The paper commences with a review of the concept of Information Communication technology (ICT) and points out how it has become a potent force in transforming social, economic and political life globally. It then discusses the linkage between gender and ICT especially how ICT has widened the digital divide gap between Africa and the rest of the world on one hand, and between males and females on the other. It later gives an overview of the ICT policy formulation situation in Africa pointing out the gender provisions in the national ICT policy documents of some African countries. It then reviews illiteracy rates and access to telephone facilities, computers, and Internet facilities in Africa and indicates that there is a digital divide on the continent between those who have access to the Internet and related technologies and those who do not. It finally presents the policy options and strategies to be adopted by African governments to enable women to benefit from opportunities offered by ICT. The paper concludes by submitting that unless gender issues are incorporated in national ICT policies in Africa, the digital divide will continue to widen and most women that live in African rural populations would continue to be excluded from the benefits of ICT.


An experimental program was conducted to determine the mechanisms by which phosphorus affects the corrosion and passi~ation behavior of Fe Cr P alloys, "lb idcnti~ separately the ell~cts of structure and chemistry on the corrosion behavior, thin tilms of Fe--ItK'r-xP 10 <x< 35 at.%) were I~-epared by ion beam mixing. Films with a phosphorus content greater than approximately 20 at.% were found to be entirely amorphous, i~evitrilication of the amorphous phase was accomplished by heating the samples to 450 '(" in an inert environment, Standard polarization tests of the alloys in sulfuric acid twith and without (.'1 I indicated that the lilms containing phosphorus were more corrosion r¢~,'istant than Fe I(K'r, at I~th active and passive potentials, There was a monotonic relationship betw~n the amount of phosphorus in the alloy and the corrosion resistance, with the ol~en-circuit corrosion rate of Fe I(K'r 35P nearly four orders of magnitude lower than that of Fe I(K'r. Devitrilication of the alloys had no significant effect on the corrosion rate, indicating that the primary eflL-ct of phosphorus is chemical in nature, and n'~t structural, The passive oxides were depth-prolilcd using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which indicated that phosphorus was a primary constituent, as phosphate, The pr~sem.'¢ of phosphate in the passive oxides reduced the overall corrosion rate directly, by suppressing anodic dissolution. The presence of phosphorus did enhance chromium enrichment in the oxide, but that was not thought to he the primary mechanism by which phosphorus increased the corrosion resistance.


Collagen is the most abundant protein in mammals and possesses high biocompatibility and low antigenicity. These biological properties render it one of the most useful biomaterials for medical applications. This study investigated the mechanical and physical characteristics of collagen hydrogels cross-linked with different ratios of polyvinylpyrrolidone capped zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZPVP). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated molecular interactions between collagen fibers and ZPVP. Texture analysis revealed a significant increase in gel hardness, adhesiveness, and viscosity after cross-linking with ZPVP. Rheological measurements showed that as the ratio of ZPVP increased, stronger hydrogels were formed which in turn resulted in more sustained release of the model drug, dexamethasone sodium phosphate. We can therefore conclude that the mechanical properties of collagen hydrogels can be modified by controlling the ratio of ZPVP used for cross-linking, offering the potential to develop biocompatible sustained release drug delivery systems.


This study is based on a Swedish project for young boys, with absent father with the aim of preventing future destructive behaviour. Our goal was to investigate if the project had reached its aim and if the mothers could se if any changes could be made to improve the project in the future. The study has been done by qualitative interviews with four mothers who had their sons participating in the project. Research shows the importance for children to have male role models and that they often work as protective factors in a child's life. But if the level of conflict is too high in the family it is not in the best interest of the child to grow up with both parents. Research also tells us that the well-being of the mother and her parenting changes a lot when going through a separation. Other conditions such as household income and quality time spent with the child changes for the worse. The results have been analyzed against earlier research and Object Relations theory, which tells us of the importance for a child is able to identify with both the mother and the father. Our result shows that the project from Sweden did reach its aim according the mothers reports. The boys that participated got a better self- confidence, an increase in the trusting of men and a slightly better relationship with their fathers. It also gave the mother time to spend on them selves. The mothers couldn't se any changes in particular that could be made to improve the project in the future.


Techniques based on electrical resistance and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy were used to determine the moisture content (MC) of logging residues and sweet sorghum. The MC of biomass is a factor to be controlled that can affect the quality of final products. To accurately measure the moisture in fragmented materials, it is essential to increase the bulk density of the materials by compression. The low bulk density increased the error from the oven-drying MC and the variation between repeated measurements. The calculated correction factor made it possible to use a commercial wood moisture meter for biomass materials. Ordinary least squares regression models built with the electrical resistance data achieved coefficients of determination (R2) of 0.933 and 0.833 with root mean square errors (RMSE) of 0.505 and 0.891, respectively, for the MC predictions of logging residue and sweet sorghum. Partial least squares regression models combined with NIR spectroscopy achieved R2 of 0.942 and 0.958 with RMSE of 1.318 and 3.681 for logging residue and sweet sorghum, respectively. In contrast to the electrical resistance-based models, the NIR-based models could predict the MC regardless of the bulk density of the materials. Data transformation by the second derivative and removal of outliers contributed to the improvement of the prediction of the NIR-based models.


Using improved Ge and Si detectors, better neutron shielding, and increased counting time, the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) experiment has obtained stricter limits on the cross section of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) elastically scattering from nuclei. Increased discrimination against electromagnetic backgrounds and reduction of the neutron flux confirm WIMP-candidate events previously detected by CDMS were consistent with neutrons and give limits on spin-independent WIMP interactions which are >2x lower than previous CDMS results for high WIMP mass, and which exclude new parameter space for WIMPs with mass between 8 and 20 GeV/c2.


This paper describes the use of Finite Difference Method (FDM) to analyze a multiple-layered, corrugated rectangular diaphragm subject to residual stress for MEMS applications. The corrugated part of the diaphragm is treated as a flat plate with anisotropic mechanical properties. The multiple-layered structure is treated as a single-layered plate with an effective Young's modulus. The effect of the residual stresses in the diaphragm layers is simulated with in-plane normal forces in the neutral plane at the four boundary edges of the diaphragm. This way, the complicated analysis on a corrugated, multiple-layered diaphragm with various residual stresses in the layers is greatly simplified, and can be done by FDM without sacrificing accuracy much. Both deflection and stress distribution of the diaphragm under a uniformly applied pressure have been analyzed, although the technique is also applicable for a non-uniform pressure. And we discuss the effects of corrugation depth, period and width on the deflection and stress distribution of the diaphragm. Finally, we describe an example of using this method to design a micromachined, corrugated-diaphragm, piezoelectric microphone in which the residual stress plays a critical role in limiting the performance.


The agenda of quantum algorithmic information theory, ordered 'top-down,' is the quantum halting amplitude, followed by the quantum algorithmic information content, which in turn requires the theory of quantum computation. The fundamental atoms processed by quantum computation are the quantum bits which are dealt with in quantum information theory. The theory of quantum computation will be based upon a model of universal quantum computer whose elementary unit is a two-port interferometer capable of arbitrary U(2) transformations. Basic to all these considerations is quantum theory, in particular Hilbert space quantum mechanics.


We report the structural properties of InGaZnO4 (IGZO) thin films prepared by using the sol-gel method. The structural properties of IGZO thin films were controlled by using the film thickness and thermal annealing temperature. In this study, the crystallization temperature of amorphous IGZO thin films was observed to be about 700 °C. Also, we observed that the crystal size of IGZO thin films increased as the thickness and the annealing temperature were increased. In addition, we could observe that the atomic ratio of In, Ga and Zn of the IGZO thin film was slightly different from the molar ratio of a previous IGZO sol-gel solution (In:Ga:Zn = 1:1:1) post-annealed at 900 °C because In and Zn are more volatile than Ga. The study of the crystallization of amorphous IGZO thin films provides an understanding of the growth mechanisms and thermal annealing effects for IGZO nanocrystals.


Abstract Background: At present, patients with end-stage renal failure (ESRD) face the question of how to achieve adequate dialysis to maintain their survival with the best quality of life as long as possible. Therefore, the choice of suitable dialysis methods and dialysis dose is important. Objective: To find suitable dialysis methods and an appropriate dialysis dose for patients with ESRD. Methods: Our research compares the long-term clinical effects between the patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), daytime ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (DAPD), and hemodialysis (HD). Thirty-two patients subjected to peritoneal dialysis were selected and divided into group A (n = 16) and group B (n = 16), group A was treated by using the traditional CAPD pattern; group B was treated by using DAPD. Forty-six patients of renal failure at final stage were divided into group A (n = 23) and group B (n = 23), group A was treated by using a HD method, group B was treated by using a DAPD method. Results: When the same dialysis dose was applied, the patients with long-term DAPD treatment can obtain satisfactory clinical therapeutic efficacy for the period of maintenance dialysis, thoroughness of dialysis, maintenance of nutritional status, blood pressure regulation, reduction in incidence rate of peritoneal infection, maintenance of relatively high activity in daily life and alleviation in depression, comparable to patients treated with traditional CAPD or HD methods. Conclusion: The long-term clinical effects of DAPD are comparable to CAPD or HD.


The objective of this study are to establish the mechanisms and rates of basic steps in coal conversion processes, to integrate and incorporate this information into comprehensive computer models for coal conversion processes, to evaluate these models and to apply them to gasification, mild gasification and combustion in heat engines.


