The semi-generalized partial credit model (Semi-GPCM) has been proposed as a unidimensional modeling method for handling not applicable scale responses and neutral scale responses, and it has been suggested that the model may be of use in handling missing data in scale items. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ability of the unidimensional Semi-GPCM to aid in the recovery of person parameters from item response data in the presence of item-level missingness, and to compare the performance of the model with two other proposed methods for handling such missingness: a multidimensional modeling approach for missingness and full information maximum likelihood estimation. The results indicate that the Semi-GPCM performs acceptably in an absolute sense when less than 30% of the item data is missing but does not outperform the other two methods under any particular conditions. We conclude with a discussion about when practitioners may or may not want to use the Semi-GPCM to recover person parameters from item response data with missingness.


Objectives:The local control of patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma is still unsatisfactory. This prospective study was designed to evaluate the treatment outcomes and treatment-related complications of patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with escalated radiation doses. Methods:A total of 118 consecutive patients with T4 classification (1992 American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system), histology-proven nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma were treated with radiotherapy alone between 1992 and 1997 in a medical center in southern Taiwan. Thirty-two of them were enrolled into a prospective study of dose escalation and were irradiated to a total of 81 Gy. The other 86 patients received a total of 70.2 Gy. Potentially significant patient-related and treatment-related parameters were analyzed for their prognostic significance. Radiation-related complications were recorded and analyzed. Results:The 5-year local progression-free rates were 61%, and 61% for patients receiving 70.2 Gy and 81 Gy, respectively (P > 0.05). The incidences of xerostomia, hearing impairment, and temporal radionecrosis were significantly higher for those receiving 81 Gy. The 5-year complication-free rates of patients receiving 70.2 Gy and 81 Gy were 14% versus 2% for xerostomia (P = 0.0070), 50% versus 30% for hearing impairment (P = 0.0198), and 91% versus 82% for temporal radionecrosis (P = 0.0400). Conclusions:For patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with radiotherapy alone, dose escalation to 81 Gy failed to show benefits on local control rate. Higher radiation doses contribute to a higher incidence of radiation-related complications.


Background The heterogeneity of tinnitus is a major challenge for tinnitus research. Even if a complex interaction of many factors is involved in the etiology of tinnitus, hearing loss (HL) has been identified as the most relevant etiologic factor. Here, we used a data-driven approach to identify patterns of hearing function in a large sample of tinnitus patients presenting in a tinnitus clinic. Methods Data from 2,838 patients presenting at the Tinnitus Center of the University Regensburg between 2007 and 2014 have been analyzed. Standard audiometric data were frequency-wise categorized in four categories [a: normal hearing (0–20 dB HL); b: moderate HL (25–50 dB HL; representing outer hair cell loss); c: severe HL (>50 dB HL; representing outer and inner hair cell loss); d: no data available] and entered in a latent class analysis, a statistical method to find subtypes of cases in multivariate categorical data. To validate the clinical relevance of the identified latent classes, they were compared with respect to clinical and demographic characteristics of their members. Results The classification algorithm identified eight distinct latent classes with an excellent separation. Patient classes differed with respect to demographic (e.g., age, gender) and clinical characteristics (e.g., tinnitus location, tinnitus severity, gradual, or abrupt onset, etc.). Discussion Our results demonstrate that data-driven categorization of hearing function seems to be a promising approach for profiling tinnitus patients, as it revealed distinct subtypes that reflect prototypic forms of HL and that differ in several relevant clinical characteristics.


Guavas are very perishable fruits. Therefore, the objective of the present work was to evaluate the effects of several carnauba based waxes in the postharvest life of Pedro Sato guavas under room conditions. Five commercial waxes were used: Citrosol AK (18%), Citrosol M (10%), Fruit wax (18 a 21%), Meghwax ECF-100 (30%) e Cleantex wax (18,5 a 20,5%). The waxes were applied manualy in the rate of 0.15 to 0.20mL of wax per fruit. Control fruits were not treated. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with 6 treatments, 4 replicates per treatment and 5 fruits as experimental unit. Guavas were evaluated at harvest and at every 2 days until the 6th day after treatments. Waxing had little effect on total soluble solids, total titratable acidity and ascorbic acid contents. However, the waxes were efficient in delaying ripening and reducing mass loss and decay incidence. The Meghwax ECF-100 shows potential for its use in guavas, although it needs to be tested in lower concentrations to avoid ripening problems.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the prognostic value of an amniotic fluid index (AFI) < or = 5 cm for an adverse perinatal outcome in pregnancies with the syndrome of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets (HELLP syndrome).

STUDY DESIGN
A prospective, observational study of patients with the HELLP syndrome. An ultrasound estimate of amniotic fluid volume was obtained on admission. Adverse intrapartum outcomes included amnioinfusion for variable decelerations and/or indicated abdominal/vaginal operative delivery for nonreassuring fetal heart rate changes. Maternal characteristics and perinatal outcome parameters were compared AFI < or = vs. > 5 cm. Statistical analysis was performed using chi2 analysis, Student's t test and receiver-operator characteristic curve (ROC) analysis.

RESULTS
Between January 1996 and February 1999, 120 patients were enrolled. Twenty-six (22%) had an AFI < or = 5 cm. This group did not differ from that with AFI > 5 cm regarding the severity of the HELLP syndrome, admission-to-delivery interval (p = 0.354), variable decelerations in labor (p = 0.06), Apgar score of < 7 at 5 minutes (p = 0.361), cesarean delivery for nonreassuring fetal status (p = 1.0) or significant fetal acidosis (pH < 7.0 [p = 0.2101). ROC analysis revealed no AFI measurement between 0 and 16 cm that was useful for identifying the compromised fetus.

CONCLUSION
Antepartum/intrapartum performance of AFI in patients with the HELLP syndrome is a poor prognostic test for subsequent fetal compromise.


The amount of discarded dry batteries are presently found to be increasing globally and waste cathode active materials of the lithium ion battery industry are among them. Hydrometallurgical operations are being applied to recover the valuable metals from these waste batteries. To find an economic and environmentally friendly process, the bioleaching process was applied in the present investigation for recovery of valuable metals. Its principle is the microbial production of sulfuric acid and simultaneous leaching of metals. Bioleaching of spent lithium ion secondary batteries, containing LiC oO2, has been studied in this investigation. A new method for recovery of cobalt, potentially the basis of an economic and environmentally friendly process was examined. The present study has been carried out using chemolithotrophic and acidophilic bacteria Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, which utilises elemental sulfur and ferrous ion as the energy source to dissolve metals from spent batteries. Bio-dissolution of cobalt was found to be faster than lithium. The effect of initial Fe(II) concentration, initial pH and solid/liquid (w/v) ratio were studied in detail. Higher Fe(II) concentration showed a decrease in dissolution due to co-precipitation of Fe(III) with the metals in the residues. Similarly, at higher initial pH values and higher solid/liquid ratio (w/v) metal dissolution was found to be inhibited. The optimised conditions for bio-dissolution were solid/liquid (w/v) ratio - 10 g/L, initial Fe(II) concentration - 3 g/L, elemental sulfur - one per cent (w/v) and initial pH - 2.5. In the optimised conditions, cobalt dissolution was observed to be about 60 per cent, whereas that of lithium was ten per cent after 20 days. A first order kinetic model was derived to study the rate of dissolution of both the metals.


Mean seasonal surface temperatures of the North Pacific are illustrated in three maps. Twenty nine years of ship-injection temperatures are used for the whole North Pacific (north of 20?N). Map number two shows geographical regions of the month of highest sea surface temperature. There are two broad bands in the central and eastern basin, trending northeast/southwest, such that the September band lies east of the August band along a given latitude line. Map three depicts regions of the lowest monthly mean temperatures. March is the most common month, but in the middle of the ocean is a band of Februarys trending northeast/southwest. These features on maps two and three are interpreted in terms of the newly proposed wide warm surface current and its seasonal variations, mainly in horizontal position, flowing northeastward off California. It has not been found possible to compare maps two and three with the results from any earlier work. Map one shows the mean seasonal range of surface temperature, which has a character similar to maps going all the way back to the late 1800s, but is based on considerably more data.


Aims and background The risk for several cancers is higher in urban than in rural areas. The gradient has seldom been studied in southern Europe. Patients and methods The geographical pattern of mortality for different cancers and all causes was studied in the Campania Region (about 5.6 million inhabitants), whose largest town is Naples. The key variables were residence in urban/rural and coastal/inland municipalities. Relative risks of death and corresponding 95% confidence intervals by residence were evaluated by means of Poisson log-linear regression models. Results Significantly increased mortality rates in urban compared to rural municipalities were found for several cancer causes of death. In particular, in both sexes, excesses in the order of 30-50% were observed for tobacco-related neoplasms (i.e., larynx, lung, and bladder) and cancers of the intestine, liver, brain, multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, in addition to all-cancer, and all-cause mortality. In females, specific excesses were also noticed for cancer of the gallbladder, pancreas, breast and uterus (corpus and cervix). Conversely, significantly decreased mortality rates in urban with respect to rural municipalities were observed for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx in males. Coastal location and degree of urbanization were strongly correlated, thus showing similar associations with most causes of death. However, a significant excess of cancer of the pleura in males was restricted to coastal municipalities. Conclusions Anti-smoking campaigns, sanitation improvements, hepatitis B vaccination, and a decrease in obesity emerge as high priorities with respect to cancer control strategies in the Campania Region, particularly in overpopu-lated, underprivileged urban areas.


