forms of direct participation in Polish companies, but its scope and distribution have less intensity. The main motives for introducing forms of this participation in enterprises were economic reasons (productivity), and primary benefit of its use was the improvement in quality of products and services.


A newly published study on the effect of barrier methods of contraception on the risk of cervical cancer found no effect of barrier methods, but a slightly lower risk for women who used spermicides alone. The risk was lower if these spermicide users were of a higher educationl level or socioeconomic status, and was associated with interval since the last Pap smear and the total number of sex partners. The results do not give strong evidence either for or against barrier or spermicide methods. The ideal case-control study of this type would have full information about the disease status of the male partner, and would focus strictly on the use or non-use of barrier methods for the woman's whole reproductive span. A realistic way of designing such a study would be to subdivide subjects by numbers of sexual partners, and by intervals when barrier methods were always or never used. Another design might focus on the times of a woman's life when she was at greatest risk of being exposed.


The reliability of mining systems is generally low due to their harsh working conditions. Currently, efforts for improving mining system reliability are often made in isolation. This practice could substantially limit the effectiveness of the efforts on overall reliability improvement of the mining system. To enhance the overall reliability of mining systems, an integrated improvement approach is necessary. In this paper, we developed a framework for integrated mining system reliability improvement to address this issue. In this framework, there are five major components including data integration, business process integration, hardware integration, software integration, and analysis/decision integration, but we only focus on the integrated reliability analysis which is important to the analysis/decision integration. The reliability analysis considers the interactions between machines, and the impacts of design, operation, maintenance, automation and working environment on the overall system reliability. These multiple interactions present a big challenge to accurate reliability prediction. In this paper, we for the first time systematically investigated integrated reliability analysis approaches for dealing with this challenge using novel models and methods, including covariate hazard models, intelligent reliability prediction approach, and complex system modeling methods. While these models and methods have found some successful applications in other industries, they in general have not been effectively used for the reliability analysis of mining systems. Our study results show that the system integration approach is applicable to mining systems and can be used for developing a computer aided integration system for the implementation of the integrated reliability improvement approach.


Several tens of mg/L dissolved organic carbon (DOC) are commonly found in road runoff waters, fairly much more than in uncontaminated natural waters (usually less than 5 mg/L DOC). On the other hand individual fuel contaminants (BTEX, PAHs, MTBE...) usually do not exceed few μg/L in contaminated waters and hopefully account for a weak part of the DOC charge of the effluent waters. Bulk distinction between road traffic derived organic matter and natural organic matter may be achieved by means of common organic geochemical methods. Particulate organic matter was characterised by Rock-Eval pyrolysis and dissolved organic matter (DOM) was separated into hydrophobic and hydrophilic fractions with XAD-8 resin. Two types of road traffic particulate organic matter were distinguishable from natural algal or terrigenous matters: one of tyre origin, the other related to engine soot. Tyre derived particles seem abundant in the first flush of storm runoff. Two "types" of traffic derived DOM were also observed. One type found in tollbooth and parking area runoff has a very high proportion of "XAD-8 hydrophilic" compounds, comparable in that way to condensation water at pipe exhausts; although the other type, on the contrary, is more rich in hydrophobic fractions than natural water DOM. Both types appear to evolve toward near natural DOM characteristics upon storage in storm basins.


The French garden of the 17th and 18th century as the ultimate artistic expression of ideas about the world order and the representation of power and knowledge was not limited to its country of origin – its influence spread and appeared all over Europe. The following text focuses on its reflection in the territory of the Czech Republic and follows the ways the main principles of this form of garden design took. Besides the traditionally dominant artistic influence of Italy, the French art was reflected only gradually, and above all, indirectly. Activities of Le Nôtre's disciples have been proven, but without any more detailed documentation. Moravia was most influenced by Vienna, where the imperial and other aristocratic gardens adopted more ornate, smaller and flatter concept of French forms, rather approaching Rococo. The paper shows, using specific examples and the comparative method, what forms typical of the French garden appear in the gardens of the Czech lands the most frequently. The characteristic organization of the garden and wider spaces by axes, avenues, radial divisions, water mirrors and canals as well as magnificent water elements with sculptures and also widely applied flat parterres with ornamental flower beds is explored. On the other hand, the complexity of the French prototype, which lies in the spatial monumentality and sophisticated use of optical rules and rules of perspective, is missing.


With the development of science and technology, people's living standards continue to improve. Sugar content has been widely studied as an important index to measure fruit quality, but at present, most sugar content detection needs expensive equipment or accessories, which is difficult to enter daily life. In this paper, we propose a convenient scheme for detecting apple sugar degree based on multispectral and machine learning. With the mobile phone screen as the main light source, the front camera captures Apple pictures, and changes the color of the mobile phone screen to change the wavelength of the light source. By photographing different surfaces of apples under different wavelengths of visible light, obtain pictures of the same apple with different spectra, sort out the data, make the data set and train the machine learning network model, deploy the trained network into the app, and then predict the sugar value of apples, so as to achieve the purpose of rapid and nondestructive detection of apple sugar.


This paper describes some new results on the day-to-day behavior of the location of the equatorial anomaly in the columnar electron content. The measurements were made from a unique network of stations covering dip latitudes from 0°N to 25°N during the period in 1975–1976 near sunspot minimum when the ATS 6 satellite was visible from India. The latitudinal distribution of the total electron content on a particular day was found to depend only on the strength of the electrojet current, as determined by the difference of the horizontal magnetic field at stations on the magnetic equator and another outside the equatorial electrojet, rather than on the horizontal magnetic field measured only at the equatorial station. During magnetically disturbed periods the presence or absence of the anomaly was also found to depend only upon the strength of the electrojet current. The varying electrojet current, that is, the equatorial electric field, is very effective in moving the ionization to the anomaly latitudes of 15°–20°, but the columnar electron content over the magnetic equator remains relatively constant.