The paper analyses the issue of vertical equity relative to Local Public Transportation service with particular attention to resources and/or sacrifices allocation among different users groups. The evaluation of vertical equity can be inferred comparing indicators of need and accessibility computed on a regional basis. The empirical analysis uses principal components technique. There emerges a scenario of regional differences of equity characterized by the Centre and North-Eastern and Western areas that are recording the best results along with some of the small regions like Basilicata and Molise; on the contrary, South and some large regions such as Lombardy and Lazio show unsatisfactory results. In particular as regards the South of Italy, it is important to emphasize here that there is need for a change of direction, in terms of service awarding procedures, governance, narrowing of infrastructure gap. We must however keep in mind that results depend crucially on the availability of statistical information and on the territorial disaggregation. Different information and territorial dimension can help to render the method here used a valuable decision making support system of information.


OBJECTIVE
To analyze the clinical characteristics, image findings, laboratory examination, the therapeutic methods and clinical outcomes of bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) in pediatric patients.

METHOD
Twenty-six pediatric patients with BO were reported. All data were collected from cases who were hospitalized in the Department of Pediatrics, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College from June 1(st), 2009 to the April 30(th), 2011, and infectious agents, clinical manifestations, risk factors, changes in imageology, laboratory examination, therapeutic methods and treatment responses were analyzed.

RESULT
The ranges of age at onset was 4.5 months-8 years in 26 cases (18 boys and 8 girls). The course of disease was (6.2 ± 3.5) months. The period of followed-up ranged from 2 to 24 months. The common clinical characteristics were persistent wheezing of different severity (26 cases, 100%), cough (24 cases, 92%), intolerance to exercise (22 cases, 85%), short of breath (21 cases, 81%), retraction (20 cases, 77%), wheezy phlegm (16 cases, 62%), keeping with crackles (10 cases, 38%), cyanosis around the mouth (3 cases, 12%) and no clubbed fingers (toes). In 18 cases the etiology was detected, mycoplasma (11 cases, 42%), respiratory syncytial virus (4 cases, 15%), parainfluenza virus (2 cases, 8%), influenza virus A (2 cases, 8%) and influenza virus B (2 cases, 8%), human bocavirus (HBoV) (1 case, 4%). There were 8 cases (31%) with combined infection. Chest X-ray in 10 cases indicated changes suggestive of bronchopneumonia (38%), in only 1 case there was an image of interstitial pneumonia disease (4%). All the patients were diagnosed by high-resolution computerized tomography (HRCT). All cases were demonstrated to have air retention, poor blood perfusion in lung, just like "Westemark sign" with HRCT. In 19 cases antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) was determined and 10 patients (53%) were positive for P-ANCA, and 8 cases (42%) were positive for C-ANCA. All patients received oral corticosteroid and low doses azithromycin. In 13 cases (50%) the treatment effectively reduced the severity of disease and the frequency of cough and wheezing. The average number of days for symptom improvement was (7.1 ± 4.8) days.

CONCLUSION
Respiratory infection plays an important role in BO in children. The chronic and persistent wheezing, cough, intolerance to exercises, short breath, retraction were the main clinical manifestations. But these symptoms are non-specific. Chest X-ray can not provide enough information for diagnosis. Classical "Westemark sign" with HRCT is an important sign. ANCA with a high positive rate (approximately 50%) suppose immuno-lesion in BO. Oral corticosteroid and methotrexate may relieve clinical symptoms.


We present, for the first time based on our knowledge, a novel in-fiber optical phase modulator that is inherently broadband, efficient, and polarization-maintaining (PM). The modulator is a 25 mm long section of a D-shaped cladding PM fiber with half of its silica cladding replaced with an electro-optic (EO) silicone gel. A phase modulation of more than pi rad has been demonstrated. We describe techniques that enable the long-distance exposure of the fiber core, microfabrication of on-fiber electrodes, a low refractive index EO cladding material for replacing silica fiber cladding, and accurate phase measurement utilizing a Sagnac interferometer.


A new in-syringe membrane SPE and solid-phase visible spectral method was proposed for the rapid extraction and visible spectral determination of trace Cu2+. The chelation and membrane SPE can be accomplished in a syringe. The yellow Cu(DDTC)2 complex was separated using a polyethersulfone membrane from the sample solution. Then, the complex can be detected directly on the polyethersulfone membrane utilizing solid-phase visible absorbance spectra without elution. The proposed method simplified the experimental procedure and improved the sensitivity to the μg L-1 level. Furthermore, this method is environmentally friendly since it avoids the use of organic solvents. After the investigation of the influence of different variables on the membrane SPE procedure, water and blood plasma were analyzed to validate the proposed method. A LOD of 0.04 μg L-1 and recoveries of 96.0-103.7% confirmed that the present work can be applied for the determination of trace Cu2+ in water and blood plasma samples.


We provide a new value for the ratio R=Γ(π^{0}→e^{+}e^{-}γ(γ))/Γ(π^{0}→γγ)=11.978(6)×10^{-3}, which is by 2 orders of magnitude more precise than the current Particle Data Group average. It is obtained using the complete set of the next-to-leading-order radiative corrections in the QED sector, and incorporates up-to-date values of the π^{0}-transition-form-factor slope. The ratio R translates into the branching ratios of the two main π^{0} decay modes: B(π^{0}→γγ)=98.8131(6)% and B(π^{0}→e^{+}e^{-}γ(γ))=1.1836(6)%.


Scope: Lingonberries have been shown to reduce the detrimental effects of high‐fat diet (HFD) on weight gain, plasma glucose, and inflammation. However, the extent of effects was recently shown to vary between different batches of berries. Here, we examine the metabolic response to two independent batches of lingonberries. Methods and results: Alterations in the phenotype and circulating metabolome elicited by three matched HFDs, two of which containing lingonberries (L1D and L2D) from different sources, were investigated. Glycemia was improved only in mice fed L1D, whereas liver function was improved and inflammation reduced in mice fed both L1D and L2D, compared to mice fed HFD. The unique improvement in glycemia elicited by L1D was associated with a 21% increase in circulating levels of fatty acids. Increased levels of phosphatidylcholines (62%) and lysophosphatidylcholines (28%) and decreased levels of serine (−13%) and sphingomyelins (−26%) were observed in mice fed L1D and L2D, as compared to HFD. Conclusion: The unique improvement in glycemia in mice fed L1D was associated with a normal metabolic control with an altered set point. Moreover, the batch‐independent reduction in liver steatosis and inflammation, was associated with an altered sphingomyelin metabolism.


The literature indicates that the use of physical restraint exposes patients and staff to
negative effects, including death. The benefits of minimising the use of physical
restraint influence nurses, clients, families, and the care settings. Therefore, teaching
nursing staff to develop the correct knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding physical
restraint has become necessary. Data on the rate and patterns of physical restraint use in
healthcare settings such as hospitals are sparse in Malaysia. In addition, in the local
context, there is very little literature about physical restraint use and nurses. Therefore,
this study aims to evaluate the effect of educational intervention on nurses' knowledge,
attitude, intention, practice and incidence rate of physical restraint use. The educational
intervention, which included a one-day session on minimising physical restraint use in
hospitals and on proper restraint use as a last resort, was presented to 245 nurses. An
incidence survey technique was used in 22 wards to assess the incidence rate of physical
restraint use. A quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the effect of educational
intervention on nurses' knowledge, attitude, intention, practice and incidence rate of
physical restraint in 12 wards of the hospital with a self-reported questionnaire and a
restraint order form. Of all patients (n=39,693), 3.39% were restrained over 16 months.
The most common reasons to use physical restraint in psychiatric and non-psychiatric
wards were that the patient was 'uncooperative with fasting before ECT' (19% of
'restrained days') and that the patient was 'trying to pull out tubes/ catheters (44.9% of
'restrained days'), respectively. The results showed that there was a significant increase
in the mean knowledge scores, mean attitude scores, and mean practice scores of nurses
in the post-intervention phase compared with the pre-intervention phase. In addition,
there was a significant decrease in the mean intention score of nurses to use physical
restraint after intervention. In the pre-intervention phase, the only significant predictor
of practice was attitude (= -0.17, P<0.004). However, attitude (= 0.19, P<0.03) and
iv
intention (= -0.19, P<0.01) were significant predictors of practice improvement in the
post-intervention phase. Nevertheless, in the pre- and post-intervention phases, no
association was found between knowledge and the intention and practice of nurses
towards physical restraint. After educational intervention, the highest incidence decline
rate was found in neurology/neurosurgery wards (5.98%), followed by psychiatric
wards (5.47%). The result of two proportions z-test revealed that there was a
statistically significant difference in the proportion of restrained patients and the
incidence rate of physical restraint use in all wards except geriatric-rehabilitation wards
between the pre- and post-intervention phases. In general, there was a statistically
significant decrease in the incidence rate of physical restraint use in the 12 wards of the
hospital after intervention (Z= 5.129, P< 0.001). Regarding patterns of physical restraint
use in the pre- and post-intervention phases, some differences, such as the proper use of
alternatives, reduced physical restraint period per incident, and using least restrictive
physical restraint type were observed in patterns after educational intervention.