Bumblebees are valuable pollinators of numerous wild and cultivated plants. They can forage on variable pollen resources. As some pollen species lack particular nutrients or have global low nutritional quality, it has been suggested that bumblebees mix their pollen incomes to ensure a global balanced diet. The hypothesis that a mixed pollen diet better supports bumblebee colony development than a single pollen diet has been poorly explored. We compared the impact of mono‐, di‐ and trifloral diets on microcolony development of Bombus terrestris using three pollen resources with different nutrient contents (Cytisus scoparius, Erica sp. and Sorbus aucuparia) as well as their mixes. Nine parameters (e.g. pollen efficacy: total weight of larvae/total weight of pollen collection) were used to compare the microcolony performances. Moreover, we measured the influence of the pollen diversity and nutritional composition on relevant parameters. We showed that microcolonies can potentially better develop on mixed pollen diets, but single pollen diet can also be as good as mixed pollen diet. Moreover, the sterol concentration appeared as a key factor to establish the impact of a pollen diet on the bumblebee colony development. This study reveals that diverse pollen diet does not necessary equate with good colony development and supports the importance of selecting floral resources by considering their nutrient contents for bee conservation management.


We present a procedure for algorithmically embedding problems formulated in higherorder modal logic into classical higher-order logic. The procedure was implemented as a stand-alone tool and can be used as a preprocessor for turning TPTP THF-compliant theorem provers into provers for various modal logics. The choice of the concrete modal logic is thereby specified within the problem as a meta-logical statement. This specification format as well as the underlying semantics parameters are discussed, and the implementation and the operation of the tool are outlined. By combining our tool with one or more THF-compliant theorem provers we accomplish the most widely applicable modal logic theorem prover available to date, i.e. no other available prover covers more variants of propositional and quantified modal logics. Despite this generality, our approach remains competitive, at least for quantified modal logics, as our experiments demonstrate.


Abstract In 1917 the Australian photographer Frank Hurley, renowned in Australia and Europe as an aesthete for his theatrical photographs of Antarctica, was commissioned as Australia's official First World War photographer. His tour encompassed France, Belgium, and finally Palestine where he, more concerned with visual experimentation than historical documentary, experimented first with color and then aerial photography. Hurley occupied a contested role on the battlefield as an artist engaged in wartime. His blending of artistic techniques with military technologies during the Palestine campaign, at the dawn of aerial imaging, represented a significant moment in the history of photography, and lays bare many of the ethical complexities that concern contemporary aerial images that are synonymous with power and control.


In this paper, we investigate the security of the BLISS lattice-based signature scheme, one of the most promising candidates for postquantum-secure signatures, against side-channel attacks. Several works have been devoted to its efficient implementation on various platforms, from desktop CPUs to microcontrollers and FPGAs, and more recent papers have also considered its security against certain types of physical attacks, notably fault injection and cache attacks. We turn to more traditional side-channel analysis, and describe several attacks that can yield a full key recovery. We first identify a serious source of leakage in the rejection sampling algorithm used during signature generation. Existing implementations of that rejection sampling step, which is essential for security, actually leak the "relative norm" of the secret key. We show how an extension of an algorithm due to Howgrave-Graham and Szydlo can be used to recover the key from that relative norm, at least when the absolute norm is easy to factor (which happens for a significant fraction of secret keys). We describe how this leakage can be exploited in practice both on an embedded device (an 8-bit AVR microcontroller) using electromagnetic analysis (EMA), and a desktop computer (recent Intel CPU running Linux) using branch tracing. The latter attack has been mounted against the open source VPN software strongSwan. We also show that other parts of the BLISS signing algorithm can leak secrets not just for a subset of secret keys, but for 100% of them. The BLISS Gaussian sampling algorithm in strongSwan is intrinsically variable time. This would be hard to exploit using a noisy source of leakage like EMA, but branch tracing allows to recover the entire randomness and hence the key: we show that a single execution of the strongSwan signature algorithm is actually sufficient for full key recovery. We also describe a more traditional side-channel attack on the sparse polynomial multiplications carried out in BLISS: classically, multiplications can be attacked using DPA; however, our target 8-bit AVR target implementation uses repeated shifted additions instead. Surprisingly, we manage to obtain a full key recovery in that setting using integer linear programming from a single EMA trace.


Three new species of the leafhopper genus Curtara DeLong & Freytag, 1972, C. mejdalanii spec. nov., C. maricaensis spec. nov., and C. restingalis spec. nov., are described from Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. They belong to the Notanda group of the subgenus Curtara because of the presence of only two subapical processes in the aedeagal shaft. C. mejdalanii spec. nov. seems to be more closely related to C. rugara DeLong & Freytag, 1976 because of the shape of the subapical aedeagal processes but differs from it by the enlarged apical area of the aedeagus, the absence of ventral pre-apical saliency of style, the rounder apex of the subgenital plate, and the longer pygofer, with a fold accompanying the whole lateral margin. C. maricaensis spec. nov. and C. restingalis spec. nov. seem to be closely related to C. esona DeLong & Freytag, 1976, as suggested by the general shape of internal genital parts, but differ from it by the shape of the apex of basal processes of the aedeagus, the apex of subgenital plates and the absence of an outer fold on the ventral margin of the pygofer.


Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses of the defects formed in epitaxial SrRuO 3 films on SrTiO 3 (001) substrates are reported. With preparing three different forms of TEM specimens, i.e. plan-view, cross-sectional and free-standing specimens, various TEM techniques were implemented with placing emphasis on the effect of misfit strain on the defect formation. With in-situ TEM heating observations, the present TEM results provide insights into the formation mechanism of misfit dislocations, the occurrence of anti-phase boundary ribbons near the misfit dislocations, and the structural phase transitions of epitaxial perovskite films.


Bax and Bak comprise the mitochondrial gateway for apoptosis induced by diverse stimuli. Loss of both bax and bak is necessary to block cell death induced by such stimuli, indicating a great degree of functional overlap between Bax and Bak. Apoptosis is the major intrinsic pathway that limits the oncogenic potential of Myc. Using a switchable mouse model of Myc-induced apoptosis in pancreatic β cells, we have shown that Myc induces apoptosis in vivo exclusively through Bax but not Bak. Furthermore, blockade of Myc-induced apoptosis by the inactivation of Bax, but not Bak, eliminates all restraints to the oncogenic potential of Myc, allowing the rapid and synchronous progression of invasive, angiogenic tumors.


The trajectories of surface and subsurface particles of nonlinear gravity–capillary waves are calculated. Surface tension is found to have a small effect on the trajectories and drift velocity of pure gravity waves (down to 20 cm in length). On the other hand, pure capillary wave trajectories can be considerably altered even when the influence of gravity is small (waves of up to 2 cm in length). When the restoring forces are of comparable magnitude, some remarkable trajectories are possible, containing one or more subloops. Overall, the influence of increased surface tension is to increase the relative horizontal distance travelled by a particle, as well as the magnitude of the time-averaged drift velocity ratio at the surface and, as far as short waves are concerned, its penetration depth. These results can have implications for steep waves where parasitic capillaries are generated and for observations of the wind-drift current.


This research communication reports the evaluation of cathelicidin in dairy goat milk for its relationship with the somatic cell count (SCC) and microbial culture results. Considering the limited performances of SCC for mastitis monitoring in goats, there is interest in evaluating alternative diagnostic tools. Cathelicidin is an antimicrobial protein involved in innate immunity of the mammary gland. In this work, half-udder milk was sampled bimonthly from a herd of 37 Alpine goats along an entire lactation and tested with the cathelicidin ELISA together with SCC and bacterial culture. Cathelicidin and SCC showed a strong correlation (r = 0.72; n = 360 milk samples). This was highest in mid-lactation (r = 0.83) and lowest in late lactation (r = 0.61), and was higher in primiparous (0.80, n = 130) than in multiparous goats (0.71, n = 230). Both markers increased with stage of lactation, but cathelicidin increased significantly less than SCC. In addition, peak level in late lactation was lower for cathelicidin (5.05-fold increase) than for SCC (7.64-fold increase). Twenty-one (5.8%) samples were positive to bacteriological culture, 20 for coagulase-negative staphylococci and one for Streptococcus spp.; 18 of them were positive to the cathelicidin ELISA (85.71% sensitivity). Sensitivity of SCC >500 000 and of SCC >1 000 000 cells/ml was lower (71.43 and 23.81%, respectively). Therefore, the high correlation of cathelicidin with SCC during the entire lactation, along with its lower increase in late lactation and good sensitivity in detecting intramammary infection (IMI), indicate a potential for monitoring subclinical mastitis in dairy goats. However, based on this preliminary assessment, specificity should be improved (40.41% for cathelicidin vs. 54.57 and 67.85% for SCC >500 000 and >1 000 000 cells/ml, respectively). Therefore, the application of cathelicidin for detecting goat IMI will require further investigation and optimization, especially concerning the definition of diagnostic thresholds.


: Preschool ages are an important window period for the development of children's fundamental motor skills. Caregiver's behaviour, mannerism, habits and expectations of participating in sports play an important role in the development of children's fundamental motor skills. Grandparents upbringing is a very common phenomenon in China. This study was to compare the preschool children's fundamental motor skills development in China base on different caregivers group and gender. were assessed using the test of gross motor development,third edition (TGMD-3). Two-factor analysis of variance was used to explore the relationship between different genders and different caregivers and children's fundamental motor skills. The interaction between the total score of object control and the development of ball catching was significant (P < 0.05).On the premise of different genders, there was a difference between the Parent care group and the eldercare group in different caregiver groups, and performing boys in the parent care group was better than that of the eldercare group (P < 0.05). No such difference was seen among girls; On the premise of different caregivers, there were differences between the two genders in the parent care group, and boys performed better than girls (P < 0.05). No such difference was observed in the elder care group. There are differences in the development of object control skills among different caregivers and children aged 4-5 years of age with different genders, so the training of object con-trol motor skills among different caregivers should be strengthened to avoid the difference in basic motor development of children caused by the difference between caregivers and gender.


