Purpose of review During the last decade, laboratory tests for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) have improved dramatically. Improvements in the ability to detect latent infection with Mtb, disease associated with Mtb, and strains resistant to commonly used antibiotics are reviewed. Recent findings Advances in the detection of Mtb include light-emitting diode fluorescence microscopy, nucleic acid amplification of Mtb and drug-resistant strains, and more rapid liquid culture with adjunct drug susceptibility testing. In the detection of latent tuberculosis infection, interferon γ release assays offer improved accuracy over the tuberculin skin test. Summary The past 10 years have seen the most rapid growth in new diagnostics for Mtb in over a century. Although these tests offer improvements in the ability to detect Mtb, drug-resistant isolates, and those with latent tuberculosis infection, these improvements are counter-balanced by the need to deploy these tests in areas where Mtb burden is highest.


All good–or at least interesting–stories have a villain, and as the Credit Crisis started to unfold in 2007, credit rating agencies ("CRAs") emerged as obvious targets for fingerpointing by regulators, scholars, and commentators alike. In short, many observers have accused the agencies of doing a poor job assessing the risks inherent in securities backed by subprime mortgages. These securities–particularly residential mortgage-backed securities ("RMBS") and collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs") backed by subprime mortgages–have been at the center of the Credit Crisis, and many assert that these instruments would not have been as marketable without the CRAs' perceived seal of approval. Why did the agencies perform so poorly? There are likely many contributing factors, but a popular focal point has been the conflict of interest embedded in the CRAs' issuer pays business model. Indeed, several features of the structured finance ratings market, including the growth in structured finance products, the concentration of the CRAs' customer base for these securities, and the ratings process itself, suggest that the conflict may have been exacerbated. This Note explores these characteristics and argues that the current regulatory regime, with its emphasis on disclosure, is likely insufficient to protect against a similar problem in the future.


Following previous works showing an action of calcium channel blockers in mania, this trial explores the clinical efficiency of another anticalcic agent, nimodipine, which has been selected for its specific action on the CNS. Our design has been a 7-day controlled open trial. We included six inpatients diagnosed according to DSM III-R criteria as having mild to acute mania. Evaluations have been made by clinical scales, electroencephalography, electrocardiography, and extensive biological blood tests. No other medication than nimodipine was allowed excepted i.m. droperidol in case of severe excitement. We used nimodipine at a dose of 360 mg/day. The results showed good clinical efficiency in each of our six inpatients, with an important and significant improvement of scales scores. We noticed an early and significant action on mood without important sedative effect. The treatment has been well tolerated, without biological effects. Further studies are needed, but nimodipine could be an alternative treatment to the neuroleptics with a different type of action, less sedative and more specific on mood.


Background: The left atrial appendage aneurysm (LAAA) is extremely rare. It can be caused by congenital dysplasia of the atrial muscles or secondary to mitral valve disease. Most patients are asymptomatic, while palpitations, dyspnea, or chest pain can be found to be main symptoms. Case: we describe the case of 18year old male with congenital aneurysm of left atrial appendage. The patient presented with atrial tachyarrhythmia. The diagnosis was made on transthoracic echocardiography, CECT of thorax and confirmed by histopathological examination (HPE) of excised left atrial appendage aneurysm. Conclusion: LAAA is a rare cardiac anomaly. Echocardiography is considered the initial diagnostic tool, and cardiac CT as well as MRI helps to differentiate it from other abnormalities. The associated high risk of life-threatening complications and the relative ease of surgical removal suggest that prompt evaluation should be considered in patients with lesions adjacent to the left heart border.


One species of Trichodactylidae and four species of Pseudothelphusidae are present on continental islands in three areas of Central and South America. (1) Trinidad and Margarita Island have, in common with the Venezuelan mainland, the pseudothelphusid Eudaniela garmani (Rathbun, 1898); additionally, Trinidad shares with the mainland the trichodactylid Dilocarcinus dentatus (Randall, 1839). These disjunct distributions can be attributed to changes in sea level during the Quaternary, but the presence of the endemic pseudothelphusid Microthelphusa odaeikae (Bott, 1970) in Trinidad probably reflects an older connection with the continent. (2) A new species, Potamocarcinus roatensis, was found on Roatan Island, off the coast of Honduras. A cladistic analysis of the genus Potamocarcinus (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) revealed a close association of P. roatensis with P. magnus (Rathbun, 1896), a widely distributed Central American pseudothelphusid. Possibly both species originated in a pre-Quaternary vicariant event. (3) Another pseudothelphusid, Hypolobocera gorgonensis von Prahl, 1983, inhabits disjunct areas on Gorgona Island, off the Pacific coast of Colombia, and on the mainland of Ecuador, reflecting either a wider distribution before the last Holocene transgression or accidental dispersal through natural rafts.


An emerging literature documents a link between central bank quantitative easing (QE) and financial institution credit risk-taking. This paper tests the complementary hypothesis that QE may also affect financial risk-taking. We study Agency MREITs – levered shadow banks that invest in guaranteed U.S. Agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and that are principally funded with repo debt. We first show that Agency MREIT asset growth is inversely related to the Federal Reserve's Agency MBS purchases, reflecting investor portfolio rebalancing. We then document that Agency MREITs increased financial leverage during the later stages of QE, consistent with "reaching for yield" behavior. However, Agency MREITs countered the heightened solvency risk by extending repo maturity and increased hedging of their funding costs to reduce liquidity and interest rate risk. The findings suggest that research linking QE to increased credit risk-taking should account for contemporaneous changes in financing choices and risk management.


Pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) are a continuum and are difficult to diagnose clinically. Combined CT venography and pulmonary angiography (CTVPA) is a single examination that combines multidetector CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) and CT venography (CTV) of the abdomen, pelvis, and lower extremities, providing "one-stop shopping" for venous thromboembolism without additional venipuncture or i.v. contrast, and it adds only a few additional minutes to scanning time. CTVPA rapidly and accurately examines the deep veins, reveals the presence, absence, and extent of deep venous thrombosis, serves as a baseline, and helps guide patient management. Multiple investigators have reported a high degree of accuracy when CTV is compared with venous ultrasound. There are some pitfalls in image interpretation, especially with regard to mixing artifacts, and there are continuing controversies as to exactly which parts of the abdomen, pelvis, and legs should be scanned routinely, the ideal timing of CTV acquisition relative to contrast injection, and the slice thickness and gap, if any, that should be used.


PurposeOne of the main causes of long-term prosthetic abandonment is the lack of ownership over the prosthesis, which was caused mainly by the absence of sensory information regarding the lost limb. The period where the patient learns how to interact with a prosthetic device is critical in rehabilitation. This ideally happens within the first months after amputation, which is also a period associated with the consolidation of brain changes. Different studies have shown that the introduction of feedback mechanisms can be crucial to bypass the lack of sensorial information. To develop a biofeedback system for the rehabilitation of transfemoral amputees – controlled via electromyographic (EMG) activity from the leg muscles – that can provide real-time visual and/or vibratory feedback for the user.Design/methodology/approachThe system uses surface EMG to control two feedback mechanisms, which are the knee joint of a prosthetic leg of a humanoid avatar in a virtual reality (VR) environment (visual feedback) and a matrix of 16 vibrotactile actuators placed in the back of the user (vibratory feedback). Data acquisition was inside a Faraday Cage using an OpenEphys® acquisition board for the surface EMG recordings. The tasks were performed on able-bodied participants, with no amputation, and for this, the dominant leg of the user was immobilized using an orthopedic boot fixed on the chair, allowing only isometric contractions of target muscles, according to the Surface EMG for Non-Invasive Assessment of Muscles (SENIAM) standard. The authors test the effectiveness of combining vibratory and visual feedback and how task difficulty affects overall performance.FindingsThe authors' results show no negative interference combining both feedback modalities and that performance peaked at the intermediate difficulty. These results provide powerful insights of what can be accomplished with the population of amputee people. By using this biofeedback system, the authors expect to engage another sensory modality in the process of spatial representation of a virtual leg, bypassing the lack of information associated with the disruption of afferent pathways following amputation.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors developed a showcase with a new protocol and feedback mechanisms showing the protocol's safety, efficiency and reliability. However, since this system is designed for patients with leg amputation, the full extent of the effects of the biofeedback training can only be assessed after the evaluation with the amputees, and the results obtained so far establish a safe and operational protocol to accomplish this.Practical implicationsIn this study, the authors proposed a new biofeedback device intended to be used in the preprosthetic rehabilitation phase for people with transfemoral amputation. With this new system, the authors propose a mechanism to bypass the lack of sensory information from a virtual prosthesis and help to assimilate visual and vibrotactile stimuli as a cue for movement representation.Social implicationsWith this new system, the authors propose a mechanism to bypass the lack of sensory information from a virtual prosthesis and help to assimilate visual and vibrotactile stimuli as a cue for movement representation.Originality/valueThe authors' results show that all users were capable of recognizing both feedback modalities, both separate and combined, being able to respond accordingly throughout the tasks. The authors also show that for a one-session protocol, the last difficulty level imposed a greater challenge for most users, explained by the significant drop in performance disregarding the feedback modality. Lastly, the authors believe this paradigm can provide a better process for the embodiment of prosthetic devices, fulfilling the lack of sensory information for the users.


The endogenous fecal elimination of cholesterol in 12 1900-gm (av.) White Leghorn cockerels 14–16 weeks of age kept on a cholesterol-free diet containing 3% cottonseed oil was found to be 20 mg/day, when corrected for the intake of phytosterol. The intestinal capacity to absorb dietary cholesterol under these conditions was found to be 210 mg/day in 12 2100-gm (av.) cockerels 16–21 weeks of age when fed 916, 920 or 1145 mg/day each day for 7 days. The capacity to absorb was the same when the average weight was 1900 gm and 2400 gm, indicating that the intestine had become mature when the cockerels weighed an average of 1900 gm. The serum cholesterol concentration was significantly increased after the ingestion of 85 mg of cholesterol a day for 7 days; this amount was four times greater than the endogenous fecal excretion.


Research into the landforms of karst highlands in the middle latitudes began in the "Classical Karst" in the 19th century and has been marked by alternating periods of progress and stability since. In the beginning, the elementary morpho-types were recognized, in particular the circular closed depression defined as the "karst doline". Later the mid-latitude karst forms were compared with those of other climatic zones, especially tropical humid karst. In recent decades many papers have been published on the morphometry, the fillings, and models of the evolution of the surface karst landforms. It has been emphasized that in the mid-latitude karsts the morphogenesis is the result not only of karst solution but also of several other weathering processes such as cryoclastic (frost) action and other periglacial processes. Examination of the main scientific journals dealing with karst and other geomorphology shows that present day research in karst areas is mostly concerned with very specific subjects, such as speleogenesis, hydrogeology, sedimentology, geochemistry, mineralogy, cave biology, unusual landforms: only a minority of papers focus on karst surface landforms, and among these only a few attempt organic and comprehensive studies of the entire assemblage of relief forms in a karst morpho-unit. In reality, it is evident that the surface landform complex in a karst morpho-unit has to be considered in its entirety and that only such an integrated approach to this complex entity may bring significant progress in understanding. The landforms may be considered from different point of views, but always as a part of a holistic approach, in particular: a) in the geodynamic context of the evolution of the particular mountain group, b) as part of a complex geo-ecosystem, c) in the framework of models based on modern geomorphological concepts. Such comprehensive studies carried out by multi- and inter-disciplinary research teams applying the most modern techniques and methodologies will present stimulating challenges not only for progress in karstology but also in all the environmental sciences.


