Abstract We evaluated the effectiveness of commercially available light traps and sticky traps baited with chemical light sticks for the collection of phlebotomine sand flies. Evaluations were conducted at Tallil Air Base, Iraq, in 2003. In an initial study, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-style trap with UV bulb collected significantly more sand flies than did an up-draft CDC trap, a standard down-draft CDC trap (STD-CDC), or a sticky strap with a green chemical light stick. In a subsequent study, we found that the addition of chemical light sticks to sticky traps resulted in a significant increase in the number of sand flies collected compared with sticky traps without the light sticks. These data indicate that 1) the CDC light trap with an UV bulb is an effective alternative to the standard CDC light trap for collecting phlebotomine sand flies in Iraq, and 2) that the addition of a chemical light stick to a sticky trap can result in a field-expedient tool for the collection of sand flies.


Abstract. The permafrost region of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is widely distributed with the freeze/thaw processes that cause surface structural damage. The differential interferometry synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR) can detect large scale surface deformation with high precision, thus can be used to monitor the freeze/thaw processes of frozen soil area. In this paper, the surface deformation pattern of Qinghai-Tibet railway was analyzed by using the PALSAR 1.0 raw data of the ALOS satellite (L band) and 90m resolution SRTM DEM data, with the help of two-pass DInSAR method in GAMMA software, and the differential interferograms and deformation maps were obtained accordingly. Besides, the influence of temperature, topography and other factors on deformation of frozen soil were also studied. The following conclusions were obtained: there is a negative correlation between deformation and temperature, and there is a delay between the deformation change and that of temperature; deformation and elevation are positively correlated; the permafrost deformation is also affected by solar radiation that could form variable amplitude variation.


Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is characterized by disturbing leg sensations associated to sleep complaints and excessive daytime somnolence. In the elderly, it affects 10 to 35%. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of RLS in institutionalized elderly, analyzing its relationship with clinical, laboratorial and neurophysiological features. We conducted a cross-sectional study of all the subjects under treatment on a chronic-care geriatric service by using face-to-face interviews, which include sleep complaints, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and standardized questions addressing the four minimal criteria for RLS. The patients with RLS diagnosis received neurological examination, laboratorial tests and three of them, neurophysiological evaluation. The prevalence of RLS was 15.6%. Women were more affected and sleep complaints were frequent. There was no significance on other clinical, laboratorial or neurophysiological findings. We conclude that RLS is a prevalent condition in elderly, may lead to sleep complaints and is often underdiagnosed.


This policy brief explores four key issues pertaining to the future of early childhood education and care in Australia: the importance of early childhood, quality early childhood education and care, service integration, and the inclusion of children with disability and developmental delays. Overview The past decade has seen an unprecedented policy focus in Australia upon services for children during the early years. This has occurred in response to a growing body of research highlighting the importance of the early years. Progress in regards to early childhood education and care (ECEC) services in the policy arena is often overshadowed by simplistic views and debates in the broader public arena regarding young children. For example, the misconception that child care is 'bad' for young children disrupts attempts to move public debate towards how we can build a high quality ECEC service system. In this Policy Brief, we explore four key issues pertaining to the future of early childhood education and care in Australia: the importance of early childhood, quality early childhood education and care, service integration, and the inclusion of children with disability and developmental delays. Although significant improvements have been made recently in Australia in regards to ECEC, it is important that as a nation we carefully consider decisions regarding the ECEC service system and do not lose sight of the profound role that the service system plays in building the foundation for Australia's future prosperity.


Water-soluble 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS®)-based copolymers are commonly used to provide water retention (fluid loss control) for oil well cement slurries. Here, the fluid loss performance of a CaAMPS®-N,N-dimethylacrylamide copolymer (CaAMPS®-co-NNDMA) in the presence of Welan gum, an anionic microbial biopolymer produced by anaerobic fermentation using Alcaligenes ATCC 31555 bacteria was investigated at 80°C. Welan gum is used to control unwanted free water development at the surface of the cement slurry. The effectiveness of CaAMPS®-co-NNDMA fluid loss additive (FLA) solely relies on its high adsorption onto the positively charged surfaces of cement hydrates. Adsorption of the FLA is, however, perturbed by Welan gum. This anionic polysaccharide competes with CaAMPS®-co-NNDMA for adsorption sites on the cement surface. This effect is surprising because in cement pore solution, Welan gum exhibits a much lower specific anionic charge amount than CaAMPS®-co-NNDMA. The reason is that Welan gum possesses carboxylate functionalities, which are much stronger anchor groups than the sulfonate groups present in CaAMPS®-co-NNDMA. The superiority of the carboxylate groups regarding their affinity to the mineral surface, which possesses insufficiently coordinated Ca atoms is confirmed by a higher calcium binding capability for Welan gum than for the FLA. Thus, Welan gum can reduce effectiveness of CaAMPS®-co-NNDMA as fluid loss agent by preventing its adsorption or through displacement of already adsorbed FLA molecules from the surface of cement. In multiadmixture systems, which are commonly used in oil well cement, concrete or mortars, competitive adsorption between different additives for surface sites can negatively impact the performance of these additives. Understanding the reasons behind can help to develop more effective admixture systems. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010


The progression of the cell cycle in green algae dividing by multiple fission is, under otherwise unlimited conditions, affected by the growth rate, set by a combination of light intensity and temperature. In this study, we compared the cell cycle characteristics of Desmodesmus quadricauda at 20 °C or 30 °C and upon shifts between these two temperatures. The duration of the cell cycle in cells grown under continuous illumination at 20 °C was more than double that at 30 °C, suggesting that it was set directly by the growth rate. Similarly, the amounts of DNA, RNA, and bulk protein content per cell at 20 °C were approximately double those of cells grown at the higher temperature. For the shift experiments, cells grown at either 20 °C or 30 °C were transferred to darkness to prevent further growth, and then cultivated at the same or the other temperature. Upon transfer to the lower temperature, fewer nuclei and daughter cells were produced, and not all cells were able to finish the cell cycle by division, remaining multinuclear. Correspondingly, cells placed in the dark at the higher temperature divided faster into more daughter cells than the control cells. These differences correlated with shifts in the preceding cyclin-dependent kinase activity, suggesting that cell cycle progression was not related to growth rate or cell biomass but correlated with cyclin-dependent kinase activity.


In this study, the regulatory elements involved in ICAM-1 transcriptional response to phorbol ester (12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate; TPA) have been investigated in the human neuroblastoma cell line, SK-N-SH. TPA induced intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) protein expression in SK-N-SH cells within 24 h of treatment as judged by indirect immunofluorescence. Basal ICAM-1 mRNA levels were barely detectable in untreated SK-N-SH cells but were induced by TPA to a maximal level with 4 h and were reduced thereafter. Analysis of the 5' promoter sequence of ICAM-1 revealed two regions that functioned equally in the TPA induction of ICAM-1 transcription. The first region (-145 to -227) contained a nuclear factor-kappa B (NF kappa B) element. The second region (-316 to -390) contained a putative TPA-responsive element (TRE; TGATTCA) and a TATA box. Deletion and point mutation of the latter region indicated that the TRE was indeed the functional element within this region and acted fully and independently of all other elements including the TATA box at position -352. This TRE bound TPA induced specific nuclear complexes in vitro containing junD, c-jun, c-fos, and fra2 but not cAMP-responsive element binding/activating transcription factor family proteins. ICAM-TRE binding activity was induced within 30 min following TPA treatment. This preceded the appearance of ICAM-NF kappa B site binding activity. Cotransfection of c-jun and c-fos expression vectors into SK-N-SH cells induced transactivation from ICAM-1 promoter constructs containing the intact but not mutated TRE site. Primer extension analyses revealed that TPA had induced transcription exclusively at two sites -40 and -41 bp upstream of the translation start site. These data show that the ICAM-TRE and its cognate jun- and fos-containing transcription factors play a predominant role in the transcriptional response of ICAM-1 to the protein kinase C activator TPA in SK-N-SH cells.


Abstract. Frequency-dependent selection occurs when predators alter their prey choice to target abundant prey. We tested whether two species of insectivorous songbirds exhibited similar frequency-dependent selection behavior. House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) and Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) routinely occupy nest boxes established over 700 acres at Missouri Western State University. During the 2018 breeding season from April through July, House Wrens consumed more sentinel prey from the color station that had previously appeared in higher frequency after four days of training. Eastern Bluebirds did not consume more of the previously abundant prey color stations and neither species showed a preference when the abundant color was reversed for the second half of the experiment which may be explained by latency in switching previously learned behaviors. Consequently, House Wrens demonstrated an initial frequency-dependent foraging strategy, but the Eastern Bluebirds did not. These results indicate how generalist insectivores that nest in the same habitat differ in their foraging strategies and behaviors.


Various new thiazolidinone and thioxoimidazolidinone derivatives were synthesized starting from 4,9-dimethoxy-5 H-furo[3,2-g][1]benzopyran-5-on-7-carboxaldehyde. The anticonvulsant activity of the synthesized compounds was evaluated. Most of the compounds showed anticonvulsant activity equal or superior to phenobarbital.


