As a revolutionary paradigm for controlling wireless channels, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) have emerged as a candidate technology for future 6G networks. However, due to the "multiplicative fading" effect, the existing passive RISs only achieve limited capacity gains in many scenarios with strong direct links. In this paper, the concept of active RISs is proposed to overcome this fundamental limitation. Unlike passive RISs that reflect signals without amplification, active RISs can amplify the reflected signals via amplifiers integrated into their elements. To characterize the signal amplification and incorporate the noise introduced by the active components, we develop and verify the signal model of active RISs through the experimental measurements based on a fabricated active RIS element. Based on the verified signal model, we further analyze the asymptotic performance of active RISs to reveal the substantial capacity gain they provide for wireless communications. Finally, we formulate the sum-rate maximization problem for an active RIS aided multi-user multiple-input single-output (MU-MISO) system and a joint transmit beamforming and reflect precoding scheme is proposed to solve this problem. Simulation results show that, in a typical wireless system, passive RISs can realize only a limited sum-rate gain of 22%, while active RISs can achieve a significant sum-rate gain of 130%, thus overcoming the "multiplicative fading" effect.


Decoupling capacitors have been designed and in- cluded in high-speed packaging systems to avoid voltage drops across the power supply caused by interconnect inductance. They are also used to reduce simultaneous switching noise between the power supply and device I/O buffers. This paper will review three different measurement methods by which these capacitors were analyzed. It will discuss the possible detriments when making both low frequency and high frequency measurements on electronic packages and surface mount chip components using commercial instruments and fixtures. Two different types of high performance electronic packages with integral decoupling capacitors were analyzed. The models derived from the mea- surements were included in a circuit simulation to determine the effectiveness of decoupling noise between the device drivers and the system power supply. The results will provide insight into the effectiveness of these types of capacitors used within a high-speed electronic system.


A man who did not produce and beta-chains did not suffer from a severe beta-thalassaemia. He was heterozygous for Hb G Philadelphia. It has been suggested that this haemoglobin variant was associated with alpha-thalassaemia and that interaction between alpha-thalassaemia and beta-thalassaemia decreased the imbalance of alpha/beta-globin biosynthesis and thereby the severity of the beta-thalassaemic disorder. Association of Hb G Philadelphia and alpha-thalassaemia in this man and his family is now demonstrated using bone marrow and reticulocytes of the propositus and one of his sons and reticulocytes only of another son.


The effects of endosulfan pesticide were investigated on juvenile of Clarias gariepinus. Acute test was carried out using 0.04, 0.05, 0.06, 0.07 and 0.08 ppm of endosulfan pesticide with the 96 h LC50 value determined by probit analysis. Chronic bioassays were evaluated on haematological and biochemical indices of the fish for a period of 60 days using four sub lethal concentrations (0.0005, 0.0010, 0.0025 and 0.0050 ppm). Blood sample was collected on days 15, 30, 45 and 60 for haematological and at day 60 only for biochemical analysis. The 96 h LC50 value of endosulfan for C. gareipinus was 0.052 ppm. There was significant reduction (P<0.05) in red blood cell (RBC) at days 15, 30 and 45, haemoglobin (Hb) at days 15 and 45, and packed cell volume (PCV) at all days of the evaluation. White blood cell (WBC) values however showed significant increase (P<0.05) at days 45 and 60. There were variations in mean values of mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) and mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) with significant increase observed only at day 15 of MCHC. Significant reduction in values was obtained for total protein and globulin while significant increase was observed in cholesterol. Results obtained in this study suggest that exposure to low concentrations of endosulfan induced stress and altered the haematological and biochemical indices of treated fish.


The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor(GEM)—designed to be a long-term, multinational project—examines therelationship between entrepreneurship and economic growth, using a standardizedresearch methodology for each country. The national teams in each of theparticipating countries assemble three sets of data: (1) specially- designedsurveys of the adult population in each GEM country; (2) in-depth interviewswith experts on entrepreneurship in each country; and (3) a wide selection ofnational data from a variety of sources. Three key points underpin the GEMresearch: (a) whether the level of entrepreneurial activity varies betweencountries and, if so, to what extent; (b) whether the level of entrepreneurialactivity affects a country's rate of economic growth and prosperity; and (c)what makes a country entrepreneurial. This analysis of entrepreneurship in the Netherlandsfocuses primarilyon two entrepreneurial framework conditions: attitudes to entrepreneurship andthe role of the educational system. The findings suggest that the attitudestoward entrepreneurship are more positive than 20 years ago, although mostDutch people do not consider entrepreneurship a serious career goal. The Dutcheducation system still doesn't pay enough attention to raise awareness toentrepreneurship as a career alternative. The experts regarded the following aspects of the Dutch entrepreneurialclimate as most favorable: availability of financial capital, positive attitudeof young people toward labor mobility, access to physical infrastructure, anddiminished regulatory barriers to entrepreneurship. The least favorable aspectswere determined to be: the transfer of knowledge from universities to new andsmall enterprises, administrative barriers for business start-ups, and lowencouragement of the welfare state and educational system towardself-initiative and self-sufficiency. Moreover, as the results show, although the number of annual businessstart-ups has doubled in the Netherlands since 1987, the extent to which peopleare involved in setting up businesses is still low by international standards,but Dutch nascent entrepreneurs have a relatively high chance tosucceed. Despite positive steps toward promoting entrepreneurship, such as theNational Program on Entrepreneurship and Education, and the government'sinvestment in improving the institutional environment for business start-ups,the study concludes that the distance to an entrepreneurial society is still along one in the Netherlands. Recommendations are made for using and developingits resources systematically offered by the government, as well as theentrepreneurial talent and energy available in the country, to fulfill themission of entrepreneurship.(CBS)


Expert Systems. Techniques, Tools, and Applications is a collection of research papers covering a range of topics in expert systems and knowledge engineering. The book is edited by Philip Klahr and the late Donald A. Waterman, both of Rand Corporation. The papers are selected from RAND technical reports published from 1977 to 1985. The book is most valuable to people learning knowledge engineering. Four of the papers provide interesting glimpses at the problems involved in transforming knowledge about a domain into computer representations. In addition, the book contains one or two interesting papers for researchers in each of the areas of knowledge acquisition, reasoning with uncertainty, and distributed problem solving.


Nano-Illumination Microscopy (NIM) is a technique that provides compact microscopes but at the present time only setups with limited Field-of-View (FOV) have been presented. Existing NIM setups reconstruct the image by measuring the light intensity that passes through the specimen when switching after one another the light emitting diodes (LEDs) on an array. The resolution of NIM is related to the LEDs pitch, while the FOV to the total area covered by the array. The first prototypes were demonstrated with 10 μm-pitch GaN-based 8x8 LED arrays giving rise to 80x80 μm2 FOV. This work presents the first electronically-activated Scanning Transmission Optical Microscope (eSTOM) built with an Organic LED-on-silicon micro-display with 5 μm LEDs pitch, providing a FOV of 3.6 × 1.28 mm2 . It is combined with a CMOS optical sensor with no other optical or mechanical components. We demonstrate how downscaling of the OLED array by means of optical lenses allows to further reduce the size of the light sources to explore the technique in more detail. Here we show steps towards the utility of NIM as a practical, low-cost and compact microscopy technique for biophotonics and many other applications.


In the first of two experiments, subjects (N = 137) were band students with 1, 2, 3, or 4 years of formal instrumental performance experience. Subjects tuned to a single prerecorded tuning pitch and subsequently played along with a prerecorded four-measure melody. Direction and magnitude of pitch deviation were analyzed for the single tuning pitch and four selected target pitches within the melody. Responses to the tuning pitch were more accurate than for the melodic pitches. There was a high positive correlation among the four melodic pitches, but a low positive correlation between the melodic pitches and tuning pitch. In a second experiment, high school musicians (N = 167) played along with the same prerecorded melody after either (a) tuning their instrument to a single pitch, (b) receiving verbal instructions to perform "in tune," or (c) receiving no information. No differences were observed among the three conditions. Students who first tuned to a single pitch were more accurate at this task than at melodic performance. A high correlation was observed among melodic pitches but not between melodic and tuning pitches. Across both experiments, subjects erred most often in the sharp direction; a stronger tendency toward sharp errors was noted among more experienced students. Performance accuracy was observed to improve with experience.


This paper presents a new method for analysis of fiber optic GRIN devices. The method based on non-linear ray tracing. Its novelty is introduction of small disturbance in ray path. It is essential when beam focusing in considered. More over that simulates a real condition in the face of focusing collimator also. The two GRIN collimators coupled with single mode fibers in U-bench configuration has been simulated. The result show that presented method agrees with experimental data, so it can be used for future development of small micro-optical devices, for example. MOEMS switches.


In the past 30 years, it has been recognized that dietary selenium (Se) is essential for the normal function of many of the systems of the body. Furthermore, low Se intake can have deleterious effects on several aspects of human and animal health. The importance of Se is characterized in its role as a constituent of several key antioxidant and redox enzyme families. Most of the effects of Se are probably mediated by selenoproteins, which have the micronutrient covalently incorporated into the protein. The purpose of this review is to examine basic mechanisms by which Se regulates cell growth, gene transcription, cell signaling, and cell death. We start with the historical background to Se. The synthesis and function of selenoproteins are described, followed by details of the dietary sources of Se and Se status in different parts of the world, together with the clinical effects of Se deficiency and toxicity. We consider some aspects of the molecular mechanisms by which Se modulates cell growth, intracellular signaling, and gene transcription.


Colonialism in the first years of major settlement in Aotearoa/New Zealand was defined in part by anxieties regarding gender and civilization, and by the ways in which settlers and colonial administrators expressed those anxieties through a particu-lar attention to physical spaces within the colony. This article considers the ways in which ideas about British middle-class domesticity helped to create gendered colonial spaces that were imagined through and by settler women and men; at the same time, the creation of domestic spaces was seen as a vital component of the civilization of the Māori population of New Zealand, and in particular of Māori women. While the liminality of the frontier setting allowed for the disruption of some gender and class boundaries, the construction of colonial spaces—both public and private—proved an essential component of the civilizing project in New Zealand and of the reification of colonial ideals of moral domesticity.