Biomolecules are vitally important elements in nanoscale science and also in future nanotechnology. Their shape and their chemical and physical functionality can give them a big advantage over inorganic and organic substances. While this becomes most obvious in proteins and peptides, with their complicated, but easily controlled chemistry, other biomolecular substances such as DNA, lipids and carbohydrates can also be important. In this review, the emphasis is on one-dimensional molecules and on molecules that self-assemble into linear structures, and on their potential applications. An important aspect is that biomolecules can act as templates, i.e. their shape and chemical properties can be employed to arrange inorganic substances – such as metals or metal compounds – on the nanometre scale. In particular, rodand tube-like nanostructures can show physical properties that are different from those of the bulk material, and thus these structures are likely to be a basis for new technology.


The modern automotive industries are replacing acceletor and clutch pedal by light weight materials such as polymer composites, plastic, aluminium and its alloys, etc. The purpose of replacement is reduction weight, cost, and improvement in corrosion resistance.In aviation; the steel material is replaced by light materials. In this study various lightweight materials are compared with conventional steel for brake pedal. These materials are analyzed for different sections for different loading and boundary conditions. The aim of this study is to design and analyse the brake pedal using CATIA and ANSYS software


In this paper we study some fragments without implications of the (Hilbert) full Lambek logic $\mathbf{HFL}$ and also some fragments without implications of some of the substructural extensions of that logic. To do this, we perform an algebraic analysis of the Gentzen systems defined by the substructural calculi $\FL_\sigma$. Such systems are extensions of the full Lambek calculus $\FL$ with the rules codified by a subsequence, $\sigma$, of the sequence $e w_l w_r c$; where $e$ stands for \emph{exchange}, $w_l$ for \emph{left weakening}, $w_r$ for \emph{right weakening}, and $c$ for \emph{contraction}. We prove that these Gentzen systems (in languages without implications) are algebraizable by obtaining their equivalent algebraic semantics. All these classes of algebras are varieties of pointed semilatticed monoids and they can be embedded in their ideal completions. As a consequence of these results, we reveal that the fragments of the Gentzen systems associated with the calculi $\FL_\sigma$ are the restrictions of them to the sublanguages considered, and we also reveal that in these languages, the fragments of the external systems associated with $\FL[\sigma]$ are the external systems associated with the restricted Gentzen systems (i.e., those obtained by restriction of $\FL_\sigma]$ to the implication-less languages considered). We show that all these external systems without implication have algebraic semantics but they are not algebraizable (and are not even protoalgebraic). Results concerning fragments without implication of intuitionistic logic without contraction were already reported in Bou et al.(2006): On two fragments with negation and without implication of the logic of residuated lattices. Archive for Mathematical Logic 45(5) and in Adill\'on et al. (2007): On three implication-less fragments of t-norm based fuzzy logics. Fuzzy Sets and Systems 158(23).


Published articles concerning the intermediate (third) subgroup of GRBs are surveyed. From a statistical perspective this subgroup may exist, however its significance depends on which data set is used. Its astrophysical meaning is unclear because the occurrence of this subgroup can also be an artificial selection effect. Hence, GRBs from this subgroup need not be given by a physically different phenomenon. The aim of this contribution is to search for the answer to the question in the title.


In recent years, Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) has successfully enabled the development of IPv6 over Low power Wireless Personal Area Network (6LoWPAN). This network is equipped with low-cost, low-power, lightweight and varied functions devices. These devices are capable of amassing, storing, processing environmental information and conversing with neighbouring sensors. These requisites pose a new and interesting challenge for the development of IEEE 802.15.4 together with routing protocol. In this work, 6LoWPAN Routing Protocol with Local Repair Using Bio Inspired Artificial Bee Colony (6RLR-ABC) has been introduced. This protocol supports connection establishment between nodes in an energy-efficient manner while maintaining high packet delivery ratio and throughput and minimizing average end-to-end delay. This protocol has been evaluated based on increasing generated traffic. The performance of the designed 6RLR-ABC routing protocol has been evaluated compared to 6LoWPAN Ad-hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (LOAD) routing protocol. LOAD protocol has been chosen since it is the most relevant existed 6LoWPANrouting protocol. The simulation results show that the introduced 6RLR-ABC protocol achieves lower packet average end-to-end delay and lower energy consumption compared to LOAD protocol.Additionally,the packet delivery ratio of the designed protocol is much higher than LOAD protocol. The proposed 6RLR-ABC achieved about 39% higher packet delivery ratio and about 54.8% higher throughput while simultaneously offering lower average end-to-end delay and lower average energy consumption than LOAD protocol.


Samples with a common mean but possibly different, ordered variances arise in various fields such as interlaboratory experiments, field studies or the analysis of sensor data. Estimators for the common mean under ordered variances typically employ random weights, which depend on the sample means and the unbiased variance estimators. They take different forms when the sample estimators are in agreement with the order constraints or not, which complicates even basic analyses such as estimating their variance. We propose to use the jackknife, whose consistency is established for general smooth two--sample statistics induced by continuously Gâteux or Frechet differentiable functionals, and, more generally, asymptotically linear two--sample statistics, allowing us to study a large class of common mean estimators. Further, it is shown that the common mean estimators under consideration satisfy a central limit theorem (CLT). We investigate the accuracy of the resulting confidence intervals by simulations and illustrate the approach by analyzing several data sets.


