The Guarda Structure is a circular structure located in the Iberian Massif, just northeast of the city Guarda, Portugal. The structure has a diameter of ± 35km and is formed in Variscan granitoids. Monteiro (1991) suggested that the Guarda Structure is a deeply eroded complex multi-ring impact crater. He mentioned that the circular topography and the hydrographic pattern in combination with decorated planar features in quartz crystals are evidence for an impact crater centered at 40˚ 37'N and 7˚ 6'W. However, convincing evidence is missing and it remains unclear whether the Guarda Structure is an impact crater. During this study, field data and rock samples were collected in the Guarda Structure and detailed light microscopy and SEM-analyses were done on potential shock microstructures in quartz, zircon and monazite, to prove whether the Guarda Structure is an impact crater or not. Typical impact rocks and impact geology were not found in the Guarda Structure. Compared to minerals from confirmed craters, quartz, zircon and monazite from the Guarda Structure lack all forms of shock microstructures. The circular topography of the structure and the associated circular drainage pattern could be formed due to lithology differences within the Guarda Structure or due to a dome-like structure. Light microscope analyses are good methods to study planar shock microstructures (PMs) in zircon and monazite. PMs in zircon probably develop over a wide shock pressure range >10-35 GPa, but show also some restrictions, since PMs mainly form in zircons that are >100 μm. Shocked monazites contain three types of PMs and granular texture that probably start to develop at shock pressures between >10-15 GPa and >30 GPa respectively.


Learning Objectives: Ceftaroline is a fifth generation cephalosporin with broad spectrum activity including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Concern exists for resistance in treating infections from Enterobacteriaceae via AmpC β-lactamase induction. Methods: A 54-year-old male with a history of diabetes and hypertension presented with sepsis with multiple sources of infection. His imaging showed multiple cavitary lung nodules suggesting septic emboli. Vancomycin and piperacillin-tazobactam were started and blood cultures grew MRSA. On day 3, he was intubated for respiratory failure and initiated on vasopressors on day 4 for septic shock. Despite treatment with vancomycin blood cultures remained positive daily. The patient's vancomycin level was therapeutic throughout this time and source control was unable to be obtained. On day 7, respiratory and blood cultures grew Enterobacter aerogenes. Vancomycin was discontinued and ceftaroline was initiated for MRSA treatment failure and to cover E. aerogenes. Expanded susceptibilities demonstrated E. aerogenes susceptible to ceftaroline. Repeat blood cultures were negative for E. aerogenes. Daptomycin was added for synergy with ceftaroline on day 14 after persistent MRSA-positive blood cultures. The patient required intermittent vasopressor support for shock. His blood cultures were negative after the antibiotic change. An epidural abscess was found on day 18. On day 20, the patient had a respiratory culture that grew E. aerogenes concerning for AmpC β-lactamase production. Resistance to ceftaroline was reported in expanded susceptibilities. Ciprofloxacin was added at this point and was changed five days later to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SMX/TMP) due to another respiratory culture growing resistant Escherichia coli. The patient remained on SMX/TMP for a total of 2 weeks and continued on daptomycin and ceftaroline for MRSA bacteremia. A transesophageal echocardiography performed on day 24 revealed no vegetations and imaging on day 25 demonstrated interval resolution of the epidural abscess. The patient was extubated on day 26 and transferred to a medical floor two days later. He was subsequently discharged on combination therapy for MRSA to complete a 6 week course for endocarditis. Results: Lack of data and experience exist using ceftaroline for infections caused by AmpC-producing Enterobacteriaceae. This case demonstrates potential for development of resistance and treatment failure when using ceftaroline for these infections.


Feature importance aims at measuring how crucial each input feature is for model prediction. It is widely used in feature engineering, model selection and explainable artificial intelligence (XAI). In this paper, we propose a new tree-model explanation approach for model selection. Our novel concept leverages the Coefficient of Variation of a feature weight (measured in terms of the contribution of the feature to the prediction) to capture the dispersion of importance over samples. Extensive experimental results show that our novel feature explanation performs better than general cross validation method in model selection both in terms of time efficiency and accuracy performance.


Imaging of the painful forefoot has advanced rapidly in the previous 20 years, with the development of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and dynamic musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSKUS). Each modality has its strengths and weaknesses, as outlined later. Diagnoses are made at the time of the MSKUS scan and images are taken to demonstrate any abnormality, whereas MR diagnoses are made from a predetermined series of image sequences. Musculoskeletal ultrasound has the advantage of clinical input, whereas MR images are more anatomical and show areas MSKUS cannot, such as joints and bone marrow. Whatever the modality used, a comprehensive request form with all relevant clinical information will aid radiologists in their assessment. Plain x-rays are also considered mandatory for all patients being imaged.


Members of the genus Frankia have been classified in the order Actinomycetales on the basis of morphology, cell chemistry, and 16S rRNA sequences and catalogs. This genus, which is presently defined by morphology, cell chemistry, the ability to fix nitrogen, and infectivity for and ability to enter into symbiotic relationships with certain plant hosts, may be heterogeneous. Frankia species groups have been difficult to delineate by classical phenotypic methods. The recent use of DNA-DNA pairing and low-frequency restriction fragment analysis, as well as probes composed of certain sequences from the nif (nitrogen fixation) genes or the variable regions of 16S rRNA, has contributed to substantial progress in developing species concepts. In this review I trace the taxonomic history of the genus and outline some of the problems to be resolved in the future.


Surface heat transfer of a fully developed turbulent air flow in a inclined ribbed square duct with two and four heating walls was experimentally investigated, at which the experimental works were peformed for Reynolds numbers ranging from 7,600 to 26,000. The pitch-to-rib height ratio, p/e, was kept at 8 and rib-height-to-channel hydraulic diameter ratio, was kept at 0.0667. The channel length-to-hydraulic diameter ratio, was 60. The heat transfer coefficient values were decreased with the increase in the number of heat-ing walls. Results of this investigation could be used in various applications of internal channel turbulent flow involving roughened walls.


This thesis presents a systematic discourse analysis of sustained antagonistic debate—called 'drama'—on the video-sharing website, YouTube. Following a two-year observation of a YouTube community of practice discussing Christianity and atheism, 20 video 'pages' (including talk from videos and text comments) from a drama event were identified and transcribed, producing a 86,859 word corpus comprising 136 minutes of video talk and 1,738 comments. Using metaphor-led discourse analysis (Cameron & Maslen, 2010b) of the total corpus, metaphor vehicles were identified, coded, and grouped by semantic and narrative relationships to identify systematic use and trace the development of discourse activity. Close discourse analysis of a subset of the corpus was then employed to investigate membership categorisation (Housley & Fitzgerald, 2002), impoliteness (Culpeper, 2011), and positioning (Harre & van Langenhove, 1998), providing a systematic description of different factors contributing to the emergence of 'drama'.
Analysis shows that 'drama' developed when negative views of one user's impolite words exposed the different expectations of other users about acceptable YouTube interaction. Hyperbolic, metaphorical language derived from the Bible and narratives about tragic historical events often exaggerated, escalated, and extended negative evaluations of others. Categories like 'Christian' were used dynamically to connect impolite words and actions of individuals to social groups, thereby also extending negative evaluations.
With implications for understanding 'flaming' and transgression of social norms in web 2.0 environments, this thesis concludes that inflammatory language led to 'drama' because: (1) users had diverse expectations about social interaction and organisation, (2) users drew upon the Bible's moral authority to support opposing actions, and (3) the online platform's technical features afforded immediate reactions to non-present others. The 'drama' then developed when users' responses to one another created both additional topics for antagonistic debate and more disagreement about which words and actions were acceptable.


As part of a program to reduce numbers of the human pathogen Campylobacter on retail chickens twenty-two broiler processing lines, representing over 90% of United Kingdom (UK) production, were characterized by enumerating Campylobacter on pooled neck skins after the exsanguination, scalding, defeathering, evisceration, crop removal, inside-outside washing, and air-chilling stages of processing.  Sixteen of the processing lines investigated showed significant (p<0.05) reductions in Campylobacter numbers because of carcass scalding.  However, in all these lines, the following defeathering stage caused a significant increase in Campylobacter contamination that effectively negated the reductions caused by scalding.  On four processing lines, primary chilling also caused a significant reduction in numbers of Campylobacter.  On three lines, there was a significant microbiological benefit from inside-outside (I/O) washing.  The stages where Campylobacter numbers were reduced require further investigations to determine the specific mechanisms responsible so that the observed pathogen reductions can be optimized, and more widely implemented. The transfer of up to 4 log cfu Campylobacter per gram of neck skin from a colonized flock to a following uncolonized flock was observed.  The cross contamination was substantial and still detectable after 5,000 carcasses from an uncolonized flock had been processed.  The numbers of Campylobacter recovered from the uncolonized flocks were highest on the first of the uncolonized birds to pass along the line and, in general, numbers fell as more uncolonized birds were processed.  Air sampling recovered low numbers at the processing stages monitored, indicating that airborne transmission was unlikely to be the primary transfer mechanism operating for cross-contamination between flocks.


Service-oriented architectures are the upcoming business standard for realizing enterprise information systems, thus creating a need for analysis and design methods that are truly service-oriented. Most research on this topic so far takes a strict software engineering perspective. Separation of the business choices and technical choices is necessary in order to achieve the real benefit of service-oriented architecture. In this dissertation, she proposes a service design framework which starts from business level. The framework mainly consists of business service and resource modeling (BSRM) language with a new notation and business service patterns. The proposed language is based on well-established business ontology. The usability of the business service model is further strengthened by proposing an integration method of business service patterns in web service discovery. Three empirical case studies were carried out to demonstrate the proposed conceptual framework.