Background: Airway smooth muscle cells (ASMC) can produce a variety of cytokine during inflammation, causing changes in the components of the extracellular matrix, which are related to airway remodeling. Midkine (MK) can promote the chemotaxis of various inflammatory cells and release inflammatory factors. Whether Notch and Midkine together affect the proliferation and apoptosis of airway smooth muscle cells is unclear.Objective: To study the mechanism of Midkine on LPS-induced acute lung injury caused by airway smooth muscle cells.Methods: Airway smooth muscle cells were cultured in vitro and divided into 5 groups: control group, lipopolysaccharide group (LPS), Non-targeted siRNA group, MKsiRNA group, Notch inhibitor group (LY411575). The cell proliferation level was detected by CCK-8. The apoptosis level was detected by flow cytometry. The changes of cytokine in the Midkine/Notch2 signaling pathway were detected by Westernblot, qPCR and cellular immunofluorescence.Results: Midkine and Notch2 were highly expressed in the LPS group. MKsiRNA can effectively block the expression of Midkine induced by LPS while down-regulating the expression of Notch2. This result is the same as that of Notch inhibitor (LY411575). Exogenous Midkine promoted the proliferation of airway smooth muscle cells and reduced the rate of apoptosis in the LPS group. When the expression of Midkine was blocked, the proliferation of airway smooth muscle cells in the LPS group was significantly reduced, while apoptosis increased. Inhibiting the expression of Notch, the proliferation of airway smooth muscle cells in the LPS group decreased, and apoptosis increased.Conclusions: Midkine/Notch2 signaling pathway plays an important role in regulating airway smooth muscle cell proliferation and apoptosis in airway inflammation.


The Private Equity and Venture Capital (PE/VC) financial model was initially developed in the US and, therefore, designed for the US institutional environment. The degree to which the US PE/VC model can perform in other institutional environments is an interesting question. This article is based on data supplied by all of the 65 PE/VC organizations with offices in Brazil in 2004. Comparing Brazil and the US, we found that the main similarities are: an industry composed mostly of independent organizations, managing capital coming mostly from institutional investors; capital is heavily concentrated regionally and in few organizations; investments are made within a close geographical distance; and software and IT are preferred sectors. The main differences are that for Brazil: investments are concentrated in more advanced stages of corporate development; since credit is scarce, few LBOs take place; low levels of sector specialization (PE/VC investing in a broad variety of industrial sectors); firm concentration in Sao Paulo's financial district suggests a quest for commercial partners and strategic buyers for portfolio companies; and Brazilian PE/VC regulation recognizes the inefficiency of the legal system and forces the use of arbitration. We also discuss possible reasons for these adaptations.


The writhe of a space curve fragment is considered for various boundary conditions. An expression for the writhe as a function of arclength for an arbitrary space curve is obtained. The formula is built on the base of closing the tangent indicatrix with a geodesic. The corresponding closure of a curve in 3-space is explicitly constructed. The addition rule for writhe is formulated. A relationship connecting the writhe with the Gauss integral over the open curve is presented. The single and double regular helical shapes are examined as examples.


According to some researchers, noise is typically conceived as a detrimental factor in cognitive performance affecting perception, decision making, and motor function. However, in recent studies it is associated with white noise with concentration and calm, therefore, this research seeks to establish the impact of binaural white noise on the performance of short-term visual and working memory, the alpha - beta brain activity, attention - meditation, through the use of two auditory stimuli with frequency ranges of (100 to 450hz) and (100 to 750hz). This study was conducted in the city of Montes Claros, the Republic of Brazil, where seven participants were evaluated (n = 7) with an average age of 36.71, and two age groups (GP1) 21 to 30 and (GP2) 41 50, with university studies. Within the experimental process, the short-term visual memory tests were performed using the cognitive assessment battery CAB of CogniFit, and the recording of brain activities through the use of monopolar electroencephalogram and the eSense algorithms. With the results obtained and through the use of statistical tests, we can infer that the binaural white noise with oscillations of 100 to 750 Hz contributed to the performance of visual work memory in the short term


Downlink throughput results are presented for cases where the available cell transmission resources are shared between high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) and dedicated channel users. It is shown that the total cell throughput can be increased by 69% by allocating only 5 high speed downlink shared channel codes and 7 W for HSDPA transmission, compared to a scenario without HSDPA enabled. These results are obtained for a macro cellular scenario with best effort packet traffic. It is demonstrated that part of this throughput increase originates from a better utilization of available cell transmit power when HSDPA is introduced, since reservation of less power control headroom is required.


Rapidly growing immature (4-wk-old) and slowly growing mature (15-wk-old) rats were fed fiber-free or 10 g/100 g pectin diets containing various proteins differing in the sulfur amino acid content for 30-32 d. Soybean protein, casein, whole egg protein and egg albumen were used at the nitrogen level of 2.7 g/100 g diet. These experimental diets contained 0.354, 0.540, 0.945 and 1.22 g sulfur amino acids/100 g, respectively. In the rats fed fiber-free diets, a substantial quantity of glycine-conjugated bile acids was detected in the bile of immature rats fed soybean protein and casein (73 and 25% of total bile acids, respectively), but not in the other groups (less than 13%). Dietary pectin increased bile acid excretion both in immature (48-77%) and mature (34-114%) rats irrespective of the protein source, except in immature rats fed egg albumen and mature rats fed whole egg protein. Because a pectin-dependent increase in bile acid excretion was essentially attributed to the increase in glycine-conjugates, this dietary fiber significantly increased the ratio of glycine-conjugates to taurine-conjugates (2.4- to 6.5-fold). This increase was accompanied by a 40-50% decrease in the concentration of liver taurine, except in immature rats fed soybean protein and egg albumen. However, there was no consistent relationship between the extent of taurine conjugation and the activity of liver cysteine dioxygenase, one of the rate-limiting enzymes in taurine synthesis.


Family based dispatching rules seek to lower set-up frequencies by grouping (batching) similar types of jobs for joint processing. Hence shop flow times may be improved, as less time is spent on set-ups. Motivated by an industrial project we study the control of machines with batch availability, i.e. all the jobs of the same batch become available for processing and leave the machine together. So far the literature seems to have neglected this type of shop by restricting its focus on machines with item availability, i.e. assuming machine operations concern single jobs. We address this gap by proposing extensions to existing family based dispatching rules. Extended rules are tested by an extensive simulation study. Best performance is found for non-exhaustive rules, which allow for alternative choices of batch size. Performance gains are highest for low set-up to run-time ratios and/or high workloads.


Erythromycin has been reported to be active in vitro against most anaerobic bacteria. We found it effective in treating 14 of 17 patients with mild to moderately severe anaerobic or mixed aerobic/anaerobic pleuropulmonary of soft-tissue infections when adjunctive measures (eg, drainage, débridement, and the use of additional antibiotics to treat important aerobic pathogens) were employed. Erythromycin offers a reasonable therapeutic alternative to penicillin in the treatment of a penicillin-allergic patient who has a mild or moderately severe anaerobic or mixed aerobic/anaerobic infection not involving Bacteroides fragilis or fusobacteria.


The interaction between ethylene and Cu(2+) on a silica model surface was studied by density functional theory (DFT) with nine popular functionals. It is found that B3LYP with BSSE correction is the best method by comparing the calculated results with reported experimental data. This method was also used to study the interactions of Cu(2+) with β-carotene, 1,3,5,7,9,11,13-tetradecaheptaene and ethylene on a MCM-41 model surface. The relationship between the reorganization energy of an olefin and its conjugation length was studied, and the roles of the electrostatic interaction between the olefin and the Cu(2+) were investigated. It is also found that the different environments of Cu(2+) affect the Cu(2+)-olefin interaction significantly.


WITH today's centralized control and supervision of power systems, it is essential that the man at the controls knows what is going on at all outlying stations and interconnection points. Telemetering equipment keeps him informed of load changes, transfer of power from one system to another, variations in voltage, and all other values that are necessary for efficient operation.


Technology has its wide range of applications in every field potentially even on the Mobile technology. One of the technologies which accomplish the blind person in android mobile is Virtual Reality. In spite of virtual reality is engaged to effectuate the operations, the blind person attention is one of the most important statistics. Although mobile devices include operative features available for amaurotic users, the user interface of the greater part of the mobile apps is designed for sighted people. If they carry out any mistakes to use the apps it may lead to a wrong call. So, one may think of a technology that diminishes the anxiety of a blind person for using apps. The proposed system converts the text into audio for giving the directions to the blind person about the gestures inferred. For such conversion a technique called speech synthesizer is used. Assorted innovative tools are used in mobile phones. Blind people need to confide in normal person for creating and updating a contact. Our project incorporates the gestures from the blind people and confirms the gestures through voice. Gesture conversion is accomplished by using haptic technology. An amaurotic person can create a new contact and they can invoke the contact by using this voice confirmation. During calling if there is multiple contact list, caller setting are initialized and ask the preference from the blind people, progress the voice call.


By applying of system theory and DEA, the coordinated development degree evaluation model of Chinese resources, economy and society was built up. The statistics data from 1997 to 2006 was adopted and the empirical study on the coordinated development condition was conducted. The result shows that the development presents two fluctuation stages in the recent ten years. In the first four years, it had descending trend and then it gradually rose in the last three years which reflect the recently enacted government policy meet the need of social development.


The role of calcium ions (Ca2+) in the cytotoxic activity of the dengue type 2 virus (DV)-induced macrophage (M phi) cytotoxin (CF2) was investigated in the present study. The findings show that CF2 prepared in Ca(2+)-free medium had no cytotoxic activity on normal mouse spleen cells suspended in Ca(2+)-free medium but killed the cells suspended in the medium with Ca2+. Substitution with calcium chloride restored the cytotoxic activity of CF2 the optimal dose being 10(-4) M concentration. CF2 induced an influx of Ca2+, as assayed by uptake of radiolabelled calcium chloride (45Ca), in the susceptible target cells, viz. M phi and T lymphocytes. The cytotoxic activity of CF2 as well as the CF2-induced influx of 45Ca was inhibited by treatment of the target cell with the calcium channel blocking drugs verapamil and nifedipine. Thus, the presence of Ca2+ is obligatory for the cytotoxic activity of CF2 and cell death is associated with increased intracellular Ca2+.


We have constructed a self-mode-locked Ti:Al(2)O(3) laser that produces 100-fs pulses at 750 nm. These pulses are then amplified in a Ti:Al(2)O(3) regenerative amplifier to the millijoule energy level. 105-fs, 10-GW pulses have been produced.


