Six healthy male subjects who had received imipenem without cilastatin in previous studies, were given 500 mg meropenem as single 30 min intravenous infusions. Plasma and urine samples were collected for 12 h and meropenem and its metabolite were assayed by HPLC and RIA, respectively. The mean plasma half-life of meropenem was 0.8 h, mean plasma clearance 277 ml/min and the mean volume of distribution 20.4 l. The metabolite reached mean peak plasma concentrations of 1.5 mg/l. Renal clearance of meropenem averaged 200 ml/min. The mean urinary recovery of the metabolite was 20% and of unchanged drug 72% of the dose given. The recovery of meropenem ranged from 62.2% to 78.2% and was correlated to the urinary recovery of imipenem when given without cilastatin to the same subjects in previous studies (range 15.2-32.2%, rank correlation coefficient = 0.934). The results indicate that meropenem is much less susceptible to renal metabolism than imipenem. The inter-subject variability observed with meropenem correlates with the extent of urinary recovery of imipenem observed in previous studies with imipenem alone, indicating some susceptibility of meropenem to renal dehydropeptidase-I.


The abundance of classical literature and the conventions of historical studies have shaped the archaeological exploration of the origin of the state in China, starting with and centering on the identification of specific dynasties. The linear evolutionary account of the Chinese civilization, based on royal genealogies, has become mainstream. The emergence of the state has been continuously dated earlier. I argue that theoretical flaws, nationalism, and disciplinary limits have obscured the complexities of this research project. Drawing on archaeological findings, I propose a two-stage model regarding the origin of the state in East Asia.


Modern industrial gas turbines must be capable of operational flexibility to fulfill the requirements of a changing power industry. At one extreme, turbines are required to run for extended periods of time at full load conditions to satisfy base load applications. At the other extreme, turbines are exposed to high cycles to satisfy peaking applications. Industrial gas turbine components that operate in the hot gas path are therefore subjected to loads that can lead to damage from both creep and fatigue.
 The traditional design approach is based on worst case operational scenarios. These worst case assumptions compound and typically result in a single damage mechanism and bounding location, which represents the minimum life of the turbine. In contrast, condition based assessments tend to consider multiple operating scenarios, which may result in different damage mechanisms and potentially different bounding locations. Condition based assessments of gas turbines therefore require sophisticated lifing routines that can identify these peak damage locations for a range of damage mechanisms and load states, to ensure reliability and availability of industrial gas turbines for flexible operation.
 Digital assets are a key element of modern condition based maintenance. However, a large fleet of diversely operated gas turbines results in an equally large number of digital assets. This produces specific challenges around data processing and storage of large machine datasets. Full order methods, such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) are traditional approaches to predicting temperatures and loads on key components in industrial gas turbines. These models are computationally expensive and are therefore suited to idealized engine cycles. However, digital assets are used to analyze actual operational data and therefore require Reduced Order Models (ROMs) to manage large data sets within a reasonable time frame for optimal asset management. Key to this is determining the bounding assessment locations.
 Structural integrity design codes provide a number of methods for assessing key damage mechanisms. This paper presents a comprehensive framework to use elements from these various codes to identify life limiting locations. This is a critical aspect of developing effective digital assets for condition based asset management. The approach provides a qualitative assessment of damage based on simple elastic finite analyses for typical engine load cycles. The method identifies locations with a high potential for the fundamental damage mechanisms including: creep, fatigue and oxidation and it allows for the assessment of elastic shakedown and ratcheting. Creep assessments in design codes typically consider only stress rupture. However, for cooled gas path components the stresses are both thermally and mechanically driven. The stress rupture approach is therefore insufficient to capture the full effects of creep and may misidentify key locations. The approach presented here addresses this shortfall by additionally considering creep strain due to stress relaxation, in addition to other damage mechanisms.


This study was designed to identify and validate potential new biomarkers for prostate cancer and to distinguish patients with and without biochemical relapse. Prostate tissue samples analyzed by 2D-DIGE (two-dimensional difference in gel electrophoresis) and mass spectrometry (MS) revealed downregulation of secernin-1 (P < 0.044) in prostate cancer, while vinculin showed significant upregulation (P < 0.001). Secernin-1 overexpression in prostate tissue was validated using Western blot and immunohistochemistry while vinculin expression was validated using immunohistochemistry. These findings indicate that secernin-1 and vinculin are potential new tissue biomarkers for prostate cancer diagnosis and prognosis, respectively. For validation, protein levels in urine were also examined by Western blot analysis. Urinary vinculin levels in prostate cancer patients were significantly higher than in urine from nontumor patients (P = 0.006). Using multiple reaction monitoring-MS (MRM-MS) analysis, prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) showed significant higher levels in the urine of prostate cancer patients compared to controls (P = 0.012), while galectin-3 showed significant lower levels in the urine of prostate cancer patients with biochemical relapse, compared to those without relapse (P = 0.017). Three proteins were successfully differentiated between patients with and without prostate cancer and patients with and without relapse by using MRM. Thus, this technique shows promise for implementation as a noninvasive clinical diagnostic technique.


Cyclosporine is a powerful immunosuppressive agent that unfortunately has significant renal toxicity. Two risk factors associated with a high incidence of kidney failure in patients receiving cyclosporine have been described in the literature. In an effort to decrease the possibility of renal toxicity with the use of cyclosporine, we use low-dosage cyclosporine, antithymocyte gamma globulin, and tapering dosages of steroids as an immunosuppressive regimen. Twenty-one patients had orthotopic heart transplants from January 1985 to January 1986. Sixteen of 21 patients or 70% had at least one high risk factor for kidney failure. There were no episodes of acute kidney failure, and the blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels that were recorded over an average of 8.5 months per patient did not increase significantly from preoperative values. Seventeen of 21 or 81% of the patients are alive and functioning fully. The incidence of rejection per patient was 0.9, and there were no biopsy-proven severe rejections. One patient died at 5 months; the autopsy showed generalized moderate rejection. There were 0.24 episodes of infection per patient, with one patient who died from Pneumocystis pneumonia. With this immunosuppression protocol, early postoperative kidney dysfunction was avoided. The incidences of rejection and infection were within acceptable range, and the quality of life in the 17 survivors is excellent.


Mathematical models of two electromechanical systems consisting of a DC motor and an AC motor were built. To determine the moment of active (driving) torque as a function of angular velocity, Kirchhoff voltage equations were used in the system with the DC motor. In the system with the alternating current, equations determining the components of the stator and rotor vectors and the voltage equation were used. Both models include susceptibility and suppression of motion transmission systems. It was assumed that the speed control is carried out according to the preset traffic pattern in the feedback system in relation to position, speed and acceleration. The Runge-Kutta method was used to solve the equations. The author's own simulation program was written, which allowed to determine the time of displacement, speed and acceleration of the output shaft depending on the resistance of motion and the adopted method of rotational speed control. Calculation examples have been provided. Conclusions and suggestions resulting from the simulation have been formulated.


Method of initial functions is used for the analysis of composite laminated beams. The distribution of bending and shear stresses in composite laminated beams are different from beams of small thickness. The equations of two dimensional elasticity have been used for deriving governing equations. The order of the derived equations depends on the stage at which the series representing the stresses and displacements are truncated. No assumptions regarding physical behavior of beams are made. The beam theories which are based on assumptions are of a practical utility in the case of beams of moderate thickness. However in the case of thick or composite beams it becomes difficult to obtain useful results using theories based on assumptions.


Widespread anti-competitive business practices, including hoarding and restrictive supply of essential commodities, collusive price-fixing, abusive monopoly, etc hurt consumer interests, hamper orderly market growth, and retard overall economic development in Bangladesh. But there is no competition policy or legal framework in the country to prevent such malpractices. Pro-competition economic policies coupled with a competition law can help a country in promoting a competitive market economy. Competition legislation is an effective tool against collusive cartels, unscrupulous market dominance and monopoly, unfair mergers and acquisitions, and other anti-competitive business practices. Many developing nations, including neighbouring India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have well-structured competition regimes. Bangladesh should urgently consider enacting a comprehensive competition law. The Government, civil societies, consumer organizations, and other concerned stakeholders should come forward in this regard.


Objective: The ACCP guideline 2008 recommended cessation of warfarin five days before surgery. However, based on the observation of the clinical practice at Siriraj Hospital, we suggested a shorter period of three days before surgery. Prior studies have shown multiple factors had effected warfarin dosage, but few studies have shown factors that influenced normalization of prothrombin time after discontinuation of warfarin. Previous studies have shown the genetics factors, vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKORC1) and cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) enzyme conjointly determine the warfarin maintenance dose. We wanted to find out the proper timing of warfarin cessation before surgery and relationhip to genetic factors. Methods: Sixty-eight patients on warfarin were randomized to stop warfarin for three or five days. Blood samples were acquired at three or five days after interruption of warfarin in each group and assayed for INR, VKORC1 and CYP2C9. We started bridging therapy when INR was less than 2.0 and accepted an INR value of 1.5 or less on the day of surgery. Results: A total of 68 patients were enrolled in the study. Thirty-three patients (48.5%) were male. The mean age was 50.8 ± 6.6 years (range 16-88 years). The mean BMI was 22.5 ± 3.6 kg. All patients had mechanical heart valve replacement, and 22 (32.4%) patients had AF. The mean cumulative weekly dose of warfarin was 27 ± 11.3 mg and baseline INR was 2.4 ± 0.3. Thirty (88.2%) patients in the three days group had INR ≤ 1.5 and thirty-three (97.3%) patients in the five days group had INR ≤ 1.5. There was no significant difference between interruption of warfarin for three and five days (p =0.16). Female sex, BMI and weekly warfarin dosage were associated to the longer cessation of warfarin. Only weekly warfarin dosage was a significant factor after multivariate analysis. From 68 patients, CYP2C9 *1/*1 was found in 93% and CYP2C9 *1/*3 was found in 7%. Neither mutant CYP2C9*2 allele nor individuals homozygous for CYP2C9*3 were observed. Regarding VKORC1, haplotype AB was found in 32% and haplotype AA was found in 63%. Haplotype BB (wild type) was found in 4%. Five patients who had INR > 1.5 after interruption of warfarin had VKORC1 haplotype AA, four patients had CYP2C9*1/*1 and one patient had CYP2C9 *1/*3. Neither VKORC1 nor CYP2C9 was related to normalization of INR (p=0.10, p=0.17). Conclusion: Temporary interruption of the warfarin therapy between three days and five days with bridging therapy before surgery is not significantly different in the Thai population. This study recommends discontinuing warfarin three days before surgery. The proper timing of interruption for warfarin does not only depend on the half-life of warfarin but also depends on age, co morbidity, sex, BMI, lower maintenance warfarin dose, and concomitant drugs. If patients have cardiac or liver disease, they may spend longer time to discontinue warfarin before surgery.


