Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has been used for its analgesic effects for chronic pain, including facial pain. Here, we summarize how the electrical stimulation of branches of the trigeminal nerve via TENS has been utilized to reduce pain resulting from trigeminal neuralgia, temporomandibular joint disorder, migraine and other headache types, and ocular pain sensations. TENS has been used for both short-term (one session) and long-term (multiple sessions) pain control with little to no adverse effects reported by subjects. The results of the summarized studies suggest TENS is an effective non-invasive, non-pharmacologic means of pain control for patients with facial pain conditions.


Agriculture plays a vital role in economic growth of every nation. In our nation major population directly or indirectly depends on this sector. Technology growth introduced many automatic and intelligent systems that lead to smart agriculture. This paper presents high yield crop cultivation technique that monitors and also helps for the detection of germination of the disease and also to control the water supply to the plant. Various sensors are interfaced to the cultivation system for detecting the environmental conditions i.e., humidity, moisture, temperature across the farm. Wireless module is needed to transmit sensed data from Arduino to central unit (website) where data is stored, and analyzed. Arduino checks the present sensed data with disease condition (environmental) and soil condition, if the condition matches the sensed data, information is sent to the farmer and appropriate prevention methods will be implemented according to the condition of crop.


The main aim of the paper is to analyze theoretical aspects of development preconditions of original decision management in global currency market FOREX system and to analyze experimental results of decision management in currency market models, offered earlier by other authors. The greater attention is paid to so called double trump model of decision management in currency market (Rutkauskas, 2005), experimental implementation of which indicates the development possibilities of investment strategies, allowing to make better investment decisions than those that are dictated by the market. Along with the examination of the selected model characteristics, which in authors opinion allowed to reveal the existence of such strategies, principles of comparison of investment decisions' and strategy efficiency with the efficiency of the market were formulated. Furthermore, it is important to pay attention to one important factor of the implementation of the research, results of which are presented in this work and other works of such direction published earlier by other authors. Wide-range experiment is carried out for the examination of expressed thesis and for the verification of the developed original system of decision management in global currency and capital markets. Hypothesis of market efficiency, formulated for the financial markets, and the random movement assumption of the price variation of financial assets contradict any possibility to create, using only historical data, such investment strategies, which allow to increase the investment effect, generated by the corresponding market, in a long-run period. However, the results, received by the authors, argue that such strategies are possible. Twofold trump model of decision management in the global currency market FOREX, that was offered earlier by one of the authors and analysed in the paper, allows to form, leaning only on historical information, practically nonrisky investment strategies, allowing to gain higher investment effect than the effect, insured by the market investment instruments of the corresponding term. Single experiments to find the strategy of decision management in the currency market FOREX at any point of time were successful; however the authors carry out the long-term experiment to prove that in the currency market there are always "nonefficiency shoals". The results of the experiment can be observed on the following web page: http://www.vgtu.lt/usr/rutkauskas/en/eksperimentas.html. The results witness that the twofold trump model can be already used as the effective tool for the invest ment in the currency market in pursuance of certain personal, company or Treasury goals.


We present a lab-based, student-taught robotics course at Carnegie Mellon University entitled Fun With Robots. The course does not require background knowledge of robotics, and students enroll from a wide variety of disciplines and education levels. Fun With Robots increases interest in robotics, and emphasizes the highly multidisciplinary nature of the field. In the course, students build a robot and learn basic elements of microcontroller programming, sensor use, planning, and manipulation through engaging projects. Fun With Robots is constantly evolving and has changed significantly over the six semesters it has been taught. This course serves as an introduction to robotics for students new to the field and links high school programs and advanced undergraduate robotics courses. Foremost, the course is intended to be fun; students are encouraged to demonstrate creativity and self-expression. Course materials are available via the web at http://www.funwithrobots.org


The authors presented data on cytogenetic analysis of lymphocytes from human peripheral blood, irradiated at the stage G0 and G2 of the cellular cycle. There was an increase of chromosomal aberrations with an increase of the dose. Furthermore the irradiation at stage G0 caused the formation of aberrations of chromosomal type, but irradiation at stage G2-aberrations of chromatid type. The increase of one-blow aberrations were of linear character at both stages.


The occurrence of violent behaviors and bullying in schools continues to be a recognized problem among students and school personnel. The concern caused by these behaviors have led many schools to implement anger management and other impulse control based programs for at-risk students in an effort to prevent many of these incidences. This study was a comprehensive, meta-analytic synthesis of the literature to assess the effectiveness of these interventions, using a total of 60 studies from 1979– 2010 for analysis. Results indicated an overall effect size (ES) of 0.27, showing a small to moderate intervention effect in reducing children's negative emotional and behavioral outcomes including anger, aggression, and loss of self control. Many different types of anger management components were found to be effective in promoting positive outcomes. Implications for school psychologists are discussed.


In October 1989 routine screening for Hepatitis B surface antigen HBsAg) in all pregnant women was introduced in the Netherlands. In order to prevent hepatitis b infection in their offspring all infants of HBsAg-positive mothers receive passive active immunization. During the first 15 months of the programme about 70% of the estimated total number of pregnant women was screened for HBsAg in the regional laboratories appointed by the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection. It is currently unknown whether the remaining 30% of the pregnant women were screened and if so, where. The overall prevalence of HBsAg-positivity was 0.45% in 1990, with a range of virtually 0% in rural areas to 0,9% in the city of Amsterdam. The overall percentage of HBsAg-positive women appeared to be much lower than the originally expected percentage of 0.8%. The question therefore is whether the women not reacted by the programme belong to the high risk groups for hepatitis B. Although a number of regional laboratories dit not provide details concerning their analytical performance, in general the laboratory methods used seemed to be adequate.


The chain operation is a very important mode of operation and organization. The core of the chain operation distribu- tion system is to set up a reasonable logistics distribution center and rational distribution center selection can greatly reduce operation cost. In this paper, it is to use of improved gravity method, according to distribution center with the choice of sites characteristics and the condition it should meet, through specific exemples, combined with the characteristics of food, to achieve the chain supermarket's location of logistics distribution center optimization.


The effective management of pain in osteoarthritis of the knee is complex and subject to many treatment- and patient-related variables. This article reviews the broad range of nonsurgical options available to the clinician, which include pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic measures such as weight loss, physical and occupational therapy, exercises, and the use of assistive devices. Pharmacotherapeutic options for osteoarthritis of the knee include the use of oral agents, topical creams, and intra-articular injections of hyaluronans or glucocorticoids. Since pain in the osteoarthritic knee can vary widely from patient to patient in its origins, pain management should address the individual patient's symptoms, level of pain, and functional disabilities.


Abstract : The future forces of the U.S. Army face a great variety of threats with unprecedented complexities. The American public demands a quick, decisive victory with minimal casualties. In order to accomplish this, the Army must have the capability to totally dominate and control the enemy. Requisite Variety is essential to this mission. This research shows that in order to totally dominate the battlefield, the variety of options available to the friendly commander must be greater than or equal to that of the enemy. However, concurrent with the dramatic changes in the global environment, the U.S. has significantly decreased defense spending. The competition for these dwindling defense dollars has increased the Army's risk of misallocating its scarce resources to a few brilliant" systems without regard to the factor of variety. This research provides a conceptual framework that innovates the Requirements Determination process by utilizing variety as a factor. It reveals concrete ways to provide the commander with the necessary variety to dominate the battlefield: through regulation, information, and variety catalysts. By applying the framework to the concepts of Force XXI operations, the researcher develops the Time-Information Differential. This suggests that given the current budgetary constraints, the Army should focus its short term material acquisitions on C31 and mobility assets. However, to achieve synergistic results, the Army should concurrently research other types of weapon systems using the framework as a guide.


Research into data provenance has been active for almost twenty years. What has it delivered and where will it go next? What practical impact has it had and what might it have? We provide speculative answers to these questions which may be somewhat biased by our initial motivation for studying the topic: the need for provenance information in curated databases. Such databases involve extensive human interaction with data; and we argue that the need continues in other forms of human interaction such as those that take place in social media.


This article has been divided into two parts, owing to its nature and scope. The aim of the work is to explore the possibility of the right to religion emerging as a jus cogens norm. In Part One, the concept of jus cogens and its role in the international community, together with the nature of the right to religion, will be discussed. It is on this foundation that the reader will be able to understand why enforcement is such an issue when considering countries such as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which serves as a case study and is discussed in detail in Part Two. Gross violations against the right to freedom of religion still exist despite the prevalence of international instruments protecting such rights. Something more needs to be done to hold human rights transgressors to account.


The role of a Medical Science Liaison (MSL) is of growing importance to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, diagnostic and medical device companies. Through scientific engagement MSLs add value to clinical practice, ultimately benefiting patients. The MSL role is dynamic and encompasses in-depth product and disease knowledge together with the ability to communicate relevant, unbiased scientific information concisely and timely. Tasks are focused on contributing towards the advancement of medical knowledge, scientific data generation and dissemination. Professional relationships are developed, fostering collaboration between external experts and typically the medical affairs departments of pharmaceutical companies through a credible liaison. Through such relationships, critical insights are shared that shape the development pipeline, promote successful clinical translation and guide the market deployment strategy of therapeutic interventions through-out their life cycle. Despite the rising number of MSLs in the field and the implicit medical value of the role, there remains a lack of understanding for what the roles of a MSL entails. In Africa, where exponential growth of the pharmaceutical industry is expected, the number of MSLs will increase rapidly. Given the complexities of the African continent, the MSLs in this burgeoning environment will face various challenges including remote locations, time-constraints, regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles and importantly physician misperception of the MSL role that collectively may thwart the goal of meaningful scientific engagement; but these challenges can be surmounted through astute proactive planning and utilization of opportunities including digital communication strategies.


