Despite the economic and functional importance of software systems in modern organizations, software development and maintenance are still regarded as high-risk activities. Indeed, a great number of software projects fail to deliver software systems meeting stakeholders requirements within schedule and budget. The great number of software failures and the high maintenance costs are the economic ramifications of the software crisis. The social ramifications of this crisis are related to the user's resistance to software systems use in organizations. The software crisis seems to be the most important cause of the so-called "productivity paradox". The paper provides a framework which on the one hand, permits understanding software crisis causes and on the other hand, proposes a software development process to help software developers to eliminate these causes. Instead of the traditional view of software engineering as a set of specifications, design and implementation activities, this framework, based on the economic agency theory, models software engineering in terms of contracts between interacting organizational actors with conflicting interests and points of view.


The era of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) brushes as a universal panacea for preventing non-specific protein adsorption and providing lubrication to surfaces is coming to an end. In the functionalization of medical devices and implants, in addition to preventing non-specific protein adsorption and cell adhesion, polymer-brush formulations are often required to generate highly lubricious films. Poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline) (PAOXA) brushes meet these requirements, and depending on their side-group composition, they can form films that match, and in some cases surpass, the bioinert and lubricious properties of PEG analogues. Poly(2-methyl-2-oxazine) (PMOZI) provides an additional enhancement of brush hydration and main-chain flexibility, leading to complete bioinertness and a further reduction in friction. These data redefine the combination of structural parameters necessary to design polymer-brush-based biointerfaces, identifying a novel, superior polymer formulation.


Electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection is a must in every integrated circuit. It is done by deploying a network of special devices on-chip, alongside the functional elements. The demand for continuously improvements in ESD design and simulations brings the need of new and more accurate scalable models. The SCR (silicon controlled rectifier) is one of the most efficient ESD protection devices. A new electrical model, that can be used to evaluate the complex protection structures of which it is part of, was developed during this thesis. Built with a strong relation between the physical phenomena and its equations, it was rendered scalable, offering the possibility of tailoring and optimizing the device according to the needed protection level. Moreover, a high-frequency study on the SCR and the ESD protection diode was carried out, leading to a model able to predict the impact these devices have on the protected circuit.


Abstract Drawing from social perspectives, we narrate a case story of wireless network implementation situated in a socially connected but politically segregated environment. We seek to understand how the interplay between radical IT implementation and organizational structure shapes and reshapes organisational members' perception of implementation success and how unintended consequences of popular mobile technology emerge in a politically sensitive workplace. Detailed narrative analysis reveals that many subtle conflicting issues intertwined among various stakeholder groups. Those issues not just reshape how organisational members perceive IT implementation success but also how future IT management take place. The insights gained from this case story thus suggest that a more socially and politically sensitive IT practice in general and wireless network management in particular might be essential in the contemporary service oriented IT environment. Keywords


—The Least Squares method is the oldest ML algo-rithm but remains the most popular and ubiquitous across domains. Now, with powerful, cheap technology and the popular open-source language Python, users of every sort have access to various libraries, all serving ordinary least squares. In this work, we ask the question of whether users can count on the different implementations ceteris paribus producing the same results. We conduct a comprehensive survey of current Python implementations of the Least Squares method, providing a comparative analysis of their features and performance (time and space). Additionally, we test models over cumbersome real-world datasets to examine behavior in this decade of very big data. Our investigation covers the most popular and well-established libraries: TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, and MXNet. Our results unexpectedly show that sufficient significant differences exist such that users must scrutinize their choices and not confine themselves to a single library.


The article presents data on 7 sectional observations on congenital heart defects in elderly and old persons (57 to 75 years). An open oval window with the functioning valve was detected in 6 cases, completely non-obliterated oval window--in one case. The correct diagnosis had not been made when the patients were alive. This can be easily explained due to the difficulties of diagnosing, since no clinical manifestations of the defect were noted for a long time. In all cases death was caused by chronic cardiovascular insufficiency.


For virtually all converters and inverters, it is necessary to take care of shot-through and deadtime in the half-bridge subcircuits. Floating gate drive designs are also needed. The additional cost to realise these features becomes a concern in low power applications. This study presents a centre-tapped inductor method added to the bridge to satisfy these constraints cost-effectively. The shoot-through current is under controlled. Using push-pull P and N channel metal-oxide silicon field-effect transistors, the floating or level-shift gate drive can be eliminated and the converter becomes simple. The proposed method has been successfully applied to switched capacitor resonant converter. Formulations of the overlapping and resonant equations have also been developed. It is found that the current in the centre-tapped inductor can be transferred to the resonant inductor with the proposed circuitry with no additional loss involved in the design. Moreover, all the current is under zero-current switching. The design has been validated experimentally and high efficiency is realised using the proposed design.


Background:The rising cost of hospitalizations for heart failure (HF) care mandates intervention models to address education for self-care success. The effectiveness of memory enhancement strategies to improve self-care and learning needs further examination. Objective:The objective of this study was to examine the effects of an education-support intervention delivered in the home setting, using strategies to improve health status and self-care in adults/older adults with class I to III HF. Our secondary purpose was to explore participants' subjective perceptions of the intervention. Methods:This study used a randomized, 2-group design. Fifty people were enrolled for 9 months and tested at 4 time points—baseline; after a 3-month education-support intervention; at 6 months, after 3 months of telephone/e-mail support; and 9 months, after a 3-month period of no contact. Advanced practice registered nurses delivered the intervention. Memory enhancement methods were built into the teaching materials and delivery of the intervention. We measured the intervention's effectiveness on health status outcomes (functional status, self-efficacy, quality of life, emotional state/depressive symptoms, and metamemory) and self-care outcomes (knowledge/knowledge retention, self-care ability). Subjects evaluated the usefulness of the intervention at the end of the study. Results:The mean age of the sample was 62.4 years, with a slight majority of female participants. Participants were well educated and had other concomitant diseases, including diabetes (48%) and an unexpected degree of obesity. The intervention group showed significant improvements in functional status, self-efficacy, and quality of life (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire); metamemory Change and Capacity subscales (Metamemory in Adulthood Questionnaire); self-care knowledge (HF Knowledge Test); and self-care (Self-care in Heart Failure Index). Participants in both groups improved in depressive scores (Geriatric Depression Scale). Conclusions:An in-home intervention delivered by advanced practice registered nurses was successful in several health status and self-care outcomes, including functional status, self-efficacy, quality of life, metamemory, self-care status, and HF knowledge.


The present study was an attempt to explore relationship between the Total Quality Management (TQM) principles and Culture of Teaching and Learning (COTL) in 40 secondary schools in Lorestan province, located in west part of Iran. The study was also designed to determine the level of TQM and COTL in secondary schools. The researcher used a survey questionnaire to measure the variables among secondary
school educators (n=320) and students (n=400) in Iran. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), independent sample t-test,Pearson correlation, and multiple regressions. The results of this study showed that despite great effort made to implement TQM in Iranian secondary schools, the level of TQM and COTL is still at medium level based on students' perception, but for principals' and teachers' perception, it is already at a high level. The level of TQM and level of COTL have a parallel relationship for principals, teachers and students,which mean by increasing in the level of TQM, the level of COTL will increase. The results also show that there is a strong relationship between character of role players (teachers, students, and parents) and COTL, and this means that teachers, students and parents have positive influence in improving the level of COTL. The strong relationship between character traits of role players and COTL showed that role players can improve the level of COTL. The study also finds that confidence in the
status quo, lack of abilities to change, lack of communication, and lack of commitment as the factors of resistance to the implementation of TQM in schools.
These major barriers to the implementation of TQM must be addressed by the educational advocators. The study proposed several potential recommendations to the Iranian Ministry of Education to overcome these barriers, and upgrade the level of Total Quality Management and Culture of Teaching and Learning in schools.


This document is a reference manual for SHIFT, a description language for dynamic networks of hybrid systems. This model offers the proper level of abstraction for describing complex applications such as highway and air traffic control systems, robotic shopfloors, and other systems whose operation cannot be captured by conventional models. SHIFT is planned for use as a mechanism for defining the Automated Highway System Tool Interchange Format (AHSTIF). An automated highway system is a hybrid system with specific characteristics and restrictions. SHIFT supports the definition and enforcement of AHSTIF-specific semantics.


Ribonuclease targeting chimeras (RiboTACs) induce degradation of an RNA target by facilitating an interaction between an RNA and a ribonuclease (RNase). We describe the screening of a DNA-encoded library (DEL) to identify binders of monomeric RNase L to provide a compound that induced dimerization of RNase L, activating its ribonuclease activity. This compound was incorporated into the design of a next-generation RiboTAC that targeted the microRNA-21 (miR-21) precursor and alleviated a miR-21-associated cellular phenotype in triple-negative breast cancer cells. The RNA-binding module in the RiboTAC is Dovitinib, a known receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor, which was previously identified to bind miR-21 as an off-target. Conversion of Dovitinib into this RiboTAC reprograms the known drug to selectively affect the RNA target. This work demonstrates that DEL can be used to identify compounds that bind and recruit proteins with effector functions in heterobifunctional compounds.


The study was designed to prioritize a
plethora of factors that may affect or impede the success of implementing a
MICE professional English program as an educational innovation at a tertiary
context in Taiwan. Through the utilization of modified Delphi method and
analytic hierarchy analysis (AHP), priorities were generated in a comprehensive
format pertaining to the top five factors critical to successful implementation
of the intended program. The study offers practical implementations by pointing
to the importance of detecting highly prioritized factors. It was recommended
that the intended group of implementers reduce the hindering factors and
maximize the supportive ones for all engaged in the implementation process. The
method introduced will help future researchers understand how ESP programs can
be implemented effectively in other settings to achieve maximum impact. Several
practical and research implications were discussed.