Nitrogen (N) deposition is expected to increase in northwestern Europe the next 50–100 years. The effects of higher N availability on lichens will presumably depend on their capacity to acquire carbon (C), that is, of the timing and duration of the wet and active state. If lichens respond like plants, their C and N status may affect their concentration of carbon‐based secondary compounds (CBSCs), and thus their defence against herbivores, detrimental radiation, pathogens and parasites. In the present study we have manipulated N availability and timing and duration of the metabolically active state by spraying lichen transplants in an old spruce forest with rainwater or rainwater with added N corresponding to 50 kg N ha−1 yr−1. The spraying was applied either at night, in the morning or at noon to also investigate the effect of timing and duration of the active state. Concentrations of N, chlorophyll a (Chl a) and CBSCs were measured before and after one summer's spraying of 10 thalli in each of four different lichen species; Alectoria sarmentosa, Lobaria scrobiculata, Platismatia glauca, and Xanthoria aureola. The added N was readily taken up by all the lichen species. A. sarmentosa, P. glauca, and X. aureola increased their Chl a concentration in response to increased N, while L. scrobiculata increased Chl a in response to increased active time. None of the studied species reduced their concentration of secondary compounds during the experimental period, but in P. glauca the concentration of all compounds were significantly lower in N‐treated thalli compared with those that got only rainwater. The results are consistent with a high degree of constitutive defence in three of four species, and we conclude that all the investigated lichens seem to have rather robust chemical defence systems despite considerable manipulation of the environmental conditions.


Using communication complexity concepts and techniques, we derive linear (/spl Omega/(n)) and almost-linear (/spl Omega/(n/logn)) lower bounds on the size of circuits implementing certain functions. Our approach utilizes only basic features of the gates used, hence the bounds hold for general families of gates of which the symmetric and threshold gates are special cases. Each of the bounds derived is shown to be tight for some functions and some applications to threshold circuit complexity are indicated. The results generalize and in some cases strengthen recent results. >


All subtypes of HIV-1 have been identified in Africa. The envelope glycoprotein of the HIV-1 is the most variable region of the virus, with the third variable region, including the V3 loop, a major target of vaccine research. This paper reports the identification of the HIV-1 subtypes present in 14 viral strains, isolated between 1984 and 1992 in South Africa. HIV-1 strains were isolated routinely at Tygerberg Hospital in the Western Cape region, with genomic DNA isolated from virus-infected cultures. After presenting the distance calculations and describing the tree constructions and bootstrap analysis, the authors emphasize the need for ongoing molecular epidemiological analysis of HIV-1 subtypes to track the current epidemic in South Africa. More rapid methods will facilitate subtyping to monitor the circulation and spread of HIV-1 subpopulations in the country.


Purpose of reviewTo summarize existing evidence on definition, epidemiology, mechanisms, risk factors, consequences, outcome and management of diarrhoea in the critically ill. Recent findingsIn health, diarrhoea is defined as the passage of three or more loose or liquid stools per day. In the critically ill, the diagnosis is yet to be formalized and reported prevalence of diarrhoea varies according to the definition used. Recent studies estimate the prevalence between 14 and 21% and describe risk factors for diarrhoea in critically ill patients. The precipitant of diarrhoea always needs to be identified, as targeted therapies are important for several causes. Although the majority of patients with diarrhoea require only supportive care, it is always essential to exclude, or confirm and treat infectious diarrhoea. There is little evidence to support delaying or withdrawing provision of enteral nutrition in patients with diarrhoea, and we recommend continuing enteral nutrition whenever possible. However, the consequences of diarrhoea – hypovolaemia, electrolyte disturbances, malnutrition, skin lesions and contamination of wounds – should be avoided or at least recognized promptly. SummaryA definition of diarrhoea and a practical approach to identify the precipitant and to manage diarrhoea in critically ill patients are proposed.


Objectives:  Potentially hazardous materials are commonly used during health practices in the hospital environments. Management of hazardous substances is of great importance. Inadequate training of personnel for use and disposal of hazardous materials were reported by some studies. The aim of present study was to create awareness among healthcare workers for hazardous substances. Methods:  A survey was carried out on 204 healthcare workers (125 females and 79 males; mean age: 33.8 ± 12.9 years) to measure their level of knowledge about hazardous substances used in hospitals. Results:  Hospital departments were investigated and it was found that listing of dangerous substances were missing, their locations were not fixed, and they were not stored in isolated areas. Sixty percent of the participants considered themselves not having enough knowledge about hazardous materials. Ninety percent of the respondents thought that warning signs and symbols placed on hazardous material storage cabinets are useful. It was determined that warning signs for flammable, hazardous for environment, corrosive and explosive were significantly less known compared to symbols ( p = 0.037, p = 0.018, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions:  It was concluded that healthcare workers did not have sufficient information about hazardous substances. Healthcare workers should be trained effectively on hazardous substances issue.


Colonization of Carya cordiformis sapwood by Ceratocystis smalleyi and subsequent host defence responses following artificial inoculation were investigated using anatomical and histological techniques. Hyphae of C. smalleyi were observed in all sapwood xylem features confirming the ability of the pathogen to invade and colonize the xylem tissues of the host species. The fungus was isolated from within and at the margins of discoloured sapwood areas at 2 and 12 months after inoculation. General host defence responses that included vessel occlusion with gels or tyloses, lipid accumulation, and production of phenolic compounds were observed in xylem tissues of inoculated C. cordiformis stems. Pectic substances, lipids, and to a rare extent, phenolic compounds were detected in vascular gels. The lipid-rich barriers observed likely prevent lateral expansion of the fungus in the sapwood. Furthermore, lack of fungus sporulation within vessels may restrict axial spread of the fungus. C. smalleyi appears to be a limited vascular wilt pathogen of bitternut hickory based on these observations and previously reported sap flow reduction correlated with multiple infections in artificially inoculated trees.


Abstract This paper discusses the concept of 'mechanical genders' by using robots as a case. Different aspects of robotic gender, or the lack of it are described, showing how some robots have an 'anything is fine' gender, where the user decides what gender their robot should have. This is often seen with zoomorphic robots, i.e. animal-looking robots, which in a gender notion seem to be more gender-neutral than their android counterparts. The paper emphasizes how difficult it can be to not gender robots in a Western language context, where robots often need gendered pronouns if they are to be discussed, and shows comparatively how gender can be less important in the Japanese language. Additionally, heavily gendered robots are discussed, defining 'mechanical genders' as a concept used to speak about the genders of robots, and see this in relation to established human gender definitions. The paper discusses gender in robots such as Pepper, the robot twin 'Matsukoroid' (a trans-robot with his/her/its own TV-show), and sex-robots, as well as gender for cyborgs. The aim of the paper is to show how our mechanical species of robots are affected by the gendering habits of humans. It finds that the more humanlike a robot becomes, the more gendered it becomes.


The paper reports a case of acute hepatitis C (HCV) in a patient who was a chronic carrier of hepatitis B virus (HBV) during the course of which the authors observed a transient HBsAg clearance. The 53-year-old patient was a carrier of chronic HBV infection in an integrated minus variant phase. The patient presented an abrupt increment in aminotransferase (ALT) which was not compatible with the typical "a poussée" progress of atypical chronic HBV hepatitis in that it was associated with HbsAg clearance in the absence of signs of superinfection by delta hepatitis virus (HDV), with subsequent repositivisation of HBsAg and contemporary anti-HCV seroconversion (RIBA positive for C-22, C-33, C-100, 5-1-1) on clinical remission. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was negative on remission for both HBV DNA and HCV. RNA became positive six months afterwards for HCV RNA alone; moreover HBsAg, anti-HCV, RIBA C-22, C-33, C-100, 5-1-1 were constantly positive, thus further confirming the inhibitory capacity of HCV towards HBV and not vice versa, as also shown by the chronic nature of infection and deterioration of clinical conditions. The authors conclude by underlining the need to assay for HCV RNA using a PCR method in alla cases of re-acutisation of chronic hepatitis due to both wild virus B and the domestic virus during the course of which HBsAg becomes negative, even transiently, in the absence of Delta superinfection.


Permeability reduction in porous media as a result of frail and tenuous fine particles migration would decrease the productivity index in the subterranean reservoirs. During reservoir stimulation by injecting fluids into the reservoir, as the salinity condition of the formation brine changes, fine particles initiate the triggering process. In this study, MgO-based nanofluid as a fines fixation agent was stably prepared based on the particle size distribution and characterized through transmission electron microscopy analysis. Afterward, several core flooding tests were performed using Berea sandstone cores to study the effect of nanofluid injection on fines fixation in the water shock phenomenon. Permeability reduction occurred up to 95% of inchoate permeability for no treatment case, which was also confirmed by scanning electron microscopy analysis. Finally, MgO nanofluid with 0.03 wt% concentration and 120 minutes soaking time in the core mitigated the fine particles release and fixed them on the pore walls' surfaces critically reducing the formation damage. The analysis shows that outweighing the attraction potentials compared to repulsions was the main mechanism after nanofluids treatment.


The World Health Organization has warned that in the aftermath of the recent tsunami, infectious disease outbreaks will add to the heavy toll of the disaster itself, possibly even doubling the number of casualties. However, many experts believe the risks of infectious disease outbreaks following natural disasters have been overemphasised and have led to unnecessary and potentially harmful public health activities. This paper discusses the risk and prevention strategies of potential infectious diseases in the aftermath of the tsunami based on a literature review of previous similar disasters and current evidence. Infectious disease outbreaks, if any, will most likely be the consequence of post-tsunami camp situations involving large displaced populations rather than the tidal wave itself. Lessons have been learned from previous large-scale humanitarian crises about the provision of aid and the mitigation of epidemics. This paper examines the risk and preventive strategies of vector- and food/water-borne diseases, measles, acute respiratory infections and meningitis. Alert thresholds at which to trigger outbreak investigations, and standardised guidelines with regard to their control are outlined, based on the Sphere Project.