Indium-111-labeled Fab fragment imaging using a murine antimyosin monoclonal antibody (Myoscint, Centocor, Leiden) was evaluated for efficacy in detecting cardiac allograft rejection. Diagnosis of rejection was made by endomyocardial biopsy with four to five samples taken for each procedure. Eighty-one studies were performed in 25 patients (21 men, four women, mean age 50 +/- 9 years) from 2 weeks to 45 months after cardiac transplantation. 0.5 mg of the monoclonal antibody labeled with 60 MBq Indium-111 (Antimyosin-Fab-DTPA) was administered i.v. Planar scintigraphic images were obtained in LAO 45 and anterior projections as well as "half-body-scintigrams" 48 h after injection. Using the regions-of-interest-(ROI)technique the relative uptake over the lung and the heart was determined and an index of In-111 uptake was calculated. A heart-to-lung ratio of 1.5 or higher was considered indicative for moderate to severe rejection. Specificity was 86% (nine false-positive In-111 studies in 68 negative biopsy studies), sensitivity was 85% (two false-negative In-111 studies in 13 pathological biopsy studies). It is concluded that the In-111 method has a high sensitivity and specificity in detecting heart transplant rejection and may be useful in the monitoring of patients in the chronic phase after heart transplantation. The 48-h delay in establishing the diagnosis limits the applicability in acute severe rejection.


The influence of temperature on interfacial fluid slip, as measured by molecular-dynamics simulations of a Couette flow comprising a Lennard-Jones fluid and rigid crystalline walls, is examined as a function of the fluid-solid interaction strength. Two different types of thermal behavior are observed, namely, the slippery and sticky cases. The first is characterized by a steep and unlimited increase of the slip length at low temperatures, while the second presents a vanishing slip length in this regime. As the temperature increases in relation to a characteristic value, both cases converge to finite slip lengths. A recently proposed analytical model is found to well describe both thermal behaviors, also predicting the slippery-sticky transition that occurs at a critical value of the fluid-solid interaction parameter, for which, according to the model, fluid particles experience a smooth average energy landscape at the interface.


Magnocellular neurons of the supraoptic nucleus (SON) can differentially control peptide release from the somato/dendritic and axon terminal compartment. Dendritic release can be selectively regulated through activation of intracellular calcium stores by calcium mobilizers such as thapsigargin (TG), resulting in preparation (priming) of somato/dendritic peptide pools for subsequent activity‐dependent release. As dynamic modulation of the actin cytoskeleton is implicated in secretion from synaptic terminals and from several types of neuroendocrine cells, we studied its involvement in oxytocin and vasopressin release from SON neurons. Confocal image analysis of the somata revealed that the normally continuous cortical band of F‐actin is disrupted after high potassium (K+, 50 mm) or TG (200 nm) stimulation. The functional importance of actin remodelling was studied using cell‐permeable actin polymerizing (jasplakinolide, 2 μm) or depolymerizing agents (latrunculin B, 5 μm) to treat SON and neural lobe (NL) explants in vitro and measure high K+‐induced oxytocin and vasopressin release. Latrunculin significantly enhanced, and jasplakinolide inhibited, high‐K+‐evoked somato/dendritic peptide release, while release from axon terminals was not altered, suggesting that high‐K+‐evoked release in the SON, but not the NL, requires depolymerization of the actin cytoskeleton. TG‐induced priming of somato/dendritic release was also blocked by jasplakinolide and latrunculin, suggesting that priming involves changes in actin remodelling.


Purpose of reviewTwenty-one face transplants have been performed to date. This review provides an overview of the clinical outcomes and the lessons learned from these initial cases. Recent findingsFacial transplantation has progressed over the past 10 years from an experimental possibility to a clinical reality. The most recent transplants performed in the USA, Spain and Turkey involve the full face. Good sensory recovery of the allograft has been consistently reported, even in the absence of nerve repair. As predicted, motor recovery has been slower than re-innervation of sensation. Dramatic improvements to functional status have been seen, with recipients regaining the ability to smile, smell, eat, drink and speak. Episodes of acute rejection have been common and controlled with increases in systemic immunosuppression. The first face transplant recipient is now over 5 years after surgery. Chronic rejection has not been seen in her or any other case. Despite the encouraging outcomes, complications because of immunosuppression, including malignancy, have occurred. SummaryThe outcomes of facial transplantation thus far have been very encouraging. The development of standardized tools to measure functional and psychological outcomes is required as more cases are performed. We recommend that facial transplantation is still only to be performed by experienced multidisciplinary teams.


Introduction: Despite advances in the treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL), more efficacious, less toxic, off-the-shelf therapies are needed for patients (pts) with relapsed or refractory (R/R) disease. Epcoritamab is a novel, subcutaneously (SC) administered bispecific antibody (bsAb) that simultaneously binds to CD3 on T cells and CD20 on B cells, inducing activation and cytotoxic activity of T cells for killing of target lymphoma cells. In an open-label, phase 1/2 trial (NCT03625037), initial data demonstrated an encouraging safety profile and potent single-agent clinical activity, even at low doses, in heavily pretreated pts with R/R B-NHL (Hutchings M. EHA 2020, Poster EP1218). Herein, we present updated dose-escalation data, including initial results for the 48-mg recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) and for pts with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).
 Methods: Adults with R/R CD20+ B-NHL after prior therapy, including an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAb), receive a SC 1-mL injection of flat-dose epcoritamab in 28-day cycles (q1w: cycles 1-2; q2w: cycles 3-6; q4w thereafter) until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Risk mitigation for cytokine release syndrome (CRS) includes starting with priming and intermediate doses and use of corticosteroids. Objectives include dose finding, safety, and antitumor activity.
 Results: As of July 6, 2020, 67 pts were enrolled, which included 45 pts (67%) with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), 12 (18%) with follicular lymphoma (FL) and 4 (6%) with MCL. Pts were heavily pretreated, with a median (range) of 3.0 (1-6) prior lines of therapy for pts with DLBCL and 4.5 (1-18) for pts with FL; in total 6 pts had received prior CAR-T therapy. Over one-half of pts (37/67; 55%) were refractory to their most recent systemic therapy; 35/67 (52%) were refractory to their most recent anti-CD20 mAb therapy. At a median overall follow-up of 8.3 months, treatment is ongoing in 25 pts (37%); median follow-up is 8.3 months for pts with DLBCL and 8.8 months for pts with FL. Epcoritamab was well tolerated and there were no discontinuations due to treatment-related adverse events (AEs). The most common treatment-emergent AEs (TEAEs) were pyrexia (70%), local injection-site reactions (48%), and fatigue (45%). With increased doses, TEAEs of special interest were consistent with previous reports: CRS events were all grade 1/2 (58%) with no grade 3/4 CRS events, and limited neurotoxicity was observed (6%; grade 1: 3%; grade 3: 3%; all transient). There were no dose-limiting toxicities or febrile neutropenia events, and no deaths due to treatment-related AEs. Antitumor activity in evaluable pts with DLBCL and FL is shown in the Table. In 18 pts with DLBCL receiving epcoritamab ≥12 mg, overall response rate (ORR) was 66.7% with 6 pts achieving a complete response (CR). Of the 7 pts who received epcoritamab ≥48 mg (48-mg RP2D n=4; 60-mg n=3), all achieved a response, including CR in 2 pts (28.6%) with limited follow-up. All pts with DLBCL who were previously treated with CAR-T therapy achieved a response (4/4: 2 CR, 2 partial response [PR]). ORR was 100% for the 8 pts with FL receiving epcoritamab ≥0.76 mg, with 2 pts achieving a CR (PET scans were not mandatory and disease assessment by PET was not available in 4/6 pts who achieved a PR). Of the 4 pts with MCL, responses have been observed in 2 pts with blastoid variant MCL (1 CR; 1 PR). Data on duration of response are not yet mature. Longer follow-up data, including additional response evaluations at 48-mg dose and in pts with MCL, will be presented.
 Conclusions: Epcoritamab, a novel SC bsAb, demonstrates a consistent and favorable safety profile, with no grade ≥3 CRS events and limited neurotoxicity, in support of outpatient administration. Emerging data with longer follow-up are highly encouraging, with substantial single-agent efficacy, including CR in heavily pretreated pts with FL, MCL, and DLBCL.
 Study support: Genmab A/S. Medical writing: Alyson Bexfield, Caudex, UK, funded by Genmab A/S.

 Hutchings: Celgene, Genmab, Janssen, Novartis, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Takeda: Research Funding; Genmab, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Mous:Gilead Sciences: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen-Cilag: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Sandoz: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; MSD Brazil: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria; AbbVie: Honoraria. Clausen:AbbVie: Other: Travel expenses. Johnson:Incyte: Honoraria; Kite Pharma: Honoraria; Kymera: Honoraria; MorphoSys: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; Genmab: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers: Honoraria; Oncimmune: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Oncimmune: Consultancy; Epizyme: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy; Boehringer Ingelheim: Consultancy; Epizyme: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria. Linton:Takeda: Honoraria; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Consultancy; Beigene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Other: Travel, accommodations, expenses ; Celgene: Other: Travel, accommodations, expenses. Chamuleau:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Genmab: Research Funding; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Sureda Balari:Gilead/Kite: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS: Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Incyte: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; Merck Sharpe and Dohme: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene/Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Honoraria. Cunningham:Bayer: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Research Funding; Merrimack: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; MedImmune: Research Funding; OVIBIO: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Lilly: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Clovis Oncology: Research Funding; 4SC: Research Funding. Oliveri:Genmab: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. DeMarco:Genmab: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Elliott:Genmab: Current Employment. Chen:Genmab: Current Employment. Lugtenburg:Servier: Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; Genentech: Honoraria; Genmab: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Incyte: Honoraria.

 Epcoritamab is an investigational agent undergoing evaluation in patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.


This article outlines some key requirements for smart grid communication architectures that arise from the established body of European regulation. In particular, the implications of an unbundled, competitively organized electricity market as prescribed by the European electricity directive and the core concepts of European data protection legislation as laid out in the data protection directive are taken into account. To achieve compliance with both, any communication architecture that should form the basis of a European smart grid must meet some key requirements which are deduced by applying the core principles of data protection to the different market actors' data needs. Three possible approaches for meeting these requirements are examined of which the introduction of an additional market role ("data trustee") appears to be more sustainable than those currently pursued.