The analgesic specificity of navicular bursa (NB) anesthetic infiltration is still questionable. The study aimed to determine the mechanical nociceptive threshold of non-specific analgesia in the dorsal lamellar stratum, as well as in the sole, coronary band, and heel bulbs of the hoof, after navicular bursa anesthetic infiltration. Six healthy horses with no clinical or radiographic changes of the digits and no communication between the NB and the distal interphalangeal joint, were used. After random selection, the NB of one of the forelimbs was infiltrated with 2% lidocaine and the contralateral one with lactated ringer's solution. Contrast was added to confirm radiographic infiltration. The mechanical nociceptive threshold was determined using a portable pressure dynamometer, before and at various times after the infiltration, in 10 points of the hoof. The effects of time and treatment were verified by ANOVA (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference in the values of the mechanical nociceptive threshold (P>0.05) in all regions evaluated. However, in one of the six hooves that receives lidocaine, complete absence of response to the painful stimulus (maximum force of 6 Kg over an area of 38.46 mm2, for a maximum of 4 seconds) was observed in the dorsal lamellae between 30 and 60 min after infiltration. In conclusion, lidocaine infiltration of NB did not promote significant increases in the nociceptive threshold of the sole, coronary band, bulbs of the heel and dorsal lamellae clinically healthy horses. However, the occurrence of analgesia in one of the six hooves subjected to NB anesthesia indicates that the technique may not be fully specific in few horses.


Home advantage has been documented in many sports. It is hypothesized that higher attendance, likely dominated by home-team supporters, can be a source of this advantage, either through influence on match officials or by spurring the home team to greater efforts relative to the away team. We examine this latter hypothesis using a dataset of 1,030 matches over eight seasons, 2012/2013 to 2019/2020, of the Pro14, one of the three major European rugby union leagues. Our results initially display strong evidence of home advantage. However, once we control for team quality, home advantage is significantly reduced. Further, our results also indicate that home advantage is not explained by the impact of attendances on team performance (effort).


Nanopores are promising for many applications including DNA sequencing and molecular filtration. Solid-state nanopores are preferable over their biological counterparts for applications requiring durability and operation under a wider range of external parameters yet few studies have focused on optimizing their robustness. We report the lifetime and durability of pores and porous arrays in 10 to 100 nm thick, low-stress silicon nitride (SiNx) membranes. Pores are fabricated using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and/or electron-beam lithography (EBL) and reactive ion etching (RIE), with diameters from 2 to 80 nm. We store them in various electrolyte solutions (KCl, LiCl, MgCl2) and record open pore conductance over months to quantify pore stability. Pore diameters increase with time and diameter etch rate increases with electrolyte concentration from Δd/Δt ~ 0.2 to ~ 3 nm/day for 0.01 to 3 M KCl, respectively. TEM confirms the range of diameter etch rates from ionic measurements. Using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), we observe that a N-deficient region around the edges of TEM-drilled pores. Pore expansion is caused by etching of the Si/SiO2 pore walls, which resembles the dissolution of silicon found in minerals such as silica (SiO2) in salty ocean water. The etching process occurs where the membrane was exposed to the electron beam and can result in pore formation. However, coating pores with a conformal 1-nm-thick hafnium oxide layer prevents expansion in 1M KCl, in stark contrast to bare SiNx pores (~ 1.7 nm/day). EELS data reveal the atomic composition of bare and HfO2-coated pores. Keywords: Solid-state nanopore, silicon nitride, nanoporous membranes, nanopore array, electron beam lithography, electron energy loss spectroscopy.


Data on sexual practices in the past two months were obtained from 176 Australian and 159 New Zealand homosexually active men. Factor analysis yielded three major underlying dimensions of homosexual behaviour in each sample, accounting for 53.4 and 54.0% of total variance at baseline and 55.1 and 62 1% at follow-up, respectively. These three dimensions represented unsafe sex involving predominantly anal activity, safe (oral and mutual masturbatory) sex without condoms, and safe anal sex with condoms and withdrawal. Comparison of the four matrices (two countries by two times), using Cattell's S index, indicated high stability of the factor structure across countries and times. These three dimensions of homosexual behaviour appear to represent consistent behavioural clusters across samples and times. They suggest that use of these dimensions in further research on homosexually active men is warranted and that homosexual activities cluster into a number of limited dimensions on which sexual behaviours are interrelated.


The last chapter of the book provides a general conclusion where the striking patterns which can be observed from the authors are set out and the most forceful findings sought to identify. These patterns and findings are sorted within five different themes covering; the contrast between the constitutional expectations on the reform and its result; the seemingly smooth operation of the regulatory machinery; the over-simplified and still unclear implications for the institutional balance of powers; the unsolved and, thus, remaining problems where fundamental difference of opinion has persisted; and, finally, the judicial response. In addition to that the editors provide their answer to the basic question they addressed – If the new system has really affected the old doctrine of delegation of powers – and discuss, briefly, some of all that which remains for further study.


In this paper we study the Borel summability of formal solutions with a parameter of first order semilinear system of partial differential equations with n independent variables. In [Singular perturbation of linear systems with a regular singularity, J. Dynam. Control. Syst. 8 (2002), 313–322], Balser and Kostov proved the Borel summability of formal solutions with respect to a singular perturbation parameter for a linear equation with one independent variable. We shall extend their results to a semilinear system of equations with general independent variables.


I test the hypothesis advanced by Richard Easterlin and others that the importation of modern technology and prospects for economic development in the Third World are principally a function of the local population's formal schooling. According to orthodoxy, manufacturing more than any other sector should repay investment in human capital. Yet the correlation of schooling with the manufacturing sector is much lower than with the mineral sector, an enclave in colonial economies and a symbol of underdevelopment.


To combat errors in data transmission in mobile radio systems, forward error correction (FEC) and automatic repeat request (ARQ) schemes are combined to hybrid type-I ARQ protocols without using disturbed packets. In poor radio conditions type-I ARQ schemes produce a low throughput with a high delay jitter. Due to these unforeseeable channel delays type-I ARQ protocols are critical for use in cases where timing conditions have to be fulfilled as in speech and e.g. FAX-T30 transmission. Type-II hybrid ARQ (HARQ) protocols combine disturbed and retransmitted packets using FEC methods and limit the mean transmission delay by increasing the throughput. A type-II hybrid ARQ with punctured convolutional codes suitable for GSM data traffic and performance was compared to the recommended radio link protocol (type-I). A new type-II hybrid ARQ protocol is proposed which makes use of the state information given by the equalization process to estimate the amount and best location of the redundancy to be retransmitted.<<ETX>>


Concrete is the most used construction material worldwide, but if often faces durability issues due to rebar corrosion, and cement production can be energy consuming. Attempts to improve its resilience versus corrosion while reducing its carbon footprint are ongoing at an international level. In this objective, in France within the framework of the national project PERFDUB, a series of reinforced concrete walls were cast with innovative concrete designs, two shapes of rebars and two concrete covers. The standard performances of the different concrete mix designs were evaluated at a laboratory scale. Then the walls were exposed in the French La Rochelle harbor, in the tidal zone in order to monitor the evolution of the corrosion of the bars for a period of twenty years. The first results of the electrochemical follow-up of these reinforced walls are presented in this paper.


Following Andy Fisher's call for a radical ecopsychology – one which heals individuals and transforms social, philosophical and psychological systems of organisation and knowledge – this paper explores the anarchist pasts and possible futures of the field. While anarchists such as Kropotkin, Goodman, and Snyder are mentioned in Roszak's history of ecopsychology, these roots of the field have been little explored. There are clear affinities and overlaps between the two: ecopsychology's critique of disconnection is the flipside of anarchism's critique of hierarchy. In practising connection as interdependent equals, ecopsychology practitioners might look to anarchist traditions of direct relationship, direct action and direct democracy. These elements might weave themselves together into a radical, fractal network of networks replacing dominant and dominating systems of state and capital. This of course requires practice. The concluding section of the paper turns to the work of the anti-state feminists Wendy Brown and the subRosa Collective to hold on to both personal healing and political transformation in this challenging process of nurturing autonomy.


This paper presents a micro-electrodischarge machining (EDM) melt-pool model to predict workpiece (anode) material removal from a single discharge micro-EDM process. To model the melt-pool, heat transfer and fluid flow equations are solved in the domain containing dielectric and workpiece material. A level set method is used to identify solid and liquid fractions of the workpiece material when the material is molten by micro-EDM plasma heat flux. The plasma heat flux, plasma pressure and the radius of the plasma bubble have been estimated by a micro-EDM plasma model and serve as inputs to the melt-pool model to predict the volume of material removed from the surface of the workpiece. Experiments are carried out to study the effect of interelectrode voltage and gap distance on the crater size. For interelectrode voltage in the range of 200–300 V and gap distance of 1,2 μm, the model predicts crater diameter in the range of 78–96 μm and maximum crater depth of 8–9 μm for discharge duration of 2 μs. The crater diameter values for most of experimental craters show good agreement with the simulated crater shapes. However, the model over-predicts the crater depths compared to the experiments.


The first book to study post-Cold War U.S. nuclear weapons policy. It is based on extensive original research with dozens of the key players, and sheds important new light US foreign policy. "Nuclear Inertia" examines why, despite the Cold War having ended more than ten years ago, the US still maintains an arsenal of over 10 000 nuclear warheads. Most explanations for this are to be found not in the structure of the international system but in domestic politics. Tom Sauer ascribes the lack of change to bureaucratic resistance, dogmatic thinking and lack of political leadership. Clinton tried to change US policy by initiating the 1993-1994 Nuclear Posture Review but was blocked by bureaucratic opposition. Sauer suggests that this points to a lack of civilian control over the military during the Clinton administration.