(52 cases); (d) benign prostatic hypertrophy-clinical diagnosis only (60 cases); (e) other cancers (57 cases); (f) other urological illness (22 cases); (g) miscellaneous disease (116 cases); (h) undiagnosed (15 cases). The mean activity (SD) of the miscellaneous group was 1 97 (1-07) IU/litre at 37°C, giving an upper normal limit (mean + 2 SD) of 4 1 IU/litre. The AcPase values in this group did not correlate with age (r = 0 040). Eight patients with untreated carcinoma of prostate (22%) had values < 4 1 IU/litre. Six of these had no prostatic enlargement and no metastases; the remaining two had enlarged prostates but no evidence of metastases. All 28 patients in this series with soft tissue (7) or bony (21) metastases had AcPase > 4-1 IU/litre. Values > 4 1 IU/litre were found in seven cases (6%) of benign hypertrophy, three cases (5%) of non-prostatic cancer, two cases (2%) of miscellaneous illness, and one case (6%) of uncertain diagnosis. No values > 4 1 IU/litre were found in the patients with other urological illness. Sixty per cent of patients (26 cases) with untreated prostatic carcinoma had elevated serum alkaline phosphatase activity (APase), ie, > 15 KAU/100 ml as determined by an AutoAnalyzer adaptation of the method of Kind and King (1954). Correlation between the two phosphatases was not significant (I = 0'294; p > 0-05). APase was elevated in the presence of normal AcPase in only three cases of prostatic cancer, but all three were without metastases. Two further cases with minimal elevation of AcPase had APase > 50 KAU/100 ml. While APase is less frequently elevated than AcPase in prostatic cancer patients, it provides valuable confirmation of the diagnosis when the latter is normal or equivocal.


Questions about the function of the disease-related gene are still not fully answered, but correlations are emerging between specific mutations and a patient's clinical condition. The strongest link is for pancreatic failure. A second involves azoospermia. Indeed, mutations are being found in males with infertility as the sole sign of disease. Improved knowledge of such patterns may suggest novel approaches to severe cystic fibrosis.


We study the effect of disorder and interactions on a recently proposed magnetic field induced localization mechanism. We show that both partially destroy the extreme confinement of the excitations occuring in the pure case and give rise to unusual behavior. We also point out the role of the edge states that allows for a propagation of the electrons in these systems.


This paper presents an automated process for end-to-end embedded system design following OMG's model driven architecture (MDA) vision. It tackles a major challenge in automation: bridging the large semantic gap between the specification and the target code. The shown MDA adaption proposes an uniform and systematic way by splitting the translation process into multiple layers and introducing design platform independent and implementation independent views.In our adaption of MDA, we start with a formalized specification and we end with code (view) generation. The code is then compiled (software) or synthesized (hardware) and finally assembled to the embedded system design. We split the translation process in Model-of-Thing (MoT), Model-of-Design (MoD) and Model-of-View (MoV) layers. MoTs represent the formalized specification, MoDs contain the implementation architecture in a view independent way, and MoVs are implementation dependent and view dependent, i.e., specific details in target language.MoT is translated to MoD, MoD is translated to MoV and MoV is finally used to generate views. The translation between the Models is based on templates, that reflect design and coding blueprints. The final step of the view generation is itself part of generation. The Model MoV and the unparse method are generated from a view language description.The approach has been successfully adapted for generating digital hardware (RTL), properties for verification (SVA), and snippets of firmware that have been successfully synthesized to an FPGA.


Friction-induced squeaking has been reported in 1–10% of patients who have a ceramic on ceramic total hip replacement, which is a subject of annoyance. The goal of this study was to investigate the possible factors attributing to the hip squeak, and understand the underlying phenomenon. The investigation involved acoustic, modal, and mathematical analyses. Acoustic analysis involved extracting and analyzing audio data from the videos files of squeaking ceramic hips. The audio data was transformed from the time to frequency domain using Fast Frequency Transform (FFT) using MATLAB. This allowed the identification of the squeal frequencies. Modeling involved 3-D rendering of the hip implant (femoral stem, head, cup liner, and the cup shell) using computer-aided-design software. Mathematical analysis involved the investigation of the role of the frictional stick-slip phenomenon of the metal shell and ceramic liner on squeal using a 2-DOF mathematical model. Mass, stiffness properties, and coefficient of friction of the components were incorporated to study the limit cycle using MATLAB/Simulink, which is an indicator of the stability of the system. Modal (Numerical) analysis involved the evaluation of the modal frequencies of the components using ANSYS, to investigate their contribution to squeal. Acoustic analysis of the squeal frequencies showed that the range of squeal frequencies of the coupled system ranged from 1500–3000 Hz, which concurred well with the literature. Modal Analysis showed the metallic shell's resonant frequency at 4600 Hz. The parametric analyses using the 2-dof model showed that a stable system was approached as the stiffness of the liner was increased. The increase in mass of the shell resulted in larger limit-cycles. Increased stiffness of the shell proved to stabilize the system for most loading conditions.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


Cooperative adsorbents, designed on the basis of molecular structural features of targeted pollutant, were made by simultaneous grafting of two different organic functional groups on mesoporous SiO2 material SBA-15 for removal of low concentration organic pollutants in water. In this study, eosin, 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) and di-n-butyl-phthalate (DBP) were chosen as model compounds. For molecule-specific adsorption, we synthesized three corresponding cooperative adsorbents: diamine/phenyl-SBA-15, diamine/cetyl-SBA-15 and phenyl/cetyl-SBA-15, respectively. These bifunctionalized adsorbents were prepared using two appropriate organosilanes among N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropylmethyldimethoxysilane, 3-phenoxypropyldimethylchlorosilane and n-hexadecyltriethoxysilane to modify the surface of SAB-15. The XRD, TEM, IR, N2 adsorption, 29Si MAS NMR and CHN elemental analysis measurements reveal that all cooperative adsorbents not only maintain ordered mesopores of SBA-15, but also possess characteristics of the two organic functional groups. Compared with the monofunctionalized adsorbents and their physical mixtures, the cooperative adsorbents show much higher adsorption capacity and efficiency for model pollutants at low concentration. The maximal adsorption amounts of eosin, 4-NP and DBP are 0.59, 1.49 and 1.56 mmol g−1 on corresponding cooperative adsorbents, respectively. Especially, 99.95% of eosin can be removed from low concentration aqueous solution. The experimental results confirm that the cooperative effect of two functional groups on the same solid surface leads to excellent adsorption performance of bifunctionalized adsorbents.