Merkel cell carcinoma of the eyelid is a rare tumor with less than 100 reported cases worldwide. We describe an unusual presentation of Merkel cell carcinoma of the eyelid in a 60 year old Asian male. He presented with multiple left lower lid conjunctival nodules, intense conjunctival erythema, as well as ipsilateral cervical lymphadenopathy. An incisional biopsy diagnosed him with Merkel cell carcinoma with a PET scan showing distant metastatic disease. He was then treated with chemotherapy. The combination of a presentation of conjunctival nodules and erythema, location in the lower eyelid and the conjunctiva, the presence of metastatic disease on diagnosis as well as an unusual immunohistochemical profile make this an unusual case.


Agriculture in Gujarat has grown rapidly over the last decade, driven at least partly by diversification to high value crops and dairying. High value agriculture requires better water control and offers higher returns for irrigation. Farmers, farm communities and the state government in Gujarat have responded to this requirement by implementing large-scale water supply and demand management projects like interlinking of rivers, the world9s largest popular recharge movement, electricity distribution reforms to limit use of subsidized energy for groundwater irrigation and rapid expansion of areas under micro-irrigation. Some of these programmes have already been declared successful and are being scaled up in Gujarat (like the Saurashtra recharge movement) and emulated elsewhere (like the Jyotirgram Yojana ) without much critical scrutiny. Other programmes like the initiative to spread micro-irrigation have not received the attention they deserve from the research community in spite of their apparent success. This paper subjects the biggest on-going supply- and demand-side initiatives for water management in Gujarat to critical scrutiny in light of the recent data and tries to draw lessons for the state and other parts of India facing sustainable water management challenges.


Forest evapotranspiration is an important component not only in water balance, but also in energy balance. It is a great demand for the development of forest hydrology and forest meteorology to simulate the forest evapotranspiration accurately, which is also a theoretical basis for the management and utilization of water resources and forest ecosystem. Taking the broadleaved Korean pine forest on Changbai Mountain as an example, this paper constructed a mechanism model for estimating forest evapotranspiration, based on the aerodynamic principle and energy balance equation. Using the data measured by the Routine Meteorological Measurement System and Open-Path Eddy Covariance Measurement System mounted on the tower in the broadleaved Korean pine forest, the parameters displacement height d, stability functions for momentum phi m, and stability functions for heat phi h were ascertained. The displacement height of the study site was equal to 17.8 m, near to the mean canopy height, and the functions of phi m and phi h changing with gradient Richarson number R i were constructed.


In the fast growth context of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) applications, an important improvement of power supplies "power-to-weight" ratio can be obtained through the integration of magnetic storage elements with their associated electronic environment. These components are usually used to transfer and store high energy densities with high magnetic flux. But up until now, integrated devices with these inductive elements were mainly limited by low inductance and current values. To make optimised new designs and achieve realisation of such inductive elements, we propose a new complete methodology, illustrated through a micro-machined square planar inductor. Indeed, after defining specifications (power, inductance value, frequency, geometrical dimensions), a mathematical method is used to define a first geometrical parameters set. To achieve it, several simulations are conducted with CAD tools dedicated to MEMS technology. Our method is based on a new specific last nano-imprint technology we have developed in our laboratory and adapted, in parallel, to our application.


Strongyloidiasis is a parasitic infestation caused by Strongyloides stercoralis (S. stercoralis). Most cases are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic with respiratory, gastrointestinal, or non-specific cutaneous symptoms. However, in immunocompromised patients, such as patients on chronic corticosteroids, malignancy, or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, hyperinfection syndrome can occur. The following is a case of Strongyloides hyperinfection in an individual taking prednisone for uveitis who developed upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleed and gram-negative bacteremia.


This spirit was captured at the WSSFN quadrennial meeting held in Rome, June 13–17, 2005 under President Brian Brophy and with Mario Meglio serving as the principal meeting organizer. Approximately 400 WSSFN members and guests participated in a program that highlighted innovations in surgery for psychiatric disorders, movement disorders, epilepsy and pain. These were complemented by important presentations on advances in basic sciences related to imaging and cellular neurophysiology. There were over 100 oral presentations and 150 poster presentations with over two dozens plenary lectures. The Spiegel and Wycis awards were presented to two luminaries in our fi eld, Alim-Louis Benabid and Patrick Kelly. They join a long and distinguished list of pioneers who have previously been so-recognized. Two talented fellows, Drs Temel Yasin and Talamoni Fonoff were recognized and received awards for their outstanding papers. It is wonderful to know that there are so many talented young neurosurgeons in our fi eld that are active in our society...


SUMMARY: Whereas γ-radiation alone either did not affect or stimulated spore germination, spores which had been irradiated in the presence of iodoacetamide (IAM) or potassium iodate were inhibited from germinating in germinants like L-alanine, inosine or yeast glucose broth. Activity of a lytic enzyme which may be involved in germination was mostly lost in spores irradiated in IAM, and a phosphomonoesterase was about 60 % inhibited. Spore alanine racemase was partly inactivated by γ-radiation alone but, with spore protease, survived irradiation in IAM without much further loss of activity. Although spores made non-germinable by γ-radiation plus IAM were non-viable as measured by colony counts, viability could be partly restored by chemical treatments known to by-pass the normal germination reactions. It was concluded that spores were inactivated by γ-radiation in the presence of the potentiators through inactivation of enzyme(s) essential in the degradative reactions of germination. The enzyme inactivation was caused by iodine-containing free radicals rather than directly by the γ-radiation.


Pedestrian ways of Tunjungan which is known as Central Business District is an important accessibility element in Surabaya. According to Guidelines for the Provision and Utilization of Pedestrian Infrastructure and Facilities in Urban Area (2014), pedestrian ways is important component that should be provided for increasing effectiveness of citizen mobility in urban area. In general fact, pedestrian ways of Surabaya is in good condition. In 2007 Surabaya has received Wahana Tata Nugraha Award from The Ministry of Transportation. It has been avowed that pedestrian ways of Surabaya is first ranked of 20 cities in Indonesia (Detiknews, 2007). However pedestrian ways in Surabaya especially in Tunjungan district frequently misused (Kompas, 2010). That condition shows unmaximize use of pedestrian ways in this district. Objectives: This study will focus on LOS (Level of Service) to determine walkability in Tunjungan. Hereafter, value ranking of this LOS and what solution should be done will be confirmed to an expert. Finally, the concept of walkable city will be determined based on solution of LOS characteristic. Expected output in this study is alternative concept of sustainable pedestrian ways. It will be influenced by factors which are decided by some stakeholders. Finally, the concept of walkable city will be determined based on solution of LOS characteristic.


The discovery of preconditioning (PC) has arguably been the single most important development in the field of ischemic biology in the past 20 years. The significance of this phenomenon transcends cardiovascular medicine, since it is ubiquitously observed in virtually every tissue of the body. This article reviews the pathophysiology and molecular basis of myocardial PC, with particular emphasis on the late phase of this cardioprotective adaptation. The article also discusses the exploitation of late PC for the development of novel gene therapy strategies aimed at inducing a permanently preconditioned cardiac phenotype (prophylactic cardioprotection). Besides its conceptual interest, deciphering the mechanism of late PC has considerable therapeutic reverberations, since transfer of the genes that underlie late PC would be expected to emulate the salubrious effects of this response of the heart to stress.


Visualization assisted crime analysis tools used by public security agencies are usually designed to explore large urban areas, relying on grid-based heatmaps to reveal spatial crime distribution in whole districts, regions, and neighborhoods. Therefore, those tools can hardly identify micro-scale patterns closely related to crime opportunity, whose understanding is fundamental to the planning of preventive actions. Enabling a combined analysis of spatial patterns and their evolution over time is another challenge faced by most crime analysis tools. In this paper, we present Mirante, a crime mapping visualization system that allows spatiotemporal analysis of crime patterns in a street-level scale. In contrast to conventional tools, Mirante builds upon street-level heatmaps and other visualization resources that enable spatial and temporal pattern analysis, uncovering fine-scale crime hotspots, seasonality, and dynamics over time. Mirante has been developed in close collaboration with domain experts, following rigid requirements as scalability and versatile to be implemented in large and medium-sized cities. We demonstrate the usefulness of Mirante throughout case studies run by domain experts using real data sets from cities with different characteristics. With the help of Mirante, the experts were capable of diagnosing how crime evolves in specific regions of the cities while still being able to raise hypotheses about why certain types of crime show up.


Summary: Methanogenic bacteria with pseudomurein sacculi incubated with elevated concentrations of amino acids showed growth inhibition, changes in morphology and, under certain conditions, lysis. Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum incorporated the amino acids glycine, threonine, ornithine and, in small amounts, aspartic acid into the sacculi, but not D-alanine, meso-diaminopimelic acid or the amino sugar galactosamine.


We have investigated the radiative electron capture process in collisions of electrons with metal clusters, at an electron energy sufficient for excitation of the giant collective resonance in the target cluster. We have demonstrated that accounting for the dynamical polarizability of the cluster plays an essential role giving rise to a new kind of giant resonance in the cross section for radiative capture.


