This review points out that three of the essential features of natural selection—competition for a finite resource, variation, and transmission of memory—occur in an extremely simple, thermalized molecular population, one of colliding "billiard balls" subject to an anisotropy, a directional flux of energetic molecules. The emergence of scaling behavior, scale invariance, in such systems is considered in the context of the emergence of complexity driven by Gibbs free energy, the origins of life, and known chemistries in planetary and astrophysical conditions. It is suggested that the thermodynamic formalism of statistical multifractality offers a parallel between the microscopic and macroscopic views of non-equilibrium systems and their evolution, different from, empirically determinable, and therefore complementing traditional definitions of entropy and its production in living systems. Further, the approach supports the existence of a bridge between microscopic and macroscopic scales, the missing mesoscopic scale. It is argued that natural selection consequently operates on all scales—whether or not life results will depend on both the initial and the evolving boundary conditions. That life alters the boundary conditions ensures nonlinearity and scale invariance. Evolution by natural selection will have taken place in Earth's fluid envelope; both air and water display scale invariance and are far from chemical equilibrium, a complex condition driven by the Gibbs free energy arising from the entropy difference between the incoming solar beam and the outgoing infrared radiation to the cold sink of space acting on the initial conditions within evolving boundary conditions. Symmetry breaking's role in the atmospheric state is discussed, particularly in regard to aerosol fission in the context of airborne bacteria and viruses in both current and prebiotic times. Over 4.4 billion years, the factors operating to support natural selection will have evolved along with the entire system from relative simplicity to the current complexity.


We present a polynomial time algorithm for automatic synthesis of fault-tolerant distributed programs, starting from fault-intolerant versions of those programs. Since this synthesis problem is known to be NP-hard, our algorithm relies on heuristics to reduce the complexity. We demonstrate that our algorithm is able to synthesize an agreement program that tolerates a Byzantine fault.


This review describes the type of microbial flora in the untreated root canal and the root-filled canal with persistent infection. Recent contributions of molecular methods of microbial identification are outlined along with a discussion of advantages and limitations of these methods. Ecological and environmental factors are the prime reasons for differences in the microbial flora in these distinct habitats. Shared phenotypic traits and an ability to respond to the modified environment select for the species that establish a persistent root canal infection.


Cobalt catalysts with electronically enhanced site selectivity have been developed, as evidenced by the high ortho-to-fluorine selectivity observed in the C(sp2)-H borylation of fluorinated arenes. Both the air-sensitive cobalt(III) dihydride boryl 4-Me-(iPrPNP)Co(H)2BPin (1) and the air-stable cobalt(II) bis(pivalate) 4-Me-(iPrPNP)Co(O2CtBu)2 (2) compounds were effective and exhibited broad functional group tolerance across a wide range of fluoroarenes containing electronically diverse functional groups, regardless of the substitution pattern on the arene. The electronically enhanced ortho-to-fluorine selectivity observed with the cobalt catalysts was maintained in the presence of a benzylic dimethylamine and hydrosilanes, overriding the established directing-group effects observed with precious-metal catalysts. The synthetically useful selectivity observed with cobalt was applied to an efficient synthesis of the anti-inflammatory drug flurbiprofen.


Prostate cancer has a variable clinical outcome and, therefore, there is a clear need for novel molecular markers that are specifically associated with biologically aggressive disease to improve staging and prognostication and also to provide mechanistic information to facilitate treatment selection. Different candidate biomarkers have been identified that are linked to patient prognosis and/or response to specific treatments. Such molecules are involved in diverse cellular processes (including cell cycle regulation, cell death and apoptosis, signal transduction, cell adhesion, and angiogenesis) within which aberrant activity of several regulatory pathways has been seen in prostate cancer. Although the number of molecular markers continues to grow, mainly because of the advent of high‐throughput methods, more work needs to be done to develop uniform standards for their characterization to enable comparison of markers across studies. Moreover, a rate‐limiting step in the development of molecular markers is large‐scale clinical assessment and their evaluation in the context of prediction model improvement. In fact, thus far, only a few studies have tested and demonstrated whether the addition of new biological markers improves the accuracy of standard clinical models (nomograms) in predicting biochemical progression in patients with clinically localized prostate cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy. Cancer 2009;115(13 suppl):3058–67. © 2009 American Cancer Society.


In this paper, we describe the concept of using an on-chip network as the fundamental communication architecture for a complex SOC design. We describe some of the salient features of a MicroNetwork that we have implemented, and introduce an automated development environment that makes MicroNetwork-based design productive. Finally, we show how one would use our MicroNetwork to integrate an SOC, and provide a general description of several completed MicroNetwork-based designs.


Background Cardiac induction, the first step in heart development in vertebrate embryos, is thought to be initiated by anterior endoderm during gastrulation, but what the signals are and how they act is unknown. Several signaling pathways, including FGF, Nodal, BMP and Wnt have been implicated in cardiac specification, in both gain- and loss-of-function experiments. However, as these pathways regulate germ layer formation and patterning, their specific roles in cardiac induction have been difficult to define. Methodology/Principal Findings To investigate the mechanisms of cardiac induction directly we devised an assay based on conjugates of anterior endoderm from early gastrula stage Xenopus embryos as the inducing tissue and pluripotent ectodermal explants as the responding tissue. We show that the anterior endoderm produces a specific signal, as skeletal muscle is not induced. Cardiac inducing signal needs up to two hours of interaction with the responding tissue to produce an effect. While we found that the BMP pathway was not necessary, our results demonstrate that the FGF and Nodal pathways are essential for cardiogenesis. They were required only during the first hour of cardiogenesis, while sustained activation of ERK was required for at least four hours. Our results also show that transient early activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway has no effect on cardiogenesis, while later activation of the pathway antagonizes cardiac differentiation. Conclusions/Significance We have described an assay for investigating the mechanisms of cardiac induction by anterior endoderm. The assay was used to provide evidence for a direct, early and transient requirement of FGF and Nodal pathways. In addition, we demonstrate that Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays no direct role in vertebrate cardiac specification, but needs to be suppressed just prior to differentiation.


We present a comparison of the spatial distributions of Lyα emitters (LAEs) and massive star-forming and quiescent galaxies (SFGs and QGs) at 2 < z < 4.5. We use the photometric redshift catalog to select SFGs and QGs and an LAE catalog from intermediate/narrow bands obtained from the Subaru Telescope and Isaac Newton Telescope in the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS). We derive the auto-/cross-correlation signals of SFGs, QGs, and LAEs and the galaxy overdensity distributions at the position of them. Whereas the cross-correlation signals of SFGs and QGs are explained solely by their halo mass differences, those of SFGs and LAEs are significantly lower than those expected from their autocorrelation signals, suggesting that some additional physical processes are segregating these two populations. Such segregation of SFGs and LAEs becomes stronger for rest-frame ultraviolet faint LAEs (M UV > −20). From the overdensity distributions, LAEs are located in less dense regions than SFGs and QGs, whereas SFGs and QGs tend to be in the same overdensity distributions. The different spatial distributions of LAEs compared to those of massive galaxies may be attributed to assembly bias or large amounts of neutral hydrogen gas associated with massive halos. These results reinforce the importance of exploring multiple galaxy populations in quantifying the intrinsic galaxy environment of the high-z universe.


The area described comprises the south-eastern portion of the Derbyshire limestone massif. A local stratigraphical succession, of Via Gellia Limestones (D1), Lathkill Limestones (D2) and Cawdor Limestones (P2), is established. The subdivisions of the Carboniferous Limestone have unconformable relations with one another. The representatives of the D1 zone are overlain by the Lathkill Limestones of Upper D2 age. There are no representatives of the Station Quarry and Priestcliffe Limestones of the Miller's Dale area. The upper division of the Lathkill Limestones overlaps the lower in the neighbourhood of Matlock. The Cawdor Limestones, of proved P2 age at Cawdor Quarry, lie unconformably on the lower formations, cutting out the whole of the Lathkill Limestones and resting on Via Gellia Limestones at Wirksworth. Contemporaneous basalts and tuffs occur at several horizons although there is a concentration at certain levels. Dolomitization has affected much of the limestone. The lead-zinc ores are generally concentrated in the anticlinal structures, with the notable and still unexplained exception of Millclose Mine in the Stanton syncline. The main anticlines and synclines were already in existence during D2 times. They were accentuated by post-D2 movements causing rapid facies changes in the Cawdor Limestones and persisted at least to the base of the Millstone Grit. Late faults which are not mineralized have affected the area and of these the Bonsall fault separates areas of different tectonic pattern.


It is important to calculate the piston temperature distribution in order to control the thermal stresses and deformations within acceptable levels. In this study, the SI engine piston heat transfer is calculated and the piston is thermo-mechanically analyzed using finite element method. In order to calculate the heat transfer, a concise resistor model for wall temperature prediction is used. For each of the walls (piston, cylinder and cylinder head), the relevant heat transfer equations simultaneously with two zone combustion model is solved considering three unknown temperature. The simulations were done by a MATLAB code and the result validated with the experimental data of the EF7.TC engine. The above results have been curve fitted and imported by the commercial ANSYS code to loading the piston. To evaluate properly of results, stress analysis results is compared with real samples of damaged piston and it has been shown that Critical identified areas, match well with areas of failure in the real samples.