Natural and synthetic polymers have been used in pharmaceutical industry for many years and have important role in the development of the conventional dosage forms or for manufacturing of various drug packaging materials. In recent years, their important application resides in the development of the most sophisticated drug delivery systems where polymers are used as a drug carrier. Biodegradable polymers are particularly attractive for application in drug delivery systems since, once introduced into the human body, they do not require removal or additional manipulation. Their degradation products are normal metabolites of the body or products that can be metabolized and easily cleared from the body. Among that, synthetic polymers offer a wide variety of compositions with adjustable properties. These materials open the possibility of developing new drug delivery systems with specific properties (chemical, interfacial, mechanical and biological) for a given application, simply by changing the building blocks or the preparation technique. Such designed complex drug delivery systems where polymers are used as functional excipients have numerous advantages such as localized delivery of drug, sustained delivery of drug, stabilization of the drug, prevention of drug's adverse side-effects, reduction of dosing frequency, minimization of drug concentration fluctuations in plasma level, improved drug utilization and patient compliance. There are range of differently designed drug delivery systems and their description and mechanism of action will be presented in this paper together with the prominent role of the polymers for each particular system. Additionally, most commonly used synthetic biodegradable polymers in drug delivery systems will be presented together with their degradation mechanism.


This article outlines the expected benefits of ERASMUS+ Teaching/Training Exchanges for individuals, the institution as a whole and the degree programmes of The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS), the Netherlands. The method employed was a series of semi-structured interviews, following initial email contact of 32 (approx. 1.5% of staff) who had been on exchange, or were scheduled to be, during the academic year. Interviews were agreed with 7 staff. Leask (2015) identified a lack of research in this area, and it is hoped this research will help to stimulate thinking on this issue. Despite the small sample size, general preliminary conclusions can be drawn and further research is encouraged. The article examines processes and procedures in place for monitoring such exchanges, and it also explores control and monitoring prior to the exchange taking place, as well as post-exchange outcomes and evaluations. It describes the context and theoretical frameworks and discusses the major findings, including accounts of the participants' experiences and the benefits for them as individuals, their perceptions, their line manager's responses and institutional policies and processes. The conclusion has recommendations for improvement based upon the participants' comments. The main message of this article is the need to set goals for the individual and the institution and to evaluate them upon return.


A lot of knowledge has already been produced concerning to what is called "creativity". On the perspective of the Behavior Analysis, "creativity " has been considered as a behavior, being this understood as a system of relationships that establishes among on what the organism does and its environment. To investigate the phenomenon "creativity" starting from a notion of behavior, it thus requires identifying the characteristics of each component of the general class denominated creative behavior. On such terms, 20 sources of information referring to the creative behavior in general have been selected, the creative behavior related to the behavior of solving problems or verbal behavior. The procedure utilized was consisted upon: (1) reading the information sources, (2) extraction of passages that referred to the definition of creative behavior, creativity, new behavior, or characteristics as originality, ineditism and infrequency, (3) organization of the detached extracts according to the characteristics of each component of the behavior: characteristics of the antecedent stimuli class, characteristics of the responses class and characteristics of the consequent stimuli class, and (4) extract groupings in a same category according to the similarity of the behavioral process in which the extract have been referring to. With such proceedings it was possible to explicit characteristics of the general class denominated creative behavior. As characteristic of the antecedent stimuli class, it is possible to affirm that this category is constituted by "new stimuli", whose relationship of control is subtle. The responses class of the creative behavior is characterized by infrequent responses, not emitted by others until then. The detected responses are denominated through verbs as "to vary", "to manipulate", "to associate", "to combine" and "to create links of connection not so common". The consequent stimuli class is characterized by the need in which the response or its products are to be useful, according to some criteria, to the individual or to the society. Such terms as "new" and "subtle" are used to refer to the creative behavior, however, they are vague terms and they do not specify any peculiar property of the stimulus that establishes a relationship with a responses class directly, and thus, insufficient to refer to the creative behavior with more precision and clarity. From the examined works, categories were elaborated in which verbs as "to vary", "to manipulate", "to associate", "to combine" and "to create links of connection not so common"; these verbs denote variation in the response and, consequently, indicate the relevance of the study of the behavioral variability for the understanding of the creative behavior. The usefulness of the response was the utmost consistent aspect in the exam of the selected works, the usefulness of the response or of its products is most probably a defining characteristic of the general creative behavior class. Starting from the characterization of the general creative behavior class, it is possible to plan with more precision the teachings of such behaviors class and thus to increase the creative dimension of the behaviors.


Methods used for measurement of in situ microbial activities are selectively reviewed. Complexities of sediments can lead to disturbance artifacts that may be obviated by new methods of measurement.


Members of a criminal organization, who hold central positions in the organization, are usually targeted by criminal investigators for removal or surveillance. This is because they play key and influential roles by acting as commanders who issue instructions or serve as gatekeepers. Removing these central members (i.e., influential members) is most likely to disrupt the organization and put it out of business. Most often, criminal investigators are even more interested in knowing the portion of these influential members, who are the immediate leaders of lower-level criminals. These lower-level criminals are the ones who usually carry out the criminal works; therefore, they are easier to identify. The ultimate goal of investigators is to identify the immediate leaders of these lower-level criminals in order to disrupt future crimes. We propose in this paper a forensic analysis system called SIIMCO that can identify the influential members of a criminal organization. Given a list of lower-level criminals in a criminal organization, SIIMCO can also identify the immediate leaders of these criminals. SIIMCO first constructs a network representing a criminal organization from either Mobile Communication Data that belongs to the organization or from crime incident reports. It adopts the concept space approach to automatically construct a network from crime incident reports. In such a network, a vertex represents an individual criminal and a link represents the relationship between two criminals. SIIMCO employs formulas that quantify the degree of influence/importance of each vertex in the network relative to all other vertices. We present these formulas through a series of refinements. All the formulas incorporate novel-weighting schemes for the edges of networks. We evaluated the quality of SIIMCO by comparing it experimentally with two other systems. Results showed marked improvement.


Recent frictions between major nations over the flow and rules of international trade have led to calls for rebooting the WTO. A major concern in the realm of the global trade crisis relates to the distortions caused by government intervention – Chinese state-owned enterprises being mostly under the spotlight. This concern has accentuated the debate on whether the Appellate Body of the WTO has been exercising judicial activism by filling in gaps and ambiguities deliberately left behind at the time of the Uruguay Round negotiations. There are considerable challenges to be overcome through the more efficient use of the WTO's three legs. Recent declarations by world leaders give some hope that the negotiating function of the WTO will awaken from its comatose state and that multilateralism will ultimately prevail.


GREECE LUXURY VILLAS MYKONOS OLD HARBOR. If you are looking for travel inspiration, we go far beyond finding you the perfect luxury villa.