Efficiency dictates that the overall effectiveness of a compiler be increased by all means available. For a compiler to have a substantial useful life it needs a clear logical structure, reliability and sound data processing techniques. A compiler must be based on fixed conventions to preserve efficiency and reliability; empty options and default conventions violate this dictum. Use of structure to associate various parts of a program and economy of features promote clarity and reliability.


Although most of the algorithms that have been proposed for the solution of semi-infinite optimization problems make use, at each iteration, of a set of local maximizers over the range of the independent parameter, the question of suitably approximating such maximizers is generally left aside. It has been suggested that this issue can be addressed by means of an adaptively refined discretization of the interval of variation of the independent parameter. The algorithm proposed in the paper makes use of such a technique and, by means of a certain memory mechanism, avoids the potential lack of convergence suffered by an existing algorithm, while requiring a relatively small number of gradient evaluations. >


Heart sarcosomes were isolated from magnesium-deficient, potassium-deficient, and normal control rats. Two methods of isolation were used. P/O ratios were determined after measuring the oxygen consumption polarometrically in some cases and mano-metrically in others. No matter which method of isolation was used, or which method of determining the oxygen consumption, no difference could be demonstrated between the ratios obtained using sarcosomes isolated from the control rats and those isolated from the magnesium-deficient or the potassium-deficient rats. The results obtained in magnesium deficiency are not in agreement with those reported in 1957 by Vitale, Nakamura, and Hegsted ( J. Biol. Chem. 228: 573, 1957), who found lowered P/O ratios were associated with magnesium deficiency. While no satisfactory explanation can be found for the differences reported, it is suggested that they can only be ascribed to differences in technique.


The purpose of my examination is contributing with knowledge about the relation between language- stimulation in preschool and read- and writes developing and teachers thought about that. In order to meet the purpose I read literature that deals with my matter and is based previous research. I also made qualitative interviews with three elementary school teachers and three preschool teachers who work within preschools that concentrate on development of language in a town in the middle of Sweden. In this way I find out about their thoughts about what they think is important to work with about language in preschool and how the preschool teachers can work with the development of language to make it easier for the children in their read- and writes developing. The result shows that it is important to work with children's development of language in preschool. Children need some part of language awareness when they start at the public school. The result also shows that it is not just one way that's good for training children's language development. You need to work with de language in many different ways with the children so that they can learn about all the parts of the language. I can not see any big difference between the teachers that I interviewed concerning their thoughts in my result.


Corona rings can improve the insulation performance of insulator strings because of their electric field grading property or can decrease the insulation performance due to their arc clearance reduction property. The resulting insulation performance of the string which is under the influence of those two conflicting effects depends on the corona ring parameter settings. Therefore, a detailed experimental work is required to determine the insulation performance for different types of test voltages under different ambient conditions. This paper presents the results of experimental studies regarding the effects of corona rings on the insulation performance of 380 kV non-ceramic V-insulator strings. Those effects and flashover routes were determined for lightning impulses, switching impulses and AC voltages. Corona ring diameter, corona tube diameter, and mounting height were selected as the ring design parameters. Experimental studies were performed for the strings including corona rings of different design parameters as well as for the ring free strings. Test results were discussed from discharge development physics point of view and optimal configuration was determined for the strings.


Subwavelength planar structured interfaces, also known as metasurfaces, are ultra-thin optical elements modulating the amplitude, phase, and polarization of incident light using nanostructures called meta-atoms. The optical properties of such metasurfaces can be controlled across wavelengths by selecting geometries and materials of the meta-atoms. Given recent technological developments in optical device miniaturization, components for beam splitting and beam combining are sought for use within these devices as two quintessential components of every optical setup. However, realizing such devices using metasurfaces typically leads to poor uniformity of diffraction orders and narrow-band operation. Using a modified version of particle swarm optimization, we propose and numerically demonstrate a broadband, reciprocal metasurface beam combiner/splitter with uniformity > 97% and diffraction efficiency > 90% in the continuous band from λ=1525 nm to λ=1575 nm. The proposed approach significantly extends the current state of the art of metasurfaces design in terms of uniformity, bandwidth, and efficiency, and opens the door for devices requiring high power or near-unit uniformity.


The three-body eikonal approach to ion-atom collisions based on the Alt-Grassberger-Sandhas equations is developed. The amplitudes for scattering and charge exchange, written in the impact parameter representation and using the eikonal approximation, are represented as a sum of two terms. One of them describes the scattering via the Coulomb potential acting between the colliding heavy particles. The second one could be factored into a product of two terms. One is an explicitly known factor which contains all the information about the interaction between the heavy particles. The remaining part does not contain any reference to this interaction any longer. For these residual amplitudes effective-two body equations are written down. Explicit expressions for the effective potentials occurring therein, for both the scattering and the transfer channels, are derived in the lowest order approximation. This approach is then used to calculate total and partial cross sections for the electron capture processes in collisions of the ions H+, He2+ and Li3+ with atomic hydrogen. The latter is taken to be in its ground state, except for the case of incident H+ when the target hydrogen atom is considered also in some low-lying excited states.


According to Donald Davidson, "what a fully informed interpreter could learn about what a speaker means is all there is to learn; the same goes for what the speaker believes" (Davidson 1983). This is a foundational claim about the nature of semantic properties: these are evidence-constituted properties. They are determined by the principle of charity on the basis of data about the behaviour of the speaker(s). But what exactly is the role of the interpreter in the Davidsonian account of meaning determination? Is she merely a dramatic device or an essential element of the metaphysical picture? This chapter investigates whether David Lewis's (1983) distinction between natural and unnatural properties can help in answering these questions.


Granisetron and other 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonists are first-line agents for preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Current treatment guidelines prefer the longer-acting agent, palonosetron, for CINV prevention in some chemotherapy regimens. A new granisetron formulation, APF530, has been developed as an alternative long-acting agent. APF530 utilizes Biochronomer™ technology to formulate a viscous tri(ethylene glycol) poly(orthoester)-based formulation that delivers – by single subcutaneous (SC) injection – therapeutic granisetron concentrations over 5 days. The poly(orthoester) polymer family contain an orthoester linkage; these bioerodible polymer systems are specifically designed for controlled, sustained drug delivery. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of APF530 250, 500, or 750 mg SC (granisetron 5, 10, or 15 mg, respectively) administered 30–60 minutes before chemotherapy were evaluated in two Phase II trials in cancer patients receiving moderately (MEC) or highly (HEC) emetogenic chemotherapy. Pharmacokinetics were dose proportional, with slow granisetron absorption and elimination. Both trials demonstrated similar results for median half-life, time to maximum concentration, and exposure for APF530 250 and 500 mg, with no differences between patients receiving MEC or HEC. A randomized Phase III trial demonstrated noninferiority of APF530 500 mg SC (granisetron 10 mg) to intravenous palonosetron 0.25 mg in preventing CINV in patients receiving MEC or HEC in acute (0–24 hours) and delayed (24–120 hours) settings, with activity over 120 hours. Mean maximum granisetron plasma concentrations were 10.8 and 17.8 ng/mL, and mean half-lives were 30.8 and 35.9 hours after SC administration of APF530 250 and 500 mg, respectively. Therapeutic granisetron concentrations were maintained for greater than 120 hours (5 days) in both APF530 dose groups. These data suggest that APF530 – an SC-administered formulation of granisetron delivered via Biochronomer technology – represents an effective treatment option for the prevention of both acute and delayed CINV in patients receiving either MEC or HEC.


The cult of ancestors (aruaqtar) occupies a critical place in the pre-Islamic Tengrian worldview of the Kazakhs. Despite obtaining some Muslim features in the process of Islamization, the cult of ancestors and faith in the aruaqtar remained fundamentally Tengrian. A cult of ancestors is based on the idea of an otherworldly reality. The souls of the dead can transit into it, still keeping connections with the real world. Aruaqtar are guardian spirits and the patrons of the family and clan. Their veneration is one of the essential principles of Kazakh culture, including the organization of tribal relations and the system of values of the nomads. The veneration of the aruaqtar gave rise to a complex semiotic system of the funeral and memorial rituals, reflected in material objects such as burials, mazars, and the stone sculptures of the ancient Turkic era (balbaltas). Myths and language reflect the specific features of the Kazakh aruaqtar cult. Their analysis shows the connection of the concept of aruaqtar with honor, dignity, and other high moral and ethical concepts. This link to morality determined the concept's vitality in the Kazakh spiritual mentality and the preservation of many semiotic elements of the cult of ancestors in modern society.


OBJECTIVE
A voluminous umbilical cord has been described in diabetic pregnancies. The aim of this studywas to see if measurements of cord diameters might be of value in the evaluation of diabetic pregnancies and especially those suspected of a large for gestational age (LGA) fetus.

