Immunosuppression is a key factor leading to a low therapeutic efficiency of the currently used immunotherapies. Monotherapies are unable to overcome immunosuppression because of the complex interplay of immune cells in tumors. Herein, we report a multifunctional nanomodulator (MFNM) as a carrier to deliver different types of immune modulators for comodulating multiple pathways. An MFNM has a core-shell structure, in which small-molecule drugs are encapsulated in a mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN) core with a pH-responsive polymer layer. Further, the polymeric shell provides active sites that are readily modifiable by multiple types of antibodies to regulate the immune-related processes. By codelivering cyclophosphamide (CTX), αPD-L1 (B7-H1), and α4-1BB (CD137L) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to tumors, an MFNM has been shown to regulate multiple immune pathways and enhance an antitumor immunity. As antibodies and small-molecule drugs loaded in an MFNM can be modified based on the tumor type, the MFNM provides a feasible platform for the development of advanced immunotherapies that require simultaneous modulation of multiple biological processes.


BACKGROUND
Some patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) received under-doses of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in the real world. Under-dosing is defined as administration of a dose lower than the manufacturer recommended dose.

OBJECTIVES
To identify the efficacy and safety of under-dosing NOACs as perioperative anticoagulation for AF ablation.

METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed patients who received rivaroxaban or dabigatran etexilate according to dosage: adjusted low-dosage (reduced by disturbed renal function; n = 30), under-dosage (n = 307), or standard-dosage (n = 683). NOACs and dosing decisions were at the discretion of treating cardiologists.

RESULTS
Patients who received under-dosed NOACs were older, more often female, and had lower body weight, and lower renal function than those who received standard-dosages. Activated clotting time at baseline in patients who received adjusted low- or under-dosages was slightly longer than that in patients receiving standard-dosages (156 ± 23, 151 ± 224, and 147 ± 24 seconds, respectively). Meaningful differences were not observed in other coagulation parameters. Adjusted low-, under-, and standard-dosing regimens did not differ in perioperative thromboembolic complications (0/30, 0.0%; 1/307, 0.3%; and 0/683, 0%, respectively), or major (0/30, 0.0%; 2/307, 0.6%; 3/683, 0.4%) and minor (1/30, 3.3%; 13/307, 4.2%; 25/683, 3.6%) bleeding episodes. When comparisons were performed for each NOAC, similar results were observed.

CONCLUSION
With consideration of patient condition, age, sex, body weight, body mass index, and renal function, under-dosing NOACs was effective and safe as a perioperative anticoagulation therapy for AF ablation. The therapeutic range of NOACs is potentially wider than manufacturer recommendations.This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND) , where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.


Iron compounds containing a bridging oxo or sulfido moiety are ubiquitous in biological systems, but substitution with the heavier chalcogenides selenium and tellurium, however, is much rarer, with only a few examples reported to date. Here we show that treatment of the ferrous starting material [(tBupyrpyrr2)Fe(OEt2)] (1-OEt2) (tBupyrpyrr2 = 3,5-tBu2-bis(pyrrolyl)pyridine) with phosphine chalcogenide reagents E = PR3 results in the neutral phosphine chalcogenide adduct series [(tBupyrpyrr2)Fe(EPR3)] (E = O, S, Se; R = Ph; E = Te; R = tBu) (1-E) without any electron transfer, whereas treatment of the anionic starting material [K]2[(tBupyrpyrr2)Fe2(μ-N2)] (2-N2) with the appropriate chalcogenide transfer source yields cleanly the isostructural ferrous bridging mono-chalcogenide ate complexes [K]2[(tBupyrpyrr2)Fe2(μ-E)] (2-E) (E = O, S, Se, and Te) having significant deviation in the Fe–E–Fe bridge from linear in the case of E = O to more acute for the heaviest chalcogenide. All bridging chalcogenide complexes were analyzed using a variety of spectroscopic techniques, including 1H NMR, UV-Vis electronic absorbtion, and 57Fe Mössbauer. The spin-state and degree of communication between the two ferrous ions were probed via SQUID magnetometry, where it was found that all iron centers were high-spin (S = 2) FeII, with magnetic exchange coupling between the FeII ions. Magnetic studies established that antiferromagnetic coupling between the ferrous ions decreases as the identity of the chalcogen is tuned from O to the heaviest congener Te.


Sounds provide rich semantics, complementary to visual data, for many tasks. However, in practice, sounds from multiple sources are often mixed together. In this paper we propose a novel framework, referred to as MinusPlus Network (MP-Net), for the task of visual sound separation. MP-Net separates sounds recursively in the order of average energy, removing the separated sound from the mixture at the end of each prediction, until the mixture becomes empty or contains only noise. In this way, MP-Net could be applied to sound mixtures with arbitrary numbers and types of sounds. Moreover, while MP-Net keeps removing sounds with large energy from the mixture, sounds with small energy could emerge and become clearer, so that the separation is more accurate. Compared to previous methods, MP-Net obtains state-of-the-art results on two large scale datasets, across mixtures with different types and numbers of sounds.


Despite decades of interest and research in 3D user interfaces, most of us continue to communicate with our computing technology via primarily 2D interfaces. Even the most sophisticated software that allow artists to create dazzling 3D special effects in movies, or designers to construct sublimely beautiful 3D physical artifacts, rely on 2D interfaces to generate the 3D output. Why? Is all our research into 3D interfaces simply crummy, and hence not worthy of adoption by the broader community? Perhaps the 3D interface research community has simply failed to persuade our industrial colleagues of the value of all this wonderful 3D interface technology? Or maybe 2D interfaces are simply better for most if not all tasks, and researchers are just wasting their time exploring 3D interfaces? Or are there simply technological hurdles, that once surmounted, will finally allow 3D interfaces to flourish? I suspect that the truth lies in a combination of these hypotheses, and in this talk will probe them via examples from the past, present, and near future.


While Egypt enjoyed a heritage of local community press, genuine professional endeavors were nearly non-existent till recently. However, with Egypt undergoing a transitional phase, the emergence of community journalism became central to facilitate the shift into a more democratic state. Hence, this study explores the relation between community journalism and civic engagement in Egypt through examining a case study, El-Fayoumeya newspaper published as part of Sahafet Welad El-Balad media project. The study also discusses the state of community journalism in Egypt and the government"s media policies related to the issue. This includes an assessment of the state of community journalism in Egypt"s governorates, taking into account the challenges it faces and opportunities ahead. Moreover, the study examines the effect of political and socioeconomic status on civic engagement in Egyptian local governorates in post 2011 Revolution, and verifies whether the state of community journalism in Egypt"s governorates matches with the definitions of the concept found in the literature. The study utilizes a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods through combining interview data and survey data. It concludes that the poor heritage of community journalism is mainly an outcome of the constraining media policies adopted by the consecutive Egyptian governments to ensure tightening its control over privatelyowned newspapers. Also, of the three broad categories of civic engagement (Awareness, Interaction and Participation), awareness is the most evident outcome of recent community journalism initiatives in Egyptian governorates.


Multiple tasks are simultaneously performed during walking in our daily life. Distracted walk by smartphone usage is recently getting a social problem. The term dual-task gait refers to the secondary task added to the walking. Attention demanding tasks may influence how a person walks. Since in-lab measurement may not accurately reflect the daily living gait, wearable sensors approach have been proposed for gait analysis in an out-of-lab setting. This study addresses the potential of using only two inertial measurement units (IMUs) attached to the shoes for the assessment of cognitive dual-task gait and how it differs from single-task gait. We found that the proposed system is sensitive to recognizing a tiny change in gait features such as on the double support time and gait indices when subject performing dual-task gait compared to the single-task gait experiment.


Abstract The ability to stratify patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (p-NETs) into prognostic groups has been hindered by the absence of a commonly accepted staging system. Both the 7th tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging guidelines by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and the 2010 grading classifications by the World Health Organization (WHO) were validated to be unsatisfactory. We aim to evaluate the feasibility of combining the latest AJCC and WHO criteria to devise a novel tumor-grading-metastasis (TGM) staging system. We also sought to examine the stage-specific survival rates and the prognostic value of this new TGM system for p-NETs. Data of 120 patients with surgical resection and histopathological diagnosis of p-NETs from January 2004 to February 2014 in our institution were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Based on the AJCC and WHO criteria, we replaced the stage N0 and N1 with stage G a (NET G1 and NET G2) and G b (NET G3 and MANEC) respectively, without changes of the definition of T or M stage. The present novel TGM staging system was grouped as follows: stage I was defined as T1–2, G a , M0; stage II as T3, G a , M0 or as T1–3, G b , M0; stage III as T4, G a–b , M0 and stage IV as any T, M1. The new TGM staging system successfully distributed 55, 42, 12, and 11 eligible patients in stage I to IV, respectively. Differences of survival compared stage I with III and IV for patients with p-NETs were both statistically significant (P < 0.001), as well as those of stage II with III and IV (P < 0.001). Patients in stage I showed better a survival than those in stage II, whereas difference between stages III and IV was not notable (P = 0.001, P = 0.286, respectively). In multivariate models, when the TGM staging system was evaluated in place of the individual T, G, and M variables, this new criteria were proven to be an independent predictor of survival for surgically resected p-NETs (P < 0.05). Stratifying patients well, the current proposed TGM staging system was predictive for overall survival of p-NETs and could be more widely applied in clinical practice.