Abstract Archaeozoological data from two New Zealand regions, Greater Hauraki in northern North Island and Otago-Catlins in southern South Island, are examined to document exploitation of the marine environment by Maori prior to European settlement. Data from 107 reliably dated archaeological assemblages are summarized to show the range of shellfish, finfish, marine bird and marine mammal taxa that were harvested and the relative importance of species within each of these classes. Regional differences in faunal spectra are detected and shown to be attributable chiefly to geographic variations in availability of taxa. Changes over time are apparent in the northern region, but are much less marked in the south. Marine mammals and birds disappear or decline in abundance, with human predation the most likely cause. Changes in the composition of shellfish and finfish harvests reflect changes in the location and organization of human settlements, driven largely by expanding demand for land suitable for horticulture.


High-performance bismaleimdes (BMI) matrix composites reinforced by graphite fibers were prepared and toughened with a thermoplastic component (PAEK) by using the Ex-situ concept. Experimental matrix was designed for overall toughening of the base resin, periodically interleaving thermoplastic films into each plies (Ex-situ concept) and for varying the film compositions. The highest impact damage resistance characterized by compression after impact (CAI) was obtained for the laminates toughened on the Ex-situ concept, especially, when two component cast films of a special ration of PAEK/BMI 60:40 were interleaved though the thermoplastic concentration for the overall toughening, interleaving the pure thermoplastic films and the two component films was comparable. There were two peaks found in the DSC trace of the laminates toughened implying a phase separation process occurred. The glass transition temperature of the laminates toughened was slightly reduced due to the low-temperature PAEK. Morphological study revealed a typical granular structure just in the interplay region as a result of spinodal decomposition and coarsening process. This was in agreement of the result of DSC investigation.


The control of angiogenic process is of immense importance to the overall health of mankind to avert out-of-control complications such as tumours and cancers. Tapinanthus bangwensis (TBG) is a semi-parasitic plant with multipurpose uses in Nigerian ethno-medicine among which is its anti-infective properties as well as the anti-tumor and restoration of damaged tissues. Despite the wide and varied uses of TBG, the anti-angiogenic investigation of the plant on different host trees is lacking while the documentation and scientific validation of indigenous knowledge on plants' use is urgent. The present work focuses on the anti-angiogenic activities of the crude extracts and partitioned fractions of the leaves of Tapinanthus bangwensis (TBG) using the Chick chorio allantoic membrane (CAM) model. The plant was collected from three different host trees namely Albizia lebbeck (AL), Stereospermum kunthianum (SK) and Tabebuia rosea (TR). The methanolic crude extracts and solvent-partitioned fractions of TBG-SK samples were assessed for their anti-angiogenic activities using the chick chorio allantoic membrane (CAM) in ovo and in vitro assay methods respectively. Purification and isolation of major compound(s) in the chloroform fraction of TBG extract obtained from Stereospermum kunthianum host tree (TBG-SK) was carried out using chromatographic and spectroscopic methods (NMR, MS). The crude methanolic extract of TBG-SK was most potent (100% activity) in the CAM in ovo assay while the chloroform fraction produced a significantly (p<0.05) highest average reduction in blood vessels with resultant formation of large avascular zones on CAM following an in vitro CAM assay. The anti-angiogenic chloroform fraction revealed the presence of a UV-active triterpenoid moiety. Findings from this work, has provided some justification for the folkloric use of TBG and thus forms a potential basis for drug discovery for wide-ranging disease states.


Dermatitis herpetiformis and linear IgA bullous dermatosis are autoimmune diseases that present with pruritic urticarial papules and plaques, with formation of vesicles and blisters of subepidermal location, mediated by IgA antibodies. Mucosal lesions are present only in linear IgA bullous dermatosis. The elaboration of this consensus consisted of a brief presentation of the different aspects of these dermatoses and, above all, of an updated literature review on the various therapeutic options that were discussed and compared with the authors' experience, aiming at the treatment orientation of these diseases in Brazil. Dermatitis herpetiformis is a cutaneous manifestation of celiac disease, and can be controlled with a gluten-free diet and dapsone. On the other hand, linear IgA bullous dermatosis arises spontaneously or is triggered by drugs, and can be controlled with dapsone, but often requires the association of systemic corticosteroids and eventually immunosuppressants.


Over the past 15 years, geography has made many significant contributions to our understanding of disabled people's identities, lives, and place in society and space. 'Towards Enabling Geographies' brings together leading scholars to showcase the 'second wave' of geographical studies concerned with disability and embodied differences. This area has broadened and challenged conventional boundaries of 'disability', expanding the kinds of embodied differences considered, while continuing to grapple with important challenges such as policy relevance and the use of more inclusionary research approaches. This book demonstrates the value of a spatial conceptualization of disability and disablement to a broader social science audience, whilst examining how this conceptualization can be further developed and refined.


This paper examines the experience of an action research 'Study Day' to investigate development of a culture of reflective practice among educators. Shared recognition of the importance of reflective practice in education is now a well-established part of both pre-service preparation and in-service work experience for educators. Osterman and Kottkamp defined reflective practice as a means by which practitioners can develop a greater level of self-awareness about the nature and impact of their performance, an awareness that creates opportunities for professional growth and development. Schon discussed the psychological and epistemological contours of the conscious awareness required for reflective practice. In his view, reflective practice is a dialog of thinking and doing through which one becomes more skillful. In Noffke's framework of action research, professional development represents a branch of the action research family tree that is intrinsically connected with reflective practice. Somekh asserted that, since the major aim of action research is to develop the practical wisdom or situational understanding of the practitioner, it constitutes a powerful means of professional development.