The goal of predicting student behavior on the immediate next action has been investigated by researchers for many years. However, a fair question is whether this research question is worth all of the attention it has received. This paper investigates predicting student performance after a delay of 5 to 10 days, to determine whether, and when, the student will retain the material seen. Although this change in focus sounds minor, two aspects make it interesting. First, the factors influencing retention are different than those influencing short-term performance. Specifically, we found that the number of student correct and incorrect responses were not reliable predictors of long-term performance. This result is in contrast to most student-modeling efforts on predicting performance on the next response. Second, we argue that answering the question of whether a student will retain a skill is more useful for guiding decision making of intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) than predicting correctness of next response. We introduce an architecture that identifies two research topics that are meaningful for ITS decision making. Our experiments found one feature in particular that was relevant for student retention: the number of distinct days in which a student practiced a skill. This result provides additional evidence for the spaced practice effect, and suggests our models need to be aware of features known to impact retention.


ABSTRACT The coping process was examined in a group of Israeli subjects experiencing SCUD missile attacks during the Persian Gulf War. We were interested in examining the relationship of coping resources, optimism, perceived control, and coping strategies, to anxiety, to physical symptoms, and to cognitive functioning during a real crisis. Data were gathered via structured questionnaires in the midst of the Persian Gulf War (February 1991) on a sample of 261 adult respondents residing in northern Israel. Although people reported a mixture of palliative and active coping strategies, it was the use of palliative coping efforts that predicted greater anxiety and physical symptoms. Subjects with greater coping resources used more palliative and active coping strategies and had higher cognitive functioning. However, active coping did not predict any of the negative stress reactions (i.e., anxiety and physical symptoms). People who perceived being in control of the situation reported using less palliative coping and fewer symptoms. That active coping did not predict negative stress reactions may have been a function of the severity of the stressor, and the resultant high levels of anxiety that were engendered. Overall, these findings do point to a different coping process in a grave and ongoing disaster situation than that reported in reaction to more normal life events.


This paper addresses the behavior and strength of structural walls with a concrete compressive strength exceeding 69 MPa. This information also enhances the current database for improvement of design recommendations. The objectives of this investigation are to study the effect of axial-load ratio on seismic behavior of high-strength concrete flexural walls. An analysis has been carried out in order to assess the contribution of deformation components, i.e., flexural, diagonal shear, and sliding shear on total displacement. The results from the analysis are then utilized to evaluate the prevailing inelastic deformation mode in each of wall. Moment-curvature characteristics, ductility and damage index are quantified and discussed in relation with axial stress levels. Experimental results show that axial-load ratio have a significant effect on the flexural strength, failure mode, deformation characteristics and ductility of high-strength concrete structural walls.


The aim of this paper is to estimate hair copper and zinc levels in schizophrenic and depressed patients and to correlate these levels to the severity of schizophrenia and major depressive disorder. The study was carried on 80 male and female persons with their ages between 20 -40 years. Twenty of them were healthy and helped as control, 30 were suffering from schizophrenia (group I) and 30 were suffering from major depressive disorder (group II). Exclusion criteria included pregnancy, another co-morbid psychiatric disorders and drugs known to affect trace element metabolism. Approximately 100 mg of scalp hair samples were cut from each person. Zinc and copper levels in the hair samples were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry after wet ashing. The mean hair copper level was significantly higher in both schizophrenic patients (group I) and depressed patients (group II) when compared with their corresponding mean level in healthy control group. On the other hand, the mean hair zinc level was significantly lower in both schizophrenic patients (group I) and depressed patients (group II) when compared with its mean level in the healthy control group. In depressed patients, the mean hair copper level was insignificantly higher while, the mean hair zinc level was significantly lower when compared with their corresponding mean level in schizophrenic patients. From these results, it can be concluded that copper excess and zinc deficiency may have a role in the pathogenesis of either schizophrenia and/ or depressive disorders. It can also be concluded that zinc deficiency may have more important role in inducing depressive disorders. So, it is recommended to evaluate both copper and zinc hair and serum levels in schizophrenic and depressed patients especially in those resistant to the traditional therapy measures. Moreover, this may have a prognostic value. It is recommended also to use zinc supplementation during antidepressant therapy as it may improve response to therapy and/ or decrease the antidepressant dose that can minimize the side effects.


Abstract. The reliability of a computer program simulating rockfall trajectory depends on the ascertainment of reasonable values for the coefficients of restitution, which typically vary with the kinematic parameters and terrain conditions. The effects of the impact angle on the coefficients of restitution have been identified and studied using laboratory experiments. However, the laboratory tests performed to date have largely been limited to a small scale. This paper presents the results of a medium-scale laboratory test on the coefficients of restitution for spherical polyhedrons impacting concrete slabs. The specimens were made of natural limestone, and the motion trajectories were recorded by a 3D motion capture system. The normal coefficient of restitution Rn and the impact angle α are highly correlated. Comparisons between the results of existing tests and our experiments demonstrate that certain general rules regarding the effect of the impact angle hold regardless of the test scales and conditions. Increasing the impact angle will induce reductions in the values of R n and the energy coefficient of restitution R E , whereas it will have a significant impact on the tangential coefficient of restitution R t . A small impact angle will likely cause the rebound angle to exceed the impact angle, which typically causes a higher Rn and lower R E . This phenomenon leads to extreme scatter in the measured data under the conditions of a small impact angle and hinders the prediction of the rockfall trajectory.


Renal involvement in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis is characterized by focal segmental crescentic and/or necrotizing glomerulonephritis. Here, we report the case of a 66-year-old woman showing myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCA positivity and mononeuritis multiplex whose kidney biopsy revealed severe and diffuse tubulointerstitial nephritis despite the fact that crescentic necrotizing glomerulonephritis was focal. The mechanism of tubulointerstitial injury in ANCA-associated vasculitis remains unclear. Further studies are necessary to confirm the relationship between diffuse tubulointerstitial nephritis and ANCA-associated vasculitis.


1.Compliance with conservation legislation requires knowledge on the behaviour, abundance and distribution of protected species. Seal life history is characterized by a combination of marine foraging and a requirement to haul out on a solid substrate for reproduction and moulting. Thus understanding the use of haul out sites, where seals are counted, as well as their at-sea movements is crucial for designing effective monitoring and management plans.
2.This study used satellite transmitters deployed on 24 harbour seals in western Scotland to examine movements and haul-out patterns.
3.The proportion of time harbour seals spent hauled out (daily means of between 11 and 27%) varied spatially, temporally and according to sex. The mean haul-out duration was 5 h, with a maximum of over 24 h.
4.Patterns of movement were observed at two geographical scales; while some seals travelled over 100 km, 50% of trips were within 25 km of a haul-out site. These patterns are important for the identification of a marine component to designated protected areas for the species.
5.On average seals returned to the haul-out sites they last used during 40% of trips, indicating a degree of site fidelity, though there was wide variation between different haul-out sites (range 0% to >75%).
6.Low fidelity haul-out sites could form a network of land-based protected areas, while high fidelity sites might form appropriate management units.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The study aims to model the distribution of motorcycle departures from the parking lot at peak times with the Poisson process approach. This process involves a discrete number of departures and continuous interdeparture time. The probability distribution candidate was selected to model the data according to the data nature, the stochastic process, and the empirical observation of the departure process. Parameters are estimated using the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) method and the bootstrapping procedure to construct confidence intervals for the parameter. The goodness-of-fit test is applied to select the best probability distribution that matches empirical data. Inferences to the distribution parameters suggest that Weibull's distribution is more appropriate for describing the motorcycle's inter-departure time. The number of motorcycle departures fits significantly into a negative binomial distribution. The results of the study concluded that the Poisson process applied was a case of overdispersion, with the motorcycle departure rate decreasing over time.Keywords: Bootstrapping, departure, distribution, goodness-of-fit, PoissonMSC2020: 60E05


Compressor stations utilizing large-bore natural gas engines transport natural gas through pipelines worldwide. One emission class regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are nonmethane, nonethane, nonaldehyde hydrocarbons. The combination of a gas chromatograph (GC) and a flame ionization detector (FID) can measure VOCs, following EPA Method 18/25A. The Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) also measures VOCs, following EPA Method 320. Multiple VOC calculation techniques are utilized, some combining measurements from separate analyzers. Two basic methods of extracting exhaust gas are direct extraction and Tedlar bag sampling. In this study, various VOC quantification methods are evaluated. Exhaust gas was sampled from a Cooper-Bessemer GMV lean-burn engine and a Caterpillar G3304 rich-burn engine. The GMV was tested in three configurations: open chamber spark ignition, precombustion chamber (PCC) ignition, and PCC ignition with high-pressure fuel injection. Ignition timing sweeps were performed on both engines, and a fuel variability test was performed on the GMV. Results showed that the Gasmet and MKS FTIRs' (Method 320) VOC measurements deviate significantly from the HP GC when measuring low molar concentrations, albeit below regulatory limits. A common VOC quantification approach is subtracting the sum of methane and ethane FTIR measurements from a total hydrocarbon measurement utilizing a FID. This method produces uncertainties of 190% and overestimates VOC concentration by an average of 100%. The Tedlar bag sampling method produced VOC measurements within −2% of the direct extraction method.