Abstract Purpose: This study was to explore the relationships among emotional labor, social support, job satisfac -tion, organizational commitment, and turnover intention in healthcare providers. Methods: Participants were healthcare providers (54 male and 328 female) with a mean age of 30.28 years old. Data analysis were done with PASW 18.0 for descriptive statistics and AMOS 5.0 for path analysis. Results: The hypothetical path model showed a good fit to the empirical data (χ 2 =4.178, df=2, p = .124, GFI= .997, NFI= .995, NNFI= .987, RMSEA= .053). Emotional labor, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment had significant direct effects on turnover intention. Social support had a significant direct effect on emotional labor, job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and indirect and total effect on turnover intention. Conclusion: These findings suggest that turnover prevention or education programs for healthcare providers should include maintaining good mood when interact with patients or visitors with various negative moods in healthcare setting. Further strategies may need to resolve emotional labor, enhance job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and provide social support.


Homeovox, a multicomponent homeopathic treatment for laryngitis of various etiologies, was tested for allergenic properties and immunotoxicity.Methods. 80 male albino guinea pigs and 180 male СВА, C57BL/6 and F1 hybrid (CBAхС57BL/6) mice were used in the study. In order to assess immunotoxicity, Homeovox was administrated orally to mice for 14 days at doses of 100 mg/kg and 1 000 mg/kg. To assess the allergenic properties of Homeovox, albino guinea pigs were also given the drug at doses of 100 mg/kg and 1 000 mg/kg according to the standard immunization schedules.Results. Oral administration of Homeovox to mice for 14 days at doses of 100 mg/kg and 1 000 mg/kg did not cause significant changes in the main characteristics of immune response compared to controls. When assessing allergenicity, Homeovox at doses 100 mg/kg and 1 000 mg/kg administered according to the standard immunization schedules did not induce systemic anaphylaxis or active skin anaphylaxis in albino guinea pigs. The immunization of guinea pigs by Homeovox at the same doses in a mixture with Freund's complete adjuvant caused no delayed allergic reactions. Homeovox at a single oral dose of 1 000 mg/kg significantly decreased concanavalin A-induced inflammation in CBA mice by 58.4 %.Conclusion. Within the dosage range investigated, Homeovox does not induce immunotoxicity, immediate- or delayed-type allergic or pseudoallergic reactions.


Character education is essential in the learning process to form positive attitudes and values in students. Discipline is one of the strengthening of character education that needs to be considered. The formation of the disciplinary character of students can use positive discipline methods. This article aims to explain and analyze the implementation of positive discipline to support student character education in MI Al-Ishlah Sorong City. The research method used is qualitative descriptive with data collection techniques through observation, interviews, and documentation. The data collected is then analyzed using analytical techniques designed by Huberman & Miles: data collection, reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. Teachers adopt a positive reinforcement and reward approach to increase student participation, cooperation, and responsibility. In addition, clear rules and fair consequences are also applied to develop good behavior and respect for the environment. In the context of character education, positive discipline helps students internalize moral values such as honesty, responsibility, and mutual respect. Students also learn to recognize and manage emotions positively and develop social skills that are important in everyday life. The results showed that positive discipline can be effective as a means of character education for students in MI Al-Ishlah Sorong City. Positive discipline can help students to understand positive values such as responsibility, cooperation, and honesty. In addition, the application of positive discipline can also help students to develop good social and emotional skills. Therefore, positive discipline can be used as one of the effective character education strategies for students at MI Al-Ishlah Sorong City.


Avian reoviruses (ARVs) cause important losses in the poultry industry. Improved tests are needed for diagnosis of ARV infections. A cDNA library was prepared from the S1133 isolate of ARV. EcoRI-adaptored cDNA molecules were ligated into the plasmid pUC19 and used to transform Escherichia coli strain DH5 alpha MCR. One cDNA clone was selected and designated HJp1. The HJp1 was labeled by random priming with digoxigenin-dUTP. This cDNA probe hybridized with the S1 gene fragment of the ARV S1133 strain in northern blot hybridization. The probe detected ARV isolates in dot-blot hybridization assays. The probe did not cross-hybridize with nucleic acids extracted from mock-infected chicken embryo fibroblast cells or unrelated avian viruses. Probe HJp1 detected as little as 0.78 ng of ARV RNA.


ABSTRACT This article aims to enable a conversation between cosmopolitan thought, with focus on individual ethical experiences and reflections, and research on embodied military experiences. While we derive our ethical reasoning from cosmopolitanism, we concede that it lacks sensitivity to individuals' other-regarding reflections and acts. Moreover, it does not sufficiently problematize the ways in which cosmopolitan deliberations are mediated in consideration of other desires and interests – what we define as mediated cosmopolitanism. To illustrate and substantiate our theoretical claims we draw on a selection of interviews and other material. We provide a two-step analysis, first by identifying the key themes in Sweden's cosmopolitan military self-narrative, enabling us to determine the extent to which it intersects with individual veterans' ethical reflections. Second, we conduct a discursive analysis of veterans' embodied ethical reflections, that have emerged from their participation in international operations. We identify a cosmopolitan sense of obligation amongst Swedish veterans across our material, with such individuals articulating a wish to do good beyond borders. Notions of cosmopolitan responsibility, moreover, arise from veterans' actual human encounters with civilians on the ground and through support for small-scale aid projects. However, veterans' ethical reflections are rarely purely cosmopolitan, rather mediated through their wish to serve the nation, support fellow soldiers as a key part of the operation, acquiring new professional skills and the desire to seek new adventures. We argue that the concept of mediated cosmopolitanism captures such mixed ethical sentiments and embodied experiences. We conclude by summarizing our key arguments.


Nurse practitioners working with teenagers need to take into consideration their level of psychosocial development. Examples of how nurse practitioners can provide family planning care to teenage clients based on their development are given. Two services, one center for young adolescents and one for college-age adolescents, are described.


332 Background: VTE causes significant morbidity and mortality in GCT pts. While an existing and validated predictive model identifies VTE risk in chemo pts with any cancer (Khorana model), a predictive model specific to GCT does not exist. Many GCT pts present with bulky RPLN that produce venous stasis in the lower extremities. The objective of this study was to explore the association between large RPLN and VTE in GCT pts receiving chemo and compare large RPLN as a predictor for VTE in GCT pts to the non-GCT specific Khorana model.

METHODS
Clinical data from our institutional GCT database was complemented by review of radiology, pharmacy and medical records. All GCT pts receiving 1st line chemo between 1-Jan-00 and 31-Dec-10 were included. Large RPLN were defined as ≥5cm in maximal diameter. Factors used in the Khorana model (baseline BMI, hemoglobin, white cell count and platelets) were collected. We compared the predictive accuracy of large RPLN versus Khorana score ≥3 using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve statistical analyses.

RESULTS
The cohort consisted of 260 GCT pts, median age 31.5 years, predominantly testis primary (235, 90%) and good risk (171, 66%). 17 (7%) developed VTE prior to the start of chemo. 19 (7%) were given prophylactic anticoagulation, none of whom developed VTE. Of the remaining 224 pts, 20 (9%) developed VTE during chemo. In a univariate analysis, large RPLN was strongly associated with VTE (OR 7.74, p<0.001), as were Khorana score ≥3 (OR 9.81, p<0.001) and hospital admission during chemo (OR 3.96, p=0.004). ROC curve analyses demonstrated large RPLN was a significant individual predictor for VTE (AUC 0.588, p=0.03), however, Khorana score ≥3 was a better predictor (AUC 0.664, p=0.02). Adding large RPLN to create a modified Khorana score provided marginal gains (AUC 0.682, p=0.02).

CONCLUSIONS
Although large RPLN at diagnosis predicts for VTE in GCT pts, the Khorana predictive model is superior. Given the high rate of VTE in GCT pts receiving chemo, we recommend prophylactic anticoagulation for pts at increased risk, including pts with Khorana score ≥3, pts requiring hospital admission or pts with large RPLN.


Intergenic regions of prokaryotic genomes carry multiple copies of terminal inverted repeat (TIR) sequences, the nonautonomous miniature inverted-repeat transposable element (MITE). In addition, there are the repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP) sequences that fold into a small stem loop rich in G–C bonding. And the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) display similar small stem loops but are an integral part of a complex genetic element. Other classes of repeats such as the REP2 element do not have TIRs but show other signatures. With the current availability of a large number of whole-genome sequences, many new repeat elements have been discovered. These sequences display diverse properties. Some show an intimate linkage to integrons, and at least one encodes a small RNA. Many repeats are found fused with chromosomal open reading frames, and some are located within protein coding sequences. Small repeat units appear to work hand in hand with the transcriptional and/or post-transcriptional apparatus of the cell. Functionally, they are multifaceted, and this can range from the control of gene expression, the facilitation of host/pathogen interactions, or stimulation of the mammalian immune system. The CRISPR complex displays dramatic functions such as an acquired immune system that defends against invading viruses and plasmids. Evolutionarily, mobile repeat elements may have influenced a cycle of active versus inactive genes in ancestral organisms, and some repeats are concentrated in regions of the chromosome where there is significant genomic plasticity. Changes in the abundance of genomic repeats during the evolution of an organism may have resulted in a benefit to the cell or posed a disadvantage, and some present day species may reflect a purification process. The diverse structure, eclectic functions, and evolutionary aspects of repeat elements are described.


The feasibility of upgrading acetone to fuels and valuable chemicals under a methane environment was investigated over various metal-modified zeolite catalysts at 400 °C and 3 MPa. Among these, HZSM-5 impregnated with Zn and Ga was found to produce the highest yield of BTEX in comparison to the other prepared catalysts. Catalyst characterization techniques, including XPS, NH3-TPD and TEM, showed that the excellent metal dispersion in the inner pores of the catalyst, a balance of weak, medium and strong acid sites as well as the stable chemical states of Zn and Ga under the methane environment favoured the selectivity towards BTEX. Additionally, the presence of methane could enhance the liquid yield by incorporation into the liquid products, as evidenced by NMR spectroscopy through an isotopic-labelling study. These findings lead to a better understanding of the interaction and reaction mechanism involved in the upgrading of biomass-derived ketones under a methane environment for production of fuels and valuable chemicals, which could potentially contribute to a cost-effective substitution of petroleum-derived chemicals and fuels for biomass-derived products.