METHODS
In an observational, prospective study umbilical cord areas and vessel diameters were measured between gestational age of 22 and 40 weeks in transverse ultrasound images of the central part of the cord in 141 normal and 135 diabetic pregnancies of which 30 were suspected of being LGA. Wharton's jelly area was calculated by subtracting the vessel area from the total transverse cord area. Normal reference curves were constructed for gestational age.

RESULTS
Umbilical cord and Wharton's jelly areas increased with gestation. The vessel area leveled out at 32-33 weeks of gestation and the umbilical vein area decreased after 36 weeks of gestation. The umbilical cord parameters in diabetic pregnancies did not differ from controls. Cord areas were enlarged in 1/3 of the LGA fetuses.

CONCLUSION
Umbilical cord area measurements are of limited value for the evaluation of diabetic pregnancies suspected having a LGA-fetus.


The emergence of cooperation in human societies has received ample academic attention from different disciplines, and is usually considered as an adaptive response to competition over scarce resources. In this article, the authors review the specific contribution that social anthropology has made to this field of research. They propose that social anthropology has contributed to this field through the description of systems that have regulated both cooperation and competition in traditional societies: (1) hunter-gatherer societies, where generalized reciprocity dominates; (2) prestige economies, which includes the exchange of valuables in specific spheres, primitive money, agonistic institutions in tribes; and last, (3) 'moral economies' in peasant communities, where cooperation and competition coexist but never at the cost of putting at risk the reproduction of the community itself or of some of its members. The three systems share the basic mechanism of reciprocity that allows for the maintenance of equality, as well as the very language for regulating competition in unequal prestige or moral economies. This pervasive presence of reciprocity as a moral norm would reveal its basic role in human evolution, and, likely, its co-evolution with ritual forms of social exchange.


Mechanical properties of low dielectric constant (low-k) materials are one of the key areas that need to be better understood in order to improve copper/low-k dual damascene integration. In this paper, mechanical properties of carbon doped oxide (CDO) films deposited using TMCTS and CO2 as precursors are reported. Differences in Young's modulus, residual stress and fracture toughness for films prepared by two processes A and B have been observed and are correlated to carbon contents using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). For similar carbon content, process B films show higher modulus and toughness and lower stress than process A films. Fracture toughness calculated from critical thickness measurement indicates bimodal behaviors for process B films. Analysis of detailed chemical bonding structures is needed to further understand the mechanical properties of low k dielectrics. While this work was performed using a particular CDO formulation, the methodology and considerations are applicable to a range of nano materials. Therefore, these methods and results will prove to be useful to a wide range of industries interested in integrating nano-materials into complex structures.


Agriculture is widely recognized as a solution to food insecurity and poverty, especially in rural areas. However, 75% of the world's poor live in rural areas, and agriculture is the primary source of their livelihood. One may wonder if the observed correlation between agriculture and poverty also suggests causation. If that is the case, then what such causal relationship might exist? Is agriculture a vehicle for poverty alleviation or a source of poverty trap? The role of climate change is rather undisputed: associated extreme weather phenomena cause severe negative impacts on agriculture, exacerbating rural poverty. However, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is acclaimed to potentially reverse the situation by eliminating poverty and food insecurity. Against this backdrop, the paper investigates whether smallholder farmers who adopt CSA could achieve food security and better income. This aim was approached through three key research objectives (i) to examine the effects of climate change on smallholder farmers, (ii) to examine the extent to which smallholder farmers adopt CSA and the barriers to adoption, and (iii) to investigate empirically the effects of CSA practices in terms of food security and poverty alleviation. The Upper West and Upper East regions in Ghana were selected purposively for the case study, and the data collected were analyzed using inferential and descriptive techniques. The results revealed no statistically significant positive relationship between the adoption of CSA with food security and income. Poor socioeconomic and market conditions marred the expected positive effects of CSA, hence the need for the provision of agricultural infrastructures and inputs as well as the creation of market for commodities.


In this chapter for an international study, "The Great Recession and the Distribution of Household Income," Jeffrey Thompson and Timothy Smeeding highlight the degree to which economic and social policies, such as the federal stimulus, unemployment insurance, food stamps, and Social Security shielded the general population from substantial increases in income inequality due to the recession. They examine the impact on households, such as job losses, increases in poverty, and increases in households "doubling up" as a coping mechanism. Thompson and Smeeding find that potential income inequality increases were suppressed in large part because of the effect of the elderly population, which saw public transfers boosted, and who worked more hours through the recession.The full study can be downloaded from the Fondazione Rodolfo Debenedetti.


Records of 55 consecutive patients who had ingested foreign bodies were reviewed retrospectively. Foreign bodies were located in the esophagus, stomach and duodenum in 25, 27 and 3 patients respectively. Eleven of these passed through the entire gastrointestinal tract spontaneously and uneventfully. Endoscopic extraction was successful in 36 patients while 8 needed surgical removal of the ingested object. Only one death was encountered. We conclude that using simple guidelines, foreign body ingestion can be managed with a low incidence of complications and mortality.


Baruch Spinoza a Dutch rationalist philosopher of the 17th century and Donald Davidson one of the most distinguished contemporary American analytic philosophers, are two thinkers not usually analysed in conjunction with each other in the philosophical literature yet there are remarkable parallels in their thought. In this book Floris van der Burg identifies topics of comparison in the areas of ontology, epistemology, philosophy of mind and philosophy of language and, after explaining the theory of each philosopher, examines the parallel themes between Spinoza and Davidsonian theory. In the light of this comparison van der Burg shows that the staunch naturalism of Spinoza, even in the mental realm, should not be abandoned in modern times. Rather it is exactly what Spinoza lacks in this area, the linguistic turn in philosophy, characterised by Davidson, that allows for his naturalism to be salvaged after 300 years. Van der Burg's analysis culminates in his paving the way for a Spinozistic ethics for a Davidsonian philosophy.


This study was carried out in order to investigate renal oxalate excretion in a group of normal subjects (n = 40), a group of patients with uremia (n = 52) and a group with nephrolithiasis (n = 34). We found that the mean concentrations of oxalate in the 24-hour urine specimens of both patient groups were below the normal range. Although the renal creatinine clearance (CCR) was significantly decreased in some stone patients (n = 14), decreased renal oxalate clearance was noted only in those patients with severe renal failure. Thus, plasma oxalate was found to be elevated only in patients with chronic renal failure (mean +/- SD, 49.7 +/- 12.4 mumol/l), while the normal value was 17.0 +/- 6.7 mumol/l. The mean tubular excretion fraction of oxalate was also found to increase markedly in uremia with a mean of 26.3 +/- 17.3% (in normal subjects, 11.7 +/- 7.5%), but their mean daily urinary excretion of oxalate decreased to 63.2 mumol/day (mean value of 232.6 mumol/day in normal subjects). A positive correlation was observed between oxalate and creatinine, and between oxalate and calcium excretion, which was not found in normal subjects or patients with kidney stones. In nephrolithiasic patients, the daily excretion of oxalate, calcium and phosphate had no discernible increment and the mean excretory ratio of oxalate, calcium or phosphate to creatinine was all within normal limits. But when the CCR of stone patients was below 80 ml/min, their daily excretion of oxalate and calcium decreased significantly (p less than 0.01) and the excretory ratio of phosphate to creatinine markedly increased.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


We present the availability model of a high availability SIP Application Server configuration on WebSphere. Hardware, operating system and application server failures are considered. Different types of fault detectors, detection delays, failover delays, restarts, reboots and repairs are considered. Imperfect coverages for detection, failover and recovery are incorporated. Computations are based on a set of interacting sub-models of all system components capturing their failure and recovery behavior. The parameter values used in the calculations are based on several sources, including field data, high availability testing, and agreedupon assumptions. In cases where a parameter value is uncertain, due to assumptions or limited test data, a sensitivity analysis of that parameter has been provided. Our analysis indicates the failure types and recovery parameters that are most critical in their impact on overall system availability. These results will help guide system improvement efforts throughout future releases of these products.


An approach to yield a planar light sheet with thickness below the Abbe's diffraction limit over ultra-long propagation distances is presented. Such features emerge by an induced interference of the fields associated to the caustic branches of a cusp-type curved beam. The optical sheet width and length are dynamically tuned by just varying one parameter of the signal encoded in a spatial light modulator within a standard setup for curved beam generation. This light sheet possesses the following characteristics: a high length-to-width ratio, a width below the Abbe's diffraction limit, reduced sidelobes, and very low spreading along the sheet length. These planar light sheets could be useful in light-sheet microscopy and applications to surface and interface physics. In addition, these sheets can be easily transformed in an optical needle having rectangular symmetry by using a two-dimensional cusp beam instead of an one-dimensional beam.


To assess the overall balance between efficacy and safety of the long-action calcium antagonist nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system (GITS) in patients with stable symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD), a large multicentre placebo-controlled double-blind trial called ACTION has been mounted (A Coronary Disease Trial Investigating Outcome with Nifedipine GITS). Patients are eligible if they have proven CAD on antianginal treatment in stable clinical condition for at least 3 months without heart failure. The left ventricular ejection fraction must be above 40%. Patients not already on lipid-lowering therapy will be evaluated and such treatment will be started based on current guidelines before randomisation. After washout of an already given calcium antagonist, more than 6000 patients in total will be randomised in equal proportions to either nifedipine GITS 60 mg once daily or placebo. The mean clinical follow-up will be 5 years, with no restrictions on concomitant medication (with the exception of digitalis, calcium antagonists and class III antiarrhythmics). The primary end-point will be survival free of major cardiovascular events (i.e. survival free of acute myocardial infarction, emergency coronary angiography, overt heart failure, stroke and peripheral revascularisation). The study has 95% power to detect a significant (p < 0.05) 18% improvement of this end-point and is of sufficient size to exclude an excess mortality of 3.1 per 1000 patient-years. In this first stable angina trial of this size and scope, 185 centres in Canada, Europe, Israel, Australia and New Zealand will participate. Recruitment will start in November 1996 and is planned to be completed in 2 years.