The success of deep learning in speaker recognition relies heavily on the use of large datasets. However, the data-hungry nature of deep learning methods has already being questioned on account the ethical, privacy, and legal concerns that arise when using large-scale datasets of natural speech collected from real human speakers. For example, the widely-used VoxCeleb2 dataset for speaker recognition is no longer accessible from the official website. To mitigate these concerns, this work presents an initiative to generate a privacy-friendly synthetic VoxCeleb2 dataset that ensures the quality of the generated speech in terms of privacy, utility, and fairness. We also discuss the challenges of using synthetic data for the downstream task of speaker verification.


Context: Mutations in Cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) cause a form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). We are reporting a novel R550W mutation in POR identified in a 46, XX patient with signs of aromatase deficiency. Objective: Analysis of aromatase deficiency from R550W mutation in POR. Design, Setting, and Patient: Both the child and the mother had signs of virilization. Ultrasound revealed the presence of uterus and ovaries. No defects in CYP19A1 were found, but further analysis with a targeted Disorders of Sexual Development NGS panel (DSDSeq.V1, 111 genes) on a NextSeq (Illumina) platform in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain, revealed compound heterozygous mutations c.73_74delCT/p.L25FfsTer93 and c.1648C>T/p.R550W in POR. WT and R550W POR were produced as recombinant proteins and tested with multiple cytochrome P450 enzymes at University Children's Hospital, Bern, Switzerland. Main Outcome Measure and Results: R550W POR showed 41% of the WT activity in cytochrome c and 7.7% activity for reduction of MTT. Assays of CYP19A1 showed a severe loss of activity and CYP17A1, as well as CYP21A2 activities, were also lost by more than 95%. Loss of CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP3A4 activities was observed for the R550W-POR. Predicted adverse effect on aromatase activity as well as a reduction in binding of NADPH was confirmed. Conclusions: Pathological effects due to POR R550W were identified, expanding the knowledge of molecular pathways associated with aromatase deficiency. Screening of the POR gene may provide a diagnosis in CAH without defects in genes for steroid metabolizing enzymes.


Abstract In this Review article, recent progress in matter of graphene oxide (GO) synthesis and its functionalization via a vast range of materials, including small molecules, polymers, and biomolecules, were reported and systematically summarized in order to overcome the inherent drawbacks of GO nanocarriers and thereby make these nanocarriers suitable for delivering chemotherapeutic agents, genes, and short interfering RNAs. Briefly, this work describes current strategies for the large scale production of GO and modification of graphene-based nanocarriers surfaces through practical chemical approaches, improving their biocompatibility and declining their toxicity. It also describes the most relevant cases of study suitable to demonstrate the role of graphene and graphene derivatives (GD) as nanocarrier for anti-cancer drugs and genes (e.g. miRNAs). Moreover, the controlled release mechanisms within the cell compartments and blood pH for targeted therapeutics release in the acidic environment of tumor cells or in intracellular compartments are mentioned and explored.


ABSTRACT: Purpose: Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Pre-hospital care and transportation time may impact their outcomes. Methods: Using the British Columbia Trauma Registry, we included 2,860 adult (≥18 years) patients with severe TBI (abbreviated injury scale head score ≥4), who were admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) in a centre with neurosurgical services from January 1, 2000 to March 31, 2013. We evaluated the impact of transportation time (time of injury to time of arrival at a neurosurgical trauma centre) on in-hospital mortality and discharge disposition, adjusting for age, sex, year of injury, injury severity score (ISS), revised trauma score at the scene, location of injury, socio-economic status and direct versus indirect transfer. Results: Patients had a median age of 43 years (interquartile range [IQR] 26–59) and 676 (23.6%) were female. They had a median ISS of 33 (IQR 26–43). Median transportation time was 80 minutes (IQR 40–315). ICU and hospital length of stay were 6 days (IQR 2–12) and 20 days (IQR 7–42), respectively. Six hundred and ninety-six (24.3%) patients died in hospital. After adjustment, there was no significant impact of transportation time on in-hospital mortality (odds ratio 0.98, 95% confidence interval 0.95–1.01). There was also no significant effect on discharge disposition. Conclusions: No association was found between pre-hospital transportation time and in-hospital mortality in critically ill patients with severe TBI.


Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the single dose toxicity with oral administration and genotoxicities of Ssanghwa-tang fermented with Lactobacillus acidophyllus. Materials and Methods: Clinical signs, weight changes, lethal doses(LD50), and postmortem evaluation were determined by Globally Harmonized Classification System(GHCS) in a single-dose oral toxicity study. In vitro mammalian chromosomal aberration test was conducted with Ames test by cell proliferation suppression assessment using the cultivated CHO-K1(Chinese hamster ovary fibroblast) origins. Bacterial reversion assay was performed using Salmonella typhimurium (TA98, TA100, TA1535, and TA1537) and Escherichia coli (WP2uvrA). In vivo micronucleus test was performed using ICR mouse bone marrow. Results: No clinical sign was observed and none of the groups with doses up to 2000 mg/kg showed significant acute oral toxicity in the single dose oral administration. None of the sample doses taken during the 6 to 18 hour groups showed significant aberrant metaphases comparing to the negative control group in the in vitro mammalian chromosomal aberration test. No evidence of mutagenicity was seen for Escherichia coli (WP2uvrA) or Salmonella typhimurium (TA98, TA100, TA1535, and TA1537). No significant increase in the frequency of micronuclei was seen in the micronucleus test. Conclusion: These results indicate that the LD50 value of Ssanghwa-Tang fermented with Lactobacillus acidophyllus may be over 2000 mg/kg and it have no acute oral toxicity and genotoxicity.


The authors report a case of painful joint, para-articular and muscular involvement accompanying acne conglobata. Fifteen other cases of rheumatism associated with this very special type of acne have been reported. The patients affected are young men suffering from acne conglobata (severe form of acne characterised by its ulcerating course and the possibility of its being accompanied by systemic manifestations), who suddenly develop fever, an altered general state and assymetrical arthralgia involving mainly the large joints, accompanied by signs of muscular involvement. The course is one of spontaneous recovery, relapses being possible. This falls within the context of the group of rheumatic disorders associated with the signs of an inflammatory skin disease.


In article are brought results, got in the course of development and approbations of the ways of increasing efficiency of diagnostic analysis parameter, registered in process of the usages GTE, using the method of moving average.


If the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus were built up uniquely from unipolar, big cells, its extension in man would be greater than hitherto admitted: on both sides of the mesencephalic tract, mingled with cells of the locus ceruleus, and in the superior medullary velum. In all sites, beside unipolar cells there are always a few bi- and multipolar cells in the constitution of the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus. The big cells of this nucleus are not perfectly spherical, as often suggested, but always somewhat flattened. Many synaptic boutons lie on their perikarion and their unique process.


Basing on humans' gradually development and understanding the existence of Love as well as on the theory of evolution of animal species, the aim of the present study, has been focused on the neurohormonal origins of Love as they arise in vertebrates' origin (fish) and in their present stage (humans). Starting from the most ancient humans' approach, related to the way of the creation of feelings and meanings of Love, the development of its philosophical-historical and religion expressions and definitions have been outlined and highlighted. However, more specifically, the biological sequence and the language of Love, defined by the presently available data concerning the involvement of molecules of neuroendocrinological action in both fish and humans, have been examined from the mating-reproduction, friendship-social behavior and altruism points of view.


Implicit deep learning architectures, like Neural ODEs and Deep Equilibrium Models (DEQs), sep-arate the definition of a layer from the description of its solution process. While implicit layers allow features such as depth to adapt to new scenarios and inputs automatically, this adaptivity makes its computational expense challenging to predict. Numerous authors have noted that implicit layer techniques can be more computationally intensive than explicit layer methods. In this manuscript, we address the question: is there a way to simultaneously achieve the robustness of implicit layers while allowing the reduced computational expense of an explicit layer? To solve this we develop Skip DEQ, an implicit-explicit (IMEX) layer that simultaneously trains an explicit prediction followed by an implicit correction. We show that training this explicit layer is free and even decreases the training time by 2.5x and prediction time by 3.4x. We then further increase the "implicitness" of the DEQ by redefining the method in terms of an infinite time neural ODE which paradoxically decreases the training cost over a standard neural ODE by not requiring backpropagation through time. We demonstrate how the resulting Continuous Skip DEQ architecture trains more robustly than the original DEQ while achieving faster training and prediction times. Together, this manuscript shows how bridging the dichotomy of implicit and explicit deep learning can combine the advantages of both techniques.


In this paper we evaluate the spectrum of the pregalactic density field on scales 1 h-1 Mpc < r < 100 h-1 Mpc from a variety of astronomical data. We start with the APM data on the projected angular correlation function, w(θ), in six narrow magnitude bins and check whether possible evolutionary effects can affect inversion of the w(θ) data in terms of the underlying power spectrum. This is done by normalizing to the angular correlation function on small scales where the underlying three-dimensional galaxy correlation function, ξ(r) is known. Using the Automatic Plate Measuring Facility (APM) data in narrow magnitude bins allows us to test the various fits to the APM data power spectrum more accurately. We find that for linear scales r > 10 h-1 Mpc, the Baugh & Efstathiou spectrum of galaxy distribution gives the best fit to the data at all depths. Fitting power spectra of cold dark matter (CDM) models to the data at all depths requires Ωh = 0.2 if the primordial index n = 1 and Ωh = 0.3 if the spectrum is tilted with n = 0.7. Next we compare the peculiar velocity field predicted by the APM spectrum of galaxy (light) distribution with the actual velocity data. The two fields are consistent, and the comparison suggests that the bias factor is scale independent with Ω0.6/b ≃ (0.2–0.4). These steps enable us to fix the pregalactic mass-density field on scales between 10 and ~100 h-1 Mpc. The next data set we use to determine the pregalactic density field comes from the cluster correlation data. We calculate in detail the amplification of the cluster correlation function due to gravitational clustering and use the data on both the slope of the cluster correlation function and its amplitude-richness dependence. Cluster masses are normalized using the Coma Cluster. We find that no CDM model can fit all three data sets: APM data on w(θ), the data on cluster correlation function, and the data on the latter's amplitude-richness dependence. Next we show that the data on the amplitude-richness dependence can be used directly to obtain the spectrum of the pregalactic density field. Applying the method to the data, we recover the density field on scales between 5 and 25 h-1 Mpc whose slope is in good agreement with the APM data on the same scales. Requiring the two amplitudes to coincide fixes the value of Ω to be 0.25–0.3 in agreement with observations of the dynamics of the Coma Cluster. We then use the data on high-z objects to constrain the small-part, (1–5) h-1 Mpc of the pregalactic density field. We argue that the data at high redshifts require more power than given by CDM models normalized to the APM and cluster data. Then we reconstruct the pregalactic density field out of which modern-day galaxies have formed. We use the data on blue absolute luminosities, the fundamental plane relations, and the latest X-ray data on the halo velocity dispersion. From this we recover the pregalactic density field on comoving scales between 1 and 5 h-1 Mpc, which is in reasonable agreement with the simple power-law extrapolation from the larger scales.