Rapid urbanization has threatened sustainable urban development in many cities across the globe, causing green space loss and vegetation cover degradation which reduce carbon sequestration. Optimal land management practices (LMPs) in an urban context are known as ways capable of promoting urban vegetation growth and contributing to carbon sequestration. Due to variations of physical, biological, and social structures in urban areas, policymakers often lack relevant information to decide and implement site-specific LMPs. Here we try to extract the areas in need of the optimal LMPs, identify location-dependent optimal LMPs, and assess how much more carbon can be captured by applying a combination of segmenting homogeneous urban environments and neighborhood-based analysis. As one of the most developed cities in China, the greater Guangzhou area (GGA) was selected as a case study. We found that the carbon uptake from the urban vegetation in GGA could be improved on average by 185 gC m−2 yr−1 in flux (or 1.3 TgC yr−1 in total) with optimal LMPs, equivalent to a ~30% increase considering the current level of 662 gC m−2 yr−1 in flux (4.4 TgC yr−1 in total). The carbon uptake potential was found to differ considerably across locations and among different ecosystem types, highlighting spatially varied priorities for implementing optimal LMPs over the space. This study reveals the usefulness of the model in assessing carbon uptake potential from optimal LMPs and emphasizes that future urban planning may consider the importance of optimal LMPs in enhancing vegetation carbon uptake in urban planning.


Porcine zona pellucida proteins (ZPs) have been utilized as female immunocontraceptive antigens. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential use of silkworm recombinant bovine ZP4 as an alternative. When the protein was injected with monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) – an immuno-stimulative agent – into two female goats, marked elevation of the anti-ZP4 titer was detected. Application of the purified specific IgG to a porcine in vitro fertilization system reduced the sperm penetration rate. In one goat, the cyclic profile of serum progesterone disappeared as the anti-ZP4 titer increased. Histological examination of the ovaries revealed degeneration of antral follicles with sparse infiltration of inflammatory cells in the theca, indicating that autoimmune oophoritis had been induced. Together, the present results suggest that recombinant ZP4 disturbs fertilization and exerts a pathogenic effect on follicle development in goats, thus indicating its potential as a female immunocontraceptive antigen.


Oral polio vaccine was introduced into India's national immunization program in 1979-80. Coverage with this vaccine has increased rapidly from 0.67 million in 1979-80 to 9.63 million in 1984-85. 3 doses of the vaccine are recommended at age 3-12 months, followed by a booster dose 12-18 months later. The vaccine is administered along with the DPT vaccine. The vaccines are provided as a package of services under the expanded program on immunization (EPI). India's government initiated the EPI in 1978 with the goal of reducing the morbidity and mortality due to diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, and typhoid fever by making vaccination services available to all eligible children and pregnant women by 1990. In 1985-86, measles vaccination was included in the program. Another objective was to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of vaccines required for the program. Immunization services are provided through the existing health care delivery system: hospitals, dispensaries, and maternal and child health (MCH) clinics in the urban areas primary health centers in rural areas. The aim of universal immunization for all India has been set for 1989-90; some areas may achieve this goal earlier. 30 districts and catchment areas of 50 medical colleges have been taken up in the universal immunization program for 1985-86. The objectives of the universal immunization program include: to provide universal immunization coverage to pregnant women and to infants; to document a reduction in the vaccine preventable diseases; to develop effective implementation and to streamline logistics; and to encourage the active participation of the medical faculty, interns, and students from the planning to the evaluation stages. The government of India provides the vaccines required under the national immunization program to the state health authorities. Over 50 million doses of oral polio vaccine are expected to be utilized during 1985-86. The annual requirements are likely to exceed 80 million doses by 1989-90. The planned targets of vaccination coverage are linked closely to the development of the cold chain system. Since 1984 field samples of oral polio vaccine have been collected for potency tests in order to monitor the quality of the cold chain for vaccines. The effectiveness of the control measures will be evaluated by determining the vaccination coverage of the eligible population and by recording the reduction in incidence of poliomyelitis in the area.


BACKGROUND
Late effects following haematopoietic stem cell transplantation occur both in children and adults. Endocrine impairment may cause abnormal growth velocity and impaired growth in children.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the influence of preparative regimen-high dose chemotherapy and/or cranial irradiation as risk factors for growth impairment.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
30 children underwent haematopoetic stem cell transplantation (19 girls, 11 boys) aged 2-20 years, with autologous (N=9) or allogeneic (N=21) maneuver. 14 children received cranial irradiation prior to grafting: 18 Gy (N=10) and 24 Gy (N-4), high doses chemotherapy included Busulfan/Melphalan (N=6), Cyclophosphamide/Busulfan/ Etoposide (N=6) and total body irradiation with 12 Gy (N=2). Thyroid function was evaluated prior to and after grafting. Growth hormone secretion with standard provocative test were analyzed. Bone age was estimated. State of nutrition 12 to 5 months before and after transplantation, WLI (weight-for-length index) and BMI (body mass index) were evaluated. Abnormal growth velocity denotes decrease > or =1 SD.

RESULTS
1. Cyclophosphamide statistically significantly blunted growth velocity 4 (n=28; p=0.046; r=0.4). 2. Significant correlation (n=28; p=0.0184; r=0.45) was found between abnormal gonadal function and Busulfan. 3. Cranial irradiation prior to preparative regimen impaired growth more significantly than high dose chemotherapy (n=28; p=0.0044). 4. Evaluated WLI determined short stature after transplantation (n=26; p<0.001).

CONCLUSION
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation causes long term endocrine complications especially impaired growth.


We review our recent results on computation of the
higher genus characters for vertex operator superalgebras modules. The vertex
operator formal parameters are associated to local parameters on Riemann
surfaces formed in one of two schemes of (self- or tori- ) sewing of lower genus
Riemann surfaces. For the free fermion vertex operator superalgebra we present
a closed formula for the genus two continuous orbifold partition functions (in
either sewings) in terms of an infinite dimensional determinant with entries
arising from the original torus Szego kernel. This partition function is
holomorphic in the sewing parameters on a given suitable domain and possesses natural modular properties. Several higher genus generalizations of classical
(including Fay's and Jacobi triple product) identities show up in a natural way
in the vertex operator algebra approach.


I think it will pass unquestioned that the sole object of washing out the uterine cavity, or of using the curette within it, post-partum, is for antiseptic purposes. Septicaemia or putrid absorption is possible during the puerperium of every woman. If, therefore, these operations are perfectly harmless, they should be freely performed as a prophylactic measure, and should be heartily endorsed by obstetricians. If, again, the uterine cavity be the common origin of the septic and inflammatory accidents of the lying-in, again should the curette and the intra-uterine douche be used at the first signals of such abnormal disturbance. If, however, these operations be dangerous, requiring extreme care and precision; if, further, most of the inflammatory and many of the septic affections of the puerperium have not their origin in the womb; then the use of the intra-uterine douche and the curette should be discountenanced, except in the hands of


The purpose of this research was to access the influence of hotel restaurant attributes towards customer satisfaction in the hotel restaurant. In this paper, three of the hotel restaurant attributes will be discussed. The main objectives of this study are to examine the relationship between food quality, service quality and atmosphere towards customer satisfaction in the hotel restaurant. This study using a quantitative approach and questionnaire has been distributed to the respondents who have dined in at the hotel restaurant in the Kota Kinabalu area. Meanwhile, the data for this study will be analyzed using Partial Least Square via Structural Equation Modelling. The result shows that food quality, service quality and atmosphere have a significant effect on customer satisfaction. This study will assist the hotel industry in Kota Kinabalu as generally in obtaining a better picture of the key factor that determines customer satisfaction to stay competitive with another freestanding restaurant.


Background 3-D movement analysis with electromagnetic tracking systems proved to be a reliable tool in measuring range of motion (ROM) in healthy shoulders. 3-D analysis of movement patterns in subjects with pain and movement limitations of the shoulder has not yet been performed. Objectives To investigate 3-D movement patterns of the affected and non-affected shoulder in patients with a frozen shoulder before and after physical therapy. Methods Patients with a unilateral frozen shoulder were assessed before and after 3 months of intensive passive end-range of motion mobilisation techniques. 3-D movement analysis was performed with the ?Flock of Birds®? electromagnetic tracking device while the patient elevated the arms in 3 directions. Using segmented linear regression, the characteristic slope of the upward part of the curves of glenohumeral elevation angle (x-axis) versus scapular laterorotation angle (y-axis) was approximated. Within this analysis determining the turning point of the curve was essential. Additional measures included ROM with a goniometer and a VAS(0–100 mm) for shoulder pain. Mean differences between affected and non-affected side and mean changes of the slope of the regression line before and after 3 months were studied by paired t-tests. Results Eight women and 2 men with a unilateral frozen shoulder were included. Mean age was 49.1(sd 5.6) yrs, mean duration of complaints 11.4(sd 8.2) months. Mean active ROM in forward flexion, abduction and external rotation of the frozen shoulder before treatment was 97°(sd 17),75°(sd 21) and 22°(sd 13). Mean scores for pain during movement was 63(sd 25). Mean slopes of the curves of the scapular laterorotation angle in forward flexion, scapular abduction and abduction were 0.725, 0.719 and 0.958 for the affected side and 0.458, 0.504 and 0.494 for the unaffected side, respectively (p < 0.005). After 3 months mean active ROM in the affected shoulder increased to 127°(sd 21) in forward flexion, 127°(sd 33) in abduction and 37°(sd 14) in external rotation (all p < 0.005). Mean pain score decreased to 37 mm (sd 12)(p = 0.013). Mean changes of the slopes were 0.063(p = 0.202), 0.048(p = 0.169) and 0.264(p = 0.008) for forward flexion, scapular abduction and abduction, respectively. Conclusion This study shows that with a 3-D electromagnetic tracking system the abnormal movement pattern of a frozen shoulder, characterised by the earlier laterorotation of the scapula during shoulder elevation, can be described and quantified. Moreover, the system was sensitive to clinical improvements. Therefore, the system may be a useful tool for the evaluation of treatment of the frozen shoulder. Its value in other shoulder disorders remains to be established.