Java's threads offer appropriate means either for parallel programming of SMPs or as target constructs when compiling add-on features (e.g. forall constructs, automatic parallelization, etc.) Unfortunately, Java does not provide elegant and straightforward mechanisms for parallel programming on distributed memory machines, like clusters of workstations. JavaParty transparently adds remote objects to Java purely by declaration while avoiding disadvantages of explicit socket communication, the programming overhead of RMI, and many disadvantages of the message-passing approach in general. JavaParty is specifically targeted towards and implemented on clusters of workstations. It hence combines Java-like programming and the concepts of distributed shared memory in heterogeneous networks.


OBJECTIVE
To test the retention of smooth-surface sealants bonded with different etching protocols against toothbrushing and, secondarily, to characterize the type and location of sealant loss.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Eighty-nine extracted human teeth were randomly assigned one of two etching protocols: 37% phosphoric acid etch (ETCH) or self-etching primer (SEP). Six specimens at a time were placed in a toothbrushing machine to simulate 4, 8, 12, and 24 months of toothbrush abrasion. Using black-light photographs of each specimen taken before and after brushing, four blinded coinvestigators determined new sealant loss, loss along the edge of an initial defect, and the location of sealant loss.

RESULTS
Overall, there were significantly (P < .05) more teeth with sealant loss in the SEP group (38.6%) than in the ETCH group (15.5%). New loss of sealant was significantly (P < .05) more likely in the SEP group (27.2%) than in the ETCH group (2.2%). Of the teeth with new loss of sealant, all (100%) had loss at the edge, and 23% had progressive loss. There was no significant group difference in sealant loss from initial defects. Of the teeth that showed enlargement of initial defects, 91% had loss at the edge and 91% had progressive loss.

CONCLUSIONS
Using SEP to apply facial sealants results in lower retention rates than using ETCH. The vast majority of sealant loss occurs at the edges. Loss of sealant due to enlargement of an initial defect is highly progressive over time.


The work functions φω of MgO single crystals with its respective orientation (111), (200), and (220) have been investigated from their ion-induced secondary electron emission coefficient γ, respectively, using various ions with different ionization energies in a γ-focused ion beam system. The work function φω for MgO single crystal with (111) orientation has the lowest value, 4.22 eV, whereas it is 4.94 eV for (200) and the highest value is 5.07 eV for (220). These work functions of MgO single crystals can explain the nonzero values of the ion-induced secondary electron emission coefficient γ for Xe+ ions, whose ionization energy is 12.13 eV.


Abstract The recent advances and potential applications of nanoparticles and nanofibres for energy, water, food, biotechnology, the environment, and medicine have immensely conversed. The present review describes a 'green' method for the synthesis and stabilization of nanoparticles and 'green electrospinning' both using tree gums (arabic, tragacanth, karaya and kondagogu). Furthermore, this review focuses on the impending applications of both gum stabilized nanoparticles and functionalized membranes in remediation of toxic metals, radioactive effluents, and the adsorptive removal of nanoparticulates from aqueous environments as well as from industrial effluents. Besides, the antibacterial properties of gum derivatives, gum stabilized nanoparticles, and functionalized electrospun nanofibrous membranes will also be highlighted. The functionalities of nanofibrous membranes that can be enhanced by various plasma treatments (oxygen and methane, respectively) will also be emphasized.


Therapeutic exercise is the scientific supervision of bodily movement, with or without apparatus, for the distinct purpose of restoring normal function to diseased or injured tissues. There are two types of therapeutic exercise—passive and active. Passive exercise is that form of bodily movement which is carried through by the operator without the assistance or resistance of the patient. Mennell 1 uses the term relaxed movement. Passive movement should be administered with great care, with the arm or leg to be manipulated rightly held and the patient completely relaxed and pumping movement avoided. The occurrence of a muscle spasm is a danger signal. If such a spasm occurs the operator should stop immediately. It should be remembered that a slight tightening of the muscles precedes pain. Therefore, to secure the best results all movements should be well within the limit at which pain occurs. It should be kept constantly in mind


Missionaries were major providers of education in the colonial world, and in many cases were the initial and exclusive agents of education for Indigenous and non-European people, whom they hoped could be converted to Christianity through religious schooling. However, by the end of the 19th century many governments in colonial lands were keen to take more active roles in providing secular education for their subjects, which, in turn, engendered tensions between missionary groups, governments, and the Indigenous communities for whom education was provided. Although the article of missions has received increasing attention in the last few decades, especially with the advent of postcolonial studies, there are still many aspects of missionary schooling that are understudied. This research overview examines the debates and research directions which are evident in the article of missionaries and their education of Indigenous and non-European peoples in the 19th century, and focuses particularly upon major themes emerging from the literature: Two of these themes—Church-State relations and Indigenous action and reaction will be examined in this article, whilst the themes of race, class, and gender will be examined in the second part.