Background Venous thromboembolism (VTE), comprising deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, is a frequent complication in cancer patients. During anticoagulant treatment for VTE, the risk of major bleeding events (MBE) is 2- to 6-fold higher in cancer patients than in those without cancer. It is unknown whether the clinical presentation and course of anticoagulant-related MBE in cancer patients differ from patients without cancer. Methods Individual patient data from 4 randomized controlled phase III trials in which factor Xa inhibitors (rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban) were compared with vitamin K antagonists for the treatment of VTE were used for the present analysis. The severity of the clinical presentation and clinical course of anticoagulant-related MBE were compared between patients with and without cancer. Using predefined criteria, the severity of the clinical presentation and course of MBE were classified into four categories by independent adjudicators, who were blinded to treatment allocation. Category 1 indicates a mild clinical presentation or course, while category 4 indicates a severe presentation or course (Table 1). A one-stage meta-analysis was used to estimate crude odds ratios (ORs) and ORs adjusted for age, sex, and type of anticoagulant treatment with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the effect of cancer on the severity of the clinical presentation and course. For this analysis categories 3 and 4 were combined. We also explored the cause and site of bleeding in these patients. Results The study group comprised 290 patients with MBE, of whom 50 (17%) had active cancer or were diagnosed with cancer during follow-up. The clinical presentation was judged to be severe (category 3 or 4) in 38% of patients with cancer and 44% of patients without cancer (adjusted OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.47-1.72). Clinical course was judged to be severe in 20% and 25% of patients with and without cancer, respectively (adjusted OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.35-1.61) (Table 2). The bleeding pattern varied significantly between the two groups (p=0.002); cancer patients more often had gastrointestinal (52% vs. 35%) and vaginal (14% vs. 6%) MBE, whereas intracranial (19% vs. 6% and retroperitoneal (5% vs. 0%) MBE occurred more often in patients without cancer (Table 3). MBE was related to the tumor site in 40% of cancer patients. Conclusion The findings of the present study indicate that the clinical presentation and course of anticoagulant-related MBE are not more severe in cancer patients than in patients without cancer, which is reassuring for physicians who treat cancer-associated VTE. Disclosures Eerenberg:Sanquin: Consultancy; CSL Behring: Consultancy; Baxter: Consultancy. Middeldorp:Aspen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Boehringer Ingelheim: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bayer: Consultancy; Sanquin: Consultancy; GSK: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS/Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria. Cohen:Takeda: Consultancy; Leo Pharma: Consultancy; GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Bayer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Department of Health: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Medscape: Speakers Bureau; UK Government Health Select Committee: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Boehringer Ingelheim: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Colation to Prevent Venous Thromboembolism: Other: Founder; NHS: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Johnson & Johnson: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Aspen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; ONO: Consultancy, Honoraria; XO1: Consultancy, Honoraria; Portola: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy; Lifeblood: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria.


DNAzymes are strands of catalytic DNA first discovered in 1994. These species are isolated through in vitro selection and are capable of catalyzing many different types of reactions. RNA-cleaving DNAzymes are one subset that have many biological implications; however, more work needs to be done to make them suitable for therapeutic in vivo applications. Modifying DNAzymes with protein functionalities represents a promising strategy to evolve efficient cleavage in vivo. Chapter 2 described the syntheses of five modified 2'-deoxyuridine triphosphates and the enzymatic incorporation of these modified dUTPs. The modifications were introduced at the 5position, and consist of a carboxylate group, indole group and napthyl group. The enzymatic incorporation of these modified nucleotide triphosphates evaluated their suitability for use in an in vitro selection. It was found that Vent (exo-) DNA polymerase was able to incorporate all the modified dUTPs successfully. In Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, two all-RNA-cleaving DNAzyme selections were described. DNAzyme clone 25 was selected in Chapter 3 against an HIV RNA target, which had a selfcleavage rate constant of 3.3 min. However, when the DNAzyme was tested for intermolecular cleavage activity, the result was unsatisfactory. It was found that the maximum rate constant had not been reached under 2 μM substrate, indicating a low substrate binding affinity. With this disappointing result, DNAzyme clone 25 was not considered for in vivo studies. Conversely, DNAzyme clone 11 was selected in Chapter 4 and displayed a robust transcleavage activity and a high binding affinity towards a c-Myc oncogene target sequence. DNAzyme clone 11 was obtained from this process, which had a self-cleavage rate constant of 0.84 min. The intermolecular cleavage study showed that it had a cleavage kmax of 4.3 min and Km of 297 nM. The DNAzyme was then shown to be highly sequence-specific. Solid-phase


Summary form only given. The main constituents of the odour gases such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and mercaptan etc. substances and formaldehyde are given off from residential houses and industrial premises. Those odour gases are a significant problem during product processing and influence semiconductor device manufacturing yield in the clean room. Plasma chemical processes are highly effective in promoting oxidation, enhancing molecular dissociation, or producing free radicals to enhance chemical reaction, and, therefore, have many applications. Especially, the energetic electron induced plasma with adsorbent filter hybrid system is effective for decomposing VOCs. With this system one can expect that the filter will adsorb undesired discharge by-products and energy efficiency is higher than conventional plasma reactors. In this work, removal of ammonia gas from air is carried out by superimposed corona torch reactor-absorbent hybrid system experimentally. The corona touch reactor-absorbent filter hybrid system consists of multi-channel hollow electrode type corona touch, and sheet type absorbent (Pureline@ by Nippon Puretec Co., Ltd.,). Experiments are conducted for the gas flow rate are from 7 to 28 L/min., the applied voltage from 20 to 30kV and the ammonia initial concentration were varied from 5 to 10 ppm. Ammonia concentration was measured by an ammonia monitoring system (Pure Mate@, by Nippon Puretec Co.,) and the gas detection system (Gastec@, by Gastec Co. Ltd.,). The experimental results show that the removal efficiency of ammonia increases with increasing applied voltage. The effect of absorbent reactions for ammonia removal is significant enhanced with corona discharges even under the room temperature. Especially, this superimposed corona torch and absorbant filter hybrid system is not only able to treat various different kinds of VOCs without changing different type of reactors and filters, but also economically sound, since the lifetime of adsorbent filters becomes much longer and the power consumption of the reactor becomes optimum. Also, those results indicated that the superimposed system shows enhanced removal efficiency and also discharge regions.


From the original description of Altman and Mehregan (1971) a new clinical type of linear nevus is known as inflammatory linear verrucous epidermal nevus (ILVEN). Two girls of 5 and 4 years of age are reported. One of them had good therapeutical results with the use of trichloroacetic acid. The clinical and histopathological aspects of this nevus are reviewed and the differential diagnosis should be done with: lichen planus, lichen striatus, linear psoriasis, zoniform dermatitis, naevus unius lateris.