We studied very long-chain fatty acid (VLFA) metabolism in cultured fibroblasts from patients with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). Total hexacosanoate (C26:0) content of ALD fibroblasts was sixfold higher than normal and did not return to normal when cells were grown in lipid-free medium. When normal or ALD fibroblasts were grown in medium containing 10% ALD serum (which is enriched in C26:0), there was no further increase in C26:0 content compared with cells grown in 10% normal human serum. Uptake and loss of 1-14C-palmitate (C16:0) and 1-14C-lignocerate (C24:0) by ALD fibroblasts were similar to normal fibroblasts. Catabolism of exogenous H-C26:0 to H2O was about 307 of normal. Oxidation of exogenous 1-14C-hexacosanoate, 1-14C-lignocerate, and 1-14C-palmitate in intact ALD fibroblasts was 42%, 27 ± 13% (SD), and 73 ± 47%, respectively, of normal. These results are consistent with, but do not conclusively prove, a VLFA oxidation defect in ALD fibroblasts.


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A new, accurate, and nondiffusive method for three-dimensional advection of trace species is presented. The method preserves tracer structures by conserving the second-order moments of the spatial distribution of tracer during advection. Tracer concentrations are represented by separate, second-order polynomials within each grid box. This second-order moments method has been shown, in typical tests for advective schemes, to be equal or superior to presently available methods in terms of absolute accuracy, numerical diffusion, and computational cost.


This paper documents the first report of flint clay in Mexico, located at Estola, Guerrero, 199 km south of Mexico City, on Mexico Highway 95. It is the first report (known to the writers) of flint clay formed by hydrothermal alteration. It describes the in-situ alteration of a calcareous, silty shale to flint clay (well-ordered kaolinite). The changes during alteration are mineralogical, chemical, and structural. Calcite, comprising about one-third of the shale, quartz and probably some feldspar comprising a scant third, and a mixture of greenish-yellow (limonitic) clay minerals are dissolved or altered ultimately to white kaolinite (monomineralic). Calcium carbonate, free and combined silica, and iron compounds are dissolved, while simultaneously the alumina is relatively enriched. The fissility, inequigraularity, and cementitous fabric of shale are changed to the massively homogeneous, finegrained, interlocking fabric that is typical of flint clay. The sequence of changes, which overlap, are; (1) dissolution of carbonate minerals, (2) mobility of iron, replacement of quartz and feldspar by kaolinite; and (3) intensive "digestion" of rock substance to homogeneous, essentially monomineralic, kaolinite flint clay. Alunite, and secondary vein-calcite or gypsum may accompany the flint clay. This occurrence lends support to the concent that flint clay is formed from presumably only sedimentary parent rock.


The aim of the research presented in this paper is to develop a robot which can easily be instructed how to either perform tasks autonomously or in cooperation with humans. We describe the prototype of our Manufacturing Assistant and the methods developed for teaching new tasks and environments. The functionality has been demonstrated in a number of factory settings. In this paper, some application examples of our methods are presented.


The transmission of a Robertsonian translocation was studied in a family after diagnosis of a t rob. (13;14) in a foetus, in the course of a prenatal diagnosis for maternal age. The father was found to be a carrier of a balanced t rob.(14;21) in mosaicism with a normal karyotype. The t rob(14;21) was inherited from the paternal grandfather. A second prenatal diagnosis, 1 year later, revealed a girl with the paternal t rob(14;21). Mitotic and germinal instability of the paternal t rob.(14;21) is discussed, with relation to the long period of drug addiction.


The research aimed to analyze the attitudes and the conception of undergraduate students of the Federal University of Santa Maria in relation to the discipline of Statistics. Were interviewed 256 academics from various undergraduate courses who attended the discipline of Statistics. The applied questionnaire adopted the Likert scale, composed of 20 statements about Statistics, where 10 were positive statements and 10 negative statements, and for data analysis used the Two Parameter Logistic Model of Item Response Theory. The results showed that all 20 items have a good quality and can adequately estimate the level of feeling of students who have a medium feeling in relation to Statistics, between about 1.5 standard deviation around the average. However, there is a lack of items to adequately measure those students who have extreme feelings about Statistics, that is, those who are positioned 1.5 standard deviation above or below average.


Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative joint disease characterized by articular cartilage destruction. The pathological mechanisms are complex; in particular, inflammation, autophagy, and apoptosis are often involved. 3,3-Diindolylmethane (DIM), a phytoconstituent extracted from cruciferous vegetables, has various effects such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-apoptotic. However, the effects of DIM on osteoarthritic chondrocytes remain undetermined. In this study, we simulated a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced osteoarthritis model in human primary chondrocytes. We found that LPS stimulation significantly inhibited autophagy, induced chondrocyte apoptosis and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, which could be ameliorated by DIM. DIM inhibited the expression of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motif 5 (ADAMTS-5), matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13), cleaved caspase-3, Bax, and p62, and increased the expression level of collagen II, aggrecan, Bcl-2, light chain 3 Ⅱ (LC3 Ⅱ), and beclin-1. Mechanistic studies showed that DIM increased chondrocyte autophagy levels by inhibiting the activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. In mice destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) model, immunohistochemical analysis showed that DIM inhibited the expression of p-PI3K and cleaved caspase-3, increased the expression of LC3 Ⅱ. Furthermore, DIM relieved joint cartilage degeneration. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate for the first time that DIM inhibits LPS-induced chondrocyte apoptosis and ECM degradation by regulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR-autophagy axis and delays OA progression in vivo.


Among the most prevalent and least addressed symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection are myalgia, muscle weakness, and body aches. Only a few studies have reported polymyositis in patients with Covid-19 infection. At least one-third of patients with Covid-19 syndrome had elevated CPK levels. The cause of elevated CPK can be a cytokine storm or viral infection of the muscles. We present a case in which our patient developed features of myositis following the resolution of an acute viral prodrome caused by SARS-CoV-2. Our patient had both radiological and biopsy-proven neuromuscular manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 associated with polymyositis. Proximal muscle weakness began shortly after the resolution of the initial infection and progressed gradually over weeks or months, resulting in immobility. In the aftermath of investigations, the patient was diagnosed with polymyositis, appropriate treatment was started, and he showed signs of improvement.


The Constitutional Court was not born only to maintain and uphold the Constitution, the Constitutional Court will continue to defend democracy was thus born. Because of the elections is now entered the realm of the general election regime, constitutionally, the authority of the Constitutional Court to resolve election disputes are the results in the paragraph of article 24C sub section (1) the 1945 Constitution of the State of the Republic of Indonesia. Only then the legitimacy of the formal authority of the Constitutional Court explicitly mentioned in the general election dispute referred to in article 236C of the law number 12 year 2008, concerning the amandment of law number 32 of 2004. In the settlement of the election dispute General, the Court not is based only on the results of the calculation of quantitative of the number of votes have been counted, but the Court made a breakthrough that the calculations which, if it is that there is a difference in the calculation of the noise exposure of the door to manipulation that is structural systematic and massive, then the role of democratization and the Court to defend the constitutionality of the general election that is an essential step to bring into the substantive  justice


The high quality Er-doping Y0.8Er0.2Ba2Cu3O7−δ (YErBCO) crystal is grown by the melted-textured-growth (MTG) method. The microstructure photograph shows that the MTG-YErBCO crystal has an obvious layered structure. Its magnetization loops show that the irreversibility field is decreased by Er-doping for H//c and that there is an anomalous behaviour, a second peak, in the magnetization curve for H//ab. The critical current density along the ab-plane (Jcab(77 K, 0 T) = 4.75 × 104 A cm−2) is higher than that along the c-axis (Jcc(77 K, 0 T) = 470 A cm−2). The field dependence of the irreversibility temperature Tirr follows a power law, H = H0(1 − Tirr(H)/Tirr(0))1.3, with H0 = 550 T for H//ab and 51 T for H//c, respectively. The field dependence of the activation energy Ue shows a different behaviour for H//ab and for H//c, namely a linear relation, U = 49131–3006H, for H//ab and a power law, U ∝ H−0.68, for H//c, respectively. The anisotropy factor γ = 15 was obtained from the angular dependences of the activation energy and the irreversibility temperature. A possible reason for the effect of Er addition on the flux-pinning behaviour has been discussed.


NIH requirements for public access to scholarly articles published as a result of NIH awards, with help for UCSF researchers.


This is an expository paper which gives a quick introduction to Dwork's conjecture about p-adic meromorphic continuation of his unit root zeta function arising from algebraic geometry. Special emphasis is given to the case of elliptic family and its relation to p-adic modular forms such as Gouv\^ea-Mazur conjecture and some sort of p-adic Ramanujuan-Peterson conjecture. There is also a section describing some of my personal interactions with Dwork.


The aim of this study was to evaluate chemical attributes alterations of a clay-loam textured soil and dry mass accumulation of maize submitted to application of cassava wastewater doses in three assessment periods. The experiment was conducted under greenhouse using a completely randomized experimental design in a factorial 5 × 3, with four replicates. The analyzed factors of research were doses of cassava wastewater (0; 12.6; 25.2; 50.4; 75.6 m3 ha-1) andassessment periods (20, 40 and 52 days after germination). The following parameters were determined: electric conductivity of soil saturation extract, pH in water, content of available P, content of exchangeable K+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Na+ of soil, dry mass of leaves and stem. The application of cassava wastewater on soil enables increase of pH, electric conductivity of saturation extract, contents of available P, contents of exchangeable K+ and Na+ and dry mass of leaves and stem. However, only pH and content of exchangeable K+ of soil, the electric conductivity of saturation extract and dry mass of leaves and stem are influenced by assessment period.