Industrialisation remains the major factor of development in the era of radical changes. Its drivers – advanced digital production technologies – are transforming the entire industrial and spatial landscape. Industrial regions take a special role in these transformations. The research aims to identify trends in the development of basic industries in industrial regions and work out a method to form their new technological image. Methodologically, the study relies on the institutional theory, theories of sustainable and longterm technical and economic development; applies methods of comparative, statistical, structural analysis and neural network modelling. Considering the case of the Ural metal industries, the study reveals the main trends of development and possibilities of forming the image of future of the basic industries of Russia's industrial regions, as well as specifies the factors that modify these trends under the New Normal. Due to institutional and technological transformations, the Russian metal industries have achieved impregnable positions in the world market. The paper substantiates the changes in the development of the basic industries linked with the formation of Industry 5.0 as the new management paradigm, which assigns priority to the ESG factors. The research demonstrates that an indispensable condition for the successful functioning of companies is the ability to cooperate and agree on decisions. The findings confirm that modernised metal and other basic industries through integrating green, digital and behavioural economy will not only maintain, but are likely to increase their importance in the economy of industrial regions.


OBJECTIVES
The novel 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) was first described in December 2019 in Wuhan, China and subsequently announced as a pandemic on March 12, 2020. In several studies, solid-organ transplant recipients were reported to have higher risk for COVID-19. Here, we aimed to determine the frequency of COVID-19 in our kidney and liver transplant patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Our study included 583 transplant patients who were admitted to our outpatient transplant clinics and emergency departments between March 1 and May 1, 2020. Seventy-four of them were liver transplant recipients (46 male, 28 female, of which 14 were pediatric and 60 were adult patients) and 509 of them were kidney transplant recipients (347 male, 162 female, of which 16 were pediatric and 493 were adult patients). We retrospectively evaluated demographic characteristics, currently used immunosuppressant treatment, present complaints, treatment and diagnosis of comorbid diseases, and results of COVID-19 tests.

RESULTS
Of 583 transplant recipients, 538 were seen in our outpatient transplant clinics and 45 were seen in our emergency departments. Of these, 18 patients who had had cough and fever were evaluated by respiratory clinic doctors, and nasopharyngeal swab samples were taken. One kidney transplant recipient had a positive COVID-19 test; he was followed with home isolation. He received treatment with hydroxychloroquine (400 mg/day). The other 17 patients had negative tests. There were no mortalities due to COVID-19.

CONCLUSIONS
Transplant patients also got affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the data of our centers, this effect is not much more different from the normal population. We recommend that transplant recipients should be warned in terms of personal hygiene and should be closely monitored by organ transplant centers. If there is an indication for hospitalization, they should be followed in an isolated unit, with no aggressive changes made to immunosuppressive doses unless necessary.


The paper evaluates a public R&D programme on IT in Construction. The particular programme theory is presented. We identify the vision, the means and the awaited effects of the programmes and analyse on the background of other public development programs how this one might work. We use innovation network theory to establish the point that the program theory and its initial program coalition is weaved into a political process, that makes the development a emergent process of network building. Some of the main elements of the program are: There is no funding for developing new software. Rather the program supports the development of basic structures and guidelines in electronic tendering, classification of building data, lifecycle data management and other aspects of digital construction. Moreover a central driver in the programme is assumed to be three major professional state clients. These three clients of buildings cooperates with the consortia established in the programme and the assumption is that the construction sector actors will engage in developing a basis for a future legislated digital interaction with the public clients. The funding is in the same spirit limited (a total of 4 millions £) in combination with an estimated auto-financing of 30%. The main idea is moreover to adopt existing and developed generic software in the programme and configure this to support the developed basis. The program is developing a particular version of state driven development, namely one drawing on the power of the purchaser.


Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway plays a fundamental role in cell proliferation, differentiation, growth and survival.[1] As a consequence, various tumors and central nervous system (CNS) disorders share aberrant activation of the mTOR pathway. Drugs targeting the mTOR pathway represent therefore a valuable path to address multiple therapeutic areas.[1-2] Here, we report the lead optimization of PQR620, a novel potent and selective brain penetrant inhibitor of mTORC1/2. The development of selective mTOR inhibitors is particularly challenging due to extensively conserved amino acid residues in the ATP binding pocket within the PI3K and PI3K-related protein kinase family. Here, we present a detailed ligand-based structure activity relationship study allowing selective targeting of mTOR kinase activity without the interference of other PI3K family members. Systematic variation of the hinge region and affinity binding motifs led to the identification of PQR620, a morpholino-triazinyl derivative, as potent and selective mTOR inhibitor. Substitution of the morpholine binding to the hinge region and introduction of a 2-aminopyridine, substituted with a difluoromethyl group, induced a >1000-fold selectivity towards mTOR over PI3Kα in enzymatic binding assays. In A2058 melanoma cells PQR620 demonstrated inhibition of protein kinase B (pSer473) and ribosomal protein S6 (pSer235/236) phosphorylation with IC50 values of 0.2 μM and 0.1 μM, respectively. The physico-chemical properties of PQR620 result in good oral bioavailability and excellent brain penetration. PQR620 showed excellent selectivity over a wide panel of kinases, as well as excellent selectivity versus unrelated receptor enzymes and ion channels. Moreover, PQR620 demonstrated its potency to prevent cancer cell growth in an NTRC 44 cancer cell line panel, resulting in a 10log(IC50) of 2.86 (nM). Further pharmacological properties and in vivo efficacy of PQR620 are presented in detail in Ref. [3]. The preparation of PQR620 was optimized towards a robust synthetic route involving only 4 steps, allowing for a rapid access to quantities required for pre-clinical testing. In conclusion, PQR620 inhibits mTOR potently and selectively, and shows anti-tumor effects in vitro and in vivo. PQR620 is currently in pre-clinical development. [1] M. Laplante, D. Sabatini, Cell 2012, 149, 274-293. [2] Z. Z. Chong, Y. C. Shang, L. Zhang, S. Wang, K. Maiese, Oxid. Med. Cell. Longev. 2010, 3, 374–391. [3] F. Beaufils, D. Rageot, A. Melone, A. M. Sele, M. Lang, J. Mestan, R. A. Ettlin, P. Hillmann, V. Cmiljanovic, C. Walter, E. Singer, H. P. Nguyen, P. Hebeisen, D. Fabbro, M. P. Wymann, "Pharmacological characterization of the selective, orally bioavailable, potent mTORC1/2 inhibitor PQR620" presented at AACR Annual Meeting 2016, April 16-20, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Citation Format: Florent Beaufils, Denise Rageot, Anna Melone, Marc Lang, Jurgen Mestan, Vladimir Cmiljanovic, Petra Hillmann, Paul Hebeisen, Doriano Fabbro, Matthias P. Wymann. Structure-activity relationship studies, synthesis, and biological evaluation of PQR620, a highly potent and selective mTORC1/2 inhibitor. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1336.


We theoretically analyze polarization holographic recording based on photoinduced dichroism and birefringence. Such vectorial recording is achieved by preferentially transforming dye molecules aligned with the incident polarization in dynamic photoanisotropic organic materials. Orthogonal linear and orthogonal circular recording geometries, which produce only pure polarization modulations, are considered. The analytic solutions of the intensity and phase of the recording beams at steady state are derived. The theoretical results indicate the dependence of diffraction efficiency on the photoinduced dichroism and birefringence and on the polarization state of the probe beam. Results of numerical simulation are provided and compared with the analytic solutions. >


As part of the strategic initiative to develop main reserves in Jambaran field in East Java, Indonesia, to supply gas and drive the national economy, six gas producers were completed targeting 300 MMscf/D of total production. The main challenge consisted in efficiently perforating underbalanced a minimum of 800 ft in each well. To this end, coiled tubing (CT) equipped with fiber optic (FO) and deployment under pressure were implemented, rigless; this was a first in the country.
 Understanding of zonal contribution in those long intervals early in the life of the wells was key to addressing any potential concerns over reservoir productivity and critical to the field management. Due to the high CO2and H2S contents of formation fluids (up to 34% and 10,000 ppm, respectively), traditional production logging was impossible. Instead, distributed temperature sensing (DTS) and downhole pressure point measurements through FO CT telemetry were jointly used to compute the flow distribution along each perforated interval. The acquired data were inverted and analyzed using a pressure-temperature-rate transient analysis (PTRA) software.
 In this field, reservoir K is a carbonate formation with a net thickness of ~1,450 ft and an average permeability of 46 md. Gas rates up to 60 MMscf/D were expected in each well. In such extreme downhole environment, DTS on FO CT was selected due to the possibility to circulate inhibitor throughout the operation to protect the CT pipe and downhole equipment. In addition, it enabled logging at gas rates as high as 60 MMScf/D without CT movement, which would not have been possible using wireline or slickline conveyance. In each well, a series of carefully planned shut-in and constant flowing phases were performed, during which temperature profiles and point pressure data were interpreted both qualitatively and quantitatively. A representative thermal model was built in the PTRA software utilizing reservoir properties, downhole point measurements, and surface well test data. Quantitative DTS interpretation indicated the same behavior in all six wells, with an uneven gas production along the perforated intervals. The minimal contributions observed from the upper section of the formation were attributed to low permeability whereas the high pressure drop observed across the bottom section was found indicative of a higher skin. Those findings will be key to future field developments in reservoir K.
 The use of CT equipped with FO for DTS proved a reliable alternative to production logging in high-rate gas producers. This study provided critical insights on the completion strategy performance and new considerations to minimize formation damage during future drilling campaigns. It also enabled establishing new best practices for DTS production logging in high-rate producers, in particular with respect to recommended drawdown conditions to obtain reliable readings.


Sibudu Cave is one of the few Middle Stone Age (MSA) sites in
South Africa with good bone preservation. Analyses of the fauna
show a variety of species represented throughout the deposits,
with domestic animals present only in a pit and in levels associated
with the Iron Age. The assemblage includes marine vertebrates and
invertebrates, as well as freshwater species. Apart from extant
mammals, extinct mammals are also represented. These are Equus
capensis , lIg Megalotragus priscusl/Ig and Pelorovis antiquus , all of which
became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene or beginning of the
Holocene. The sample is remarkable in that many of the species are
large animals and mostly of adult age. Juveniles and very old
animals are poorly represented. This suggest deliberate hunting
rather than scavenging, and the targeting of 'best returns' animals,
indicative of considerable hunting skills. The absence or presence
of marine animals could reflect the relative position of the shoreline
during the Late Pleistocene. The mammalian fauna also suggests a
more open savanna environment than is the case today. However,
there is evidence that such an environment existed in the Sibudu
area in more recent times as well, and that the changes to the bush
and shrub environment of the present day can be attributed to a
combination of small climate fluctuations combined with human
farming and population increases over the last 1500 years.