In the discussion about product Shari'ah financial institutions, Murabaha product into a product that is always in doubt syar'i. Then the article the results of this study aims to gain an overview of how the application of Murabaha product in KSU Sejahtera UMP. Is it in accordance with the provisions of Shari'ah in terms of both technical/hakikatnya. Artikel axiological and in terms of the results of this study using a qualitative approach. While data collection techniques using interviews, observation, documentation. Analysis of the data using descriptive analysis through three procedures of data reduction, data display and conclusion. From the data obtained and analyzed qualitatively. The results showed that technically/axiological, Murabaha product implementation at KSU Sejahtera Sharai UMP has met the criteria. For example KSU Sejahtera UMP has positioned the institution as a seller, though not directly provide these items in place but KSU Welfare has established cooperation with several providers of goods required by customers.


Background A Geriatric Trauma Unit (GTU) was created in our hospital to optimize the acute treatment of patients with fragility fractures. The rheumatology department assists in subsequente evaluation of these. Objectives To report the results of the evaluation after 10 months of a fracture liaison service (FLS). Methods All patients over 65 years-old admitted to the GTU with a fragility hip fracture were systematically identified on a daily, prospective basis. The protocol was first implemented on March 2015 and we describe all patients included until December 2015. After a first evaluation during the hospital admission, patients are referred to the outpatient clinic for further characterization, generally within 3 months. The investigations included were dual-energy x-ray absortiometry (DXA, GE-Lunar), FRAX® including DXA and laboratory blood tests. A descriptive study was performed. Results 208 cases of fragility hip fracture in patients above 65 years were identified, 78.9% women. Mean age (sd) of 83 years old (7.6). The most frequently affected segment of the hip was the trochanteric region (n=109, 52.4%), followed by the femoral neck (n=75, 36.1%). Most patients (68.8%) underwent surgical intervention within the first 48 hours. Regarding risk factors for osteoporosis (OP), there was a high prevalence of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor consumption (n=40, 20.1%) as well as antiepileptics (n=10, 5%) and corticosteroids (n=9, 4.5%). Another highly prevalent risk factor was diabetes (n=49, 23.5%). Regarding the body mass index we found that the majority of patients (42.3%) had values within normal limits. Benzodiazepines use, clearly associated with falls, was reported by 44% of patients (n=91). In our analysis only 13.5% (n=28) of the patients had past or current use of bisphosphonates (BP) and only 5.8% of those reporting previous fragility fracture were ever treated for OP. The prevalence of previous fragility fracture was 25.3% (n=47), most commonly hip fracture (n=19, 10.2%). Prior to fracture, 62.5% of patients were independent for daily activities. However, within 3 months after the fracture, only 32% of these patients regain their autonomy. We have recorded 22 deaths, 12 cases during hospitalization. Full assessment of bone health was conducted in 44 patients. In 34% (15/44) of the cases, the densitometric criteria for OP were not met and 20 (45.5%) patients had radiographic signs of vertebral fragility fracture. Only 9 patients had 25-OH vitamin D levels above 30 ng/mL and 19 (43%) patients had deficiency levels. Using the FRAX toll, the absolute risk of major osteoporotic fracture was higher than 20% in 8 (18%) patients and the absolute risk of hip fracture was higher than 3% in 30 (68%) patients. Regarding treatment implementation, all patients received calcium and vitamin D supplementation and 35 (84%) patients started anti-osteoporotic treatment (33 BP and 2 denosumab). Conclusions FLS are key pieces in the secondary fracture prevention as they facilitate patient care by automatically including all patients with a fragility fracture within a health-care system able to implement the adequate strategies to prevent future fractures as well as fracture-related complications. Disclosure of Interest None declared


There is few data about long-term outcomes of conservative management (without catheter ablation) of patients with a first episode of arrhythmic storm (AS) in the current context. This study analyzes the short and long-term outcomes of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) patients with a first episode of AS receiving non-interventional management.

 Consecutive patients admitted with a first episode of AS between January 2008 and June 2019 receiving medical management without catheter ablation were included. AS was defined as 3 or more appropriate ICD therapies occurring during a 24 h span. Medical management included: correction of triggers, sedation/mechanical ventilation, antiarrhythmic drugs, ICD reprogramming and neuraxial modulation. Baseline clinical characteristics and follow-up data were recorded. All patients were followed every 6 months at the ICD office. The primary end-point was all-cause mortality.

 60 patients (81% male, 62.8±16.2 years, 43% ischaemic, LVEF 35.4±14%) with a first episode of AS treated conservatively were included. Thirty-day survival was 96.5% and 1-year survival was 82%. During a median (interquartilic range) follow-up of 31 (6–69) months, 31 (51.7%) patients died (51.6% due to cardiovascular aetiology) and 35 (58.3%) patients were readmitted (48.5% due to recurrent arrhythmic events and 45.7% due to heart failure). Age [HR 1.05 (95% confidence interval: 1.01–1.08)] and end-diastolic diameter [HR 1.05 (95% confidence interval: 1–2)] were the strongest independent predictors of all-cause mortality.

 Despite the severity of this entity, medical management (without catheter ablation) of a first episode of AS is reasonable given its good 30-day and 1-year survival. However, a high rate of AS recurrence and readmissions are observed during long-term follow-up. Efforts are needed in order to identify those patients with a first episode of AS that could benefit from an early catheter ablation strategy.

 Type of funding source: None


This article explores the link between labour casualisation and youth employment in Ghana's formal private sector. It uses the case of Blue Skies Holdings Ltd, an agro-processing company in Ghana. The article shows the contribution of Blue Skies to youth employment in Ghana. However, changes in the global production of the company's primary export commodity and local shocks created new challenges for the company. The article explains how local economic realities, global competition, and local shocks impact on the company's ability to maintain permanent employment for its workers. It recommends that government must design policies to incentivise successful companies to create more jobs but without consigning youth to insecure employment conditions.