Fetal sex-specific differences in placental morphology and physiology have been associated with sexually dimorphic health outcomes. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these sex differences are not well understood. We performed whole genome bisulfite sequencing in 133 placenta samples and discovered a significant difference in DNA methylation (DNAm) at the ZNF300 gene locus between male and female offspring and replicated this result in 6 independent datasets. Additionally, the sex-specific pattern appears to be placenta-specific, is robust to a wide range of gestational ages and adverse health outcomes and is present in sorted placenta villous cytotrophoblast cells. Integration of DNAm, genetic, and placental morphology data from the same individuals revealed ZNF300 methylation is also associated with placenta area, perimeter, and max diameter, genetic variants on chromosomes 5 and X, and may mediate the effects of genetic variation on placental area.


As the belief of the beholder in an exchange about the obligations that another party should have, interorganizational psychological contract (IPC) from a micro perspective provides a new angle to study interorganizational relationship (IOR). This paper studies the interrelation and coevolution of IORs and IPCs by building a system dynamics (SD) model. Firstly based on the structural analysis of the interrelations of IPC and IOR, this paper builds the qualitative causal loop diagram of the interrelations. Based on investigation of 55 manufacturing enterprises in China we further draw the stock and flow diagram. Then we apply the data of Jiangxi Motors Co., Ltd., to simulate the model. The results reveal the development and evolution of IORs and IPCs and their interrelations. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis is conducted and the influences of trust on IORs and IPCs are discussed. Finally managerial implications and some recommendations are provided for the decision-making of developing IORs.


Background: Water-borne diseases are the most common cause of illness and death among the poor population from developing countries. The majority of the people are inadequately aware that aquatic environment is a major source of salmonellosis. Dar es Salaam city is among the cities with most of its population live in squatter. Typhoid fever ranks second with 14.3% of all notifiable disease cases in the city. The city experience water scarcity which forces water wells and rivers to become the main sources of water for domestic use and livestock. This study therefore, characterized Salmonella strains from different water bodies of city as possible sources for enteric diseases endemicity. Methods: The Salmonella Chromogenic Agar (SC Agar) and Kligler Iron Agar (KIA) media were used for isolation and enumeration of the strains. The inoculated cultures were incubated at 37 0 C for 24 hours. Salmonella colonies were confirmed by magenta colorations and hydrogen sulfide production on SC Agar and KIA Agar, respectively. The Analytical Profile Index 20 Enterobacteriaceae kit (API 20E kit) was used to identify Salmonella species. Results: Based on the API 20E kit, the identified Salmonella species from different water bodies were Salmonella ser. paratyphi A (96.9%), Salmonella cholelaesuis spp choleraesuis (99.5%) and Salmonella typhi (99.9%). Conclusion: This study shows that shallow wells and rivers which are mainly used by the city dwellers were highly contaminated with Salmonella and were more contaminated than deep wells and marine water bodies. This warrants further investigation on the disease mapping in the urban and peri-urban areas.


Neuronal spiking activity in cortical circuits is often temporally structured by collective rhythms. Rhythmic activity has been hypothesized to regulate temporal coding and to mediate the flexible routing of information flow across the cortex. Spiking neuronal circuits, however, are non-linear systems that, through chaotic dynamics, can amplify insignificant microscopic fluctuations into network-scale response variability. In nonlinear systems in general, rhythmic oscillatory drive can induce chaotic behavior or boost the intensity of chaos. Thus, neuronal oscillations could rather disrupt than facilitate cortical coding functions by flooding the finite population bandwidth with chaotically-boosted noise. Here we tackle a fundamental mathematical challenge to characterize the dynamics on the attractor of effectively delayed network models. We find that delays introduce a transition to collective oscillations, below which ergodic theory measures have a stereotypical dependence on the delay so far only described in scalar systems and low-dimensional maps. We demonstrate that the emergence of internally generated oscillations induces a complete dynamical reconfiguration, by increasing the dimensionality of the chaotic attractor, the speed at which nearby trajectories separate from one another, and the rate at which the network produces entropy. We find that periodic input drive leads to a dramatic increase of chaotic measures at a the resonance frequency of the recurrent network. However, transient oscillatory input only has a moderate role on the collective dynamics. Our results suggest that simple temporal dynamics of the mean activity can have a profound effect on the structure of the spiking patterns and therefore on the information processing capability of neuronal networks.


The role of hormones that can influence renal tubular reabsorption of salt and water in congestive heart failure and other states of abnormal fluid retention has been discussed. Available evidence indicates that the antidiuretic hormone of the neurohypophysis plays a nonessential role in the pathogenesis of edema. Oversecretion of aldosterone can be an important, or even an essential, mechanism in the pathogenesis of certain states of edema, such as those of nephrosis and cirrhosis. Advanced congestive heart failure, however, can occur with a normal or only a moderately elevated rate of aldosterone secretion. The observations perhaps suggest that more immediate hemodynamic consequences of heart failure, such as a reduced glomerular filtration rate, also play an important role in causing renal retention of sodium. Increased aldosterone secretion is provoked by an unidentified hemodynamic consequence of cardiac decompensation. When oversecretion occurs, it undoubtedly adds to circulatory embarrassment by promoting more sodium retention. An understanding of the exact role of aldosterone in heart failure awaits clarification of the fundamental problem of the mechanisms involved in the normal control of the secretion of the hormone. Studies of other diseases have yielded helpful clues in this latter regard. The finding of oversecretion of aldosterone in malignant nephrosclerosis led to the demonstration that angiotensin is a potent stimulus to aldosterone secretion and to the suggestion that sodium balance may be regulated by a renal-adrenal (angiotensin-aldosterone) mechanism, which is deranged in malignant hypertension. Recent studies in our laboratory have been designed to determine whether increased amounts of circulating angiotensin could be responsible for the oversecretion of aldosterone of typical secondary aldosteronism. In a model state of secondary aldosteronism (cirrhosis with ascites), it has been found that the pressor responsiveness to infused angiotensin is reduced, a finding that could explain the absence of manifest arterial hypertension even if angiotensin were present in increased amounts in secondary aldosteronism. Angiotensin also failed to increase the rate of aldosterone secretion in cirrhosis with ascites. This might mean that the adrenal cortex is maximally engaged by increased amounts of endogenous trophic hormone (? angiotensin). In further contrast to its effects in normal subjects, in cirrhosis with ascites angiotensin caused a marked natriuresis by modifying the renal tubular reabsorption of sodium. The very potent effects of angiotensin on sodium transport also raised the possibility that an intrarenal action for this substance may be physiologically more important than its effect on aldosterone release. Thus far, crucial experiments are lacking, and other interpretations are possible. It remains to be shown that increased amounts of renin or of angiotensin appear in the circulation of either sodium-depleted normal subjects or patients forming edema. The observations to date suggest, however, that a renal humoral factor (? angiotensin) may beinvolved in the normal regulation of sodium balance and in the pathogenesis of various states of fluid retention. Furthermore, this renal factor may mediate various stimuli that are known to increase aldosterone secretion to the adrenal cortex. Some critical change in the renal circulation may determine the release of this factor.


This article is designed to review proper procedure by an emergency or primary care physician when evaluating a patient with decreased hearing. It will cover the anatomy and physiology of hearing, as well as the evaluation and initial management of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.


The world is experiencing myriad crises, from global climate change to a major pandemic to runaway inequality, mass impoverishment, and rising sectarian violence. Such crises are not new, but have been recurrent features of past societies. Although these periods have typically led to massive loss of life, the failure of critical institutions, and even complete societal collapse, lessons can be learned from societies that managed to avoid the more devastating and destructive outcomes. Here, we present a preliminary analysis of outcomes from periods of crisis in 50 historical societies and examine closely four cases of averted crisis in world history, highlighting common features. A key observation is that the structural-demographic cycles that give rise to societal crises typically incorporate a 'gilded age' during which more future-minded governance could avert future crises. To accomplish more forward-thinking public policy, capable not just of 'flattening the curve', but of actually breaking the cycle that produces societal crises in the first place, we argue that systematic quantitative analysis of patterns in world history is a necessary first step.