Introduction:Payers are implementing reimbursement restrictions for non-guideline based care. Limited information exists regarding real-world concordance with guidelines for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) treatment. Further, the impact of non-concordance on mortality is unknown. We address these gaps by using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program-linked Medicare database to evaluate national concordance with NCCN guidelines and the association between concordance and mortality. Methods: From 2007 to 2013, women with de novo (n=988) or recurrent metastatic breast cancer (n=5651) were evaluated for concordance of first-line systemic therapy (hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, and Her2-targeted therapy) with NCCN guidelines. Concordance was defined as receipt of single agent or combination treatments listed on NCCN guidelines. Non-concordant treatments were grouped into 5 categories: single-agent HER2-targeted therapy (33%), adjuvant regimens used in the metastatic setting (12%), therapy mismatched with ER/HER2 status (12%), non-approved bevacizumab regimens (10%), and other miscellaneous reasons (33%). Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictors of non-concordance. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using Cox regression to compare all-cause mortality associated with non-concordant vs. concordant treatment adjusted for receptor status, comorbidities, age, race, poverty level, entitlement reason, and treatment year. Results: Mean age at MBC diagnosis was 69y; 77% were white. Median follow-up was 1.2 years. The prevalence of non-concordant first-line systemic therapy was 19% for de novo MBC and 18% for recurrent MBC. Younger age, hormone-receptor negative status, and Her2-positive status were associated with non-concordant treatments for Stage IV and recurrent MBC patients (p Conclusions: In the first-line setting, treatment inconsistent with NCCN guidelines remains common (18%). Overall mortality was not substantially higher among non-concordant patients. However, mortality risk varied (in both directions) by category of non-concordance. These findings may provide an opportunity for considering refinement of NCCN guidelines. Citation Format: Rocque GB, Williams CP, Jackson BE, Halilova KI, Pisu M, Andres F, Smita B. Concordance with National comprehensive cancer network (NCCN) metastatic breast cancer guidelines and impact on overall survival [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-07-02.


The Atmosphere Explorer C data base of northern hemisphere ionospheric convection signatures at high latitudes is examined during times when the interplanetary magnetic field orientation is relatively stable. It is found that when the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) has its expected garden hose orientation, the center of a region where the ion flow rotates from sunward to antisunward is displaced from local noon toward dawn irrespective of the sign of By. Poleward of this rotation region, called the cleft, the ion convection is directed toward dawn or dusk depending on whether By is positive or negative, respectively. The observed flow geometry can be explained in terms of a magnetosphere solar wind interaction in which merging is favored in either the prenoon northern hemisphere or the prenoon southern hemisphere when the IMF has a normal sector structure that is toward or away, respectively.


Extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) within the female genital tract is unusual, accounting for 1.5% of extranodal NHL, mostly in the ovaries. Primary NHLs of the uterus and cervix are rare, comprising only 0.54%–0.64% of all extranodal NHLs, most occurring in the cervix.1 Marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) of the uterus is extremely rare, with only seven cases reported in the literature.2–8 We report a rare case of an extranodal marginal zone B cell lymphoma arising from the MALT tissue of the endometrium.

A 77-year-old woman presented with utero-vaginal prolapse, urinary frequency and nocturia; she had no B symptoms. Examination revealed a cystocoele and a cervical prolapse. There was no palpable lymphadenopathy or hepatosplenomegally and she underwent vaginal hysterectomy and pelvic floor repair. The uterus and cervix measured 8.3×2.6×2.2 cm. The endometrium was 0.2 cm thick and the myometrium 1.6 cm thick; both appeared normal. Microscopically, the endometrium and superficial myometrium contained a nodular infiltrate of monotonous, small to medium-sized, lymphoid cells (figure 1A). The cells …


The authors derive explicit relationships between an ideal sinogram in 2D SPECT and the sinogram after degradation by constant attenuation and by distance-dependent spatial resolution that is described by either a Cauchy or a Gaussian function. Attempts to reduce statistical variance in the reconstructed image lead to the development of infinite classes of closed-form methods for estimation of the ideal sinogram. The authors applied this approach to 2D SPECT in both computer-simulation and real-data studies. Extensive computer-simulation studies demonstrate that the counterparts of a "quasi-optimal" method, which the authors had proved to be the optimal member of its class in 2D SPECT when only attenuation is present, provide the smallest global image variance among the methods in their classes also when Cauchy or Gaussian functions describe the distance-dependent spatial resolution function.


Lipases are widely used in the modification of fats and oils with applications in the production of structured triacylglycerols, selective isolation or incorporation of specific fatty acids, and in oleochemistry for the synthesis of emollient esters and sugar fatty acid esters. Despite the numerous examples for the effective use of lipases, the biocatalysts often need to be optimized to show the desired specificities, stability, operational properties, etc. Beside rather classical methods such as variation of the solvent system or carrier for immobilization, the use of protein engineering methods to modify the protein on a molecular level is an important tool for the creation of tailor-designed enzymes. Protein design is also complemented with the efficient isolation of novel lipases from the metagenome. This article covers concepts and examples for the discovery of novel lipases and their variants by protein engineering and metagenome techniques.


This paper proposes a new service-computing platform named Virtual Service Machine (VSM). Service computing is a new paradigm for manufacturing IT artifacts, lifting up traditional focus of software development from the level of applications to that of services. Applications are constructed for machines; services are built for people. Applications are targeted to run on a particular platform; services are aimed for serving user's needs. While service computing is getting much more attention than before, its progress is slow and outcomes are not so gratifying. Many service-computing developers are striving to solve the same problems encountered in their counterparts on application development. Middleware is one of many means to address the issue of development barriers for services. However, current forms and functions of middleware software are still impeded by customary mindsets that have been exercised for last couple of decades. We need a new breed of platforms that can further relieve the developers from low-level platform concerns, e.g. hardware, OS, or even middleware itself. VSM is a way towards more effective service- computing development. It provides developers with a reusable service- computing platform to develop their service- based frameworks and applications. This paper proposes an approach of designing reusable service- computing platform via VSM. VSM works by taking incoming service requests and converting them to the executable tasks of the underlying middleware or machine that it is running on. This paper emphasizes on presenting the functionality and major components inside VSM. The comparative study with other service- computing platforms with not be the focus of this paper.


Mycorrhizal fungi with different nutrient acquisition strategies influence plant species performance and physiology, thereby defining their trophic niche. This might drive resource competition dynamics that cumulatively impact tree species coexistence, but few manipulative experiments have directly tested this. Combining surveys and experiments in a modern coexistence theory framework, we tested how variation in mycorrhizal strategies and nutrient conditions affects plant competitive outcomes. We focused on two genera of co‐occurring tree species with different mycorrhizal states: Acer (arbuscular mycorrhizal, AM) and Populus (dual mycorrhizal, but often considered predominantly ectomycorrhizal, EM). The EM and AM fungal responsiveness in Populus species varied with latitude and nitrogen (N) limitation. Host‐specific soil microbiome conditioning and inorganic N fertilization combined to qualitatively affect coexistence outcomes. Lower N conditions favoured Populus over Acer trees, and N fertilization reversed this outcome for southern species, aligning with regional‐scale forest mycorrhizal transitions. Results from the coexistence experiment also predict competitive exclusion between the tree species pairs, which could arise, in part, from their mycorrhizal differences and is consistent with alternative stable states in dominant forest mycorrhizal strategies. Such bistability appears in natural systems as a bimodal distribution of Populus vs. Acer tree species dominance using long‐term forest inventory data. Synthesis: The magnitude and outcome of microbially mediated competition between Populus and Acer depends on soil nutrient availability, which likely relates to their mycorrhizal differentiation. These findings support the importance of mycorrhizal symbioses for contributing to large‐scale biogeographical patterns of tree species trophic niche separation across soil resource gradients and bistability in forest mycorrhizal structure.


The primary feature of the metallic nanostructures is their localized surface response at optical frequency resulting in enhanced scattering and absorption. Among these nanostructures, nanoparticles and nanoshells are known for their three-dimensional symmetry, with stand-alone responses naive to the state of incident wave polarization. Nanoparticles can confine and trap light and are often used as a basic building block in metamaterials and metasurfaces employed for silicon solar cells, which require light enhancement due to their narrow bandgap and limited absorption. However, they have shown a limited ability for enhanced scattering and absorption of light. Nanoshells also known as coated spheres have shown superior optical response compared to nanoparticles. In this paper, we propose the nanoshell as a basic building block for metasurfaces and demonstrate their superior scattering and absorption response for improved energy harvesting in solar cells. The proposed model derives expressions to maximize energy absorption and forward scattering using basic concepts from applied mathematics and linear circuit theory. The superior response of the proposed solution is demonstrated using a numerical field solver and Mie theory to evaluate specific examples with various radius and interparticle distances. The developed solution is highly efficient, with improved scattering and absorption, which is well-suited for next-generation solar cells.


A structure that utilizes the mode conversion of long-period gratings to compensate the residual dispersion in high bit rate transmissions is presented. Due to the propagation of the used modes in the same fiber the device is inherent stable and has a low insertion loss.