The motivation of this paper is to propose a novel secure distributed anonymous routing protocol in wireless mobile ad hoc networks. The objective of the protocol is not only to protect the anonymity and private information of the communicating nodes, but also to protect the security of the route discovery and prevent some malicious behaviors during the two- way conversation. Unlike other related anonymous protocols, in our protocol a source node does not need to collect and maintain the topological information of the network. Additionally, the mobile agent technique and the multicast mechanism used in our protocol protect the privacy of the sender and receiver of a message, while also providing protection for the message content as it traverses a network. They guarantee the anonymity of the sender node, receiver node, and their relationships. In this paper, we present our secure ad hoc routing protocol, which we refer to as ARMA, and provide its proof of correctness.


Cutaneous odontogenic fistulas or sinus tracts are frequently misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated, leading to unnecessary procedures and patient suffering. An understanding of the draining of cutaneous sinus tracts will lead to more appropriate treatment [1]. Most cases respond to conservative, nonsurgical root canal therapy. Our objective is to report a case of cutaneous sinus tract evolving for 6 years secondary to chronic periapical dental infection caused by old trauma. The conservative treatment of the causal teeth was sufficient to achieve healing despite the oldness of the fistula. Correspondence to: Kallel Ines, Department of Dental Medicine, Sahloul Hospital, Sousse, Faculty of Dentistry, Monastir, Laboratory of Research in Oral Healh and Maxillo Facial Rehabilitation (LR12ES11), Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia, E-mail: email@example.com Received: January 06 2017; Accepted: January 20, 2017; Published: January 24, 2017 Introduction An orocutaneous sinus tract is a communication between the oral cavity and the skin surface that is infectious in origin and allows draining of pus from the oral cavity onto the skin surface. The most common location is a tract that originates in the jawbone (usually mandible). A review of case reports shows that after misdiagnosis of this lesion topical and surgical therapy are frequently attempted on the cutaneous aspect of the lesion and no dental treatment is provided. The clinical case reported in this paper emphasizes the need of a prompt recognition of the etiological factor for a correct treatment planning on facial cutaneous sinus tract. Case report A healthy26 -year-old woman presented to our dental department complaining of a non-healing fistula, and a swelling on her chin with an associated purulent discharge (Figure 1). She reported a 6-years history of a drained and recurrent abscess in his face and has been previously treated with different therapeutic procedure for this condition without response : • The fistula was treated many times with antibiotics prescribed by the dermatologist, who diagnosed the fistula as a furuncle. • She also underwent two surgical excisions in the maxillofacial department followed by antibiotic treatment without any improvement and the fistula reappears each time. At the interview the patient reveals the notion of an old traumatism at the age of 15 years. At the intra oral examination we note a dyschromia of 31 and 41 (Figure 2) both teeth were free of decay but responds negatively to the sensitivity test, the necrosis of teeth 31 and 41 can be explained by the notion of untreated old trauma at the young age. Endodontic treatment was done to teeth 31 and 41 followed by filling with calcium hydroxyde. A dental radiograph revealed diffuse radiolucency at the apex (consistent with a chronic periapical abscess) (Figure 3). A check-up appointment is given to the patient after 15 days: No clinical improvement of the lesion, fistula is steel productive (Figure 4). The lesion was disinfected with Chlorhexidine 0.2% (Figure 5) and a locating cone was made to check the causative tooth by means of a capillary tips in which we inserted a cone of gutta percka (Figure 6). Figure 1. Aspect of an infectedulceration. Figure 2. Dyschromia of 41,31. Haifa BR (2017) Treatment of odontogenic cutaneous sinus tract misdiagnosed for 6 years Dent Oral Craniofac Res, 2017 doi: 10.15761/DOCR.1000198 Volume 3(2): 2-4 prolong the effect of CaOH2 and a control appointment was given one month later. At 2 months control appointment fistula is no longer productive (Figure 10), no serosity was found in the canal, the majority of the calcium hydroxide was not resorbed, we decide the final root canal filling (Figure 11). After 6 months, the infection resolved, the cutaneous lesion healed and a small umbilication in the skin remained (Figure 12). The radiological examination show a bone healing (Figure 13). The radiography shows the extension of the periapical image to the 42 (Figure 7). We decide to be more radical and to treat both the 42 and the 32 (Figure 8), especially we have a radiological examination in 2D (retroalveolar) and the patient does not have the means to make a cone beam to better verify the extension of the periapical lesion. A control appointment is given after 15 days; we note a slight improvement: the fistula is less productive (Figure 9). The disinfection and canal sealing was renewed with calcium hydroxide mixed this time with an oily carrier (moru liver oil) to Figure 3.Endodontictreatment of teeth 31 and41 :filledwith CaOh2 mixed with Clona (Note the periapicallesion). Figure 4. 15-day control: no improvement. Figure 5. Disinfection of cutaneouslesion. Figure 9. After one month : Slightimprovement of the skin lesion; Renewal of the CAOH2 mixed with an oily carrier (oil of liver of moru). Figure 10. At 2 months: fistulais no longer productive. Figure 6. Locating cone with capillary tips in witch gutta percha. Figure 7. Extension of the periapicallesion to 42. Figure 8. Endodontic treatment of teeth 32, 42 and filling with CaOH2 mixed with Clona. Haifa BR (2017) Treatment of odontogenic cutaneous sinus tract misdiagnosed for 6 years Dent Oral Craniofac Res, 2017 doi: 10.15761/DOCR.1000198 Volume 3(2): 3-4 Discussion Localisation Making the diagnosis of a draining sinus tract in the setting of a chronic dental infection can be challenging for several reasons. The cutaneous lesions do not always arise in close proximity to the underlying infection, and only about half of all patients ever recall having had a toothache [2]. The sinus tracts appear most commonly on the chin or jaw line, but they can also appear elsewhere on the face or neck. Lesions have even been reported to occur as far away from the oral cavity as the chest, thigh, or sacrum. This finding can be explained by the fact that chronic process slowly evolves through the cancellous alveola bone, following the path of least resisitance until it perforate the cortical plate of the mandible [3]. Odontogenic cutaneous sinus tract have a greater likelihood to occur than intraoral in the apices of the teeth are superior to the maxillary muscle attachments or inferior tothe mandibular muscle attachments [4]. Differential diagnosis Many patients seek evaluation from several physicians before an accurate diagnosis is made,since the cutaneous lesions can mimic other disorders, such as basal cell carcinoma, pyogenic granuloma, foreign body reaction, fungul infection, osteomyelitis or furuncle [5]. Inappropriate treatment Several inappropriate surgeries and courses of antibiotics are commonly used before definitive therapy is instituted; this is what happened with our patient Who consulted his dermatologist who prescribed him different antibiotic cures and underwent surgical excision in the maxillofacial department before he was been referred to our department. It has been estimated that half of all patients undergo multiple surgeries and trials of antibiotics before definitive diagnosis.  Such diagnostic and therapeutic misadventures highlight the importance of communication between medical subspecialists and general dentistry practitioners in the evaluation of patients with head and neck lesions [6]. Positive diagnosis and treatment Odontogenic cutaneous sinus tract can be caused by periapical infections around the root apices resulting from pulp necrosis, caries, pericoronitis or traumatic injury. Radiographic finding are important for diagnosis. On the assumption that the relevent tooth cannont be ascertained by periapical radiography, the tracking of the fistula can guide the ultimate diagnosis . Despite sometimes this radiography remains insufficient to evaluate the extent and the relations of the periapical lesion with the adjacent teeth as in our case where the radiographs in three dimensions find their indications such as the cone beam. This fact can explain the absence of healing after the first treatment in which 42 and 32 were not suspected. Eradication of the original source of infection by means of nonsurgical root canal treatment (if the tooth can be preserved) is most important for treatment of odontogenic cutaneous sinus tract sometimes complemented by surgery. Automatic closure of the tract should be anticipated within 7 to 14 days after root canal treatment [5]. In this case, the reduction of the abscess and the closure of sinus tract was obtained after 2months. This finding can be explained by the delay in identifying causal teeth and by the oldness of the lesion. For this reason, we choosed at the third appointement to renew the calcium hydroxide mixed with an oily carrier (Oil of liver of moru) to prolong the action of calcium hydroxide (decreasing acidity, inflammation and intracanal serosities). Sometimes surgical excision of the cutaneous sinus is nececssary to elimnate the inflammatory tissu (such us apical debridement, apicoectomy, fistula debridement) In our case no tissu debridement was needed since at 2 months appointement fistula is no longer productive so the root canal treatment validated the primary dental origin of the skin lesion and definitive root canal filling was done . At 6 months control appointment the lesion on the chin recovered entirely leaving only a slight hyperpigmented region, and the periapical lesion disappeared on the radiographic examination. Conclusion Because patients with cutaneous facial sinus tracts of dental origin often do not have obvious dental symptoms, a possible dental etiology may be overlooked. If dental origin is suspected, the diagnosis is easily confirmed by dental examination and dental radiography of the involved area. Early correct diagnosis, based on radiologic evidence of a periapical root infection and treatment of these lesions can help prevent unnecessary and ineffective antibiotic therapy or surgical treatment, reducing the possibility of further complications.