Civil Service and Civil Servants in Lithuania: Issues of Regulation and Status This paper analyses two issues: first, the possibilities for corrections of Lithuanian civil service legal regulation, deliberating on a more flexible regulation perspective. It discusses whether the narrowing of civil service legal regulation could become a potential way to increase the efficiency of public administration with respect to the Lithuanian legal system. It also evaluates the possibilities of discretionary power use in the civil service. Another issue is the possibility of Lithuanian civil servants and public sector employees' statuses change, emphasizing existing problems and alternative considerations that may lead to the correction of the concept of servant in the future. The need for special civil servant status and responsibilities are discussed, as well as the possibilities to extend, narrow or eliminate the corps of civil servants. The paper is based on the data from qualitative research carried out in 2011 in the form of semi-structured interviews with more than fifty of the highest level Lithuanian civil servants, politicians responsible for civil service, and other experts-practitioners of the field.


Abstract: There is a well-established association between alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk. About 4% of the breast cancers in developed countries are estimated to be attributable to drinking alcohol. The mechanism of tumor promotion by alcohol remains unknown. Recent studies from our laboratory and others showed the ability of mammary tissue to bioactivate ethanol to mutagenic/carcinogenic acetaldehyde and free radicals. Xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) is an enzyme involved in those biotransformation processes. In the present study, we provide evidence of the ability of different natural polyphenols and of folic acid derivatives to inhibit the biotransformation of alcohol to acetaldehyde by rat breast cytosolic XOR. Folic acid and dihydrofolic acid, at concentrations of 10 μM, inhibited 100% and 84%, respectively, of the cytosolic acetaldehyde formation. Thirty-five polyphenols were tested in these initial experiments: ellagic acid, myricetin, quercetin, luteolin, and apigenin inhibited 79-95% at 10 μM concentrations. The remaining polyphenols were either less potent or noninhibitory of acetaldehyde formation at similar concentrations in these screening tests. Results are relevant to the known preventive effects of folic acid against alcohol-induced breast cancer and to their potential preventive actions if added to foods or alcoholic beverages.


1.1 Stem cell (SC) therapy is not a new concept. In the aftermath of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, researchers discovered that bone marrow transplanted into irradiated mice produced hematopoiesis (Lorenz, 1951). Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) were first identified in 1961 and their ability to migrate and differentiate into multiple cell types was documented (Till, 1961). Distinct SC types have been established from embryos and identified in the fetal tissues and umbilical cord blood (UCB) as well as in specific niches in many adult mammalian tissues and organs such as bone marrow (BM), brain, skin, eyes, heart, kidneys, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, liver, breast, ovaries, prostate and testis (Siqueira, 2010). All SCs are undifferentiated cells that exhibit unlimited self renewal and can generate multiple cell lineages or more restricted progenitor populations which can contribute to tissue homeostasis by replenishing the cells or to tissue regeneration after injury (Lanza, 2004; Mimeault, 2006). Several investigations (Mimeault, 2006; Ortiz-Gonzalez, 2004; Trounson, 2006) have been carried out with isolated embryonic, fetal and adult SCs in a well-defined culture microenvironment to define the sequential steps and intracellular pathways that are involved in their differentiation into the specific cell lineages. More particularly, different methods have been developed for the in vitro culture of SCs, including the use of cell feeder layers, cell-free conditions, extracellular matrix molecules such as collagen, gelatin and laminin and diverse growth factors and cytokines (Mimeault, 2004; Siqueira, 2010).


Acylgermanes are known as highly efficient photoinitiators. In this contribution, we present the synthesis of new diacylgermanes 4a–evia a multiple silyl abstraction methodology. The method outperforms the state-of-the-art approach (Corey–Seebach reaction) towards diacylgermanes in terms of group tolerance and toxicity of reagents. Moreover, these compounds are decorated with bulky mesityl groups in order to improve their storage stability. The isolated diacylgermanes were characterized by multinuclear NMR-, UV-Vis spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography, as well as photolysis experiments (photobleaching) and photo-DSC measurements (photopolymerization behavior). Upon irradiation with an LED emitting at 385 nm, all compounds except for 4a and 4c bleach efficiently with quantum yields above 0.6. Due to their broad absorption bands, the compounds can be also bleached with blue light (470 nm), where especially 4e bleaches more efficiently than Ivocerin®.


Although the recent advancements in critical constructivist IR on political rhetoric has greatly improved our understanding of linguistic mechanisms of political action, we need a sharp understanding of how rhetoric explains foreign policy change. Here we conceptualize a link between rhetoric and foreign policy change by foregrounding distinct dynamics at the regional and domestic institutional environments. Analytically, at the regional level, we suggest examining whether norms of foreign policy engagement are explicitly coded in treaties and agreements or implicit in conventions and practices of actors. And at the domestic level, we suggest examining whether a particular foreign policy issue area is concurrent or contested among interlocutors. In this constellation, we clarify how four different rhetorical strategies underwrites foreign policy change – persuasion, mediation, explication and reconstruction – how it operates, and the processes through which it unfolds in relation to multiple audiences. Our principal argument is that grand foreign policy change requires continuous rhetorical deployments with varieties of politics to preserve and stabilize the boundaries in the ongoing fluid relations of states. We illustrate our argument with an analysis of Brazil's South-South grand strategy under the Lula administration and contrast it against the rhetoric of subsequent administrations. Our study has implications for advancing critical foreign policy analysis on foreign policy change and generally for exploring new ways of studying foreign policies of nonwestern postcolonial states in international relations.


The Maillard reaction and its fluorescent products have attracted widespread attention in the field of food safety and biology. Herein, the novel Maillard reaction fluorescent nanoparticles (MRFNs) as a fluorescent probe were synthesized via a "green" method with simple technical processes. In addition, the effects of tetracycline (TC) and chlorotetracycline (CTC) representing certain properties of tetracyclines (TCs) on the fluorescence behaviour of MRFNs were studied, respectively. The present study showed that the fluorescence intensity of MRFNs greatly enhanced with a linear increase in the CTC concentration. However, with the gradual increase in the TC concentration, the intensity of MRFNs tended to significantly decrease linearly. Based on this, novel fluorescence analysis methods for the simple and rapid detection of TC and CTC in water bodies were established, respectively. Significantly, the proposed detection methods were successfully adopted for detecting TC and CTC in some environmental water samples. Besides, the possible mechanisms for TC-induced fluorescence quenching and CTC-induced fluorescence enhancement of MRFNs were also discussed, respectively.


We present three Slater‐type atomic orbital (STO) valence basis (VB) sets for the first and second row atoms, referred to as the VB1, VB2, and VB3 bases. The smallest VB1 basis has the following structure: [3, 1] for the H and He atoms, [5, 1] for Li and Be, and [5, 3, 1] for the B to Ne series. For the VB2 and VB3 bases, both the number of shells and the number of functions per shell are successively increased by one with respect to VB1. With the exception of the H and Li atoms, the exponents for the VB1 bases were obtained by minimizing the sum of the Hartree–Fock (HF) and frozen‐core singles and doubles configuration interaction (CISD FC) energies of the respective atoms in their ground state. For H and Li, we minimized the sum of the HF and CISD FC energies of the corresponding diatoms (i.e., of H2 or Li2) plus the ground‐state energy of the atom. In the case of the VB2 basis sets, the sum that was minimized also included the energies of the positive and negative ions, and for the VB3 bases, the energies of a few lowest lying excited states of the atom. To account for the core correlations, the VBx (x = 1, 2, and 3) basis sets for the Li to Ne series were enlarged by one function per shell. The exponents of these extended (core‐valence, CV) basis sets, referred to, respectively, as the CVBx (x = 1, 2, and 3) bases, were optimized by relying on the same criteria as in the case of the VBx (x = 1, 2, and 3) bases, except that the full CISD rather than CISD FC energies were employed. We show that these polarized STO basis sets provide good HF and CI energies for the ground and excited states of the atoms considered, as well as for the corresponding ions. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 24: 859–868, 2003


Over the past few years, zero refraction (ZR) represents an important breakthrough in field of distinctive dynamic optical beam tuning for double-zero-index (media with zero relative permittivity and permeability) photonic crystals (PCs). Because accidental ZR effects for conventional PCs is sensitive to the structural or refractive index parameters, how to enhance the robustness of ZR design is vital for applications. Here, we report a pioneering wave property that reveals a non-accidental Dirac-like cone dispersion composed of low- or high-energy bands, corresponding to dual-insensitive ZR effects for both transverse magnetic and transverse electric polarizations based on the same annular PCs. The performance of non-accidental ZR is simultaneously based on refractive index-insensitivity and structural- insensitivity, attributed to a satisfactory filling ratio.


We propose a new way of architecting the wireless multimedia communications systems by jointly optimizing the protocol stack at each station and the resource exchanges among stations. We model wireless stations as rational players competing for available wireless resources in a dynamic repeated game. We investigate and quantify the system performance and the impact of different cross-layer strategies deployed by wireless stations onto their own performance as well as the competing station performance. We show through simulations that the proposed game-theoretic resource management outperforms alternative techniques such as air-fair time and equal time resource allocation in terms of the total system utility


Current therapy for small cell lung cancer seems to have reached a plateau. To rise off this plateau it will be necessary to improve local control through radiation therapy, and control of distant metastases with new chemotherapy strategies. It will also be necessary to treat pharmacologic sanctuaries, reduce treatment-related toxicities, and prevent second malignancies.