In this paper, a dynamical systems approach to material damage identification is presented. This methodology does not depend on knowledge of the particular damage physics of material fatigue. Instead, it provides experimental means to determine what are practically observable and observed facts of damage accumulation, thus making it possible to develop or experimentally verify appropriate damage evolution laws. The procedure implicitly uses the fact that the system undergoing fatigue damage accumulation possesses time scale separation, where damage accumulation occurs on a much slower time scale than the observable dynamics of a system. Damage tracking is achieved using a two-time-scale modeling strategy based on phase space reconstruction. Fast-time oscillation data is collected and used to estimate a damage tracking function by calculating the short time reference model prediction error. Tracking metrics based on these estimates are used as feature vectors. Damage identification is achieved either by applying proper orthogonal decomposition or optimal tracking methods to these vectors. The method is experimentally validated using an elasto-magnetic system, in which a harmonically forced cantilever beam in a nonlinear magnetic field accumulates fatigue damage. The damage tracking results were virtually identical for both identification schemes. In both cases tracking data showed power-law type monotonic trends. These results were in good agreement with the Paris fatigue crack growth model during the time-period of macroscopic crack growth. In addition, the tracking provides much needed insight into the incipient or early damage accumulation process, where only one scalar damage variable is needed to describe the incipient or early damage accumulation process.Copyright © 2003 by ASME


Bi2O3 is added to ceramic YBa2Cu3Ox by powder mixing and 'grain coating' respectively. As the result of the transport measurements, Tc is found to be improved by Bi2O3 addition. In particular, introduction of Bi2O3 by use of the 'grain coating' process, which the authors propose as a method of obtaining a thin and even intergrain distribution, produces a considerable enhancement in Jc. The optimum coating thickness falls in the vicinity of the coherence length of the oxide superconductor.


The economy of northern Ontario, Canada, is heavily dependent on mining, so accurate knowledge of seismicity is important for the safe design and op- eration of mines and other critical facilities, including a proposed underground repos- itory for nuclear waste. In this study, we analyzed 537 cataloged earthquakes that occurred from 1980 to 2006. Seismicity is mainly concentrated in topographically elevated Archean terranes northwest of Lake Superior and in the James Bay and Ka- puskasing regions. We analyzed waveforms to determine the focal depth for 331 re- corded events, using the regional depth-phase modeling (RDPM) method coupled with surface-wave relative-amplitude analysis. The majority of events are shallow ( 350 m), although in the east- ern part this pattern breaks down and some deeper earthquakes (>12 km) are ob- served. Based on a moving-window event-counting technique, we show that distinct spatial clusters of seismicity can be delineated that are statistically significant relative to background seismicity levels. A particularly active cluster is located within James Bay, where focal depths range from a few kilometers to more than 20 km. Another cluster near Kapuskasing contains deep-focus events and may occur along a hot spot track that runs through western Quebec. Near Dryden, a shallow (∼1 km) earthquake swarm concentrated in a 1 × 1 km region commenced in May 2002, faded, and then started up again in February 2003. Shallow mining-induced events are also common around Sudbury, a major world center for nickel mining. The overall pattern of seis- micity appears to correlate with upper-mantle P-wave velocity anomalies, suggesting that lateral variations in mantle rheology may play a significant role in controlling intraplate seismicity of shield areas. It is also likely that crustal stresses caused by glacial isostatic adjustment are an important factor, although the correlation of seis- micity with uplift rate is not as clear. Online Material: Focal depth solutions for earthquakes in northern Ontario, Canada.


Twenty brief sermons by a KoreanAmerican, this is an unusual book in a number of ways. The sermons were preached to a tiny congregation of approximately twelve people. Written by an Asian who has chosen to preach in the West, an oriental who pro claims a universal gospel, a person who loves and treasures his eastern background, the book is filled with vivid imagery and metaphor. It is almost poetic in form. The most remarkable thing about the book, however, is the strength of Dr. Lee's personal testimony. Reading it will strengthen your faith in the miracles God works in ministers' lives.


The existence of gravitational waves is the most prominent of Einstein's predictions that has not yet been directly verified. The space project LISA shares its goal and principle of operation with the ground-based interferometers currently under construction: the detection and measurement of gravitational waves by laser interferometry. Only in space, detection of signals below, say, 1 Hz is possible. LISA, a joint project of ESA and NASA, is a mission that will measure these low-frequency waves. LISA consists of three spacecraft in heliocentric orbits, forming a triangle with 5 million km sides. Launch for LISA is scheduled for 2011, following a technology demonstrator LTP in 2006.


Background Coexistence of autoimmune disorders was recently demonstrated for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and hypothyroidism, and, interestingly, this coexistence amplifies the elevated cardiovascular risk in RA. Autoimmune hypothyroidism is characterised by the presence of thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOabs). Whether TPOabs are associated with increased CVD risk has not been studied extensively. Objectives The aim of this study was firstly to determine the prevalence of TPOabs in RA and secondly to assess whether their presence was associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Moreover, this study explored whether TPOabs were related to disease specific parameters in RA patients. Methods Data from the CARRÉ Study, an ongoing study investigating cardiovascular diseases and its risk factors in RA (n = 353) was used to ascertain the prevalence of TPOabs in RA patients. Additionally, cardiovascular and RA disease characteristics were compared between and cardiovascular and RA parameters were compared between TPOabs positive and negative patients. Results TPOabs were present in 47/322 (15%) RA patients and TPOabs were associated with higher TSH levels (p = 0.048). CVD was observed in 22% of TPOabs positive patients compared to 17% of the TPOabs negative patients (p = 0.44). Linear regression analyses revealed a significantly larger progression of carotid Intima Media Thickness (cIMT) in TPOabs positive compared to TPOabs negative patients (p = 0.032). Disease activity scores (DAS28) were higher in TPOabs positive patients compared to TPOabs negative patients (4.4 ± 1.3 vs 3.8 ± 1.4, p = 0.018). A significant lower percentage of the TPOabs positive compared to TPOabs negative RA patients were in a low disease activity state (DAS28 < 3.2), respectively 16% and 32% (OR: 0.36, 95% CI: 014 – 0.88, p = 0.032). Conclusions In this study the presence of TPOabs was associated with increased cIMT progression. Moreover, an association between TPOabs and RA disease activitiy was observed. Hence, TPOabs seems to have a role in the amplified CV risk in hypothyroid patients. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


BACKGROUND
Using Doppler ultrasonography (US), deep vein thrombosis (DVT) has been detected in the lower limbs of preoperative patients.

METHODS
Of 1,087 patients scheduled for surgery from January to June 2002, US was performed in 85 patients with a history of thromboembolism, a presence of abnormality in the lower extremities, or prolonged bed rest.

RESULTS
In five patients thrombi were detected by US, but not in patients with a history of thromboembolism. To prevent pulmonary thromboembolism, prophylactic treatments were performed in 5 patients with DVT complications.

CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that US should be performed on the preoperative patients with a presence of abnormality in the lower extremities or those who have had prolonged bed rest.


Since 1974 I have, as a result of various simultaneous pressures and opportunity, enjoyed
occupying some very important roles in the arena of the politics of Aboriginal education. The
roles I have played range from being an employee of the then Education Department, Victoria,
Australia, as a member of the teaching staff of Bell Primary School (as an 'in excess' staff
member) through to teaching at Alvie Primary/Consolidated School, and from there into
Aboriginal Education Services (AES), Myer House, Melbourne, Victoria. There, in association
with individuals like Glynn Beaton, the non-Aboriginal supervisor of the service, and
Aborigines like Wendy Brabham, Minnie Read, Ambrose Golden-Brown, Alf Bamblett and
numerous others, I faced situations which drew from me every emotional response possible
regarding the plight of Aboriginal people in general, but certainly Aboriginal children and young
adults and their 'relationship' with and access to education and educational opportunity. It was
during this fervent period that my colleagues and I were the target of the Victorian Education
system's semi-aimless meanderings in firstly, the development of curricula aimed at teaching
any or all students some things about Australian Aboriginal cultures, Aboriginal people and an
issue that was especially important to us, the degree of racism which was and still is entrenched
in the resources available to teachers to undertake such curriculum development; and secondly,
though of equal urgency and cardinal importance, were issues relating to the epistemology of
education for Aboriginal children of pre-school through to at least year 12. We concentrated our
efforts in addressing the issues with absolute confidence in our views of what we 'knew' the
actual pedagogy required was, while at the same time developing personal and group expertise of
a high order to consolidate our views and remain politically and educationally unchallengeable.


OBJECTIVES
To analyze the clinical characteristics, grade of physical and cognitive dependence and social coverage of patients of 64 years who are admitted to and Internal Medicine Service.

DESIGN AND METHODS
A total of 105 patients (63 females, 42 males) older than 64 years admitted over 2 months in a General Internal Medicine Unit of a tertiary University Hospital were studied.

RESULTS
Fifty nine patients (56%) were 80 years or older. Pulmonary, cardiac and gastrointestinal problems were the main reasons for admission. A total of 80% of patients had comorbid conditions with a Charlson index of 2.7 +/- 1.4. Mean Barthel index before admission was 71+/-35. More than one third of the patients had cognitive impairment (MMSE <23/35). Social aid was received by 18% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS
Patients aged 80 or older with cardiopulmonary disease and moderate comorbidity grade are frequently admitted to our General Internal Medicine Unit. Physical and cognitive dependence is observed in a significant number of our inpatients, but the uses of social-health services are still low in our area.


Network Models for Battery Electric Vehicles Sudesh Kumar Agrawal, M.S.E. The University of Texas at Austin, 2015 Supervisor: Stephen D. Boyles In this thesis a nonadditive shortest path problem to model the route choice of battery electric vehicle (BEV) drivers has been proposed. Based on this nonadditive shortest path framework several multiuser (with heterogeneous risk attitude) network models which take congestion into account have also been proposed. The proposed route choice model relaxes several assumptions of earlier literature and allows for a continuum of range limits and heterogeneous drivers who have varying risk preferences. The model also accounts for nonlinearity in travel choices — drivers value a small amount of charge more when they are close to running out of range than when the battery is close to full charge. A nonlinear nonconvex optimization problem is formulated and an approximation of the objective function leads to a convex problem which is solved using an outer approximation algorithm. A tour-based analysis, which


In order to illustrate whether there is a connection between smoking and the degree of wrinkles on the face, the authors investigated an age-stratified random sample of 4,485 women and 2,485 men aged 40-69 years. The degree of wrinkles lateral to the canthus of the right eye was described without the investigator being aware of the smoking habits of the individual concerned. For both sexes, the prevalence of deep wrinkles increased with increasing age and with decreasing household income but no significant association with body mass index was demonstrated. In men, a significant association was demonstrated between the cumulated cigarette consumption and the degree of deep wrinkles while this was not the case in women. No definite explanation of this difference between the sexes could be found but a difference in exposure to sunlight and use of face cream may be the reasons.