The Access Charge Plan, a marginal-cost pricing system for long-distance telephone sewice, was devised by the Federal Communications Commission in 1982 to facilitate the transition from regulated monopoly to competition. In little more than a year after the plan was proposed, as the plan's distributive and competitive impacts were recognized by a host of stakeholders and political interests, a flood of opposition different from the system that had previously existed, nevertheless continued to reflect some of the objectives of the past regime, including subsidies to residential users and some shelter for AT&T's principal competitors. The strength of the political process that produced these modifications was due part to elements in the original FCC proposal that were not essential to its central purpose. swamped the initiative. What emerged, although distinctly different from the system that had previously existed, nevertheless continued to reflect some of the objectives of the past regime, including subsidies to residential users and some shelter for AT&T's principal competitors. The strength of the political process that produced these modifications was due part to elements in the original FCC proposal that were not essential to its central purpose.


Abstract Adolescents have little knowledge of preventive breast care or breast screening, yet exposures in youth influence the risk of future breast disease.Nipple piercing increases the risk of trauma and breast infection. Alcohol consumption, smoking, nutrition, obesity, reproductive factors, previous cancer and chest radiotherapy, family history of breast cancer or genetic mutation increase the risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer is rare in adolescents and currently genetic testing is not recommended in those under 18 years, as medical surveillance is not usually recommended until around 25 years. Screening measures include clinical breast exam every 1 to 3 years, and breast self-awareness in healthy women from 20 years; and at least annual breast self examination, with annual clinical breast examination, mammography and magnetic resonance imaging in high-risk patients from 25 years. Breast ultrasound is used in diagnostic evaluation of breast masses in adolescents as mammography is less sensitive in young women.


Ruta graveolens is known as Rue. R. graveolens extracts and essential oil are important areas in drug development with numerous pharmacological activities in many countries. For a long time R. graveolens has been used in traditional medicines for the relief of pain, eye problems, rheumatism and dermatitis. R. graveolens has recently been shown to have antibacterial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and insecticidal activities. Rutin, quercetin, psoralen, methoxypsoralen, rutacridone, rutacridone epoxide and gravacridondiol are phytochemical compounds which are reported from this plant. α-Pinene, limonene and 1,8-cineole were identified as the main monoterpene constituents for R. graveolensessential oil. Due to the easy collection of the plant and being widespread and also remarkable biological activities, this plant has become medicine in many countries especially in Mediterranean region. This article presents comprehensive analyzed information on the botanical, chemical and pharmacological aspects of R. graveolens.

 Key words: Ruta graveolens, Rutaceae, pharmacology, phytochemistry.


During the Miocene, in the distal sectors of the Bermejo Basin, a complex relationship developed between a floodplain and contemporary volcanic activity. Seven stages of sedimentation are established to interpret this paleoenvironmental relationship. Stage I corresponds to the development of the floodplain previous to pyroclastic activity; in Stage II, pyroclastic activity is manifested by fall deposits and dry pyroclastic surges. A probable calm in the volcanic activity, associated with exceptional rains, generates laharic deposits (Stage III). Stage IV is dry pyroclastic surges that collapse the floodplain. Subsequently, the river system is reestablished (Stage V) under a regime of low to null volcanic activity. During Stages VI and VII, thick deposits of dry and wet pyroclastic surges, which have records of contemporary seismic activity. The presence of deformational structures within the pyroclastic deposits and lahars indicate that the volcanic centers were in distant areas. The volcanism that generated these deposits is probably associated with the migration to the east of the Miocene volcanic arc of the Cordillera de Los Andes or could be associate with the volcanism of the Sierra de Famatina.


This study quantifies the significant economic gains that are expected to be revealed through the abolition or relaxation of local content based policies. The work analyses two specific local content policies affecting directly or indirectly the shipbuilding industry in two countries: Brazil's local content requirement as part of national concession contracts in the oil and gas sector, and the long-standing US Jones Act obliging intra-US seaborne trade to be conducted on US built and US flagged vessels. The paper's static simulation exploits OECD's latest Trade-in-Value-Added (TiVA) data – a rich database on Inter-Country Input-Output relationships. The database has been disaggregated to the level of the shipbuilding industry, enabling an assessment of the effect of the two selected policies on inter-industry trade. The simulation results suggest large economic benefits for both countries in the long-term despite initial losses in the target industry.


Abstract Introduction: Promotion of reproductive health through institutional delivery has been adopted by government as a strategy for reducing maternal mortality rate but still about half of the deliveries have been conducted at home. Cost barrier is one of the major cause for preferring home delivery instead of institutional delivery. Not only the direct costs responsible for low institutional delivery but also indirect costs too accountable for less number of institutional births in the country. Aims & Objectives: To estimate the out of pocket expenditure incurred by households during delivery and its determinants. Materials and methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted during which a total 272 households having women who had recently delivered in government institutions were interviewed. Result : The mean out of pocket expenditure was found to be Rs. 1406.04 ± 103.27 including spending's on drugs, travel, pathological tests and unofficial payments. Low socioeconomic class, residence outside the catchment area of delivery point, tertiary and secondary health care facilities as place of delivery and low literacy status of head of the family below high school  were found to be significantly associated with out of pocket expenditure bivariate analysis (p<0.05). On multivariate analysis low socioeconomic (OR 22.40; 95% CI 9.44-53.15; p = 0.01)   and residence (OR 13.07; 95% CI (1.58-116.55); p = 0.03)  outside the catchment area of delivery point were found to be independent predictors of catastrophic out of pocket expenditure during delivery. Conclusions : Although government has been running lot of schemes for availing free of cost health services but still one has to pay from their pocket as medical expenses. In order to bear these expenses, they have to borrow money, sell their assets and securities due to which households suffer a lot. In the present study, unofficial payment was found prevalent in public institutions and these informal payments make the health service unaffordable for households.


A method was investigated for the measurement of the near field sound intensity of rotating broadband noise sources. The method used two sound intensity probes held stationary in the laboratory reference frame, which were conditionally sampled to track the motion of pre-defined rotating source regions along their circumferential path. The cross-correlation coefficient of the sound intensity for a single location in the rotating frame of reference was then calculated from the two stationary probe signals. Multiple probe spacings provided the information required for an estimate of the cross-correlation function, which was then Fourier transformed to yield the sound intensity spectrum. The method was validated using known stationary random signals, and the numerical simulation of a rotating source. The source spectrum in each case was successfully estimated despite leakage, a high variance, and a bias error in the intensity. The method was then applied to a mixed flow automotive cooling fan and the results were compared to flow measurements.


Four groups of cattle were experimentally immunised by four mycoplasma species of "mycoides-like" group, Mycoplasma (M) capricolum, M. mycoides subsp. mycoides (LC), M. mycoides subsp. capri and M. species group 7 of LEACH (PG50). They were then bled weekly during 2 months to establish antibodies kinetics against homologous and heterologous antigens. The standard method of complement fixation test (CFT) used in Europe and a new ELISA test for diagnosis of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia were performed in comparison with passive haemagglutination test (PHA) against antigens used for experimental immunisation. Cross reactions obtained are rather equal to the degree of similitude between these mycoplasma species. With CFT-cross reactions are transitory and occur only while homologous titers are very high, particularly with "PG50" and the two caprine mycoides strains. ELISA results using a threshold of positivity of optical density of 0.20, were similar to that obtained with CFT except ELISA specificity is not so different from CFT one. This experimental model could explain some natural situations.


In sodium valproate monotherapy for generalized seizures and carbamazepine for partial seizures, it was found in a within-patient follow-up study that the effect-developing concentrations which were sufficient to suppress the clinical seizures were significantly higher than the effect-sustaining concentrations by which longstanding suppression was maintained. There was a delayed onset of therapeutic effect which worked to suppress the clinical and electrographic seizure manifestations, and the length of the delay depended on the nature of the epilepsy. In animal experiments, the possibility that the severity of epilepsy may become milder as a consequence of successful pharmacotherapy was reconfirmed in amygdaloid-kindled cats on chronic medication in place of kindling animals on acute prophylactic medication. Only when the established generalized seizures were completely suppressed, was the generalized seizure triggering threshold evidently elevated. Since epilepsy is a long-standing condition lasting for years to decades, short-spanned cross-sectional observations are often misleading. Whatever relationship might exist between the blood levels of antiepileptic drugs and the paroxysmal discharges in the EEG, the severity of epileptogenesis as well as the longitudinal time course must always be taken into consideration in the drug treatment of epilepsy.


BACKGROUND
Data about the risk of recurrence of vacuum extraction (VE) in multiple consecutive deliveries are scarce. We aimed to evaluate the pattern and individual cumulative risk of recurrence of VE in consecutive term deliveries.

STUDY DESIGN
A retrospective cohort study based on a validated electronic database at a single center between 2005 and 2019. For the purpose of the study, we focused on consecutive term deliveries of all primiparas (P1) that had a record of at least one additional delivery during the study period. We identified P1 VE deliveries (reference group) and calculated the individual cumulative risk of repeated VE for three consecutive deliveries. Multivariate analysis was conducted adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS
We identified 35 113 primiparas that met inclusion criteria. The overall VE rate for P1 was 17.9% (6969 parturient). The cumulative rates of repeated VEs at the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th deliveries were 8.6%, 26.8%, and 25.0%, respectively. The risk of recurrent VE for each of the consecutive deliveries was confirmed after adjustment for confounders (aOR [95% CI]: 5.8 [4.76-7.04], 34.2 [18.59-62.81], and 113.9 [9.77-1328.69] for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th consecutive deliveries, respectively).