Climate variability on decadal time scales is generally recognized to influence high-latitude marine populations. Our recent work in studying air‐sea interactions in the Bering Sea suggests that interannual to decadal climate variability is important through its modulation of the frequencies and magnitudes of weather events on intraseasonal time scales. We hypothesize that it is these weather events that directly impact the marine ecosystem of the Bering Sea shelf. The linkages between the event-scale weather and the ecosystem are illustrated with three examples: walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma), Tanner crabs (Chionoecetes bairdi), and coccolithophorid phytoplankton (Emiliania huxleyi). We hypothesize that the strong recruitment of walleye pollock that occurred in 1978, 1982, and 1996 can be attributed in part due to the seasonably strong storms that occurred in the early summer of those years. These storms caused greater than normal mixing of nutrients into the euphotic zone which presumably led to sustained primary productivity after the spring bloom and, possibly, enhanced prey concentrations for pollock larvae and their competitors. Recruitment of Tanner crab was particularly strong for the 1981 and 1984 year-classes. These years had periods of prominent east wind anomalies along the Alaska Peninsula during the previous winter. Such winds promote flow through Unimak Pass, and hence an enhanced flux of nutrient-rich water onto the shelf. This mechanism may have ultimately resulted in favorable feeding conditions for Tanner crab larvae. Finally, an unprecedented coccolithophorid bloom occurred over the Bering Sea shelf in the summer of 1997. This summer featured lighter winds and greater insolation than usual after a spring that included a very strong May storm. This combination brought about a warm, nutrient-poor upper mixed layer by mid-summer. This provided a competitive advantage for coccolithophorid phytoplankton in 1997 and to a lesser extent in 1998. Unusually high concentrations of coccolithophores persisted for the following two years although physical environmental conditions did not remain favorable. While slow variations in the overall aspects of the physical environment may be important for setting the stage, we propose that the significant multi-year adjustments in the marine ecosystem of the Bering Sea shelf are more directly caused by major air‐sea interaction events on intraseasonal time scales.


Background
Globally, mental health problems are more common among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) than among the general population. Mental health problems affect human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment adherence and retention. To address this challenge, partners used a task-sharing approach among lay healthcare works and clinicians to integrate mental health services into HIV services at pilot hospitals in the Amhara and Tigray regions of Ethiopia. In this model, trained lay healthcare workers proactively screened patients using a mental health screening tool and subsequently linked potential clients with trained clinicians working at HIV clinics for further diagnosis and treatment.

Methods
We retrospectively gathered secondary data, including demographic characteristics and diagnosis information, from mental health clinicians' and case managers' quarterly reports from HIV clinics during the implementation period (January 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014).

Results
During the initial three-month implementation period of the project (January to March 2013), case managers screened 5,862 PLHIV for mental health disorders. Case managers referred 687 (11.7%) patients with suspected mental health disorders to clinicians for further evaluation and management. Of the total patients screened by case managers in this period, clinicians confirmed that 454 (7.7%) had a mental health disorder. Overall, the concordance between the case managers' screening results and the clinicians' diagnoses was 67.8% over the 15-month pilot implementation period.

Conclusions
Routine screening of PLHIV for mental health disorders helps to proactively identify and manage patients with co-morbidities. The integration of mental health services into HIV care through a task-sharing approach is a feasible strategy that could increase access to mental health services among PLHIV.


Background: Presence of Plasmodium falciparum's schizontes in peripheral blood is usually associated with
 severe malaria. However, presence of schizontes and pigment containing leucocytes is usually not recorded on the
 laboratory reports in clinical settings and yet theses stages findings may be helpful to manage the patient in context
 of low transmission of malaria. An uncomplicated form of falciparum malaria contrasting with high schizontaemia, in
 a child living urban area of Dakar is discussed.
Case presentation: A six-year-old boy presented to the health clinic of Pikine (Dakar) with fever, headache and abdominal pain. There was neither vomiting nor diarrhea. All physical examination was normal. HRP2 based rapid
 diagnostic test was intensively positive. Blood smear showed malaria parasites identified as Plasmodium falciparum
 with 3.6% parasitaemia. There was also high proportion of schizontaemia (0.4%) and malaria pigment-containing
 neutrophils and monocytes. Merozoite cluster and haemozoin pigment were observed into a monocyte, as a
 phagocytosis outcome.
There was no anaemia and all others laboratory tests were normal. Treatment consisted of classical artemisininbased
 combination treatment. Recovery was noted at day 3, confirmed by negative microcopy. No further symptoms
 were noted.
Conclusion: Schizontes of Plasmodium falciparum usually sequester in microvascular so these stage is not seen
 in peripheral blood. In low transmission areas or in non-immune person the presence of schizontes in the peripheral
 circulation is associated with worse prognosis. This case, unexpected in view of the relatively moderate symptoms of
 the disease, was likely to be expression of good immune response against the blood stages of P. falciparum.
 Patients with a high parasite count (>4%) or presence of schizontaemia in a low transmission area but none of the
 clinical or laboratory indicators of severe malaria should be monitored closely.


As the COVID-19 pandemic rampages across the world, the demands of video conferencing surge. To this end, real-time portrait segmentation becomes a popular feature to replace backgrounds of conferencing participants. While feature-rich datasets, models and algorithms have been offered for segmentation that extract body postures from life scenes, portrait segmentation has yet not been well covered in a video conferencing context. To facilitate the progress in this field, we introduce an open-source solution named PP-HumanSeg. This work is the first to construct a large-scale video portrait dataset that contains 291 videos from 23 conference scenes with 14K fine-labeled frames and extensions to multi-camera teleconferencing. Furthermore, we propose a novel Self-supervised Connectivity-aware Learning (SCL) for semantic segmentation, which introduces a self-supervised connectivity-aware loss to improve the quality of segmentation results from the perspective of connectivity. And we propose an ultra-lightweight model with SCL for practical portrait segmentation, which achieves the best trade-off between IoU and the speed of inference. Extensive evaluations on our dataset demonstrate the superiority of SCL and our model. The source code is available at https://github.com/PaddlePaddle/PaddleSeg.


The electrical discharge of high voltage direct current(HVDC) overhead transmission line generate audible noise, radio noise, electric field, ion current and induced voltage on the ground. These items are major factors to design environmentally-friendly configuration of DC transmission line. Therefore, HVDC transmission lines must be designed to keep all these corona effects within acceptable levels. Several techniques have been used to assess interference caused by ions on HVDC overhead transmission line. In this study, to assess the ion characteristic of DC line, the ion current density and induced voltage caused by ion flow were measured by plate electrodes manufactured from a metal flat board and charged bodies, respectively. The charged body has two types of cylinder and cylindrical plate. From the results of calibration experiments, the sensitivity of flat electrode and charged body can be obtained. At present, the developed system is used to investigate the ion generation characteristics of Kochang DC ±500㎸ test line.


This paper is based on the findings of in-depth face-to-face semi-structured interviews with owners, directors and senior managers of fifteen contractors organisation in Jordan. The objective of this paper is to explore the marketing concept, cost and activities within the contractors' organisation in the Jordanian construction industry. The results indicated that marketing function has not been accepted as legitimate management activities in the Jordanian construction organisations. Furthermore, the majority of companies (85% of respondents) consider marketing cost as a wasting of money since most projects were awarded to the lowest price offer. More than 85% (13 out of 15) of the interviewed contractors indicated that they do not have marketing departments or divisions in their companies. Only 13% of contracting companies (2 out of 15) have a separate marketing division with a few staff and little budget. The result also indicated that there is much confusion among contractors on the definition of the marketing concepts and its purpose. Key Wards (Marketing, Service Quality, Marketing Orientation, Differentiation, Marketing Mix)


Background: Active-duty servicemembers are a population at risk for the development of posterior shoulder instability. While short-term outcomes after arthroscopic posterior labral repair for posterior shoulder instability are promising, there is a paucity of longer term follow-up data for this procedure. Purposes: The primary purpose was to report midterm outcomes after arthroscopic posterior labral repair in active-duty military patients for posterior shoulder instability without bone loss. The secondary purpose was to determine if outcomes varied between anchor types used. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Preoperative and postoperative outcomes, with a minimum 3-year follow-up, for a visual analog scale for pain, the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE), the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, and the Rowe score were collected and analyzed. A separate subgroup analysis was performed comparing the outcomes of patients who underwent repair with biocomposite anchors versus those who underwent repair with all-suture anchors. Results: A total of 73 patients with a mean follow-up of 82.55 ± 24.20 months met the inclusion criteria and were available for analysis. As a whole, the cohort demonstrated statistically and clinically significant improvements in outcome scores at final follow-up. Preoperative and postoperative range of motion did not vary significantly. While the difference in final outcome scores between the 2 anchor types did not reach statistical significance, a statistically significantly larger proportion of patients who underwent repair with all-suture anchors versus those who underwent repair with biocomposite anchors met the Patient Acceptable Symptom State for the SANE (97.14% vs 78.95%, respectively; P = .0180) and the ASES score (88.57% vs 68.42%, respectively; P = .0171). The proportion of patients who achieved the substantial clinical benefit or surpassed the minimal clinically important difference, however, did not vary by anchor type. Overall, 70 patients (95.89%) remained on active duty and were able to return to preinjury work and recreational activity levels. There were 3 patients (4.11%) who had recurrent posterior instability. Conclusion: This population of active-duty servicemembers undergoing posterior labral repair for posterior labral instability without bone loss demonstrated a statistically and clinically significant improvement in midterm outcomes, a low recurrence rate, and a rate of return to active duty of 95.89%, regardless of the anchor type used.