1. The effect of L-arginine (L-Arg), the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) substrate, on the responses to prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha, 10 microM) and K+ (120 mM) in rat middle cerebral artery (MCA) segments was analysed. 2. PGF2alpha induced a stable contraction of 0.35+/-0.06 mN mm(-1); the subsequent addition of bradykinin (BK, 1 microM) produced a relaxation of 42+/-9% of the PGF2alpha-induced tone. K+ induced a response consisting of a rapid basal tone increase (1.42+/-0.16 mN mm(-1)) followed by a decrease to a stable phase (1.24+/-0.15 mN mm(-1)). 3. L-Arg (0.1 mM), but not D-Arg, decreased the basal tone and reduced the contraction to PGF2alpha in segments with and without endothelium. The contractile response to K+ was also reduced and not maintained in the presence of L-Arg. 4. The inhibitory effect of L-Arg on the PGF2alpha- and K+-induced contractions was completely reversed by the NOS inhibitor, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA, 0.1 mM). 5. Pre-incubation of segments with dexamethasone (1 microM), to inhibit inducible NOS (iNOS), or with the antibiotic polymyxin B (10 microg ml(-1)) reduced the L-Arg inhibition, whereas it was increased by lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 100 ng ml(-1)), an inductor of iNOS. L-NMMA antagonized the effects of dexamethasone and LPS. 6. The present results suggest that L-Arg inhibition of the PGF2alpha- and K+-induced contractions in rat MCA is the result of NO synthesis by iNOS stimulation.


Polycyclic gneiss complexes in which early rock-assemblages of granulite or high amphibolite facies have been tectonically and metamorphically reworked occur on a regional scale in the crust. The distinctive properties of the dry, structurally isotropic parent-assemblages have played an important part in determining the style of regeneration which was characteristically inhomogeneous. The reintroduction of water and consequent amphibolization of granulites appears to have been associated with increases of ductility and consequent changes in tectonic behaviour. During the early stages of Proterozoic mobility the Archaean crust was traversed by incipient dislocations which developed into 'straight belts' characterized by high strain. Deformation in the mobile provinces as a whole was associated with relative movements of the blocks defined by the straight belts. In these intervening blocks, regeneration was most effective at intermediate depths where pore fluids were available. Many Archaean granulites lying beneath the domain of regeneration remained as closed systems and suffered little tectonic or metamorphic modification.


Freudenberg Household Products AB in Norrkoping are manufacturer of sponge cloths with the well-known brand names of Wettex® and Vileda®. The production is based on the viscose fiber process and involves a high chemical demand. Recent customer complaints involve a diffuse smell from the cloths that is like a "garage odor" and occurs after a few uses. The company's theory is that the smell derives from a chemical used in the process called Exxal 9. The aim was to screen the washing water from two sections and the cloth before and after wash for the presence of Exxal 9 and other prominent components. The washing water samples consisted of a salt solution from one section and a water condensate from another section. A method to qualitatively and quantitatively examine the production samples was developed. To evaluate the variation over a short period of time, twelve samples were taken during four weeks. The focus for the analysis lay on production line Wx4, but comparisons with two other production lines, Wx7 and SL1, were also made. The method of choice was gas chromatography in combination with two different detectors; mass spectrometer for identification and flame ionization detector for quantification. Exxal 9 could be identified in both of the washing water sections but in very various concentrations. At the production line Wx4, the mean concentration in the mother lye was 61.96 µl/l whereas the mean concentration in the condensate was 0.24 µl/l. The comparison between the different production lines showed significant variations, where Wx4 had the highest concentration. In the cloths, Exxal 9 could only be found before it had been washed. The concentration in the cloths was not high enough for quantification. In both the washing waters and cloths, additional unknown peaks were found. Attempts to identify all the unknowns were made but only two compounds were included in the commercial library; 2-ethyl-1-hexanol and 2-(2-butoxyethoxy)-ethanol.


The work deals with the toxicity of hexavalent and trivalent chromium to activated sludge. Cr(VI) was added as K2Cr2O7, and Cr(III) as Cr2(SO4)3. Toxicity is expressed as the inhibition of respiratory activity of microorganisms present in activated sludge. Respiration was measured by two methods, by means of an oximeter with an oxygen electrode and by means of a manometric apparatus permitting continuous observation of biological oxygen demand (BOD). The equation of the normal distribution function was used to construct inhibition curves and to calculate effective concentration (EC50). The influence of exposure time was observed as was the influence of concentration of activated sludge on the value of EC50. The 1-h EC50 for Cr(VI) by the ISO method was determined to be in the range of 40-90 mg/liter. A greater scatter of measured values, 46-201mg/liter, was found for the first hour of exposure by the manometric method. In the case of Cr(III) only combined inhibition by chromium ions and pH was determined. The 0.5-h EC50 was 49 mg/liter.


View is a labeled directed graph containing all information about the network that a party can learn by exchanging messages with its neighbors. View can be used to solve distributed problems on an anonymous network (i.e., a network that does not guarantee that every party has a unique identifier). This paper presents an algorithm that constructs views in a compressed form on an anonymous n-party network of any topology in at most 2n rounds with O(n6\log n) bit complexity, where the time complexity (i.e., the number of local computation steps per party) is O(n6\log n). This is the first view-construction algorithm that runs in O(n) rounds with polynomial bits complexity. The paper also gives an algorithm that counts the number of nonisomorphic views in the network in O(n6\log n) time complexity if a view is given in the compressed form. These algorithms imply that some well-studied problems, including the leader election problem, can deterministically be solved in O(n) rounds with polynomial bit and time complexity on an anonymous n-party network of any topology.


IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD
For patients with congenital and inherited heart disorders, causative mutations are often not identified owing to limitations of current screening techniques. Identifying the mutation is of major importance for genetic counseling of patients and families, facilitating the diagnosis in people at risk and directing clinical management. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) provides unprecedented opportunities to maximize mutation yields and improve clinical management, genetic counseling and monitoring of patients.

AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW
Recent NGS applications are reviewed, focusing on methods relevant for molecular diagnostics in cardiogenetics. Requirements for reliable implementation in clinical practice and challenges that clinicians, bioinfomaticians and molecular diagnosticians must deal with in analyzing resulting data are discussed.

WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN
Readers will be introduced to recent developments, techniques and applications in NGS. They will learn about possibilities of using it in clinical diagnostics. They will become acquainted with difficulties and challenges in interpreting the data and considerations around communicating these issues to patients and the community.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE
Although several obstacles are still to be overcome and there is much still to learn, NGS will revolutionize clinical molecular diagnostics of inherited and congenital cardiac diseases, maximizing mutation yields and leading to optimized diagnostic and clinical care.