We give the results of a four-year search for the worst cases for correct rounding of the major elementary functions in double precision. These results allow the design of reasonably fast routines that will compute these functions with correct rounding, at least in some interval, for any of the four rounding modes specified by the IEEE-754 standard. They will also allow one to easily test libraries that are claimed to provide correctly rounded functions.


Giant cell tumors (GCTs) are rare, usually affecting the epiphyses in long bones of the extremities. GCTs may be locally aggressive with a high rate of local recurrence and exhibit the potential for distant metastasis. They seldom occur in the skull, where they preferentially affect the sphenoid and temporal bones. Several case reports with follow-up describe gross total resection of skull-base GCT to be curative. Radiation therapy, although controversial, is reserved for lesions that cannot be completely resected. Here, we describe the case of an 18-year-old female with GCT of sphenoid bone who underwent subtotal resection followed by adjuvant radiotherapy, although whose radiotherapy could not be completed because of her demise due to erythema multiforme associated with phenytoin and cranial radiation therapy syndrome.


Previous studies have shown that dietary copper deficiency causes cardiac hypertrophy and depression of vascular epithelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in mouse model. Copper replenishment in the diet reverses cardiac hypertrophy and restores VEGF expression. The present study was undertaken to specifically determine the role of VEGF in copper effect on cell hypertrophy. Embryonic rat cardiac H9c2 cells were exposed to hydrogen peroxide to develop hypertrophy, determined by increases in cell size and total protein content. Copper addition at 5 μM in cultures suppressed cell hypertrophy. In the presence of anti-VEGF antibody, copper inhibitory effect on cell hypertrophy was blunted, and VEGF alone mimicked the inhibitory effect of copper. The results thus demonstrated that VEGF is critically involved in copper inhibition of cell hypertrophy induced by hydrogen peroxide in the H9c2 cells.


We present a detailed analysis of our ability to determine stellar masses, ages, reddening, and extinction values, and star formation rates (SFRs) of high-redshift galaxies by modeling broadband spectral energy distributions (SEDs) with stellar population synthesis. In order to do so, we computed synthetic optical-to-NIR SEDs for model galaxies taken from hydrodynamical merger simulations placed at redshifts 1.5 ⩽ z ⩽ 2.9. Viewed under different angles and during different evolutionary phases, the simulations represent a wide variety of galaxy types (disks, mergers, spheroids). We show that simulated galaxies span a wide range in SEDs and color, comparable to those of observed galaxies. In all star-forming phases, dust attenuation has a large effect on colors, SEDs, and fluxes. The broadband SEDs were then fed to a standard SED modeling procedure, and resulting stellar population parameters were compared to their true values. Disk galaxies generally show a decent median correspondence between the true and estimated mass and age, but suffer from large uncertainties (Δlog M = −0.06+0.06−0.13, Δlog agew = +0.03+0.19−0.42). During the merger itself, we find larger offsets: Δlog M = −0.13+0.10−0.14 and Δlog agew = −0.12+0.40−0.26. E(B − V) values are generally recovered well, but the estimated total visual absorption AV is consistently too low, increasingly so for larger optical depths (ΔAV = −0.54+0.40−0.46 in the merger regime). Since the largest optical depths occur during the phases of most intense star formation, it is for the highest SFRs that we find the largest underestimates (Δlog SFR = −0.44+0.32−0.31 in the merger regime). The masses, ages, E(B − V), AV, and SFRs of merger remnants (spheroids) are very well reproduced. We discuss possible biases in SED modeling results caused by mismatch between the true and template star formation history (SFH), dust distribution, metallicity variations, and active galactic nucleus contribution. Mismatch between the real and template SFH, as is the case during the merging event, drives the age, and consequently mass estimate, down with respect to the true age and mass. However, the larger optical depth toward young stars during this phase reduces the effect considerably. Finally, we tested the photometric redshift code EAZY on the simulated galaxies placed at high redshift. We find a small scatter in Δz/(1 + z) of 0.031.


We have studied the sequential tunneling of electrons in selectively doped GaAs/AlGaAs tight-binding multiple-quantum-wells (MQWs) using two structures with different doping profiles, one with Si doping in the AlGaAs barriers and other, with Si doping in the GaAs wells. In both the cases, the current-voltage (I-V) measurements showed two series of current oscillations which persisted up 200 K. The I-V characteristics also showed a hysteresis effect at increasing and decreasing voltage sweep. The voltage separations between the adjacent current oscillations in the I-V characteristics of the structures with ohmic and Schottky contact metallization give a good measure of the energy difference between the excited states and the ground state in the quantum-well, with good agreement with theoretical calculations. The process of sequential electron tunneling through the MQW structures is discussed in terms of the creation and extension of high-field domains (HFDs) due to the applied bias.


The ionization of atoms in incense laser ficlda disphys 6onie typical phenomena. One uf these is ahow-threshold ionization (ATI), i. e. the absorption of more photons than necessary far ionization, leading LO a series of peaks in the electron energy spectra. It Ib remarkable rhat the main features are qualitarively similar for different atomic systems, in particdar for rhr raw g;ises. A lot or insight was gained from a cl.?ssicsl model that treats the at,om as a source providing electrons via tunncling. Suhwquentlg, Lhe atomic binding potential is ignored and the electrons are described by classical trajectories merely in rhc laser field. In this pqxr we report on B novel structure in the ellipticity distributions of the photoelectrons, i.e. the electron yield foor a giacn elec:tron energy 85 a function of rhc cllipt uf the laser polarization. In rrint,rast to preyiously described effects, rhis structure ca he explained by clliisical arguments. Actually, thC- effrct owes its emstence to a genuine quantum phenomenon: interfwcnc? or electron6 that reach the continuuni at different times via tumeling The figure displays rliipticilg. distributions for different photoelectron energies as parametms. The dah ae extracted from Ti-spectra which were recorded for various elliptirities of LIE laser polarizaion. A? expected. ahe electron yield drops as the ellipticity is increased al field of the laser decreases However, local maximum as well as one or several ellipticities with inmasing rlectrun ene~gy, A simple quantum mechanical model reproduces thw phcnomena and provides the of tunneling tweclories. Futhermarc. of tunneling times which can hr infmd fioni the data for a dynamical tunneling problem for the first time.


In attempts to enthance fish stocks and increase the harvest of grown fish after release in Japanese coastal waters, classical conditioning of fish to sound before the release has been tried with red sea bream and some other species, The common sound used in the conditioning is a 300Hz, 1s tone burst, but this does not seem to be effective in attracting conditioned fish after release. This paper describes a key component of the sound to which red sea bream were conditioned. A group of one-year old and three groups of younger juvenile red sea bream were conditioned to the 300Hz sound during feeding in separate floating cages. Upon completion of the conditioning, the fish were exposed to 1s tone bursts of frequencies 100 to 5000Hz and of various sound pressures. The juveniles showed positive responses at 100 to 3000Hz and best responses at 300Hz and at 1500Hz, they were attracted to the sound origin upon projection but left the sound origin soon after. A similar response pattern was observed at 200 to 3000Hz in the one-year old sea bream, with best responses at 300Hz. The one-year old fish showed typical avoidance response to 100Hz, 1s tone bursts, which showed that the lateral line system mediated the response but that the lateral line is still poorly developed in the juveniles. When 300Hz, 1s tone bursts were applied at various pulse intervals, the juveniles responded positively to bursts at 0.04 to 5s intervals. These results imply that the key component of the sound is the rising pressure and thus the conditioned fish would be attracted to any intermittent sound after release.


A state department of health reported an increase in cases of human salmonellosis and found an association (odds ratio 20; 95% confidence interval 4 to 131) between Lebanon bologna consumption and 26 confirmed cases of Salmonella typhimurium . Based on this evidence, the manufacturer initiated a voluntary recall of product in commercial channels and added additional safety measures to their manufacturing processes. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service promptly issued a public notification to consumers stating that the suspected product should be returned to the place of purchase. A team of federal investigators concluded that at the time of the outbreak S. typhimurium may have survived the process used by the manufacturer if present in high numbers in raw beef (greater than 104/g). Additionally, the investigators concluded that other manufacturers of similar product needed to add controls to their processes used to manufacture a semi-dry fermented sausage in order to ensure the safety of the final product.


Extracting macroscopic properties from molecular simulation of fluids is required in most of the molecular dynamics problems. However, methods used for this purpose, their accuracy, and their dependence on the sampling and averaging schemes are still ambiguous. Macroscopic properties at any point of a molecular domain can be extracted via sampling and averaging of molecular behavior within a control region around that point, called a bin. The size of this bin has a significant impact on the accuracy of the macroscopic properties' measurement. In this research, we will focus on the measurement of mean flow velocity using 'binning method'. On the basis of the results of this study, the most appropriate range of the bin size in which mean velocity can be measured accurately is determined. Although this range is determined based on the measurement of mean flow velocity, we believe that it can be used to estimate the proper range for the measurement of other flow quantities as well. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Primary hepatic angiosarcoma (PHA) is a rare mesenchymal liver tumor, accounting for 0.1–2% of primary liver malignancies. The clinical presentations of PHA are variable, from asymptomatic to liver failure or complicated with tumor rupture. The diagnosis of PHA is difficult due to the lack of specific clinical manifestation and investigation results, which can be confused with other liver tumors resulting in late diagnosis. However, there is currently a paucity of effective therapeutic approaches. We advocate early diagnosis with radiological imaging and histopathology because most of them are diagnosed in late-stage and carry a grave prognosis. Surgical resection remains the mainstay of treatment, which can significantly prolong survival. Chemotherapy, including transarterial chemoembolization, is an option for palliative treatment. Unfortunately, molecular treatment has limited efficacy and liver transplantation is also not recommended due to high rate of recurrence. We present a case series of four patients with biopsy-proven PHA which had distinct presentations and clinical courses.