In this paper, we study the effects of frame aggregation on video streaming performance in a real-world IEEE 802.11n testbed. We quantitatively characterize delay, video quality, and mean aggregate size in two multi-hop scenarios. We observe that streaming applications naturally take advantage of frame aggregation, both in single- and multi-stream environments, and that a Full-HD video can be transmitted with excellent quality and delay, even on a 6-hop chain. Furthermore, we discover that limiting frame aggregation severely impacts both the delay and video quality. We believe these insights on frame aggregation help for developing an effective cross-layer design for video streaming over IEEE 802.11n multi-hop networks.


Abstract Aim Few studies of depression have examined older inpatients with fracture and preexisting cognitive impairment. The current study sought to confirm whether depression affects the condition of older inpatients with fracture who also have cognitive impairment, and to investigate the extent to which depression affects activities of daily living. Methods This was a retrospective cross-sectional study. The subjects were older inpatients with fracture and preexisting cognitive impairment. We examined data within 1 week of hospitalization, obtained from medical records. The data included demographic information, the motor Functional Independence Measure, Charlson Comorbidity Index, Mini-Mental State Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale 15, Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index, Skeletal Muscle Index and maximum grip strength test. These variables were compared between the two groups (with and without depression), and multiple regression analysis was performed with the motor Functional Independence Measure as the dependent variable. Results The subjects were 68 patients. Only the motor Functional Independence Measure was significantly lower in the depression group than the non-depression group. Multiple regression analysis confirmed that depression strongly affected activities of daily living. Conclusions In considering the recovery of older inpatients with fracture and preexisting cognitive impairment, it is important to take the effects of depression into account. Implications for rehabilitation The number of older fracture inpatients with cognitive impairment is predicted to increase, and such patients have a high prevalence of depression. Depression strongly affected Activities of Daily Living in older inpatients with fracture and pre-existing cognitive impairment. Focusing on depression assessment and intervention is important for rehabilitation of older fracture inpatients with cognitive impairment.


A new environmental high-voltage transmission electron microscope (E-HVEM) was developed by Nagoya University in collaboration with JEOL Ltd. An open-type environmental cell was employed to enable in-situ observations of chemical reactions on catalyst particles as well as mechanical deformation in gaseous conditions. One of the reasons for success was the application of high-voltage transmission electron microscopy to environmental (in-situ) observations in the gas atmosphere because of high transmission of electrons through gas layers and thick samples. Knock-on damages to samples by high-energy electrons were carefully considered. In this paper, we describe the detailed design of the E-HVEM, recent developments and various applications. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Dynamic in situ microscopy relating structure and function'.


Rev-erbβ is a heme-responsive transcription factor that regulates genes involved in circadian rhythm maintenance and metabolism, effectively bridging these critical cellular processes. Heme binding to Rev-erbβ indirectly facilitates its interaction with the nuclear receptor co-repressor (NCoR1), resulting in repression of Rev-erbβ target genes. Fe3+-heme binds in a 6-coordinate complex with axial His and Cys ligands, the latter provided by a heme-regulatory motif (HRM). Rev-erbβ was thought to be a heme sensor based on a weak Kd value for the Rev-erbβ·heme complex of 2 μm determined with isothermal titration calorimetry. However, our group demonstrated with UV-visible difference titrations that the Kd value is in the low nanomolar range, and the Fe3+-heme off-rate is on the order of 10−6 s−1 making Rev-erbβ ineffective as a sensor of Fe3+-heme. In this study, we dissected the kinetics of heme binding to Rev-erbβ and provided a Kd for Fe3+-heme of ∼0.1 nm. Loss of the HRM axial thiolate via redox processes, including oxidation to a disulfide with a neighboring cysteine or dissociation upon reduction of Fe3+- to Fe2+-heme, decreased binding affinity by >20-fold. Furthermore, as measured in a co-immunoprecipitation assay, substitution of the His or Cys heme ligands in Rev-erbβ was accompanied by a significant loss of NCoR1 binding. These results demonstrate the importance of the Rev-erbβ HRM in regulating interactions with heme and NCoR1 and advance our understanding of how signaling through HRMs affects the major cellular processes of circadian rhythm maintenance and metabolism.


In the centrosymmetric title complex, [Fe(C18H12N5)2(H2O)2], the FeII ion, lying on an inversion centre, is coordinated by two N,N′-bidentate 5-(pyridin-2-yl)-3-[4-(pyridin-4-yl)phenyl]-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-ide ligands and two water molecules in a trans-FeO2N4 geometry. In the ligand, the triazole ring makes dihedral angles of 5.21 (18) and 6.7 (2)°, respectively, with the adjacent pyridine and benzene rings. In the crystal, molecules are linked by O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds, generating a three-dimensional network.


This report describes the experimental and sampling design developed to assess sampling approaches and methods for detecting contamination in a building and clearing the building for use after decontamination. An Idaho National Laboratory (INL) building will be contaminated with BG (Bacillus globigii, renamed Bacillus atrophaeus), a simulant for Bacillus anthracis (BA). The contamination, sampling, decontamination, and re-sampling will occur per the experimental and sampling design. This INL-2 Sample Collection Operational Test is being planned by the Validated Sampling Plan Working Group (VSPWG). The primary objectives are: 1) Evaluate judgmental and probabilistic sampling for characterization as well as probabilistic and combined (judgment and probabilistic) sampling approaches for clearance, 2) Conduct these evaluations for gradient contamination (from low or moderate down to absent or undetectable) for different initial concentrations of the contaminant, 3) Explore judgment composite sampling approaches to reduce sample numbers, 4) Collect baseline data to serve as an indication of the actual levels of contamination in the tests. A combined judgmental and random (CJR) approach uses Bayesian methodology to combine judgmental and probabilistic samples to make clearance statements of the form "X% confidence that at least Y% of an area does not contain detectable contamination" (X%/Y% clearance statements). The INL-2 more » experimental design has five test events, which 1) vary the floor of the INL building on which the contaminant will be released, 2) provide for varying the amount of contaminant released to obtain desired concentration gradients, and 3) investigate overt as well as covert release of contaminants. Desirable contaminant gradients would have moderate to low concentrations of contaminant in rooms near the release point, with concentrations down to zero in other rooms. Such gradients would provide a range of contamination levels to challenge the sampling, sample extraction, and analytical methods to be used in the INL-2 study. For each of the five test events, the specified floor of the INL building will be contaminated with BG using a point-release device located in the room specified in the experimental design. Then quality control (QC), reference material coupon (RMC), judgmental, and probabilistic samples will be collected according to the sampling plan for each test event. Judgmental samples will be selected based on professional judgment and prior information. Probabilistic samples were selected with a random aspect and in sufficient numbers to provide desired confidence for detecting contamination or clearing uncontaminated (or decontaminated) areas. Following sample collection for a given test event, the INL building will be decontaminated. For possibly contaminated areas, the numbers of probabilistic samples were chosen to provide 95% confidence of detecting contaminated areas of specified sizes. For rooms that may be uncontaminated following a contamination event, or for whole floors after decontamination, the numbers of judgmental and probabilistic samples were chosen using the CJR approach. The numbers of samples were chosen to support making X%/Y% clearance statements with X = 95% or 99% and Y = 96% or 97%. The experimental and sampling design also provides for making X%/Y% clearance statements using only probabilistic samples. For each test event, the numbers of characterization and clearance samples were selected within limits based on operational considerations while still maintaining high confidence for detection and clearance aspects. The sampling design for all five test events contains 2085 samples, with 1142 after contamination and 943 after decontamination. These numbers include QC, RMC, judgmental, and probabilistic samples. The experimental and sampling design specified in this report provides a good statistical foundation for achieving the objectives of the INL-2 study. « less


In the context of a decline in publishing circulation, there is a need to activate existing methods and ways to correct negative trends. Traditional in overcoming the crisis is the introduction of progressive forms and methods of book trade, but the development of business processes on online platforms leveled the importance of bookselling enterprises and led to a reduction in the bookselling network. However, the online book trade at this stage has not reached the required level of monetization and did not live up to expectations of management. The purpose of this material is to comprehend the publishing brand as a holistic concept, which includes not just a complex of such elements as the author's name, title of the work, genre, but as a combination of the brand of the author's name (author's brand), the brand of the title of the work (brand naming), the brand of the genre of the work. Among the tasks to identify the problem of the impact of a branded publishing product on the consumer of fiction, children's literature; definition of a publishing brand as a marketing strategy tool for a modern publishing house. The article discusses the role of the publishing brand in the market business model, the main elements of the publishing brand, the degree of influence on consumer activity, as well as the impact of digital technologies on the creation of a cross-media product on Internet platforms.


Dysregulation of regulatory T cell (Treg)–mediated suppression and, in particular, resistance of CD4+ effector T cells (Teffs) to suppression have been implicated in the pathogenesis of human type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, the mechanistic basis behind this resistance and the time frame during which it develops in relation to the onset of clinical T1D remain unclear. In this study, we analyzed the capacity of peripheral blood Teffs isolated both from patients with T1D and from prediabetic at-risk subjects positive for multiple diabetes-associated autoantibodies (AAb+) to be suppressed by Tregs. Because STAT3 activation through IL-6 has previously been implicated in mediating Teff resistance, we also investigated the surface expression of IL-6R as well as IL-6– and TCR-mediated phosphorylation of STAT3 in T cells from our study subjects. Teff resistance to suppression was observed both in patients with newly diagnosed and long-standing T1D but not in AAb+ subjects and was shown to be STAT3 dependent. No alterations in IL-6R expression or IL-6–mediated STAT3 activation were observed in T cells from patients with T1D or AAb+ subjects. However, faster STAT3 activation after TCR stimulation without concomitant increase in IL-6 expression was observed in T cells from patients with T1D. These experiments suggest that Teff resistance in T1D patients is STAT3 dependent but not directly linked with the capacity of Teffs to produce or respond to IL-6. In conclusion, Teff resistance to Treg-mediated suppression is likely a feature of disease progression in human T1D and can potentially be targeted by immune therapies that block STAT3 activation.