In our world today, the control over and the use of a country's natural resources (and the biological diversity of which they are a part) usually present a lot of challenges for both policy makers and implementing agencies and institutions. These challenges range from weak institutional capacities and technocratic hurdles to opposition from local communities for whom policies may be meant for. However, if such challenges are effectively mitigated, large prospects usually associated with the sustainable use and management of these natural resources may be realised. In this article, based on intensive interview of experts and critical review of official reports and policy documents, we identify a number of challenges associated the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Ghana and recommend ways of addressing these challenges.

The study finds that there is usually a wide knowledge and information gap on issues related to biodiversity in Ghana. Moreover, there is inadequate funding which also leads to the inability to retain relevant experts. In addition, there is the complex nature of implementing multilateral environmental agreements in Ghana and the lack of adequate publicity on the essence of the CBD. Key among the recommendations we make are effectively engaging civil society organisations on issues of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development; the enhancement of Alternative Livelihood Projects (EnALPs); stringent enforcement of punitive and preventive measures and; the implementation of finance-generating biodiversity services.


Recent simple cellular models of self-organized geomorphic patterns embody a new understanding of complex, spatially extended systems. Such models can be difficult to test quantitatively because the statistics traditionally used can be insensitive even to visually obvious variations in a complex pattern. Here we develop a new approach to evaluating such models. We begin by applying to spatial patterns the state-space reconstruction techniques developed for dynamical systems, producing plots that summarize the patterns in a way that preserves more information than do the statistics usually used in geomorphology. Methods exist for characterizing some aspects of such plots. Here we develop a complementary method for quantitatively comparing state-space plots in a way that more directly evaluates the similarity between the typical features of spatial patterns. An application of this method to the patterns produced by a cellular braided-stream model and real braided streams indicates that this approach provides a relatively sensitive way of comparing model-generated and real spatial patterns.


A rigorous ecological monitoring program has been implemented to evaluate potential effects of underground coal mining on the aquatic environment. The program has been designed to collect pre-mining data and to provide a means to monitor and predict ecological impacts to surface waters. A custom ArcGIS/ArcInfo application has been developed for this purpose that utilizes dynamic segmentation to map stream habitat types throughout extensive mining areas. The application utilizes a custom designed interface for data entry, GPS data, biological data, and digital video for production of the project database. Geoprocessing is utilized to determine which features have been mined. This paper will present the application process and describe the cost benefit of process automation through use of ArcGIS/ArcInfo and dynamic segmentation. It will also illustrate the powerful data analysis tools that have been made available through the development of the custom GIS application.


The cultural identity in a society is the characteristic and signifier to the existence and dimension of society in their life. Life of community in the broadest sense exists in paradigm of reflection and representation in the plots of norm, ideology, tradition and aesthetic involved in and it should not be the dichotomy in space and time in transferring the meaning of life. It is the forms of integrity, responsibility in orders of values, hope, ideals and future. The article represents the life of human being in following, encouraging, accompanying, even fighting for how to reach the cultural identity in terms of rational and historical times. Colored with the problems of social stratification, race, and gender, this novel tries to convey the forms of paradoxical analyses and sharply elaborated in the structure of oxymoron in which imply on the studies of culture in a society to find out the self-identity. The analyses of the research are in the approach of post-modernism discussed as the reaction to the established modern era and its colors, meanwhile the data analyzed in terms of qualitative method with the techniques of interpretative qualitative in the steps of data comprehensively read, interpretation of meaning and critical analysis.


Provided are: polymer particles having excellent dispersibility and dispersion uniformity; a method for producing the polymer particles; and an optical film produced using the polymer particles. The polymer particles have a coefficient of variation in particle diameter of 15.0% or less, and each of the polymer particles contains a surfactant having a polyoxyethylene chain in an amount of 2.0 to 15.0 10-3 g/m2 per unit surface area thereof and also contains another surfactant in an amount of 10.0 10-5 g/m2 or less per unit surface area thereof.


1. Procedures were described whereby constant rates of oxygen consumption were obtained with cerebral cortex slices for periods exceeding three hours.

2. The effect of intravenous injection of graded doses of 5,5 -diphenyl- 2,4 -oxazolidinedione (DPO) in minimal volume, to a small group of rats was reported for the dosage range of 20 to 100 mgm. per kgm.

3. A concentration-action curve was presented which illustrates the effect of graded concentrations of DPO on the oxygen consumption of rat cerebral cortex slices. This was compared with the concentration-action curve of the related substituted oxazolidinedione, propazone. With rising concentration of DPO there was first a moderate augmentation, then a profound inhibition of brain respiration. The augmentation phase did not occur with propazone. Furthermore there was more rapid development of inhibition and a greater maximum inhibitory effect with DPO than with propazone.

4. It was found that DPO had some specificity in respect of its inhibitory action on brain respiration. Like propazone and like various narcotics, DPO decreased the oxygen consumption of cerebral cortex slices much more markedly in the presence of glucose than in the presence of succinate.

5. Under the conditions of these experiments the inhibition of brain respiration by DPO was not reversible, whereas the inhibition by propazone was in large part reversible.

6. Inhibition of brain respiration by DPO became relatively less marked with decrease in temperature. Thus at 37.5°C. only 10% of the respiration was stable toward DPO, while at 15°C. this fraction was 36%.


In a series of three published articles, the International Society for Clinical Densitometry has recorded the findings reached by an expert panel at the ISCD Position Development Conference held in July 2001. The key elements of those papers have been reviewed in this executive summary. It should be emphasized that the ISCD recommendations are not meant to serve as rigid guidelines or to replace clinical judgment. The recommendations will be reviewed and updated periodically as more data become available. A second Position Development Conference will be held in July 2003 in Cincinnati, OH. For information, visit the ISCD web site: http://www.iscd.org/.


Background: This study examined the effect of bilingualism on the processing of clustering and switching in verbal fluency tasks in Farsi-Balochi bilinguals. Methods: Ninety participants entered this study, including 45 Farsi monolinguals and 45 Farsi-Balochi bilinguals. All participants were male university students between the ages of 18 to 24 years. Verbal fluency tests were performed and the clustering and switching scores were calculated. Data was analyzed in SPSS-16 software. Results: The monolingual group obtained a score of 32.84 in the total semantic fluency task and 24.13 in the phonemic fluency task, while the bilingual group obtained 30.70 in the semantic task and 29.37 in the phonemic task. The number of switches between the clusters and the mean cluster size were 35.82 and 2.6 in the monolingual group and 38.65 and 2.26 in the bilingual group, respectively. The difference between groups in phonemic fluency, phonemic switching, and semantic clustering was significant (p˂0.05). Discussion: The bilingual group performed better in phonemic fluency and switched more between the clusters. Meanwhile, the monolinguals produced more words in each cluster than the bilinguals.


Background Increasing evidence suggests that breast cancers are sustained by breast cancer stem cells (CSCs). Interleukin-8 (IL-8) via its cognate receptors, CXCR1 and CXCR2, and HER2 regulate CSC activity. Cytokine receptors can trans-activate members of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family in normal and malignant tissue. The aims of this study were to determine (1) the effect of the IL-8-CXCR1/2 signalling pathway on human breast CSC activity, (2) the effect of CXCR1/2 inhibition in combination with EGFR/HER-2 inhibition on CSC activity and (3) the interaction of CXCR1/2 and EGFR/HER2 in breast cancer. Methods : Human breast cancer cell lines used were HER2−18 and SKBR3 (both HER2 over-expressing). Primary human breast cancer cells were extracted from metastatic samples (pleural effusion n=4; ascites n=5; local recurrence n=1) and invasive breast cancers (n=1). CSC activity was investigated in vitro using the mammosphere assay. Mammosphere forming efficiency (MFE) was determined by dividing the number of mammospheres >60μm in diameter divided by the number of cells seeded and expressed as a percentage. Data is represented as mean MFE ± standard error of mean normalised to control. Statistical significance ( P ) was determined using Mann-Whitney U test (2-tailed). Inhibitors used were SCH563705 (a CXCR1/2 inhibitor; 100nM), Lapatinib (an EGFR/HER-2 inhibitor; 1–10μM) and Gefitinib (an EGFR inhibitor; 1μM). Results : IL-8 (100ng/ml) increased HER2−18 mean MFE from 1±0.05% to 1.20±0.04%; 19.5% increase; P =0.0061. This effect was reduced by SCH563705 (from 1.20±0.04% to 0.70±0.05; 41.7% reduction; P =0.0001) and Lapatinib (from 1.20±0.04% to 0.51±0.04; 57.5% reduction; P P P =0.026). IL-8 (100ng/ml) increased mean MFE of primary human breast cancer cells from 1±0.03% to 1.43±0.06%; 42.9% increase; P P P P P =0.0019) or Lapatinib ( P P =0.0005) and Lapatinib (from 1.45±0.10% to 1.15±0.07%; 20.7% decrease; P =0.0145). Combination treatment had no additional effect. Western blot analysis of the HER2−18 and SKBR3 cell lines showed that IL-8 induced phosphorylation of HER-2, AKT and MAPK within 10 minutes; these effects were inhibited by Lapatinib and Gefitinib. Conclusions : IL-8/CXCR1/2 regulates the activity of human breast CSCs. Lapatinib inhibited IL-8 signalling suggesting that CXCR1/2 signal transduction involves an EGFR/HER2−dependent pathway. Targeting CXCR1/2 adds to the efficacy of targeting HER2 in HER2−over-expressing human breast CSCs through inhibition of an EGFR/HER2−independent pathway. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-17-04.