This review addresses the role of nitrogen (N) in vine balance and grape composition. It offers an integrative approach to managing grapevine N nutrition. Keeping in mind that N excess is just as detrimental to wine quality as N depletion, the control of grapevine N status, and ultimately must N composition, is critical for high-quality grape production. N fertilisation has been intensively used in the past century, despite plants absorbing only 30 to 40 % of applied N. By adapting plant material, soil management and vine balance to environmental conditions, it would be possible for grape growers to improve plant N use efficiency and minimise N input in the vineyard. Vineyard N management is a complex exercise involving a search for a balance between controlling vigour, optimising grape composition, regulating production costs and limiting pollution. The first part of this review describes grapevine N metabolism from root N uptake to vine development and grape ripening, including the formation of grape aroma compounds. The advantages and limits of methods available for measuring plant N status are addressed. The second part focuses on the parameters that influence grapevine N metabolism, distinguishing the impacts of environmental factors from those of vineyard management practices. Areas for further research are also identified.


Abstract The Gray Fossil Site (GFS) of northeastern Tennessee is a late Hemphillian fossil locality in the southern Appalachian mountain region of eastern North America with a diverse vertebrate fauna. Snakes make up a substantial microfossil portion of the GFS herpetofauna, particularly the Colubridae, comprised of members of the Colubrinae and Natricinae. Seven colubrid taxa have been identified from the site so far, including three natricines (cf. Neonatrix, Nerodia, Thamnophis) and at least four colubrines (Coluber/Masticophis, Pantherophis, Pituophis, gen. et sp. nov.). Indeed, cf. Neonatrix and the new genus (and species) are the only extinct genera identified. Although Neonatrix is tentatively identified for the first time east of Nebraska, the new species represents a distinct taxon. In addition, the oldest reported definitive occurrence of Masticophis is presented herein. Some of the snakes suggest a pond or other aquatic habitat at GFS, particularly cf. Neonatrix and Nerodia, whereas others, such as Masticophis and Pituophis, tend to prefer more open forested habitats. The GFS represents a poorly understood region of North America at a crucial time period in snake evolution, and its study may help us further understand the modern snake fauna present today in midcontinental and eastern North America.


The present study undertakes a critical review of the research around the multisignificant issue of the correlation between the IT investments and the economic performance to both micro and macroeconomic level. The aim of this study is to shed light on the interaction of IT with the economy, at corporate, industry and national level and document it' s contribution to productivity and therefore to economic growth. The study concludes that there is a positive effect of IT investments to both the above economic indicators in all aspects, but is something that needs further research so as to find a clearer and risk adjusted relation.


The withdrawal of a liquid or the translation of a liquid slug in a capillary tube leads to the deposition of a thin film on the inner wall. When particles or contaminants are present in the liquid, they deposit and contaminate the tube if the liquid film is sufficiently thick. In this article, we experimentally investigate the condition under which particles are deposited during the air invasion in a capillary tube initially filled with a dilute suspension. We show that the entrainment of particles in the film is controlled by the ratio of the particle and the tube radii and the capillary number associated with the front velocity. We also develop a model which suggests optimal operating conditions to avoid contamination during withdrawal of a suspension. This deposition mechanism can also be leveraged in coating processes by controlling the deposition of particles on the inner walls of channels.


There is consensus in the statistical literature that severe departures from its assumptions invalidate the use of regression modeling for purposes of inference. The assumptions of regression modeling are usually evaluated subjectively through visual, graphic displays in a residual analysis but such an approach, taken alone, may be insufficient for assessing the appropriateness of the fitted model. Here, an easy-to-use test of the assumption of equal variance (i.e., homoscedasticity) as well as model specification is provided. Given the importance of the equal-variance assumption (i.e., if uncorrected, severe violations preclude the use of statistical inference and moderate violations result in a loss of statistical power) and given the fact that, if uncorrected, a misspecified or underspecified model could invalidate an entire study, the test developed by Halbert White in 1980 is recommended for supplementing a graphic residual analysis when teaching regression modeling to business students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Using this confirmatory approach to supplement a traditional residual analysis has value because students often find that graphic displays are too subjective for determining what constitutes severe from moderate departures from the equal variance assumption or for assessing patterns in plots that might indicate model misspecification or underspecification.


It is often required to integrate dispersed Internet-based information resources together on the fly, which do not come along uniformly. To place them into well-formed structures, a dataflow based approach is proposed. Firstly, a metadata model is introduced to represent complex data embodying variable information resources. Secondly, a visual paradigm, which is a hybrid of data flow and xml schema mapping, is proposed to enable users to define personalized flow for information convergence. The multi-sources data flow can generate a collection of unified xml documents in a just-in-time manner and publish them as Web services or xml files, allowing other applications to access them through http or soap protocol. Finally, a proof-of-concept prototype is developed and tested to demonstrate the utility of the proposed approach.


Digital twins enjoy increasing interest in a diverse array of industrial sectors, such as manufacturing, healthcare, urban planning, etc. Their usefulness depends on the robustness of the corresponding digital twin models; however, validation of the model, as a mean to ensure models' robustness, is a difficult problem. Moreover, traditional validation approaches need to undergo significant transformation to be made applicable to digital twins. To the best of our knowledge, there has not been a systematic treatment of validating digital twin models. This paper identifies several challenges facing the model validation within digital twins. Furthermore, we propose an initial framework to define basic rules of digital twin model validation and introduce a systematic approach to validation that seamlessly combines expert knowledge and data gathered from available Internet of Things (IoT) devices.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevalence of Epsilon wave in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC).

METHODS
The epsilon wave was detected in 32 patients [24 men, mean age (42.3 +/- 13.3) years] with ARVC using three different electrocardiography (ECG) recording methods: standard twelve leads ECG (S-ECG), right precordial leads ECG (R-ECG) and Fontaine bipolar precordial leads ECG (F-ECG). The Epsilon wave was defined as wiggler, small spike wave and smooth potential between the end of the QRS complex and the beginning of the ST segment.

RESULTS
Epsilon wave was detected in 37.5%, 37.5% and 50.0% patients with ARVC by S-ECG, R-ECG and F-ECG respectively. The detection rates derived from the three recording methods were similar (P > 0.05). The Epsilon wave was only detectable by S-ECG in one case, by R-ECG in three cases, and by F-ECG in five cases. The detection rate of Epsilon wave was 50.0% by combined use of S-ECG and R-ECG (SR-ECG), 56.3% by combined use of S-ECG and F-ECG (SF-ECG), and 65.6% by combined use of the three recording methods (SRF-ECG). The detection rate was significantly higher by SF-ECG (56.3%) and SRF-ECG (65.6%) than by S-ECG alone (37.5%, all P < 0.05). Most Epsilon waves detected by the S-ECG, R-ECG and F-ECG were small spiked waves.

CONCLUSION
Combined use of S-ECG, F-ECG and R-ECG could increase the detection rate of Epsilon wave in patients with ARVC.


Abstract In a previous study we identified EARLY BUD BREAK 1 (EBB1), an ERF transcription factor, in peach (Prunus persica var. nectarina cultivar Zhongyou 4); however, little is known of how PpEBB1 may regulate bud break. To verify the function of PpEBB1 in bud break, PpEBB1 was transiently transformed into peach buds, resulting in early bud break. Bud break occurred earlier in PpEBB1-oe poplar (Populus trichocarpa) obtained by heterologous transformation than in wild type (WT), consistent with the peach bud results, indicating that PpEBB1 can promote bud break. To explore how PpEBB1 affects bud break, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between WT and PpEBB1-oe poplar plants were identified by RNA-sequencing. The expression of DEGs associated with hormone metabolism, cell cycle, and cell wall modifications changed substantially according to qRT-PCR. Auxin, ABA, and total trans-zeatin-type cytokinin levels were higher in the PpEBB1-oe plants than in WT plants, while the total N6-(Δ 2-isopentenyl)-adenine-type cytokinins was lower. Yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays verified that a cell wall modification-related protein (PpEXBL1) interacted with PpEBB1 suggesting that PpEBB1 could interact with these cell wall modification proteins directly. Overall, our study proposed a multifaceted explanation for how PpEBB1 regulates bud break and showed that PpEBB1 promotes bud break by regulating hormone metabolism, the cell cycle, and cell wall modifications.


Human bocavirus (HBoV), closely related to canine minute virus (MVC) and bovine parvovirus (BPV), is a new member of the Bocavirus genus within the Parvoviridae family. The non-structural protein NP1 of HBoV is a nuclear localized protein and plays an important role in DNA replication as well as in the evasion of host innate immunity. In the current study, we provide the first evidence that NP1 possesses a non-classical nuclear localization signal (ncNLS) (amino acids 7-50). Embedded within this ncNLS is a classical bipartite nuclear localization signal (cNLS) (amino acids 14-28), capable of transporting a heterologous cytoplasmic protein β-galactosidase fusion protein (β-gal-EGFP) to the nucleus via the classical importin α/β1-mediated pathway. Amino acids 7-50 containing the cNLS and the ncNLS of NP1 or full-length NP1 interact with importin α1, importin β1 and importin β1Δ, which lacks the importin α binding domain, indicating that the nuclear import of NP1 is through both conventional importin α/β1 heterodimer- and non-classical importinß1-mediated pathways. Given that the arrangement of a cNLS embedded within an ncNLS is unusual in viral proteins, our data together reveal a novel molecular mechanism underlying the nuclear import of HBoV NP1, providing a basis for further understanding its biological function.