Different parts of the fruit of Punica granatum L. family Punicaceae cultivated in Egypt were extracted and standardized to be assessed for their anticancer and antioxidant properties. An HPLC method was modified and validated for standardization using ellagic acid (EA) as a marker. The 50% ethanol was proven to be a better solvent for extraction than the 70% ethanol, as the 50% hydroalcoholic fruit extract was standardized to contain 5.9 ± 0.15 % total polyphenols compared to 4.4 ± 0.35 % in the 70% hydroalcoholic extract. The 50% hydroalcoholic extracts of the whole fruit, pulp and peels were standardized to contain 0.3 ± 0.05, 0.02 ± 0.01 and 1.9 ± 0.1 % of EA, respectively. The peel extract showed the highest antioxidant activity (IC50 = 0.50 ± 0.9 mg/ml) compared to the other two extracts, as well as, a pronounced anticancer activity against MCF-7 human breast cancer cells and HCT-116 colon cancer cells with IC50 values of 7.7 ± 0.01 and 9.3 ± 0.06 � g/ml, respectively. The standardized peel extract was formulated into capsules. Here we report the possible use of pomegranate peels, a biological waste product, to develop natural pharmaceutical preparations.


Systemic effects of two topical B adrenergic blocking agents, carteolol and metipranolol, recently introduced in the treatment of open angle chronic glaucoma, were investigated in two groups of 10 asthmatic patients, according to a controlled trial device. Saline eye drops as placebo, then, 30 mn later beta blocker eye-drops, were instillated at usual dose. Heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, vital capacity (VC) and expiratory outflow (FEV1), were checked every 15 mn during 90 mn. They did not vary under placebo. After carteolol and metipranolol, heart rate decreased more than 10% in 7 out of 10 patients in each group (extreme individual changes: -16.7 and -25.0%). Bradycardia was always sino atrial. FEV1 was lowered in 3 patients with carteolol and in 6 with metipranolol (extreme individual values: -32.3 and -31.8%). If time is not taken in consideration, the lowest values were -8.6 +/-4.6% with carteolol and -17.9 +/- 3.3% with metipranolol. CV was reduced only in 1 patient under carteolol and 2 patients under metipranolol. Systemic blood pressure remained unchanged. 7 patients complained of ocular pain when metipranolol was instillated. Comparison of both ocular topics shows that metipranolol lowers heart rate and FEV1 more than carteolol, which has a sympathomimetic intrinsic activity. These two drugs have the same clinical efficiency. Our results point out the risks outcoming from their systemic diffusion, and the absolute necessity to comply with the general rules of good use of beta blockers, even with eye drops, mainly the contra-indications and the strict adjustment of individual doses.


The Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access is the IEEE 802.16 family of standard. The IEEE 802.16 standard defines Wireless MAN (metropolitan area network). The IEEE WiMAX/802.16 standard for broadband wireless metropolitan area networks (WMANs) can deliver high throughput over long distances, and support different qualities of services, offers a wireless backhaul network that enables high speed internet access to residential, small and medium business customers. This promising and cost-effective technology can also support internet access for Wi-Fi hot spots and cellular base stations through their respective access points (1). It has been designed to provide high data rate communication in metropolitan area wireless networks (2). The WiMax, for broadband wireless access is employed for high speed and low cost, which is easy to deploy, and provides a better alternative for extension of fiber-optic backbone. The base stations of WiMAX can provide greater wireless coverage of about 5 miles, with LOS (line of sight) transmission within the bandwidth of up to 70 Mbps. In this paper, we evaluate bit-error rate performance of WiMAX system using zigzag with RS coded modulation for different code rate and code length. The results show that the proposed zigzag-coded modulation combined with RS coding presents a stronger error correcting capability as compared to the Reed Solomon with Convolutional code or only zigzag code.


The Biafran secession of 1967 and ensuing civil war presented Israel with an acute dilemma. Israel sought to maintain correct relations with the Federal Government of Nigeria, which viewed as a hostile act any support rendered to the Biafran separatists. At the same time, the plight of the Igbos reminded many Israelis of the Holocaust. This article makes use of Israeli archival material to shed new light on how Israel shaped its policy towards the conflict. The Israeli public, press and parliament called for assistance to Biafra, evoking their country's deep moral obligation to help a people in distress. Israel aided Biafra, including, in a clandestine manner, the supply of weapons for which the secessionists pressed, in addition to humanitarian assistance. At the same time, Israel also sold arms to Nigeria, seeking to prevent a diplomatic rupture with the Lagos government that would have affected Israel's position in all of black Africa.


— Biodiesel production from vegetable oil will produce glycerol as by-product about 10% of the biodiesel production. The amount of glycerol that was produced needed alternative way to handling immediately so as to not become the waste that polluted environment. One of the solutions was to process glycerol to polyglycidyl nitrate (PGN). PGN is synthesized from glycerol by three-step reactions i.e. nitration of glycerol, cyclization of 13-dinitroglycerine and polymerization of glycosyl nitrate. Optimum condition of nitration of glycerol with nitric acid has not been known. Thermodynamic feasibility should be done before run experiments in the laboratory. The aim of this study was to determine the parameters those affect nitration of glycerol and nitric acid and chose the operation condition. Many parameters were simulated to verify its possibility to experiment under conditions which would get the highest conversion of 1, 3-dinitroglycerine and which was the ideal condition to get it. The parameters that need to be studied to obtain the highest conversion of 1, 3-dinitroglycerine were mol ratio of nitric acid/glycerol, reaction temperature, mol ratio of glycerol/dichloromethane and pressure. The highest conversion was obtained in the range of mol ratio of nitric acid /glycerol between 2/1 – 5/1, reaction temperature of 5-25 o C and pressure of 1 atm. The parameters that need to be studied further to obtain the highest conversion of 1.3 DNG are mol ratio of nitric acid/glycerol and reaction temperature.