A tidally-induced frontal system regularly develops in a small area off Newport News Point in the lower James River, one of the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. In conjunction with the front, a strong counter-clockwise eddy develops on the shoals flanking the northern side of the channel as the result of tidal interaction with the local bathymetry and estuarine stratification. A three-dimensional hydrodynamic model was applied to simulate the eddy evolution and front development, and to investigate time-varying circulation and material transport over a spring-neap tidal cycle. The model results show that variation of tidal range, together with periodic stratification-destratification of the estuary, has a significant impact on the residual circulation of the lower James River. The net surface water circulation, which takes the form of a counterclockwise eddy on the Hampton Flats, is stronger during neap tide than during spring tide. Strong stratification and weak flood current during neap tide results in a dominant ebb flow at the surface, which delays flooding within the channel and advances the phase lead of flood tide on shoals adjacent to the channel, thus increasing both period and intensity of the eddy. Front development in the area off Newport News Point provides a linkage between shoal surface water and channel bottom water, producing a strong net upriver bottom transport. The existence of the vertical transport mechanism was independently demonstrated through tracer experiments. The impact of the dynamics on larval dispersion was investigated through a series of model simulations of the movement of shellfish larvae over multiple tidal cycles following their release at selected bottom sites. These results show that eddy-induced horizontal circulation and vertical transport associated with the frontal system are important mechanisms for the retention of larval organisms in the James River.


One of the central assumptions of modernity is that the problems faced by society are best resolved through the use of scientific knowledge. Indeed, during the past century, the professions have both become certified and expected to base their work on this form of knowledge. In contemporary social work, this assumption is embedded in the notion of evidence-based practice, which has become the leading mode of practice. However, many scholars of social work maintain that practitioners are better guided in their work by practice-based wisdom than by research. Other researchers have noted that the space available for knowledge use in social work practice is limited, due to political and organizational regulations. This study proceeds from the idea that it is vital to move away from the seemingly interminable discussions about which knowledge could or should be used in social work and to start operating with definitions of knowledge use that lend themselves to empirical investigation. The overall aim of this study is to examine how knowledge is used in social work practice and what knowledge is used. Knowledge and knowledge use is operationalized as the structures and contents of social workers' reasoning, i.e. their judgements and rationales. By employing such a definition, this project explores the actual use of knowledge, as expressed in the judgements and rationales that together constitute the central acts of professional practice. The study includes a rigorous comparative approach for analysing topical issues about knowledge use, including whether cognitive tools can be used to make knowledge use more comprehensive and/or explicit, whether knowledge use in group discussions differs from that in individual reasoning and whether there are any differences between the knowledge use of experts and novices. The presentation will include selected results of a formal analysis of the arguments (applying Stephen Toulmin's model of the argument) embedded in the data generated by means of think aloud interviews and structured interviews conducted with 35 practitioners working in the social services in southern Sweden. (Less)


The discussion about what we have universities for - and higher education and research in general - is neither new nor settled. Democratic, political, cultural, religious, social and economic considerations and priorities have clearly characterized the university's more than millennial history. Thereby, questions about its purpose, development, structuring and control have been subjected to a wide group of diverse and competing wills and perspective. Both Swedish and international studies show that the perception of universities can be fundamentally linked to the university's shifting position, role and relationships to various historical and societal events and conditions (Maassen & Olsen, 2007). The University exists – can be argued – in a multiple and complex environment characterized by a lack of clarity about how to understand and manage its activities and its identity (Valimaa, Stensaker, & Sarrico, 2012). But the university is not only an object and arena for other actors' ideas about its purpose and organization. The university is highly active in the reception of the expectations and models that define its activities (Sahlin, 2012). Although many studies (see, for example, Etzkowitz, 2005; Krucken Kosmutzky, & Dry, 2007; Sundqvist, 2010) have this complexity as an starting point, we know relatively little about how different beliefs and ideas about university interact, and how they are expressed when they internally get formulated and interpreted inside university organizations on a level (of university presidents, deans and heads of departments) where they can be expected to have a central and performative role for how universities are organized, managed and presented (de Boer & Goedegebuure, 2009). Based on 24 interviews with academic leaders (13 deans, seven heads of departments and 4 research leaders) at Uppsala University (5), University of Gothenburg (9) and Lund University (10), and with a support of a content analysis of strategy documents from 29 Swedish universities and colleges, the paper seeks to illustrate how the idea of the university takes its (diverse?) form in a context where it can be assumed to be indicative of how university organizations understand their own activities.


This paper presents a manifesto for the future design of human-made systems and engage this reflection by promoting a computational human factors engineering (HFE) approach. In this paper, we concentrate on the fact that human well-being and sustainability objectives are inseparable. Thus, this paper's primary focus is to demonstrate a simulation-based computational design methodology, digital human-in-the-loop (D-HIL), which utilizes the digital human modeling (DHM) platform to inject HFE design principles early in design. The D-HIL methodology enables human, product, and systems data to be coupled with computational toolkits; thus, bringing opportunities for facilitating ergonomics decision-making to be part of the digital twin (DT)-driven design. We presented two frameworks originating from our recent work in D-HIL research: (1) prototyping toolbox and (2) human error and functional failure reasoning (HEFFR) as means for realizing sustainability goals through DT-based design. While our preliminary studies show that both tools show promise in terms of realizing the sustainability goals, they are limited to only goals that relate to cost. In our future work, we plan to explore models and computational tools from non-traditional engineering domains to expand our frameworks' scope to realizing sustainability goals that go beyond cost estimations.


Abstract WHO Member States adopted the Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel 10 years ago. This study assesses adherence with the Code's principles and its continuing relevance in the WHO Europe region with regards to international recruitment of health workers. Data from the joint OECD/EUROSTAT/WHO-Europe questionnaire from 2010 to 2018 are analyzed to determine trends in intra- and inter-regional mobility of foreign-trained doctors and nurses working in case study destination countries in Europe. In 2018, foreign-trained doctors and nurses comprised over a quarter of the physician workforce and 5% of the nursing workforce in five of eight and four of five case study countries, respectively. Since 2010, the proportion of foreign-trained nurses and doctors has risen faster than domestically trained professionals, with increased mobility driven by rising East-West and South-North intra-European migration, especially within the European Union. The number of nurses trained in developing countries but practising in case study countries declined by 26%. Although the number of doctors increased by 27%, this was driven by arrivals from countries experiencing conflict and volatility, suggesting countries generally are increasingly adhering to the Code's principles on ethical recruitment. To support ethical recruitment practices and sustainable workforce development in the region, data collection and monitoring on health worker mobility should be improved.


A new sample target for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry is described. The target consists of pairs of elevated hydrophilic anchor surfaces, positioned in proximity onto a microchip. The anchors are used to obtain separate preparations of sample and external standard, while both anchor surfaces are irradiated simultaneously by the laser pulse. Using a standard, based on six peptides, a 2-fold improvement in mass accuracy is observed. Also, ion suppression is significantly reduced. With a one peptide calibration standard, 22 tryptic fragments from a BSA digest are detected using the twin-anchor concept, whereas only 14 fragments are detected when the sample and standard are laser-ablated as a mixture from a conventional anchor target. A volume of approximately 30 pL of sample solution of angiotensin I is transferred to the anchor surface, under a thin layer of a perfluorocarbon, to prevent a concentration bias due to evaporation. With this arrangement, a detection limit of 1.5 amol was achieved with a signal-to-noise ratio of 22:1.


Over the past two years, high-strength metal-jacketed lightguides have been developed with static-fatigue lifetimes orders of magnitude longer than those of conventional plastic-coated fibers. The advantage of the metal jacket is that it provides a hermetic seal that protects the surface of the glass from moisture, which is an essential ingredient for the delayed-failure phenomenon known as static fatigue. Although the metal-jacketed fibers have better mechanical characteristics than the plastic-coated fibers, their optical transmission losses tend to be somewhat higher. This is due to higher microbending losses associated with the metal jacketing, which is substantially less pliant than typical plastic coatings. The soft plastic tends to cushion the fibers from microbends. We have studied the problem of excess loss in metal-coated fibers of varying geometry and have found that the excess loss can be reduced to acceptable values.


The purpose of this research is to develop bellflower (Platycodon grandiforum) root Jeonggwa as a health food. The Omija (Schizandra chinensis Baillon) water extract with 0-8% (w/w) Jeonggwa added was stored at for 12 weeks. The quality characteristics of Jeonggwa during storage were investigated. The Jeonggwa showed a lower pH and a higher acdity as the amount of Omija water extract that was added increased. The moisture content of Jeonggwa were rose from 15-18% to 16-22% within 2 weeks of storage, and remained at that level up to the end of storage. The total viable cells of bellflower root Jeonggwa were 2.1~2.3 log CFU/g and increased in number during storage but never exceeded 4 log CFU/g. The shelf life of the Jeonggwa was extended when the Omija extract was added. The lightness (L), redness (a) and yellowness (b) of the Jeonggwa during its storage at were highest in control samples, and the values decreased with the increase in the Omija extract concentration (p. The hardness and strength of the Jeonggwa significantly decreased as the Omija extract concentration rose (p


BACKGROUND
We have reported that vitamin D deficiency may be implicated in the pathogenesis of hypoalbuminemia observed in patients with end-stage renal disease, but the mechanism remains to be clarified. The aim of the present study was to determine whether supplementation with alfacalcidol might increase protein intake in hemodialyzed patients with hypoalbuminemia.