Background Digoxin is used to manage supraventricular arrhythmias and low output chronic heart failure (CHF). Due to its narrow therapeutic window, digoxin must be monitored clinically and pharmacokinetically. Blood levels below 0.6–0.8 ng/mL are infratherapeutic, but above 2–2.5 ng/mL serious gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, visual and neurological toxicity appears. Kidney failure and thyroid disease can trigger this phenomena. Purpose To describe digoxin toxicity epidemiology and clinics in a third level hospital, comparing the current situation with past data and suggesting measures to minimise its incidence. Material and methods We studied our hospital's 2015 basic minimum dataset, which collects all the diagnoses of admitted patients at discharge, coding them using the WHO's International Classification of Diseases (ICD9, digitalis toxicity code E942.1). Data were consigned in a Filemaker database, and statistically managed with SPSS21. Results Our hospital registered 31 257 admissions, 453 (1.45%, 248 men, average age 66.5±21.5 years) related to adverse reactions (E930-E949). E942.1 was coded 24 times (0.77‰, 23 women, average age 83.4±10.2 years, 18 in internal medicine), 9 less than in 2014, for the second year in a row being the fourth most frequent cause of adverse reactions, after antineoplastics and oral anticoagulants (64 times each), and adrenocortical steroids (43). Due to privacy issues, 4 patients' clinical histories could not be accessed. Among the 20 studied, 1 did not experience toxicity (mistakenly coded). The remaining 19 were diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, 11 also with CHF. 8 had started digoxin within the previous month (4 within the previous week). The most frequent reactions were gastrointestinal (9), cardiovascular (9) and neurological (5). 9 episodes were severe, being the reason for admission. We found a correlation between severity and incidence of cardiovascular symptoms (χ2, p=0.04). Two cases were related to medication errors (dosing without considering kidney function). Digoxin toxicity was related to kidney failure (ClCr <60 mL/min) in 15 patients. 1 suffered from hyperthyroidism (T4 overdose). Potentially relevant drug interactions were not found. Conclusion The incidence of digoxin toxicity has decreased as its use has decreased, at the expense of safer alternatives. If alternatives are not possible, it seems key to tighten pharmacokinetic monitoring in older patients, mainly those with kidney failure. Doctors should be re-instructed about digoxin peculiarities (narrow window, serious toxicity) to maintain the trend. No conflict of interest


This thesis consists of two parts; theoretical and application. The first part
proposes the development of a new method for robust estimation of location and
scale, in data concentration step (C-step), of the most widely used method known as
fast minimum covariance determinant (FMCD). This new method is as effective as
FMCD and minimum vector variance (MVV) but with lower computational
complexity. In FMCD, the optimality criterion of C-step is still quite cumbersome if
the number of variables p is large because of the computation of sample generalized
variance. This is the reason why MVV has been introduced. The computational
complexity of the C-step in FMCD is of order O(p3 ) while MVV is O(p2 ). This is a
significant improvement especially for the case when p is large. In this case, although
MVV is faster than FMCD, it is still time consuming. Thus, this is the principal
motivation of this thesis, that is, to find another optimal criterion which is of far
higher computational efficiency. In this study, two other different optimal criteria
which will be able to reduce the running time of C-step is proposed. These criteria
are (i) the covariance matrix equality and (ii) index set equality. Both criteria do not
require any statistical computations, including the generalized variance in FMCD and
vector variance in MVV. Since only a logical test is needed, the computational
complexities of the C-step are of order O(p ln p) . The second part is the
application of the proposed criteria in robust Phase I operation of multivariate
process variability based on individual observations. Besides that, to construct a
more sensitive Phase II operation, both Wilks' W statistic and Djauhari's F statistic
are used. Both statistics have different distributions and is used to measure the effect
of an additional observation on covariance structure.


Wartość hodowlana wyselekcjonowanych rodów modrzewia europejskiego (Larix decidua Mill.) z pochodzenia sudeckiego na przykładzie powierzchni doświadczalnej w Zwierzyńcu Lubelskim The breeding value of selected families of European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) of Sudeten origin growing on an experimental plot in Zwierzyniec Lubelski The aim of this study was the preliminary estimation of the breeding value of selected European larch half-sib families based on data from the experimental family trial in Zwierzyniec Lubelski. The trial in Nowiny, Zwierzyniec Forestry District, was established in spring, 2003. The initial spacing was 2.5 by 2.5 m and the forest site code, 'LMśw' - fresh mixed broadleaved forest. There were 2948 trees planted originating from 66 families from the region of Jesienik in the Czech eastern Sudeten Mountains. In September 2009, the DBH, height were recorded and wood density was measured using a Pilodyn penetrometer. Stem straightness, crown size and branch angle were scored using the scale from 1 to 5. The mean height of the trees after seven years of growth was 7.57 m. The tallest trees came from family 1414 (8.05 m mean height), and the smallest family was 1709 (6.79 m), a difference of 17% compared with the mean value. The relative differences among families were larger for DBH than for tree height. The overall mean DBH was 10 cm, and the difference between the best and worst performing families was 42% of the mean value. Wood quality did not differ greatly among families, particularly given that there were relatively large differences between individuals. In order to evaluate trees based on a combination of all measured parameters, a selection index was calculated. Based on selection indices, as far as breeding value is concerned, the best families were numbers 1414 and 1411. They demonstrated both good growth and good quality features. The worst families were numbers 1709, 1734 and 1722. They were characterized by weak growth but moderate to good quality features. There was also a statistically-significant positive correlation between survival and the index breeding value of larch families. Those families which grew best were characterized by higher survival rates, which probably resulted from phenotypic selection which eliminates individuals that are poorly-adapted to environmental conditions, thus favouring the best trees, in terms of their growth parameters. The results obtained in this study after seven years of the growth should be considered as preliminary. To estimate the breeding value of the studied larch families a further evaluation is needed when trees reach the age of 15-20 years old.


During the nuclear crisis years of 1958 to 1961, millions of U.S. citizens were instructed by their federal government that the best chance of surviving a direct nuclear confrontation with the Soviet Union resided in converting their backyards or basements into family fallout shelters. Directing their policies towards middle-class suburban America, civil defence policymakers asked citizens to realign their lives and family relationships in accordance with a new doctrine of 'do-it-yourself' survival, stating that middle-class suburban fathers had the capacity and resources to protect both themselves and their families from the worst possible manmade disaster.
"Every Home a Fortress: The Fallout Shelter Father in Cold War America" is the first historical study of fatherhood and the family fallout shelter during the early Cold War. Focusing specifically on the cultural and political representations of fatherhood and masculinity in the formation of and public reaction to the doctrine of civil defence, this project examines the tension between the politics of 'do-it-yourself' survival and the lived reality. The process and practice of fallout shelter construction represented an almost unprecedented level of state penetration into the private sphere. Yet, as the ideal of shelter fatherhood permeated society, a widening gap emerged between the political rhetoric of civil defence and the everyday experience of the ordinary Americans facing the prospect of building a family fallout shelter and surviving the next war.
Each chapter of this thesis explores the lived reality of civil defence, highlighting the ways in which U.S. fathers interpreted and reinterpreted the act of private shelter construction. Rather than fostering one singular politicised vision of Cold War fatherhood, this thesis argues that fallout shelters brought to the surface a variety of interlinked visions of Cold War fatherhood, rooted in narratives of domesticity, militarism, and survivalism. Central to these narratives of masculinity was the private fallout shelter itself, a malleable Cold War space that inspired a new national discourse around notions of nationhood, domestic duty, and collective assumptions of what it meant to be a father in the nuclear age.


"Having Divided to Conquer We Must Reunite [to] Rule" [3]. Decomposition of problems and systems into smaller, more manageable units has been at the heart of software engineering practice for decades. "Separation of concerns" gives software engineers the conceptual and practical tools to focus their attention, and their tools, on the parts of the problem or solution to which they are best suited. Perhaps one of the earliest boundaries used to separate concerns is that which exists between hardware and software – once that boundary is drawn, software engineers were able to focus their attention on the development of software within the hardware boundaries chosen. There has however, been a steady erosion of such boundaries: digital and physical connectivity have become the norm, and increasingly such connectivity can be ad hoc, spontaneous, and often unplanned (perhaps best exemplified by the Internet of Things paradigm). Moreover, the fluid and disappearing boundaries between technology and people have radically affected social behaviours (again, perhaps well exemplified by the proliferation of mobile and ubiquitous computing such as wearable and 'smart' technologies used in variety of personal and community settings). Such convergence between digital, physical, and social spaces has provided exciting opportunities for software engineers to, literally, 'cross boundaries', and, as a result, to have an impact on the physical and social worlds in which the software they build will operate. But in this brave new world with porous boundaries, security engineering and privacy management challenges abound. Effective security depends on the ability to control access to assets protected by boundaries [2]. Effective privacy management depends on informed, consensual sharing of information across boundaries [4]. Our thesis is that, although increasingly invisible, and rightly so, explicit awareness and sometimes representation of boundaries in cyber-physical-social systems facilitate good old fashioned separation of concerns, which in turn enables more effective software engineering of secure, privacy-aware software [5, 6]. We support our thesis with examples from our research in adaptive security [7] and privacy [1].


. This publication focuses on underdevelopment of the methodological materials and assessment tools to draw up electronic materials for the final study by the graduate students including the final qualifying paper presentation. Purpose of the study: To represent a basic methodological model of the final qualifying paper (hereinafter referred to as FQP) presentation (undergraduate level) for the fourth-year students of the Institute of Philology and History of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education «Russian State University for the Humanities» («RSUH») (training course 45.03.02 «Linguistics», specialization: «Translation and translation and interpretation studies»). To review the « Computer-assisted translation» research vocabulary: mastering the training students should design a FQP presentation using standard and specialized translation software. Methodology: Comparative analysis: there is given the structure of FQP presentation consisting of seven basic structural elements: this format incentivizes the graduate not only to master ICT and to defend the paper successfully, but also to identify the gaps in the paper's text and presentation design. In this regard, it is recommended to start design of the presentation or website in the beginning of the work on the text consulting the supervisor step by step. The presentations of two studies have been comparatively described and media objects to be used have been recommended. The first study is practical, the study has been made at the interface of linguistics (political discourse) and translation and interpretation studies (interpretation) and allows better understanding of the political communication process that, in its turn, is the significant advantage during consecutive and simultaneous political interpretation. The second final qualifying paper which presentation has been prepared in the similar technique, differs from the first one. First of all, the subject and the object of the paper explain this fact. The first given FQP studies the corpus of the audio-visual texts but the second FQP studies the translation of the integral text of a film. Conclusions: 1. There have been developed the final project defense preparation concept and the basic FQP presentation methodological model made in the standard and specialized translation software. 2. The FQP presentation examination has shown that, despite schematization and the similar model used, each paper is an independent study containing seperate distinctive characteristics of the presentation design, configuration of semantic accents and the final applied outcome.