Mainstream lager beer brewing using the tropical cereals sorghum, maize and rice, either as malt or as raw grain plus commercial enzymes, is becoming widespread. This review examines the differences in composition between these tropical cereals and barley and their impact on brewing processes and beer quality. All of these cereals have a starch gelatinization temperature some 10 °C higher than barley. The sorghum prolamin proteins are particularly resistant to proteolysis owing to disulphide cross-linking involving γ-kafirin. Unlike barley, the major endosperm cell wall components in sorghum and maize are arabinoxylans, which persist during malting. The rice cell walls also seem to contain pectic substances. Notably, certain sorghum varieties, the tannin-type sorghums, contain considerable levels of condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins), which can substantially inhibit amylases, and probably also other brewing enzymes. Tropical cereal malts exhibit a similar complement of enzymic activities to barley malt, with the notable exception of β-amylase, which is much lower and essentially is absent in their raw grain. Concerning beer flavour, it is probable that condensed tannins, where present in sorghum, could contribute to bitterness and astringency. The compound 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, responsible for the popcorn aroma of maize and also the major aroma compound in rice, presumably affects beer flavour. However, much more research is needed into tropical cereals and beer flavour. Other future directions should include improving hydrolysis of prolamins into free amino nitrogen, possibly using prolyl carboxypeptidases and investigating tropical cereal lines with useful novel traits such as high amylopectin, high protein digestibility and low phytate. Copyright © 2013 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling


We carry out numerical simulations of dust aggregate collisions to study the compression and disruption processes of aggregates in their growth. To compare with the pioneering studies of Dominik & Tielens, we focus on two-dimensional head-on collisions, in which we obtain similar results for compression and disruption to theirs. In addition to the similarities, we examine the dependence of the collisional outcomes on the aggregate size and the parameters relevant to the particle interaction in detail by treating large aggregates that consist of up to 2000 particles. Compression of aggregates by collisions reduces the radius of gyration and increases the number of contacts between the constituent particles. Our results show that the changes in the gyration radius and the number of contacts after impact depend on the impact energy and that the dependence is scaled by the energy necessary to roll all contacts. We provide empirical formulae for the changes in the gyration radius and the number of contacts. Furthermore, we find that the degree of maximum compression is determined by the ratio of rolling energy to breaking energy. This indicates that ice aggregates become more compact than quartz aggregates in the same impact conditions. Any aggregates are catastrophically disrupted when the impact energy exceeds approximately 10 times the energy necessary to break all contacts. Our results, however, suggest that it becomes harder to disrupt the aggregates with an increasing number of particles.


This paper deals with vehicle-scheduling problem (VSP) in an automatic material-handling environment in 300-mm semiconductor wafer manufacturing. We adopt Petri nets (PNs) modeling techniques to model the complicated coupling dynamics among transport jobs and overhead hoist transport (OHT) vehicles in a 300-mm OHT loop. The congestion phenomenon among OHT vehicles is captured. With help of the PN models, we formulate the OHT VSP as an integer programming problem whose objective is to schedule OHT vehicles to transport jobs such that average job completion time is minimized. Instead of solving for the optimal solution, we develop a solution methodology to generate a feasible schedule efficiently. A Lagrangian relaxation step is first taken to decompose the PN-based, integer programming problem into individual job-scheduling subproblems. To reduce computation efforts in solving each subproblem optimally, we develop an approximation method to solve each job subproblem by utilizing a reduced PN model of the job. Lagrangian multipliers are then optimized by a surrogate subgradient method. A heuristic algorithm is developed to adjust the dual solution to a feasible schedule. Numerical results demonstrate that our solution methodology can generate good schedules within a reasonable amount of computation time for realistic problems. Compared to a popular vehicle-dispatching rule, our approach can achieve in average 32% improvements on the average delivery time in our realistic test cases.


A longstanding issue in biomedical research concerns the biophysical factors affecting the color diversity of the human irides and its connection with ocular diseases. Although the pigmentation and morphological characteristics of heavily and moderately pigmented irides have been extensively discussed in the literature, similar studies are scarce for lightly pigmented irides. We present computer experiments indicating that the spectral signature of these specimens may be directly affected by still undetectable melanin distributions in the outermost iridal layers. Our findings represent in silico evidence of this relationship which, in turn, may have implications in the investigation of the higher risk of death from metastatic ocular melanoma verified in individuals with light-colored irides.


Human recombinant gamma interferon and to a lesser extent alpha interferon were shown to inhibit herpes simplex virus type 1 replication in the human cell lines WISH and HEp-2. Dot blot analysis of viral DNA synthesis and viral RNA transcription indicated that the inhibition occurred at an early step in infection. A study of the early events after herpes simplex virus type 1 infection indicated that adsorption, penetration, uncoating, and transport of viral DNA were not affected by interferon. Northern (RNA) blot analysis revealed that both immediate-early and delayed-early gene transcription was inhibited by interferon. Transactivation of the immediate-early responsive element linked to a reporter gene (CAT or tk) was specifically inhibited by both classes of interferon. Our data would indicate that either the transactivating protein VP16 or the complex formed between VP16 and a host protein(s) is attenuated by interferon.


Purpose – The international nuclear community continues to face the challenge of managing both the legacy waste and the new wastes that emerge from ongoing energy production. The UK is in the early stages of proposing a new convention for its nuclear industry, that is: waste minimisation through closely managing the radioactive source which creates the waste. This paper proposes a new technique (called waste and source material operability study (WASOP)) to qualitatively analyse a complex, waste-producing system to minimise avoidable waste and thus increase the protection to the public and the environment. Design/methodology/approach – WASOP critically considers the systemic impact of up and downstream facilities on the minimisation of nuclear waste in a facility. Based on the principles of HAZOP, the technique structures managers' thinking on the impact of mal-operations in interlinking facilities in order to identify preventative actions to reduce the impact on waste production of those mal-operations.' Findings – WASOP was tested with a small group of experienced nuclear regulators and was found to support their qualitative examination of waste minimisation and help them to work towards developing a plan of action. Originality/value – Given the newness of this convention, the wider methodology in which WASOP sits is still in development. However, this paper communicates the latest thinking from nuclear regulators on decision-making methodology for supporting waste minimisation and is hoped to form part of future regulatory guidance. WASOP is believed to have widespread potential application to the minimisation of many other forms of waste, including that from other energy sectors and household/general waste.


This study quantifies large‐scale indices associated with variations in the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) and tropical sea surface temperature (SST) to assess typhoon activity around Taiwan. A WPSH index is constructed for both summer and early autumn as the meridional difference of areal means between the northern (120°–130°E, 25°–30°N) and southern (120°–130°E, 20°–25°N) regions (north minus south) of the 500 hPa height. These are regions north and south of Taiwan. In the high index years, typhoons forming in the tropical western North Pacific tend to be steered by easterly/southeasterly flows at the southwestern boundary of a northwards‐shifted WPSH to move northwestwards towards Taiwan, leading to increased typhoon activity around Taiwan. In the low index years, a southwards‐shifted, eastwards‐retreated WPSH steers typhoons along its western periphery to move northwards away from Taiwan. The northwards shift of the WPSH and consequent enhanced typhoon activity around Taiwan associate with a meridional wave train induced by a zonal SST gradient in summer, but link with a Matsuno‐Gill‐type response induced by tropical SSTs in early autumn. As so, the summer SST index is defined as a zonal gradient of areal‐mean SSTs between the tropical western Pacific (150°–175°E, 10°–20°N) and the Bay of Bengal–South China Sea–Philippine Sea region (80°–130°E, 5°–20°N) (former minus latter). In early autumn, the SST index is averaged from the tropical western Pacific over 130°–165°E, 5°S–5°N. All WPSH and SST indices in summer and early autumn are significantly correlated (at the 99% level) with the number of typhoons affecting Taiwan.


Although farming practices are essentially situated in rural locations, they are also developing in urban environments and multiple rationalities underpin such initiatives. Urban farming practices are, among other things, recognized for their recreational and wellbeing effects (e.g., allotments) as well as to increase biodiversity and to mitigate flooding. More recently, food produced in digitally augmented and contained environments have become increasingly established in cities across the globe such as Stockholm, London, and New York. These ICT enabled farming practices are different from non-smart and outdoor farming. Specifically, indoor farming practices are founded upon the view that it can produce fresh food in urban settings all year round using fewer resources (e.g., land, water, and chemicals) and with reduced food miles. Since such knowledge claims may shape and structure the development and uptake of smart farming practices in urban environments they must be scrutinized. This paper begins to address this need for research by investigating the politics of smart farming expectations in relation to urban environments. Exploratory case study research was conducted on early formations of smart farming initiatives in Sweden. Drawing on the Sociology of Expectations, it explores the politics of knowledge claims embedded in smart farming initiatives at project level, and examines the performativity of these knowledge claims in envisioning more sustainable urban futures. The findings suggest that smart farming at the level of individual projects gives the appearance of change, but at the same time, it produces more of the same.


Purpose of review In an effort to maximize resource utilization and contain costs, immediate postoperative care after noncardiac thoracic surgery is often done in either the postanesthesia care unit or dedicated step down units, leaving the ICU for complex surgical cases, overtly high-risk patients, or the treatment of severe postoperative complications. This review analyzes the current modalities affecting length of stay and costs, mainly by allocating patients after elective lung resection to different postoperative areas according to their needs. Recent findings Several surgical models have been published in recent years with the goal of optimizing perioperative patient care and subsequently decreasing hospital costs and length of stay. The main focus has been on elective lung resection for lung cancer. Preoperative evaluation, changes in surgical and anesthetic techniques as well as careful planning on where to recover these patients seem to make a clinical and financial impact. Summary The development of models to help predict elective ICU admission should facilitate optimal care, cutting costs and shortening length of stay after lung resection.