We have designed a protocol analyzer to be used in wireless power systems and analyzed the operation of wireless chargers defined by standards of Qi of Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) and Power Matters Alliance (PMA) protocols. The integrated circuit (IC, or microchip) developed so far for wireless power transmission is not easily adopted by chargers for specific purposes. A device for measuring the performance of test equipment currently available is required to transform and expand the types of protocol. Since a protocol analyzer with these functions is required, we have developed a device that can analyze the two protocols of WPC and PMA at the same time. As a result of our research, we present a dual-mode system that can analyze the protocols of both WPC and PMA.


Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) places a high burden on patients and their family. The World Health Organization has recommended family integration in rehabilitation interventions. However, Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) programmes for COPD typically focus on patients, neglecting the family. This study aimed to explore the needs and expectations of patients with COPD and respective family carers and assess their perspectives about their participation in a PR programme. Nine patients with COPD (70±8yrs; FEV169±25%pred) and their family carers (64±11yrs) were recruited in primary care. Individual interviews were conducted to explore their needs and expectations about PR programmes. Focus groups were conducted after their participation in a PR programme. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed and submitted to content analysis. Patients and carers identified the need for more information about COPD (nP=7; nC=5) and emotional support (nP=2; nC=3), and expected PR programmes to improve their skills to manage the disease (nP=9; nC=2). A PR programme with psychoeducation and exercise training was implemented, considering these findings. Participants reported that the programme helped them to cope better with the disease and patients found their carers to be less worried and living happier (n=3). The majority of carers reported self-benefits (n=6) and stressed the importance of on-going support to help themselves and their care receivers (n=2). PR programmes inclusive of carers have the potential to enhance the skills of the whole family to manage COPD and, therefore, to promote a healthy adjustment to the disease. Future research should explore the impact of PR programmes within the family unit.


Although the southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina, that breed on Macquarie I., come ashore for only 3-5 weeks twice a year, the hind flippers of most of them are infested with the blood-sucking louse Lepidophthirus macrorhini. L. macrorhini does not oviposit, and eggs do not hatch, in water. Reproduction occurs when the elephant seal is ashore on the beach or in the adjacent tussock. The life cycle can be completed in c. 3 weeks and, because 6-9 eggs are laid daily, multiplication can be rapid. Temperatures greater than 25°C are required for rapid multiplication, and these temperatures occur more frequently on the hind flippers than elsewhere on the body. The number of L. macrorhini on a hind flipper however rarely exceeds 100. The principal causes of mortality of the lice are failure to survive the seal's prolonged stay at sea, the moult of the seal, and transmission to unfavourable sites on the seal. When an elephant seal goes to sea its skin temperature falls to nearly that of the sea. The reduction in the metabolic rate of the louse at low temperatures results in the amount of oxygen obtained from the sea by cutaneous respiration being sufficient for survival. The lice do not enter into a state of complete suspended animation, and a blood meal is required at least once a week to enable sufficient to survive to repopulate the seal. The skin temperature of a seal at sea rises more frequently on the flippers than elsewhere on the body because of the increased rate of blood flow to the flippers after diving and whenever it is necessary to dissipate heat. Consequently, there are more opportunities for the lice on the hind flippers to feed. L. macrorhini burrows into the stratum corneum, thus reducing losses to the population when the elephant seal annually sheds the outer layers of the stratum corneum attached to the hair, because only the roof of the burrow is lost. Lice do not reproduce on the older seals that moult in muddy wallows, and consequently fewer lice are found on these animals. Pups are infested within a few days of birth, and the gregarious habits of the elephant seal spread infestations through the seal population. Lice transfer to all parts of the bodies of seals but it is the multiplication of those on the flippers that maintains the louse population. The abundance of L. macrorhini is determined largely by the frequency and duration of opportunities to reproduce when the elephant seal is ashore, and to feed when the elephant seal is at sea.


In three experiments with 60, 72 and 72 housed Greyface (Border Leicester × Scottish Blackface) and Suffolk × Greyface lambs on silage-based diets, a range of barley and fish-meal supplementation levels was compared. In experiment 1, six barley levels ranging from 0 to 625 glday were offered to lambs on flail-harvested and precision-chopped silages. In each of experiments 2 and 3, three levels of barley, 200, 400 and 600 g/day, were factorially arranged with four levels of fish meal, 0, 40, 80 and 120 g/day. The daily intake of flail-harvested silage was proportionately 0·76 of that of precision-chopped silage but because of a slower rate of gain the total requirement of silage dry matter (DM) per kg carcass gain was greater with flail-harvested than with precision-chopped silage. On average, over all barley supplemented diets in experiment 1, the requirement per kg carcass gain was 9·2 kg silage DM and 4·9 kg barley DM, with flail-harvested silage, compared with 8·2 kg silage DM and 3·4 kg barley DM with precision-chopped silage. Increasing barley supplementation in experiment 1 from 125 to 625 gl day reduced the silage DM requirement for carcass gain by 4·7 kg/kg increase in barley DM given. The corresponding figure over the range 200 to 600 g barley in experiments 2 and 3 was 2·6 kg silage DM per kg increase in barley DM given. The reduction in silage requirement with increasing barley was generally greater at low than at high levels of barley supplementation within the ranges examined. On silage-based diets optimum barley supplementation level was estimated to be in the region of 500 g/day. Increasing fish-meal supplementation from 0 to 40 g/day, in experiments 2 and 3, reduced the requirement per kg carcass gain by 2·78 kg silage DM and 1·25 kg barley DM for an increase of 0·40 kg in input of fish meal DM. A further increase from 40 to 80 g/day fish meal reduced the silage DM requirement per kg carcass gain by 1·44 kg and the barley DM requirement by 0·50 kg, for an increase in input of 0·26 kg fish meal DM. A further increase to 120 g/day fish meal resulted in increases in both the silage and barley requirement per kg carcass gain. The optimum level of fish-meal supplementation was between 40 and 80 g/day and was not affected by the level of barley given. There was evidence of an increase in carcass fat at the higher levels of gain achieved through increasing barley supplementation, but no evidence of increase in carcass fat at the higher levels of gain achieved through fish-meal supplementation.


An oligophagous leaf beetle, Agelastica alni (L., 1758) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), often occurs in outbreak densities and utilizes both alders and willows in Europe. It was reported on alder and hazel in Turkey and its outbreaks on alder occur almost every year in the middle and eastern Black Sea regions of the country where hazel plantations cover huge areas. Nitrogen utilization, and degradation of some plant secondary metabolites by A. alni larvae fed with leaves of alder ( Alnus glutin osa (L.) Gaertn. ssp. g lutinosa ), babylon willow ( Salix babylonica L.) and hazel ( Corylus avellana L . ) with varying nutritional status were investigated. Larvae of this species were fed leaves of these plants that had been fertilized (NPK) and not been fertilized. Larval nitrogen utilization was determined to calculate the nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUE). The effects of some secondary metabolites of leaves of the plants on digestion efficiency of A. alni larvae were tested. It was determined that A. alni larvae balanced its nitrogen utilization to some degree, despite the increase of nitrogen content of the leaves. Although the nitrogen content changed from 2,97% to 4,33 in hazel, from 2,47 % to 3,68 in babylon willow, from 4,27 % to 5,34 in young alder, from 4,04 % to 4,66 in older alder, the efficiency of nitrogen utilization of larvae changed from 16,54% to 12,77, from 11,92 % to 13,86, 22,72 % to 24,53, and 21,09 % to 23,71, respectively. In addition, the correlation between the changed N content of the treated leaves and the nitrogen utilization of the larvae that fed on them was negative (except from the larvae fed on unfertilized leaves of C. avellana ) in all plants and treatments. The statistical analysis indicated that the approximate digestibility (AD) of the larvae was not affected by these secondary compounds (r2 A. alni larvae was determined as 33-81%. These results lead to the interpretation that metabolites had no measurable effects on A. alni larvae, or alternatively, the larvae utilized regulatory mechanisms to overcome the undesirable effects of these compounds. This study also indicated that larvae of A. alni have developed nitrogen homeostasis, which may involves a decrease of predation risk.


Questionnaires were mailed to all (464) non-government, not-for-profit and investor owned for-profit hospital pharmacies in Washington, Oregon and California. Responses were received from 350 institutions, a return rate of 75.4 percent. Pharmacists were asked to report data relating to the incidence of, the range of fees charged, and the extent of reimbursement received from third party carriers for the provision of nondistibutive pharmacy services. The data received indicate that pharmacy consultation to physicians was provided by 77.9 percent of the respondents, drug therapy monitoring by 48.1 percent, generalized patient discharge consultation by 40.8 percent, CPR team participation by 27.2 percent, in-depth patient discharge consultation by 17.5 percent and admitting medication history by 8.8 percent. Additionally, 12 institutions charged for providing 16 nondistributive pharmacy services. Directors of pharmacy from six hospitals indicated that they billed third party carriers for nondistributive pharmacy services as part of their total pharmacy charge via their usual billing procedure. All third party carriers billed in this manner paid for the nondistributive pharmacy sevice.


The issue of managing solid waste (SW), especially in the major cities, is of growing concern to the municipal organisations in India. The present performance of the system is recognised to be unsatisfactory. This paper delineates an approach to quantify the satisfaction level of the residents as a measure of performance of the system and also presents a case study in a major city. The results show the validity of the approach.