Hydrodynamics provides a successful framework to effectively describe the dynamics of complex many-body systems ranging from subnuclear to cosmological scales by introducing macroscopic quantities such as particle densities and fluid velocities. According to textbook knowledge, it requires coarse graining over microscopic constituents to define a macroscopic fluid cell, which is large compared to the interparticle spacing and the mean free path. In addition, the entire system must consist of many such fluid cells. The latter requirement on the system size has been challenged by experiments on high-energy heavy-ion collisions, where collective particle emission, typically associated with the formation of a hydrodynamic medium, has been observed with few tens of final-state particles. Here, we demonstrate emergence of hydrodynamics in a system with significantly less constituents. Our observation challenges the requirements for a hydrodynamic description, as in our system all relevant length scales, i.e. the system size, the inter-particle spacing, and the mean free path are comparable. The single particle resolution, deterministic control over particle number and interaction strength in our experiment allow us to explore the boundaries between a microscopic description and a hydrodynamic framework in unprecedented detail.


Adventitious root culture of leaf explants of R. crispus was established using different MS supplemented with different concentrations of auxins and a combination of NAA and Kn for growth and flavonoids production. Among the different auxins, NAA was more effective than IAA to induce adventitious roots. Adventitious roots grown on MS containing 5 μM NAA and 0.5 μM Kn showed the highest root growth, as well as the highest amount of total flavonoids (= 6 ) as compared with roots grown in other media. Chromatographic purification of the root extract showed that flavonoid composition also was influenced by hormone combinations in the culture media. The addition of Kn to the medium reduced or suppressed myricetin (M) and naringenin (N) production. Quercetin (Q) was not found in media containing Kn alone similar to the control medium. Isorhamnetin (I), kaempferol (K) and rutin (R) were produced in the roots on media supplemented with all hormone combinations, but were absent in 0.1 μM Kn supplemented media similar to the control roots. Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 25(1): 63-70, 2015 (June)


This paper proposes a new compression algorithm for dynamic 3d meshes. In such a sequence of meshes, neighboring vertices have a strong tendency to behave similarly and the degree of dependencies between their locations in two successive frames is very large which can be efficiently exploited using a combination of PredictiveandDCT coders (PDCT). Our strategy gathers mesh vertices of similar motions into clusters, establish a local coordinate frame (LCF) for each cluster and encodes frame by frame and each cluster separately. The vertices of each cluster have small variation over a time relative to the LCF. Therefore, the location of each new vertex is well predicted from its location in the previous frame relative to the LCF of its cluster. The difference between the original and the predicted local coordinates are then transformed into frequency domain using DCT. The resulting DCT coefficients are quantized and compressed with entropy coding. The original sequence of meshes can be reconstructed from only a few non-zero DCT coefficients without significant loss in visual quality. Experimental results show that our strategy outperforms or comes close to other coders.


The current strategy to incorporate Graphical Processing Units (GPU) in the LHCb trigger system, with a view on the upgrade of the detector is presented. Two main aspects are described: the strategy to fit GPUs in the current framework and the performance of a particular algorithm.


Abstract The thermodynamic structure of unsaturated downdrafts driven by the evaporation of falling rain can be parameterized using an evaporation pressure scale related to downdraft speed, rain rate and raindrop population. The larger this evaporation scale, which can be inferred diagnostically from bulk downdraft data, the more unsaturated the downdraft. Simple solutions exist for constant evaporation scale in which the downdraft temperature asymptotically approaches a wet adiabat, and for buoyancy driven downdrafts where the downdraft thermodynamic paths and speed can be related to the environmental stratification. The pressure difference to the lifting condensation level for the downdraft outflow may be an observable measure of the evaporation pressure scale.


We report an 80-year-old man suffering from ulcerative colitis and a prostate adenocarcinoma. Due to melena, colon biopsies were taken. Diffuse bleeding and a cardiac infarction complicated this procedure. Laboratory studies showed a normal platelet count and a prolongation of the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). Von Willebrand factor (VWF) antigen level and ristocetin cofactor activity were low. Several disorders are known to be associated with acquired von Willebrand disease (AVWD), the commonest being hematoproliferative and cardiovascular disorders. Non-hematologic neoplasms causing AVWD are rarely documented. The underlying mechanisms differ among these disorders or may overlap. These include development of autoantibodies and mechanical destruction of VWF under high shear stress. Absorption of VWF on or inside malignant cells is believed to be the main mechanism in non-hematologic malignancies. In this report, we give a concise overview of the underlying disorders and the mechanisms that we encountered in this complex case. J Hematol. 2016;5(3):110-112 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jh284w


In this paper, a Decision Tree-based method of Loss of Excitation (LOE) Protection of Synchronous Generators in Presence of Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) is presented. The presence of UPFC causes the Berdy relay to be delayed in detecting LOE. In the proposed method, different variables are considered and in the various test and training patterns and using intelligent algorithms, the most suitable variables selected to increases the accuracy in detecting the time of LOE. The simulation results in Matlab/Simulink software validate the accuracy of the proposed method in various loadings, different percentages of loss of excitation, various scenarios of fault and noisy conditions. The results reveal that the proposed method has a better classification accuracy and a higher identification speed under new and unseen operating conditions of LOE and external faults compared to traditional methods.


Calandrinia galapagosa St. John is found only on San
Cristobal Island in the Galapagos archipelago, where it is
severely threatened by feral goats. A population at Cerro
Colorado is protected by an exclosure constructed for this
purpose in 1993. Individuals of this population have white
or pinkish white flowers with a green stem, whereas the
population at La Galapaguera, has pinkish white flowers
with a purple stem.


A single crystal Si film of [111] orientation has been obtained over patterned amorphous insulating layer stripes for lateral seeding recrystallization. High‐temperature, vapor‐phase‐epitaxial (VPE) growth technique has been utilized to form single and polycrystalline Si films on (111) Si substrate with the insulator stripes. The single crystal film on the exposed Si substrate and polycrystalline film on insulator were recrystallized with a scanning cw Ar laser. Topographical features and crystalline perfection associated with the laser‐induced recrystallization were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and TED (transmission electron diffraction). At high power laser irradiation, the resulting recrystallization of polycrystalline Si seeded by single crystal Si deposited on substrate has been observed.


MRI guided transcranial focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is a neuromodulation tool that can excite or inhibit neural activity with high spatial precision and real-time functional feedback. Our goal is to develop a MRgFUS device for human pain therapy. Here, we studied suppressive effects of FUS on a key hub in the thalamus for transmitting peripheral inputs to cortex for pain perception, and mapped changes in effective functional connectivity of thalamic networks using hierarchical clustering. We show that concurrently delivered FUS of moderate intensity suppressed painful heat responses at the thalamus target and induced reorganization of effective connectivity networks.


This article aims to present the familyꞌs legal status in light of constitutional solutions in force in selected European countries, with particular emphasis on Polish regulations. The author aims to present a wide range of regulations functioning in Europe, and at the same time, highlight the similarities and differences between individual countries. An important element of this study is the consideration of Polish legislation, which is to familiarize readers with basic information on the legal situation of Polish families and at the same time show them where the regulations in force in the Republic of Poland fit into European standards, and in which they are original. The article covers the following issues: the constitutional protection of the family, way of understanding the role of the family in society and the state, problem of the constitutional definition of the family, definition of marriage, exercise of parental authority, and legal status of children.


BACKGROUND
Filipino Americans have the highest risk for obesity-related type 2 diabetes and related complications compared with all major Asian American subgroups. Identifying effective interventions to improve Filipino health outcomes are needed to reduce this health disparity.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the acceptability and cultural relevance of the PilAm Go4Health program - a culturally adapted mobile health weight-loss lifestyle intervention including virtual social networking for Filipino Americans with type 2 diabetes.

DESIGN SETTING PARTICIPANTS
Qualitative semi-structured post-program interviews explored perceptions of 45 Filipino Americans with type 2 diabetes in Northern California regarding their perceptions of the acceptability and cultural relevance of PilAm Go4Health. Participants' mean age was 57.6 years. Sixty-seven interviews were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed by four independent coders.

RESULTS
Over half (n=26, 57.8%) of the respondents found that a culturally tailored intervention program enhanced their engagement. All (n=45) of the respondents felt that mobile health technology promoted their self-efficacy. A majority of the respondents (n=29, 64.4%) expressed that they progressed from despair to self-efficacy as a result of their participation in the intervention. More than one-fourth of the participants (n=13, 28.8%) discussed that the intervention needed further cultural tailoring.

CONCLUSIONS
Overall, PilAm Go4Health - a mobile health weight-loss lifestyle intervention - was acceptable and culturally relevant for Filipino Americans with type 2 diabetes. Findings may help inform clinician and researchers on effective intervention strategies for diabetes self-management when designing interventions for diverse populations.


As a type of pseudoinverse learning, extreme learning machine (ELM) is able to achieve high performances in a rapid pace on benchmark datasets. However, when it is applied to real life large data, decline related to low-convergence of singular value decomposition (SVD) method occurs. Our study aims to resolve this issue via replacing SVD with theoretically and empirically much efficient 5 number of methods: lower upper triangularization, Hessenberg decomposition, Schur decomposition, modified Gram Schmidt algorithm and Householder reflection. Comparisons were made on electroencephalography based brain-computer interface classification problem to decide which method is the most useful. Results of subject-based classifications suggested that if priority was given to training pace, Hessenberg decomposition method, whereas if priority was given to performances Householder reflection method should be preferred.