Prosocial reputations play an important role, from the evolution of language to Internet transactions; however, questions remain about their behavioural correlates and dynamics. Formal models assume prosocial reputations correlate with the number of cooperative acts one performs; however, if reputations flow through information networks, then the number of individuals one assists may be a better proxy. Formal models demonstrate indirect experience must track behaviour with the same fidelity as direct experience for reputations to become viable; however, research on corporate reputations suggests performance change does not always affect reputation change. Debate exists over the cognitive mechanisms employed for assessing reputation dynamics. Image scoring suggests reputations fluctuate relative to the number of times one fails to assist others in need, while standing strategy claims reputations fluctuate relative to the number of times one fails to assist others in good standing. This study examines the behavioural correlates of prosocial reputations and their dynamics over a 20-month period in an Afro-Caribbean village. Analyses suggest prosocial reputations: (i) are correlated with the number of individuals one assists in economic production, not the number of cooperative acts; (ii) track cooperative behaviour, but are anchored across time; and (iii) are captured neither by image scoring nor standing strategy-type mechanisms.


The article is to depict trust, justice, and ethics to the job performance in Islamic perspective on educational staffs of the State Islamic Institute (Institut Agama Islam Negeri - IAIN) of Bengkulu. This research design using qualitative descriptive method is data collection using a set of instruments; namely interviews, observation and documentation. The results show that trust, justice, ethics in Islamic perspective can improve job performance. It is advisable if one wants to improve the job performance; then, there should be increase the trust, justice, and ethics at the educational staff of the State Islamic Institute Bengkulu.


The main objective of this research work is to develop an efficient way to effectively utilize the waste plastic which is a great threat for the sustainment of ecological balance and to reduce the plastic waste which is increasing day by day. Bad effects of plastic waste are felt throughout the world. So, in order to solve this issue, an attempt is done to reduce the disposal problem of plastic waste by using plastic extruder machine. Extruder machine utilizes plastic waste and changes the waste plastic into useful construction materials. This study also aims at reducing the soil getting wasted during manufacturing of burnt bricks, by producing a brick which is environmentally friendly and also economical. A comparative study of burnt brick and plastic dust brick is done to showcase the advantage of plastic dust brick in areas of strength, economy, etc. Compression strength test was performed on the plastic dust brick and its strength was found to be 6.66 N/mm which is higher than red clay bricks which have a compressive strength of 3-5 N/mm. Index Terms Plastic extruder machine, Plastic dust, Burnt brick.


This book aims to open up the discussion and research of the up to now unstudied period of the History of the Hebrew Bible text: the period from the apparent stabilization of the Hebrew biblical text until the standardization that is reflected in the manuscripts of biblical text, those including the Masorah (c. 2nd - 9th centuries A.D.). What took place from the time of the standardization of the consonantic text of the Hebrew Bible until the appearance of the first Masoretic codices? How was the biblical text preserved in the meantime? How was the body of notes that makes up the Masorah formed? How can the diversity of the textual traditions contained in the Masorah be explained and be consistent with the idea of a text established and standardized centuries before?


Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured by the 133xenon inhalation technique in 103 healthy, nonhospitalized subjects of whom 44 were less than 30 years of age. Mean brain and hemispheric flows and rCBF decreased with advancing age. Moreover, a steep decline in rCBF became apparent as early as the third decade of life. Our findings suggest that the decline of rCBF is not limited to healthy elderly subjects, but is a progressive phenomenon that begins at an earlier age.


To make appropriate decisions on overload limits of various axle configurations that can be endorsed for routine permitting, highway agencies need to understand the impact of these axle groups in terms of pavement infrastructure damage. This paper examines the relative damage to pavements induced by tridem and trunnion axle groups. The analysis was conducted with typical structures of both flexible and rigid pavements by first analyzing the mechanistic responses of pavements to tridem and trunnion axle groups. Then the mechanistic responses were used as the input to performance-based fatigue models to quantify the relative accumulative damage to the pavements. The use of the performance-based fatigue models ensured that all types of damage (such as rutting and cracking) induced by the axle groups were taken into consideration. Based on the analysis results, it was found that for flexible pavements, tridem axle groups are more damaging than trunnion axle groups, whereas for rigid pavements, trunnion axle g...


The noradrenaline reuptake transporter is located on the pre-synaptic membrane of noradrenic neurons. Its main function is to terminate the action of the neurotransmitter noradrenaline by reuptake back into the nerve terminal. Changes in the function and density of the noradrenaline reuptake transporter have been implicated in neurological disorders such as clinical depression and Alzheimer's disease. In vivo imaging of the noradrenaline transporter using single photon emission computed tomography has been hampered by the lack of a suitable imaging agent. The information from imaging studies could lead to a better understanding of transporter function and the development of more efficient and faster acting drugs to treat the diseases associated it.

For the first time, all four stereoisomers of an iodinated analogue of reboxetine were stereoselectively synthesised and biologically evaluated in an effort to understand the relationship between stereochemistry and potency. All four compounds were found to have nanomolar affinity for the noradrenaline transporter.

Of most interest was the (2R,3S)-stereoisomer, which was identified as being as potent as the more studied (2S,3S)-stereoisomer. Therefore, a new series of iodoanalogues based on the (2R,3S)-stereochemical scaffold were synthesised and tested for their affinity with the noradrenaline transporter. This study revealed the derivative with ortho substitution on the phenoxy ring to be a potential lead for the development of a novel imaging agent for the noradrenaline transporter.


The poultry selling and processing practices followed in the poultry wet markets of Bangladesh are always being overlooked unknowingly. The research was conducted to observe the existing scenario of poultry selling and processing practices at the selected wet markets located in the Gazipur City Corporation of Bangladesh. A total of 43 poultry selling shops were randomly selected and interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. It was surprising to observe the absence of female personnel and involvement of few (6.9%) people over the age of 50 years in the wet markets. All the persons engaged in poultry selling and processing had no institutional training. The shops found to be abstained from following some important practices such as feed withdrawal period, isolation of diseased birds, ante and post mortem inspection. The proper bleeding time (1-2) min was recorded in 58.2% cases. The killing cone was recognized as the best device in terms bleeding time. The 72.1% of the outlets never cleaned the carcass prior to deliver the customers. The absence of ante- and post-mortem inspections may cause a great threat of disease outbreak. Taken together, the poultry selling and processing practices followed in the wet market needs to be assessed carefully to deliver safe and quality meat to the customers. In addition, organizing basic training on pre-slaughter management and processing for both seller and processor and also ensuring the regular ante- and post- mortem inspection could improve the present situation in order to produce quality poultry meat.
Progressive Agriculture 31 (3): 205-217, 2020


The purposes of this study were to (a) determine whether the conditions of the accommodation of a science conception (IPDF) could be applied to pedagogical conceptions of science, and (b) using this application, determine whether a group of elementary teacher candidates in a conceptual change methods course accommodated their didactic preconceptions of science teaching. This research was based on the assumption that, for teachers to learn to teach for conceptual change, they must undergo a process of pedagogical conceptual change themselves. The teacher candidates in this study were interviewed and observed teaching. Their lesson plans and reflective papers were analyzed. The course was also videotaped to provide contextual descriptions. The teacher candidates, as expected, held primarily didactic pedagogical conceptions and were resistant to the conceptual change strategies. However, at posttest they found the new strategies to be intelligible, plausible, and fruitful. They also expressed implicit dissatisfaction with their preexisting views. Cooperating teachers had significant influence in the development of both plausibility and fruitfulness. Recommendations for improving the use of the conceptual change constructs in future teacher education research are made.


The global energy demand is constantly rising due to urbanisation and population growth. Consequently, the petroleum industry has been ensuring affordable supply to match demand through exploitation and production of oil and gas. Nonetheless, there is increasing drive to shift towards renewables being an energy source that is 'inexhaustible', while decreasing the intensity of anthropogenic greenhouse gases as well as mitigating other negative environmental impacts of hydrocarbon field development. However, this shift is a threat to the upstream sector of the petroleum industry, specifically to petroleum engineering (PE), given its potential to lower hydrocarbon demand while raising carbon taxes of oil and gas companies.
 Against this background, this paper takes a closer look at what lies ahead for PE in an emerging renewable energy (RE) world. It is shown that RE can be integrated into some conventional PE activities such as the use of solar energy for thermally enhanced-oil recovery and the application of its skillsets to advance the body of knowledge in geothermal engineering.
 Despite RE's comparative advantages, it faces challenges in energy storage and intermittency of supply. The paper examines the influence of PE in some industries that depend on its products and relevant skill sets. It also explores the interplay between PE and other apparently remote industries is explored.
 In conclusion, the future of PE is considered promising, though it needs to continuously re-invent itself. The reality is that it contributes not only to energy production, but many aspects of daily life. Compared to petroleum derivatives, the alternative products are yet to attain sufficient maturity for sustained large-scale utilisation. In principle, the breadth and depth of challenges that RE faces suggest that the world's dependence on PE is not likely to shift dramatically in the next couple of decades.