CONCLUSION
Women with VE at the first and second deliveries have a substantially increased risk of VE in their following deliveries; this finding may influence woman's preference when choosing future mode of delivery.


This paper extends the methodology described in Johnson & Wilson[l], which described the teaching of the concept of software walkthroughs to students in an undergraduate computing science and information systems degree course. This paper will outline extending this teaching strategy throughout such a course. The main aspect of this teaching strategy involves re-engineering the way students tackle the practical assignments in subjects throughout their course. This involves replacing each assignment or practical piece of work by multiple assignments, thus mirroring commercial reality in that no task is performed more than once, and providing an effective foundation for walkthroughs. It will be shown that this strategy can be applied across a wide range of assessment tasks and subject material. Integral to this approach are many of the foundation issues of software engineering that in current teaching environments are difficult to apply effectively, e.g. the crucial nature of standards, rather than standards by decree The paper will then discuss benefits that can accrue from this strategy in regard to quality of the students' work, communication skills, reduction of face-to-face teaching and the opportunity to cheat.


Abstract Negative dependence of sequences of random variables is often an interesting characteristic of their distribution, as well as a useful tool for studying various asymptotic results, including central limit theorems, Poisson approximations, the rate of increase of the maximum, and more. In the study of probability models of tournaments, negative dependence of participants' outcomes arises naturally, with application to various asymptotic results. In particular, the property of negative orthant dependence was proved in several articles for different tournament models, with a special proof for each model. In this note we unify these results by proving a stronger property, negative association, a generalization leading to a very simple proof. We also present a natural example of a knockout tournament where the scores are negatively orthant dependent but not negatively associated. The proof requires a new result on a preservation property of negative orthant dependence that is of independent interest.


Intense proteolysis of cytoskeletal proteins occurs in brain within minutes of transient ischemia, possibly because of the activation of calcium-sensitive proteases (calpains). This proteolytic event precedes overt signs of neuronal degeneration, is most pronounced in regions of selective neuronal vulnerability, and could have significant consequences for the integrity of cellular function. The present studies demonstrate that (i) the early phase of enhanced proteolysis is a direct response to hypoxia rather than other actions of ischemia, (ii) it is possible to pharmacologically inhibit the in vivo proteolytic response to ischemia, (iii) inhibition of proteolysis is associated with a marked reduction in the extent of neuronal death, and (iv) protected neurons exhibit normal-appearing electrophysiological responses and retain their capacity for expressing long-term potentiation, a form of physiological plasticity thought to be involved in memory function. These observations indicate that calcium-activated proteolysis is an important component of the post-ischemic neurodegenerative response and that targeting this response may be a viable therapeutic strategy for preserving both the structure and function of vulnerable neurons.


Renal ultrasonography was performed on 17,941 healthy adults without any signs suggestive of urinary tract malignancies. Diffusely hyperechoic renal masses indicative of angiomyolipoma were found in 41 (0.23%) of them and those with echogenic image suggestive of renal cell carcinoma in 45 (0.25%). Final diagnosis of the former group included 24 angiomyolipoma, 1 renal cell carcinoma, 9 calculus and 7 normal variants. The latter group included 19 renal cell carcinomas, 1 leiomyoma, 1 cavernous hemangioma and 24 normal variants or cysts. In total, 24 (0.13%) angiomyolipomas, 20 (0.11%) renal cell carcinomas, 1 leiomyoma, and 1 cavernous hemangioma were discovered. The results indicate that asymptomatic benign renal tumors mainly consisting of angiomyolipoma are not uncommon.


The present invention relates to a rainwater tank, and more specifically, to an environmentally friendly rainwater tank having a novel structure, wherein a plurality of precast concrete (PC) pillar members, girder members, slab members, and wall members are organically combined. The environmentally friendly rainwater tank according to the present invention has a simpler and easier structure compared with known rainwater tanks, thereby allowing construction to be simpler, saving construction costs and reducing the construction period. In addition, since respective constituent elements are more closely engaged, the rainwater tank is structurally safe and has more improved rainwater storage.


The development of mobile applications for various purpose has been proven to have increased over the years. With the increasing population of mobile device users, mobile application development has become one of the trends. Among the different applications being developed are games – targeting not only the young people but almost all ages, both genders factored in. The researchers took this as an inspiration and came up with the idea of developing a game to promote and the famous mathematical game Damath. During the development, the researcher used Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop CS6 for the character design and sprite sheet, Corona SDK for the simulation of the game and Lua for the programming language, and TexturePacker for code generator for sprite sheet. After the development, the application was tested and the test has shown positive results. The researchers of this study concluded that the game D'Math helps pupils gain interest on the game and has helped teachers as an effective teaching tool.


Current governmental data on rental housing-only by agencies have to be registered- do not reflect real market activity on the Taipei rental market. This study is trying to use web scraping to collect the big data. By cleaning, analyzing and mapping the data reveal spatial and temporal patterns cross districts housing markets in Taipei City. The rental market issue is more important in Taipei with surging housing price. The research will build the rent model to estimate fair rent of different types housing. To assess the rent affordability by the ratio between social housing rent and fair rent. To calculate the rent burdens by the ratio between median household income and median rent across the statistical area. We use two indicators that rent affordability and rent burden to discuss the social housing policy in Taipei. The findings are to capture the real rental market in Taipei and to provide suggestions for social housing policy by using big data.


Background: Acute myeloid leukemia was among the first malignancies to be cured by drug therapy alone, but overall survival rates remain unsatisfactory and have changed little over the past 20 years. Conventional chemotherapeutic regimens, which almost invariably include cytarabine and anthracyclines, are untargeted, and more specific therapies are needed. Objective: We have chosen acute myeloid leukemia as a disease prototype to review established and novel targeted approaches in leukemia treatment. Methods: Our selection of the reviewed literature focused on drug delivery aspects. Conclusion: While the toxicity profile of chemotherapeutics has been improved by liposomal formulations and antibody conjugation for leukemia-directed uptake, their efficacy has probably not changed significantly. Drugs with an alternative mode of action, including kinase inhibitors, hold great promise. Further improvements may result from the characterization of novel acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell surface receptors and of leukemic stem cells, as well as from the design of leukemia-targeted gene therapy vectors.


The effects of helium and argon, inert gases, on oxygen consumption have been studied on liver tissue of white rats who were delivered different fatty products plus to basic food). It is shown that the effects of helium and argon on the tissue respiration depend on the nature of fatty products. The role of membrane structure in realization of the influence of inert gases on tissue respiration is under discussion.


An artificial enzyme was constructed by attaching short peptides with active sites (SHELKLKLKL, WLKLKLKL) onto carbon nanotubes (CNT). It was found that the combination of SHE amino acids was essential to form a catalytic triad. W was also incorporated into this artificial enzyme and acted as a substrate binding site, thus producing an enzyme model with synergism of 67.7% catalytic groups and 32.3% binding groups, CNT-(SHE/W)2:1-LKLKLKL. When the peptide SHELKLKLKL was attached with the catalytic triad site close to the surface of CNT, the composite had higher activity than a leucine-attached system terminated with the catalytic triad site, suggesting that CNT not only served as a platform for attaching active amino acids, but also created a hydrophobic microenvironment and facilitated the proton transfer process to enhance the catalytic activity. The artificial enzyme exhibited Michaelis-Menten behaviour, indicating that it was indeed a mimic of the corresponding natural enzyme. This work showed that a well-designed combination of CNT and short peptides containing active sites can mimic a natural enzyme.


We address the problem of classification in partially labeled networks (a.k.a. within-network classification) where observed class labels are sparse. Techniques for statistical relational learning have been shown to perform well on network classification tasks by exploiting dependencies between class labels of neighboring nodes. However, relational classifiers can fail when unlabeled nodes have too few labeled neighbors to support learning (during training phase) and/or inference (during testing phase). This situation arises in real-world problems when observed labels are sparse.
 In this paper, we propose a novel approach to within-network classification that combines aspects of statistical relational learning and semi-supervised learning to improve classification performance in sparse networks. Our approach works by adding "ghost edges" to a network, which enable the flow of information from labeled to unlabeled nodes. Through experiments on real-world data sets, we demonstrate that our approach performs well across a range of conditions where existing approaches, such as collective classification and semi-supervised learning, fail. On all tasks, our approach improves area under the ROC curve (AUC) by up to 15 points over existing approaches. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our approach runs in time proportional to L • E, where L is the number of labeled nodes and E is the number of edges.


Three experiments were designed to determine the effects of early color experience on the formation of hue dimension in chicks. In each experiment, one group of chicks was raised in monochromatic light and a second group in white. After two weeks of rearing, they were trained in a colored light (+) vs. white light (-) successive discrimination task, and given generalization tests with regard to the wavelength in a Skinner box. In generalization tests, monochromatically reared subjects showed flatter gradients than the other groups, and longer monochromatic rearing produced flatter gradients. These results suggest that chicks have an innate basis for ordering stimuli of different wavelengths along the hue dimension.