This study intended to determine the relationship between Enterprise Risk Management Strategies (ERMS) as the independent variable, and performance as thedependent variable on the composite non-financial performance indicators andspecific financial indicators of Return on Assets (ROA) and Revenue per AvailableRoom (RevPar). The context of the study was the Christian-Based hospitalityBusinesses in Kenya. Three Null Hypotheses were formulated to test the relationshipsof the study variables with a significance level of p<0.05. A positivistic philosophyusing descriptive cross-sectional survey design on a population of 76 Christian-basedhospitality businesses in Kenya was adopted. The results of the study show that theNull Hypotheses 1 (Ho), on the effect of ERMS on composite performance wasrejected while hypotheses (Ho1(a)1(b)), (Ho), which tested the relationship betweenERMS and ROA and RevPar respectively were accepted. This concludes that ERMShave a significant relationship with composite performance while ERMS have nosignificant relationship with the financial indicators of ROA and RevPar. Thediagnostic tests showed normal autocorrelation between study variables with DW testranging between 1.5 and 2.5; Normality test showed normal distribution of studyvariables; homoscedasticity exists for all hypothesis while collinearity can be seen inhypothesis (Ho1(a)), (Ho1(b)) and (Ho).  1(c)1(c)


Abstract : The invention as disclosed is an underwater based electric energy production system. A cable having a piezoelectric core is attached on one end thereof to a floating buoy and on the other end thereof to an anchor. The system is deployed in the water such that the cable extends vertically through a water column. Movement of the cable due to water current generates electric power that can be harvested and stored. The floating buoy can be at or near the water's surface and the anchor can but need not rest on the sea floor.


Introduction Any driver who starts to feel tired while driving should have a rest, but some may use various strategies to stay alert.A questionnaire was devised to assess various frequently used coping strategies between OSAS patients and controls and this was compared it with previous accident history,sleepiness while driving and MiniUoLDS outcome. Methods 97 (52+/-11 yrs,ESS-13+/- 8,ODI-38+/- 26) untreated OSAS patients and 35 controls (61+/-11 yrs,ESS-5+/- 3) completed a questionnaire,which included previous accident history,sleepiness while driving and ten coping strategies they adapt in order to stay awake in the last one year.They were asked to rate on a scale,from "not frequently" to "frequently".All performed a 90km motorway driving simulation. Results OSAS patients as compared to controls frequently use coping strategies (P-0.004,OR-3.6),were more likely to fail the MiniUoLDS (P-0.04,OR-9.3) and admit sleepiness while driving (P-0.02,OR-8.5). However there was no difference in the accident history between the two groups (P-0.89). Conclusion OSAS patients report frequent use of coping strategies and those who frequently used such strategies failed the MiniUoLDS.Asking about such strategies may aid the clinician in identifying the patients at risk.


Author(s): Quarfoot, David | Advisor(s): Levine, Richard; Rasmussen, Chris | Abstract: Halmos (1980) once described problems and their solutions as "the heart of mathematics". Following this line of thinking, one might naturally ask: "What, then, is the heart of problems?". In this work, I attempt to answer this question using techniques from statistics, information visualization, and machine learning. I begin the journey by cataloging the features of problems delineated by the mathematics and mathematics education communities. These dimensions are explored in a large data set of students working thousands of problems at the Art of Problem Solving, an online company that provides adaptive mathematical training for students around the world. This analysis is able to concretely show how the fabric of mathematical problems changes across different subjects, difficulty levels, and students. Furthermore, it locates problems that stand out in the crowd – those that synergize cognitive engagement, learning, and difficulty. This quantitatively-heavy side of the dissertation is partnered with a qualitatively-inspired portion that involves human scoring of 105 problems and their solutions. In this setting, I am able to capture elusive features of mathematical problems and derive a fuller picture of the space of mathematical problems. Using correlation matrices, principal components analysis, and clustering techniques, I explore the relationships among those features frequently discussed in mathematics problems (e.g., difficulty, creativity, novelty, affective engagement, authenticity). Along the way, I define a new set of uncorrelated features in problems and use these as the basis for a New Mathematical Problem Typology (NMPT). Grounded in the terminology of classical music, the NMPT works to quickly convey the essence and value of a problem, just as terms like "etude" and "mazurka" do for musicians.Taken together, these quantitative and qualitative analyses seek to terraform the landscape of mathematical problems and, concomitantly, the current thinking about that world. Most importantly, this work highlights and names the panoply of problems that exist, expanding the myopic vision of contemporary mathematical problem solving.


Every society has its norms that govern the behaviour of its members thus any behaviour contrary to the norms of the society is considered deviance. There are a number of factors that are associated with deviance and one of them is poverty. The socioeconomic status of a family affects virtually all the aspects of life in that family including physical, emotional, mental and the parental environment. It further contributes to the behaviour of both the parents and the children in the family. Irrespective of the fact that Homabay County is situated along the lake, majority of the residents languish in abject poverty and consequently there is rampant deviance among the secondary school students in Homabay County. Deviance has devastating effects which include destruction of learning facilities, early pregnancies, arrests and even deaths. The objective of the study was to evaluate the relationship between family socioeconomic status and deviant behaviour among secondary school students inHomabay County. The study adopted Structural Strain Theory by Robert Merton which provided a conceptual link between family socioeconomic status and deviant behaviour. The study adopted a correlational survey design and the target population included form two students from all the secondary schools in Homabay County, heads of guidance and counseling department, Deputy Principals, Principals and selected members of parents association. Out of the population of 20,160 students a representative sample of 512 students was randomly sampled. Principals, Deputies, PA representatives and HODs were purposively sampled. Instruments for data collection included questionnaires administered to measure family socioeconomic status and deviant behaviour, structured and unstructured interview schedules, focus group discussions and analysis of documents from the sampled schools. Instruments were then piloted. The validity of these instruments was ascertained through expert judgment and piloting while the reliability of the instruments was tested using the Split half method and the level of confidence was α ≤ 0.05. Data was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings revealed significant negative correlation between SES and deviant behaviour (r=-0.644, p<0.05).


Lung cancer is still a very severe disease which has a low survival rate due to local invasion and metastasis potentials in spite of many clinical challenges using anti-cancer drugs. Rho family small GTPases play pivotal roles in cell invasion and metastasis during carcinogenesis. In this study, we explored the inhibitory effect of adenoviral vector encoding dominant negative mutants of Rac, RhoA, and ROCK in human non-small cell lung carcinoma cell lines (A549 and SQ5) and mouse carcinoma cell line (Lewis lung carcinoma, LLC). These cells showed high expression of Rac, Rho, and ROCK, whereas only faint bands were detected in normal human lung epithelial cells, BET-1A. The efficiency of adenoviral vector transfer was stronger in A549 and SQ5 cells than LLC cells. Dominant negative forms of RhoA (Rho-DN) and Rac (Rac-DN) decreased cell proliferation in WST-8 assay and increased the number of apoptotic cells in both A549 and SQ5 cells by Hoechst 33258 and TUNEL staining. On the other hand, DN form of ROCK (ROCK-DN) did not show any apparent changes compared with the other proteins. Transwell chamber analysis showed that migration/invasion activity was significantly suppressed by gene transfection both in A549 and SQ5 cells and that ROCK-DN gene transfer required a higher multiplicity of infection to show effects similar to Rho and Rac. Although the effect of gene therapy is cell-dependent, these data suggest that adenoviral gene transfer with Rho family small GTPases is one good approach to lung cancer therapy.