ABSTRACT The Dockum Group of Texas and New Mexico consists of up to 2,000 ft of complexly interstratified terrigenous clastic red-bed facies. The lower part of the Dockum, discussed in this report, is from 200 to 1,100 ft thick. At least two lacustrine subbasins existed during Dockum deposition: one lay north and west of Amarillo Uplift-Bravo Dome and another, the subject of this report, lay between the Amarillo Uplift-Bravo Dome and the Glass Mountains. The relict Matador Arch crosses the area, but it exerted little influence on Dockum sedimentation. Depositional trends inferred from outcrop and subsurface studied indicate that the southern basin was peripherally filled. Sediment input in Texas was from the south, the east, and the north. Sediment also entered the basin from the west through Lea and Roosevelt Counties, New Mexico. The geologic setting of the basin during Dockum deposition included structural highs on the north and south, and broad lowlands to the cast and west. Previous workers assigned a Late Triassic age to the Dockum. An abrupt change in depositional style occurs between Permian and Triassic deposits in some areas, such as eastern New Mexico and the Palo Duro Canyon area in Texas. Elsewhere there is no evidence of an unconformity. Permian and Triassic strata are uncomformable near basin margins and adjacent structural highs and conformable toward the basin center. Deposition was influenced by relict Paleozoic structural elements and inferred Triassic climatic cycles. Arid conditions in the Permian progressed slowly toward increased rainfall in the Triassic. Deposition was by braided and meandering streams, and associated alluvial fans, fan deltas, high-constructive lobate delta and lacustrine environments. Alluvial fans and fan deltas developed chiefly in northern and southern parts of the basin adjacent to relict Paleozoic structural highs. High-constructive lobate deltas were best developed in central basin areas. Superimposed upon depositional elements were periods of valley incision, ranging from 50 to 200 ft, caused by lowered lake level. Several depositional cycles controlled by base level (lake) fluctuations are recognized in Dickens, Crosby, Kent, and Garza Counties. A cycle comprises a sequence of facies that accumulated during a humid high stand and an arid low stand of lake level. Progradational delta sequences overlain by meanderbelt systems were produced under high stand, relatively stable base level conditions. Delta sequences are thin and commonly were partly eroded by meandering streams that cut downward and migrated laterally. Progradational sequences are composed of sediment derived primarily from beyond the basin; these sediments are predominantly siliciclastics that range from mudstone to sandstone; conglomerate is rare. A typical progradational sequence consists of lacustrine and prodelta mudstone-siltstone, delta-front siltstone-sandstone, channel-mouth-bar and distributary sandstone, and meanderbelt sandstone-conglomerate. Interdistributary and floodplain areas were sites of crevasse splay deposition. Splays comprise poorly sorted sandstone to boulder conglomerate (large clasts are characteristically mudstone and siltstone derived from older Triassic deposits). A shift from humid toward and conditions was accompanied by a lowering of base level and erosion of older Dockum sediment. Small fan deltas were constructed at low stand by sediment transported to lake margins through short, high-gradient, headwardly eroding streams; fan-delta, fluvial, and lacustrine facies represent low stand deposition. These reddish-brown low-stand deposits (red beds) range from mudstone to boulder conglomerate and are typified by abrupt vertical and lateral changes in facies. "Lower Dockum" red-bed facies consist of lacustrine mudstone, prodelta mudstone-siltstone, delta foreset siltstone-conglomerate, delta-platform sandstone-conglomerate, valley-fill mudstone-conglomerate, and interdeltaic mudstone with desiccation features, rare chert, salt hoppers, and gypsum. Preliminary data indicate that radioactive elements are most common in sandstones of the high-constructive delta-meanderbelt sequence: meanderbelt, distributary channel, delta-front, and crevasse sandstone bodies. 1. Publication authorized by Director, Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin End_of_Record - Last_Page 246-------


Objective, accurate, and fast assessment of damage to buildings after an earthquake is crucial for timely remediation of material losses and safety of occupants of buildings. Laser scanners are promising sensors for collecting geometrical data regarding the damaged states of buildings, as they are able to provide high coverage and accuracy at long ranges. Yet, we have limited knowledge on the performance of laser scanners for detecting earthquake damage, and requirements of such data collection. This paper focuses on characterizing the performance of laser scanners for detecting thin cracks for damage assessment of reinforced concrete frames. We identified a series of crack parameters based on the state-of-the-art damage assessment codes and standards. Similarly, we identified parameters, which affect the performance of laser scanners for detecting cracks, based on prior research in this area. We studied the width, depth, and orientation of cracks; sampling interval of the scanner, and the range of the laser beam from the surface. Effects of these parameters on the detection of the minimum crack size were determined in an experimental setting. An automated algorithm was used to analyze the data. The results show that it is possible to detect as small as ~1mm cracks.


A computational method based on the non-linear Gaussian process (GP), known as deep Gaussian processes (deep GPs) for uncertainty quantification & propagation in modelling of flow through heterogeneous porous media is presented. The method is also used for reducing dimensionality of model output and consequently emulating highly complex relationship between hydrogeological properties and reduced order fluid velocity field in a tractable manner. Deep GPs are multi-layer hierarchical generalisations of GPs with multiple, infinitely wide hidden layers that are very efficient models for deep learning and modelling of high-dimensional complex systems by tackling the complexity through several hidden layers connected with non-linear mappings. According to this approach, the hydrogeological data is modelled as the output of a multivariate GP whose inputs are governed by another GP such that each single layer is either a standard GP or the Gaussian process latent variable model. A variational approximation framework is used so that the posterior distribution of the model outputs associated to given inputs can be analytically approximated. In contrast to the other dimensionality reduction, methods that do not provide any information about the dimensionality of each hidden layer, the proposed method automatically selects the dimensionality of each hidden layer and it can be used to propagate uncertainty obtained in each layer across the hierarchy. Using this, dimensionality of the full input space consists of both geometrical parameters of modelling domain and stochastic hydrogeological parameters can be simultaneously reduced without the need for any simplifications generally being assumed for stochastic modelling of subsurface flow problems. It allows estimation of the flow statistics with greatly reduced computational efforts compared to other stochastic approaches such as Monte Carlo method.