Small bowel enteral nutrition (SBEN) may improve nutrient delivery to critically ill patients intolerant of gastric enteral nutrition. However, the optimal time and target for evaluating SBEN efficacy are unknown. This retrospective cohort study investigates these parameters in 55 critically ill patients at high nutrition risk (modified NUTRIC score ≥ 5). Daily actual energy intake was recorded from 3 days before SBEN initiation until 7 days thereafter. The energy achievement rate (%) was calculated as follows: (actual energy intake/estimated energy requirement) × 100. The optimal time was determined from the day on which energy achievement rate reached >60% post-SBEN. Assessment results were as follows: median APACHE II score, 27; SOFA score, 10.0; modified NUTRIC score, 7; and median time point of SBEN initiation, ICU day 8. The feeding volume, energy and protein intake, and achievement rate (%) of energy and protein intake increased significantly after SBEN (p < 0.001). An energy achievement rate less than 65% 3 days after SBEN was significantly associated with increased mortality after adjusting for confounding factors (odds ratio, 4.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.44–17.07). SBEN improves energy delivery in critically ill patients who are still at high nutrition risk after 1 week of stomach enteral nutrition.


In this article, the authors report on a large-scale application of the Conceive – Design – Implement – Operate (CDIO) Standards, involving approximately 100 educational programmes. The context is the Swedish national evaluation of its civilingenjor engineering degree programmes undertaken by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education (Hogskoleverket, HSV). The authors first briefly describe the CDIO Standards focusing on their role as a support for continuous programme development. The authors then outline the HSV evaluation process and account for HSV's motives for including the CDIO Standards evaluation in the self-evaluation package and the modifications made compared to the original CDIO Standards. The results are presented from a survey and an interview study directed to those programme managers who have applied CDIO Standards in the HSV evaluation. The questions in the survey are aimed at investigating respondents' views of the relevance, benefits, limitations and ease of use of the CDIO Standards. The questions are targeted at both the overall level – the body of standards – as well as at the level of single standards.


Fever of unknown origin may present diagnostic and/or curative difficulties. Myxomas are one of the rare causes of fever of unknown origin. A 67-year-old man with a 4-month history of fever of unknown origin was admitted to our department. Physical examination revealed 38.4°C axillary temperature and accentuated second heart sound in cardiac auscultation. Blood, urinary, and throat cultures were negative. Transesophageal echocardiography showed a left atrial mass partially prolapsing into the left ventricle during diastole. Left atrial mass was excised, and histological examination showed atrial myxoma. Fever resolved within 48 hours after the operation, and the patient was discharged from hospital with complete improvement.


This paper is about a generalization of ensemble methods for regression which are based on variants of the basic AdaBoost algorithm. The generalization of these regression methods consists in restricting the unit simplex for the weights of the instances to a smaller set of weighting probabilities. The proposed algorithms cover the standard AdaBoost-based regression algorithms and standard regression as special cases. Various imprecise statistical models can be used to obtain the restricted set of probabilities. One advantage of the proposed algorithms compared to the basic AdaBoost-based regression methods is that they have less tendency to over-fitting, because the weights of the hard instances are restricted. Finally, some simulations and applications also indicate a better performance of the proposed generalized methods.


The purpose of this study was to establish the roles of the myogenic response and the TGF mechanism in renal blood flow (RBF) control at the very earliest stages of diabetes. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and RBF were measured continuously, 18 h/d, in uninephrectomized control and diabetic rats, and transfer function analysis was used to determine the dynamic autoregulatory efficiency of the renal vasculature. During the control period, MAP averaged 91 +/- 0.5 and 89 +/- 0.4 mmHg, and RBF averaged 8.0 +/- 0.1 and 7.8 +/- 0.1 ml/min in the control and diabetic groups, respectively. Induction of diabetes with streptozotocin caused a marked and progressive increase in RBF in the diabetic rats, averaging 10 +/- 6% above control on day 1 of diabetes and 22 +/- 3 and 34 +/- 1% above control by the end of diabetes weeks 1 and 2. MAP increased approximately 9 mmHg during the 2 wk in the diabetic rats, and renal vascular resistance decreased. Transfer function analysis revealed significant increases in gain to positive values over the frequency ranges of both the TGF and myogenic mechanisms, beginning on day 1 of diabetes and continuing through day 14. These very rapid increases in RBF and transfer function gain suggest that autoregulation is impaired at the very onset of hyperglycemia in streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes and may play an important role in the increase in RBF and GFR in diabetes. Together with previous reports of decreases in chronically measured cardiac output and hindquarter blood flow, this suggests that there may be differential effects of diabetes on RBF versus nonrenal BF control.


Teacher resistance is often cited as a primary reason behind schools' reluctance to adopt instructional technology. This study concerns faculty beliefs about educational practices and attitudes toward computer-assisted instruction at community colleges. The major dimensions of such beliefs and attitudes, as well as faculty comments and responses to specific questions, help in understanding school acceptance of instructional technology. Completed surveys from approximately 300 faculty members at six colleges indicated current opinions about educational practices and provided a baseline of initial attitudes toward CAI.


Whitson and Galinksy (2008) claimed to have shown that a state of chaos – i.e. uncontrollability – promotes pattern perception and spurious beliefs. In this lab report, we discuss an attempt to replicate Whitson and Galinsky's (2008) results. Furthermore, we tried to go one step further by exploring the possibility that uncontrollability and fantasy proneness promotes symptom overendorsement as an internal strategy to create order. In a within-subjects design, we asked 28 individuals to think about an uncontrollable situation or a situation in which they had been in full control. Next, participants were given a Snowy Picture Task (VPT), a Superstitious Beliefs Test (SBT), and a test tapping into symptom overendorsement (SIMS). We found that whether being in control or lacking control does not influence symptom overendorsement. Furthermore, we were not able to replicate Whitson and Galinsky's (2008) results. Limitations and implications are discussed.


Liquid phase deposition of amorphous carbon (a-C) and carbon nitride (CNx) film has been attempted by means of electrolysis of organic liquids. The deposition of a-C film is achieved by applying a DC bias voltage to substrate immersed in methanol. Smooth and homogeneous a-C films are deposited on specific substrate materials such as Si, Ti, and Al. The deposition of CNx films are carried out by using nitrogen-containing electrolyte such as acrylonitrile (CH2CHCN). Continuous and uniform films are obtained with the application of both negative and positive bias voltages. The atomic ratios of nitrogen to carbon in the grown films are estimated as 0.16–0.28. Those results demonstrate the feasibility of using liquid deposition techniques for the production of carbon related materials. [DOI: 10.1380/ejssnt.2009.102]


This is a case report of a 29-year-old male with a chondroblastoma of the os calcis successfully treated by almost total resection of the tuber calcanei without sacrifice insertion of the tendon achilles.


Effect of phytase pre-treatment of dietary plant feed stuffs (PF) on growth and mineral concentration in common carp (C. carpio L.) was investigated. Diets used were: C0, diet with no supplement; CI, diet with incubated PF; CP0, diet supplemented with 3 g P/kg; CPI, diet with incubated PF supplemented with 3 g P/kg; Phyt0, diet fortified with 4000 U phytase/kg; PhytI, diet with PF incubated with 4000 U phytase/kg. Mean weight gain, SGR and FCR were the same (p < 0.05) in fish fed CP0, CPI or PhytI but less (p < 0.05) in other fish. Bone P was similar in fish fed CP0 (74.9), CPI (75.9) or PhytI (71.5 mg/g DM) but higher (p < 0.05) than in fish fed C0. Bone Ca and Mg were similar in fish fed CP0, CPI or PhytI but less (p < 0.05) in other fish. Bone Zn in fish fed C0, Phyt0 or PhytI was higher (p < 0.05) than that in fish fed CP0 or CPI. In conclusion, CP0, CPI and PhytI had the same effect, suggesting phytase pre-treatment as the most effective method. CPI did not have any advantage over CP0. Phytase increased mineral availability and utilization, which would minimize cost of mineral supplementation and discharges into the environment.


The chromatographic procedure which led to isolation of the first pure samples of C60 and C70, together with recent advances in the separation of higher fullerenes, are described. At least three isomers of C78 exist. Structural features contributing to the stability differences between fullerenes are discussed. 13C NMR, UV, IR, Raman and neutron scattering/diffraction measurements on C60 and C70 are summarized and reviewed.


Accounting researchers and practitioners have made strides in addressing persistent gender inequalities in the accounting profession. However, these efforts have largely sidestepped men and masculinities. Our study considers the role of men and masculinities in gender inequalities by exploring how men in accounting experience paternity leaves. We conduct interviews with 13 men in audit firms in France. We find that fathers are reluctant to take leaves, which they view as vacation periods incompatible with their professional work. They see audit firms as offering less support to fathers than mothers, with support for fathers growing but still marginal. Finally, they experience a variety of emotions, including positive emotions around fatherhood and negative emotions around difficulties in reconciling fatherhood with professional responsibilities and paternity leaves. Practically, our findings imply that to address gender inequalities further, accounting firms need to change the norms around care work, including paternity leaves.


This study aimed to test a model of telephone-assisted behavioral activation (BA) intervention for Chinese dementia caregivers to reduce the level of depressive symptoms among these caregivers. The study compared two telephone interventions using a 4-month longitudinal randomized controlled trial. For the first 4 weeks, all participants received the same psychoeducation program via telephone. Then for the following 4 months, eight biweekly telephone follow-up calls were performed. For these eight follow-up calls, participants were randomized into either one of the two following groups with different conditions. For the Psychoeducation with BA (PsyED-BA) group, participants received eight biweekly sessions of BA practice focused on pleasant event scheduling and improving communications. For the Psychoeducation only (PsyED Only) group, there were eight biweekly sessions of general discussion of psychoeducation and related information. The telephone administration of the BA and general discussion component were administered with the help of senior citizens and also university students engaged as paraprofessionals. A total of 96 family caregivers of persons living with dementia were recruited, and 93 caregivers completed the whole study. As compared to the PsyED Only group, the PsyED-BA group had significantly decreased levels of depressive symptoms. Caregivers who reported longer caregiving hours at baseline were found to benefit more from the intervention. The PsyED-BA group showed an increased frequency in the use of emotional regulation strategies after the BA training. Findings can contribute to the literature by offering some framework for developing accessible, sustainable, and cost-effective interventions for caregivers.