Infection by the parasite Toxoplasma , which affects about 33% of world population, is associated with increased risk of several mental health disorders, the most strongly with schizophrenia. It is unknown whether toxoplasmosis really plays a substantial role in the etiopathogenesis of these disorders and whether schizophrenia is associated with this infection the most strongly, or whether this association has just been the most intensively studied for historical reasons. We used the data from 3,440 and 7,800 subjects tested for toxoplasmosis and borreliosis, respectively, who took part in an internet survey, for searching in the associations of these infections with 22 mental health disorders and other indices of impaired mental health. The typical symptom associated with toxoplasmosis was anxiety, and the typical toxoplasmosis-associated disorders were autism (OR=4.86), schizophrenia (OR=3.34), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (OR=3.02), Asperger syndrome (OR=2.49), antisocial personality disorder (OR=1.81), OCD (OR=1.69), and anxiety disorder (OR=1.57). Borreliosis was associated only with symptoms of depression and with major depression (OR=1.65). The negative effects of borreliosis were detectable only in the Toxoplasma -infected subjects. Toxoplasmosis could play a substantial role in the etiopathogenesis of mental health disorders and its association with schizophrenia is the second strongest association, after autism.


Purpose of review To summarize the recent evidence on the pathology, current standard of care and recent advances in the treatment of HIV-related lymphomas. Recent findings Lymphomas remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in people living with HIV, even in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). However, treatment outcomes for these malignancies have improved in recent decades, due to full-dose chemotherapy, effective cART and supportive care. Recent advances include the identification of novel driving signaling pathways as promising molecular targets to improve lymphoma outcomes. Summary Patients with HIV-related lymphomas who receive effective cART should be treated like the general population.


This research paper examined the ways how translators translated metaphors in the dubbing of animation songs and measured the degree of loss occurred in rendering metaphors from English into Arabic; these two languages are culturally and linguistically distinct languages. This study employed descriptive qualitative methods. The data used in this research were metaphors of songs from three animated musical movies: Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, and Pocahontas. This paper analyzed the translation of metaphors depending on the cognitive theory proposed by Mandelblit (1995). The results proved that even though translating metaphors in animation songs was a laborious process, they did not always cause a problem of untranslatability; on the contrary, translators can render metaphors from English onto Arabic without a significant loss in terms of meaning and sound patterns. Compensation in kind and compensation in place helped to achieve the translatability of metaphors in cartoon films' songs. The analysis of source and target metaphors revealed that there were three translation procedures used to translate metaphors in animation songs, namely: replacing the source metaphor with a target metaphor (substitution), translating the metaphor into sense (paraphrasing), and using literal translation.


measurements of the time intervals. Reliable authors, such as Lewis, Carter, Pardee, all give little or no information on this variability, and only a few give specific instructions as to the technique of actual measurements. Carter recommends measuring from the commencement of the P wave to the commencement of the first defiection of the QRS complex, whether it be upwards or downwards, and further states that all measurements of complexes should be made in the lead in which they are longest. This is usually Lead II. This has been the general practice, and was followed consistently by the authors of the article under discussion. That this practice is not inviolate is illustrated by an interesting example which they quote. A healthy man of fifty-two years, applying for life insurance, showed a small Q wave in Lead I and an R wave of exactly corresponding amplitude in Lead III. These neutralized each other in Lead II, giving the impression of a prolongation of the iso-electric P-R interval by 0·03 second, and of course shortening the QRS duration by the same amount. Obviously in this instance the longest P-R interval was not the correct one. White and his colleagues began to study this question by means of simultaneously recorded leads, measuring the interval with the Lucas comparator for thorough accuracy. They soon found similar records in the course of routine work. In tracings showing well-marked right axis deviation there is a tendency for artificial shortening of the P-R interval to occur, especially in Lead 1, because of the iso-electric beginning of the P wave. Iso-electric beginnings and endings of QRS complexes in Leads II and III especially are often difficult to detect in routine cardiograms, but easy when pairs of leads are recorded simultaneously. The true P-R interval is then given as the longest P-S duration minus the longest P-R interval. White and his colleagues then proceeded to examine 1,000 consecutive routine cardiograms for variations in time intervals. Those showing a short P-R interval in Lead I, while that of Leads II and III agreed, were excluded as unlikely to produce confusion. Thirty-eight tracings (3'8%) were found to show variations of 0·02 second or more in the duration of the P-R interval or QRS complex, or both, in leads other than Lead I. Five showed differences in QRS only, and some a variation in P-R only. In 10 (1%) the variations were clinically important and had infiuenced the interpretation of the tracing. The most common mechanism responsible was the balancing of Q, and R. in cases of left axis deviation. Lead II showed a correct P-R interval only six times in 33 instances, and a correct QRS interval in not one of 29 patients with significant QRS variations. The first lesson to be learned from these observations, for the everyday cardiographer, with the usual singly recording apparatus, is to be on the alert for tracings in which Q, and R. or R, and Q. are about equal in amplitude and duration, and for those in which P, is small and late. An approximately accurate P-R interval can then be obtained by subtracting the longest found from the widest QRS duration. In doubtful cases Lead III is most likely to give the correct P-R interval. As White safely remarks, the exact clinical significance of their observations cannot be determined at once. In occasional individual cases they may be of considerable significance, but it is likely that other more reliable qualitative changes in the tracings will support the diagnosis of significant cardiac disease when such is present. Rather more disturbing is the likelihood that present numerical standards for P-R and QRS duration may be incorrect. If the longest P-R interval discernible is taken as the upper limit of normal, it is possible that this has been fixed too high.


Rather than learning new control policies for each new task, it is possible, when tasks share some structure, to compose a "meta-policy" from previously learned policies. This paper reports results from experiments using Deep Reinforcement Learning on a continuous-state, discrete-action autonomous driving simulator. We explore how Deep Neural Networks can represent meta-policies that switch among a set of previously learned policies, specifically in settings where the dynamics of a new scenario are composed of a mixture of previously learned dynamics and where the state observation is possibly corrupted by sensing noise. We also report the results of experiments varying dynamics mixes, distractor policies, magnitudes/distributions of sensing noise, and obstacles. In a fully observed experiment, the meta-policy learning algorithm achieves 2.6x the reward achieved by the next best policy composition technique with 80% less exploration. In a partially observed experiment, the meta-policy learning algorithm converges after 50 iterations while a direct application of RL fails to converge even after 200 iterations.


We investigate the feasibility of using truncated perturbation expansions higher than first order to compute the effect of structural variations relative to a laterally homogeneous reference on broadband (e.g., 20 to 250 sec period) Rayleigh-wave velocities and eigenfunctions. Feasibility is a function of speed, accuracy, and ease-of-use. We discuss the physical meaning of relevant terms in the expansion and posit and test an expansion, referred to as quasi-third-order theory, that consists of all boundary and volume self-terms through third-order and at second-order boundary-volume cross-terms between all boundaries and adjoining volumes that the boundary intersects. We set accuracy criteria at 0.5% for group and phase velocities and several percent for vertical eigenfunctions. For the magnitude of crustal and upper mantle heterogeneities found across Eurasia, first-order perturbation theory meets these criteria for group and phase velocities only above about 80 sec period but meets the eigenfunction criterion down to about 30 sec period. The use of quasi-third-order theory for phase and group velocities and the first-order theory for eigenfunctions is fast (about two orders of magnitude faster than the flat-earth and spherical-earth eigenfunctions codes used for comparison), relatively easy to use, and should meet the accuracy criteria required in most inversions down to about 30 sec period. If accuracy standards are more stringent than those set here, if there are structural variations larger than those considered here, or if the application requires inversion below about 30 sec period, then it would be advisable to regionalize the area of study and to introduce more than one reference model.


Documents and web pages share many similarities. Thus classification methods used in documents can be applied to advanced web content, with or even without modifications. Algorithms for document and web classification are presented as an introduction. One out of many tools that can be used in method evaluation, application and modification is WEKA (Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis). Testing results and conclusions strengthen the principles and bases of classification, while demonstrating the need for a new interlayer in the evaluation of classification methods.


This study examined the major shortcomings of conventional crackers, and developed a modified palm-nut cracker with the view of reducing the level of mechanical kernel damage. Equation relating the required speed for cracking operation and force requirement in fracturing the nut was expressed, and the force was experimentally determined before machine development. The machine was designed and fabricated based on standard engineering principles for part-sizing and selection of materials. The machine was tested with dura nuts classified into four groups of sizes and varied during experimentation. The performance evaluation of the machine show that cracking efficiency ranged between 86.10-97.27% at an average value of 4.49% kernel breakage and whole kernels ranging between 94.85-95.97%. Analysis of results using MINITAB 17 show that efficiency of the machine was influenced by nut sizes and variation in the selected feed rates. The result however indicated that the machine is suitable for processing palm nuts of all sizes when operated at moderate feed rates.