The archaeological sites of Iraq, precious for their bearing on human history, became especially vulnerable to looters during two wars. Much of the looting evidence has been anecdotal up to now, but here satellite imagery has been employed to show which sites were looted and when. Sites of all sizes from late Uruk to early Islamic were targeted for their high value artefacts, particularly just before and after the 2003 invasion. The author comments that the 'total area looted … was many times greater than all the archaeological investigations ever conducted in southern Iraq and must have yielded tablets, coins, cylinder seals, statues, terracottas, bronzes and other objects in the hundreds of thousands'.


The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has developed the Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) document Treatment of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries. Evidence-based information, in conjunction with the clinical expertise of physicians, was used to develop the criteria to improve patient care and obtain the best outcomes while considering the subtleties and distinctions necessary in making clinical decisions. The AUC clinical patient scenarios were derived from patient indications that generally accompany an anterior cruciate ligament injury, as well as from current evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and supporting literature. The 56 patient scenarios and 8 treatments were developed by the Writing Panel, a group of clinicians who are specialists in this AUC topic. Lastly, a separate, multidisciplinary Voting Panel (made up of specialists and nonspecialists) rated the appropriateness of treatment of each patient scenario using a 9-point scale to designate a treatment as Appropriate (median rating, 7 to 9), May Be Appropriate (median rating, 4 to 6), or Rarely Appropriate (median rating, 1 to 3).


Certificateless public key cryptography is very attractive in solving the key escrow problem which is inherent in identity- (ID-) based public key cryptography. In the past, a large number of certificateless cryptographic schemes and protocols were presented, but a secure certificateless signature in the standard model (without random oracles) is still not accessible until now. To the best of our knowledge, all the
previously proposed certificateless signature schemes were insecure under a considerably strong security model in the sense that they suffered from outsiders' key replacement attacks or the attacks from the key generation center (KGC). In this paper, we propose a certificateless signature scheme without random oracles. Moreover, our scheme is secure under the strong security model and provides a public revocation mechanism, called revocable certificateless signature (RCLS). Under the standard computational Diffie-Hellman assumption, we formally demonstrate that our scheme possesses existential unforgeability against adaptive chosen-message attacks.


This report presents a versatile "Pore Widening" method that can readily lead to arrays of multi-layered one-dimensional (1D) hetero-nanostructures. Using this simple and facile method, we demonstrate that the thickness of the shell component is controllable by the degree of "Pore Widening". With careful selection of materials and sequences of deposition steps, a variety of polymer–metal, metal–metal and polymer–metal–metal core–shell nanowires, as well as metal oxide nanotubes and metal oxide–metal double-walled nanotubes can be successfully achieved. This opens up a possibility to tailor new properties of 1D hetero-nanostructures through the judicious combination of different core and shell components in the nanometer size regime.


Operational risk models commonly employ maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to fit loss data to heavy-tailed distributions. Yet several desirable properties of MLE (e.g. asymptotic normality) are generally valid only for large sample-sizes, a situation rarely encountered in operational risk. In this paper, we study how asymptotic normality does--or does not--hold for common severity distributions in operational risk models. We then apply these results to evaluate errors caused by failure of asymptotic normality in constructing confidence intervals around the MLE fitted parameters.


The most appropriate treatment of moderate, nonorgan threatening disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains poorly defined, although methotrexate (MTX) is commonly used. The results of 20 uncontrolled case series and a single retrospective cohort study tend to support its use to treat active skin and joint disease. Unfortunately, three prospective randomized trials have reported conflicting results. Two reported improvement in overall disease activity and decreased corticosteroid requirement with MTX. The third trial showed no benefit from MTX for disease activity, but did report a reduction in corticosteroid requirements. Difficulties in conducting trials in moderately active SLE are discussed.


The selection of the number and the location of the distribution companies is one of the most sensitive decisions to be made during the reforms programme as the decision is crucial for planners and experts. This paper evolves the criteria of zoning for deciding the sizes of distribution companies that would result in optimum performance in the distribution sector. The paper presents an overview of the ongoing distribution sector reforms in India and subsequently evolves a methodology illustrated with a case study on the state of Madhya Pradesh. The work involved identification of 5 parameters viz. the consumer numbers, energy sales, cultural affinity, area distribution and consumer categories. These parameters were used in conjunction with weightings that were obtained by employing a Delphi study to decide the optimal sizing of distribution companies. The evolved methodology is flexible and can be extended to include more parameters for application in other scenarios.


The goal of universal machine translation is to learn to translate between any pair of languages, given a corpus of paired translated documents for \emph{a small subset} of all pairs of languages. Despite impressive empirical results and an increasing interest in massively multilingual models, theoretical analysis on translation errors made by such universal machine translation models is only nascent. In this paper, we formally prove certain impossibilities of this endeavour in general, as well as prove positive results in the presence of additional (but natural) structure of data.
For the former, we derive a lower bound on the translation error in the many-to-many translation setting, which shows that any algorithm aiming to learn shared sentence representations among multiple language pairs has to make a large translation error on at least one of the translation tasks, if no assumption on the structure of the languages is made. For the latter, we show that if the paired documents in the corpus follow a natural \emph{encoder-decoder} generative process, we can expect a natural notion of ``generalization'': a linear number of language pairs, rather than quadratic, suffices to learn a good representation. Our theory also explains what kinds of connection graphs between pairs of languages are better suited: ones with longer paths result in worse sample complexity in terms of the total number of documents per language pair needed. We believe our theoretical insights and implications contribute to the future algorithmic design of universal machine translation.


To understand the role of domestic birds in the 2009 H1N1 influenza A outbreak, a phylogenetic analysis of hemagglutinin, neuraminidase and matrix protein genes from human, avian and swine H1N1 viruses was carried out. Analysis of the H1 sequences revealed that the virus evolved most likely from American swine as well as intermixing between Asian swine and American domestic bird H1N1 viruses. Neuroaminidase and matrix protein analysis showed that the H1N1 2009 viruses were more closely related to the H1N1 isolates from Euro-Asiatic domestic birds and swine than wild birds. Domestic birds could act as intermediate hosts of H1N1 reassortants.


It is rare to read an article on such an emotionally charged topic as capital punishment without gaining the impression that the author's arguments merely reflect his "gut" feeling as to whether the retention of this institution in contemporary society is right or wrong. Professor Igor Primorac ("On Capital Punishment" (1982) 17 Is.L.R. 133-150), on the other hand, although defending society's right to employ this penalty, refrains from taking a one-sided position: he is willing to admit that the utilitarian arguments favouring the death penalty are not persuasive, and to rest his case on retributive grounds alone. In so doing, he exposes a number of fallacies inherent in the arguments of many of the critics of the retributive approach, who one suspects have not always been free of the type of gut feeling referred to. However, to the present writer (who also makes no claim to freedom from such prejudices) there appear to be four issues raised by Professor Primorac, whether explicitly or implicitly, which are deserving of comment.


The text analysis of Art. 309 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation revealed a number of shortcomings in the legislative structure of the component elements of a crime provided for therein. It is concluded that a different degree of danger of bribery and coercion of the participants in the legal proceedings underlying the design of their basic structures (parts 1 and 2 of Art. 309 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) must be sustained in their qualified compositions (part 4 of Art. 309 of the Criminal Code RF). That is, bribery committed by an organized group and coercion committed by an organized group should be provided not in one but in different parts of Art. 309 of the Criminal Code, containing various sanctions. In Art. 309 of the Criminal Code, the use of violence that is not dangerous to life or health is a qualifying element of coercion of participants in legal proceedings (part 3). Consequently, the use of violence dangerous to life or health can only be an element of coercion of these persons. Further differentiation of responsibility is required under Part 2 of Art. 309 of the Criminal Code, since coercion to action is objectively more dangerous than coercion to inaction. Other gaps in the legislative structure of Art. 309 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation were identified in the course of a study of the judicial investigative practice of its application. It is concluded that formally forcing the victim to avoid reporting the crime (or bribing him for this purpose) is not tantamount to forcing him to avoid giving testimony, since reporting a crime with the law enforcement authorities cannot be considered a testimony. In this sense, it should be recognized that the disposition of the norm contained in Part 2 of Art. 309 of the Criminal Code, contains a gap that must be addressed by pointing to coercion to avoid reporting a crime.


This paper describes by scanning and transmission electron microscopy the ultrastructure of the human fertilized egg and its vestments (cumulus oophorus and zona pellucida). Data are reported on the ultrastructure of a. conventional in vitro fertilized eggs (pronuclear eggs and cleaving eggs at two-to-four cell stage); b. eggs at the same developmental stage deriving fro intracytoplasmic sperm injection. The present results showed that: 1. The cumulus-enclosed fertilized egg is a highly dynamic structure in which egg vestments play a crucial role, positively affecting fertilization and healthy embryo development; 2. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection technique does not seem to significantly alter fertilized egg morphology.


Takuma's TCP 30 MicroTurbine Co—Generation Package is built around a 28kW micro gas turbine power generator made by Capstone. Compared with a gas engine and other reciprocating engines, microturbine has excellent features such as small size and light weight, high efficiency, low environmental burden, no vibration, no maintenance etc. It also embodies waste heat recovery by the use of Takuma's steam generator of supplemental firing with an economizer. The package consists of the engine, a gas compressor. microturbine control and power conversion units, waste heat recovery equipment, its control unit and other ancillaries. It solves the dilemma of reducing noise inherent to an ultra—high speed generation system and removing heat from electronic equipment efficiently within a compact package. This package has the capacity of generating 26 kW of effective electricity, 600 kg/h of evaporation (712kg/h of equivalent evaporation) , with high system efficiency of 93%. Because of its high efficiency, the package saves roughly 20% in energy and reduces approximately 25% of CO2 emission over the conventional system of purchased power from the utility and steam from a boiler. It also reduces the user's operating cost significantly. and rapid increase of application is anticipated in areas such as hotels, athletic clubs, public baths, hospitals and factories where large demand for steam exists.