The technology described in this paper has been developed to challenge the shortcomings of the 40+ year old conventional blade stabilizer. The focus of this paper is to compare drilling performance on two lateral well sections against conventional spiral blade stabilizers. The comparison will highlight the noticeable improvement in drilling performance through analysis of relevant drilling parameters.
 The new design stabilizer, referred to in this paper as Innovative Drillstring Stabilizer (IDS), can be positioned in the drill string as you would typically do with a conventional spiral blade stabilizer or roller reamer. The design, however, is considerably different. The opened profile, placement and contour of the blades are designed to enhance energy transfer and flow along the tool, improving the transportation of cuttings around the tool while minimizing the occurrences of balling up. The orientation and dome shape of the blades is designed to reduce friction and torque, reduce vibration, improve weight transfer and when slide drilling minimizing the occurrence of hanging up and motor stalls. The engineered drillstring stabilizer was deployed in two wells for trial and technology acceptance purpose. An 8" OD innovative drillstring stabilizer was used as part of a steerable motor bottom hole assembly (BHA) in an integrated operations project. An in-depth performance comparison study was conducted by a specialized and independent third party between two identical BHAs. One (BHA-1), however, included conventional spiral blade stabilizers while the other (BHA-2) adopted the innovative drillstring stabilizers.
 The pioneering design of the IDS in BHA-2 contributed to reducing the overall torque and aiding in better weight transfer and drilling efficiency. It was possible to apply more weight and the energy transfer to the bit, based on mechanical specific energy (MSE) calculations, showed more efficient drilling conditions. As a result, the ROP, both rotating and sliding showed significant improvement with an overall increase of more than 30%. Better stabilization with BHA-2 aided in less vibration and no motor stalls. In addition, while pulling out of hole, lower hook loads were observed due to the enhanced hole cleaning features, improved hole condition and less friction along the string components. When back on surface no indications of balling-up were observed either.
 Today, drilling related inefficiencies, in the form of low ROP, non-productive time, damages beyond repair or stuck pipe and lost in hole incidents costs the oil and gas industry millions of dollars on an annual basis. The IDS is designed and proved to address such dysfunctions and improve drilling performance and efficiency while simultaneously stimulates a lower MSE drilling environment.


SUMMARY Rectangle search is a well-known packet classification scheme which is based on multiple hash accesses for different filter length. It shows good scalability with respect to the number of filters; however, the performance is not fast enough to fulfill the high-speed requirement of packet classification. In this paper, we propose a lookahead caching which can significantly improve the performance of hash-based algorithm. The basic idea is to filter out the un-matched probing case by using dual-hash architecture. The experimental results indicate that the proposed scheme can improve the performance by the factor of two for the 2-dimension (source


We discuss the geometric engineering and large N transition for an = 1 U(N) chiral gauge theory with one adjoint, one conjugate symmetric, one antisymmetric and eight fundamental chiral multiplets. Our IIB realization involves an orientifold of a non-compact Calabi-Yau A2 fibration, together with D5-branes wrapping the exceptional curves of its resolution as well as the orientifold fixed locus. We give a detailed discussion of this background and of its relation to the Hanany-Witten realization of the same theory. In particular, we argue that the T-duality relating the two constructions maps the 2 orientifold of the Hanany-Witten realization into a 4 orientifold in type IIB. We also discuss the related engineering of theories with SO/Sp gauge groups and symmetric or antisymmetric matter.


Program development has become an essential role function for today's CNS, who must be able to evaluate programs to determine their efficacy. A useful evaluation guide is Stufflebeam's CIPP (context, input, process, and product) model, which includes a framework to evaluate indirect care measures directly affecting cost-effectiveness and accountability. The model's core consists of (1) context evaluation leading to informed, contemplated decisions; (2) input evaluation directing structured decisions; (3) process evaluation guiding implemented decisions; and (4) product evaluation serving to recycle decisions. Strategies for using Stufflebeam's CIPP model are described.


For sustainable development, biodiversity conservation and life-quality improvement must be simultaneously considered. Molecular techniques have greatly impacted biotechnology. These methods have, in particular, improved the capability to investigate the fine differences among organisms and, as a consequence, to better investigate the effects on environmental factors on them. We propose an approach to support the optimal selection of molecular probes for barcoding application in many biotechnological fields. The aim of our work is specificity maximization. To this purpose, we have integrated a filter system based on wavelet transforms with biological knowledge about the sequence proneness to mutation and post-translational modification. Specifically, we have tested the proposed method on ITS1 sequences that are a region of the rRNA locus. Our analysis has shown the presence of other local relative stable conformations in addition to known cleavage site. Their characteristics differ within the group of mammals selected for our analysis. These variations could be used to design new species-specific barcoding probes or other quick molecular screening tools.


Computational simulation technology has become an indispensable tool for researchers across the biomechanics discipline. Crucial to the effectiveness of such a tool is its ability to efficiently simulate patient-specific problems. This paper will present a unique and exceptionally efficient approach that converts 3D digital images (provided typically by CT, ultrasound or MRI scanners) directly into highly accurate computational models. Two case studies will be presented, including the virtual positioning of a hip implant within a scan, and the insertion of a cannula into a human artery. Both studies investigate the effect of certain surgical procedures by using image-based models.


Four neonates with abdominal masses following adrenal hemorrhages were investigated by renal scintigraphy. Characteristic photon-deficient lesions were noted in the suprarenal areas during the phase of whole-body radionuclide distribution.


The quality of life is an interdisciplinary issue. Hence, in Polish social sciences there are many different definitions for this term, which has its consequences in research. Nowadays, the topic of life quality is being analyzed through its objective and subjective indexes. The article presents results of various research on mass media usage in the context of spending free time and using modern information and communication technologies (ICT), since both these trends have dominated the field of analyzing objective and subjective dimension of life quality of Poles when it comes to using media. Unfortunately, using mass media is not regarded in research as one of the main indexes for life quality and its full utilization requires a correction of meaning and methodology.


The members of the family Theaceae are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, in America and Asia, a few in Africa. In Indian subcontinent (comprising of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India), it is well-represented (50% of the total taxa). The present paper deals with distribution, phytoendemism, possible fossil ancestry, potential survival threat on existing taxa etc. of Theaceae in Indian subcontinent.


: This study aimed to develop effective strategies for implementing Modular Construction Systems (MCS) in developing countries, with a specific focus on the perspectives of Nigerian Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) professionals. A quantitative research approach was adopted, involving a survey of 227 AEC professionals in Nigeria. The survey collected respondents' perceptions on the developed MCS strategies in developing countries using a structured five-point Likert scale questionnaire. The professionals were identified through a snowball sampling technique. The results indicated that all fourteen hypothesized strategies were statistically significant for implementing MCS in developing countries. The strategies that received the highest mean scores were "Increasing awareness among professionals and stakeholders," "Creating an enabling environment within the industry," and "Government participation in the usage of MCS." The Kruskal-Wallis test revealed that professionals, regardless of their varied professions, held similar opinions on the identified strategies. The study has practical implications for the AEC industry in developing countries by providing valuable insights into strategies for implementing MCS. It can also assist policymakers in making informed decisions. Overall, this study offers a pathway for implementing MCS, addressing the housing shortage, and improving the quality of housing in developing countries.


Abstract We present initial results of a new campaign of simulations focusing on the interaction of planetary winds with stellar environments using Adaptive Mesh Refinement methods. We have confirmed the results of Stone & Proga (2009) that an azimuthal flow structure is created in the planetary wind due to day/night temperatures differences. We show that a backflow towards the planet will occur with a strength that depends on the escape parameter. When a stellar outflow is included, we see unstable bow waves forming through the outflow's interaction with the planetary wind.


Markov sources have been shown to be efficient pseudo-random pattern generators in SCAN-BIST. In this paper we give a new design for Markov sources. The new design first reduces the ATPG test set by removing the test cubes with low sampling probability and then produces test sequences based on a unique dynamic transition selection technique. Dynamic transition selection offers four transition options namely Markov source, inverted Markov source, fixed 0 and fixed 1. Experimental results show that the proposed design significantly reduces the test length to achieve 100% stuck-at fault coverage at the expense of a modest increase in the number of gates required to implement the test pattern generator.


: Brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) is an economically important insect pest of rice crop worldwide including Pakistan. The use of chemicals insecticides to control the BPH population has been considered an effective strategy. However, long-term and intensive use of insecticides has resulted in resistance against this pest. In this study, six recommended insecticides were tested against BPH over the period of 2015-2019 to determine the susceptibility level. From 2015-19, susceptibility of BPH was reduced to all tested insecticides. Increasing trend of LC 50 values was recorded in fipronil (18.23-35.11 mg/L), imidacloprid (64.22-128.8 mg/L), buprofezin (185.01-315.0 mg/L), chlorantranilipyrole (199.2-263.3 mg/L), pymetrozine (248.2-315.5 mg/L), and nitenpyram (21.07-34.3 mg/L) respectively from 2015 to 2019. Correlation coefficient values indicated a significant relation ( P < 0.05 ) between fipronil, imidacloprid, and buprofezin. The study will be helpful for resistance management strategies to prevent the resistance development in BPH against insecticides.