In this study, it was aimed to examine the influences of biodiesel–diesel-higher alcohol (1-pentanol, 1-hexanol, and 1-heptanol) blends on the performance, emission and combustion behaviors of a single-cylinder diesel engine. The tests were performed at a fixed speed of 1500 rpm and variable loads (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). For the tests, 80% diesel and 20% hemp seed oil biodiesel were blended and called as B20. Biodiesel fuel was produced by transesterification from hemp seed oil in the presence of methanol and potassium hydroxide for the preparation of B20 binary test fuel and other ternary fuels. Furthermore, nine ternary blend fuels [20% HSOB + 70%, 60% and 50% diesel, respectively + 10%, 20% and 30% higher alcohol (pentanol, hexanol and heptanol) respectively] were prepared. The calculations made with the experimental data revealed that the minimum brake specific energy consumption values were 12,48 MJ/kW h, 13,06 MJ/kW h, 13,27 MJ/kW h, 13,35 MJ/kW h, 13,47 MJ/kW h, and 13,59 MJ/kW h, respectively, for diesel fuel at full load, for fuels B20, B20Hx10, B20Hp10, B20Hx20 and B20Pe10, the maximum brake thermal efficiency values were obtained as 28.85%, 27.56%, 27.14%, 26.97%, 26.73% and 26.49%, respectively, for the same fuels at the same load. The increment in higher alcohol concentration in the blend delayed start of combustion and therefore the ignition delay period was prolonged. In the fuel line pressure data, changes were observed depending on the amount, viscosity and density of the fuel. Furthermore, B20Hx10 and B20Hp10 fuels gave the maximum in-cylinder pressure, heat release rate, average gas temperature and pressure rise rate values after diesel and biodiesel. The addition of biodiesel and higher alcohol to diesel fuel resulted in a decrease in NOX, CO and unburned HC and smoke emissions and an increase in CO2. NOX, CO and unburned HC values of higher alcohol blended fuels at full load showed lower results, between 3.04–22.24%, 22.85–56.35% and 5.44–22.83%, respectively, compared to diesel fuel. It can be concluded that the use of hemp seed oil biodiesel and higher alcohol in the diesel engine will make a significant contribution to the reduction of NOX emissions.


Many patients with rheumatoid arthritis have impaired gastric acid secretion and dysfunction of the lacrimal and salivary glands, conditions which have been proposed to be due to glandular atrophy. The hypothesis that the rheumatoid inflammation by itself has a depressive effect on these secretory functions was tested on 20 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis who underwent 16 weeks of sulphasalazine therapy. The patients responded well to the treatment, with reduction of joint indices and acute phase reactants. The resting and stimulated whole salivary secretion rate increased in 9/10 and 8/10 patients, respectively. The maximal gastric acid output increased in those patients who had a moderate reduction in acid output prior to treatment. When estimated by s-pepsinogen I, the gastric secretory capacity increased in all patients but one. In a group of auranofin treated patients, s-pepsinogen I rose only in those who responded to treatment with reduced disease activity. These results support the idea that the impaired secretory functions are at least partially reversible and probably also partly inflammatory mediated.


Computer hardware and software are resources without which the modern business of any organization, from manufacturing to services, is impossible. Not enough attention is being payed to maintenance of computer systems as an aspect of business. This paper gives some recommendations for the selection of the computer systems maintenance approach, based on many years of experience maintaining these systems at the University of Zenica.


Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are diagnosed with increasing frequency in recent years. Their crude annual incidence (ca. 4/100,000), is now about twice that of acute myeloid leukemias (AML). In over 70-year-old patients (age-related incidence more than 20/100,000), MDS rival CLL as the most common hematological neoplasias. Diagnosis of MDS is based on cytological and histological examination of bone marrow specimens, which may show various dysplastic features of hematopoietic precursors and an increased percentage of blast cells. In difficult cases the diagnosis of MDS is supported if cytogenetic investigation reveals an abnormal karyotype. Most patients with MDS (60 bis 80%) die from their bone marrow disorder, with infections, hemorrhages and leukemic transformation being the most frequent causes of death. Treatment must take into account the age and general condition of the individual patient as well as the natural course of his MDS. The comparatively favourable prognosis of patients with early-stage MDS should not be jeopardized by therapies carrying a high risk of treatment-related death. Therefore, treatment is often confined to supportive measures (blood transfusions, antibiotics). Patients with increased percentage of blasts, however, have such a poor prognosis that more aggressive approaches including intensive chemotherapy appear justified. Only very few patients can be treated with allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, which offers a chance for cure.


AbstractRadar returns from the ground, known as ground clutter, can contaminate weather signals, often resulting in severely biased meteorological estimates. If not removed, these contaminants may artificially inflate quantitative precipitation estimates and obscure polarimetric and Doppler signatures of weather. A ground-clutter filter is typically employed to mitigate this contamination and provide less biased meteorological-variable estimates. This paper introduces a novel adaptive filter based on the autocorrelation spectral density, which is capable of mitigating the adverse effects of ground clutter without unnecessarily degrading the quality of the meteorological data. The so-called Clutter Environment Analysis using Adaptive Processing (CLEAN-AP) filter adjusts its suppression characteristics in real time to match dynamic atmospheric environments and meets Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) clutter-suppression requirements.


Motivation has been centre of attention among teachers throughout the years because it constitutes the backbone of learning process. Learning is a complicated and dynamic process, and learning in real sense gets completed through motivation. Since will to learn builds one of the basic elements of learning, students take an important step on the road to learning through motivation. However, students may sometimes lose their willingness and interest towards lesson, which puts a major barrier in front of effective language learning. Therefore, this study is concerned with lack of motivation. To begin with, this study explores the reasons of disinterest students display towards language-learning. Next, it dwells upon the ways of promoting motivation of the students showing reluctance against foreign language learning. The teachers and students in a high school were the participants of this study. The data were collected through classroom observation, interview with teachers and questionnaire to students.


We have proposed a theoretical formalism to study the long-time diffusion behavior of nanoparticles in polymer solutions by using mode-coupling theory (MCT). The non-hydrodynamic part Dmicro of the total diffusion coefficient D is calculated in the MCT framework where the polymer dynamic scattering function Γpp(k, t) in the solution plays an important role. By introducing an approximate summation form for Γpp(k, t), where both limits of short and long length scales are properly accounted for, we can compute Dmicro straightforwardly and investigate explicitly how D depends on the volume fraction ϕ of the polymer solution, the nanoparticle size R, the degree of polymerization N, as well as the entanglement effects. For illustration, we adopt our theoretical approach to analyze the diffusion of gold nanoparticles in semidilute poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-water solutions which has been studied in detail experimentally. We find that our theoretical results show very good quantitative agreements with the experimental data in many aspects, such as the strong dependence on ϕ, the large deviation from Stokes-Einstein relation particularly for small particles, as well as the effects of the PEG molecular weight. Such good agreements clearly demonstrate the validity of our MCT framework, which may serve as a good starting point to study many more complex dynamical behaviors associated with polymer solutions.


data to support this practice have been published. One study, however, showed no significant changes in lumbar spine density in women taking oestrogen and prednisolone compared with those taking oestrogen replacement without corticosteroids,4 and another showed hormone replacement therapy to be effective in preserving bone mass in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis taking low dose corticosteroids.5 We suggest that, while more information is awaited, the likely benefit of this form of prophylaxis should be considered in these patients. STUARTJAMIESON FIONA THOMSON Lecturer in neurology Pharmacist Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southem General Hospital, Glasgow G51 4TF


Though not so much nowadays educationally exploited as it should be, toys are very useful resources in courses in science and engineering. A widely known toy, the Slinky ® , is used through this article to explain in a simple way important physical principles and to show how they have been applied for scientific and technological developments.


Abstract Petroleum is the most important resource for global energy production, far exceeding the role of coal and natural gas, the role of river energy and wind energy, and also the role of nuclear fuel. All highly industrialized countries are making great efforts to ensure the energy needs of the functioning of economies under the conditions of fierce global competition. None of the world's first 10-12 economies can give up on petroleum imports, and the exporting countries benefit from large financial resources from petroleum. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Russia and other petroleum-rich countries secure themselves significant foreign revenue for their economic development, defense and overall well-being.


The thermal properties of four nematogenic Schiff's bases, n-butyl-to-n-heptyl of bis (4-n-alkyloxybenzylidine)-2,3,5.6- tetramethyl-1, 4-phenylenediamine, have been studied. The transition temperatures and enthalpies of transition were examined by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Several correlations were carried out; those included the relations between transition temperatures, enthalpies and entropies of transition with increasing the number of carbon atoms in the terminal alkyl chains. In addition, new regular relations were found between the ratio of the enthalpies and of the entropies,  for noematic-isotropic transition and crystal-isotropic transition ( ΔΗΝ-i/AHC-I, ΔSN-1/ ASC-I ), with increasing terminal alkyl chain lengths. Many interesting conclusions, concerning the relation between the anisotropic molecular shape and the thermal properties of the above nematogens, have been arrived at.


The fine structure of the basal apparatus of cilia from respiratory epithelium has been studied in 5 subjects with immotile cilia syndrome without any specific defects in ciliary morphology. The ultrastructural analysis revealed the presence of abnormalities, heretofore undescribed, in basal bodies and accessory structures. In particular defective basal bodies of the so-called "half centriole" type, abnormal basal bodies showing an unusual dense granule in their central part, as well as abnormal accessory structures (i.e., giant striated roots, and double basal foot arising from single basal bodies) were found to be variously distributed in the patients examined. The significance of these morphological changes is discussed.


PURPOSE
Behaviour change techniques are fundamental to the development of any behaviour change intervention, but surprisingly little is known about their properties. Key questions include when, why, how, in which contexts, for which behaviours, in what combinations, compared with what, and for whom behaviour change techniques are typically effective. The aims of the present paper are to: (1) articulate the scope of the challenge in understanding the properties of behaviour change techniques, (2) propose means by which to tackle this problem, and (3) call scientists to action.