Four thousand four hundred and thirty open heart operations were performed at Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh from January 1, 1988, to June 30, 1992. During that period, 168 patients were evaluated for recurrent ischemic heart disease after prior coronary artery revascularization. Forty-four were treated non operatively, the mode of therapy being transluminal angioplasty or medical management. The remaining 124 patients underwent repeat coronary revascularization. An attempt was made to define the impact of advancing age on the magnitude of risk factors, morbidity, and mortality. Advancing age is not a contraindication to repeat coronary artery revascularization. The average interval between the initial operation and the need for repeat revascularization is eight years. Younger patients have progression of their coronary artery disease, but progression of the arteriosclerotic process is in their extracranial cerebral arteries, renal arteries, and aortic segments as well as the coronary arteries. The utilization of tobacco, recent myocardial infarction, diabetes mellitus, and elevation of cholesterol are strong indicators for recurrent disease and add to the risk of repeat surgical intervention.


This paper sought to instigate a systematic application of Aristotle's theory of the mean or moderation to an analysis of the electoral processes and outcomes in developing countries. The central objective was to relate Aristotle's theory of moderation to the practice of democracy under dependent capitalism in Third World countries. It was an essentially qualitative study that depended on secondary sources for data collection and data analysis was historical, normative, exploratory, and interpretive. Aristotle's theory of Moral Virtue served as the theoretical framework. A major finding was the pervasive trend of political leaders operating outside the parameters of democratic ethics. It arrived at the conclusion that the abdication of the normative virtue of self-restraint in the pursuit of power and wealth in underdeveloped economies often resulted in electoral violence and recommended that the ethical values that sustain democracy should be entrenched and strictly enforced in Third World democracies.


New technologies-including cellphone location systems, radio frequency identification tags, and ultrawideband receivers-can pinpoint your whereabouts. In this article, the authors argue that they may make you safer-but what about your privacy?.


The purpose of this study to analyze the influence of  age, sex and religiousity on leadership style. Dependen variabel in this research is leadership style and independen variabel in this research are sex, age and religiousity. The samplein  this study are worker who have subordinate  to do dialy job. The method use is the multiple linier analysis regresion. The result of thi study indicate that age, sex and religousity have direct influence on leadership style. Age has dominan influence on leadership style, and than religiousty has secound dominan influence on leadership style. Sex has little influence on leadership style.  From this analysis can be know that whatever gander of leader as long as more spiritual experince, more mature person is shown by life experince they owen, they will more wise in applying leadersip style. Leader will support their subordinate for improve their self potential.


CONTEXT
There is a close association between levels of TSH binding inhibitory immunoglobulins (TBIIs) and Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO). In addition to the TSH receptor, the IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) has been proposed to be a second autoantigen that plays a role in the pathogenesis of GO.

OBJECTIVE
The aim was to study relationships between TBII and serum IGF-IR stimulating activity in relationship to age in patients with GO.

METHODS
We performed a prospective study of 70 patients with GO (26 euthyroid, 39 subclinical hyperthyroid, 5 hyperthyroid; 8 males, 62 females; age, 47.9 ± 1.0 y). Patients were graded according to clinical activity score. IGF-IR stimulating activity was determined by IGF-IR kinase receptor activation assay; TBIIs were measured by immunoassay (Trak). Protein G magnetic beads were used to deplete serum of IgGs.

RESULTS
TBII and clinical activity score were positively related (r = 0.30; P = .01). In subjects with TBII above mean +1 SD, IGF-IR stimulating activity was positively related to age (r = 0.43; P = .05), whereas such a relationship was absent for subjects with TBII below the mean +1 SD (r = -0.04; P = .81). Depletion of IgGs from sera of patients with both TBII above the mean +1 SD and IGF-IR stimulating activity above the mean -1 SD decreased IGF-IR stimulating activity, whereas depletion in patients with TBII above the mean +1 SD but IGF-IR stimulating activity below the mean -1 SD did not change IGF-IR stimulating activity.

CONCLUSIONS
In subjects with TBII above the mean +1 SD, we observed an increase of IGF-IR stimulating activity with age. In a subgroup of these patients, depletion of IgGs significantly decreased IGF-IR stimulating activity, suggesting that, in a subset of patients with GO, IgGs may have IGF-IR stimulating activities.


Objective: To determine the effects of applying vancomycin powder within the surgical wound on the risk of surgical infections, pseudo-arthrosis and adverse events, in patients undergoing spinal surgery. Material and methods: A meta-analysis was carried out, including controlled studies that evaluated the risk of postoperative infections and/or pseudo-arthrosis in patients undergoing spinal surgery in which vancomycin powder was applied within the surgical wound. Results were presented as pooled relative risks, with its 95% confidence intervals. Additionally, the frequency of complications attributable to vancomycin was also assessed. Results: A total of six controlled studies (3379 subjects) were included. Pooled relative risks were: surgical site infection, 0.11 (95% CI: 0.05---0.25; P < .00001), and pseudo-arthrosis, 0.87 (95% CI; 0.34---2.21; P = .77). No statistically significant heterogeneity was found in both analyses. In 1437 patients treated with vancomycin, there were no recorded vancomycin-related adverse events. Conclusions: Application of vancomycin powder into the wound was associated with a significantly reduced risk of surgical site infections, without increasing pseudo-arthrosis or adverse events. However, randomized controlled trials are needed, in order to confirm the present results and make recommendations with more certainty.


This paper describes the development of a basic permanent magnet disc motor (PMDM) simulation model for MATLAB/SIMULINK transient analysis. The PMDM model consists of SIMULINK blocks that can be easily implemented in a real-time test environment in order to investigate all different transient regimes of the motor. The simulation drive model is consisted of a PMDM model and a pulse width modulated (PWM) inverter model. The motor, modelled for this simulation is a prototype brushless three phase synchronous permanent magnet disc motor fed by a PWM inverter connected to a rechargeable battery supply or a fuel cell. Soft magnetic composite material is inserted as stator slots closure in the open slots, in order to reduce the torque pulsation because of the stator slot openings. This is very important due to the fact that this type of motor is designed for a direct wheel drive in electric vehicles (EV). Since this motor is in a development stage, beside its steady state characteristics it is essential to determine its transient regime performance and characteristics. For that purpose, a proper modelling of the motor and the whole drive is necessary. Some of the permanent magnet disc motor parameters necessary for the MATLAB/SIMULINK model are determined experimentally (Rs, Ld and Lq) and some are determined by using quasi-3D FEM calculation data (λm). In order to be able to calculate the permanent magnets magnetic flux (λm), an original modelling of the motor is performed, in which the motor is divided into five linear segments. For the analysis of the SIMULINK modelled PMDM drive, a start up regime simulation of the motor at no load and rated load is performed and the simulation results are presented.


INTRODUCTION: This paper aims to present a program on prevention of hospitalization for the elderly in the health insurance and describe the characteristics of the population under the same intervention. METHOD: the program applies a screening questionnaire for those of 65 years old and above aiming to identify individuals at risk for hospitalization. Those at risk are contacted by phone and invited to participate in the program. Elderly who refuse the program are kept under usual care. Individuals who accepted the program are visited by a nurse, at their houses, for a multidimensional health evaluation. According to the latter, individuals are distributed in functional groups which will determine their health care model by the program. RESULTS 627 accepted the program and 392 refused it. Female is prevalent in both groups as the average age is similar for both. The majority is married, 19% of women live alone as opposed to 9% of men. The percentage of analphabets is smaller than other studies; 67% of program users have 3 or more chronic diseases; 49.6% have limited functional activity for at least one activity of daily living and 29% have total dependence. CONCLUSION There is an important functional dependence in the elderly under the program, suggesting that there is an advertion selection criteria for those who accept the program. The literacy difference may be justified by the social economical class of the elderly in the private health care sector. It is suggested that integrated health care models for the elderly should be developed in the private care sector.


This study was undertaken to determine whether an infusion of local anesthetic (LA) delivered through an extrapleural tunnel could provide satisfactory control of pain in the postthoracotomy period. Twelve patients undergoing thoracotomy were studied. A T-shaped tunnel was created by elevating the parietal pleura at the posteromedial end of the thoracotomy wound. An irrigation catheter was then inserted and an infusion of bupivacaine commenced, initially at 5 mg/kg/24 h and subsequently at 3 mg/kg/24 h. Pain was well controlled in eight patients and satisfactory in four patients. The latter required one dose of opiate analgesia each in the 48-h postoperative period. We conclude that an infusion of bupivacaine into the extrapleural space is an effective means of control of pain after thoracotomy.