This paper explores the inter-war collaborative works of the Detection Club as a source of commentary and insight on the ludic and dialogic nature of Golden Age detective fiction. Less well known than the single-authored works of Detection Club members, the multi-authored Behind the Screen, The Scoop, The Floating Admiral, Ask a Policeman and Six Against the Yard capitalise upon the genre's capacity for intertextual play and self-conscious engagements with literary formula and convention. By adopting a range of collaborative approaches and working in different combinations, the joint authors (including Berkeley, Christie, Crofts, and Sayers) construct playful textual 'spaces' that foreground gameplay and dialogism as key dynamics in the writing and reception of detection fiction. The discussion deals with the texts and their games in two groupings, showing the appositeness of Barthes' notion of the 'writerly text' and Bruner's concept of subjunctivity to the first grouping, and of Bakhtinian dialogism and 'carnival' to the second. Attention is thus drawn to the richness of these texts as a source of commentary and illustration of the signature playful dynamic of Golden Age detective fiction.


This paper presents a motion estimation and correction technique for the realization of synthetic-aperture sonar imaging. It utilizes the redundancy provided by the multiple-element receiver array and physical-array sub-images are used for the estimate the motion errors between adjacent receiver positions in the form of phase errors. Subsequently, motion errors can be corrected accordingly by making adjustments to the wavefield data samples prior to the formation of synthetic-aperture images.


This study surveyed the opinions of 334 randomly selected cell-phone users in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana, to ascertain their attitudes towards the advertising messages they received through SMS. The results show that the predominant types of messages they received were on the availability of products and services (64.7%), entertainment messages (61.9%) and sports (45.6%). Majority of the respondents (63%) described the SMS–advertising messages received as informative and 59% described the messages as rather irritating. A multivariate logistic regression model reveals that employment status is the only attribute that significantly influences the odds in favour of positive attitude towards mobile advertising messages via SMS. The study recommends that marketers should therefore design (MAMs) that will respond to the broadest number of consumers through reduction or elimination of irritations inherent in SMS-based advertising so as to increase their acceptance.


A software product line encodes a potentially large variety of software products as variants of some common code base, e.g., through the use of #ifdef statements or other forms of conditional compilation. Traditional information-flow analyses cannot cope with such constructs. Hence, to check for possibly insecure information flow in a product line, one currently has to analyze each resulting product separately, of which there may be thousands, making this task intractable. We report about ongoing work that will instead enable users to check the security of information flows in entire software product lines in one single pass, without having to generate individual products from the product line. Executing the analysis on the product line promises to be orders of magnitude more faster than analyzing products individually. We discuss the design of our information-flow analysis and our ongoing implementation using the IFDS/IDE framework by Reps, Horwitz and Sagiv.


This paper focuses on document clustering algorithms that build hierarchical solutions. In this paper is evaluate the performance of different criterion functions for the problem of clustering documents.


Abstract Primary and secondary marine aerosol contributions to snow composition in Terra Nova Bay Antarctica, were evaluated by chemical analysis of surface and snow-pit samples. A seasonal pattern of marine inputs, very clear for secondary aerosol (mainly constituted by nssSO4- and methanesulphonic acid (MSA) coming from phytoplanktonic activity) and less evident for sea spray (Na+, CF, Mg2+) was shown by snow-pit samples. Altitude and distance from the coast were found to be the main parameters affecting seasonal change in the composition of snow collected within about a 200 km radius of the Terra Nova Bay Italian base. Using Na+ as a sea-spray indicator and MSA as a biogenic marker, fractionating aerosol effects (which are altitude-induced) as well as source contributions for Cl- and nssSO42- were found. A nssSO4 2- /MSA ratio of 2.7 (w/w), indicating their distribution from the common source dimethylsulphide, was calculated from Analysis of fresh summer snow collected in horizontal and vertical transects in northern Victoria Land.


This paper presents a new approach to multimodal image fusion and visualisation using knowledge-based image processing. The task is to reconstruct the human cerebro-vascular system from the partial information collected from a variety of medical imaging instruments and then recombine these limited models into an anatomically accurate one. Good visualisation of the vasculature is essential in the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of brain" disorders.


Identifying the target of sexual selection in externally fertilizing taxa has been problematic because species in these taxa often lack sexual dimorphism. However, these species often show sex differences in spawning behavior; males spawn before females. I investigated the consequences of spawning order and time intervals between male and female spawning in two field experiments. The first involved releasing one female sea urchin's eggs and one or two males' sperm in discrete puffs from syringes; the second involved inducing males to spawn at different intervals in situ within a population of spawning females. In both, fertilization success was measured as the fraction of eggs fertilized and the paternity share of each male. The results indicate that spawning after females imposes a cost on males but only during sperm competition. Further, the optimal interval between the initiations of male and female spawning depends on degree of sperm competition, distance between males and females, and water velocity. The results show that sex differences in spawning timing of marine invertebrates can be explained on the basis of the differential costs and benefits of spawning out of synchrony with the other sex and that the result of sexual selection on external fertilizers may be behavioral rather than morphological differentiation of the sexes.


Between 1992 and 2000 in the group of the patients before heart transplantation, amiodarone induced thyrotoxicosis occurred in 5 (4 male and 1 female, average age 45.5 years) patients. In four of the patients of that group orthotopic heart transplantation was done. Postoperative period in the patients with euthyreosis was uncomplicated. One patient died after HTx because of thyroid crisis.


This paper describes the design, processing and winding of an alternative current (AC) superconducting magnet used for AC loss measurement of superconducting materials with pickup-coil method. The structure of the magnet was solenoid, its form was FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastics). The magnet was wound by twisted NbTi/Cu multifilament composite superconducting wire. In order to meet its stability, a cooling channel was designed between the every two layers. The magnitude and uniformity of magnetic field strength were satisfied with the requirements of AC loss measurements.


The present study was designed to investigate the influence of dietary supplementation of Copper (I) nicotinate complex at different concentrations (30 and 60 mg/kg feed) for 4 weeks on the immune response and some biochemical parameters of Sea bass fish vaccinated with Yersinia ruckeri bacterin. The relative level of protection against challenge with virulent strain of Yersinia ruckeri was also determined. The present findings indicated that, the using highest concentration of Copper (I) nicotinate (60mg/kg feed) was preferable for stimulation of hemopiosis which reflected on the significant increase of some tested hematological parameters. Both concentrations Copper (1) nicotinate complex had no adverse effect on liver cells which reflected on the unchanged activity of liver enzymes and increase the serum total protein, albumin and globulin. The increased lymphocytes percentage and serum globulin along the course of experiment was elevated phagocytic index and activity gave a strong evidence of the immunostimulant effect of copper (1) nicotinate complex in the levels of cell mediated and humeral immunity. This immunostimulant effects were dose dependant and confirmed by the increase in both antibody titer and relative level of protection against the injected virulent strain of Yersinia ruckeri.


Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a recently recognised and defined syndrome seen in patients with liver cirrhosis and carries a high short-term mortality in excess of 15% at 28 days. ACLF is defined by organ failures (OFs) and is distinct from simple 'acute decompensation' (AD) of cirrhosis. OFs involve the liver, kidney, brain, coagulation, respiratory system and the circulation, and are defined by the European Association for the Study of the Liver Chronic Liver Failure Consortium (CLIF-C) OF score. The central pathophysiological mechanism in the development of ACLF is intense systemic inflammation, which distinguishes this syndrome from AD. The most frequent precipitating event of ACLF in the western world is bacterial infection and active alcohol intake, whereas hepatitis B flare followed by sepsis and active alcohol intake are the common precipitating events in the east. In about 40% patients with ACLF, however, no precipitating event is found. The course of ACLF is dynamic and reversible, so early identification and early initiation of supportive therapy is of utmost importance. Unfortunately, to date, there is no known specific therapy for ACLF except for liver transplantation, so the treatment revolves around institution of early organ support. Most of the patients will have a clear prognosis between 3-7 days of hospitalisation. CLIF-C ACLF score is the best available prognostic score in patients with ACLF.


This paper proposes a method of evaluating model reliability based on a Monte Carlo simulation technique, and applies it to distributed rainfall- sediment-runoff models with different complexity in the rainfall-runoff processes. The proposed evaluation method indicates that the model dealing with subsurface flow and surface flow is the most reliable among the three models for the Lesti River basin, for which hourly rainfall discharge sequences are available. By using the evaluated rainfall-runoff process models, sediment erosion and transportation in the Lesti River basin are simulated.


This study aims to identify problems and challenges faced by law enforcement officers in discharging their duties to the detriment of work performance and has resulted in discontent arose among those who deal with the Enforcement Division, Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs(Enforcement ministry). Therefore this study is to identify problems that cause poor performance and methods can be used to increase performance of enforcement officers. For this reason,a study has been made in the Office of Domestic Trade,Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur(PPDNKK WPKL).A total of 16 respondents,comprising Enforcement Officer Grade N41, Assistant Enforcement Officer Grade N27 and Enforcement Assistant Grade N17 involved in this study.For the purpose of obtaining information,qualitative methods were used in the unstructured interview technique performed on all the respondents involved.Information collected through this study was subsequently analyzed in the conventional way to get the themes to the problems faced.The study conducted found that the main problem that has caused the poor performance of law enforcement officers is the lack of officers, the attitude of the complainant,logistical problems, a lot of work load and intervention stakeholders. This study proposes that made increasing the number of enforcement officers, bringing the ministry's Enforcement Division as a department, provide opportunities for equal promotion, the senior management changes, the course requirements to increase competency levels as well as awards for outstanding service other than the Excellent Service Award.


Morvan syndrome is a rare autoimmune disease named after the French physician Augustin Marie Morvan. It is characterized by multiple, irregular contractions of the long muscles, weakness, pruritus, hyperhidrosis, insomnia, and delirium. Here, we describe a 17-year-old young man, previously diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma, who presented with multiple asynchronous fasciculations of the long muscles of his lower extremities accompanied by numbness. The patient responded initially to pulse corticosteroids with diminution of the fasciculations. He achieved complete remission following 7 consecutive, monthly intravenous immunoglobulin injections. The present case is described in the context of the available literature.