The establishment of a pharmacy-based skin-testing program at a community hospital is described. Problems with existing skin testing were brought to the attention of the pharmacy and therapeutics committee, which decided that one group of caregivers within the hospital should be chosen and trained to perform skin testing. A problem-solving team identified specific problems and developed solutions. The top four causes of the skin-testing problems were failure to follow procedure, inaccurate reading of tests, failure to report positive results, and failure to document results. Groups within the hospital who might perform skin testing were assessed according to several criteria; the pharmacy staff was selected because of ease of notification, availability, and ability to conduct follow-through (reading, documenting, and reporting results). Other improvements were step-by-step instructions for all phases of skin testing, a portable skin-test supply kit, and a skin-test record form to be placed in the physician progress notes. Pharmacists were trained by the employee health nurse. Pharmacist skin testing began in March 1995. Pharmacists administered tests to 93 inpatients and about 250 employees during the first 13 months of the program, and no problems were reported. Establishment of a pharmacy-based skin-testing program improved the quality of inpatient skin testing and enabled pharmacists to increase their role in patient care.


This study provides a better understanding of the business and legal environment surrounding Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). Key stakeholders involved are the firms launching ICOs, the investors and the financial regulators. We conducted a case study of a firm that launched an ICO, impak Finance, the first regulated ICO in Canada. Based on the interviews of key respondents and documentation analyses, we developed a framework identifying the main risks and benefits for firms to perform an ICO and differentiating between unregulated and regulated ICOs. Our study makes a number of research and practical contributions. First, we document the case of the first legal ICO in Canada through the examination of documents and interviews with key stakeholders. The interviews conducted provided access to privileged insider information. Second, very few studies have been conducted on the economic impact of disruptive technologies, such as blockchains, as an important investment financing innovation vehicle. ICOs using blockchains is disruptive not only from a technology standpoint but also from a financial standpoint. While the possible applications of blockchains are unknown to us to date, we do know that blockchains have the potential to challenge the traditional financial system monitored by financial regulators. Lastly, the study identifies, through a framework, the risks and benefits of performing an ICO in an unregulated versus a regulated context, which has practical implications for firms operating in the FinTech space. We trust that this framework will be useful for future research, for firms operating in the crypto space and for financial regulators.


We report the diagnosis and treatment process of a patient who underwent CyberKnife radiotherapy with diagnosis of optic nerve sheath meningioma (ONSM) to emphasize visual field recovery with an early treatment. A 46-year-old woman presented with puffiness, discomfort, and enlargement in right eye. Right sided proptosis and optic disc edema were detected as accompanying findings. Visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes. Blind spot enlargement and mild peripheral constriction were found on the right side of visual field test. The diagnosis was made on the basis of clinical and radiological findings. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an ONSM. The lesion was treated by three fraction stereotactic CyberKnife radiation therapy with dose of 19.5 Gy. Visual acuity was preserved and visual field was completely recovered after 6 weeks of follow-up. Due to its typical clinical and radiological findings, ONSM can be diagnosed without tissue biopsy. In progressive cases, optic nerve functions may recover by CyberKnife radiation therapy performed before development of significant visual loss. However, patients should be observed for radiation complications. Abstract


Abstract
Along with liver and muscle tissue, adipose tissue helps maintain normal levels of
glucose and lipids in the blood and has a very important role when it comes to storing
lipids that can provide whole-body energy. After a meal is ingested, adipocytes take
up glucose from the circulation and use it as a substrate for synthesis of new fatty
acids (FAs) in a process known as de novo fatty acid synthesis, as well as for synthesis
of glycerol. Adipocytes also take up fatty acids from the circulation and incorporate
both newly synthesized and imported FAs into triacylglycerides (TAGs), in a process
known as lipogenesis. TAGs are stored in large lipid droplets in the cytosol, and
during fasting, or in response to physical exercise, they are hydrolysed in a process
known as lipolysis, in which FAs are released into the bloodstream for use as energy
substrates in other tissues. These cycles of lipogenesis and lipolysis are controlled by
the concerted actions of insulin, a hormone that is secreted by the pancreas and
catecholamines, hormones that are secreted by the adrenal glands, or derive from the
nervous system. Both glucose- and fatty acid uptake, as well as lipid storage and
mobilization, are regulated by cellular signaling, and kinases are central enzymatic
players in hormone-induced cellular signaling. A dysfunctional adipose tissue can
contribute to insulin resistance in many obese individuals. Therefore it is important
to elucidate the cellular mechanisms that govern metabolic processes in adipocytes.
Insulin is the hormone that promotes glucose uptake and lipogenesis in adipocytes,
and when it induces glucose uptake, insulin exerts it actions through protein kinase B
(PKB). Although PKB is known to mediate many effects of insulin, its role in
lipogenesis in adipocytes is less clear. We show that PKB is important for the effects
of insulin on lipogenesis (de novo and total). We also reveal that PKB can regulate
Amp-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in adipocytes by a mechanism previously only
seen in heart muscle cells. AMPK is a sensor of cellular energy status and known to
inhibit lipogenesis. We speculate that insulin possibly mediates its lipogenic effects via
a decrease in AMPK activity accomplished by PKB-phosphorylation of S485 on
AMPK.
Furthermore, we find that salt-inducible kinase 3 (SIK3), a kinase that belongs to the
AMPK-related family of kinases, and displays structural similarities to AMPK, can be
regulated by catecholamines in adipocytes. Catecholamines are hormones that bind to
β-adrenergic receptors and act by increasing cellular levels of cAMP, which in turn
activates protein kinase A (PKA). We find that in response to such β-adrenergic
stimuli, SIK3 is phosphorylated on multiple serine and threonine residues. This 10
regulation coincides with an increase in binding of SIK3 to 14-3-3 molecules. 14-3-3
proteins are cellular scaffolding proteins that can result in cellular re-localization of
their binding partners or in their binding to other proteins or lipids. We find that
when SIK3 is phosphorylated in response to β-adrenergic stimuli, the kinase does not
re-localize, but is partially de-activated. We speculate that SIK3 could potentially have
a role in adipocyte metabolism, as it is regulated by catecholamines in this tissue.
Finally, we address the current understanding of the role for AMPK in modulation of
the effects of insulin and catecholamines on glucose uptake and lipid metabolism. To
this date, it has been suggested that AMPK reduces insulin-induced glucose uptake
and lipogenesis, as well as inhibits catecholamine-induced lipolysis in adipocytes.
These findings are mainly based on studies performed with AMPK activating agents
that act on AMPK in an indirect manner. We have used the allosteric activator
A769662, that binds directly to AMPK, and find that AMPK does not appear to
modulate hormonally induced glucose uptake, lipolysis or total lipogenesis. However,
when we specifically measured the synthesis of new FAs, using acetate as a lipogenic
substrate (as opposed to using glucose as a substrate, a molecule which can participate
in both FA and glycerol synthesis), we observe that AMPK does indeed reduce
insulin-induced de novo fatty acid synthesis.
Collectively, we add novel findings to the available knowledge on key kinases and
cellular signaling in adipocyte metabolism. Our findings contribute to the
understanding of insulin- and catecholamine-mediated control of lipid storage in
adipose tissue, a biological function that, when dysfunctional, is strongly linked to
insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (T2D).


Abstract Background Infectious disease and antimicrobial stewardship services are generally held to be cost-saving in large healthcare facilities. Actual comparisons comparing costs before and after implementation of a clinical infectious disease (CID) service are lacking. Methods Our 600+ bed tertiary hospital funded a CID service in 2015. Prior to this, CID expertise was largely provided by telephone consultation to a microbiologist and/or a part-time CID specialist with no nursing, pharmacy or resident medical officer (RMO) support. Out-patient IV antibiotics (OPIVA) were provided at the discretion of individual clinicians. The new CID team introduced an in-patient consult and OPIVA service. A management accounting analysis was undertaken to compare the total costs of care for patients admitted to OPIVA in financial years (FY) 2011 and 2012 (FY11/12) and 2016 (FY16). Short courses of out-patient therapy for cellulitis were excluded during both periods. Results In FY11/12 and FY16, 144 and 145 patients were discharged to OPIVA. 51 of 191 patients (27%) with CID consults for suspected or proven bacterial infection were admitted to OPIVA in 2016. Age, sex, and diagnosis were similar in both groups. Ceftriaxone and glycopeptide use increased in the 2016 cohort. Drug-related adverse events were more common in 2016 whilst line complications did not change. There were two unexpected OPIVA deaths in FY11/12 and none in FY16. Reduced in-patient bed-days in 2016 saved NZD 1.45 million, with an additional NZD 157,000 saving in total drug costs. This represented a 276% return on investment against wage costs for the CID team. Conclusion In our hospital, a CID team significantly reduced bed-days and drug costs for common infectious diseases. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


260 Background: Bacillus Calmette-Guérin intravesical therapy (BCG) has an important role in the management of high risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). This study examines the association between germline single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and response to BCG therapy.

METHODS
Saliva or blood was collected from pts with NMIBC treated at a single center and diagnosed between 1984 and 2010. SNPs were selected based on reported associations with bladder cancer and BCG response, and genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX system. No response to BCG was defined as the presence at 6 months of pathologically documented tumor in the bladder. Univariate logistic regression was used to test the association between the outcome of interest (no response to BCG at 6 months) and clinical variables (stage, grade and multifocality), or individual SNPs.