METHODS
Twelve patients with hypoalbuminemia under 3.5 g/dl undergoing maintenance hemodialysis and not taking active forms of vitamin D were orally supplemented with 0.5 microg of alfacalcidol daily for 8 weeks. Normalized protein catabolic rate (nPCR), an index of protein intake, and serum concentrations of albumin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1beta, and soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor-II (sTNFR-II), an index of tumor necrosis factor-alpha activity, were determined before and after supplementation with alfacalcidol.

RESULTS
Supplementation with alfacalcidol increased nPCR from 0.96 +/- 0.20 to 1.16 +/- 0.15 g/kg/day (p < 0.005), thereby increasing serum albumin concentration from a baseline of 3.13 +/- 0.35 to 3.32 +/- 0.29 g/dl (p < 0.05). The baseline serum concentrations of sTNFR-II and IL-6 were markedly elevated, whereas those of IL-1beta were under the detection limit. Supplementation with alfacalcidol significantly decreased serum concentration of sTNFR-II from 23.8 +/- 4.38 to 19.7 +/- 3.93 ng/ml (p < 0.001) but did not alter serum IL-6 concentration.

CONCLUSION
Supplementation with alfacalcidol can increase protein intake and serum albumin concentration in hemodialyzed patients with hypoalbuminemia, probably through the suppressed tumor necrosis factor activity.


Despite being widely used in numerous catalytic applications, our understanding of reactive surface sites of high surface-area 𝛾-Al2O3 remains limited to date. Recent contributions have pointed towards the potential role of highly reactive edge-sites contained in the high-field signal of the 1H-NMR spectrum of 𝛾 -Al2O3 materials. This work combines the development of needle-shaped 𝛾-Al2O3 nanocrystals having a high relative fraction of edge sites with the use of state of art solid-state NMR – 1H-1H Single-Quantum (SQ) Double-Quantum (DQ) and Arbitrary- Indirect-Dwell (AID) dipolar Heteronuclear Multiple Quantum Coherence (D-HMQC) – to significantly deepen our understanding of this specific signal. We identify two distinct hydroxyl sites which possess altered isotropic chemical shifts, different positions within the dipole-dipole network and distinct proximities to different aluminum surface sites. Moreover, the use of recoupling-time encoded D-HMQC data allows us to partially revise previous assignments of D- HMQC data of 𝛾-Al2O3 materials. While previous work has ascribed the high-field signal to be correlated to a single four-coordinate Al-site with substantial quadrupolar broadening we can identify the presence of two four-coordinate Al-sites with similar isotropic chemical shifts but different quadrupolar coupling constants. Recoupling-time-encoded data are thus able differentiate sites that would otherwise only be achievable with access to multiple fields or usage of highly advanced NMR techniques.


This study aimed to explore provider observations of inequitable care delivery towards COVID-19 positive patients who are Black, Indigenous, and Other People of Color (BIPOC) and/or have disabilities and to identify ways the health workforce may be contributing to and compounding inequitable care. We conducted semi-structured interviews between April and November 2021 with frontline healthcare providers from Washington, Florida, Illinois, and New York. Using thematic analysis, major themes related to discriminatory treatment included decreased care, delayed care, and fewer options for care. Healthcare providers' bias and stigma, organizational bias, lack of resources, fear of transmission, and burnout were mentioned as drivers for discriminatory treatment. COVID-19 related health system policies such as visitor restrictions and telehealth follow-ups inadvertently resulted in discriminatory practices towards BIPOC patients and patients with disabilities. As patients experience lower quality healthcare during the pandemic, COVID-19-related restrictions and policies compounded existing inequitable care for these populations.


This research, exploring a theory of professionalism in osteopathy, comes at an opportune moment when regulation and implications for practice are evolving in healthcare. The study sought to uncover the perceptions of osteopaths, students and patients as to their concept of professionalism and to seek a consensus on what this constitutes in osteopathy. It developed the PIECE theory of professional trust containing five key elements which are mediated by dialogue and touch used by the osteopath. The elements are Personal approach; Interaction and communication; Engagement and relationships; Customised approach; Empowerment and education.

Twenty-nine interviews were undertaken using two video vignettes to prompt discussion, three facilitated and three unfacilitated focus groups with individual stakeholder groups followed, with a final focus group of mixed stakeholders to develop the final theory using Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology.

The findings show how the elements of dialogue and touch are key throughout all phases of the osteopathic consultation and to the formation of professional trust in osteopathy. An important implication of these findings is that the values and attitudes are not stand-alone concepts but learnt and enacted within the clinical context, not only for students, but for clinicians throughout their working lives. The research has explored the perceptions of patients who are also learners within the osteopathic consultation. The PIECE learning cycle to build professional trust in osteopathy has been developed to aid educators and students along with the PIECE self-reflection tool for students to learn about professional trust in osteopathy.


BACKGROUND: Different methods have been suggested to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), but the efficacy of these methods has not been fully studied in fast track cardiac anesthesia (FTCA). METHODS: In a randomized double blind clinical trial study, 120 patients aged 18-70 years with ASA II or III, undergoing elective cardiac surgery, were selected. They were divided randomly into four groups. In group M, group G and group P, intravenous (IV) metoclopramide (0.1 mg/kg), granisetron (0.01 mg/kg), and normal saline were administered, respectively, about thirty minutes before extubation in the intensive care unit (ICU). In group N, a nasogastric (NG) tube was inserted after tracheal intubation in the operating room and removed about thirty minutes before extubation in the ICU. The incidence and severity of nausea and the episodes of vomiting were recorded by a blinded investigator at the time of extubation and performed regularly for a maximum of 24 hours. Assessment of severity of nausea was scored using a visual analogue scale (VAS) device. Data were analyzed by using ANOVA, chi-squared and KruskalWallis and repeated measures tests. RESULTS: Overall the 24-h incidence of PONV was significantly lower in the G and M groups than in the P and N groups (10% and 16.7% vs. 33.3% and 40%, respectively; P < 0.02). Postoperative rescue medication was significantly less required in the G and M groups compared to the other two groups (P < 0.01). Less satisfaction, according to PONV status, was observed in the P and N groups (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: According to this study, metoclopramide and granisetron, but not gastric decompression, are effective regimens for preventing PONV after FTCA. Given the economics and a considerable background incidence in patients exhibiting PONV, we suggest metoclopramide as a routine prophylactic antiemetic in FTCA.


ing and Indexing The Journal is indexed by Abstracts in Anthropology (Sage), Abstracts on Hygiene & Communicable Diseases (CABI), Biological Abstracts (Clarivate Analytics), BIOSIS Previews (Clarivate Analytics), CAB Abstracts® (CABI), CompuMath Citation Index (Clarivate Analytics), Current


This paper proposes a filter design for improving the control performance of the current control system of permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) using the overmodulation region of an inverter. The control performance of a vector control system for PMSMs using the overmodulation region of an inverter can be improved by suppressing harmonic components that are generated in this region. This paper utilizes band elimination filter (BEF) to eliminate harmonic components; however, unsuitable BEF setting leads to generation of large current oscillation at the resonant frequency of current feedback loop with BEF. In order to deal with these problems, the proposed filter design focuses on gain setting at the cutoff frequency of BEF. The proposed filter design can prevent the generation of current oscillation at the resonant frequency of the system, and can improve current control performance without complex adjustments. Simulations and experiments are carried out to show the effectiveness of the proposed BEF setting.


Primary closure in dermatologic surgery is state of the art in small lesions at the head, but also in larger lesions at the trunk or the extremities. Microcirculatory effects on the skin blood flow near to the wound edges affected by primary closure. Forty three patients were investigated. Before and after surgery, skin blood flow was measured using Laser Doppler Fluxmetry (LDF). During primary closure, tension in the suture was measured and the tension on the wound edges was calculated. Times series were analyzed using continuous wavelet analyses, before, after 2 h and 24 h after surgery. After three months, the cosmetic results were requested. Median horizontal diameter was 22 mm (quartiles 20/48 mm), median vertical diameter was 44 mm (quartiles 26/60 mm). Mean string force was 12.0 SD 10.2 N. During the whole course of investigation, we found no change of microcirculatory parameters such as mean LDF or any scaling level following wavelet analysis caused by primary closure. Average of the cosmetic result was 1.8. It is a relative small number of patients and the defects are located in different areas. Skin blood flow and the microcirculatory pattern is not affected in the area by the tension on wound edges and provides therefore a fast healing process without any vegetatively induced complications even if the string force is high. In dermatosurgery, wounds can be closed directly without changing the microcirculatory pattern in the direct area of the wound margins.


New market trends bring serious changes in the used marketing and advertising techniques. New technologies also play a very important role in the brand development and advertising. The aim of this article is to show the new trends in the marketing, and also the way they are applied by international companies and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Mexico. The paper also aims to expose the growing importance of social networks in the marketing in Mexico and provide examples of international companies that have been successful in the Mexican market. The article also emphasizes on consumer behavior and some successful marketing techniques. The conclusion drawn is that no matter how important current trends are, in order to be successful, companies have to customize their activity depending on the products they offer and the consumers they are targeting.