CO2 concentration is regulated by processes controlling the carbon fluxes occurring between different carbon pools such as atmosphere, ocean, hydrosphere, soil, biomass, and lithosphere. However, some controversies persist on the nature and quantification of carbon stocks and fluxes acting in supergene environment such as soils and rivers pools. For example, Meybeck (1993) considers that FOC released by weathering of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks can reflect up to 40-45% of POC annually carried by major rivers, instead of others numerous authors (Holland, 1978; Adams and Faure, 1996) that do not take into account this FOC yield. Up to now, at a global scale, we only know an initial estimation of the annual organic yield induced by carbonates and shales chemical weathering that reach 0.1 Gt C y-1 (Di-Giovanni et al., 2002). No FOC fluxes have been reported for chemical weathering of sands and sandstones, as well as those inherited from mechanical weathering of all sedimentary rocks, altought mechanical weathering is 4 to 11 higher than chemical one (Probst, 1992; Gaillardet, pers. com.). In addition to these gaps concerning FOC fluxes, the role of erosional processes on those of FOC in global carbon cycle (source or sink of CO2) and the FOC stock available in surficial layer of sedimentary rocks and rapidly reload in supergene carbon pools, remain unresolved.


A number of non-steroidal estrogenic substances are common naturally-occurring constituents of human foods. Concern over dietary estrogens has focused largely on the consumption of trace amounts of diethylstilbestrol (DES) from tissues of cattle fed the compound as a growth stimulant. Human exposure to naturally-occurring fungal and phytoestrogens in foods is, however, substantially larger than exposure to DES in animal tissues. Occurrence, potency and toxicity of the estrogenic isoflavones, coumestans and resorcylic acid lactones are reviewed.


The study area (Bornaward granite) is located in northeast of Iran (Khorasan Razavi province), about 280 km southwest of Mashhad city. Taknar zone is an exotic block, bordered by two major faults, Great Kavir fault (Drouneh) to the south and Rivash fault in the north. A complex of granite, granodiorite, monzonite and diorite crop out at the center of Taknar zone. They are named as "Bornaward granite". Published data using Rb-Sr whole-rock and biotite isotopic methods on granitoid rocks (Bornaward granite) gave ages of 154 to 111 Ma. The results of U-Pb zircon dating of granodiorite is 552.69 ± 10.89 Ma and granite is 538.22 - 1.82, + 4.28 Ma (Late Neoproterozoic time). Both granite and granodiorite are classified as belonging to the ilmenite-series of reduced S-type granitoids. Chemically, they are per-aluminous, high-K calc-alkaline with relatively enriched in LILE, Rb, K and depleted in Sr, Ba, Nb, Ti, Ta, Y and Yb. Chondrite-normalized Rare Earth Element (REE) plots indicate minor enrichments of light REE in composition with heavy REE, with (La/Yb) N between 3.5-5.6 and high total REE (193-252) with strong negative anomaly of Eu. They have a initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and 143 Nd/ 144 Nd ranging from 0.713566 to 0.716888 and 0.511791 to 0.511842, respectively, when recalculated to an age of 553 and 538 Ma, consistent with the new radiometric results. Initial eNd isotope values for granite and granodiorite range from -2.62 to -2.01. Granite and granodiorite of Bornaward yields a TDM age of 1.4-1.41 Ga. This indicates that the granites and granodiorite being derived from partial melting of distinct basement source regions with very high initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr.


Accurate detection of White Space (WS) is of paramount importance in a Cognitive Radio Network (CRN) to prevent authorized users from harmful interference. However, channel impairment such as multipath fading and shadowing affects accurate detection of WS resulting in interference. The Existing Feature Detection (EFD) technique used to address the problem is faced with computational complexity and synchronization resulting in long sensing time, bandwidth inefficiency, energy constrain and poor detection rate. Hence, this paper proposes autocorrelation based multiple antenna with energy harvesting for WS detection in a CRN using Radio Frequency (RF) energy harvesting and autocorrelation of the received signal with a modified Equal Gain Combiner (mEGC). Antenna Switching (AS) RF energy harvesting with mEGC are used to harvest energy and information from the received PU signal in a multiple antenna configuration. Autocorrelation is then obtained and compared with the set threshold of zero to determine the presence or absence of WS. The proposed technique is evaluated using Spectral Efficiency (SE), Probability of Detection (PD) and Sensing Time (ST) by comparing with EFD technique. The results obtained revealed that the proposed technique shows better performance than EFD.


An emendation of the generic description of Scleroderma is proposed to consider the membranaceous veil like, or granulose patches, both on the base of the globose basidiome or on the upper part of the stipe, formed by the growth of the basidiome, which breaks the exoperidium. Veligaster previously segregated by this character, is a synonym. Guzman's classification of the genus in 3 sections is followed, however due to the change of the type of the genus for S. verrucosum, Sect. Aculeatispora is now a synonym of Sect. Scleroderma, and S. citrinum that was in Sect. Scleroderma is now in a new section named Reticulatae. A review of the 21 Mexican species of Scleroderma is presented, 14 of these are accepted. The most common species in the country is S. nitidum in the tropical and subtropical forests. New localities from Mexico and foreign countries are discussed in S. bermudense, S. bovista, S. citrinum, S. hypogaeum, S. michiganense, S. polyrhizum, and S. pseudostipitatum. On the other hand, it is discussed that S. sinnamariense seems absent in Mexico, because it was confused with S. bermudense.


In this work, we extend a mathematical model, which has been proposed for susceptible and infected compartments together with pathogen population, by including recovered subgroup. It is known that environmental pollution, such as contaminated drinking water and lack of an ordinary toilet, affects individuals and such negative impacts can be defined as "stressors." In order to include the influence of such stressors, susceptible subpopulation has been divided into two groups as the one affected by stress or not. Thus, spread of the disease is expressed in terms of a five-dimensional system.Moreover, we extend this model with the use of a time fractional derivative due to non-local effects of water pollution and we prove that the solution is non-negative and bounded from above. Then, we perform stability analysis for the disease-free equilibrium point. Afterward, the next step is to apply optimal control theory to optimize the decay rate of pathogens and the stress related parameters so that the number of infected individuals and the pathogen population can be minimized. Finally, we present some numerical results to find out the most appropriate control policy and the effect of the fractional order.


A series of CT codes is under development in the Reactor Analysis and Safety Division of Argonne National Laboratory for use as a post-test examination tool to analyze segments of the final fuel-bundle configuration of TREAT tests. This paper presents the results of CT analysis for fuel assemblies using neutron radiography. Fuel relocation following overpower transients in the TREAT reactor is examined for sections of the assemblies, and results are compared to metallographic sections. Further improvements are expected to increase the use and reliability of CT analysis as a standard post-test examination tool.


This article develops a framework that applies to single securities to test whether asset pricing models can explain the size, value, and momentum anomalies. Stock level beta is allowed to vary with firm-level size and book-to-market as well as with macroeconomic variables. With constant beta, none of the models examined capture any of the market anomalies. When beta is allowed to vary, the size and value effects are often explained, but the explanatory power of past return remains robust. The past return effect is captured by model mispricing that varies with macroeconomic variables.


Abstract. Three different climate field reconstruction (CFR) methods employed to reconstruct North Atlantic-European (NAE) and Northern Hemisphere (NH) summer season temperature over the past millennium from proxy records are tested in the framework of pseudoproxy experiments derived from three climate simulations with Earth System Models. Two of these methods are traditional multivariate linear methods (Principal Components Regression, PCR and Canonical Correlation Analysis, CCA), whereas the third method (Bidirectional Long-Short-Term Memory Neural Network, Bi-LSTM) belongs to the category of machine learning methods. The Bi-LSTM method does not need to assume linear and temporally stable relationships between the underlying proxy network and the targeted climate field, in contrast to PCR and CCA. In addition, Bi-LSTM incorporates information on the serial correlation of the time series. All three methods tested herein achieve reasonable reconstruction performance in both spatial and temporal scale. Generally, the reconstruction skill is higher in regions with denser proxy coverage, but reconstruction skill is also achieved in proxy-free areas due to climate teleconnections. All three CFR methodologies generally tend to more strongly underestimate the target temperature variations as more noise is introduced into the pseudoproxies. The Bi-LSTM method tested in our experiments shows relatively worse reconstruction skills compared to PCR and CCA, yet it brings some encouraging results on capturing extreme cooling climate signals. This indicates that this nonlinear CFR method could be a potential methodology for past climate extremes analysis.


First share an illustrated technique for combining R & G & B independent photometry into a single beam eminating from an RGB LED luminaire. AS each color has a slightly diffrerent photometric distribution, this technique is useful in accurately rendering and evaluating the full color effect of the luminaire. And aside to demonsterate a strategy for modelling a 4 arch bridge directly using Radiance scene deswcriptions where damaged drawings are precad. The LED  illumination of the above bridge is the background for my latest LED illuninated lighting sculpture  installation, opening May 22, 2015. I propose showing a brief "animation" used to garner support for the project. IF the majority of attendents have not seen a DEVA low vision sequence of images, I propose, with permission, to present 2 minutes of imagery presented at a previous workshop. Greg has been added as a research consultant on the renewal project. I suggest a 10 - 12 minute presentation slot, if accepted. Rob


The key to success in Next Generation Network is service routing in which service requests may need to be redirected as in the case of the INVITE request in Session Initiation Protocol. Service Path (SPath) holds the authentication and server paths along side with service information. As the number of hops in a redirection increases, the length of SPath increases. The overhead for service routing protocols which uses SPath increases with the length of SPath. Hence it is desirable to optimize SPath to ensure efficiency and scalability of protocols involving service routing. In this paper, we propose a re-routing strategy to optimize service routing, and demonstrate how this strategy can be implemented using SPath to enhance the efficiency and scalability of Service Network Graph (SNG).