Yashin A.V., Romanovskiy S.A., Starostenkov M.D. STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION IN NANOFIBER OF CuAu I ALLOY DURING MONO-AXIAL TENSION DEFORMATION Structure-energetical changes take place in nanofibers of L1 alloy CuAu I during mono-axial tension in direction were studied by the method of molecular dynamics at the temperature 10 K. Through the study of behavior of the graphs «stored energy-time of deformation» the four stages of deformation: quasi-elastic deformation, plastic deformation, flow and fracture are defined. The orientation anisotropy of CuAu I alloy nanofibers during all stages of dynamic deformation are shown.


Over the past 10 years fractures in the elderly and their relationship to osteoporosis and other causes of bone fragility have been the subject of increasing interest. The investigation of current incidence of morbidity by the Medical Research Council's Working Party on Fractures in the Elderly resulted in a report on the incidence of fractures in persons over 35 years of age by Knowelden, Buhr, and Dunbar (1964). Other important related studies have been by Buhr and Cooke (1959), Nordin, MacGregor, and Smith (1966), and Bollet (1968). All these studies show a similar sex and age incidence for certain types of fracture, particularly fractures of the femoral neck, of the upper part of the humerus, and of Pott's and Colles' types of fracture. The incidence of these fractures increases sharply over 55 years of age and the incidence in elderly women is two or three times that in men.


Abstract In 1998, NIST published a review of commercial and institutional building airtightness data that found significant levels of air leakage and debunked the "myth" of the airtight commercial building (Persily, 1998). Since then, NIST has expanded and maintained a database of whole building envelope leakage measurements of U.S. commercial and institutional buildings. In addition to building leakage values collected from research publications, low-energy building programs and private pressurization testing firms, the database includes basic building characteristics such as year built, building type, floor area, number of storeys, location, and wall construction type for many of the buildings. The purposes of the database are to support the design and construction of low-energy buildings, to establish default values for building simulation, to estimate the energy savings potential of airtightness requirements in standards and codes, and to identify opportunities for additional improvements in building airtightness performance. The U.S. commercial building envelope leakage database contains data for almost 400 buildings including about 70 constructed in the past decade. The average air leakage for the buildings is 20% tighter than the average for the 228 buildings included in a similar 2011 analysis. The data were analysed to determine the factors that impact airtightness such as building type and height. Recent additions to the database include numerous buildings constructed to meet the specifications of sustainable building programs such as the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system, as well as buildings designed and constructed with air barriers. The analysis found that the 79 buildings with an air barrier had an average air leakage almost 70% less than the average for the 290 buildings not specified as having an air barrier thus demonstrating the critical need to design and construct commercial buildings with an air barrier to support sustainable building design.


Low-impact exercise that appeals to elderly adults and can be done almost anywhere provides both societal and individual benefits. One such program is Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese dancelike conditioning exercise. The article presents an easily adopted and adapted 8-form Tai Chi program (Easy Tai Chi) designed for older adults or individuals with mobility challenges or physical impairments. Derived from a simplified 24-form Yang-style Tai Chi, it stresses postural control and body-limb rotational movements. Easy Tai Chi can be performed either standing or sitting, depending on the physical and functional limitations of participants. Preliminary data indicate a number of health benefits of Easy Tai Chi compared with a traditional exercise program. Although subject to further empirical evaluation, Easy Tai Chi can be applied in research settings to investigate prevention or amelioration of hypokinetic diseases and in clinical settings to treat physically frail seniors or others with functional impairments ...


UNLABELLED
The influence of motion artifacts conditioned by reconstruction, on the coronary calcium score in multislice spiral CT.

PURPOSE
A major problem of the quantification of coronary calcifications is a high variability of the coronary calcium score between recurrent examinations and different observers. Aim of our study is to evaluate the influence of different RR-intervals on the coronary calcium score utilizing retrospectively gated Multislice Spiral CT (MSCT) data sets.

MATERIALS AND METHOD
50 consecutive patients underwent MSCT examination (Somatom Volume Zoom, Siemens, Forchheim, G) utilizing a standardized scan protocol (4 x 2.5 mm collimation, 3 mm increment, tube current 133 mAs, tube voltage 120 kV). Retrospectively gated image reconstruction was performed every 10 % of the RR interval. Coronary calcification was evaluated by the Agatston score. Coronary risk assessment was performed in all patients with image reconstruction beginning at 80 % of the RR interval. The reconstruction intervals with the least motion artifacts were identified and chosen as reference for a reevaluation of the coronary risk. The results of different reconstruction times were compared.

RESULTS
The mean calcium score was 551.6. The calcium score varied between 512.2 (90 %) and 571.7 (70 %), depending on the image reconstruction interval. Compared to the mean calcium score a new classification of the coronary risk was necessary in 7/50 of the patients at 80 % reconstruction interval, and in 2/50 of the patients at 50 % of the RR interval, respectively.

CONCLUSION
Movement of the coronary arteries at different image reconstruction intervals has an important influence on the coronary calcium score. Based on our data, we propose image reconstruction at 50 % of the RR interval for evaluation of the coronary calcium score by MSCT.


Multiple Agreement (al-Uqud al-Murakkabah) is one of contemporary agreements in Islamic banking whose implementation develops in line with business developments Multiple Agreement basically is an agreement whic is made by two parties in carrying out transactions that cover two elements or more of agreement, such as trading and ijarah. Agreements in sharia transactions are modified from the existing agreements in which such agreements are found  in almost all sharia products. The development of the uses of agreement need strong analysis concerning the validity of the agreements, especially those whic have been modified. This study therefore aims at presenting perspectives of Islamic schlars (ulama) and their analysis toward the concepts of Multiple Agreement .


90° bent hollow waveguides with distributed Bragg reflectors (DBR) in silicon substrate are proposed. The air core was embedded by Si<inf>3</inf>N<inf>4</inf>/SiO<inf>2</inf> multilayer. The two-dimensional (2-D) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is used to simulate bending transmission efficiencies of the 90°-bent waveguides. The lowest 90° bending loss is around 0.8dB. This waveguide can be used in integrated planar light wave circuits.