One of the easiest and most common methods for effectively reducing building energy demand is the selection of adequate thermal insulation materials. Thermal insulation is a substantial contribution and an evident, logical and practical first stage toward improving energy performance, particularly in envelope-load-dominant structures located in difficult climate zones. Today's insulating materials come in a broad variety of sizes and shapes, each with its a own qualities. It is well acknowledged that material selection is one of the most difficult and time-consuming aspects of a construction project. Therefore, choosing the right insulation material is also a very important topic to increase energy efficiency. However, it is a complex problem with many criteria and alternatives. This study integrates three different multi criteria decision making methods, which are Fuzzy Best-Worst Method, CRiteria Importance Through Inter-criteria Correlation and Mixed Aggregation by COmprehensive Normalization Technique. In this study, the following eight criteria were taken into account in the evaluation: thermal conductivity, periodic thermal transmittance, specific heat, density, decrement factor, surface mass, thermal transmittance, and thermal wave shift. The first method will be used to find the subjective weights, while the second method will be used to find the objective weights. The third method will be used to rank the insulation materials. According to the results of the Fuzzy Best-Worst Method, the most important criterion was determined as thermal conductivity. According to the results of the CRiteria Importance Through Inter-criteria Correlation, the most important criterion was determined as thermal wave shift. According to the results of the Mixed Aggregation by COmprehensive Normalization Technique, the top 10 insulation materials are as follows: polyisocyanurate, polyurethane (1), polyurethane (2), wood fiber (1), kenaf, jute, cellulose (2), wood fiber (1), XPS (1) and XPS (2). According to the results of the proposed method, polyisocyanurate was determined as the best insulation material for healthier environment. This study makes two contributions to the literature: first, a new hybrid method was developed in this study. Secondly, in this study, the newly introduced Mixed Aggregation by COmprehensive Normalization Technique method was used.


8 Bennion L, Grundy S. Effects of diabetes mellitus on cholesterol metabolism in man. N EnglJ Med 1977; 296: 1365-9. 9 Caroli A, Gasparoni P, Sardeo G, Volpi A. May insulin treatment in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) increase the prevalence of cholelithiasis? Proceedings of the International Meeting on Pathochemistry, Pathophysiology and Pathomechanics of the Biliary System. Bologna 1988 March 14-16 (Abstract 150).


Objective
To summarize the mechanism research progress of tendon-derived stem cells (TDSCs) in the reconstruction of fibrocartilage zone at bone-tendon junction (BTJ).

Methods
The domestic and abroad related literature about TDSCs in the reconstruction of fibrocartilage zone at BTJ was summarized and analyzed.

Results
TDSCs can be induced to osteocytes, fibrochondrocytes, and tenocytes in vitro. Therefore, TDSCs have potential to reconstruct fibrocartilage zone at BTJ. Factors, such as mechanical stimulation, bioactive factor, extracelluar matrix, inflammatory factors, and so on, may influence osteogenic or chondrogenic differentiation of TDSCs.

Conclusion
Because of the specificity of origin and location of TDSCs, TDSCs have the potential to be the seed cells for BTJ fibrocartilage zone repair. By applying external stimuli, TDSCs can be induced to form structures which are similar to fibrocartilage zone.


Closed Circuit Rebreathers (CCRs) in SCUBA diving currently have no dependable sensors to indicate when scrubber life has been exhausted with carbon dioxide (CO2). The kinetics of flow and CO2 absorption were thus highlighted and the simulation of the chemical reactions within the CCR scrubber is established. A transient model is developed investigating the effects of several key parameters affecting scrubber performance; geometry, wall temperature, velocity, CO2 absorption, granule size and material selection on breakthrough of the CCR scrubber where breakthrough is defined as the time until the CO2 exhausting from the scrubber canister is the same as going in. The model is used as an aid to simulate current designs of CCRs; axial and radial scrubbers. The results characterize the sensitivity of the model in regards to the parameters and the behavior of the model is analysed in comparison to previous literature.


Introduction In Japan there are facilities for women, often called "JOSEI SENTA" (Women's centers) that offer support to women and aim to facilitate the building of equality between women and men. Most women's centers are planned and administered by prefectural or municipal governments. These centers provide space for women's activities and offer courses and seminars on everything from cooking to "Women in Development." Some facilities have resource centers or libraries that provide women with access to a wide range of information. Some also offer counseling services to help women who are having problems with the family, personal relationships, or work. These services are provided free of charge or for a small fee. Why is the Japanese government willing to spend a substantial amount of money on women's centers? It is sometimes difficult for foreigners to understand why national and local governments provide money, facilities and other necessities to help women advance their status in society. They identify women's struggle for equality as a social movement and one that usually finds itself in conflict with such state organs. In this article, I wish to briefly describe the relationship between Japanese women, who are struggling to solve the problems they face and to advance their status in society, and the government, which establishes public women's centers. How women's issues came to be included in official public policy in Japan and how women's centers can be of use to women will be discussed below through a case study of Yokohama. Please note that this article deals with only a small part of the Japanese women's movement and that there are many women working to improve their situation and advance their status. International Women's Year and Japanese Women's Policy There was an active women' s movement in the early 1970s in Japan. It was at this time that many Japanese women first encountered the ideas of feminism. They organized consciousness-raising groups, sought their own ways of expression, and started to look at society from women's perspectives. However, this movement is remembered with a sort of cynicism by the average Japanese only as "wooman libu" (women's liberation), stemming from the imagery surrounding some radicals highlighted by the media at the time. This "radical" image prevented the movement from reaching a wider range of women and effecting the change in their consciousness and attitudes that would have been necessary to influence Japanese society or public policies. In recent years, Japanese policies on women's issues have been most greatly affected by the United Nations International Women's Year in 1975 and by the U.N. Decade for Women, which followed. To understand precisely how and why U.N. policies affect Japanese domestic policies would require an entirely different article. However, briefly put, Japan's admittance to the U.N. was welcomed by the Japanese people as proof that Japan had recovered its status in the post-World War II international arena. Accordingly, major U.N. policies have generally been respected by the Japanese government and integrated into national policies. In addition, the international women's movement, which lobbied for the proclamation of international Women's Year, and the Japanese women's movement, which sought to take advantage of the opportunities offered by International Women's Year, helped the Japanese government realize the necessity of including women's issues in its policies. For example, the Japanese Liaison Group for the Implementation of the Resolution from the International Women 's Year Conference was formed by 41 groups on a nationwide scale. They resolved to hold a national conference in Japan and to promote solidarity among Japanese women. This Liaison Group functioned as a pressure group for women's issues and encouraged the signing and ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women by the Japanese government in 1985. …


The percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been a great advance in the treatment of coronary artery disease since implantation of bare metal stents (BMS) decreased acute recoil and arterial shrinkage caused by balloon angioplasty. However, neointimal hyperplasia leading to in-stent restenosis after BMS implantation has been emerged a new obstacle. Recent introduction of drug-eluting stents (DES) contributes a powerful breakthrough to PCI. Many large well-controlled randomized trials have shown that DES remarkably reduces restenosis and target vessel revascularization in de novo lesions when compared with BMS. Therefore the application of DES have been expanded to the complex lesions such as left main, multi-vessel, bifurcation, in-stent restenosis, or chronic total occlusion. The safety and effectiveness of DES are still under evaluation with ongoing trials. However, some problems such as very late stent thrombosis remained to be solved. In this review article, we summarize the past, present and future of DES with updated result of clinical trials. (Korean J Med 75:370-382, 2008)


COVID-19's pandemic has hastened the expansion of online learning across all levels of education. Countries have pushed to expand their use of distant education and make it mandatory in view of the danger of being unable to resume face-to-face education. The most frequently reported disadvantages are technological challenges and the resulting inability to open the system. Prior to the pandemic, interest in distance learning was burgeoning, as it was a unique style of instruction. The mini-review aims to ascertain students' attitudes about distant learning during COVID-19. To accomplish the objective, articles were retrieved from the ERIC database. We utilize the search phrases "Distance learning" AND "University" AND "COVID." We compiled a list of 139 articles. We chose papers with "full text" and "peer reviewed only" sections. Following the exclusion, 58 articles persisted. Then, using content analysis, publications relating to students' perspectives on distance learning were identified. There were 27 articles in the final list. Students' perspectives on distant education are classified into four categories: perception and attitudes, advantages of distance learning, disadvantages of distance learning, and challenges for distance learning. In all studies, due of pandemic constraints, online data gathering methods were selected. Surveys and questionnaires were utilized as data collection tools. When students are asked to compare face-to-face and online learning techniques, they assert that online learning has the potential to compensate for any limitations caused by pandemic conditions. Students' perspectives and degrees of satisfaction range widely, from good to negative. Distance learning is advantageous since it allows for learning at any time and from any location. Distance education benefits both accomplishment and learning. Staying at home is safer and less stressful for students during pandemics. Distance education contributes to a variety of physical and psychological health concerns, including fear, anxiety, stress, and attention problems. Many schools lack enough infrastructure as a result of the pandemic's rapid transition to online schooling. Future researchers can study what kind of online education methods could be used to eliminate student concerns.


The study objective is to describe current views on pathogenesis, molecular biology, diagnosis, treatment of primary germ cell tumors of the central nervous system, as well as treatment prognosis.Materials and methods. The review includes 51 literature sources (4 in Russian, 47 in English). All articles were published in the last 20 years.Results and conclusion. The review reflects both established principles and characteristics of the national protocol of treatment of germ cell tumors, treatment nuances determined by histological type of the tumor. The most effective treatment method for germ cell tumors are radiation and neoadjuvant chemotherapy. For non-germinal germ cell tumors chemotherapy with subsequent complete removal is optimal. Total tumor resection by itself is the ideal treatment of mature teratomas. In the future, molecular and cytogenetic studies will allow to additionally identify subtypes of germ cell tumors of the central nervous system which will become the basis of new directions for therapy, improved treatment results and methods of prognosis.