Abstract We examine the structural overlap of the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) and the Behavioral Approach System (BAS) with Stability and Plasticity, the two higher-order factors encompassing the Big Five. Carver and White's BIS/BAS and the Big Five Inventory were administered to a sample of 330 adults, serving both as targets and informants. Self- and other-ratings were modeled by using the Correlated Trait-Correlated Method model. BIS and BAS correlated highly with metatraits, after method variance and measurement error were partialled out: BIS was positively related to Stability, while BAS was positively related to Plasticity and negatively related to Stability. After the higher-order factors were controlled, the BIS was highly and positively related to Emotional stability, whereas the BAS had a small but significant relationship with Extraversion. Findings are discussed with regard to the most appropriate level of generality/specificity at which the personality correlates of BIS and BAS can be investigated.


Few still believe that Puerto Rico is capable of meeting all of its financial obligations and continuing to provide basic services. The territory is already in default, and conditions are rapidly deteriorating. Is there a way forward? We think there is. In this short article, we outline a two-part plan for correcting Puerto Rico's most urgent fiscal and financial problems.The first step is to create an independent financial control board that has authority over Puerto Rico's budgets and related issues. Notwithstanding concerns that an externally imposed financial control board (FCB) may interfere with the decision making processes of democratically elected officials, a properly designed FCB can play essential roles in the rehabilitation of distressed governments.The second step is giving Puerto Rico a mechanism for adjusting its debts. Puerto Rico currently does not access to any restructuring option. To fix this problem, Congress could either give Puerto Rico and its municipalities access to existing bankruptcy law (Chapter 9), or it could craft an alternative restructuring framework for America's territories. We will advocate for the latter approach, although either could be used.With each step of our proposal, we summarize the key features at the outset and then describe the key features in slightly more detail.


Pathology service in Moscow, unlike in other cities of Russia, is not centralized and consists of 57 pathology departments of hospitals for adults and 5 departments of children hospitals of municipal subordination; 30 federal pathology departments of hospitals, 20 departments and laboratories of research medical centers and 5 pathology chairs of medical institutes. In spite of high professional levels of the pathologists, the lack of a centralized city service is a negative aspect. Cooperation between Moscow City Pathology Center and Chair of Pathology of Russian Medical Academy for Postgraduate Education illustrates positive trends to consolidation of Moscow pathologists.


Previous indirect 2D co-culture studies have demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) promote breast cancer (BC) progression through secretion of paracrine factors including growth factors, cytokines and chemokines. In order to investigate this aspect of the tumour microenvironment in a more relevant 3D co-culture model, spheroids incorporating breast cancer cells (BCCs), both cell lines and primary BCCs expanded as patient-derived xenografts, and MSCs were established. MSCs in co-cultures were shown to enhance proliferation of estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR)-positive BCCs. In addition, co-culture resulted in downregulation of E-cadherin in parallel with upregulation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-relation transcription factor, SNAIL. Cytoplasmic relocalization of ski-related novel protein N (SnON), a negative regulator of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signalling, and of β-catenin, involved in a number of pathways including Wnt signalling, was also observed in BCCs in co-cultures in contrast to monocultures. In addition, the β-catenin inhibitor, 3-[[(4-methylphenyl)sulfonyl]amino]-benzoic acid methyl ester (MSAB), mediated reduced growth and invasion in the co-cultures. This study highlights the potential role for SnON as a biomarker for BC invasiveness, and the importance of interactions between TGF-β and Wnt signalling, involving SnON. Such pathways may contribute towards identifying possible targets for therapeutic intervention in BC patients.


Acquiring business is a business to handle payment transactions using credit cards and debit card through EDC (Electronic Data Capture) as means of payment cash replacement (cashless). From the data obtained in the regional Jakarta, the ratio of the active EDC overall average under 50% of the amount of EDC are attached. The decline in the number of EDC active ratio by 2014 due to factors of the quality of service. The aim of this research is to find out the services quality and attributes considered important but not satisfactorily perceived by sellers/merchants. Services quality in this study includes five dimentions of quality of services such as empathy, assurance, reliability, responsiveness and tangibles. Data obtained from a questionnaire for 125 respondents. This study uses two methods, which is, servqual method and importance performance analysis (IPA) method. The results are the current quality of service is still not satisfactory because there is still a gap between expectations and perceived. The biggest gaps is gap value in the dimension of responsiveness (2,032) with the value of service quality is 0,549. While the smallest gap value is dimension of empathy (1,080) with the value of service quality is 0,762. There are 9 attributes in the quadrants A. Because the perceived service does not match the expected, therefore attribute on A quadrant should be a concern for the next repair because these attributes are considered very important.


This study evaluated the basic design principles of a sequencing batch reactor (SBR), subject to seasonal wastewater flow fluctuations. Emphasis was placed upon highlighting the role of major process parameters, namely the cycle time, fill volume, number of reactors, the stationary volume, which holds the settled biomass and finally the sludge age in optimizing the necessary SBR configuration, which will effectively serve under these fluctuations. For this purpose, two sites with different wastewater generation schemes were selected in Erbil, a city in northern Iraq. The first one was a residential unit and the second, a luxury hotel with 250 rooms and a full capacity of 500 guests, which was attained in the summer period. The basic approach for SBR design for organic carbon chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was summarized in the study. While the necessary methodology looks simply, it requires a detailed wastewater characterization involving the assessment of volatile and fixed solids components and COD fractionation. The adopted approach also relies on correlations between major parameters and process kinetics and stoichiometry. System optimization against seasonal fluctuations was essentially based on the utilization of spare reactor volume created under low wastewater flow conditions, without changing the selected parallel reactors, to increase the sludge age to the extent possible, which resulted in minimizing the excess sludge generation.


Purpose of review We summarized recent literature on the epidemiology and treatment of eating disorders in middle-aged and older women and men. Recent findings The prevalence of eating disorders according to DSM-5 criteria is around 3.5% in older (>40 years) women and around 1–2% in older men. The majority of those eating disordered persons are not in treatment. There are new terms like 'perimenopausal eating disorders' and 'muscularity-oriented eating disorders' indicating the impact of the aging process and sex-specific differences. Summary Disordered eating and eating disorders occur in both women and men of all ages. Medical complications because of age, the stigma of eating disorders in a still 'untypical' age, and the glorification of sports activity often hinder the recognition of eating disorders in midlife and older persons. Treatment approaches should consider treatment strategies tailored for older women and men, addressing the context of midlife and aging.


Introduction:
Linezolid has excellent activity against multidrug‐resistant Staphylococcus spp. and linezolid resistance has emerged mainly in isolates recovered from patients who are receiving courses of oxazolidinone therapy.
Case presentation:
We report a clinical case of bacteraemia caused by a linezolid‐resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis clone ST‐2 with the G2576T mutation in five copies of the 23S rRNA gene (MIC, 32 µg ml−1) isolated from a patient who did not receive any course of oxazolidinone therapy. The S. epidermidis HSPE24‐SP strain was WT for L3, L4 and L22 ribosomal proteins, cfr negative and indistinguishable by PFGE from the clone that circulated at the same time in another tertiary care hospital located in the same city.
Conclusion:
This report suggests the inter‐hospital spread of S. epidermidis clone ST‐2 and calls attention to the possibility of isolation of a linezolid‐resistant strain with multiple 23S rRNA mutated copies in an environment under no oxazolidinone selective pressure.


Interactive high-fidelity rendering is one of the major goals of computer graphics. Algorithms based on ray tracing are usually used to drive high-fidelity renderers. While ray tracing is often thought to be impractical for real time performance, recent algorithmic advances in the field have led to the development of interactive ray tracers which leverage the performance of modern parallel systems and cache awareness to obtain real-time rates for moderately complex scenes using Whitted-style ray tracing. Another method used for accelerating ray tracing is the use of selective rendering where only the pixels that need to be computed are traced and the remainder are computed by other means such as interpolation. The choice of which pixels to render may depend oil a number of factors. from simple ones that just compare the radiance values of the rays within a certain area and shoot further rays recursively if the difference in radiance is above a certain threshold, to more complex ones based on visual attention. Selective rendering algorithms may not be perfectly compatible with cur-rent interactive ray tracing techniques since selective rendering methods tend to be naturally incoherent. and the computation of rays at a stride may result in expensive cache misses. In this paper we analyse the effect of selective rendering on interactive ray tracing and hint at possible solutions that would allow selective rendering to be compatible with interactive rendering methods to further improve rendering speeds.


We present a simple, inexpensive, and effective method of applying antireflection coatings to zinc selenide windows designed to operate in the thermal infrared wavelength region.


Gain and timing mismatches in a time-interleaved analog-to-digital converter (TI-ADC) are a type of frequency response mismatches with linear-phase and constant magnitude. They significantly effect the performance of a TI-ADC. This paper presents a performance analysis of an adaptive blind calibration technique for gain and timing mismatches in a TI-ADC. Furthermore, we demonstrate the applicability of this technique to different type of input signals through simulation results.


Modeling of species distributions has undergone a shift from relying on equilibrium assumptions to recognizing transient system dynamics explicitly. This shift has necessitated more complex modeling techniques, but the performance of these dynamic models has not yet been assessed for systems where unobservable states exist. Our work is motivated by the impacts of the emerging infectious disease chytridiomycosis, a disease of amphibians that is associated with declines of many species worldwide. Using this host-pathogen system as a general example, we first illustrate how misleading inferences can result from failing to incorporate pathogen dynamics into the modeling process, especially when the pathogen is difficult or impossible to survey in the absence of a host species. We found that traditional modeling techniques can underestimate the effect of a pathogen on host species occurrence and dynamics when the pathogen can only be detected in the host, and pathogen information is treated as a covariate. We propose a dynamic multistate modeling approach that is flexible enough to account for the detection structures that may be present in complex multistate systems, especially when the sampling design is limited by a species' natural history or sampling technology. When multistate occupancy models are used and an unobservable state is present, parameter estimation can be influenced by model complexity, data sparseness, and the underlying dynamics of the system. We show that, even with large sample sizes, many models incorporating seasonal variation in vital rates may not generate reasonable estimates, indicating parameter redundancy. We found that certain types of missing data can greatly hinder inference, and we make study design recommendations to avoid these issues. Additionally, we advocate the use of time-varying covariates to explain temporal trends in the data, and the development of sampling techniques that match the biology of the system to eliminate unobservable states when possible.