Abstract Plant protection products (PPPs) and the active substance(s) contained within them are rigorously and comprehensively tested prior to registration to ensure that human health is not impacted by their use. In recent years, there has been a widespread drive to have more relevant testing strategies (e.g., ILSI/HESI-ACSA and new EU Directives), which also take account of animal welfare, including the 3R (replacement, refinement, and reduction) principles. The toxicity potential of one such new active substance, sulfoxaflor, a sulfoximine insecticide (CAS #946578-00-3), was evaluated utilizing innovative testing strategies comprising: (1) an integrated testing scheme to optimize information obtained from as few animals as possible (i.e., 3R principles) through modifications of standard protocols, such as enhanced palatability study design, to include molecular endpoints, additional neurotoxicity and immunotoxicity parameters in a subchronic toxicity study, and combining multiple test guidelines into one study protocol; (2) generation of toxicokinetic data across dose levels, sexes, study durations, species, strains and life stages, without using satellite animals, which was a first for PPP development, and (3) addition of prospective mode of action (MoA) endpoints within repeat dose toxicity studies as well as proactive inclusion of specific MoA studies as an integral part of the development program. These novel approaches to generate key data early in the safety evaluation program facilitated informed decision-making on the need for additional studies and contributed to a more relevant human health risk assessment. This supplement also contains papers which describe in more detail the approach taken to establish the MoA and human relevance framework related to toxicities elicited by sulfoxaflor in the mammalian toxicology studies: developmental toxicity in rats mediated via the fetal muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) (12); liver tumors in rodents mediated via CAR/PXR (20); and Leydig cell tumors in Fischer 344 rats (30)


This work describes the synthesis, structural characterizations, and electronic structures of a series of novel homometallic cubane clusters [(Cp*Ru)2{Ru(CO)2}2BH(μ3-E)(μ-H)B(μ-H)3M], (2, M = Cp*Ru, E = CO; 3, M = Ru(Cp*Ru)2(μ-CO)3(μ-H)BH), E = BH), [(Cp*Ru)3(μ3-CO)(BH)3(μ3-H)3], 4, and [(Cp*Ru)2(μ3-CO){Ru(CO)3}2(BH)2(μ-H)B], 5 (Cp* = η(5)-C5Me5). These cubane clusters have been isolated from a thermally driven reaction of diruthenium analogue of pentaborane(9) [(Cp*RuH)2B3H7], 1, and [Ru3(CO)12]. Structural and spectroscopic studies revealed the existence of triply bridged hydrogen (μ3-H) atoms that participate as a vertex in the cubane core formation for compounds 2, 3, and 4. In addition, the crystal structure of these clusters clearly confirms the presence of an electron precise borane ligand (borylene fragment) which is triply bridged to the trimetallic units. Bonding of these novel complexes has been studied computationally by DFT methods, and the studies demonstrate that the cubane clusters 2 and 3 possess 60 cluster valence electrons (cves) with six metal-metal bonds. All the new compounds have been characterized in solution by mass spectrometry; IR; and (1)H, (11)B, and (13)C NMR studies, and the structural types were unequivocally established by crystallographic analysis of compounds 2-5.


Fog computing provides a low latency access to resources at the edge of the network for resource-constrained devices. The high mobility of some of these devices, such as vehicles, brings great challenges related to resource allocation and management. In order to improve the management of computing resources utilized by mobile users connected to the Fog infrastructure, this paper proposes a virtual machine placement and migration decision model based on mobility prediction. Simulations have shown that moving the virtual machine to a Fog node ahead of the user's route using the proposed approach can decrease by almost 50% the number of migrations needed by the user. The Fog architecture provides an average latency of about 15 milliseconds for the users' applications and the proposed approach presents a lower latency compared to a greedy approach for the VM placement problem.


Outlines of State Policy (Guidelines) has undergone changes after the reform, including changing the duties and authority of the Assembly no longer as the country's highest lembata. MPR no longer has the authority to establish guidelines and heads of state will no longer have to give an account to the Assembly, because the head of state is elected directly by rakyat.MPR only authorized compile National Long-Term Development Plan (RPJPN) together with the Parliament. The Guidelines now needed again when looking at the reform of the nation that would not go out of krisis.Gagasan to reformulate the guidelines intended to make development planning does not deviate from the Pancasila and the Constitution in relation 1945.Dalam reformulating the guidelines, when seen from a functional perspective it becomes clear that a reformulation of the Guidelines is necessary. Reformulation of the guidelines have a role as an instrument of governance or the model to take inspiration in order to optimize the governance Indonesia.GBHN expected to synergize with national and local governments have autonomy spacious.In the future, the ability of this nation in the understanding that the guidelines are basically a stripped of the opening 1945 therein has a purpose and becomes a handle to build the nation.


Because China built its atomic and hydrogen bombs at a time of resource scarcity and rudimentary industrial development, it is generally believed that it got a great deal of help from Soviet nuclear technology transfer during the late 1950s. In particular, Soviet leaders and scientists asserted that they supplied China with extensive and critical assistance; some even claimed that this transfer of nuclear technology shortened the time needed to develop China's nuclear weapons by at least 15 years. Many non-Soviet researchers have concurred. Yet while Chinese officials, scientists, and historians have always given the Soviets due credit for this help, many have also continued to assert that because the Chinese solved key nuclear technology issues on their own, the effect of Soviet technology transfer was in fact more limited than these other experts claimed. Following a brief review of the history of Soviet nuclear-weapons technology transfer to China, this article addresses the issue by describing the kinds of Soviet nuclear-weapons technology transferred to China, assessing the role this Soviet technology played in China's nuclear-weapons program, and finally comparing and contrasting Soviet and Chinese views on the importance of Soviet technology transfer to the development of China's nuclear-weapons program.


The electronic structures of the perfect CsI crystal and the crystal containing iodine vacancy and F, F 2 color centers are studied within the framework of the fully relativistic self-consistent Dirac-Slater theory, by using a numerically discrete variational (DV-Xα) method. Calculated results reveal that the existence of the iodine vacancy results in the band gap widening and does not introduce the new energy level in the forbidden band. However, the crystal containing F color centers and F 2 color centers have their donor energy levels introduced in the forbidden band. The transition energy from energy level of F color center and F 2 color center to the bottom of conduction band is 169 eV (736 nm) and 115 eV, respectively, which are consistent with the experimental results. This result indicates that the 750 nm absorption band originates from the F color center and the 11 eV absorption band originates from F 2 color center.


Phillip Herring, managing director at VINCI Park UK--a parking operator which develops and manages integrated parking solutions across a wide range of sectors--examines some of the key issues facing those working within healthcare estates and facilities teams responsible for parking policy and operations in their hospital or other healthcare facility, and discusses how the company has deployed its expertise to 'ease some of the pressures'.


According to data made available at the ASSISi 12 th World Conference held in Sochi (Russia) in September 2011 and later, about 20,000 structures have been protected in the world by seismic isolation (SI) and other anti-seismic (AS) systems. They are located mostly in Japan, but are more or less numerous in over 30 other countries. Italy is now fourth in the number of isolated buildings, after Japan, PR China and the Russian Federation. Application of the AS devices is increasing everywhere, although its extent is strongly influenced by earthquake lessons and the features of the design rules used. It concerns both new and existing structures of all kinds. This paper provides an overview on its recent progress worldwide and on the excellent behaviour of isolated buildings during violent quakes (including the 2011 Christchurch and Tohoku events). Particular attention is paid to the isolated buildings in Italy, in the context of the effects of recent events (Molise and Puglia, 2002, and Abruzzo, 2009). Based on the Italian experience, some important conditions for the correct use of the AS systems and their benefits for protecting the high risk chemical plants too are also stressed.


Variable valve train systems have been brought into focus during recent years as a means to decrease fuel consumption in tomorrow's combustion engines. In this paper an integrated approach, called simulation driven experiments, is utilised in order to aid the development of such highly dynamic systems. Through the use of systematic design methodology, a number of feasible concepts are developed. Critical components are subsequently identified using simulation. In this approach, component behaviour is simulated and validated by measurements on prototype components. These models are unified with complete system models of hydraulically actuated valve trains. In the case of the valve trains systems studied here component models could be validated using comparably simple test set-ups. These models enable the determination of non-critical design parameters in an optimal sense. This results in a number of optimised concepts facilitating an impartial functional concept selection. (Less)


The selective catalytic reduction of NOx with ammonia over all Fe-zeolite catalyst was investigated experimentally and a transient kinetic model was developed. The model includes reactions that describe ammonia storage and oxidation, NO oxidation, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO and NO2, formation of N2O, ammonia inhibition and ammonium nitrate formation. The model call account for a broad range of experimental conditions in the presence of H2O, CO2 and O-2 at temperatures from 150 to 650 degrees C. The catalyst stores ammonia at temperatures up to 400 degrees C and shows ammonia oxidation activity from 350 degrees C. The catalyst is also active for the oxidation of NO to NO2 and the oxidation reaches equilibrium at 500 degrees C. The SCR of NO is already active at 150 degrees C and the introduction of equal amounts of NO and NO2 greatly enhances the conversion of NOx at temperatures up to 300 degrees C. The formation of N2O is negligible if small fractions of NO2 are fed to the reactor, but a significant amount of N2O is formed at high NO2 to NO ratios. An ammonia inhibition oil the SCR of NO is observed at 200 degrees C. This kinetic model contains 12 reactions and is able to describe the experimental results Well. The model was validated using short transient experiments and experimental conditions not used in the parameter estimation and predicted these new conditions adequately.


Solid lipid microparticles (SLMs) loaded with ketoprofen were prepared by single emulsion-solvent evaporation method, in which glyceryl monostearate and Tween 80 were employed. The particle size was found to be 99.80i¾2.1¥im. Microparticles observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed spherical shape. The entrapment efficiency (EE %) and drug loading capacity (DL %) were found to be 72.60i¾1.6 % and 17.98i¾0.7% respectively. Results of stability evaluation showed relatively long term stability after storage at 4¢aC for 3 months. The in-vivo study revealed slightly better per cent inhibition of pain i.e. 74% in comparison with 68% produced by plain drug.