METHODS
Iterative consensus (O'Connor et al., 2020, Br. J. Psychol., e12468) was used to elicit and distil the judgements of experts on how best to tackle the problem of understanding the nature and operation of behaviour change techniques.

RESULTS
We propose a worldwide network of 'Centres for Understanding Behaviour Change' (CUBiC) simultaneously undertaking research to establish what are the single and combined properties of behaviour change techniques across multiple behaviours and populations. We additionally provide a first attempt to systematize an approach that CUBiC could use to understand behaviour change techniques and to begin to harness the efforts of researchers worldwide.

CONCLUSION
Better understanding of behaviour change techniques is vital for improving behaviour change interventions to tackle global problems such as obesity and recovery from COVID-19. The CUBiC proposal is just one of many possible solutions to the problems that the world faces and is a call to action for scientists to work collaboratively to gain deeper understanding of the underpinnings of behaviour change interventions.


As part of the development of a guide to aid the undergraduate in the selection of artificial teeth, the aim of this study was to investigate the variability in choice of dental staff to select teeth appropriate to the age and sex of the individual with the aid of a series of three-dimensional guides. Four three-dimensional guides were produced for use in the study. Fifty dentists were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to assess the variability in selection of anterior teeth appropriate for the age and sex of an individual. From this study it can be concluded that there was little consistency in the selection of the shade, mould and arrangement of anterior teeth appropriate for the age and sex of the individual by qualified dental staff. The development and implementation of an aesthetic proforma to guide dental staff, dental undergraduates and patients through the process of choosing tooth mould, shade and arrangement based on age and sex may be helpful.


This article presents a mathematical and empirical verification of computational constancy measures for natural language text. A constancy measure characterizes a given text by having an invariant value for any size larger than a certain amount. The study of such measures has a 70-year history dating back to Yule's K, with the original intended application of author identification. We examine various measures proposed since Yule and reconsider reports made so far, thus overviewing the study of constancy measures. We then explain how K is essentially equivalent to an approximation of the second-order Rényi entropy, thus indicating its signification within language science. We then empirically examine constancy measure candidates within this new, broader context. The approximated higher-order entropy exhibits stable convergence across different languages and kinds of text. We also show, however, that it cannot identify authors, contrary to Yule's intention. Lastly, we apply K to two unknown scripts, the Voynich manuscript and Rongorongo, and show how the results support previous hypotheses about these scripts.


Background: Intravenous (IV) iron sucrose can be used for iron deficiency anemia (IDA), but little information exists on total dose infusion (TDI) of this drug. At a tertiary hospital, an iron sucrose TDI protocol was implemented with staff pharmacists aiding physicians in appropriate dosing. Objectives: We sought to define the safety and efficacy of this protocol in adults ≥18 years old with IDA. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients who received iron sucrose TDI. Inclusion criteria included patients ≥18 years old who were hospitalized and received iron sucrose in doses ≥300 mg. We reviewed the medical record for adverse reactions to any TDI of iron sucrose as well as pre-TDI and post-TDI hemoglobin (Hgb) levels to assess efficacy. Results: A total of 238 patients received iron sucrose TDI for IDA during the study period. One hundred ninety-three (81%) patients were female, and the mean age in our cohort was 60.6 years. Mean pre-TDI Hgb was 8.76 g/dL. The mean total dose of iron sucrose in the total cohort was 680 mg (range: 300-2500 mg). Adverse effects attributable to iron sucrose were reported in 15 patients, with nausea being the most common effect (7/238, 2.9%). When matching patients' preadmission and postadmission records, a Hgb increase of 2.1 g/L was found (P < .001). No increase in liver function tests was found in any patient. Conclusions: A pharmacist-assisted iron sucrose TDI protocol for patients with IDA successfully increased serum Hgb and was well tolerated. Anaphylaxis was not reported.


Quantum effects resulting from sub-100 nm features in planar, field-effect-controlled semiconductor structures or devices are discussed, and experimental results are compared with calculations. These devices are based on the GaAs-AlGaAs modulation-doped field-effect transistor (MODFET) and include grating-gate lateral surface superlattices. (LSSLs), grid-gate LSSLs, planar-resonant-tunneling field-effect transistors (PRESTFETs), multiple parallel quantum wires (MPQWs), and arrays of quantum dots (QDs). In contrast to conventional, epitaxially grown vertical quantum structures, planar structures offer the opportunity for electron confinement in three, two, and one dimensions and the flexibility of electrical tuning of quantum effects. >


The present world is crippled with the pandemic coronavirus (Covid-19). The pandemic that originated in Wuhan city of China has sent every country in the world in an unprecedented situation that has social and economic impacts. This paper aims to explore whether epidemics and pandemics have any impact on consumption patterns among rural and urban consumers in India. Taking pandemic Covid-19 as a case study, it was explored how this pandemic impacted the consumption pattern of consumers in India; what are the similarities and/or differences between rural and urban consumers that are found in their consumption habits in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.,The required data was collected through questionnaires sent to respondents. Approximately 500 respondents were contacted through the mail to fill in the survey questionnaire. Despite the sincere efforts, a total of 175 complete survey questionnaires were filled in by respondents. The study used SPSS Statistics version 25 software for the analysis of data.,It was found that epidemics and pandemics have a profound impact on the pattern of consumption in India. The study reveals that consumers resort to panic buying in the initial stages of epidemics and pandemics. It was found that consumption habits of consumers went a sea change and they were spending largely on essentials only. The study also reveals that the majority of consumers would like to continue in the same consumption habits as that of during COVID-19. The consumption pattern of urban consumers witnessed more change than the consumption pattern of rural consumers. It is due to the closure of eateries and restaurants, shopping malls, movie theatres, etc., in urban areas that forced the change in the consumption pattern of urban consumers.,The research has a limitation of using a less sample size. For the generalizations, more robust studies can be conducted with more data.,The findings of the study will give marketers an insight for framing their policies in the wake of epidemics and pandemics.,The research adds to the existing body of knowledge. There are plenty of studies on the behaviour of consumers. However, there are no major studies that focus on the behaviour of consumers during the outbreak of a pandemic. So, this study fills this gap in the existing body of knowledge.


Interactions between small molecules and proteins play critical roles in regulating and facilitating diverse biological functions, yet our ability to accurately re-engineer the specificity of these interactions using computational approaches has been limited. One main difficulty, in addition to inaccuracies in energy functions, is the exquisite sensitivity of protein–ligand interactions to subtle conformational changes, coupled with the computational problem of sampling the large conformational search space of degrees of freedom of ligands, amino acid side chains, and the protein backbone. Here, we describe two benchmarks for evaluating the accuracy of computational approaches for re-engineering protein-ligand interactions: (i) prediction of enzyme specificity altering mutations and (ii) prediction of sequence tolerance in ligand binding sites. After finding that current state-of-the-art "fixed backbone" design methods perform poorly on these tests, we develop a new "coupled moves" design method in the program Rosetta that couples changes to protein sequence with alterations in both protein side-chain and protein backbone conformations, and allows for changes in ligand rigid-body and torsion degrees of freedom. We show significantly increased accuracy in both predicting ligand specificity altering mutations and binding site sequences. These methodological improvements should be useful for many applications of protein – ligand design. The approach also provides insights into the role of subtle conformational adjustments that enable functional changes not only in engineering applications but also in natural protein evolution.


The main focus of this study was the relationships between school urbanicity (size of community in which the school is located) and fifth-grade students' academic self-concepts. Using multi-level modeling methodology (HLM) we were able to investigate "school effects", net of individual students' characteristics. School urbanicity had no effect on reading, math, or general academic self-concept. School-level effects were found consistently for aggregate school achievement in reading and math, congruent with Marsh's Big-Fish-Little-Pond effect. Less consistent school-level effects were found for proportion of minority students and school-average SES. Individual level effects mirrored those reported in other literature with tested achievement having the greatest effect. Educational researchers increasingly have become attuned to the possibility of "school effects" on educational outcomes. "School effects" refers to the idea that various outcomes may be, in part, due to school-wide characteristics, over and above individual student or teacher characteristics. For example, Lee and Smith (1997) found that mid-size high schools produce larger achievement gains from students' freshman to senior years than do either small or large high schools, net of individual student characteristics, and that achievement in these schools was more equitably distributed across students' SES. Similarly, Lee and Smith (1996) found that high schools in which teachers, as a group, believed in collective responsibility for student achievement produced stronger achievement gains than did schools whose teachers, as a group, held different attitudes. "School effects" are just one example of an "ecological effect", in which features of the larger environment have demonstrable effects on various outcomes net of individual variables. The school psychology literature contains little research that truly explores ecological effects, although some recent studies (e.g., Stage, 2001) have included such variables. Testing for ecological effects also raises methodological issues. Most such research has used ordinary least-squares regression (OLS) to assess school effects net of individual variables through the straightforward practice of using ordered regression procedures in which individual student characteristics are entered as a block on the first step, and school-wide variables are entered on the second step. A significant increase in R 2 then serves as the measure of school-wide variables while controlling for individual variables. Alternatively, one might use an ANOVA and use covariates to partial out various effects. While these procedures have intuitive appeal and are reasonably easily understood, Lee (2000) delineates the methodological shortcomings of this approach: (a) aggregation bias – in which the same variable (e.g., SES) may have different meanings at different levels of aggregation (e.g., individual vs. school levels), (b) non-independence of cases (e.g., an individual student's achievement may be related to the achievement levels of other students in the school), and (c) heterogeneity of regression. To counter these shortcomings, researchers may use multi-level modeling (MLM) methodology that allows for the modeling all of these effects. The most commonly used statistical program for performing such analyses is Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) (Raudenbush, Byrk, Cheong, Congdon, & du Toit, 2004). Studies using HLM have begun to appear in the school psychology literature (Rhodes, Roffman, Reddy, & Fredriksen, 2004; Stage, 2001). Most recently Clements, Bolt, Hoyt, & Kratochwill (2007) have championed the use of MLM methodology to study school-based interventions. Research on school effects has focused primarily on achievement as outcomes, but such logic and Urbanicity and Self-Concept 3 analysis can be applied to social-emotional outcomes as well. Over a 20-year period, Herbert Marsh and his colleagues (e.g., Marsh & Hau, 2003) have conducted a substantial amount of research investigating the effects of school average ability on student's academic self-concepts (ASC). Marsh and his coworkers discovered that school characteristics moderated the relationship between ASC and achievement. Humorously dubbed the "big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE)", Marsh found that students with the same academic achievement level had somewhat lower ASCs when embedded in schools with higher average student ability, although the effect size is relatively small. Other recent research has further explored school effects on ASC. Trautwein, Ludtke, Koller, and Baumert (2006) found that the learning environment moderates the development of self-concept for a set of seventh grade students. Specifically, "meritocratic" schools produced more accurate ASCs than did "ego-protective" school environments. School average ability and meritocratic structure are excellent examples of "school effects". None of these studies, above, investigated school urbanicity (size of community). Ozturk (2007) investigated math self-concept and other variables and found complex interactions between schools' urbanicity, minority concentration, and poverty concentration with reference to high school students' mathematics course-taking. Signer, Beasley, and Bauer, (1997) found that urban students' academic selfconcepts were influenced by a set of interactions between ethnicity and the type of educational program in which they were engaged. The goal of the present study was to use HLM methodology on data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten – Fifth Grade (ECLS-K) to address the following questions: 1. Are there "school effects" on the levels of elementary school students' self-concepts in English, math, and "all subjects", after accounting for relevant individual child characteristics. Particularly, does school urbanicity have a significant effect on individual student academic self concept? 2. Are there "cross-level interactions", such that school characteristics modify the relationships among various student characteristics and ASCs?