RESULTS
The cohort consisted of 158 pts with a median age of 65 years who received intravesical BCG for NMIBC (35.2% stage T1, 32.7% stage Ta and 31.4% stage Tis) with 93% having high-grade disease. At 6 months follow up, 22 (13.9%) patients showed no response to BCG. We successfully genotyped 80 of the 88 selected SNPs. Of these, 2 SNPs were associated with lack of response to BCG; rs798766 is an intronic SNP in TACC3 (OR for no response is 2.4 for each T allele relative to CC genotype, P=0.01), and rs1994251 an intronic SNP in BCL2L1 (OR for no response is 3.2 for each C allele relative to AA, p= 0.0008). Both SNPs remained significantly associated with lack of response after adjusting for predictive clinical variables.

CONCLUSIONS
Single nucleotide polymorphisms of BCL2L1 and TACC3 may be predictive of BCG refractory bladder cancer. Future validation studies on independent datasets are needed to determine the clinical utility of these findings.


We introduce an efficient method for recovering the camera parameters automatically from the cast shadows of two 3D points observed over time. Compared to previous related work, our method has less restrictions in the sense that object-to-shadow correspondences do not have to be available in the image. We demonstrate how the horizon line may be recovered from only shadow points, and how the camera intrinsic and extrinsic parameters are determined using the pole-polar relationship and minimizing the algebraic distance of the principal point. The approach is fully validated on both synthetic and real data, and tested against various sources of error. We finally present an application to metrology from shadows only - i.e. when the object is not visible in the image


The objectives of the present paper is to understand, analyse and explain the pattern of household's income and employment in the tribal block Bharmour of district Chamba in Himachal Pradesh. The study has been based on primary data. In Chamba there are seven blocks and Bharmour block has been purposively selected because this block constitute majority of tribal population. It was found that the main source of income of the household was non-agriculture sector as compared to agriculture and allied activities. In the study effort has been made to analyze the determinants that influence workforce to undertake non-agriculture activity as principal occupation by fitting a Binary Logistic Regression Model (BLRM). It is recommended that more emphasis can be given to providing training in marketable skills like, tailoring, carpentry, electrician, data entry operators etc. for which the services of Self Help Groups (SHGs) can be utilized.


Women can bear own children or adopt them. Extending economic theories of fertility, we provide a first theoretical treatment of the demand for adoption. We show that the propensity to adopt a child increases in the degree of own altruism, infertility, relatedness to the child, costs of own child birth, and any adoption-specific monetary return that is received net of the costs of adopting the child. Our model makes several testable predictions which receive empirical support. These include a higher propensity to adopt among infertile adults, relatives, women with high earnings potential, and celebrities.


Hyperparathyroidism is able to determine suddenly after a very poor clinical history a deep coma : in such a condition, the diagnosis with the paraneoplastic hypercalcemia may be a difficult one : cervicotomy can be the heroïc way to lead to diagnosis and in the same time to perform treatment. To avoid such a dramatic situation, the authors propose cervicotomy for every patient suspected of P.T.H. adenoma, when calcemia is higher than 115 mg c/l, even if the symptoms are very slight or nil.


Background
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common cause of neurologic disability in young adults. Individuals with MS deal with the day-to-day effects of the disease on their lives. Self-management can help with these challenges. This study aimed to explore MS self-management needs according to experiences of persons with MS and was conducted as part of a research project to develop an MS self-management mobile application.

Methods
We used a qualitative method to elicit self-management needs among 12 individuals with MS and conducted semistructured interviews with them. The participants were chosen based on snowball sampling. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Finally, qualitative data were analyzed using a content analysis method (inductive way) to identify the underlying themes and subthemes.

Results
The analysis resulted in the emergence of 7 themes: the source of information, basic needs, understanding MS, physical exercises in MS, useful nutrition in MS, MS monitoring, and communication. Within these 7 themes we identified 23 subthemes.

Conclusions
The themes that emerged in this study show what needs are essential to help persons with MS improve their self-management capacity. These findings can help in the development of self-management mobile applications for supporting individuals in managing MS.


Environmental conditions and health protection worldwide, is a search engine solutions for the surface finishing industry, in the sense use bath solutions, which do not contain toxic substances, and difficult to treat waters waste. Here are the results from the replacement of copper cyanide by copper sulphate in the composition of an electroless brass-plating bath; the electroless brass plating process can be applied directly on Zamak alloys, also on low carbon steels and aluminium. The morphological and brass film colour characteristics were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, colour parameters L*, a*, b*, with a spectrophotometer and electrochemical techniques, depending on the molar concentration of copper sulphate. This bath was prepared based on a bath of electroless brass patented in Mexico, the composition of this bath using zinc oxide as a source of Zn ions, a suitable complexing agent and a stabilizer, with an alkaline pH and a temperature of 75 ° C. The results indicate that we can control the colour of brass plating with Cu/Zn ratio.


The Gondomanan region is filled with increasingly active economic activity nowadays. As a result, changes cannot be avoided. This phenomenon results in old buildings such as indies buildings decreasing in quality and even being at risk of disappearing. Therefore preservation efforts in the form of revitalization activities must be carried out to keep the legacy from being destroyed. Developed countries in Europe and Britain have been carrying out conservation activities since World War I. The Indonesian government has also made conservation efforts as evidenced by the Law No. 11 of 2010 concerning Cultural Heritage. The purpose of this study is to analyze how the application of the concept of revitalization in indies buildings to still have office functions while also adjusting to the current conditions, so that they are considered successful in applying the concept of revitalization to provide economic, social, and cultural value. The method used is a qualitative method where data is obtained from literature studies and field observations then being analyzed to obtain information in the form of revitalization efforts that have been made. The results of this study show that the revitalization efforts in the case study are considered successful because the changes that occurred are not too significant and adjusted to the principles of the preservation of Burra Charter, seen from the aspects of spatial layout, facade, material, structure, and color. Keywords: Conservation-Preservation, Indies Architecture, Office Building, Revitalization


Life extension and replacement strategies are crucial issues in an efficient highway infrastructure management system. Due to normative and budgetary constraints, knowledge of the integrity of in-service structures on a continuous time basis has to be an ultimate objective of owners as well as maintenance authorities. A key component of any infrastructure management system is a set of surveillance techniques to assess the conditions of existing structures. Recent progress in the development of sensing technologies and material/structure damage characterisation combined with current data processing techniques have resulted in a significant interest in diagnostic tools to monitor structural integrity and to detect structural diseases. The comparison of measured and calculated behaviour in order to tune and calibrate mechanical and numerical model assumptions is an essential part of any system analysis. Once a model has achieved a certain level of completeness and validity, analytical prediction provides a q...


Aim. Analysis of clinical manifestations, laboratory and instrumental examination data in SARS-CoV-2 patients with taking into account the disease severity and outcome.Materials and methods. The study included 92 patients with confirmed coronavirus infection, including 15 lethal cases, hospitalised at the Vasilenko Clinic of Internal Disease Propaedeutics, Gastroenterology and Hepatology of the Sechenov University in April 2020. The analysis included demographic data, the presence of concomitant diseases, chest computed tomography (CT) results, laboratory tests (including SARS-CoV-2-diagnostic PCR, general and metabolic blood panels, coagulogram) and the duration of disease.Results. Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 usually exhibit lymphopenia (p ≤ 0.001), leucocytosis, the elevated neutrophils (p ≤ 0.05), neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (p ≤0,05), C-reactive protein (p ≤ 0.05), ferritin (p ≤ 0.05), D-dimer (p ≤ 0.05) and fibrinogen (p ≤ 0.05), altered prothrombin time (p ≤ 0.05) and INR (p ≤ 0.05). In a critical coronavirus infection, the pulmonary lesion exceeds 50% (corresponds to CT3 — CT4). The risk of critical SARS-CoV-2 infection increases with elder age (p ≤ 0.001), associates with the male gender and presence of concomitant diseases, such as obesity (p < 0.01), diabetes mellitus (p < 0.001), hypertension (p ≤ 0.001), CHD (p ≤ 0.001) and atrial fibrillation (p <0.05).Conclusion. The risk of severe and adverse coronavirus infection is significantly higher in elder comorbid patients.


OBJECTIVE
To construct a dually targeting gene therapy system for pituitary adenomas and investigate its effect.

METHODS
Promoter hGHp containing human growth hormone gene was obtained from human genome and cloned into the plasmid pcDNA3.1/His A with the promoter cut to construct the recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1/His A-hGHp. HSV-TK gene was obtained from the plasmid pcDNA3.1/His A-TK and integrated into the plasmid pcDNA3.1/His A-hGHp to construct the recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1/His A-hGHp-TK. A GE7 gene delivery system-mediated human growth hormone promoter controlled gene therapy system was constructed by adding the mixture of GE7-polylysine and HA20-polylysine into the DNA solution. Human growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma cells of the GH3 line, human myeloma cells of the U-2OS line, and human oophoroma cells of the HO8910PM line were cultured and transfected with PBS or GE7 packaged pcDNA3.1/HisA-TK or pcDNA3.1/HisA-hGHp-TK. Western blotting was used to examine the expression of PBS or GE7 packaged pcDNA3.1/HisA-TK or pcDNA3.1/HisA-hGHp-TK protein, MTT method was used to detect the cell survival rate. Another GH3, U-2OS, and HO8910PM cells were cultured and transfected with PBS or GE7 packaged pcDNA3.1/HisA-TK or pcDNA3.1/HisA-hGHp-TK and then ganciclovir (GCV) was added. MTT method was used to examine the cell survival rates. GH3 cells were injected subcutaneously into the right axilla of 200 SD nude rats loaded with human pituitary adenoma. Three weeks after the rats were randomly divided into 5 equal groups: PBS group in which PBS was injected into the tumor and GCV was injected peritoneally; GE7 group in which GE7-polylysine and HA20-polylysine were injected into the tumor and GCV was injected peritoneally; without TK group in which GE7-packaged pcDNA3.1/His A-hGHp was injected into the tumor and GCV was injected peritoneally; without GCV group in which GE7-packaged pcDNA3.1/His A-hGHp-TK was injected into the tumor and PBS was injected peritoneally; and treatment group in which GE7-packaged pcDNA3.1/His A-hGHp-TK was injected into the tumor and GCV was injected peritoneally. Peritoneal injection lasted 21 days for all groups. On the days 3, 7, 14, and 21 eight rats from each group were killed to measure the volume of tumor. The survival rate of the rest 8 rats was observed.