Background: The use of real time ultrasound (US) for insertion of central venous catheters is limited by various factors such as availability, space constraints, and perceived lack of need according to surveys including cardiovascular anesthesiologists. Methods: After the ethical committee approval and patient consent, 201 adult patients scheduled for elective cardiac surgery were randomized to undergo internal jugular vein (IJV) cannulation by either of the two methods: Landmark technique (control group), static US technique using the transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) probe (US group). The success rate, number of attempts, total cannulation time, and complication rate in the two groups were compared. Results: The overall success rate and the first attempt success rate were significantly higher in the control group than the US group (99% vs. 89.6%, P = 0.003 and 87.6% vs. 70.8%, P = 0.003, respectively). The total number of attempts to locate the IJV with the finder needle as well as the puncture needle was significantly lower in the control group than the US group (2.2 vs. 1.3, P = 0.001and 1.7 vs. 1.2, P = 0.021, respectively). The incidence of arterial puncture was higher in the US group than the control group (9.4% vs. 1.9%, P= 0.020). The total cannulation time was also higher in the US group (430 ± 320 s) than the control group (197 ± 116 s, P= 0.001). Conclusion: The landmark technique has a higher success rate, lower complication rate, and total cannulation time as compared with the static US technique using the TTE probe for IJV cannulation in adult cardiac surgical patients.


Protected-module architectures (PMAs) have been proposed to provide strong isolation guarantees, even on top of a compromised system. Unfortunately, Intel SGX -- the only publicly available high-end PMA -- has been shown to only provide limited isolation. An attacker controlling the untrusted page tables, can learn enclave secrets by observing its page access patterns.
Fortifying existing protected-module architectures in a real-world setting against side-channel attacks is an extremely difficult task as system software (hypervisor, operating system, ...) needs to remain in full control over the underlying hardware. Most state-of-the-art solutions propose a reactive defense that monitors for signs of an attack. Such approaches unfortunately cannot detect the most novel attacks, suffer from false-positives, and place an extraordinary heavy burden on enclave-developers when an attack is detected.
We present Heisenberg, a proactive defense that provides complete protection against page table based side channels. We guarantee that any attack will either be prevented or detected automatically before {\em any} sensitive information leaks. Consequently, Heisenberg can always securely resume enclave execution -- even when the attacker is still present in the system.
We present two implementations. Heisenberg-HW relies on very limited hardware features to defend against page-table-based attacks. We use the x86/SGX platform as an example, but the same approach can be applied when protected-module architectures are ported to different platforms as well.
Heisenberg-SW avoids these hardware modifications and can readily be applied. Unfortunately, it's reliance on Intel Transactional Synchronization Extensions (TSX) may lead to significant performance overhead under real-life conditions.


Temple Libraries provide access to a diverse collection of thousands of papers from around the world. Use this guide to find contemporary and historical newspapers.


Abstract Design is increasingly used to develop public services, and considerations have arisen regarding how to gain best value from it. Design ladders and design maturity models are commonly also referenced in the public sector, but we argue that their adequate use must rest on an informed view of the diversity of design activities in public-sector organizations. The world's major cities are large and highly diversified organizations. Our inductive case study of one of them, the city of Helsinki, reveals 23 design activities, distinct in terms of the process, outcomes or agency that design has. These activities can be grouped into six different clusters. These lay the ground for each other and support the cultural transformation of the organization into being a more citizen-centric organization. At the same time, they also create a design management challenge and confusion over what 'design' is and what it can do.


This study addresses the effect of sustained increased pulsatile flow on nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and cyclooxygenase (Cox) expression and activity in co-cultured endothelial cells (EC) and vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC). Using a perfused transcapillary co-culture system which permits the chronic exposure of cultured EC and SMC to physiological shear stresses, co-cultures were exposed to step-wise increases in flow up to: (i) 2 ml/min (low flow: 0.5 dyn/cm2): or (ii) 44 ml/min (high flow: 15 dyn/cm2) and maintained for 72 h before SMC and EC were harvested separately. There was no NOS activity or protein expression in co-cultured SMC under flow conditions. There was a significant increase in eNOS activity in co-cultured EC under high flow conditions, compared to low flow, which correlated with an increase in eNOS expression and mRNA levels. The flow-induced increase in eNOS activity was potentiated by indomethacin treatment, suggesting a modulatory role for a cyclooxygenase product. Prostacyclin levels in co-culture perfusate were significantly elevated under high flow conditions. While both co-cultured EC and SMC expressed cyclooxygenase (Cox-I and Cox-II), they were differentially regulated by pulsatile flow, EC Cox-I and Cox-II protein expression were both decreased. Indomethacin treatment increased the expression of both Cox-I and Cox-II in co-cultured SMC under high flow conditions. We conclude that sustained increases in pulsatile flow maintain elevated eNOS and Cox protein expression and activity in EC while decreasing Cox expression in co-cultured SMC. These data suggest that regulation of these pathways may contribute to flow-induced vascular remodeling in vivo.


This article reports findings from a longitudinal survey of very elderly people living at home in London. The research aimed to identify social, psychological and physical characteristics associated with positive ageing and successful survival in the community in later life and its converse—negative ageing—as well as the associated policy implications. Associations with psychiatric morbidity, measured using the General Health Questionnaire, among sample members without cognitive impairment between the baseline interviews in 1987 and at follow‐up, two and a half years later in 1990, are reported. Twenty‐five per cent of survivors scored over the threshold of the GHQ in 1987 and 30% scored over the threshold in 1990. Half of those with a score over the threshold in 1990 also scored over the threshold in 1987. Hierarchical regression (using residualized change analysis) was used to estimate the effects of the independent variables on changes in psychiatric morbidity. The most significant predictor of psychiatric morbidity (GHQ score) in 1990 was baseline GHQ score, followed by health and functional status scores. Health and functional status were also the strongest predictors of baseline (1987) GHQ scores. The uniqueness of the study lies in the collection of follow‐up data on a sample of very elderly people, given that most surveys are corss‐sectional and contain too few people aged 85+ to merit separate analysis. It contributes to the small body of literature on outcome of depression. The lack of consistent associations with recovery from psychiatric morbidity in the literature enhances the importance of studies aiming to identify factors associated with different outcomes.


Polysubstance use is a growing public health concern that has been associated with poor clinical outcomes. Compared to single-drug users, this population suffers greater deficits in cognitive function, which hinder treatment success and recovery. Despite its high prevalence and poor prognosis, epidemiological research on polysubstance use and accompanying cognitive profile is lacking. We investigated associations between numbers of past-year co-occurring substance use disorders (SUDs) and self-reported cognitive function using data from the National Epidemiologic Survey for Alcohol and Related Conditions III (NESARC-III). Regression analyses revealed a significant negative association between cognitive scores and numbers of past-year SUDs, which was moderated by sex. After adjusting for confounding variables, greater numbers of SUDs were associated with declining self-reported cognitive function, and this relationship was stronger among females. Our findings expand on current literature on cognitive impairments among polysubstance users and provide a novel, nuanced description of this relationship among the general population. We highlight the need for targeted and individualized treatment approaches in order to improve outcomes in this population.


Oncogenic rearrangements of the tyrosine kinase receptor anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), most commonly represented by the nucleophosmin/ALK fusion protein (NPM/ALK), are involved in the pathogenesis of anaplastic large-cell lymphomas (ALCLs). In an effort to identify new intracellular transducers operative in ALK-positive malignancies, we have investigated the potential involvement of diacylglycerol kinase (DGK). Here we show that alphaDGK is constitutively activated in the NPM/ALK-positive ALCL-derived cell line Karpas 299 and in NPM/ALK-infected 32D hematopoietic cells. These results were further validated in fibroblastic NIH-3T3 cells expressing a previously described chimeric epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/ALK molecule that allows dissection of ALK enzymatic function under conditions of controlled ligand-induced activation. In this cell system, we also show that ALK-mediated alphaDGK activation is dependent on p60src tyrosine kinase, with which alphaDGK forms a complex. The specific inhibition of alphaDGK, obtained by cell treatment with R59949, significantly reduced cellular growth in all cell lines. This result was further confirmed in Karpas 299 cells following specific down-regulation of alphaDGK by RNA interference. Overall, our data indicate that alphaDGK activation is involved in the control of ALK-mediated mitogenic properties.


We provide evidence that the focus of community banks on relationship lending to small businesses combined with their relatively simple organizational structure allowed them to respond faster to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan requests than larger banks. Moreover, we find that community banks lent more per dollar of assets than larger banks. We also find more PPP lending per small business in areas in which community banks have higher pre-pandemic market shares. Finally, using community bank pre-pandemic share of deposits/assets as an instrument for the intensity of PPP lending, we find a negative and significant relationship between county level bankruptcy filings and PPP lending per small business. Overall, our findings suggest that community banks remain an important conduit for small business credit particularly during crises when a rapid response is required.


For emergency department physicians, timely triage and risk stratification of chest pain patients remains a challenge. Faced with an aging population and the growing prevalence of heart disease, clinicians are seeking more effective ways to diagnose acute coronary syndromes rapidly and accurately. Emergency department physicians must make critical and time-sensitive decisions based on patient history, physical examination, and 12-lead electrocardiogram as justification for diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes. But because most of these tools are not reliable independently, these incomplete strategies can result in costly and inappropriate treatment decisions.


Using deep learning to study household animals' demeanor and body language, we can find out if they are sick or not and provide necessary help in time. In order to achieve this goal, we need to start with animal species classification. In this project I will train one of the deep learning models, VGG, to distinguish between images of cats and dogs. After using the Transfer Learning from VGG-16, the accuracy can increase from 80% to over 95%. Then two ways of visualizing the model outputs have been successfully demonstrated for more insight of the VGG model.