The regulating efficiency of four aliphatic mercaptans was studied in emulsion copolymerization of butadiene with styrene, at +5°C. with the use of the redox system, diisopropylbenzene hydroperoxide–complexed ferrous iron–sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate as an initiator and the sodium soap of disproportionated rosin as an emulsifier. The apparent transfer constants C of tertiary mercaptans decreased logarithmically with increasing length of molecule. This tendency is connected with the analogous dependency of solubilities of these compounds in water. The mercaptans did not affect the rate of polymerization. The value of C is independent of the amount of regulator used. With the value of C, the amount of regulator, and the conversion known, it is possible to predict the molecular weight of the polymers, except for the region of poor regulation, where the deteriorative influence of termination and crosslinking reactions takes place. The apparent transfer constant of tertiary dodecyl mercaptan decreased with increasing rate of polymerization. After elimination of diffuse processes, the value of the actual relative transfer constant was calculated. The tertiary dodecyl mercaptan has been selected as the most convenient molecular weight regulator for emulsion copolymerization of butadiene with styrene of all compounds studied for the system mentioned.


Plant growth rate is an essential phenotypic parameter for quantifying potential crop productivity. Under field conditions, manual measurement of plant growth rate is less accurate in most cases. Image-based high-throughput platforms offer great potential for rapid, non-destructive, and objective estimation of plant growth parameters. The aim of this study was to assess the potential for quantifying plant growth rate using UAV-based (unoccupied aerial vehicle) imagery collected multiple times throughout the growing season. In this study, six diverse lines of lentils were grown in three replicates of 1 m2 microplots with six biomass collection time-points throughout the growing season over five site-years. Aerial imagery was collected simultaneously with each manual measurement of the above-ground biomass time-point and was used to produce two-dimensional orthomosaics and three-dimensional point clouds. Non-linear logistic models were fit to multiple data collection points throughout the growing season. Overall, remotely detected vegetation area and crop volume were found to produce trends comparable to the accumulation of dry weight biomass throughout the growing season. The growth rate and G50 (days to 50% of maximum growth) parameters of the model effectively quantified lentil growth rate indicating significant potential for image-based tools to be used in plant breeding programs. Comparing image-based groundcover and vegetation volume estimates with manually measured above-ground biomass suggested strong correlations. Vegetation area measured from a UAV has utility in quantifying lentil biomass and is indicative of leaf area early in the growing season. For mid- to late-season biomass estimation, plot volume was determined to be a better estimator. Apart from traditional traits, the estimation and analysis of plant parameters not typically collected in traditional breeding programs are possible with image-based methods, and this can create new opportunities to improve breeding efficiency mainly by offering new phenotypes and affecting selection intensity.


It is the common understanding that private lenders evaluate and price the debt contract based on the credit rating, default risk and firm characteristics of the borrowing firms. This paper takes a different angel and investigates the extent to which the loan contract incorporates and reflects the managerial effect in its pricing and non-pricing terms. We find that managerial effect is one critical factor that explains a large part of the variation in loan contract terms, and for a number of loan attributes, it explains more variation than firm fixed effect. We provide additional support by showing that banks "follow" managers' job changes and offer loan contracts with preferential terms to their new firms.


Change detection using remotely sensed images has many applications, such as urban monitoring, land-cover change analysis, and disaster management. This work investigates two-dimensional change detection methods. The existing methods in the literature are grouped into four categories: pixel-based, transformation-based, texture analysis-based, and structure-based. In addition to testing existing methods, four new change detection methods are introduced: fuzzy logic-based, shadow detection-based, local feature-based, and bipartite graph matching-based. The latter two methods form the basis for a structural analysis of change detection. Three thresholding algorithms are compared, and their effects on the performance of change detection methods are measured. These tests on existing and novel change detection methods make use of a total of 35 panchromatic and multi-spectral Ikonos image sets. Quantitative test results and their interpretations are provided.


In 1988, a leafminer, Phyllonorycter mespilella (Hubner) (Lepidoptera:Gracillariidae) was found for the first time in commercial fruit orchards in the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys of British Columbia after apparently moving across the international border from Washington State. Leafminer infestations and parasitoid-induced-leafminer-mortalities were assessed in widespread surveys in the two orcharding areas from 1988 to 1990. Pnigalio flavipes (Hymenoptera:Eulophidae) was the primary parasitoid of the leafminer pest. Three additional parasitoid species associated with the leafminer host in 1990 were: a Sympiesis species, an Eulophus species and a Cirrospilus species (Hymenoptera:Eulophidae). Parasitism reduced intraseasonal leafminer population increase as parasitoid-induced-mortality in the first leafminer generation of 1989 and 1990 was negatively correlated with leafminer density in both the second and third generations of the same year.


The Problem Oriented Medical Record is ideally suited to the documentation and management of patients with spinal cord injury, with their involvement of multiple organ systems and need for long term follow-up. The classic format described by Weed has been modified by use of a predetermined problem list, subdividing spinal cord injury into eight problems. We find this method to be of value in organizing the records and managing patients, from the acute phase to the follow-up phase, and additionally in organizing the records of long term patients when seen in follow-up. The problems listed are: 1--neurologic injury; 2--spinal skeletal injury; 3--other injuries; 4--general medical conditions; 5--urologic; 6--gastrointestinal; 7--sexual function; 8--rehabilitation. As complications or other problems arise, they are added to this list. Presented are two case histories, one of a long term patient and the other of a patient with new acute spinal cord injury to illustrate the application of this method.


Geological estimates of vertical motions in the central part of the Lesser Antilles show subsidence on timescales ranging from 125.000 to 100 years, which has been interpreted to be caused by interseismic locking along the subduction megathrust. However, horizontal GNSS velocities show that the Lesser Antilles subduction interface is currently building up little to no elastic strain. Here we present new present-day vertical velocities for the Lesser Antilles islands and explore the link between short- and long-term vertical motions and their underlying processes. We find a geodetic subsidence of the Lesser Antilles island arc at 1-2 mm/yr, consistent with the ∼100-year trend derived from coral micro-atolls. Using elastic dislocation models, we show that a locked or partially-locked subduction interface would produce uplift of the island arc, opposite to the observations, hence supporting a poorly-coupled subduction. We propose that this long-term, margin-wide subsidence is controlled by slab dynamic processes, such as slab rollback. Such processes could also be responsible for the aseismic character of the subduction megathrust.


1. The roles of aldosterone and angiotensin in the direct control of epithelial sodium transport in vivo have been investigated by measurement of electrical p.d. changes and of the fluxes of sodium, potassium and chloride in rat colon, an organ actively involved in electrolyte homoeostasis. Exogenous angiotensin and aldosterone were given by both short‐ and long‐term infusions and endogenous secretion of the hormones was varied by dietary sodium variation and by nephrectomy and/or adrenalectomy. 2. In vitro angiotensin has been shown to influence colonic salt and water absorption but in the present in vivo experiments administered angiotensin had no significant action on p.d. or on the ionic fluxes of the proximal or distal colon. The increase in p.d. produced by infusing aldosterone was unaffected by giving angiotensin concurrently. The effect of sodium depletion in stimulating sodium absorption and potassium secretion was completely abolished by adrenalectomy but was unaffected by nephrectomy. 3. During prolonged infusion of angiotensin into adrenalectomized rats, a small fall in faecal fluid and sodium content was observed, but this change would have little significance in sodium homoeostasis. 4. Aldosterone and sodium depletion stimulated sodium absorption in both proximal and distal colon but significant increase in potassium secretion was demonstrable only in the distal colon. Bicarbonate secretion (by calculation) was unaffected. In the proximal colon, the increased sodium absorption appeared to be accompanied by increased chloride absorption while in the distal colon it was principally the sodium‐potassium exchange that was increased. 5. Adrenalectomy reduced potassium secretion in both proximal and distal colon but sodium absorption was only significantly reduced in the proximal colon. 6. It was concluded that there is no evidence that angiotensin in the living animal has a role as an important salt retaining hormone by direct epithelial action. Aldosterone has a considerable effect which is independent of the presence of angiotensin, and which differs in proximal and distal colon in regard to the relative effects on chloride absorption and potassium secretion.


The considerable and fast aging of population, followed by changes in the social and health profile, and psychological aspects, call for strategies and structures on attention and care for the aged. An emerging demand is the Long-Term Care (LTC) Institutionalization for the aged. In this article, the following subjects will be discussed: conceptual models of care for the aged, including LTC Organizations, the vulnerability of the aged in LTC Organization and how the strategic, therapeutic and didactic planning of the aged service organizations meet activities which contribute for the increase of resilience. This article ends with the presentation of an experience of a philanthropic LTC Organization of Campinas.


OBJECTIVE
As dopamine functioning varies by sex and age it might be expected that the effects of methylphenidate or amfetamine, the psychostimulants used for the treatment of Attention Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), will also be moderated by these factors. Here we review the published literature on whether stimulant effects in ADHD symptoms vary by age and sex.

METHOD
We searched for studies published from 1989 until October 2009. Databases searched included U.S. National Library of Medicine (PubMed), Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO and ISI Web of Knowledge. Firstly, we reviewed the effects of stimulant drugs on male and female patients and also patients of pre-school, middle childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Secondly, we reviewed studies that directly tested the moderating effect of age and sex on stimulant treatment outcome.

RESULTS
Randomised controlled trials confirm that stimulant medication is efficacious for, and well tolerated by, males and females and patients across the age range; although preschoolers appear to have a less beneficial response and more side effects. Few studies that specifically examined the moderating effect of age and/or sex were identified. For sex, no effects on overall response were found, although one study reported that sex moderated methylphenidate pharmacodynamics. The few effects found for age were small and inconsistent.