Leading risk assessment standards such as the NIST SP 800-39 and ISO 27005 state that information security risk assessment (ISRA) is one of the crucial stages in the risk-management process. It pinpoints current weaknesses and potential risks, the likelihood of their materializing, and their potential impact on the functionality of critical information systems such as advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). If the current security controls are insufficient, risk assessment helps with applying countermeasures and choosing risk-mitigation strategies to decrease the risk to a controllable level. Although studies have been conducted on risk assessment for AMI and smart grids, the scientific foundations for selecting and using an appropriate method are lacking, negatively impacting the credibility of the results. The main contribution of this work is identifying an appropriate ISRA method for AMI by aligning the risk assessment criteria for AMI systems with the ISRA methodologies' characteristics. Consequently, this work makes three main contributions. First, it presents a comprehensive comparison of multiple ISRA methods, including OCTAVE Allegro (OA), CORAS, COBRA, and FAIR, based on a variety of input requirements, tool features, and the type of risk assessment method. Second, it explores the necessary conditions for carrying out a risk assessment for an AMI system. Third, these AMI risk assessment prerequisites are aligned with the capabilities of multiple ISRA approaches to identify the best ISRA method for AMI systems. The OA method is found to be the best-suited risk assessment method for AMI, and this outcome paves the way to standardizing this method for AMI risk assessment.


We evaluated the phenotypic stability and adaptability of spring barley varieties using the additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) and genotype main effect (G) plus genotype-environment (GE) interaction (G+GE) biplot models. The research was conducted in five locations by randomized complete block design with three replications in each location in 2015-2016. The grain yields of all nine barley genotypes were significantly affected by environment, which accounted for 90.5% of the total variation, whereas genotype and genotype-environment interaction accounted for 4.0% and 5.5%, respectively. The AMMI and GGE biplot models reflected most of the variation caused by genotype and genotype-environment interaction effects in the first two principal components – 78.8% and 79.3%, respectively. The AMMI stability value (ASV) revealed that varieties Khors (G4) and Poduv (G5) were stable. GGE-biplot "which-won-where" showed that 9 environments used for the study belonged to 3 mega-environments with wining varieties Vzirets (G1), Inkliuziv (G6) and Dokaz (G9). According to the ideal genotype biplot, varieties Dokaz (G9), Inkliuziv (G6) and Khors (G4) were the best genotypes demonstrating high average yields and high stability of performance across the test locations. The results finally indicated that AMMI and GGE biplot were informative methods to explore stability and adaptation patterns of genotypes in practical plant breeding and in subsequent variety recommendations.


Examining select high points in the speculative tradition from Plato and Aristotle through the Middle Ages and German tradition to Dewey and Heidegger, Placing Aesthetics seeks to locate the aesthetic concern within the larger framework of each thinker's philosophy. In Professor Robert Wood's study, aesthetics is not peripheral but rather central to the speculative tradition and to human existence as such. In Dewey's terms, aesthetics is \u201cexperience in its integrity.\u201d Its personal ground is in \u201cthe heart,\u201d which is the dispositional ground formed by genetic, cultural , and personal historical factors by which we are spontaneously moved and, in turn, are inclined to move, both practically and theoretically, in certain directions. Prepared for use by the student as well as the philosopher, Placing Aesthetics aims to recover the fullness of humanness within a sense of the fullness of encompassing Being. It attempts to overcome the splitting of thought, even in philosophy, into exclusive specializations and the fracturing of life itself into theoretical, practical, and emotive dimensions.


Dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) provides insight into the vascular properties of tissue. Pharmacokinetic models may be fitted to DCE-MRI uptake patterns, enabling biologically relevant interpretations. The aim of our study was to determine whether treatment outcome for 81 patients with locally advanced cervical cancer could be predicted from parameters of the Brix pharmacokinetic model derived from pre-chemoradiotherapy DCE-MRI. First-order statistical features of the Brix parameters were used. In addition, texture analysis of Brix parameter maps was done by constructing gray level co-occurrence matrices (GLCM) from the maps. Clinical factors and first- and second-order features were used as explanatory variables for support vector machine (SVM) classification, with treatment outcome as response. Classification models were validated using leave-one-out cross-model validation. A random value permutation test was used to evaluate model significance. Features derived from first-order statistics could not discriminate between cured and relapsed patients (specificity 0%-20%, p-values close to unity). However, second-order GLCM features could significantly predict treatment outcome with accuracies (~70%) similar to the clinical factors tumor volume and stage (69%). The results indicate that the spatial relations within the tumor, quantified by texture features, were more suitable for outcome prediction than first-order features.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the concentration and binding characteristics of alpha-adrenoceptor subtypes in smooth muscle cell membranes of equine ileum.

SAMPLE POPULATION
Segments of longitudinal and circular smooth muscle from the ileum of 8 male and 8 female adult horses.

PROCEDURE
Distribution of alpha-adrenoceptor subtypes was assessed by use of radioligand binding assays incorporating [3H]-prazosin and [3H]-rauwolscine, highly selective alpha1- and alpha2-adrenoceptor antagonists, respectively. Characterization of adrenoceptor subtypes was performed by use of binding inhibition assays.

RESULTS
On the basis of binding affinity for specific radioligands, low- and high-affinity alpha1- and alpha2-adrenoceptors were detected. Concentration of low-affinity alpha2-adrenoceptors was significantly greater in male horses, compared with females. Competition studies confirmed the specificity of the radioligands used in the binding assays. Alpha1-adrenoceptors of both subtypes in male and female horses had a higher affinity for prazosin than phentolamine, whereas yohimbine did not compete with the radioligand for binding. For alpha2-adrenoceptors regardless of subtype, potency of inhibition elicited by each drug varied between sexes. In males, yohimbine was a more potent inhibitor than phentolamine, which was more potent than prazosin. In females, yohimbine was more potent than prazosin, which was more potent than phentolamine.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
High- and low-affinity alpha1- and alpha2-adrenoceptors were detected in smooth muscle of equine ileum. Because alpha-adrenoceptor subtypes, particularly alpha2-adrenoceptors, are involved in the regulation of gastrointestinal tract function, characterization of these receptors may represent the basis for development of new therapeutic strategies for the control of gastrointestinal disturbances in horses.


Taking the Huangbohe bridge located on the external transportation system of the Three Gorge Project as study background, the dynamic characteristics for large span arch bridge of concrete filled steel tube are calculated and analyzed by using 3D finite element model. In addition, 3D seismic response of this bridge is analyzed by means of more than 10 seismic records selected with response spectrum method and time history method. The effects of the main structural form, different seismic waves and several soil sites on seismic response have been discussed. This study provides theoretic basis for seismic design and study of large span arch bridge of concrete filled steel tube.


The need for increased convergence in the decentralized processes for public enforcement of EU competition law has received much recent attention. Yet, this debate lacks a convincing explanation as to why the goal of effective enforcement warrants further harmonization. Focusing on fining practices for competition infringements, this article explores possible justifications to explain convergence; the legal or other means by which harmonization could be achieved; and the choice of converged practices that might be implemented. Whilst the strict necessity for convergence is less obvious, the evolving structure of decentralized enforcement would arguably benefit from increased alignment. Key concerns identified are the need to balance consistency with flexibility, and the reflection of an EU-wide consensus on fining practice.


Abstract This paper examines the concepts and perceptions of art among the Igbo people of Nigeria and the Ainu people of Japan. From a practical point of view, it assesses each group's notion of art and how it has fared in the postcolonial experience. It grapples with the the "lingering after-effects" of colonialism in the guises of postcolonialism and how they are manifested in the arts of the two groups. Since the postcolonial thrives on hybridity and contradictions as is reflected in the situations of postcolonial subjects, politically, economically, culturally and otherwise, the central concern in my work on one hand is the ebbing of Igbo creative enterprise and its systemic divorce from Igbo cultural heritage, and on the other hand, Ainu's response to their cultural-political predicament through a resurgence of their arts and cultural production in light of their history in Japan and the challenges posed by a globalising world. The paper posits that the Ainu example may be the path for previously colonised cultures, including the Igbo of Nigeria.