Monoclonal antibodies to adhesive molecules have been used in many trials to decrease ischemia-reperfusion injury, which is considered to occur in areas such as the distal region of the random pattern flap. The monoclonal antibody to the primary neutrophil adherence-mediating glycoprotein CD18 improves the survival length of the random pattern flap. Sulfatide binds strongly with L- and P-selectin. We found that sulfatide has a protective effect against ischemia-reperfusion injury. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of sulfatide on the survival length of the random pattern flap in rats. Sulfatide was administered intravenously just before elevation of the cranially based dorsal skin flap. Administration of sulfatide significantly augmented flap survival length (49.5 +/- 1.7 mm vs control 41.5 +/- 2.1 mm, P = 0. 01). Flap survival length was significantly longer than dye distance (49.1 +/- 2.0 mm vs 39.7 +/- 1.1 mm, P = 0.01). In the control flap, no significant difference between survival length and dye distance was detected. Histological examination 48 h after flap elevation showed leukocyte invasion in the dermal layer of control flaps, whereas little leukocyte invasion was observed in the flaps of rats administered sulfatide.


Abstract In auctions a seller offers a commodity for sale and collects the revenue. In fair division games the object is collectively owned by the group of bidders who equally share the revenue. We run an experiment in which the participants face four types of allocation games (auctions and fair division game under two price rules, first- versus second-price rule). We collect entire bid functions rather than bids for single values and investigate price and efficiency of the different trading institutions. We find that the first-price auction is more efficient than the second-price auction, whereas economic rationality assuming heterogeneous bidders suggests the opposite. Furthermore, we study the structure of individual bid functions.


The book is an insight into the unending intrigues, fraud, treachery, mismanagement, corruption, segregation, unfair trials and tribulations that African football has suffered over the years on the soccer superhighway, and her ceaseless struggle to overcome and establish a reputation of her own. It also examines the hidden power in African soccer that can be exploited to foster development in the continent, after carrying out investigation to bring out some untold stories that many people would like to know about. For almost half a century, Africa has served as a reservoir of celebrated football talents who operate in renowned first class clubs in some Northern countries. In these foreign teams, they have seduced football lovers with fascinating spectacles. Their performances have driven them to central stage where, they are bargained for, at skyrocketing prices. But, in spite of all this, African soccer is still neglected and snubbed by not only its managers, but also by beneficiaries of its products. It keeps going through all kinds of trials and tribulations as the international community rates it below standard, as infrastructure and other amenities required for its growth are lacking, and as its masters sometimes grossly mismanage their football industry. It continues to be marginalised by the movers and shakers of soccer both at continental and global levels irrespective of FIFA's slogan "Football for all and all for football". This has, however, not discouraged some African football actors from making tremendous sacrifices that have gone a long way to get the continent's soccer move forward That is why today, it is able to make major breakthroughs that are shattering the myths and the superiority complex that has surrounded football and impose itself. As football has become the world's third largest industry very few people or country are indifferent to it these days. It appears there is no longer any age, sex, cultural or class barrier as far as loving the game is concerned. Can we imagine what the world would be like today without football ? The book in turn takes up Africa's first faltering attempts participating in the World Cup competitions, her take off in 1990, the 1994 fiasco, the 1998 saga, the period between 2002-2006, her management upheavals, and ends up with a projection into the future of football in the continent. African football has indeed come a long way!


1. A plasma-membrane fraction prepared from rabbit alveolar macrophages by hyposmotic borate lysis is described. 2. Rabbit lung lavages, containing a glycoprotein inhibitor of phagocytosis, may be fractionated by preparative isoelectric focusing in the presence of Triton X-100. 3. Chemical analysis indicates that the glycoproteins of the lung lavage contain sialic acid, fucose, mannose, galactose, hexosamine and appreciable quantities of glucose. 4. The relationship of macrophage membrane glycoproteins, solubilized with Triton X-100 in the presence of borate, to the lung lavage glycoproteins is demonstrated immunoelectrophoretically.


This research study was conducted to determine the influence of maximum aggregate size, lift thickness, and aggregate source on the density and permeability of asphalt mixtures designed according to the Superpave criteria. The project included results of 16 mixes used on 9 field projects in which critical variables affecting the density and permeability of hot mix asphalt (HMA) were varied. The in-place density and field permeability were measured using the nuclear gauge and the NCAT field permeability device, respectively. Field cores were taken from completed field pavements for measuring permeability in the laboratory by using the ASTM D5084 method. In addition laboratory compaction was used to prepare and test samples in the laboratory from loose mixtures recovered from the field. The results from field study indicate that density and permeability of Superpave mixes are affected by project-specific variables including gradation, base type, source, and Ndesign level. For fine-graded mixes the t/NMAS ratio showed a lower density particularly below a ratio of 2 for gravel-source mixes and a ratio of 3 for limestone-source mixes. No clear relationship was found, however, between t/NMAS ratios and permeability for fine-graded mixes. For coarse-graded mixes no specific trends for effect on density were found but there were effects on permeability. Low t/NMAS ratios for limestone-source were found to increase permeability, but no trend could be found for the gravel-source mix. It was also found that there is a correlation between aggregate gradation and permeability. As the ratio of (%P1/2-%P3/8)/(%PNo.4-%PNo.8) increases, the permeability decreases, and as the gaps between the coarse aggregates (%P1/2" and %P3/8") and/or the fine aggregates (%P4 and %P8) increase, the permeability increases. This trend could be used in the mix design process to limit permeability by either reducing the difference between the coarse sieves, fine sieves, or both. In the laboratory study, two compaction procedures, called Method A and Method B, were used to produce specimens using the Superpave Gyratory Compactor (SGC). The result indicates that Method B, which is based on using Ndesign gyrations for different sample sizes, can be used to produce samples that give permeability values similar to values measured for field cores. The results indicate a good relationship between field permeability (using the NCAT device) and lab permeability measured on field cores of fine-graded mixes with amount of passing No. 8 sieve (P8) higher than 45%. However, the relationship between field permeability and lab permeability measured on field cores of coarse-graded mix (P8 lower than 40%) is very poor. It is therefore concluded that the NCAT permeability device could possibly be used in the field for fine-graded mix (with P8 higher than 45%) to measure a permeability index that is related to the true permeability of field cores as measured by the ASTM D5084. However, to measure the field permeability of coarse-graded mix (P8 lower than 40%), an approach to prevent water leakage along the sealant due to rough pavement surface should be established. For coarse graded mixtures, there appears to be no alternative better than taking field cores and testing them in the lab. For estimating permeability during mixture design, a method for preparing and testing permeability of SGC specimens and interpolating based on expected field density is introduced. The results represent a good estimate of the expected in-place field permeability. The recommendations from this study included no changes in the selection of minimum pavement thickness and t/NMAS ratios in the specifications. However, this recommendation does not ensure achieving density nor limit permeability. It is also recommended that for the permeability and density criteria for Superpave mix designs, the target permeability and density values should be developed from in-service pavements with recorded performance histories. For further study, the warranty projects with proven record of performance can be used to define target density and permeability criteria for HMA pavement in Wisconsin.


In this paper, a design problem of a continuous-time anti-windup generalized predictive control (CAGPC) system using coprime factorization approach for uncertain processes with input constraints and time delays is considered. The uncertainty of the process is considered as an uncertain time delay. To reduce the effect of the input constraint and uncertain delay, controller for strong stability of the closed-loop system is designed. As a practical appeal, the effectiveness of the proposed design scheme is confirmed by a simulated application to an industrial process with input constraint and uncertain time delay.


Developing uncertainty models suitable for modern robust design methods involves numerous modeling decisions regarding uncertainty structure, noise models and uncertainty bounds. We consider the problem of selecting between one of two candidate uncertainty models based on input-output data. Each uncertainty model consists of a nominal linear plant with a standard linear fractional transformation (LFT) uncertainty structure and Gaussian output noise. A classical statistical hypothesis testing performance measure is used to evaluate decision procedures. We derive a D-scaled upper bound on this performance measure, and show that this upper bound can be minimized by convex programming and /spl Hscr//sub /spl infin// filtering techniques. In addition, a general robust hypothesis testing result is derived.


INTRODUCTION
Coeliac disease can occur at any age but is more common in children. Its diagnosis requires correlation between clinical presentations, serological results, endoscopic findings and histopathological classification using the modified Marsh grading system. This study of coeliac disease with biopsies received in the department of histopathology at Soba University Hospital, and Fedail Hospital aimed to gain insight into the demographic profile, clinical presentations and histopathological classification of patients with coeliac disease.

METHODS
This was a descriptive study carried out at Soba University Hospital and Fedail Hospital during the period from January 2010-December 2013. Haematoxylin & Eosin and CD3-stained slides of small intestinal biopsies of coeliac disease patients were reviewed for various histological features (1) intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) count per 100 enterocytes, (2) crypt hyperplasia and (3) degree of villous atrophy. Based on the histopathological findings, the cases were categorized according to the modified Marsh classification. Demographic and clinical data were obtained from the patient request forms. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences Software (SPSS).

RESULTS
The study included 60 patients. Their age ranged from 2 to 70 years with a mean of 19.5 years (±15.7 SD). The most common age group was below 10 years old (41.6%). Male and female are equally affected. The most common clinical presentation was chronic diarrhoea (55.0%), followed by iron deficiency anemia (41.7%). The degree of villous atrophy ranged from complete atrophy (45.0%), marked atrophy (38.3%) to mild atrophy (16.6%). Marsh grade IIIC was the most common grade. The younger age-groups had a higher prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia and higher Marsh grade.