CONCLUSIONS
The available evidence suggests that stimulant medication, when appropriately administered, has efficacy as an ADHD treatment for both sexes and across all ages. There are currently too few published papers examining the effects of sex and age to draw strong conclusions about moderation. Further studies of the pharmacodynamics of stimulants on symptoms measured using objective tests in the laboratory or classroom setting need to be undertaken.


HIV infection represents one of the major global public health challenges, especially among women of reproductive age. In 2020, there were 1.3 million pregnant women infected with HIV worldwide. Untreated HIV infection in pregnancy carries an increased risk of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Perinatal transmission of HIV refers to the transmission of the virus from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or puerperium. The aim of this paper is to present the up-to-date information on diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of pregnancy in HIV-positive women, with reference to the time and mode of delivery, in order to prevent the transmission of the virus from mother to fetus. The main goals of monitoring and treating HIV infection during pregnancy are the following: preventing the transmission of the virus to the fetus, preserving the mother's health, and providing conditions for a safe delivery. The goal of treatment is to maintain the lowest level of the virus in the blood, especially at the time of delivery, in order to reduce the risk of vertical transmission. It is recommended to start treatment of HIV infection before pregnancy. Also, regular monitoring of the viral load, the CD4+ lymphocyte count, and blood count, as well as performing liver and kidney function tests, is necessary. The choice of the time and mode of delivery should not differ in pregnant women with a low viral load, as compared to healthy pregnant women, while in pregnant women with a high viral load, the pregnancy should be ended with elective caesarean section. HIV infection affects both the pregnant woman and the fetus. Therefore, antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum monitoring is important. The decision on therapy, as well as the time and mode of delivery, should be individual, and made in accordance with the viral load, the clinical presentation of HIV infection of the mother, and the condition of the fetus.


Looking Ahead Keeping up with the future is a pointless waste of time only if you seek bankruptcy, obsolescence, a steady drop in market share, or have a proclivity for psychosomatic disorders. Yet what can you do? The future is longer than the past by any measure: astronomical, evolutionary, political, institutional, social, etc. It seems hopelessly vague, uncertain and boundless. Nevertheless, you can manage to usefully understand the future if you embrace the following points: * Your organization has a useful, if somewhat loose, long-term planning horizon-usually 10 to as many as 30 years. This immediately squeezes most of the future out of consideration. * It is not practical to define "the future" in that 10-to-30 year interval. There are just too many forces in play to influence it and too many factors in whatever you are concerned with to try to identify "the future," by which I mean a precise, detailed, future state. But you can identify alternative futures, i.e., a range of ways the future may evolve that separately and together have implications for your long-term and strategic planning. * Recognize that exploring the future is an art form. You may or may not have the knack, the skill, or the necessary mental makeup to effectively explore the future, but there are certainly people in your organization, or who can be brought in, who do. Furthermore, there are people who can teach and train others to either think like futurists or, at a minimum, become effective consumers of futures material. * Like most worthwhile activities, exploration of the future calls for practice more than anything else. The more you do it-the more you do it openly, the more you do it collectively, the more you share the experience-the more rapidly you will become skilled and sophisticated at probing the future and its implications. * There is lots of help out there to get you started or to improve the work you may be doing already. State of the Future Two quite different annual reports merit your attention. First are the annual reports on the state of the future produced by the American Council for the United Nations University in its so-called Millennium Project. The Project is the brainchild of Theodore (Ted) Gordon, one of the three best futurists in the last half of the 20th century. He is a co-inventor of the Delphi process, which is the most widely used technique in publicly reported futures studies. He also pioneered the application of computers to the exploration of the future. The most recent report, 2003 State of the Future, some 96 pages, is accompanied by a CD containing 2,500 pages backing up this edition plus the Project's seven years of accumulated research and methods. The Project has identified 15 Global Challenges: * Sustainable development * Water * Population and resources * Democratization * Global, long-term policy making * Globalization of information technology * Rich-poor gap * Threats to health * Decision-making capacities * Conflict resolution * Improving women's status * Transnational crime * Energy * Science and technology * Global ethics The Project does an annual index of progress with regard to these challenges, quantitatively forecasting whether the future promises to be better or worse over the next ten years. This year's report looks at the future of S&T management policy issues, presents four scenarios, and draws an extensive array of conclusions in a 25-page chapter. The Project now has 18 nodes around the world whose purpose is to reach out to experts, academics and specialists to participate. The work has so far been supported by 17 companies, foundations, international agencies, U.S. government agencies, and UNESCO. The Millennium Project's value lies not merely in the high-quality treatment of topics but in the establishment of a global consensus of specialists on the importance of the topics researched, as well as the wide range of perspectives they reflect. …


Governments have long intervened in domestic and international markets for food and agriculture products. The apparent rationale for doing so has changed over time, but the nature of the policies in place across the OECD area has evolved much more slowly. The result today is a complex web of policies, generally aimed at a diversity of sometimes competing objectives, and an assortment of both intended and unintended effects.


Two cases of juvenile elastoma (nevus elasticus in disseminated tumors) were histologically and ultrastructurally investigated. The predominant components of this disseminated dysembryoplasia are abnormal elastic fibers. Both cases showed numerous large elastic fibers with an abundant background matrix. The elastic microfibrils were replaced by granular material. In one case, most of the abnormal elastic units remained isolated without forming elastic fibers.


— 36 — SUMMARY: A special geminate like ff in maffa 'pillow', which does not exist in Standard Japanese (SJ) is found in the Antoh dialect in Fukui Prefecture. This paper deals with the synchronic and diachronic phenomena concerning the ff geminate in addition to bb and ss . This paper has the following purposes: (1) to illustrate the correspondence of geminates between the Antoh dialect and SJ, (2) to investigate the historical development of the geminates in the Antoh dialect, (3) to point out that the manifestation of the geminates in the Antoh dialect is similar to that of the Miyako-jima dialect in the Ryukyuan language, and (4) to propose that the explanation for the processes of the geminate in this dialect gives a suggestive source to the discus-sion on the processes of sound changes in the Ryukyuan language.


Effects of Gas1 on gliomas: a review on current preclinical studies Jose Segovia, Elizabeth Bautista, Manuel Lara-Lozano Departamento de Fisiologia, Biofisica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, 07360 Distrito Federal, Mexico. Correspondence to: Dr. Jose Segovia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Biofisica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, 07360 Distrito Federal, Mexico. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and lethal brain tumor. Its prognosis remains very poor, despite the use of combined treatments such as surgical resection, radiation and chemotherapy. The major limitations for the treatment of GBM are its high invasiveness, tumor recurrence and resistance to treatments. Therefore, gene therapy appears as a relevant strategy for its treatment. Thus, we have investigated the use of growth-arrest-specific 1 (Gas1) for the treatment of GBM. Gas1 is a tumor suppressor protein that inhibits glioma growth by inducing arrest and apoptosis of tumor cells. Moreover, we have shown that a soluble form of Gas1 acting in both autocrine and paracrine manners is also effective inhibiting tumor growth in animal models, indicating its potential as an adjuvant for the treatment of GBM.


Context. High-mass young stellar objects (HMYSOs) can undergo accretion episodes that strongly affect the star evolution, the dynamics of the disk, and its chemical evolution. Recently reported extraordinary bursts in the methanol maser emission may be the observational signature of accretion events in deeply embedded HMYSOs.
Aims. We analyze the light curve of 6.7 GHz methanol masers in S255IR-NIRS3 during the 2015–2016 burst.
Methods. 8.5-yr monitoring data with an average sampling interval of 5 days were obtained with the Torun 32 m radio telescope. Archival data were added, extending the time series to ~27 yr.
Results. The maser emission showed moderate (25–30%) variability on timescales of months to years over ~23 yr since its discovery. The main burst was preceded by a 1 yr increase of the total flux density by a factor of 2.5, then it grew by a factor of 10 over ~0.4 yr and declined by a factor of 8 during the consecutive 2.4 yr. The peak maser luminosity was a factor of 24.5 higher than the pre-burst quiescent value. The light curves of individual features showed considerable diversity but indicated a general trend of suppression of the maser emission at blueshifted (<4.7 km s−1) velocities when the redshifted emission rapidly grew and new emission features appeared at velocities >5.8 km s−1. This new emission provided a contribution of about 80% to the maser luminosity around the peak of the burst. The duration of the burst at the extreme redshifted velocities of 7.1–8.7 km s−1 was from 0.9 to 1.9 yr, and its lower limit for the other features was ~3.9 yr.
Conclusions. The onset of the maser burst exactly coincides with that of the infrared burst estimated from the motion of the light echo. This strongly supports the radiative pumping scheme of the maser transition. The growth of the maser luminosity is the result of an increasing volume of gas where the maser inversion is achieved.


Connections in steel structures play an essential role in the structural stability of the entire construction. This is also true in the event of a fire. The difficulty in designing connections for fire lies in the fact that not only material properties, but also loads applied to the connections change depending on temperature. In addition, the temperature‐dependent decrease in the tensile strength of high‐strength bolts does not coincide with the decrease in shear strength. So far, the influence of combined tension and shear loading on high‐strength bolts has not been studied in detail.


Representational state transfer (REST) is a wide-spread architecture style for decentralized applications. REST proposes the use of a fixed set of service interfaces to transfer heterogeneous resource representations instead of defining custom interfaces for individual applications. This paper explores the advantages of RESTful architectures, i.e., service-oriented software architectures comprised RESTful services, in industrial settings. These include communication advantages such as reduced communication overhead and the possibility to introduce caching layers, and system design advantages including stable service interfaces across applications and the use of resource-oriented information models in cyber-physical systems. Additionally, a RESTful extension to the open platform communications (OPC) unified architecture (OPC UA) binary protocol is proposed in order to leverage these advantages. It requires only minimal modifications to the existing OPC UA stacks and is fully backward compatible with the standard protocol. Performance benchmarks on industrial hardware show a throughput increase up to a factor of eight for short-lived interactions. This reduction of overhead is especially relevant for the use of OPC UA in the emerging Industrial Internet of Things.