AbstractThe exhaust gas induces a stressing action, similar to classical type agression: activation of the pituitary adrenal-axis, with increase of relative adrenal weight, and of the rate of corticosterone production. After chronic exposure, deep metabolic changes appear, which reflect an accentuated state of exhaustion of the organism. Moreover perturbation of spermatogenesis with azoospermia is noted. Thus exhaust gas is to be considered as a very potent toxic agent.


Despite widely accepted notion that many childhood leukemias are likely developed from hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC) with pre-leukemic fusion genes (PFG) formed in embryonic/fetal development, the data on PFG incidence in newborns are contradictive. To provide a better understanding of a prenatal origin of leukemia, umbilical cord blood from 500 newborns was screened for the presence of the most frequent PFG associated with pediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This screening revealed relatively high incidence of ETV6-RUNX1, BCR-ABL1 (p190) and MLL-AF4 at very low frequencies, averaging ~14 copies per 100,000 cells. We assume that most of these PFG might originate relatively late in embryonic/fetal development and will be eliminated later during postnatal development. The obtained results suggested that higher PFG copy numbers originating in specific time windows of the hematopoietic stem cell hierarchy may define a better prognostic tool for the assessment of leukemogenic potential. We have observed no significant effect of low-copy PFG on radiation-induced DNA damage response, accumulation of endogenous DNA double-stranded breaks, and apoptosis in either lymphocytes or HSPC. Imaging flow cytometry showed lower level of γH2AX foci in HSPC in comparison to lymphocytes suggesting better protection of HSPC from DNA damage.


Abstract Objective: To describe the use of prehospital ultrasonography (PHUS) to support interventions, when used by physician and non-physician air medical crew (AMC), in a Canadian helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS). Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of consecutive patients who underwent ultrasound examination during HEMS care from January 1, 2009 through March 10, 2014. An a priori created data form was used to record patient demographics, type of ultrasound scan performed, ultrasound findings, location of scan, type of interventions supported by PHUS, factors that affected PHUS completion, and quality indicator(s). Data analysis was performed through descriptive statistics, Student's t-test for continuous variables, Z-test for proportions, and Mann-Whitney U Test for nonparametric data. Outcomes included interventions supported by PHUS, factors associated with incomplete scans, and quality indicators associated with PHUS use. Differences between physician and AMC groups were also assessed. Results: PHUS was used in 455 missions, 318 by AMC and 137 by physicians. In combined trauma and medical patients, in the AMC group interventions were supported by PHUS in 26% of cases (95% CI 18–34). For transport physicians the percentage support was found to be significantly greater at 45% of cases (95% CI 34–56) p = < 0.006. Incomplete PHUS scans were common and reasons included patient obesity, lack of time, patient access, and clinical reasons. Quality indicators associated with PHUS were rarely identified. Conclusions: The use of PHUS by both physicians and non-physicians was found to support interventions in select trauma and medical patients. Key words: emergency medical services; aircraft; helicopter; air ambulance; ultrasonography; emergency care, prehospital; prehospital emergency care


In this paper we consider CNN based on universal binary neurons (UBN). Such an network is a very good base for solution of the different problems of image processing thanks to universal (absolutely) functionality of the UBN. New fast convergenced learning algorithm for UBN based on error-correction rule is presented. Solution of the XOR-problem on the single UBN is illustrated. Two functions for filtering of different kinds of impulsive noise (single impulses, combination of the single impulses and "scratches") are obtained. Templates for implementation of these functions on the single UBN are carried out by learning algorithm. Examples of impulsive noise filtering on the gray-scale images by the software simulator of the CNN are presented.


Existing literature has highlighted concerns over working conditions in the UK National Health Service (NHS), with healthcare workers frequently citing work-life balance issues and stress as being drivers of attrition and burnout. However, we do not know whether these problems have become worse over time, particularly over the past decade, during which there have been multiple shocks to the UK healthcare system. To investigate this, we analysed data from NHS monthly workforce statistics and the UK Household Longitudinal Study. Three times as many workers left the NHS in 2021 for work-life balance reasons than in 2011, while estimated satisfaction with one's amount of leisure time for healthcare workers fell by three times the amount that it fell for non-healthcare workers. Both satisfaction with amount of leisure time and satisfaction with income have remained lower for healthcare workers than for other public sector workers. By 2020, a worker that had low satisfaction with their amount of leisure time was as much as 22 percentage points less likely than in 2010 to remain in healthcare in the following year. Overall, working conditions in UK healthcare have deteriorated between 2010 and 2020, especially relative to the private sector. However, overall job satisfaction has fallen faster in other areas of the public sector than it has in healthcare, which may indicate wider issues within the UK public sector as a whole.


When protocol developers or network engineers seek to understand their situation, performance measurements are one tool in the tool box that can help. But what if the technology is new and no relevant performance metrics exist? This article describes a process for developing performance metrics with sufficient detail for them to become industry standards.


Emerging research in the neurosciences has stimulated a creative interdisciplinary approach to trauma psychotherapy, a new paradigm (Schore, 2009a). Psychotherapists, faced with copious amounts of information related to the mind, brain, and body, struggle to integrate this new knowledge into clinical practice. An integration of emerging neuropsychological theories including attachment theory (Main & Hesse, 2000, Schore, 2008; Tronick, 2007), polyvagal theory (Porges, 2009a), trauma (Schore, 2002; Levine, 1996; Ogden, 2006; van der Kolk, 1996) and neurological fixed action patterns (Llinas, 2001), combined with traditional wisdom creates a strong theoretical scaffolding for the growth of new clinical interventions. Face-to-face encounters co-construct the intersubjective field and support processing of deep visceral sensations, feelings, and emotions. The metaphor of the polyvagal nervous system provides a theoretical frame of orientation for an embodied intersubjective therapeutic relationship and right-hemispheric processing of trauma using somatic psychotherapeutic practices. This article offers, as a response to the emerging new theoretical paradigm, a clinical perspective into a somatic model of trauma resolution with a brief case vignette.


ABSTRACT To maintain body homeostasis, endocrine systems must detect and integrate blood-borne peripheral signals. This is mediated by fenestrae, specialized permeable pores in the endothelial membrane. Plasmalemma vesicle-associated protein (Plvap) is located in the fenestral diaphragm and is thought to play a role in the passage of proteins through the fenestrae. However, this suggested function has yet to be demonstrated directly. We studied the development of fenestrated capillaries in the hypophysis, a major neuroendocrine interface between the blood and brain. Using a transgenic biosensor to visualize the vascular excretion of the genetically tagged plasma protein DBP-EGFP, we show that the developmental acquisition of vascular permeability coincides with differential expression of zebrafish plvap orthologs in the hypophysis versus brain. Ultrastructural analysis revealed that plvapb mutants display deficiencies in fenestral diaphragms and increased density of hypophyseal fenestrae. Measurements of DBP-EGFP extravasation in plvapb mutants provided direct proof that Plvap limits the rate of blood-borne protein passage through fenestrated endothelia. We present the regulatory role of Plvap in the development of blood-borne protein detection machinery at a neuroendocrine interface through which hormones are released to the general circulation. Summary: Fenestrae play a principal role in regulation of homeostasis. The fenestral protein Plvap regulates the rate of plasma protein entry from the general circulation into the brain parenchyma.


OBJECTIVES
The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of a child's clinical condition; maternal characteristics such as dental anxiety and dental visit pattern; socioeconomic conditions; and maternal perception of the child's oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) on a child's use of dental care services.

METHODS
A cross-sectional study of 608 mother-child dyads was conducted during the Children's Immunization Campaign in Pelotas, Brazil. Mothers answered a questionnaire regarding their use of dental services, dental anxiety (Dental Anxiety Scale), socioeconomic status, and perception of their children's OHRQoL (the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale). Clinical examination of the children was performed to assess dental caries (dmf-t). Associations between the above-mentioned factors and child use of dental services were assessed using Poisson regression models (prevalence ratio [PR]; 95% CI; P ≤ 0.05).

RESULTS
The majority of children (79.3%) had never had a dental appointment and of the children who had visited a dentist, 55 (43.65%) presented with untreated dental caries at the time of examination. More than half the mothers (60.2%) did not visit a dentist regularly. In the final model, low schooling level of mothers (PR, 0.64) and irregular visits to a dentist by the mother (PR, 0.48) were factors because of which a child did not have a dental appointment. Children who had experienced pain (PR, 1.56), those who had poor OHRQoL (PR, 1.49), and older children (PR, 2.14) visited a dentist with higher frequency.

CONCLUSIONS
Use of dental care services by preschool children was low, and treatment was neglected even among children who had visited a dentist. Children of mothers with low schooling level who do not visit a dentist regularly were at greater risk of not receiving dental care. Maternal perception of their child's oral health motivated visits to the dentist.


Compared to other species, the extent of human cooperation is unparalleled. Such cooperation is coordinated between community members via social norms. Developmental research has demonstrated that very young children are sensitive to social norms, and that social norms are internalized by middle childhood. Most research on social norm acquisition has focused on norms that modulated intra-group cooperation. Yet around the world, multi-ethnic communities also cooperate, and this cooperation is often shaped by distinct inter-group social norms. In the present study, we will investigate whether inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic social norm acquisition follows the same, or distinct, developmental trajectories. Specifically, we will work with BaYaka foragers and Bandongo fisher-farmers who inhabit multi-ethnic villages in the Republic of the Congo. In these villages, inter-ethnic cooperation is regulated by sharing norms. Through interviews with adult participants, we will provide the first descriptive account of the timing and mechanism by which BaYaka and Bandongo learn to share with out-group members. Children (5–17 years) and adults (17+ years) will also participate in a modified Dictator Game to investigate the developmental trajectories of children's intra- and inter-ethnic sharing choices. Based on our ethnographic knowledge of the participating communities, we predict that children's intra-ethnic sharing choices in the Dictator Game will match those of adults at an earlier age than their inter-ethnic sharing choices. We will analyze our data using logistic Bayesian modelling.