THE BIOLOGY OF GENOMESResearchers have proposed that bonobos evolved domesticated behavior to encourage group living. By isolating a group of 40 putative brain domestication genes in the prefrontal cortex and comparing their expression in humans versus chimps and bonobos, researchers found that the activity of that gene group in bonobos was clearly "domesticated" compared with chimps, they reported at the Biology of Genomes meeting.


ABSTRACT Atmospheric oxygenation and evolution of aerobic life on our earth are a result of water oxidation by oxygenic photosynthesis in photosystem II (PSII) of plants, algae and cyanobacteria. The water oxidation in the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) in PSII is expected to proceed through five oxidation states, known as the S i (i = 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4) states in the Kok cycle, with the S1 being the most stable state in the dark. The OEC in PSII involves the active catalytic site made of four Mn ions and one Ca ion, namely the CaMn4O5 cluster. Past decades, molecular structures of the CaMn4O5 cluster in OEC in PSII have been investigated by the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). The magneto-structural correlations were extensively investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Recently, Kamiya and Shen groups made great breakthrough for determination of the S1 structure of OEC of PSII by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) experiments, providing structural foundations that are crucial for theoretical investigations of the CaMn4O5 cluster. Large-scale quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations starting from the XRD structures elucidated geometrical, electronic and spin structures of the CaMn4O5 cluster, indicating an important role of the Jahn–Teller (JT) effect of Mn(III) ions. This paper presents theoretical formulas for estimation of the JT deformations of the CaMn4O5 cluster in OEC of PSII. Scope and applicability of the formulas are examined in relation to several different structures of the CaMn4O5 cluster proposed by XRD, XFEL, EXAFS and other experiments. Implications of the computational results are discussed for further refinements of geometrical parameters of the CaMn4O5 cluster. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


MOTIVATION
One of the most difficult challenges in precision medicine is determining the best treatment strategy for each patient based on personal information. Since drug response prediction in vitro is extremely expensive, time-consuming, and virtually impossible, and because there are so many cell lines and drug data, computational methods are needed.

RESULTS
MinDrug is a method for predicting anti-cancer drug response which try to identify the best subset of drugs that are the most similar to other drugs. MinDrug predicts the anti-cancer drug response on a new cell line using information from drugs in this subset and their connections to other drugs. MinDrug employs a heuristic star algorithm to identify an optimal subset of drugs and a regression technique known as Elastic-Net approaches to predict anti-cancer drug response in a new cell line. To test MinDrug, we use both statistical and biological methods to assess the selected drugs. MinDrug is also compared to four state-of-the-art approaches using various k-fold cross-validations on two large public datasets: GDSC and CCLE. MinDrug outperforms the other approaches in terms of precision, robustness, and speed. Furthermore, we compare the evaluation results of all the approaches with an external dataset with a statistical distribution that is not exactly the same as the training data. The results show that MinDrug continues to outperform the other approaches.

AVAILABILITY
MinDrug's source code can be found at https://github.com/yassaee/MinDrug.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Urbanization has degraded ecosystem services on a global scale, and cities are vulnerable to long-term stresses and risks exacerbated by climate change. Green infrastructure (GI) has been increasingly implemented in cities to improve ecosystem functions and enhance city resilience, yet GI degradation or failure is common. Biochar has been recently suggested as an ideal substrate additive for a range of GI types due to its favorable properties; however, the generality of biochar benefits the GI ecosystem function, and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we present a global meta-analysis and synthesis and demonstrate that biochar additions pervasively benefit a wide range of ecosystem functions on GI. Biochar applications were found to improve substrate water retention capacity by 23% and enhance substrate nutrients by 12-31%, contributing to a 33% increase in plant total biomass. Improved substrate physicochemical properties and plant growth together reduce discharge water volume and improve discharge water quality from GI. In addition, biochar increases microbial biomass on GI by ∼150% due to the presence of biochar pores and enhanced microbial growth conditions, while also reducing CO2 and N2O emissions. Overall results suggest that biochar has great potential to enhance GI ecosystem functions as well as urban sustainability and resilience.


We focused on thrombocytopenia in hemodialysis patients (HD) receiving recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) and investigated thrombopoietin (TPO) level and platelet indices. We analyzed platelet parameters including mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet‐crit (PCT), mean platelet component (MPC) concentration and platelet count (PLT) using ADVIA 2120 in 375 HD patients. This study included 25 HD patients undergoing treatment with rHuEPO at 9000 IU/week. These patients were divided into two groups by reference PLT of 130 × 109/l [eight patients with low PLT (L‐PLT group) and 17 patients with normal PLT (N‐PLT group)], and TPO level and platelet indices in each group were compared with those in nine HD patients not receiving rHuEPO. In HD patients, the mean value of MPV was slightly higher and the mean values of PLT, PCT, and MPC were significantly lower than those in healthy controls. TPO levels were significantly higher in patients receiving rHuEPO than in patients not receiving rHuEPO. However, no significant difference was found between TPO levels in patients in the L‐PLT group and patients in the N‐PLT group. TPO levels were not correlated with PLT in these patients and that MPC levels decreased remarkably regardless of PLT.


Interrod regions exist between the enamel rods and are known to have different crystallite orientations and a higher organic content compared to the enamel rods (the intrarod regions). This study aims to characterize the mechanical properties of both regions especially the time-dependent properties by using spherical indentation. Despite the very small amount of proteins, the interrod region shows statistically significantly higher inelastic energy dissipation than the intrarod region with increased deformation times. The total displacement under constant load (creep), viscosity, and stress relaxation behavior of both regions are also reported. Similar to the observation of previous studies, the elastic modulus and hardness in the intrarod region are significantly higher than in the interrod region.


The preservice teachers who participated in this study were first semester seniors in a Social Studies Methods class. The study took place in the second year of a university/public school partnership program between the elementary education faculty at Indiana University South Bend and teachers at six schools within the South Bend Community School. Corporation where education students participate in field placement classes. The traditional lesson plan was reframed as a story, in the hope that stories would provide a means for preservice teachers to interpret and reinterpret teaching events. It was also hoped that by using a story format to plan and reflect on teaching, students would create an image of instructional activities with children as the focus. Step one consists of writing a lesson plan containing the elements of setting, characters, and plot. Step two is the actual teaching of the lesson, using the predictive story as a framework for the who, what, and where of instruction. After the lesson, step three is rewriting the story and describing what actually happened, with the second story becoming a description of the instructional sequence. Analysis of the process showed that the story lesson plan seemed to help preservice teachers anticipate learners' responses, allowed preservice teachers to express their personal concerns about teaching the lesson, and helped them focus more on learners. (Contains 25 references.) (MS) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************


Severe thermal injury has the capacity to increase the rate of generation of antibody-forming cells in mice. The intensity of stimulation appears to be proportional to the extent of injury. The effect has been observed in animals burned within 1 hr before or after sensitization with test antigen(s), and persists up to 14 days after injury. Thereafter, the stimulatory effect wanes, and disappears by the 21st day after burning. Responses to T-cell (thymus derived lymphocytes) dependent antigens (sheep erythrocytes; sheep erythrocytes coupled to TNP) and to antigens not requiring T and B-cell (bone marrow derived lymphocytes) cooperation (DNP-Ficoll) appear to be equally affected by thermal injury. The mechanisms underlying this form of enhanced antibody response are not clear. The data, however, support the possibility that the burn wound may release factor(s) capable of enhancing humoral responsiveness in the injured animal. Such factor(s) do not appear to be endotoxins.