Time-of-flight range imaging cameras are capable of acquiring depth images of a scene. Some algorithms require these cameras to be run in 'raw mode', where any calibrations from the off-the-shelf manufacturers are lost. The calibration of the MESA SR4000 is herein investigated, with an attempt to reconstruct the full calibration. Possession of the factory calibration enables calibrated data to be acquired and manipulated even in 'raw mode'. This work is motivated by the problem of motion correction, in which the calibration must be separated into component parts to be applied at different stages in the algorithm. There are also other applications, in which multiple frequencies are required, such as multipath interference correction. The other frequencies can be calibrated in a similar way, using the factory calibration as a base. A novel technique for capturing the calibration data is described; a retro-reflector is used on a moving platform, which acts as a point source at a distance, resulting in planar waves on the sensor. A number of calibrations are retrieved from the camera, and are then modelled and compared to the factory calibration. When comparing the factory calibration to both the 'raw mode' data, and the calibration described herein, a root mean squared error improvement of 51.3 mm was seen, with a standard deviation improvement of 34.9 mm


Background

The efficacy and safety of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in acute ischemic stroke with atrial fibrillation (AF) were controversial.
Methods

We performed a meta-analysis of all relevant studies retrieved by systematic searches of the, Embase, and Cochrane databases up to December 31, 2019. Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores 0–1 at 90 days, mRS 0–2 at 90 days, overall mortality, and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) incidence were collected as outcome measures. Fixed effects meta-analytical models were used, and between-study heterogeneity was assessed.
Results

A total of 8,509 patients were enrolled in eighteen studies. In AF IVT versus non-AF IVT studies, AF was associated with a significant decrease in the proportion of patients with mRS of 0–1 (24.1% vs. 34.5%; OR 0.57; 95% CI 0.50–0.65; P = 0.000), mRS of 0–2 (33.6% vs. 47.8%; OR 0.50; 95% CI 0.44–0.57; P = 0.000) and significant higher in mortality (19.4% vs. 11.5%; OR 2.05; 95% CI 1.79–2.36; P = 0.000) and sICH incidence (6.4% vs. 4.1%; OR 1.60; 95% CI 1.27–2.01; P = 0.000). In AF IVT versus AF non-IVT studies, thrombolysis carried a higher risk of sICH (5.7% vs. 1.6%; OR 3.44; 95% CI 2.04–5.82; P = 0.000) instead of a better prognosis. Subgroup analysis in prospective studies also suggested a poorer functional prognosis and higher mortality in AF patients treated IVT compared with non-IVT.
Conclusion

Patients with AF had worse outcomes than those without AF after thrombolytic therapy. Patients with AF had a higher incidence of sICH after thrombolysis than those without thrombolysis.


Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of an intervention in which childcare providers (CCPs) are coached to support toddlers' gesture use during every day classroom routines.Method: This study uses a multiple-baseline across strategies single-case experimental design to examine the impact of a coaching intervention on three CCPs' use of communication strategies with toddlers experiencing early childhood poverty. The CCPs were coached with a systematic framework called Setting the Stage, Observation and Opportunities to Embed, Problem-solving and Planning, Reflection and Review as they learned to implement three strategies to support toddlers' gesture use—modeling gestures with a short phrase, opportunities to gesture, and responding/expanding child gestures. CCPs were coached during book sharing and another classroom routine of their choice. Social validity data on the coaching approach and on the intervention strategies were gathered from postintervention interviews.Results: The visual analysis and nonoverlap of all pairs' effect size indicates that the coaching intervention had a functional relation with CCPs' use of modeling gestures and responding/expanding gestures during book sharing, play, and circle time. Social validity data indicate that CCPs found the coaching framework supportive of their learning and feelings of self-efficacy, and that the intervention strategies supported their toddlers' communication.Conclusions: The coaching framework was used to increase CCP strategy use during everyday classroom routines with toddlers. CCPs endorsed the coaching approach and the intervention strategies. This study adds to the literature supporting efforts to enhance children's earliest language learning environments.Supplemental Material S1. SS-OO-PP-RR (Setting the Stage, Observation and Opportunities to Embed, Problem-solving and Planning, Reflection and Review) Procedural Fidelity Measure. Supplemental Material S2. Interview for childcare providers.Romano, M., Eugenio, J., & Kiratzis, E. (2021). Coaching childcase providers to support toddlers' gesture use with children experiencing early childhood poverty. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_LSHSS-20-00112


BACKGROUND
Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) are rare, mesenchymal neoplasms composed of epithelioid cells exhibiting myogenic and melanocytic differentiation. The uterus is an infrequent site of involvement. The most common histopathologic mimics include leiomyosarcoma, endometrial stromal sarcoma, undifferentiated uterine sarcoma, and malignant melanoma. Rendering an accurate histopathologic diagnosis is essential, owing to the prognostic and therapeutic implications.

CASE
A 65-years-old post-menopausal woman presented with post-menopausal bleeding, abdominal pain, and heaviness for the last four months. Ultrasound abdomen revealed a large uterine mass replacing the endometrial cavity. She underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.

RESULT
Microscopically, a circumscribed tumor with tumor cells arranged in sheets and interlacing fascicles, with interspersed fine capillary network, was seen. The individual tumor cells were epithelioid to spindle with moderate pleomorphism, round nuclei, vesicular chromatin, prominent macronucleoli, and moderate cytoplasm. Mitosis was 2-3/50 HPFs. On immunohistochemistry, tumor cells were positive for HMB-45, Melan-A, and smooth muscle actin and were negative for h-caldesmon, TFE3, S-100, CD10, and pan-cytokeratin. Based on the histopathologic and immunohistochemical features, a final diagnosis of malignant uterine PEComa was rendered.

CONCLUSIONS
This index report describes the characteristic histopathologic and immunohistochemical features of malignant uterine PEComa and highlights the salient features that distinguish it from other commonly encountered histopathologic mimics.


Although the numbers employed in the car industry have fallen dramatically, many people who in the past worked in the industry are still around. These former workers provide a vast store of source material which both books utilise. Thoms and Donnelly have written a conventional academic history of the Coventry industry, using principally secondary and written primary materials, including company records in the Coventry Record Office and in the University of Warwick Modern Records Centre. Coventry was hard hit by recession in 1867 and, to offset this and the decline of traditional silk weaving and watchmaking, turned to the cycle industry. At the peak in 1898, there were around seventy-five cycle manufacturers. From these firms came much of the city's carmaking capacity. By 1959 Coventry had become very dependent on motor vehicles, aircraft and machine tools, all industries that went into decline during the 1960s. Yet, though one-third of the city's employment was provided by the motor industry even in the 1970s, no really large volume car producer emerged. Inappropriate bank policies during the 1930s prevented consolidation and left a poor legacy for the ensuing decades. Thoms and Donnelly recognise that a complex of management and labour problems contributed to 109


Abstract We surveyed the vegetation growing on the surface of tall boulders (>1.5 m), on the surface of short boulders (<0.5 m) and in areas adjacent to these boulders on the soil surface in the Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania. Our purpose was to test the hypothesis that tall boulders serve as refugia from deer browsing for both woody plant species as well as understory herbs. We conducted our surveys during spring when many of these herbs reproduce sexually and their inflorescences are vulnerable to browsing. Deer cannot gain access and browse on these tall boulders, whereas they can easily browse plant species on shorter boulders and on the forest floor. We predicted that the tall boulders would have the highest plant diversity, woody species density and the density of reproductive individuals of understory herbs. We found a total of more than 1300 reproductive individuals of flowering herbs of more than 10 species growing on tall boulders and only 6 reproductive individuals of only a few species growing on the soil surface. Overall, there was a much greater density and diversity of woody species and sexually reproducing herbs on tall boulders or Rock Refugia Gardens than either on short boulders or the soil surface. Because the diversity and abundance of vegetation on the short boulders was nearly identical to that on the forest floor, our findings are unlikely to be explained by tall boulders providing a superior edaphic or abiotic habitat relative to habitats on the forest floor. Species accumulation curves showed that plant species continued to accrue with area on tall boulders, but did not increase with area on the forest floor or on the short boulders. These Rock Refugia Gardens demonstrate the pervasive and deleterious impact that deer are having on plant species diversity and forest regeneration in the Allegheny National Forest and likely elsewhere in the eastern US where these vertebrates are abundant.


Purpose of review The aim of this study was to describe the current state of physical therapy for facial nerve palsy, the evidence basis for these interventions and how therapy can be integrated with other medical and surgical interventions for facial nerve palsy, as it applies to ophthalmologists, oculoplastic surgeons and other specialists. Recent findings Many studies indicate that physical therapy is effective for the rehabilitation of patients with facial nerve palsy and can be used synergistically with interventions administered by physicians, such as targeted botulinum toxin injections. The field is limited by a relative paucity of high-quality randomized controlled trials. Alternative therapies including Brief Electrical Stimulation continue to be studied; however, they lack a scientific rationale and, anecdotally, appear to cause more problems in cases of incomplete facial nerve recovery. Summary Physical therapy, specifically neuromuscular retraining, is a useful intervention for treating facial nerve palsy. Care for these patients is best delivered in a multidisciplinary setting in which physical therapy and medical or surgical interventions can be closely integrated. Further study aimed at standardizing physical therapy and optimizing the integration of this with other treatments for facial nerve palsy are needed.


To address the Integrated Arrival, Departure, and Surface (IADS) challenge, NASA is developing and demonstrating trajectory-based departure automation under a collaborative effort with the FAA and industry known Airspace Technology Demonstration 2 (ATD-2). ATD-2 builds upon and integrates previous NASA research capabilities that include the Spot and Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA), the Precision Departure Release Capability (PDRC), and the Terminal Sequencing and Spacing (TSAS) capability. As trajectory-based departure scheduling and collaborative decision making tools are introduced in order to reduce delays and uncertainties in taxi and climb operations across the National Airspace System, users of the tools across a number of roles benefit from a real time system that enables common situational awareness. A real time dashboard was developed to inform and present users notifications and integrated information regarding airport surface operations. The dashboard is a supplement to capabilities and tools that incorporate arrival, departure, and surface air-traffic operations concepts in a NextGen environment. In addition to shared situational awareness, the dashboard offers the ability to compute real time metrics and analysis to inform users about capacity, predictability, and efficiency of the system as a whole. This paper describes the architecture of the real time dashboard as well as an initial proposed set of metrics. The potential impact of the real time dashboard is studied at the site identified for initial deployment and demonstration in 2017: Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT). The architecture of implementing such a tool as well as potential uses are presented for operations at CLT. Metrics computed in real time illustrate the opportunity to provide common situational awareness and inform users of system delay, throughput, taxi time, and airport capacity. In addition, common awareness of delays and the impact of takeoff and departure restrictions stemming from traffic flow management initiatives are explored. The potential of the real time tool to inform users of the predictability and efficiency of using a trajectory-based departure scheduling system is also discussed.