Numerical calculations are carried out for the natural convection induced by temperature difference between a cold outer square cylinder and a hot inner circular cylinder. A two-dimensional solution for unsteady natural convection is obtained, using the immersed boundary method (IBM) to model an inner circular cylinder based on finite volume method, for different Rayleigh numbers varying over the range of . The study goes further to investigate the effect of an inner cylinder location on the heat transfer and fluid flow. The location of inner circular cylinder is changed vertically along the center-line of square enclosure. The number, size and formation of cell strongly depend on Rayleigh number and the position of inner circular cylinder. The changes in heat transfer quantities have been presented.


Urinary tract infections in the elderly are severe and intractable, often justifying the use of aminoglycosides. We studied the effects of dibekacin in 28 patients, with no vesical catheter, whose average age was 78 +/- 6.1 years. The drug was given for ten days, in an average dose of 2.1 mg/kg/day divided into two injections. Serum concentration was measured after one hour on day 1 and after eight hours on days 1 and 10. Causative pathogens, all susceptible to dibekacin, were: 18 E. coli, 3 Proteus mirabilis, 3 Klebsiella, 1 Enterobacter cloacae, 1 Citrobacter and 2 Staphylococci. MIC and MBC of dibekacin were determined for each microorganism. Dibekacin was discontinued in four cases on day three because of persistent bacteriuria. Ten days after treatment end, 19 patients were cured, 4 had a relapse and 1 was reinfected. Average serum concentration of dibekacin, measured after eight hours, increased from 0.77 +/- 0.48 micrograms/ml on day 1 to 1.78 +/- 1.22 microgram/ml on day 10 (t = 4.42; p less than 0.0005), while, over the same period, there was no significant change in serum creatinine.


WH packets with respect to a Gabor system (frame) have been introduced and it has been shown with the help of examples that WH packets with respect to a Gabor frame may not be a frame for L 2 (R). A sufficient condition under which WH packets with respect to a Gabor frame is a frame for L 2 (R) has been given. A necessary and sufficient condition has also been given in this direction. Further, finite sum of Gabor frames has been considered and sufficient conditions under which finite sum of Gabor frames is a frame for L 2 (R) have been given. Finally, stability of Gabor frames has been studied and sufficient conditions in this direction have been obtained.


The acoustic properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were investigated as functions of pressure by using a Fabry-Perot interferometer and a diamond anvil cell. The longitudinal sound velocity was measured for the first time from ambient pressure up to 11 GPa, over which range it changed from 2630 to 7240 m/s upon compression. The rate of change in the sound velocity with respect to pressure exhibited large values in the low-pressure range below about 0.5 GPa and decreased markedly upon further compression at pressures above ∼0.5 GPa. This significant change was tentatively attributed to a substantial decrease in free volume upon applying the pressure. The pressure dependence of the sound velocity did not display any substantial hysteresis between the compression and the decompression processes, but the half width of the Brillouin doublet and the related acoustic attenuation showed some hysteresis, the origin of which remains unclear.


We present results of first-principles calculations of the elastic constants and other mechanical properties of Ti3SiC2. This knowledge is important from a technological point of view, since the material shows promising characteristics, such as a combined metallic and ceramic appearance. We also confirm a recent experimental observation that the structure of Ti3SiC2 is stable at elevated pressures, and investigate some consequences of this fact.


Analysis of the sounds transmitted from the outside world to the fetus have shown that the fetus receives sound of more than 40 décibels, regardless of the means of transmission or of the position of the mother. Below this threshold, many parameters are involved, such as the position of the mother, the method of sound transmission, but the mother's voice always seems to be have priority.


Forensic audio recordings may contain undesired noise that can impair source identification, speech recognition, and other audio processing requirements. In this paper several custom analysis/synthesis algorithms are presented based on a time-varying spectral representation of the noisy signal. The enhancement process adapts to the instantaneous signal behavior and alters the noisy signal so that the enhanced output signal is higher in quality than the unprocessed noisy input signal. Nonlinear and time-varying filters operate on the spectral representation in order to retain features that are attributable to the desired signal, such as human speech, while removing the features that are more likely to be due to the noise contamination.


The second law of thermodynamics is one of the most important physical laws that has been extracted by different formulations. In this paper, a new approach to study different formulations of the second law is extracted based on the energy components of the system as well as introducing the independent and dependent energy components concepts. Also, two main formulations of classical thermodynamics, and also entropy from the perspective of general physics are discussed based on the energy components of the system for constant applied energy to the system in different conditions. Kelvin-Plank and Clausius formulations, as two main classical formulations, are all assertions about impossible processes. Considering the energy structure equation of the system, as an equation to formulate the performed process using activated energy components, it is shown that different formulations of the second law of thermodynamics represent the same concept in the perspective of the energy structure. Finally, a new general formulation to the second law, based on the energy structure of the system is extracted, and the equivalence as the other formulations is shown. The presented formulation is extracted based on the dependent and independent activated energy components, and in fact, shows all possible paths in the considered energy applying to the system.


It was brought to our attention by Zoran Luicic and Milica Stojanovic, via Peter Gilkey, that some of the diagrams in our paper are not correct. The particular problems are the gluing diagrams for the pair of isospectral surfaces of genus 4, which occur on page 20. It is easy to check that the gluing diagrams given there give rise to a surface of the wrong genus. The problem arose because of carelessness in some of the identifications of some of the edges of the fundamental domain.


Efficiently obtaining high-quality data on animal populations and communities is paramount for ecological and conservation studies. In many instances these data come from live-trapping, the success of which depends on various factors, such as the interaction between the trap's mechanisms and the morphological or ecological characteristics of the animals, and weather conditions that can affect both trap efficiency and animal behavior. Integrative approaches that address the simultaneous effects of these factors on capture-recapture success are rare. Here we contribute to close this knowledge gap by focusing on a large capture-recapture dataset from three 2-ha grids monitored for approximately two years (totaling 55.000 traps-night) in the Morro Grande Forest Reserve, Sao Paulo, Brazil. The dataset contains data on 3608 captures of 1273 individuals from 24 species of Atlantic forest small mammals. We evaluated if mortality rates and the capture-recapture success of small mammals varied between two types of trap (Sherman and pitfall), and if the capture success of each type varied with age and sex of individuals, and with weather conditions. Our findings highlight that trap efficiency depends not only on the quantities considered (species, individuals or recaptures), but also on animal characteristics and weather conditions. Large pitfall traps should be used whenever the focus is on biodiversity and community parameters, since they captured more individuals and species. Studies focusing on demographic parameters require the combined use of pitfall and Sherman traps. While pitfall traps captured a larger number of individuals and a higher proportion of juveniles, Sherman traps provided higher recapture rates for most species.


ON RECENTLY hearing of three bills currently before Congress that define the primary physician , it was a surprise for me to understand that two of the three (those of Senator Kennedy and Representative Roy) define primary physicians as the general internist, the pediatrician, and the family practitioner. A more recent amendment to S3585, sponsored by Senator Beall, uses the same definition. On the other hand, Congressman Rogers's bill recognizes the traditional role of the obstetrician and gynecologist as the primary physician to a majority of the female population in the United States. It is a fact that this discipline of medicine has accounted for a significant reduction in disease and death in women, through concentrated efforts in the areas of preventive medicine and public health. Prenatal care has been a major factor in decreasing maternal mortality from a level of 80/10,000 in 1930 to less than 3/10,000 at this time.


This paper describes a new power conversion circuit topology for single-phase DC-AC boost converter, based on the dc-dc boost converter. It comprises an H-bridge, fed from a single input dc source through a boosting inductor. Change of load current flow is achieved with four current-steering diodes. The proposed boost inverter configuration performs single stage power conversion, which minimizes switching losses and attains higher efficiency as compared to the conventional boost inverter. The steady-state operating principle of the power circuit configuration and control strategy are described. A multi-loop structure controller is used to ensure a high dynamic performance. Computer simulations demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed boost inverter. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v33i2.14


Among the frequently performed plastic surgery operations, rhinoplasty is the most difficult to obtain consistently good results. It is very challenging for young plastic surgeons to modify the external appearance of the nose and restore or maintain a good airway. The external approach has alleviated some of the problems due to understanding and learning of the rhinoplasty operation. Actually, open rhinoplasty allows better visualization of anatomical deformities and better manipulation of tissues allowing better integration of nasal anatomy and physiology. This paper reviews a personal series of 82 patients operated via an open approach between October 94 and October 97. During the same period, 24 patients were operated via an endonasal or percutaneous approach (osteotomies). Indications, advantages and disadvantages of the open approach are discussed. The various techniques used in this series are described and then critically analyzed. In open rhinoplasty, our present revision rate is 8.5%. In conclusion, the open approach seems to be useful for young rhinoplastic surgeons.


In this article, we prove the similarity (and, in the focusing case, the J-unitary equivalence) of the free Hamiltonian and the restriction of the full Hamiltonian to the maximal invariant subspace on which its spectrum is real for the matrix Zakharov–Shabat system under suitable conditions on the potentials. This restriction of the full Hamiltonian is shown to be a scalar-type spectral operator whose resolution of the identity is evaluated. In the focusing case, the restricted full Hamiltonian is an absolutely continuous, J-self-adjoint non-J-definitizable, operator allowing a spectral theorem without singular critical points. To illustrate the results, two examples are provided.