Asphaltic concrete wearing courses which are subjected to severe traffic loading and high temperatures, frequently fail prematurely through plastic deformation. The design of stable mixes presents particular problems because Marshall test results do not correlate with the subsequent performance of these materials under high stress conditions. A number of binder additives exist which are claimed to increase the viscosity and improve the temperature susceptibility of conventional bitumens, thus making the modified surfacings less prone to deformation. This study examines the performance of a full-scale trial located on a climbing lane, in which several binder additives were used. Asphaltic concrete mixes without bitumen modifiers were also included in the trial; one based on a refusal density design method to provide greater inherent resistance to deformation and one with the bitumen content adjusted below the Marshall optimum value.


Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease with a growing prevalence worldwide, however, the prevalence of its complications, including gastroenteropathy, is also increasing. The pathophysiology of diabetic gastroenteropathy (DH) combines hyperglycemia, vagus nerve dysfunction, decreased expression of nitric oxide synthase in the myenteric plexus, changes in the interstitial Cajal cell network, as well as oxidative stress. Clinical signs of DH are gastroesophageal reflux, gastroparesis, constipation, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Among the diagnostic methods are manometry with pH measurement (assessment of esophageal motility), gastric emptying scintigraphy, respiratory test (to assess gastroparesis), aspiration and cultivation of the contents of the jejunum (to diagnose bacterial overgrowth syndrome). To date, there is no definitive treatment for DH - an interdisciplinary approach is aimed at slowing the progression of the disease, relieving symptoms and restoring gastrointestinal function. Patients are recommended a diet low in simple sugars and high in fiber; optimization of glycemic control with a target glycemia of less than 180 mg/dl. As for drug therapy, the use of prokinetics and antiemetics is justified, and in case of excessive bacterial growth syndrome, antibacterial therapy (rifaximin) is carried out. Modern approaches to the treatment of DH are also accumulating, including the use of botulinum toxin, pyloroplasty and electrical stimulation of the stomach in individual patients. Despite the constant development of new treatments, they are not yet able to completely cure DH in the near future, which makes it necessary to conduct further research in this area.


This paper introduces the concept of affective offset, which is the difference between a user's perceived affective state and the affective annotation of the content they wish to see. We show how this affective offset can be used within a framework for providing recommendations for TV programs. First a user's mood profile is determined using 12-class audio-based emotion classifications . An initial TV content item is then displayed to the user based on the extracted mood profile. The user has the option to either accept the recommendation, or to critique the item once or several times, by navigating the emotion space to request an alternative match. The final match is then compared to the initial match, in terms of the difference in the items' affective parameterization . This offset is then utilized in future recommendation sessions. The system was evaluated by eliciting three different moods in 22 separate users and examining the influence of applying affective offset to the users' sessions. Results show that, in the case when affective offset was applied, better user satisfaction was achieved: the average ratings went from 7.80 up to 8.65, with an average decrease in the number of critiquing cycles which went from 29.53 down to 14.39.


In this work the image is segmented effectively based on texture feature by reducing the noise. For effective image segmentation Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm based on Gabor filter is used. The EM algorithm is applied on 2D Ultrasonic image of uterus and tested. The Gabor function has been recognized by its multiresolution properties and the precision of locating the texture features in the spatial domain. The approach consists of two steps: finding an effective and discriminative set of texture features using Gabor filters and EM based image segmentation. The work is simulated using MAT LAB (Matrix laboratory).


Abstract

The purpose of the study. Is to analyze the medical and social consequences of pelvic fractures in combination with polysegmental injuries, study the health care system for these injuries, predict complications and mortality to assess the quality of life of patients with pelvic fractures and other segments (lower or upper limb).

Materials and methods. The examination reports were examined according to the Zaporizhia Regional Trauma expertise commission code ICD-10 codes/manual S32 (Fracture of the lumbar spine and pelvic bones).

Results. According to the Zaporizhia Regional Trauma expertise commission, the number of patients after bone fractures in 2014–2018 is 44 people. The analysis of the material revealed the general tendencies of steady growth of the number of patients with pelvic trauma to disability, which confirms the world statistics. During the period 2016–2019 on the basis of «Сity hospital of emergency medical care» and «City Hospital № 9» were operated on 28 patients with fractures of the acetabulum, of which as a result of osteoarthritis of the hip joint surgery was performed in 3 cases (10, 7%).

Conclusions. Some methods of trauma care need to be improved, aimed at reducing their trauma, as well as preventive measures for the development of general and local complications in victims with combined pelvic trauma, refusal of surgical treatment entails improper fracture fusion and disability

Keywords: polytrauma, disability, temporary disability, polysegmental injuries, quality of life.


Abstract In the first edition of the Principles of Geology, Charles Lyell announced his theory of the geographical determination of climate and speculated on possible climatic changes during the geological and historical past. In light of the subsequent discovery of ice ages, the proliferation of theories of climatic change, and the great climate debates of his time. Lyell's theory remained remarkably stable. This paper examines Lyell's appropriation, modification and rejection of the views of his contemporaries. It provides perspectives on elite and popular ideas of climate and climatic change from the late eighteenth century to 1875, examines Lyell's position on climatic change in geological and historical times, and explores in some detail the mutual influences of Lyell and James Croll, the proponent of an astronomical theory of ice ages.


We present results on transverse momentum (pt) and rapidity (y) differential production cross sections, mean transverse momentum and mean transverse momentum square of inclusive J/ψ and ψ(2S) at forward rapidity (2.5 < y < 4) as well as ψ(2S)-to-J/ψ cross section ratios. These quantities are measured in pp collisions at center of mass energies √ s = 5.02 and 13 TeV with the ALICE detector. Both charmonium states are reconstructed in the dimuon decay channel, using the muon spectrometer. A comprehensive comparison to inclusive charmonium cross sections measured at √ s = 2.76, 7 and 8 TeV is performed. A comparison to non-relativistic quantum chromodynamics and fixed-order next-to-leading logarithm calculations, which describe prompt and non-prompt charmonium production respectively, is also presented. A good description of the data is obtained over the full pt range, provided that both contributions are summed. In particular, it is found that for pt > 15 GeV/c the non-prompt contribution reaches up to 50% of the total charmonium yield.


With the development of ARM (Advanced RISC Machines) microprocessor embedded system, a method of graphical programming software development is more and more important. The system consists of PC graphical programming software, USB program transmitter and ARM development platform. It is mainly used for developing of graphic software. It can program conveniently through the graphical way, and can perform various functions vividly. The graphical programming software can automatically generate C-code. The system allows novice developers to understand the core of ARM quickly, while the function of auto-generated C code also helps developers to learn the ARM library and intuitive.


Routing in low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite systems involves the choice of intersatellite links (ISL) that connect two home satellites of the mobile terminals. We use a mesh model to formulate the LEO system and proposed a mesh-based routing scheme in order to reduce the new call blocking probability and the forced termination probability. Also, due to the dynamic topology of the LEO system, the route is subject to disconnection because of a route breaking event, such as a connection handover event or a link handover event. We propose a channel reservation strategy in order to safeguard the continuity of a route. The objective is to reduce the forced termination rate. Simulation is carried out to show the effectiveness of the routing scheme and the reservation strategy.


The oxidation reactions of aromatic compounds and their alkyl derivatives under the influence of salts of variable-valence transition metals are examined. The bibliography includes 204 references.


Typical VLSI implementations of discrete-time cellular neural networks (DTCNN) incorporate costly hardware to implement the basic DTCNN cell, resulting in a small grid size that needs to be cascaded with many other chips for processing images of any practical size. In the paper, a low-cost DTCNN cell that can be incorporated into a single chip in large numbers has been proposed. Memory bandwidth considerations show that 256 DTCNN cells can be incorporated into a single chip DTCNN processor to compute a 256 /spl times/ 256 image at 30 frames per second. Techniques based on rectangular-shaped cell grids for use with video memory have been proposed to satisfy the memory bandwidth requirements. The architecture of the proposed DTCNN processor is also capable of supporting the flexible grouping of basic cells. In addition, the processor, which is capable of supporting the flexible grouping of cells, can be cascaded in a highly scalable manner to facilitate the processing of larger images at high speed.


In the presence of NADPH and O2, NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase was found to activate Fe(III)-bleomycin A2 for DNA strand scission. Consistent with observations made previously when cccDNA was incubated in the presence of bleomycin and Fe(II) + O2 or Fe(III) + C6H5IO, degradation of DNA by NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase activated Fe(III)-bleomycin A2 produced both single- and double-strand nicks with concomitant formation of malondialdehyde (precursors). Cu(II)-bleomycin A2 also produced nicks in SV40 DNA following activation with NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase, but these were not accompanied by the formation of malondialdehyde (precursors). These findings confirm the activity of copper bleomycin in DNA strand scission and indicate that it degrades DNA in a fashion that differs mechanistically from that of iron bleomycin. The present findings also-establish the most facile pathways for enzymatic activation of Fe(III)-bleomycin and Cu(II)-bleomycin, provide data concerning the nature of the activated metallobleomycins, and extend the analogy between the chemistry of cytochrome P-450 and bleomycin.