It is shown that each nearly neighbourly family of standard boxes in $\mathbb{R}^3$ has at most 12 elements. A combinatorial classification of all such families that have exactly 12 elements is given. All the families satisfying an extra property called incompressibility are described. Compressible families are discussed briefly.


A Ni-catalyzed desymmetrizing cross-electrophile coupling of cyclic meso-anhydrides with aryl triflates has been successfully demonstrated. This is the only example using cyclic meso-anhydrides in cross-electrophile coupling reactions. A diverse array of valuable γ-keto acid building blocks can be generated under these conditions with excellent functional group tolerance and stereochemical fidelity.


This study examines the relationship between financial development and economic growth in India for the period 1951–52 to 1995–96. The long-run equilibrium and short-run dynamic models are estimated using financial interrelations ratio and new issue ratio as the measures of financial development, a la Goldsmith (1969). The Johansen (1991) estimator rejects the null of zero cointegrating vector and shows the presence of long-run equilibrium relationship between financial development and economic growth. The error correction model, impulse response and variance decomposition analyses (Sims, 1980), and the Toda and Yamamoto (1995) estimator show the presence of bidirectional Granger-causality between financial development and economic growth. The presence of bidirectional Granger-causality suggested by these estimators points towards the possible problem of endogeneity and simultaneity bias in the growth models that examine the contemporaneous effect of financial development on economic growth. The economic reforms that started since July 1991 emphasized on the liberalization and development of financial sector to supplement the efforts aimed at achieving high economic growth in India.


This study examines the environmental impacts of trade liberalization in Costa Rica. A CGE model is constructed which includes eight environmental indicators covering deforestation, pesticides, overfishing, hazardous wastes, inorganic wastes, organic wastes, greenhouse gases, and air pollution. Three trade liberalization scenarios are examined. Two sets of analyses are conducted for each scenario, one in which technologies do not change in response to trade liberalization and the other in which total factor productivity in each sector changes in response to changes in imports of machinery and equipment. To account for uncertainty regarding values of the model's parameters, a Monte Carlo experiment is conducted for each policy option. The impacts of trade liberalization on the environmental indicators are generally negative in sign but small or moderate in magnitude, both when technology is constant and when technology is allowed to vary.


Real-world execution traces record performance problems that are likely perceived at deployment sites. However, those problems can be rooted subtly and deeply into system layers or other components far from the place where delays are initially observed. To tackle challenges of identifying deeply rooted problems, we propose a new trace-based approach consisting of two steps: impact analysis and causality analysis. The impact analysis measures performance impacts on a component basis, and the causality analysis discovers patterns of runtime behaviors that are likely to cause the measured impacts. The discovered patterns can help performance analysts quickly identify root causes of perceived performance problems. We instantiate our approach to study the performance of device drivers on over 19,500 real-world execution traces. The impact analysis shows that device drivers constitute a non-trivial part (≈ 38) in the overall system performance, and a big part (≈ 26) is due to interactions between drivers. The causality analysis effectively discovers highly suspicious and high-impact behavioral patterns in device drivers, examined and confirmed by our automated evaluation, developers, and performance analysts.


Mineral assemblages involving pyrite, hematite, chlorite, quartz, K-feldspar, sericite, sphalerite, galena, and chalcopyrite are interpreted with the aid of data from fluid-inclusion studies to show that the environment most typical of ore deposition for the OH vein had the following characteristics: (1) temperature of 250 degrees C, (2) pressure of about 50 bars (the fluids were boiling near the top of the ore zone), (3) pH of 5.4, (4) salinity of (Na (sub 0.9) K (sub 0.1) )Cl fluid of about 1 molal, and (5) total concentration of sulfur in solution of 10 (super -1.7) molal. Consideration of the iron content of sphalerite shows that the activities of oxygen and sulfur varied considerably during ore deposition. Reactions between hematite, iron-rich chlorite, pyrite, quartz, and water controlled redox reactions and prevented the chemical environment from varying sufficiently to form bornite, anglesite, or magnetite. The bulk of the ore was deposited from solutions that were clearly sulfate rather than sulfide rich, yet at times the chemical conditions became so reducing that H 2 S would have been the dominant sulfur species in aqueous solution had equilibrium prevailed. The chlorite-bearing buffer is incompatible with a chemistry in which equilibrium is maintained between oxidized and reduced sulfur species, unless large changes in the amount of total sulfur in solution are permitted. Since the mineralogical evidence does not support large changes in sulfur concentration, we conclude that there were recurrent departures from redox equilibrium among the aqueous sulfur species.The ores were deposited from a freely convecting hydrothermal system that probably was initially charged by meteoric solutions, although the salts, metals, and sulfur may well have been derived from deeper sources. The circulating solutions deposited gangue and ore minerals near the top of the convecting cell in a hypogene enrichment process that extracted metals and sulfur from whatever sources were available at depth and swept them toward the surface. Boiling, with the loss of acid components (H 2 S and CO 2 ) which recondensed in the cooler overlying rocks, led to the formation of an intensely altered, sericitic capping above the ore. Precipitation of ore is attributed to cooling and perhaps to a slight pH rise complementary to the loss of acid constituents through boiling.Clusters of finely banded, iron-rich zones in otherwise iron-poor sphalerite are a consequence of the introduction of small quantities of more reduced (magmatic?) fluid that imposed a local, temporary, low-redox chemical signature upon the circulating system. Each successive pass of the same low-redox pulse produced an iron-rich band in the sphalerite. The mass ratio of fluid to sphalerite deposited requires only a few parts per million of zinc to be deposited in each cycle. Combined with a previous estimate of flow rate, this results in the geologically uncomfortable, but quantitatively tenable, estimate of length of time for mineralization of from a few hundred to a few thousand years.A circulating-fluid model for ore deposition has important implications for mineral exploration. Minerals having retrograde solubilities (e.g., anhydrite or molybdenite) will be concentrated in the hottest part of the system. In contrast to the conventional "once-through-and-out" model, the circulating model predicts a wide, barren gap between the shallow and deep facies of mineralization.


Abstract. Nitryl chloride (ClNO2) is an important chlorine reservoir in the
atmosphere that affects the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
and the production of ROx radicals and ozone (O3). This study
presents measurements of ClNO2 and related compounds at urban, polluted
rural, and polluted lower tropospheric (mountaintop) sites in the winter of
2017–2018 over the North China Plain (NCP). The nocturnal concentrations of
ClNO2 were lower at the urban and polluted rural sites but higher at
the polluted lower tropospheric site. The winter concentrations of
ClNO2 were generally lower than the summer concentrations that were
previously observed at these sites, which was due to the lower nitrate
radical (NO3) production rate (P(NO3)) and the smaller
N2O5 uptake coefficients (γ(N2O5)) in winter,
despite the higher ratios of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) to NO3
in winter. Significant daytime peaks of ClNO2 were observed at all the
sites during the winter campaigns, with ClNO2 mixing ratios of up to
1.3 ppbv. Vertical transport of ClNO2 from the residual layers and
prolonged photochemical lifetime of ClNO2 in winter may explain the
elevated daytime concentrations. The daytime-averaged chlorine radical (Cl)
production rates (P(Cl)) from the daytime ClNO2 were 0.17, 0.11, and
0.12 ppbv h−1 at the polluted rural, urban, and polluted lower
tropospheric sites, respectively, which were approximately 3–4 times
higher than the campaign-averaged conditions. Box model calculations showed
that the Cl atoms liberated during the daytime peaks of ClNO2 increased the ROx levels by up to 27 %–37 % and increased the
daily O3 productions by up to 13 %–18 %. Our results provide new
insights into the ClNO2 processes in the lower troposphere impacted by
fresh and intense anthropogenic emissions and reveal that ClNO2 can be
an important daytime source of Cl radicals under certain conditions in
winter.


The species Oridia capensis Monro, Fabricia mossambica Day, and Fabricia filamentosa Day, variously referred to Fabricia Blainville or Fabriciola Friedrich, are redescribed. Oridia capensis and F. filamentosa are transferred to Pseudofabriciola Fitzhugh. The original syntype lot of F. mossambica contains specimens assignable to Augeneriella Banse, Fabricinuda Fitzhugh, and possibly Novafabricia Fitzhugh, respectively. Day's original description of F. mossambica was based on species in at least two of these genera. A lectotype is designated, giving the new combination Augeneriella mossambica. A new species, Pseudofabriciola californica, is described from the California coast. Keys are given for species of Pseudofabriciola and Augeneriella, and cladistic relationships within each genus are discussed.


In the fall of 1950, newspapers around the world reported that the Italian-born nuclear physicist Bruno Pontecorvo and his family had mysteriously disappeared while returning to Britain from a holiday trip. Because Pontecorvo was known to be an expert working for the UK Atomic Energy Research Establishment, this raised immediate concern for the safety of atomic secrets, especially when it became known in the following months that he had defected to the Soviet Union. Was Pontecorvo a spy? Did he know and pass sensitive information about the bomb to Soviet experts? At the time, nuclear scientists, security personnel, Western government officials, and journalists assessed the case, but their efforts were inconclusive and speculations quickly turned to silence. In the years since, some have downplayed Pontecorvo's knowledge of atomic weaponry, while others have claimed him as part of a spy ring that infiltrated the Manhattan Project. "The Pontecorvo Affair" draws from newly disclosed sources to challenge previous attempts to solve the case, offering a balanced and well-documented account of Pontecorvo, his activities, and his possible motivations for defecting. Along the way, Simone Turchetti reconsiders the place of nuclear physics and nuclear physicists in the twentieth century and reveals that as the discipline's promise of military and industrial uses came to the fore, so did the enforcement of new secrecy provisions on the few experts in the world specializing in its application.