Direct detection of Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) candidates of Dark Matter (DM) is studied within the context of a self-consistent truncated isothermal model of the finite-size dark halo of the Galaxy. The halo model, based on the ``King model'' of the phase space distribution function of collisionless DM particles, takes into account the modifications of the phase-space structure of the halo due to the gravitational influence of the observed visible matter in a self-consistent manner. The parameters of the halo model are determined by a fit to a recently determined circular rotation curve of the Galaxy that extends up to ∼ 60 kpc. Unlike in the Standard Halo Model (SHM) customarily used in the analysis of the results of WIMP direct detection experiments, the velocity distribution of the WIMPs in our model is non-Maxwellian with a cut-off at a maximum velocity that is self-consistently determined by the model itself. For our halo model that provides the best fit to the rotation curve data, the 90% C.L. upper limit on the WIMP-nucleon spin-independent cross section from the recent results of the CDMS-II experiment, for example, is ∼ 5.3 × 10−8 pb at a WIMP mass of ∼ 71 GeV. We also find, using the original 2-bin annual modulation amplitude data on the nuclear recoil event rate seen in the DAMA experiment, that there exists a range of small WIMP masses, typically ∼ 2–16 GeV, within which DAMA collaboration's claimed annual modulation signal purportedly due to WIMPs is compatible with the null results of other experiments. These results, based as they are on a self-consistent model of the dark matter halo of the Galaxy, strengthen the possibility of low-mass (≲10 GeV) WIMPs as a candidate for dark matter as indicated by several earlier studies performed within the context of the SHM. A more rigorous analysis using DAMA bins over smaller intervals should be able to better constrain the ``DAMA regions'' in the WIMP parameter space within the context of our model.


The objective of this study is to investigate the r elationship between stock market performance and ownership structure during plummeti ng and soaring financial markets in a Continental-European setting. Our results demonstra te the importance of ownership concentration, the presence of multiple blockholder s and the type of ownership to explain stock market performance. In addition, we find that t e results for extreme down markets are fundamentally different from the up market results. While ownership concentration is valued positively during down market periods, it is valued negatively during up market periods. Furthermore, the presence of multiple blockholders only influences the stock price during down market periods. Finally, firms controlled by a financial institution loose less value during down markets, while firms controlled by nonf unding families loose more value, compared to widely held firms, during down market p riods. No significant relationship is found during up market periods.


The Royal College of Nursing Association of Nursing Education provides an ideal forum for developing and co-ordinating a supportive network to facilitate sharing of experiences about the implementation of Project 2000.


An in depth survey was conducted to understand the drivers for academic success in university students. Over 400 undergraduate students, mostly majoring in business, participated in an online survey at the beginning of the fall 2010 semester. The survey questionnaire consisted of both closed-ended (structured) and open-ended (unstructured) questions. The combining of both structured and unstructured data gave a better understanding of the factors which impact academic performance. This paper demonstrates the application of both the data mining and text mining techniques that were used.


Objective: To estimate the prevalence and explore some correlates of alcohol problem use in a sample of men from the general population of Bucaramanga, Colombia. Materials and method: A cross-sectional study was designed. Demographic variables, daily cigarette smoking, daily coffee drinking, common mental disorders and alcohol problem use were investigated. Alcohol problem use was measured with the CAGE questionnaire (two or more affirmative answers). Logistic regression model was calculated to adjust associations. Results: A total of 756 men participated in this research. The mean age was 37.3 years (SD=14.4), and mean years of education 9.9 years (SD=4.2); 54.6% were married; and 76.8% were employed; 18.6% reported daily cigarette smoking; 45.9% daily coffee intake; 9.5% common mental disorders; and 10.0% (95%CI 7.9-12.1) scored for alcohol problem use. Daily cigarette smoking (OR=2.1, 95%CI 1.4-3.6) was associated with alcohol problem use, adjusted for common mental disorders. Conclusions: One each ten men in Colombia reports alcohol problem use. Only daily cigarette smoking is related to alcohol problem use. More studies are needed.


In this paper, we propose a new finger multi-biometric cryptosystem using feature-level fusion to simultaneously protect multiple templates of fingerprint, finger vein, finger knuckle print and finger shape traits as a single secure sketch. We theoretically analyze the featurelevel fusion for finger multi-biometric cryptosystem with respect to their impact on security and recognition accuracy. The comparative experimental results ascertain that finger multibiometric cryptosystem outperforms the uni-biometric counterparts in terms of verification performance and template security.


In this study, UV (ultraviolet) and IR (infrared radiation) spectral analysis were integrated to identify the pigment in the adductor muscle scar of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. The pigment was extracted from the adductor muscle scars of cleaned oyster shells that were pulverized, hydrolyzed in hot hydrochloric acid, purified with diethyl ether, and dissolved in 0.01 mL/L NaOH. The maximum absorption of the pigment in the UV absorption spectrum within the range of 190–500 nm was observed between 210–220 nm. The UV absorbance decreased with increasing wavelength which was consistent with the UV spectral absorption characteristics of melanin. In addition, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy scanning revealed characteristic absorption peaks that emerged near 3440 cm-1 and 1630 cm-1, which was consistent with infrared scanning features of eumelanin (a type of melanin). This study has demonstrated for the first time that the pigment in the adductor muscle scar of the Pacific oyster is melanin, hinting that the adductor muscle could be another organ pigmenting the mollusc shell with melanin other than mantle.


Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has emerged as the leading cause of chronic liver disease in children and adolescents in the United States. A two- to three-fold rise in the rates of obesity and overweight in children over the last 2 decades is probably responsible for the epidemic of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Emerging data suggest that children with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis progress to cirrhosis which may ultimately increase liver-related mortality. More worrisome is the recognition that cardiovascular risk and morbidity in children and adolescents is associated with fatty liver. Pediatric fatty liver disease often displays a histologic pattern distinct from that found in adults. Liver biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Non-invasive biomarkers are needed to identify individuals with progressive liver injury. Targeted therapies to improve liver histology and metabolic abnormalities associated with fatty liver are needed. Currently, randomized-controlled trials are underway in the pediatric population to define pharmacologic therapy for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Public health awareness and intervention are needed to promote healthy diet, exercise, and lifestyle modifications to prevent and reduce the burden of disease in the community.


There is an interesting experimental work related to the condensed matter simulation of physics in space-times with D = 4 spatial dimensions meaning that one would have D = 1+4 = 5 -dimensional space-time. What is simulated is 4-D quantum Hall effect (QHE). In M-theory D = 1+4 -dimensional branes would have 4 spatial dimensions and also 4-D QH would be possible so that the simulation allows to study this speculative higher-D physics but of course does not prove that 4 spatial dimensions are there. In this essay, I try to understand the simulation, discuss the question whether 4 spatial dimensions and even 4+1 dimensions are possible in TGD framework in some sense, and also consider the general idea of the simulation higher-D physics using 4-D physics. This possibility is suggested by the fact that it is possible to imagine higher-dimensional spaces and physics: maybe this ability requires simulation of high-D physics using 4-D physics.


Cloud is the major obstacle to analyze data in the satellite images. The various approaches are used to remove the cloud from the satellite image for further processing. The approaches are in-painting and multi-temporal. But, the algorithm working for these approaches cannot produce the accurate results. So, that the accuracy assessment helps to motivate the increased accuracy result. The main aim of this paper is to analyze the accuracy of in-paint and multi-temporal approach and produce the pros and cons of those approaches. Accuracy assessment helps to obtain degree of truthfulness of the results. There are 'n' numbers of metrics are available to find the accuracy of the result such as analyzing variance, spatial error, probabilistic error etc. In this paper, two approaches are implemented and the results are applied to the segmentation algorithm. Then, the segmentation results are analyzed by using the error matrix. The error matrix have constructed based on the difference between the clusters of the image result. For segmentation the K-Means algorithm is used and for simplicity only two clusters are segmented. Segmentation result will clearly show that the accuracy of the in-paint and multi-temporal approaches. From the result it is evident that the multi-temporal approach produces a better result when compared to the in-painting. Especially, in that multi-temporal the Averaging method produces better accuracy result.


BACKGROUND
This study aimed to determine whether modified shock index (MSI) is associated with mortality that is superior to heart rate, blood pressure, or the shock index (SI) in emergency patients.

METHODS
A retrospective database review was performed on 22 161 patients who presented to Peking Union Medical College Hospital Emergency Department and received intravenous fluids from January 1 to December 31, 2009. We gathered data of the patients on age, gender, vital signs, levels of consciousness, presenting complaints, and SI and MSI were calculated for all patients.

RESULTS
Multivariate regression analysis was performed to determine the correlation between risk factors and outcome. There is a significant correlation between emergency patient mortality rate and patient's vital signs obtained at the triage desk (HR>120 beats/min, systolic BP<90 mmHg, diastolic BP<60 mmHg). MSI is a stronger predictor of emergency patient mortality compared to heart rate and blood pressure alone, whereas SI does not have a significant correlation with emergency patient mortality rate.

CONCLUSION
MSI is a clinically significant predictor of mortality in emergency patients. It may be better than using heart rate and blood pressure alone. SI is not significantly correlated with the mortality rate of the emergency patient.