Predation greatly influences many aspects of the ecology of desert rodents, from foraging behaviour to mechanisms of species coexistence to the evolution of specialised morphologies. Using a foraging-theory approach, we examine consequences of predation for assemblages of desert rodents from North America and the Middle East. In particular, we review experimental evidence that examines the influence of predation on foraging costs and foraging behaviour, explore how predation can act to structure communities, and discuss the role that predation may have played in the evolution of bipedal locomotion. Finally, we compare the importance of predation for the evolution of anti-predator behaviours and morphology, for population dynamics, and for community processes, with its magnitude and heterogeneity. In regard to foraging behaviour, desert rodents treat the risk of predation as a cost of foraging. They combine assessments of food and safety to arrive at foraging decisions, exploiting resource patches less intensively in response to increased predatory risk. The cost of predation can be up to 91% of the foraging costs of desert rodents, but the proportion is greater for Middle Eastern rodents than for North American rodents. In regard to community structure, predation can provide the niche axis as well as the necessary tradeoff for species coexistence. Despite the importance of predation in shaping the foraging behaviour of desert rodents, predation may not always influence species coexistence. Predation contributes to species coexistence at sites in the Sonoran and Great Basin deserts. But in the Negev Desert, where predation costs are the greatest, predation does not provide a mechanism of species coexistence. In regard to bipedal locomotion, predation most likely confers superior ability to avoid predators by improving sprint speed and ability to take evasive action, but at the expense of foraging ability in safe microhabitats. The evolution of bipedality will be favoured by situations where the risk of predation is great: the open microhabitat is riskier than the bush, the richest patches are found in the riskiest places, and rich patches are far apart. The magnitude of predatory risk will affect the evolution of anti-predator behaviour and morphologies. However, the importance of predation in community processes is not determined by its magnitude, but by its heterogeneity in time and space relative to the abilities of potentially coexisting species.


Using weighted -norms we derive new bounds on the long-time behaviour of the solutions improving on the known results of the polynomial growth with respect to the instability parameter. These estimates are valid for quite arbitrary, possibly unbounded domains. We establish precise estimates on the maximal influence of the boundaries on the dynamics in the interior. For instance, the attractor for the domain with periodic boundary conditions is upper semicontinuous to .


This study aimed to assess the response of Urochloa decumbens plants to different doses of glufosinate ammonium, and the sensitivity of plant population to the herbicide. Two studies were conducted, both in greenhouse and repeated at different times. In the dose-response analysis, two experiments were conducted using seven doses of the glufosinate ammonium (0, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1,600 g a.i. ha-1) with four replications each. In the analysis of sensitivity levels of U. decumbens to herbicide, 44 plants were sprayed with a dose of 200 g a.i. ha-1 of the herbicide. Tissue ammonium content was determined, and injury percentage was visually assessed. Experiment data were converted to mg of ammonium per kg-1 of fresh mass and submitted to analysis of variance, and treatment means were compared by t test (p≤0.10). Control of Urochloa decumbens plants by glufosinate might be associated with plant tissue ammonia content, which increased as a function of herbicide application, but not linearly as a function of dose rate. Variability existed in the ammonium content among the individuals of the population of U. decumbens.


We theoretically investigate the application of topological plasmon polaritons (TPPs) to temperature sensing for the first time. Based on an analogy of the topological edge states in the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model, TPPs are realized in a one-dimensional intrinsic indium antimonide (InSb) microsphere chain. The existence of TPPs is demonstrated by analyzing the topology of the photonic band structures and the eigenmode distribution. By exploiting the temperature dependence of the permittivity of InSb in the terahertz range, the resonance frequency of the TPPs can be largely tuned by the temperature. Moreover, it is shown that the temperature sensitivity of the TPP resonance frequency can be as high as $0.0264~\mathrm{THz/K}$ at room temperature, leading to a figure of merit over 150. By calculating the LDOS near the chain, we further demonstrate that the temperature sensitivity of TPPs is experimentally detectable via near-field probing techniques. This sensitivity is robust since TPPs are highly protected modes immune to disorder and can achieve a strong confinement of radiation. We envisage these TPPs can be utilized as promising candidates for robust and enhanced temperature sensing.


During the course of software development, developers will employ several different verification and validation (V&V) practices with their software, but these efforts might not be recorded or maintained in an effective manner. Our research objective is to build a method which allows developers to track and maintain a persistent record of the V&V practices used during development and testing. The persistent record of the V&V practices are recorded as certificates which are automatically stored and maintained with the code and creates traceability from the V&V practices to the code We have created a system that aids developers in the management of certificates in the Eclipse development environment. Also, we are researching a method to utilize a parametric model in conjunction with this V&V information to estimate the defect density of that program.


Quasiparticle pairing in a many-body medium, with pairwise boundary-condition model interactions, is discussed within a formalism which treats two-particle and two-hole interactions simultaneously. It is found that the possibility of two sorts of bound pairs one predominantly particle-like, which corresponds at zero density to a free bound state, and the other predominantly hole-like, which appears only above a certain critical density, and show that they form a continuous spectrum.


Abstract The intersection between religion and politics in the United States remains prevalent in the 21st century. Especially in regard to many Protestant Christian denominations, the relationship between religion and political partisanship seems to continually intensify. Through a content analysis of online sermon transcripts, this study focuses on Protestant pastors' interpretations of numerous political issues in the 21st century U.S. both before and after the 2008 election of President Obama. Drawing from framing theory, the majority of pastors primarily framed their sermons in three main ways: (1) increased discussions of political conservatism after the 2008 election, (2) maintained abortion as the most popular social issue discussed, and (3) increased discussions of literalist interpretations of the U.S. Constitution following the 2008 election. The study's results and implications for various avenues of future research are discussed at length.


Question4: Needs shortening as well and restructuring including a Method section-include limitations of research and that further research is needed. It also needs rephrasing at some points. Answer: We have shortened and restructured the Abstract section. Background: Question5: 2nd paragraph needs rephrasing. Answer: The second paragraph has been rephrased in the revised manuscript. Question6: Explain why this research is necessary and how is clinically relevant. Answer: We have rewritten this section. Methods: Question7: For some reason it appears after the conclusions. Please bring this section after introduction. Needs editing as well Answer: The Methods section has been edited and placed after the Introduction section. Question 8: Why search date ranges from 1990 to 2010 and not 2012? Answer: This study was designed in October 2010. We searched online databases up to October 2010. The literature search was accomplished independently by two well-trained reviewers. Discussions were initiated between the two reviewers if there were discrepancies between their search results. Abstracts of conferences, recently published editorials, review articles as well as the reference lists of identified articles were checked. We spent 6 months selecting the eligible literature, extracting data, analyzing the data, and interpreting of the results. After completing these process, we spent 6 weeks preparing the manuscript. Several meta-analysis studies were published »1 year before submission of our article (e.g., Filion et al. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2010, 10:24; Rod et al. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2009, 9:13; Pasquale et al. Hypertension. 2007; 49:792-798; Matthias et al. JAMA. 2006; 295: 2046-56; Katharine et al. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2005; 5:11). Question 9: Please update search Inclusion criteria need to be more specific. Please define what you mean by plaque components. Answer: We have updated the information regarding inclusion criteria. "Plaque component volume" has been replaced by "plaque composition" in the revised manuscript. We have defined the meaning of plaque composition. Question 10: Where are the exclusion criteria? Improve the flow chart? Answer: We have added information regarding the exclusion criteria in the revised manuscript. We have also improved the detail of the flow chart. Question 11: "Financial situation ...hidden" this doesn't have to be here. Answer: We have deleted the phrase "hidden financial assistance situation" according to comments from both reviewers. Question12: In the study selection all the reasons for the excluded studies can be summarized in the flow chart. Answer: We have added all the reasons for excluding the studies in the flow chart. Question13: End points: Need to be carefully defined Answer: The endpoints were carefully defined. Question14: Statistical analysis: please describe how you did the subgroup analysis and the stratification you mention later on in the results section. Answer: We have described how we did the subgroup analysis and the stratification analysis in the Methods section. RESULTS: Question15: A second table summarizing the study finding needs to be added. At the moment you only have one table with the table characteristics. Please also include quality scoring for the included studies. Answer: We have added a table summarizing the study findings in the revised manuscript (Table 1). We have also added the quality score in Supplementary Table 1. Question16: First paragraph is too long. Answer: We have now divided the first paragraph into two paragraphs. Question17: Funnel plots are mentioned but are not included anywhere in the manuscript or the graphs. Answer: We have added the funnel plot as Figure 3 in the revised manuscript. Question18: The type of statins was not studied? If not why and if yes what where the results? Answer: We tried to carry out a subgroup analysis according to statin type. As described in the revised manuscript, of the 22 groups, atorvastatin was used in 8 groups, rosuvastatin in 3 groups, simvastatin in 3 groups, pravastatin in 3 groups, pitavastatin in 1 group, fluvastatin in 1 group, and different statins in 3 groups. Six groups were obtained when groups were stratified by statin type. Unfortunately, in 5 of the 6 subgroups, there was significant heterogeneity. Taking into account the significant heterogeneity in the subgroups, we did not undertake a subgroup analysis by statin type in the present study. Discussion Question19: The whole section needs editing by native speaker. Answer: The entire section was edited by a very experienced medical editor whose native language is English. Question20: Commend a bit more on relative literature and on the clinical implications of your research. Answer: We have rewritten the Discussion section. Question21: No suggestions for further research are mentioned. Answer: We have rewritten the Discussion section to describe the implications of our findings for further research. Question22: Explain the various plaque components and their potential significance on plaque stability. Please expand on this using relevant literature. Answer: We have explained the various plaque compositions and their potential significance on plaque stability. Question23: "The results of this meta are robust" please rephrase! The whole 2 paragraphs after that need rewriting. Answer: "The results of this meta are robust" was deleted and the entire paragraph rewritten. Question24: The limitation section needs rewriting as well. Answer: The limitations of our study have been rewritten in the revised manuscript.