We measure the tissue oxygen and haemoglobin concentrations in the rat brain during modulation of inhaled oxygen concentration (FiO2), using non-invasive frequency domain near-infrared oximetry. The rise in oxygenated haemoglobin concentration and the decline in deoxygenated haemoglobin concentration are demonstrated in correspondence with the modulation of FiO2, which is changed from 20% to 100% in increments of 20%. Furthermore, the tissue oxygenation saturation also shows the corresponding trend and changes ranging from approximately 70% to 90%. The relative changes in deoxygenated haemoglobin concentration are compared to the blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) MRI signal recorded during a similar FiO2 protocol. A linear relationship with high correlation coefficient between the relative changes in the BOLD MRI signal and the NIRS signal is observed.


Philosophy of love as a subfield of moral philosophy and history of philosophy questions the very foundations of how people love each other. Within the philosophical debate, not only the sources of love but forms and types are questioned. Does the source of love correspond to a concrete form of love? What is the difference between parental love and friendship love? What is the main difference between romantic love and the abovementioned? A philosopher from Chicago, Raja Halwani made a methodological and pithy impact in the debate. On the one hand, his main achievement in the recent debates is the distinction between two kinds of love: romantic love 1 and romantic love 2. Halwani notes that the main disagreement among philosophers stems from the fact that philosophers usually don't see this difference. And if philosophers would keep this difference in mind, it would clarify our debates. On the other hand, professor Halwani doesn't propose a conceptual novelty but interestingly refines the current debates on love's aspects. These debates are debates concerning the main characteristics of love and how we can defend these characteristics. Halwani clarifies the central concepts of romantic love such as "constancy", "exclusivity", "uniqueness", "irreplaceability". The philosopher devoted special attention to reflections upon how exactly we can apply existing moral theories to love. At the end of the article, an attempt is made to compound many of Halwani's statements about RL1 and RL2 in a unified table.


Some bacteria in nature can mineralize its surrounding medium to form an inorganic layer on the surface of stone material continuously and precisely by its life activity. Some accelerated experimental simulations of the microbiologically precipitation process were conducted after selecting a carbonate-mineralization microbe. The bio-deposited layer was about 100 μm and bound tightly with the surface of cement pastes after treated for 7 d. The treatment methods such as immersing, spraying and brushing immobilized media were chosen to carry on microbiologically deposited layer through the contrast of scanning electron microscope analysis, layer thickness measurement, and coefficient of capillary suction of the specimens. The results show that the treatments can be simplified with micro-environment supply and optimization, especially when odium alginate and agar are used as the media brushing layer immobilized bacteria to cling to the specimen surface, which keep urease in the cells active in long term compared with the spraying method. According to the experiment results, the coefficient of capillary suction of the treated hardened cement paste is reduced by 90% and reveals an outstanding protective effect.


For the classification problems that we'e covered so far, the true label y has been assumed to have a single value—either {1, 0} in the binary case or {1, . . . ,K} in the multiclass case. Multi-label classification is the problem of predicting a vector of values for a given input data point. Consider, for example, the problem of movie genre prediction, as illustrated in table 1. Rather than assuming that each movie has a single genre, we can hold the perhaps more realistic belief that movies can belong to multiple genres at the same time; this can be cast as a binary multi-label problem by associating each genre with a label and predicting whether or not each movie holds that label (= 1) or not (= 0).


Pulsed 100-nsec 10.6-microm laser damage characteristics of composite bare copper mirrors were determined. The mirrors were prepared by vapor deposition of a copper film on polished silicon carbide substrates formed by chemical vapor deposition, Comparisons are made with a bulk oxygen-free high-conductivity (OFHC) copper mirror prepared by precision diamond turning. Vapor-deposited Cu on SiC was found to be inherently superior in resisting surface damage related to defects and to thermal stress. However, melt thresholds are comparatively lower. The overheating problem was analyzed by a thermal modeling of thresholds measured on mirrors having different film thicknesses. Results are consistent with reduced thermal conductivity in the SiC substrate as compared with bulk Cu. The effect of the interface was evaluated from samples that had been ion polished prior to deposition and on others where an intermediate chromium layer was deposited. The scattering and figure of the mirrors are also reported.


Internet of Things (IoT) envisions an intelligent infrastructure of networked smart devices offering task-specific monitoring and control services. The unique features of IoT include extreme heterogeneity, massive number of devices, and unpredictable dynamics partially due to human interaction. These call for foundational innovations in network design and management. Ideally, it should allow efficient adaptation to changing environments, and low-cost implementation scalable to a massive number of devices, subject to stringent latency constraints. To this end, the overarching goal of this paper is to outline a unified framework for online learning and management policies in IoT through joint advances in communication, networking, learning, and optimization. From the network architecture vantage point, the unified framework leverages a promising fog architecture that enables smart devices to have proximity access to cloud functionalities at the network edge, along the cloud-to-things continuum. From the algorithmic perspective, key innovations target online approaches adaptive to different degrees of nonstationarity in IoT dynamics, and their scalable model-free implementation under limited feedback that motivates blind or bandit approaches. The proposed framework aspires to offer a stepping stone that leads to systematic designs and analysis of task-specific learning and management schemes for IoT, along with a host of new research directions to build on.


The growth of a blood clot is initiated by tissue factor (TF) exposure and is expected to depend on TF localization (i.e., its level and spatial distribution). We sought to understand how the structural and mechanical properties of clots under flow are shaped by simultaneously varying the surface density of TF and its area of exposure. We used a microfluidic device harboring thrombogenic surfaces that differed in length and TF surface density. We perfused human whole blood through this device and continually measured platelet deposition, thrombin formation, and fibrin accumulation by means of fluorescence microscopy. Using our recently developed, detailed mathematical model of spatial clot growth under flow, we performed computational simulations to gain insights into the connection between the structure of a clot and its mechanical properties, such as resistance to blood flow and flow axial velocity.
 We detected a non-additive, synergistic influence of the thrombogenic surface length and TF surface density on bulk thrombin and fibrin generation. We found that thrombogenic surface length and TF density controlled not only bulk accumulation, but also the occlusivity of the deposited platelet mass, as well as clot resistance to flow. The extent of this control depended on the blood flow velocity. An increase in the TF surface density resulted in condition-dependent differential acceleration of platelet deposition, thrombin formation, and fibrin accumulation. The viscous resistance of the clot was characterized by spatial variations and was higher in the inner clot region. Notably, despite variations in the intraclot structure, variations in the intraclot flow velocity were minor compared to the abrupt decrease in flow velocity at the boundary of the platelet deposition domain.
 Our analysis revealed characteristic patterns that describe how the shape, size, internal structure, and viscous resistance of a clot depend on the surface density of TF and its area of exposure. Taken together, our results suggest that the structure and mechanics of a growing clot are correlated, but can differ in their regulation by the distinct aspects of TF localization. These findings provide new insights into how initiating signals can temporally and spatially affect thrombus growth under flow.
 DISCLAIMER: The opinions and assertions contained herein are the private views of the authors and are not to be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the U.S. Army or of the U.S. Department of Defense. This abstract has been approved for public release with unlimited distribution.

 No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Extensive alkalimetric anaerobic titrations of cadmium and 2,3-dimercaptopropane-1-sulphonic acid (H3dmps) in aqueous solutions have revealed a family of polynuclear complexes. Over 750 pH measurements [glass electrode, 25°C, I= 0.2 mol dm–3(KNO3)], in 17 separate titrations, were collected with a computer-controlled titrator. The solutions consisted of 0.6–4.0 mmol dm–3 cadmium nitrate and at least a 2.5-fold excess of H3dmps. The functional form of the data was consistent with the equilibrium model [Cd3(dmps)3]3–(log β= 59.9), [Cd(dmps)2]4–(log β= 28.27), [Cd3(dmps)4]6–(log β= 71.9), [Cd5(dmps)6]8–(log β= 114.3) and [Cd7(dmps)8]10–(log β= 156.7). Polynuclear species form below pH 2, but break down to the mononuclear bis complex above pH 7. Simulations suggest that H3dmps can effectively compete for cadmium binding with the sulphydryl-rich protein metallothionein.


Nearest neighbor search (NNS) aims to locate the points in high-dimensional space that is closest to the query point. The brute-force approach for finding the nearest neighbor becomes computationally infeasible when the number of points is large. The NNS has multiple applications in medicine, such as searching large medical imaging databases, disease classification, diagnosis, etc. With a focus on medical imaging, this paper proposes DenseLinkSearch an effective and efficient algorithm that searches and retrieves the relevant images from heterogeneous sources of medical images. Towards this, given a medical database, the proposed algorithm builds the index that consists of pre-computed links of each point in the database. The search algorithm utilizes the index to efficiently traverse the database in search of the nearest neighbor. We extensively tested the proposed NNS approach and compared the performance with state-of-the-art NNS approaches on benchmark datasets and our created medical image datasets. The proposed approach outperformed the existing approach in terms of retrieving accurate neighbors and retrieval speed. We also explore the role of medical image feature representation in content-based medical image retrieval tasks. We propose a Transformer-based feature representation technique that outperformed the existing pre-trained Transformer approach on CLEF 2011 medical image retrieval task. The source code of our experiments are available at https://github.com/deepaknlp/DLS.