RESULTS
A dually targeting gene therapy system for pituitary adenoma was composed successfully. HSV-TK protein was expressed in the GH3 cells but not in the U-2OS and HO8910PM cells after transfection of GE7-packaged pcDNA3.1/HisA-hGHp-TK; and was expressed in the GH3 and HO8910PM cells but not in the U-2OS cells after transfection of GE7-packaged pcDNA3.1/HisA-TK. Transfection of GE7-packaged pcDNA3.1/HisA-hGHp-TK and addition of GCV significantly decreased the survival rate of the GH3 cells, but did not influence the survival rates of the U-2OS and HO8910PM cells. Transfection of GE7-packaged pcDNA3.1/HisA-TK and addition of GCV significantly decreased the survival rate of GH3 and HO8910PM cells but did not influence the survival of the U-2OS and HO8910PM cells. When the GH3 cells were transfected with GE7-packaged pcDNA3.1/HisA-hGHp-TK with the addition of GCV of the concentration of 4 mg/L the survival rate decreased to 10%, when the GCV concentration was raised to 8 mg/L the survival rate of the GH3 cells was < 5%. Three days after the beginning of treatment the tumor volume of different groups of rats increased at different degrees and the tumor was smallest in the treatment group in comparison with the other groups (all P < 0.05). Seven days after the beginning of treatment the tumor volume of the treatment group significantly decreased and the tumors of the other groups still increased (all P < 0.001). The survival time of the treatment group was over 120 days, significantly longer than those of the other groups (all about 40 days).

CONCLUSION
GE7 system-mediated hGHp controlled gene therapy system is hopeful to be the targeted therapeutic strategy for pituitary adenomas.


Third Mediterranean Symposium on Thoracic Surgical Oncology, Catania, Italy, 21-22 April 2016 The primary justification for mediastinal lymphadenectomy is that it provides more complete nodal staging to help select best adjuvant treatments. There is a secondary argument that dissection of nodes might remove otherwise unrecognized nodal disease to increase the chance of cure. They have to be thought through again as patients look for less invasive treatments for their cancers such as videothoracoscopy and stereotactic radiotherapy. Evidence from analysis of Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results data indicated that sampling or dissection can be performed adequately by surgeons using videothoracoscopy but stereotactic radiotherapy of its nature precludes intraoperative lymph node dissection and yet is being promoted as equivalent treatment. Consideration of these issues requires re-examination of the evidence that lymphadenectomy influences survival.


The assembly behavior of aryl/alkyl imidazolium ionic liquid salts in aqueous solution has been investigated. These salts undergo self-assembly into one-dimensional stacks via hydrophobic and π-π interactions upon increasing concentration, which led to a substantial increase in the solution viscosity in water. Addition of the macrocyclic host molecules cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n]) were found to effectively alter the supramolecular assemblies, as evidenced from the dramatic increase (by CB[7]) and decrease (by CB[8]) in solution viscosity and aggregation size in water, on account of the different binding stoichiometries, 1:1 complexation with CB[7] and 2:1 complexation with CB[8]. Furthermore, the aggregate architectures were controllably modified by competitive guests for the CB[n] hosts. This complex supramolecular systems approach has tremendous implications in the fields of molecular sensor design, nonlinear viscosity modification, and controlled release of target molecules from a defined supramolecular scaffold in water.


BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of a tracheostomy collar, Wright mask, and aerosol mask attached to a jet nebulizer in facilitating aerosolized medication delivery to the lungs. We also compared albuterol delivery with open versus closed fenestration and determined the effect of inspiratory-expiratory ratio (I:E) on aerosol delivery. METHODS: Albuterol (2.5 mg/3 mL) was administered to an in vitro model consisting of an adult teaching mannequin extrathoracic and upper airway with stoma intubated with an 8-mm fenestrated tracheostomy tube. The cuff was deflated. A collecting filter at the level of the bronchi was connected to a breathing simulator at a tidal volume of 400 mL, breathing frequency of 20 breaths/min, and I:E of 2:1 and 1:2. A jet nebulizer was operated with O2 at 8 L/min. Each interface was tested in triplicate. The flow was discontinued at the end of nebulization. For each test, the nebulizer was attached to a tracheostomy collar with the fenestration open or closed, a Wright mask, or an aerosol mask. Drug was analyzed by spectrophotometry (276 nm). A paired t test and analysis of variance were performed (P < .05). RESULTS: The mean ± SD percent albuterol dose delivered distal to the bronchi was greater with the tracheostomy collar with a closed fenestration (9.4 ± 1.5%) compared with an open fenestration (7.0 ± 0.8%). The doses delivered with the Wright mask (4.1 ± 0.6%) and aerosol mask (3.5 ± 0.04%) were both less than with the tracheostomy collar under either condition (P < .05). Increasing the I:E from 1:2 to 2:1 increased aerosol delivery by 2.5–4%, with significance for the tracheostomy collar with an open fenestration (11.6 ± 1.4%), Wright mask (7.2 ± 0.6%), and aerosol mask (6.1 ± 0.5%). CONCLUSIONS: In an adult tracheostomy model, the tracheostomy collar delivered more aerosol to the bronchi than the Wright or aerosol mask. An I:E of 2:1 caused greater aerosol deposition compared with an I:E of 1:2. During aerosol administration via a tracheostomy collar, closing the fenestration improved aerosol delivery.


Model checking is an automated technique that can be used to determine whether a system satisfies certain required properties. The typical approach to verifying properties of software components is to check them for all possible environments. In reality, however, a component is only required to satisfy properties in specific environments. Unless these environments are formally characterized and used during verification (assume-guarantee paradigm), the results returned by verification can be overly pessimistic. This work defines a framework that brings a new dimension to model checking of software components. When checking a component against a property, our model checking algorithms return one of the following three results: the component satisfies a property for any environment; the component violates the property for any environment; or finally, our algorithms generate an assumption that characterizes exactly those environments in which the component satisfies its required property. Our approach has been implemented in the LTSA tool and has been applied to the analysis of a NASA application.


Contents: Introduction Part I Cognition and Aging: The stability of individual differences in mental ability from childhood to old age: follow-up of the 1932 Scottish mental survey, Ian J. Deary, Lawrence J. Whalley, Helen Lemmon, J.R. Crawford and John M. Starr Practice and drop-out effects during a 17-Year longitudinal study of cognitive aging, Patrick Rabbitt, Peter Diggle, Fiona Holland and Lynn McInnes Emergence of a powerful connection between sensory and cognitive functions across the adult lifespan: a new window to the study of cognitive aging?, Paul B. Baltes and Ulman Lindberger What is cognitive reserve? Theory and research application of the reserve concept, Yaakov Stern Psychological perspectives on successful aging: the model of selective optimization with compensation, Paul B. Baltes and Margret M. Baltes. Part II Social and Emotional Functioning in Old Age: Resilience, sense of coherence, purpose in life and self-transcendence in relation to perceived physical and mental health among the oldest old, B. Nygren, L. Alex, E. Jonsen, Y. Gustafson, A. Norberg and B. Lundman Variation in the impact of social network characteristics on physical functioning in elderly persons, Jennifer B. Unger, Gail McAvay, Martha L. Bruce, Lisa Berkman and Teresa Seeman Social support and stressful life events: age differences in their effects on health-related quality of life among the chronically ill, C. Donald Sherbourne, L.S. Meredith, W. Rogers and J.E. Ware Jr Taking time seriously: a theory of socioemotional selectivity, Laura L. Carstensen, Derek M. Isaacowitz and Susan T. Charles. Part III Life Style and Wellbeing in Old Age: Late-life engagement in social and leisure activities is associated with a decreased risk of dementia: a longitudinal study from the Kungsholmen Project, Hui-Xin Wang, Anita Karp, Bengt Winblad and Laura Fratiglioni Leisure activities and the risk of dementia in the elderly, Joe Verghese, Richard B. Lipton, Mindy J. Katz, Charles B. Hall, Carol A. Derby, Gail Kuslansky, Anne F. Ambrose, Martin Sliwinski and Herman Buschke The efficacy of exercise as a long-term antidepressant in elderly subjects: a randomized, controlled trial, Nalin A. Singh, Karen M. Clements and Maria A. Fiatarone Singh. Part IV Psychological Aspects of Dementia: Towards a theory of dementia care: personhood and well-being, Tom Kitwood and Kathleen Bredin Discovering the person with Alzheimer's disease: cognitive,emotional and behavioural aspects, R.T. Woods Reality orientation for the geriatric patient, Lucille R. Taulbee and James C. Folsom Efficacy of an evidence-based cognitive stimulation therapy programme for people with dementia: randomised controlled trial, Aimee Spector, Lene Thorgrimsen, Bob Woods, Lindsay Royan, Steve Davies, Margaret Butterworth and Martin Orrell Nonpharmacologic interventions for inappropriate behaviors in dementia: a review, summary, and critique, Jiska Cohen-Mansfield Early diagnosis of dementia: neuropsychology, Florence Pasquier Staff factors associated with perception of behaviour as 'challenging' in residential and nursing homes, E. Moniz-Cook, R. Woods and E. Gardiner. Part V Families and Carers in Old Age: Factors affecting the emotional wellbeing of the caregivers of dementia sufferers, Robin G. Morris, Lorna W. Morris and Peter G. Britton Caregiving and the stress process: an overview of concepts and their measures, Leonard I. Pearlin, Joseph T. Mullan, Shirley J. Semple and Marilyn M. Skaff Relatives of the impaired elderly: correlates of feelings of burden, Steven H. Zarit, Karen E. Reever and Julie Bach-Peterson Meta-analysis of psychosocial interventions for caregivers of people with dementia, Henry Brodaty, Alisa Green and Annette Koschera Sustained benefit of supportive intervention for depressive symptoms in caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease, Mary S. Mittelman, David L. Roth, David W. Coon and William E. Haley Long-term effects of a control relevant intervention with the institutionalized aged, Judith Rodin and Ellen J. Langer Dementia care and quality of life in assisted living and nursing homes, Sheryl Zimmerman, Philip D. Sloane, Christianna S. Williams, Peter S. Reed, John S. Preisser, J. Kevin Eckert, Malaz Boustani and Debra Dobbs. Part VI Psychological Aspects of Mental Health Problems in Old Age: Depression in late life: review and commentary, Dan G. Blazer Negative life events and depressive symptoms in the elderly: a life span perspective, V. Kraaij and E.J. de Wilde Comprehensive conceptualization of cognitive behaviour therapy for late life depression, Ken Laidlaw, Larry W. Thompson and Dolores Gallagher-Thompson A randomised, controlled trial of a group intervention to reduce fear of falling and associated activity restriction in older adults, Sharon Tennstedt, Jonathan Howland, Margie Lachman, Elizabeth Peterson, Linda Kasten and Alan Jette The effects of late life spousal bereavement over a 30 month interval, Lar