Background: The cost of feed in fish farming can exceed 70% of the total costs. Thus, the feed industry have sought to formulate balanced diets including low-cost by-products. Objective: To evaluate sunflower meal as a partial substitute (0, 10, and 20%) for soybean meal, with or without phytase supplementation (1,500 FTU/kg) in isoproteic (27% crude protein (CP)) and isoenergetic diets (3,400 kcal/ED/kg of feed) for silver catfish (Rhamdia quelen) juveniles. Methods: A total of 360 fish (weight: 15.77 ± 0.56 g) were randomly distributed in 24 tanks in a completely randomized design following a factorial scheme (3x2) with 4 replicates. The fish were evaluated on the following variables after 90 days: productive performance, hematological variables, histology of intestinal tissue, bromatological composition of carcass, and composition of bone mineral matter. Results:  20% dietary inclusion of sunflower meal improved weight gain and protein efficiency. No difference was observed in the other treatments and no interactions were observed between the other factors. Conclusion: 20% sunflower meal can be included in the feed of silver catfish as a substitute for soybean meal. Phytase inclusion (1,500 FTU/kg) did not improve the nutritional value of the treatments.


An open system consisting of a scalar field bound to a Kerr black hole whose mass M and specific angular momentum a are slowly (adiabatically) perturbed is considered. The adiabatically induced phase and the conditions for the validity of the adiabatic approximation are obtained. The effect of closed cycles in parameter space (the a--M plane) on the energy levels of both stable and unstable scalar-field bound states, together with other quantities of interest, is illustrated. Lastly it is noted that the black-hole wavefunction will acquire an equal and opposite phase to that of matter, thus leading to a change of its effective action (entropy).


This paper presents a viable transducerless rotor position and velocity estimation scheme for PWM inverter driven induction, synchronous, and reluctance machines with the capability of providing robust and accurate dynamic estimation independent of operating point, including zero and very high speeds, light and heavy loading. The injection of a balanced 3 phase high frequency signal (500 to 2 kHz) generated by the inverter, followed by appropriate signal demodulation and processing combined with a closed-loop observer, enable the tracking of rotor magnetic saliencies from the machine terminals. Although rotor magnetic saliency is inherent within reluctance machines, and most synchronous machines, saliency in the induction machine is introduced via a modulation of the rotor slot leakage with minimal detrimental effects on the machine performance. Experimental verification for the induction machine is included.<<ETX>>


ABSTRACT This article documents, contextualizes, and theorizes the significance of technological divides and inequalities of access, along with diverse accommodations, adaptations, resistances, and alternatives to health and communications technologies that have unfolded in two South American countries during the COVID-19 emergency: Ecuador and Argentina. Based on a shared qualitative interview methodology that focused on issues of social inequality and digital divides, perceptions of and experiences with public health systems, and levels of trust relative to governmental, media, and other sources of information about the pandemic, our emergent comparative analysis demonstrates both shared and divergent patterns. While interview data from both countries emphasize deepening crises of poverty and inequality that reverberate in differential access and usage of communications technologies, there are distinct patterns with regard to confidence in medical systems and public health information. In Argentina, citizens may question or doubt official sources of information and public health systems but, on the whole, tend to maintain higher levels of cautious trust, while in Ecuador, an erosion of trust, along with higher levels of cultural diversity, drives an adaptive response towards systems and practices of medical pluralism, particularly in indigenous and rural contexts. Explanations for these differences may lie in the distinct forms the project of colonial modernity, and resistance or adherence to it, has taken in each country.


The para-aminophenyl derivative of Man alpha 1-->2Man alpha 1-->6Man alpha 1-->was coupled via a diazotization reaction to bovine serum albumin, and the resulting glycoconjugate was used to immunize two rabbits. The resultant antisera were tested for reactivity with a number of related mono, di- and trisaccharides to determine the immunodominant portion of this trisaccharide. Two populations of antibody resulted, one of which required the reducing end mannose, and could react with either an N-acetylglucosamine or a mannose as the penultimate sugar. The other population reacted with the Man alpha 1-->2Man alpha 1-->6Man alpha 1-->. The aglycone moiety and its configurations play an important role in determining the specificity of antibodies to this synthetic antigen. The similarity of this reactivity to the reactivity of mannose binding lectins is discussed.


Background—Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) treatment is known to lead to structural and functional cellular modifications in the heart. The relevance of these changes for clinical recovery is unknown. Methods and Results—We compared properties of cardiomyocytes obtained from tissue taken at explantation of the LVAD in patients with clinical recovery with those obtained from hearts of patients who did not show clinical recovery, thus requiring transplantation. Compared with myocytes taken at implantation, both the recovery and nonrecovery groups showed ≈50% reduction in cell capacitance, an index of cell size. However, action potential duration shortened, L-type Ca2+ current fast inactivation was more rapid, and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ content was increased in the recovery compared with the nonrecovery group. Conclusions—These results show that specific changes in excitation-contraction coupling, and not regression of cellular hypertrophy, are specifically associated with clinical recovery after LVAD and further identify sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ handling as a key functional determinant in patients with heart failure.


Background & objectives: Most tobacco users who initiate its use during adolescence are likely to continue the use into adulthood and contribute to the 90 per cent of premature deaths among tobacco users. In this context the prevalence, patterns and correlates of tobacco use were studied among adolescent school students in Kerala, India. Methods: Total 7560 students from classes 8, 10 and 12, within the age group of 12-19 yr, across 73 schools in Ernakulam district, Kerala, India, selected by cluster random sampling, completed a self-administered questionnaire incorporating standardized instruments. Results: Of the 7350 valid questionnaires, the overall lifetime prevalence of tobacco use was 6.9 per cent (12.5% males and 1.2% females). The prevalence of tobacco use increased from 3.1 per cent at 12-13 yr to 15.1 per cent at 18-19 yr. The mean age of onset of tobacco use was 14.0±2.2 yr. The prevalence was higher among students from urban backgrounds, lower socio-economic status and those with part-time jobs. Tobacco users had significantly higher rates of use of alcohol (67.8 vs. 11%) and illicit drugs (33 vs. 6.1%). They had poorer academic performance (24.7 vs. 9.1%), more severe psychological distress (10.8 vs. 4.5%), suicidal attempts (10.2 vs. 3.5%), higher scores of ratings of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (8.3 vs. 2.5%) and history of sexual abuse (12.5 vs. 3.8%). Interpretation & conclusions: The prevalence of tobacco use in adolescents reported in this study was relatively lower than those reported from other Indian States. However, it correlates with multiple negative outcomes suggesting a need to promote specific interventions to prevent adolescent tobacco use.


The secreted signaling molecule Sonic hedgehog (Shh) plays critical roles in pattern formation of the vertebrate central nervous system. During neurulation, Shh is produced by the ventral midline mesoderm as well as by the ventral neural tube, and its activity is required for the determination of ventral characteristics along the anterior-posterior neuraxis. The morphological boundary between midbrain and hindbrain, the isthmus, is an important tissue organizer that regulates the development of both the midbrain and the anterior hindbrain. In this study, we report that retrovirus-mediated misexpression of Shh in the early chick neural tube disrupts formation of the boundary between the midbrain and the hindbrain, and causes a fusion of the bilateral cerebellum primordia. Dorsally expressed Shh signals induce ectopic transcription of its receptor Ptc1 in the midbrain and the hindbrain. The expression of several genes (Noggin, Lmx1, BMP7) along the dorsal midline of the midbrain is abolished, and ventral or lateral markers (HNF3β, Ptc1, ELF1) are induced in the dorsal brain. Furthermore, the normally restricted expression of two genes (En1 and Pax2) in the mid/hindbrain junction region are expanded, reflecting the morphological defects. These results suggest that maintaining proper dorsal-ventral patterns of the neural tube is essential for normal development of the mid/hindbrain region.


Here, we present the application to the great Tohoku-oki (Japan) earthquake (United States Geological Survey M = 9.0, March 11, 2011, 05:46:24 Coordinated Universal Time) of a novel approach, named Variometric Approach for Displacements Analysis Stand-Alone Engine, able to estimate accurate coseismic displacements and waveforms in real time, in the global reference frame, just using the standard broadcast products (orbits and clocks) and the high-rate (1 Hz or more) carrier phase observations continuously collected by a stand-alone global-positioning-system receiver. We processed separately the data collected at MIZU (Mizusawa, 140 km from the epicenter) and USUD (Usuda, 430 km from the epicenter) International Global Navigation Satellite System Service sites. A total horizontal displacement of about 2.4 m east-southeast was estimated for the MIZU, with a maximum horizontal oscillation amplitude of about 3.4 m along the same direction. Generally, an overall accuracy better than 10 cm for all the components (east, north, and up) and an average accuracy around 5 cm were assessed over an interval shorter than 5 min, with respect to independent solutions obtained with two different scientific software. The threshold of 5-cm accuracy has been recently indicated as sufficient for real-time fault determination for near-field tsunami forecasting for a major earthquake, like the 2011 Tohoku-oki one.


Air-liquid interfacial processing of volatile organic compound photooxidation has been suggested as an important source of secondary organic aerosols. However, owing to the lack of techniques for studying the air-liquid interface, the detailed interfacial mechanism remains speculative. To obviate this, we enabled in situ synchrotron-based vacuum ultraviolet single photon ionization mass spectrometry using the system for analysis at the liquid-vacuum interface microreactor to study glyoxal photooxidation at the air-liquid interface. Determination of reaction intermediates and new oxidation products, including polymers and oligomers, by mass spectral analysis and appearance energy measurements has been reported for the first time. Furthermore, an expanded reaction mechanism of photooxidation and free radical induced reactions as a source of aqueous secondary organic aerosol formation is proposed. Single photon ionization can provide new insights into interfacial chemistry.


A method for modelling reflectionless conductive dispersive media is presented. The media are either half-spaces or finite dispersive slabs with a spatially varying impedance. The problem of finding reflectionless media for plane waves at normal incidence is formulated as an inverse problem where the constitutive relation is to be determined as a function of depth given a reflection kernel which is zero. The inverse problem is solved by a time-domain Green function technique. It is seen that non-reflecting half-spaces can be constructed in a number of different ways, whereas non-reflecting slabs can only be found if the back-wall is non-conducting.