The canter is a 3 beat asymmetrical gait with a difference in timing between left and right limbs. To evaluate intralimb asymmetry at the canter, a group of 24 Dutch Warmbloods was evaluated on a treadmill (7 m/s) using a modified CODA-3 optoelectronic gait analysis system. Thirteen horses cantered in the left lead ('leading limb' group) and 11 in the right lead ('trailing limb' group) during left forelimb recordings, while 11 horses were at the left and 13 were at the right lead during left hindlimb recordings. Kinematic differences between horses from the 'leading limb' and 'trailing limb' group were statistically evaluated at a significance level of P<0.05. Stride, stance and swing duration were similar between the 2 groups. The pelvis rotation, angle of maximal protraction and total range of maximal pro- and retraction were larger in the 'leading limb' group, while the scapula rotation, and the angle of maximal retraction were larger in the 'trailing limb' group. The elbow and hip joints were more flexed at impact, at maximal extension and at maximal flexion of the leading limb, whereas the stifle joint was more extended at impact. Furthermore, the leading tarsal joint was more maximally flexed in stance and swing phase, whereas the carpal joint was more flexed only in the swing phase of the leading limb. However, during the stance phase the maximal fetlock extension of the trailing fore- and hindlimbs were significantly larger. Apparently, horses move at the canter with a more protracted leading limb by more flexing the elbow, carpal, hip and tarsal joints. In the trailing limb, however, the scapula is more rotated, and the tarsal and fetlock joints are more loaded. In conclusion, the difference in interlimb timing between left and right limbs at canter also leads to an asymmetry in intralimb coordination of these limbs.


Background: Home Health Care (HHC) services for stroke survivors in Saudi Arabia has just recently developed and were not studied in the literature, which requires efforts in enhancing the service utilization for better care delivered to HHC patients.

Objectives: The purpose of our study is to explore stroke patients' characteristics and associated factors, and the service utilization especially PT visits among patients receiving HHC services in Aseer region, Saudi Arabia. Materials and method: A total of 71 stroke patients were admitted to the HHC program and were included for our analysis. They received HHC services and undergone various health services including Physical Therapy, Nursing, and Medical Doctor Visits. We selected factors of interests in our correlation analysis. These selected factors that have an impact on PT outcomes for patients receiving HHC were the following: Age above 65, Urinary Incontinence, Impaired functional mobility, and cognitive impairment.

Results: The majority of our patients were 65 years of age and above (n= 64, 90.1%). Regarding the involvement of the selected factors, 71.1% of our patients had Urinary Incontinence, 63.4% were cognitively impaired, and 95.8% of our patients had impairment in functional mobility. In terms of the activities of daily living, 80.3% (n= 57) of patients were depend others for their activities, 9.9% (n=7) were independent, and 8.4 % of patients (n = 6) needs the assistive device for their activities.
 Conclusion: HHC service beneficiaries are primarily males, aged greater than 65 years and dependent on others for their functional activities among Saudi Arabia stroke patients. Functional mobility impairment presents in almost every stroke HHC service beneficiaries which has low positive with urinary incontinence and negligible correlation with cognitive impairment. Only less than 20% of beneficiaries are prior non-hospitalized and requires more physiotherapy visits than priory hospitalized one which is lowest amongst other health care (i.e.) physician and nursing care.


Bismuth antimony telluride (Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3)-based films have excellent thermoelectric (TE) properties at around room temperature. However, tremendous challenges remain for applying these materials in flexible TE devices due to their inherent brittleness and rigidity. Here we report the fabrication of flexible p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3-based heterostructure films exhibiting optimized power factor and thermal conductivity values of ∼23.2 μW cm−1 K−2 and ∼0.8 W m−1 K−1, respectively, at 300 K. It is shown that the intrinsic TE parameters can be partially decoupled for this heterostructure system, in which new phases (Te and Sb2Te3 nanoinclusions) and numerous interfaces among Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3, Te, and Sb2Te3 are introduced. High mechanical durability and flexibility with less than 10% degradation in performance after 700 bending cycles (a bending radius of 5 mm) were achieved. Finally, a flexible TE generator assembled using these Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3-based heterostructure films and traditional n-type Bi2Te3 films exhibits a high power density of 897.8 μW cm−2 at a relatively small ΔT of 40 K. This result can provide insight into the scalable fabrication of high-performance flexible TE generators for energy harvesting.


A male sterile facilitated recurrent selection population was developed by the barley breeding team of Yeongnam Crop Experiment Station. To breed this population, three composite cross populations and a composite population of breeding lines in our country were used as the materials. This population was developed in order to breed early maturing, wet-soil tolerant and high yielding barley varieties, adapted for double cropping with rice in southern part of Korea. The population was named by RSPYB#l which means Recurrent Selection Population No.1. of Yeongnam Barley.


Despite improvements, lung transplantation (LTx) remains hampered by both a scarcity of donor organs and by mortality following primary graft dysfunction (PGD). Since acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) limits donor lungs utilization, we investigated cytokine filtration as a means of restoring ARDS donor lungs. We induced mild to moderate ARDS using lipopolysaccharide in 12 donor pigs. Lungs were then treated with or without cytokine filtration during ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) and post-transplantation using extracorporeal hemoperfusion. The treatment significantly decreased cytokine levels during EVLP and decreased levels of immune cells post-transplantation. Histology demonstrated fewer signs of lung injury across both treatment periods and the incidence of PGD was significantly reduced among treated animals. Overall, cytokine filtration was able to restore lung function and reduce PGD in lung transplantation. We suggest this treatment will increase the availability of donor lungs and increase the tolerability of donor lungs in the recipient.


BACKGROUND
Hydrated electrons, which are short-lived products of radiolysis in water, increase the optical absorption of water, providing a pathway toward near-tissue-equivalent clinical radiation dosimeters. This has been demonstrated in high-dose-per-pulse radiochemistry research, but, owing to the weak absorption signal, its application in existing low-dose-per-pulse radiotherapy provided by clinical linear accelerators (linacs) has yet to be investigated.

PURPOSE
The aims of this study were to measure the optical absorption associated with hydrated electrons produced by clinical linacs and to assess the suitability of the technique for radiotherapy (⩽ 1 cGy per pulse) applications.

METHODS
40 mW of 660-nm laser light was sent five passes through deionized water contained in a 10 × 4 × $\times 4\times$ 2 cm3 glass-walled cavity by using four broadband dielectric mirrors, two on each side of the cavity. The light was collected with a biased silicon photodetector. The water cavity was then irradiated by a Varian TrueBeam linac with both photon (10 MV FFF, 6 MV FFF, 6 MV) and electron beams (6 MeV) while monitoring the transmitted laser power for absorption transients. Radiochromic EBT3 film measurements were also performed for comparison.

RESULTS
Examination of the absorbance profiles showed clear absorption changes in the water when radiation pulses were delivered. Both the amplitude and the decay time of the signal appeared consistent with the absorbed dose and the characteristics of the hydrated electrons. By using literature value for the hydrated electron radiation chemical yield (3.0±0.3), we inferred doses of 2.1±0.2 mGy (10 MV FFF), 1.3±0.1 mGy (6 MV FFF), 0.45±0.06 mGy (6 MV) for photons, and 0.47±0.05 mGy (6 MeV) for electrons, which differed from EBT3 film measurements by 0.6%, 0.8%, 10%, and 15.7%, respectively. The half-life of the hydrated electrons in the solution was ∼ 24 μ $\umu$ s.

CONCLUSIONS
By measuring 660-nm laser light transmitted through a cm-scale, multi-pass water cavity, we observed absorption transients consistent with hydrated electrons generated by clinical linac radiation. The agreement between our inferred dose and EBT3 film measurements suggests this proof-of-concept system represents a viable pathway toward tissue-equivalent dosimeters for clinical radiotherapy applications.


Horizontal-parallax-only holographic stereograms of nearly SDTV resolution (336 pixels by 440 lines by 96 views) of textured and normal-mapped models (500 polygons) are rendered at interactive rates (10 frames/second) on a single dual-head commodity graphics processor for use on MIT's third-generation electro-holographic display. The holographic fringe pattern is computed by a diffraction specific holographic stereogram algorithm designed for efficient parallelized vector implementation using OpenGL and Cg vertex/fragment shaders. The algorithm concentrates on light-field reconstruction by holographic fringes rather than the computation of the interferometric process of creating the holographic fringes.


The reflectance of light by nonhaemolysed blood has been studied previously only in thick layers. Some reflection oximetric techniques assumed an exponential relationship between oxygen saturation and reflection, whereas others assumed an inverse linear relationship. Reflectance and transmittance of thin films of flowing nonhaemolysed blood were measured, using an integrating sphere. Reflection and transmission were found to be linearly related, demonstrating that reflection is exponentially related to the extinction coefficient of haemoglobin. Confirmation was obtained of the observations that reflection increases and becomes asymptotic as sample depth increases and that reflection bears a parabolic relationship to the concentration of red blood cells.


Matching resources to demand is a daily challenge for hospital leadership. In interdisciplinary collaboration, nurse leaders and data scientists collaborated to develop advanced machine learning to support early proactive decisions to improve ability to accommodate demand. When hundreds or even thousands of forecasts are made, it becomes important to let machines do the hard work of mathematical pattern recognition, while efficiently using human feedback to address performance and accuracy problems. Nurse leaders and data scientists collaborated to create a usable, low-error predictive model to let machines do the hard work of pattern recognition and model evaluation, while efficiently using nurse leader domain expert feedback to address performance and accuracy problems. During the evaluation period, the overall census mean absolute percentage error was 3.7%. ALEx's predictions have become part of the team's operational norm, helping them anticipate and prepare for census fluctuations. This experience suggests that operational leaders empowered with effective predictive analytics can take decisive proactive staffing and capacity management choices. Predictive analytic information can also result in team learning and ensure safety and operational excellence is supported in all aspects of the organization.


Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been thought to originate from internal shocks that occur about 10^{15} cm from a central site. The shells responsible for these shocks merge together and undergo an external shock at about 10^{17} cm, producing the afterglows. We include deceleration in our model of internal shocks and find that, for values of the Lorentz factor greater than 10^3, deceleration is an effective catalyst for converting the bulk motion energy into radiation during the GRB phase. Substantial internal energy occurs because other shells run into the back of the first shell which has decelerated and because the first shell must energize the interstellar medium. Whereas internal shocks without deceleration are about 25% efficient, we can convert up to 85% of the bulk motion energy during the GRB phase. We demonstrate that the resulting time history can have three components. The first is due to internal shocks, excluding those that involve the first shell. This component produces narrow peaks throughout the time history. The second is due to internal shocks involving the first shell, and it produces progressively wider and wider peaks but they tend to be hidden in a slowly varying background in the event. The third component is from energizing the interstellar medium. It is very smooth and may contribute mostly to a lower energy bandpass than the BATSE experiment. There have been claims of upper limits on the possible Lorentz factor because the deceleration must occur at greater radii than the internal shocks to avoid making progressively wider peaks. We do not find this to be the case, and the Lorentz factor (and efficiency) can be much larger.


A 10-month-old German shepherd dog was presented following blunt abdominal trauma with evidence of circulatory shock. Abdominal ultrasonography and abdominocentesis confirmed a haemoabdomen. CT findings were consistent with active arterial abdominal bleeding secondary to mesenteric or splenic vessel rupture with a large haematoma visible in the region of the mesenteric root. The dog was stabilised prior to exploratory coeliotomy. This confirmed active haemorrhage of the cranial mesenteric artery and devitalisation of a large section of jejunum and ilium. The affected mesenteric vessels were ligated, and the affected intestinal segment was resected. While recovering from anaesthesia, the dog developed ventricular fibrillation. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was unsuccessfully attempted. With the increasing use of CT in veterinary trauma patients, the recognition of the features of blunt bowel and mesenteric injury is crucial for a successful diagnosis and management of these conditions.


Intracranial complications of chronic otitis media have been on the decline with advent of antibiotics. Septic thrombosis of the sigmoid sinus is rarer compared to commoner complications such as otogenic brain abscesses and meningitis. This patient presented with recurrent infection after left mastoidectomy secondary to cholesteatoma and a contralateral internal jugular vein thrombosis with parapharyngeal abscess, which was drained. He recovered well postoperatively with antibiotics.


For the last years new techniques and materials have been developed and tested to make corrections or revisions of fillings, metallic and ceramic restorations possible, allowing a bond between these different surfaces with reasonable strength. Composite material is qualified as universal repair material. Cavities of composite and amalgam fillings have to be sandblasted intraorally with aluminum oxide powder. The pre-treatment and conditioning of enamel and dentin can be managed by conventional methods such as the total etch technique but they cannot produce adequate microretentive surfaces on metallic and ceramic restorations. Silica coating by intraoral sandblasting and silane application can stabilize a durable bond. Enamel and dentin are conditioned additionally by conventional methods. Durable success of repair does not depend on using the original filling material. Adhesive and composite, however, have to be customised. While sandblasting hygiene should be observed and preventive measures are obligatory.


The increase in availability of species data sets means that approaches to species distribution modelling that incorporate multiple data sets are in greater demand. Recent methodological developments in this area have led to combined likelihood approaches, in which a log-likelihood comprised of the sum of the log-likelihood components of each data source is maximised. Often, these approaches make use of at least one presence-only data set and use the log-likelihood of an inhomogeneous Poisson point process model in the combined likelihood construction. While these advancements have been shown to improve predictive performance, they do not currently address challenges in presence-only modelling such as checking and correcting for violations of the independence assumption of a Poisson point process model or more general challenges in species distribution modelling such as overfitting. In this paper, we present an extension of the combined likelihood frame-work which accommodates alternative presence-only likelihoods in the presence of spatial dependence as well as lasso-type penalties to account for potential overfitting. We compare the proposed combined penalised likelihood approach to the standard combined likelihood approach via simulation and apply the method to modelling the distribution of the Eurasian lynx in the Jura Mountains in eastern France. The simulations show that the proposed combined penalised likelihood approach has better predictive performance than the standard approach when spatial dependence is present in the data. The lynx analysis shows that the predicted maps vary significantly between the model fitted with the proposed combined penalised approach accounting for spatial dependence and the model fitted with the standard combined likelihood. This work highlights the benefits of careful consideration of the presence-only components of the combined likelihood formulation, and allows greater flexibility and ability to accommodate real datasets.


This paper proposes a novel Monte Carlo tree search (MCTS) algorithm to solve the protein folding problem in HP model. There are two main challenges. First, the problem is proved to be NP‐complete. The solution space is large and it is hard to find a good solution via a search algorithm without prior knowledge of the HP model. We tackle this challenge by formulating the problem as a deterministic Markov decision process (MDP) and solve it in an AlphaZero's manner. The difference is that we design a MCTS algorithm with two stages: neural exploitation stage and random exploration stage. In the first stage, the search algorithm utilizes the knowledge from previous experience by evaluating the states with a trained neural network, while in the second stage, the states are evaluated by fast and random rollouts. It effectively reduces the number of neural inferences and computational cost. The second challenge is that the evaluation of typical MCTS cannot preserve the correct preference over the actions in our task. To address this challenge, we propose an over‐sampling mechanism that encourages the agent to search more on those actions with high rollout values. The proposed method is tested and compared in a series of experiments. Experimental results have confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method empirically. Besides, we also visualize the obtained the best conformations and verify the proposed technical designs through an ablation study. © 2022 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.


Rickettsial diseases comprise a wide spectrum of diseases which are reported from different parts of India quiet long ago. Many cases of rickettsial diseases go undiagnos due to lack of diagnostic techniques and the reported incidence and prevalence may be an underestimation of the actual burden of the disease. A higher index of suspicion, clinical awareness and proper use of available diagnostic tools would increase the frequency of diagnosis. Gangrene is an uncommon complication in cases of rickettsial fever. Extensive gangrene of the digits or whole limb, even requiring amputation has been more commonly reported with Rocky Mountain spotted fever. These cases are being reported to highlight the occurrence of gangrene in rickettsial fever and the importance of appropriate management at the earliest.


all for contributions and reviewers: The Social Science Computer Review welcomes submission of articles, reports, communications, news items, and software and book reviews. Please contact the appropriate associate editor listed on the inside back cover or write to the editor, G. David Garson, NCSU Box 8101, Raleigh, NC 27695; phone: 919-5153067. Regarding book reviews, contact the book review editor, Carl Grafton, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Auburn University at Montgomery, Montgomery, AL 36193; phone: 205-277-4685. All prices cited are list prices at time of review. Street prices and introductory offers may be available for substantially less: Check with manufacturer and vendors.


Three-dimensional linear BiGlobal instability of two-dimensional states over a periodic array of T-106/300 low-pressure turbine (LPT) blades is investigated for Reynolds numbers below 5000. The analyses are based on a high-order spectral/hp element discretization using a hybrid mesh. Steady basic states are investigated by solution of the partial-derivative eigenvalue problem, while Floquet theory is used to analyse time-periodic flow set-up past the first bifurcation. The leading mode is associated with the wake and long-wavelength perturbations, while a second short-wavelength mode can be associated with the separation bubble at the trailing edge. The leading eigenvalues and Floquet multipliers of the LPT flow have been obtained in a range of spanwise wavenumbers. For the most general configuration all secondary modes were observed to be stable in the Reynolds number regime considered. When a single LPT blade with top to bottom periodicity is considered as a base flow, the imposed periodicity forces the wakes of adjacent blades to be synchronized. This enforced synchronization can produce a linear instability due to long-wavelength disturbances. However, relaxing the periodic restrictions is shown to remove this instability. A pseudo-spectrum analysis shows that the eigenvalues can become unstable due to the non-orthogonal properties of the eigenmodes. Three-dimensional direct numerical simulations confirm all perturbations identified herein. An optimum growth analysis based on singular-value decomposition identifies perturbations with energy growths O(105).


Background: No-reflow phenomenon after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is relatively common and has therapeutic and prognostic implications. On the other hand cigarette smoking is known to be deleterious in patients with coronary artery disease, but the effect of smoking on no-reflow phenomenon is less investigated. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of smoking on no-reflow phenomenon after PCI in STEMI patients. Materials and Methods: A total number of 141 patients who were admitted to Chamran Hospital (Isfahan, Iran) between March and September, 2012 with diagnosis of STEMI, enrolled into our Cohort study. Patients were divided into current smoker and non-smoker groups (based on patient's information). All patients underwent primary PCI or rescue PCI Within the first 12 hours of chest pain. No-reflow phenomenon, thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow and 24-hour complications were assessed in both groups. Results: 47 current smoker cases (32.9%) and 94 (65.7%) nonsmoker cases were evaluated. Smokers in comparison to non-smokers were younger (53.47 ± 10.59 versus 61.46 ± 10.55, P- value <0.001) and they were less likely to be hypertensive (15.2% versus 44.7%, P -value< 0.001),   diabetic (17% versus 36.2%, P -value <0.05), and female gender (4.3% versus 25.5%, P -value <0.01). Angiographic and procedural characteristics of both groups were similar. 9 patients died during the first 24 hours after PCI (4.3% of smokers and 6.4% of non-smokers, P -value: 0.72). No-reflow phenomenon was observed in 29.8% of current smokers and 31.5% of non-smokers ( P -value = 0.77). Smoking status and no-reflow phenomenon were not significantly correlated even after adjustments for age, gender, history of diabetes, hypertension, history of CAD and the extent of stenosis (OR = 1.68; 95% CI 0.68-4.10, P -value = 0.25 ). Conclusion: According to the present study, no-reflow phenomenon or short-term complications were not significantly lower in smokers. So better results in previous studies may be explained by differences in baseline characteristics and not by smoking status itself. Current smokers developed STEMI about 8 years earlier than non-smokers with similar age and sex-adjusted risk of no-reflow phenomenon and 24 hour mortality. These results emphasize role of efforts to encourage smoking cessation as prevention of myocardial infarction. Keywords: Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, Cigarette Smoking, Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI flow), No-Reflow Phenomenon.