Abstract The European Food Risk Assessment Fellowship Programme (EU‐FORA) is an initiative by EFSA, aimed at building scientific capacity in food safety risk assessment in the EU. Current paper reports on the activities of this fellow, undertaken in participation of the third, 2019–2020 cycle of the EU‐FORA programme while placed at the University of Porto, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, in Portugal. The work programme offered by the hosting site was related to risk assessment on food additives and contaminants. The fellow's hands‐on work consisted of two practical exercises, which aimed to assess the exposure to the 10 intense sweeteners authorised in the EU and a process contaminant, acrylamide, for the Portuguese general population.


AbstractTo represent the Rabbis and their views, I cite stories and sayings that I claim characterize the canonical consensus. No contradictory findings on the fundamental issues taken up in the cited stories and sayings circulate. And a fair number of rulings confirm and reinforce the indicated conception. The upshot is simple. On fundamental issues, a coherent structure and system of theology and law sustains discourse of "the Rabbis" and "their position." By "the Rabbis" therefore I mean the canonical consensus upon issues of law, theology, and hermeneutics of the late antique Rabbinic literature. Here I present evidence of the Rabbinic consensus on Prophecy. I cite passages that represent a common conviction—passages that do not conflict with other compositions on the same topic but that conform to a fundamental principle everywhere affirmed and nowhere contradicted. The result of this analysis is to show that the Rabbis made the heritage of ancient Israelite Prophecy their own by dismantling the Prophetic documents into bits and pieces of philological evidence. Scripture thus was treated as a collection of inert facts, sentence by sentence, available for service where and as required. Scripture lost its coherence and no longer conveyed the context in which to read complete passages. The Rabbis read the Prophetic record as a collection of random facts awaiting systematization within the Rabbinic program and only there.


Arrhythmogenic left ventricular cardiomyopathy (ALVC) is a rare heritable heart-muscle disorder characterized by a progressive loss of left ventricular myocardium and its replacement by fibrofatty tissue. Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the heart that may occur secondary to infections, immune system activation or exposure to drugs. Hot phases of ALVC present with chest pain and troponin rise, mimicking acute viral myocarditis and indicate a progression of the disease. Recently, myocarditis has also been described as an infrequent complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) mRNA vaccines. We herein report for the first time a case of probable myocarditis induced by Covid-19 vaccine in a patient with previous medical history of ALVC. We aim to highlight the common characteristics of ALVC and Covid-19 vaccine myocarditis and work through the differential diagnosis of these two entities.


This study utilized life story interviews with 21 formerly incarcerated individuals to examine the role vocational reentry programming played in the desistance process. We begin with a review of theories of desistance and the state of reentry programs. A thematic analysis revealed that providers assisted individuals to understand their behavioral trajectories and to take steps toward desistance. Further, participants felt empowered by program provided social support, developed strategies to overcome employment barriers, and held resilient and optimistic attitudes in changing their identities and behavioral trajectories. We conclude with a discussion on how these findings can inform desistance theory and reentry policy.


This paper addresses the metric accuracy potential of Ikonos Geo imagery for 2D geopositioning. For this, alternative sensor orientation models including rational functions, satellite orbital modelling and terrain relief-corrected affine transformation were used since the Ikonos camera model and the information for external parameters are not provided to the users. Test results arising from the application of these alternative models in a Zonguldak testfield confirm that Ikonos Geo-scenes can yield 2D geopositioning to pixel and in some cases even sub-pixel, accuracy. The paper describes the Zonguldak testfield, discusses geopositioning approaches in the 2D adopted and reports on the geometric accuracy obtained with different sensor orientation models.


A magnetic-tape sound recorder which features a computer-controlled adjusting device capable of automatically adjusting the recording signal level and the recording bias current depending upon the magnetic tape to be put to use on the sound recorder.


AIM
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of variation of the incision-to-delivery interval on neonatal wellbeing during cesarean delivery.

METHODS
In this prospective study, 71 women, hemodynamically stable and without severe comorbidities, undergone an antepartum cesarean delivery; acid-base status, umbilical arterial oxygen content and Apgar score were used as indicators of neonatal wellbeing. Umbilical cord blood gas, the Apgar score of each neonate, the interval between skin incision and delivery and the interval between hysterotomy and fetal extraction of 71 cesarean deliveries were assessed in our level III University Hospital.

RESULTS
Neither variation of skin incision-to-delivery interval nor variation of the interval between hysterotomy and delivery of the fetus is associated with a variation of indicators of neonatal wellbeing.

CONCLUSION
A longer skin incision-to-delivery interval in cesarean birth does not compromise neonatal acid-base balance. Similarly, a longer interval between hysterotomy and delivery of the fetus is not associated with a variation of indicators of neonatal wellbeing. Awareness of this fact could give the surgeon more tranquility and help to prevent part of the iatrogenic complications associated with cesarean delivery.


Despite many studies correlating smoking with later onset of ulcerative colitis and probable decreased severity of disease, controversies still exist. This study evaluates correlation between smoking status and severity of ulcerative colitis among Iranian patients. This was a cross-sectional retrospective study. Patients with ulcerative colitis attending the Amir Alam Hospital gasteroenterology clinics in 2009 to 2010 were included. Smoking habits and severity of ulcerative colitis were evaluated depending on number of visits required to the clinic and related hospitalization in the past year, radiology results and pathology of patients. A total of 674 newly diagnosed and follow-up patients were included of which 304 (45.1%) individuals were men. Of these patients, 160 (23.7%) individuals were cigarette smokers. Nonsmokers on the average had 3.6 ± 1.8 and smokers 4.0 ± 1.4 visits per year (p = 0.02). Average number of hospitalizations per patient per year was 1.4 ± 1.1 for nonsmokers and 2.6 ± 0.7 for smokers (p < 0.000). Severity of illness in respect to pathology was stage 0 to 2 (mild) in 272 (40.4%) individuals and stages 3 and 4 (severe) in the remaining 402 (59.6%) individuals. Radiology showed mild disease in 270 (40.1%) and severe ulcerative colitis in 404 (59.9%) patients and the frequency was unrelated to gender or cigarette consumption. Unlike many studies from other countries severity of ulcerative colitis was not found to be correlated with smoking or nonsmoking status and average number of visits to physician or need for hospitalization were found to be higher in smokers which needs further studies for conclusions to be made.

 Key words: Colitis, ulcerative, cigarette smoking, smoking cessation, severity of illness index.


Restriction in the use of inputs and therefore limited availability of certain nutrient resources is a key characteristic of organic farming. Making best use of resources available on the farm implies that diet formulation needs to consider the availability of home–grown feed materials and the nutrient requirements of the livestock, as well as taking into account factors outside the farm gate, such as market conditions and consumer expectations.
It is therefore an on-going challenge for organic farmers to balance the different demands and the resources available.
In the move towards 100% organic diets organic pig and poultry producers are currently faced with a number of key issues in relation to the supply of energy and particularly protein that are addressed in this document. This guide is aimed at those involved with organic pig and poultry production, and summarises the main results of two Deliverables 4.1 and 4.2 of the project EC 2092/91 (Organic) Revision1 on the possibilities and limitations of protein supply in organic poultry and pig production.
It covers a range of issues that are relevant either to feed millers or to farmers or to both alike. These include:
- Balance of supply and demand
- Continuity, batch size and quality of supply of organically grown cereals
- Shortages in the supply of organic feed in several EU countries
- Dietary requirements under conditions of organic farming
- Dietary requirements of organically reared pigs and poultry during the various life-stages (taking into account outdoor rearing systems)?
- How far can the specification of fattening rations for pigs and poultry, and different breeds within these livestock categories, deviate from the optima?
- Is there potential to reduce the energy content of the diet to increase intake and hence increase the total intake of limiting amino acids?
- What is the organic livestock industry, particularly the poultry sector, doing to develop breeds and production systems that require less intensive feeding?
- What protein sources can be used? (Grain legumes, Fish meal, Rape seed)
- Will further derogations be available?
- Challenges for producing home-grown feeds and suggestions for overcoming them.

The report concludes that organic production of pigs and poultry aims for land based production systems and reduction in production intensity in terms of the use of external inputs. This is different from the production goal of intensified conventional production of improving live-weight gain, protein accretion and feed conversion rate while at the same time reducing production costs. Moving away from high production levels as a main aim of a farm system, and striving for balanced and land-related animal production has its associated costs. The reduction in the intensity implies fewer burdens
on the environment but also decreases in livestock performance and increases in production costs.
Consumers are willing to pay a premium for this increased quality, and this is necessary to compensate for the additional costs in production method. Hence, it is of high importance to minimise any of these production cost increases without compromising the product quality by using as few external inputs as possible and as many as necessary.
Discussions as to what types of organic pig and poultry production systems best represent the compromise between the different goals and principles of organic farming are likely to continue within the organic livestock sector. Due to the variation between farms and regions, there cannot be any general recommendations on how to deal with the limited availability of high quality protein feed stuffs in organic pig and poultry livestock production. There is variation in the availability of high quality feedstuffs, the digestibility and utilization of amino acids varies between the various feedstuffs, and there are differences in the capacity of protein accretion and feed intake between
genotypes, and in the housing and feeding conditions on farms. The feeding strategies therefore need to be both farm and region specific. The variability of specific optimisation strategies of how to achieve 100% organic diets should correspond to the variability within organic livestock production.
This makes the farmer the most important regulator of the system who can change aspects of the system to achieve greater balance. In order to assess the requirement for supplementary feed within an organic farm system, it is necessary to monitor feed demand and the supply and quality of home-grown feedstuffs. Accuracy in the formulation of feed rations according to the individual requirements of livestock and precise allocation and monitoring of actual feed intake are essential tools in the management of organic pigs and poultry.