Boulder detection methods and its compensation is discussed with consideration of boulder conditions in soft ground tunneling by shielded TBM. For analysis of proper compensation methods for boulder obstruction, its removal costs and cases on eight projects are presented. Compensation for boulder obstruction removal by volume or weight is not practical for most tunneling situation, but compensation by crew time is probably the most equitable method. If boulders are anticipated on project, boulder removal plan must be considered with proper equipment selection.


Introduction: Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are a real-time reflection of the ad hoc relevant subpopulation in patients with progressive disease. The study comprises the clinical application of a semi-automated methodology to determine the PIK3CA mutational status at a single cell level. Methods: Using CellSearch and DEPArray, we purified single (n=172) and groups (n=93, ranging 5–120 cells) of CTCs from peripheral blood in 18 patients with metastatic ER+/PR+/HER2- breast cancer, of whom archival primary tumour (PT) material was available. Isolation of WBCs served as internal negative control. Recovered cells were subjected to whole-genome-amplification (WGA). During CTC blood draw, an extra SST tube was filled for isolation of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from serum as comparator. All samples from different compartments underwent gene mutation analysis via targeted amplification of exons 9 and 20 of the PIK3CA gene and downstream 454 massive parallel sequencing (MPS) on the GS Junior system. Results: WGA of single and group CTC samples had a success rate of 83±22 % and 96±8%, respectively. MPS resulted in an average throughput of 135.996±24.423 high quality reads with a normal-distributed mean fold coverage depth of 1257±703 and 1494±897 reads for exon 9 and 20, respectively. PIK3CA mutations were present at a relatively high frequency in archival PT (20/29 (68,9%)) and showed poor and moderate agreement with cfDNA (n=24; 33,3% disparity; kappa=0,03) and CTCs (n=14; 11,28% disparity; kappa=0,329), respectively. Comparison of CTCs and temporally matched cfDNA samples revealed substantial agreement (n=14; 14,3% disparity; kappa=0,536). A concordant PIK3CA status across all compartments (PT, cfDNA and CTCs) was observed in 11/15 (73,3%) samples. At the used sequencing depth, cfDNA failed to the detect PIK3CA mutations in 2 cases (13,3%), which were present in the respective PT and corresponding CTCs. CTCs failed to detect the mutant PIK3CA gene in one case (6,7%), which was present in PT and cfDNA. Gain of mutation was observed in 2/15 patients (13,3%), with a wild-type PT and mutant cfDNA and CTCs at progression. A wild-type PIK3CA sequence in recovered WBCs of all patients (n=15) indicates a high specificity and tumorigenic nature of the picked up variants. In depth intra-patient analysis of mutant CTCs on a single cell level reveals PIK3CA mutational heterogeneity with the presence of both mutant and wild-type CTCs (average %MT/%WT ratio of 50/50). Additionally, unique double-mutated CTCs were detected in 5/15 (30%) cases as well. Conclusions: We report the frequent occurrence of PIK3CA hotspot mutations in metastatic HR+ breast cancer. Intra-patient mutational heterogeneity was observed in the single CTC samples of the same patient. Thereby, this study provides evidence of both concordance and discordance of the PIK3CA genotype in the intravascular compartment (down to the single cell level) with comparison to the temporally unmatched PT. The study presents the utilization of a liquid biopsy, thereby paving the way towards the application of a more personalized medicine in the management of patients with metastatic cancer. Citation Format: Bram De Laere, Dieter JE Peeters, Salgado Roberto, Vermeulen B Peter, Van Dam A Peter, Dirix Y Luc, Van Laere J Steven. Exploring the intra-patient PIK3CA mutational heterogeneity of circulating tumour cells by massive parallel sequencing in patients with metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-01-09.


In an Avoider-Enforcer game, we are given a hypergraph. Avoider and Enforcer alternate in claiming an unclaimed vertex, until all the vertices of the hypergraph are claimed. Enforcer wins if Avoider claims all vertices of an edge; Avoider wins otherwise. We show that it is NP-hard to decide if Avoider has a winning strategy.


In this paper, a study of polarimetric optimiza- tion techniques in the frame of differential synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry (DInSAR) is considered. Historically, DInSAR techniques have been limited to the single-polarimetric case, mainly due to the unavailability of fully polarimetric data. Lately, the launch of satellites with polarimetric capabil- ities, such as the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS), RADARSAT-2, or TerraSAR-X, allowed merging polarimetric and interferometric techniques to improve the pixels' phase quality and, thus, the density and the reliability of the final DInSAR results. The relationship between the polarimetrically optimized coherence or amplitude dispersion maps and the final DInSAR results is carefully analyzed, using both orbital and ground-based SAR fully polarimetric data. DInSAR processing using polarimet- ric optimization techniques in the pixel selection process is com- pared with the classical single-polarimetric approach, achieving up to a threefold increase of the number of pixel candidates in the coherence case and up to a factor of seven in the amplitude dispersion case.


By means of amperometric mercurimetric titration, the –SH groups of native and oxidized sweet potato ²-amylase have been determined.Although eight titratable –SH groups were found in the native enzyme molecule, no distinction between essential and non-essential –SH groups was observed. A partially active enzyme after treatment with o-iodosobenzoate was crystallized by salting out with ammonium sulfate, and only an extensively oxidized one from water upon dialysis. The oxidized enzyme did not restore its activity upon treatment with sodium thioglycolate. Oxidation by iodine was also carried out from which it was presumed that the oxidation of the enzyme either by o-iodosobenzoate or by iodine does not proceed through the " all or none " mechanism, and also that the essentiality of –SH groups would rather be indirect.


In this note we correct the findings reported by Velez-Pareja and Tham (2005). Although perpetuities are somewhat artificial in the sense that in practice they do not exist, they are relevant because no matter how detailed and complex a forecasted financial plan for a firm or project could be, terminal value usually is calculated as aperpetuity. This terminal value might be a growing or a non growing perpetuity. On the other hand, usually terminal value is a substantial part of the firm value.We examine in detail the proper discount rate for cash flows in perpetuity, the present value of tax savings and the calculation of terminal value, which is the value of the perpetuity. We compare the typical textbook proposals for calculating the value of a perpetuity and we found that there are significant deviations. We compare with the Miller and Modigliani (1961) plowback proposal adopted by Copeland et al. (2000). The findings contradict what is generally accepted in the literature.


Sweden has been a country of immigration since the Second World War. The asylum immigration is regulated by international law, the immigration of employees' works through guidelines from the European Union. The immigration left for regulations from the government is the family immigration, which xenophobic parties want to increase. The immigration reaches a high level in the 1990's. As the social democratic government is trying to keep the immigration controlled media is criticizing the regulations of immigration. Since the 1970´s probation of 2 years is needed for relation immigrants in order to minimize abuse. This rule might force women to stay in violent relationships due to fear of being sent back home, if they make a report to the police. The government faces the problem with the proposition 1999/2000:43, which is analyzed in this thesis with the goal to reveal the underlying values regarding the view of women, men and violence. Focusing on gender Carol Lee Bacchi's discourse analythical method "What's the 'problem' represented to be?" is used.


We're trying to analise as a whole the questions posed by the transition of ownership from the Ancient Regime to the new liberal century. To do this we delve finto a reality which comes before the revolution -the organisation of land which is the property and manor of a monastery- and, at the same time,into the legal transformations which bring, and facilitate, a different situation, it which the Church emerges as the most affected estate, losing its judicial powers, its financial system and its patronage.


Most of cyberscam-related studies focus on threats perpetrated against the Western society, with a particular attention to the USA and Europe. Regrettably, no research has been done on scams targeting African countries, especially Nigeria, where the notorious and (in)famous 419 advanced-fee scam, targeted towards other countries, originated. How- ever, as we know, cybercrime is a global problem affecting all parties. In this study, we investigate a form of advance fee fraud scam unique to Nigeria and targeted at Nigerians, but unknown to the Western world. For the study, we rely substantially on almost two years worth of data harvested from an on-line discussion forum used by criminals. We complement this dataset with recent data from three other active forums to consolidate and generalize the research. We apply machine learning to the data to understand the criminals' modus operandi. We show that the criminals exploit the socio-political and economic problems prevalent in the country to craft various fraud schemes to defraud vulnerable groups such as secondary school students and unemployed graduates. The result of our research can help potential victims and policy makers to develop measures to counter the activities of these criminal groups.