Mutations of the P53 gene, strictly associated with the carcinogenesis are a commonly observed in neoplastic cells. The aim of this study was the immunohistochemical evaluation of P53 protein expression in colorectal carcinomas and analysis of its relationship to chosen anatomo-clinical and morphological parameters of the tumours. The study used the material obtained during surgical treatment of 74 colorectal carcinomas. Tissue sections were fixed in 10% buffered formaldehyde solution, embedded in paraffin and stained immunohistochemically with the antihuman P53 protein monoclonal antibody. The immunolocalization of P53 protein was performed using the Labelled Streptavidin Biotin (LSAB) method. The P53 protein expression was semiquantitatively assessed in neoplastic cells and the reaction present in more than 25% of tumour cells was accepted as the threshold of positivity. No correlation was found between P53 protein expression and tumour histologic type and site, and age and sex of patients. However, P53 protein expression in primary and metastatic tumours was found statistically significantly correlated.


We develop the theory of radiative association of an atom and a diatomic molecule within a close-coupling framework. We apply it to the formation of H 3 − after the low-energy collision (below 0.5 eV) of H 2 with H − . Using recently obtained potential energy and permanent dipole moment surfaces of H 3 − , we calculate the lowest rovibrational levels of the H 3 − electronic ground state and the cross section for the formation of H 3 − by radiative association between H − and ortho- and para-H 2 . We discuss the possibility for the H 3 − ion to be formed and observed in the cold and dense interstellar medium in an environment with a high ionization rate. Such an observation could be a probe for the presence of H − in the interstellar medium.


This quantitative, cross-sectional study aims to assess the effectiveness of five dimensions that play a critical role in organisational development and effectiveness (people, finance, marketing, operations/service and corporate/business development) in order to identify shortfalls and suggest corrective actions. The population comprised of all staff in a provincial trade and investment promotion agency in South Africa and a consensus approach was used through a cluster sampling technique which secured an 85.4% response rate. Data was collected using questionnaires and analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The psychometric properties (validity and reliability) of the questionnaires were statistically determined using Factor Analysis and Cronbach's Coefficient Alpha. The results indicate that employees perceive the five dimensions of organisational effectiveness in varying degrees. The dimension perceived to be functioning most effectively and having the least degree of shortfalls is corporate/business development and the dimension requiring the greatest degree of improvement is finance, negligibly followed by marketing. Significant intercorrelations exist amongst these five dimensions, except for people and corporate/business development. Based on the results, recommendations are graphically depicted for the areas of improvement, which when effectively implemented has the potential to enhance the realisation of goals in each of the dimensions and overall organisational effectiveness.


High performance communication systems have to provide very high data rates of more than 100 Mbit/s to new applications such as multimedia applications. To overcome the bottleneck in communication systems, the protocol processing of the layers above media access control layer, light weight protocols such as XTP (Xpress Transfer Protocol) are used. XTP is a protocol with functionality of layers three and four and was designed for protocol processing in reliable high speed networks such as FDDI, XTP is based on parallel finite state machines (FSMs) to support an efficient realization in VLSI. This paper presents a software implementation of XTP for a multiprocessor system. The implementation is based on these FSMs, which are mapped onto processes running on the processors of a multiprocessor architecture and communicating with each other by message passing.<<ETX>>


The influence of fasting on fiber number in the soleus muscle (SM) of weanling male and female rats was investigated. For female rats, comparisons were made among groups of animals fed normally, rats fasted and then fed until prefast body weight was regained, and animals that grew to maturity. For male rats, comparisons were made only between control and fasted groups. Prior to the experimental treatments the SM was surgically removed from one leg. There was a 40% loss in body weight after fasting. Although major weight losses occurred in most muscles and organs, there was no change in the SM. Over the same period SM weight increased 31% in normal animals. Total fiber number (direct counts after nitric acid digestion) was unaltered by the treatments. Although wide variation existed between animals, total fiber number between legs for the same animal was closely correlated (r = 0.98). SM weight for male rats calculated from fiber length, cross-sectional area, and total fiber number could account for from 91 to 99% of the total muscle weight. There was no change in fiber number from weaning to maturity. It is concluded that fiber number is unchanged by fasting or during normal maturation.


OBJECTIVE
Despite widespread adoption of family-centered rounds, few have investigated differences in the experience of family-centered rounds by family race and ethnicity. The purpose of this study was to explore racial and ethnic differences in caregiver perception of inclusion and empowerment during family-centered rounds.

METHODS
We identified eligible caregivers of children admitted to the general pediatrics team through the electronic health record. Surveys were completed by 99 caregivers (47 non-Latinx White and 52 Black, Latinx, or other caregivers of color). To compare agreement with statements of inclusivity and empowerment, we used the Wilcoxon rank sum test in unadjusted analyses and linear regression for the adjusted analyses.

RESULTS
Most (91%) caregivers were satisfied or extremely satisfied with family-centered rounds. We found no differences by race or ethnicity in statements of satisfaction or understanding family-centered rounds content. However, in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses, we found that White caregivers more strongly agreed with the statements "I felt comfortable participating in rounds," "I had adequate time to ask questions during rounds," and "I felt a valued member of the team during rounds" compared with Black, Latinx, and other caregivers of color.

CONCLUSIONS
Congruent with studies of communication in other settings, caregivers of color may experience barriers to inclusion in family-centered rounds, such as medical team bias, less empathic communication, and shorter encounters. Future studies are needed to better understand family-centered rounds disparities and develop interventions that promote inclusive rounds.


This note tries to explain why many successful restaurants, plays, sporting events, and other activities do not raise prices even with persistent excess demand. My approach assumes that demand by a typical consumer is positively related to quantities demanded by other consumers. This can explain not only the puzzle about prices but also why consumer demand is often fickle, why it is much easier to go from being "in" to being "out" than from "out" to "in," and why supply does not increase to reduce the excess demand.


The airway inflammation extends to the small airways in many asthmatic patients. For this purpose, the results of randomized treatments of patients with newly diagnosed asthma, were retrospectively evaluated to demonstrate that the usage of ultrafine particle inhalers are better for patients with small airway involvement. Results of pulmonary function tests (PFT) and ACT (asthma control test) before and after 3 months of treatment for 45 newly diagnosed asthma patients on inhaler therapy started randomly according to GINA guidelines were reviewed retrospectively. 23 cases selected as small airway involvement according their 1-FEV3/FVC value of 10% or more. They were divided into 2 groups according to their usage of ultrafine particles (ciclesonide or beclomethasone + formoterol) (n= 15) or dry powder inhaler (budesonide or budesonide + formoterol) (n= 8). PFT and ACT9s of groups at baseline and after 3 months were compared. The average age of 23 patients with small airway involvement is 42.6. 15 of them are females (65.2%). FEV1 at 3 months of the cases with ultrafine particles were better improved compared with those used dry power inhalers (p=0.017). But ACT was not significantly changed between the groups (respectively, 22.79, 22.85) (p>0,05). Beginning the inhaled therapy with ultrafine particles according to 1-FEV3/FVC value of 10% or more in patients with newly diagnosed asthma resulted in statistically significant improvement of FEV1 in short time period. We suggest that the small airway involvement must be investigated before giving inhaled therapy.


Introduction/Background Nowadays, the absence of standardized criteria to identify and differentiate uterine leiomyomas (LM) and leiomyosarcomas (LMS) prior to surgery, cause a significant stress in the patient, leading to unnecessary invasive procedures and additional costs to the National Health System. As consequence, the development of an accurate and non-invasive differential diagnostic methods in patients with surgical indication is needed to avoid the potential dissemination of hidden LMS from morcellation. We aim to identify differential genetic targets in LMS vs LM using Next Generation Sequencing to advance our knowledge in their differential diagnosis. Methodology A total of 13 LM and 13 LMS from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples were collected, processed and targeted sequenced for DNA and RNA coding regions for 170 solid tumours associated-genes. DNA sequencing data were assessed to identify copy number variations (CNVs), single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and small insertions/deletions(indels). Through the RNA analysis we got the gene expression profile, splice variants and gene fusions, being validated by immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Results Tumor mutation burden was higher in LMS vs LM specimens. In terms of CNVs, 20 genes in LMS vs 6 genes in LM were affected by deletions. Gains were also more frequently identified in LMS compared to LM (19 genes vs 3 genes). Regarding SNVs and indels, we identified 105 of 159 genes in LMS samples, while mutations in 82 genes were distinguished in LM samples. Specific transcriptomic profile was also observed for 11 genes of 55 in LMS samples, while 8.5% of initially diagnosed LMS showed high confidence gene fusions. Conclusion This study represents a scientific-technological innovation that allows, through an integrated genomic and transcriptomic analysis, the discovery of novel genes and pathways that potentially differentiate LM vs LMS, providing a new insight for the molecular diagnosis that may shift the current therapeutic focus. Disclosure Drs. Jimenez-Almazán and Simón are employed by Igenomix SL. The remaining authors report no conflict of interest.


Traumatic brain injury (TBI) constitutes a public health problem of great significance with importance in both morbidity and mortality, accounting for approximately 15 to 20% of deaths in people between five and 35 years of age and responsible for 1% of all adult deaths.[1-2] In the United States, about 59 million people every year die following TBI. This represents one third of all injury-related deaths. Furthermore, 90,000 individuals suffer from permanent incapacity related to TBI.[3] In Brazil, data from the Ministry of Health (2011)[4] shows that 145,842 deaths occurred due to external causes, and amongst all injuries associated with these external causes, TBI stood out in terms of magnitude, as it was one of the most common injuries.[5] Trauma caused by traffic accidents is one of the most frequent causes of death in individuals aged 10 to 24. There is an imbalance in the prevalence of the risk of traffic-related trauma in developed countries and in developing ones, with the higher risk being found in the latter.