Poland syndrome (PS) is right sided in 75 percent of cases. Only 10 percent are associated with dextrocardia. It is usually detected late for the milder nature of the condition. Only in severe cases it comes to attention during neonatal period. Left sided Poland syndrome with dextrocardia is extremely rare. To the best of our knowledge this is the first case of left sided type 3 Poland syndrome with dextrocardia diagnosed at birth with chest wall getting sucked in and bulging out during inspiration and expiration respectively


This study reported the effects of Hg2+ on the morphology and DNA of a microalga, Chlorella vulgaris (UMT-M1).
Morphological changes and DNA damage in cells were analysed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Comet
assay, respectively. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (i.e. IC50 ) of Hg2+ on the growth of C. vulgaris obtained from
the dose-response curve was 0.72 mg/L. Under SEM, it was observed that Hg2+ treated cells become smaller in size (i.e.
2.1±0.1 μm) compared to normal cells (i.e. 3.2±0.1 μm). The morphology of cells changed from an intact microalgal cells
with smooth spherical surface to a slightly roughened surface and shrivelled shape. Apoptotic bodies were also observed
under 0.001, 0.01 and 0.1 mg/L of Hg2+ but not in 1.0 mg/L Hg2+. These results indicate that Hg2+ may induce apoptotic cell
death at low concentrations but not at the highest concentration of 1.0 mg/L. The highest percentage of cells with comet level
of 4 was observed in 1.0 mg/L Hg2+. However, Hg2+ is genotoxic to the microalga even at low concentration. In conclusion,
Hg2+ can exert its toxic effects on C. vulgaris by changing the microalgal morphology, damaging the microalgal DNA and
inducing cell death in the microalgal cells using different pathways at different concentrations.


The hydrolysis of UC with 1 N H2SO4 was carried out in the presence of various oxidants at 80°C. The amount of gaseous products was measured by means of a gas chromatograph; the dissolved, carbon-containing compounds, and the insoluble residues produced in the reaction were analyzed for carbon. Analyses of the uranium and oxidants consumed were also made by volumetric and gravimetric methods. The results may be summarized : (1) The hydrolysis of UC with 1 N H2SO4 proceeds by an electro-chemical mechanism. (2) The hydrolysis products fundamentally depend upon the oxidation potential of the oxidants in the solution. (3) The oxidation potential at which the hydrolysis of UC with 1 N H2SO4 proceeds can be explained in terms of the partial ionic character of UC. (4) The application of this experimental method to other carbides would serve to clarify the chemical reaction and the bond character of the carbides.


The long lasting study of climate through the systematic analysis of documentary sources is among the so called proxy-records, registrations used in order to recognize the climatic behaviour during several centuries. This methodological possibility has been hardly practiced in Mexico until the late Twentieth Century, thus, the background in this kind of research was not meant to distinguish the climatic behaviour in a regional scale during large periods of droughts time, in fact, it aimed to relate certain socioeconomic events with climatic anomalies. At the same time, it was a research not based in continuos and homogeneous documentary sources, condition accomplished by the rogation ceremonies records registered in the books of the civil and ecclesiastic files; these archives were carefully inspected since the beginning of their recording until the decade of 1860, when they ended as an institutional performance, their duration as part of the public and religious records along two hundred and seventy years (1600-1870) gave the opportunity to knowledge droughts in the basin of Mexico. Of the different climatic phenomena, they were the only ones that had the chance to be reliable acknowledge according to the type of information found in Mexico City, since the fundamental mechanism of data, rogation ceremonies, were constantly recorded only during the drought chapters. The rogation ceremonies were carried out with the expectancy of giving end to an environmental or morbid vicissitude. In Mexico City these ceremonies were dedicated, most of the times, to the Virgin of "Los Remedios". Abstract. The long lasting study of climate through the systematic analysis of documentary sources is among the so called proxy-records, registrations used in order to recognize the climatic behaviour during several centuries. This methodological possibility has been hardly practiced in Mexico until the late Twentieth Century, thus, the background in this kind of research was not meant to distinguish the climatic behaviour in a regional scale during large periods of droughts time, in fact, it aimed to relate certain socioeconomic events with climatic anomalies. At the same time, it was a research not based in continuos and homogeneous documentary sources, condition accomplished by the rogation ceremonies records registered in the books of the civil and ecclesiastic files; these archives were carefully inspected since the beginning of their recording until the decade of 1860, when they ended as an institutional performance, their duration as part of the public and religious records along two hundred and seventy years (1600-1870) gave the opportunity to knowledge droughts in the basin of Mexico. Of the different climatic phenomena, they were the only ones that had the chance to be reliable acknowledge according to the type of information found in Mexico City, since the fundamental mechanism of data, rogation ceremonies, were constantly recorded only during the drought chapters. The rogation ceremonies were carried out with the expectancy of giving end to an environmental or morbid vicissitude. In Mexico City these ceremonies were dedicated, most of the times, to the Virgin of "Los Remedios".


ABSTRACT We evaluate the impact of paid sick leave (PSL) mandates on PSL coverage, work absences, and presenteeism (that is, attending work while sick) for private-sector workers in the United States. Our identification strategy relies on geographic and temporal variation in mandate enactment, as well as within-county variation in the propensity to gain PSL following a mandate. We find that PSL mandates increase coverage rates and work absences for those most likely to gain coverage, and these effects are larger for women and households with children. We also provide evidence that PSL mandates reduce the rate of presenteeism.


Mushrooms can be found extensively in a variety of natural environments and visual identification of mushroom species is well established. Some mushrooms are known because of their nutritional and therapeutical properties. Some species are known all over the world because of their toxicity that causes fatal accidents every year mainly due to misidentification. Some of the edible mushrooms are Ganoderma spp, Cantharellus spp, Agaricus spp, Pleurotus spp, Russula spp, Auricularia spp and Termitomyces spp; but the ornamentals are the beautifully ringed Microporous spp. Amanita spp, Lepiota cristata, Lepiota brunneoincarnata and Inocybe asterospora, C o p r i n u s s p p are among the most important species responsible for mushroom poisoning. Morphological and chemical analyses for mushrooms are occasionally required in forensic science practice. In this work, the characteristics of the representative toxic mushrooms and some chemical methods for their toxins are presented. Mushrooms are identified traditionally by their appearance, taste, colour, odour, presence of scales etc. However, further studies using modern methods of characterization involving molecular tools are required to improve on such strategies.


This paper introduces a reference-pulse interpolator motion control system, which can be applied for computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools. The interpolation is calculated in DSP and the independent pulse generator modules are performed in FPGA, which can generate precise reference velocity profile and eliminate the path error of reference pulse interpolation. The proposed methodology has many advantages over existing reference-pulse interpolator controller, such as: real-time, extensibility, high flexibility and high precision motion profile planning.


mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) is a central coordinator of cell growth and metabolism. Mutations in regulators of mTORC1 cause syndromic disorders with a high prevalence of cognitive and psychiatric conditions. To elucidate the cellular origins of these manifestations, we conditionally deleted the gene encoding the mTORC1 negative regulator Tsc1 from mouse midbrain dopamine neurons, which modulate motor, affective, and cognitive behaviors that are frequently affected in psychiatric disorders. Loss of Tsc1 and constitutive activation of mTORC1 strongly impacted the properties of dopamine neurons, causing somatodendritic hypertrophy, reduced intrinsic excitability, altered axon terminal ultrastructure, and severely impaired dopamine release. These perturbations were associated with selective deficits in cognitive flexibility, which could be prevented by genetic reduction of the obligatory mTORC1 protein Raptor. Our results establish a critical role for mTORC1 in setting the functional properties of midbrain dopamine neurons, and indicate that dopaminergic dysfunction may underlie cognitive inflexibility in mTOR-related syndromes.


Objectives Current models of transgene dispersal focus on gene flow via pollen while neglecting seed, a vital vehicle for gene flow in centers of crop origin and diversity. We analyze the dispersal of maize transgenes via seeds in Mexico, the crop's cradle. Methods We use immunoassays (ELISA) to screen for the activity of recombinant proteins in a nationwide sample of farmer seed stocks. We estimate critical parameters of seed population dynamics using household survey data and combine these estimates with analytical results to examine presumed sources and mechanisms of dispersal. Results Recombinant proteins Cry1Ab/Ac and CP4/EPSPS were found in 3.1% and 1.8% of samples, respectively. They are most abundant in southeast Mexico but also present in the west-central region. Diffusion of seed and grain imported from the United States might explain the frequency and distribution of transgenes in west-central Mexico but not in the southeast. Conclusions Understanding the potential for transgene survival and dispersal should help design methods to regulate the diffusion of germplasm into local seed stocks. Further research is needed on the interactions between formal and informal seed systems and grain markets in centers of crop origin and diversification.


Classic statements of control theory propose that individuals who are controlled or bonded will be more likely to be deterred from deviance, while those who are not controlled or bonded will be more likely to turn to deviance. In a recent restatement of control theory, Tittle (1995) offers an alternative viewpoint. Though he agrees that a lack of control (a control deficit) can lead to repressive forms of deviance (predation, defiance, and submission), Tittle also asserts that overcontrol (a control surplus) may lead to autonomous types of deviance (exploitation, plunder, and decadence). Terming it control balance theory, Tittle argues that the amount of control to which one is subject relative to the amount of control one can exercise (i.e., the control ratio) affects not only the probability that one will engage in a deviant act, but also the specific form or type of deviance. In this article, we focus on one of the key hypotheses of control balance theory: an individual's control balance ratio predicts deviant behavior. We examine this hypothesis using two vignettes designed to investigate the repressive acts of predation and defiance. Segmented, nonlinear regression results yield mixed evidence in that both control surpluses and control deficits significantly predict predation and defiance. The theoretical implications of our results for control balance theory are discussed.