Collaboration and information sharing has obliged participating parties to look for improved detection accuracy and reaction speed in Distributed Intrusion Detection Systems (DIDS) solutions. This is mainly due to the increasing number of attacks as well as increasingly sophisticated intrusions and more alarmingly various critical components of a system can be targeted. This is further exasperated by the fact that most DIDS models do not consider the attacks targeting the collaborative network itself. We specifically find this issue to be very critical and hence in this paper we propose a trust aware DIDS simulation model that is capable of categorizing each participating IDS expertise (i.e. speciality and competence), therefore helps collaborating organizations to consult our simulation model for choosing the right candidate for any type of intrusion. We call our Model as Consultative Trusted Computing-based Collaborative IDS (CTC IDS). We utilize the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) for integrity evaluation and fine-tuning peer evaluation.


One main source of cyanide (CN(-)) exposure for mammals is through the plant consumption, and thus, sensitive and selective CN(-) detection in plants tissue is a significant and urgent work. Although various fluorescence probes have been reported for CN(-) in water and mammalian cells, the detection of endogenous biological CN(-) in plant tissue remains to be explored due to the high background signal and large thickness of plant tissue that hamper the effective application of traditional one-photo excitation. To address these issues, we developed a new two-photo excitation (TPE) nanosensor using graphene quantum dots (GQDs)/gold nanoparticle (AuNPs) conjugate for sensing and imaging endogenous biological CN(-). With the benefit of the high quenching efficiency of AuNPs and excellent two-photon properties of GQDs, our sensing system can achieve a low detection limit of 0.52 μM and deeper penetration depth (about 400 μm) without interference from background signals of a complex biological environment, thus realizing sensing and imaging of CN(-) in different types of plant tissues and even monitoring CN(-) removal in food processing. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time for fluorescent sensing and imaging of CN(-) in plant tissues. Moreover, our design also provides a new model scheme for the development of two-photon fluorescent nanomaterial, which is expected to hold great potential for food processing and safety testing.


Student mobility—the event of students moving into and out of schools—is prevalent and has established negative relationships with both academic and non-cognitive outcomes for mobile students and the classrooms and schools that serve them. Despite this, there is a dearth of research examining student mobility, and, in particular, only a sparse literature that allows for causal interpretations of the causes and consequences of student mobility. The research presented in this dissertation aims to address some of the gaps in the literature on student mobility. Chapter one of the dissertation presents a framework that defines student mobility and outlines the relationships between causes and consequences of mobility within different contexts. Chapter two uses the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten cohort to explore studentand school-level correlates of mobility, as well as relationships between mobility and academic achievement. In chapters three and four, I empirically examine student mobility in the context of charter schools. In chapter three I use data from the Evaluation of Charter School Impacts to estimate the effect of charter school admissions and attendance on student mobility. Chapter four uses statewide data from Colorado to explore student mobility within the traditional and charter school sectors. Together I find that: 1) rates of mobility vary based on student background characteristics and indicators of school quality, 2) students who won admissions to charter middle schools were less likely to experience mobility than their peers who lost admissions lotteries, 3) mobility rates in Colorado's charter schools are higher than in TPSs in the state, both descriptively and after controlling for school characteristics, and 4) the motivation for student mobility and the relative quality of students' sending and receiving schools are important moderators of mobility's relationship with student achievement. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Education First Advisor Matthew P. Steinberg


Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is a complex, sex specific, and highly heterogeneous group of respiratory disorders. Nevertheless, sleep fragmentation and repeated fluctuations of arterial blood gases for several hours/night are at the core of the problem; together, they impose significant stress to the organism with deleterious consequences on physical and mental health. SDB increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, depression and anxiety disorders; however, the same health issues are risk factors for SDB. So, which came first, the chicken or the egg? What causes the appearance of the first significant apneic events during sleep? These are important questions because although moderate to severe SDB affects ∼500 million adults globally, we still have a poor understanding of the origins of the disease, the main treatments (and animal models) focus on the symptoms rather than the cause. Because obesity, metabolic dysfunction, and stress-related neurological disorders generally appear progressively, we discuss how the development of these diseases can lead to specific anatomical and non-anatomical traits of SDB in males and females while considering the impacts of sex steroids. In light of the growing evidence indicating that the carotid bodies are important sensors of key metabolic and endocrine signals associated with stress and dysmetabolism, we propose that these organs play a key role in the process. Abstract figure legend Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is a complex, multifactorial respiratory disorder with significant sex-based differences. Despite its growing prevalence and societal impact, our understanding of the origins of SDB remains limited. This schematic representation proposes a timeline of pathophysiological disturbances leading to SDB. It illustrates how stress-related neurological disorders, diabetes, and obesity interact to contribute to the emergence of respiratory dysfunction during sleep. We proposed that sensing of key metabolic and endocrine signals associated with stress and dysmetabolism by the carotid bodies are key to the process. Age-related decline in sex-steroids contribute to the problem. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


The present study aims to shed some light on the causal link between the Service Sector Index in the Turkish stock market and economic growth using a wavelet coherence approach. Thus, the present study determines whether the Service Sector Index leads to economic growth in Turkey and/or vice versa. Based on our aim, we use the wavelet coherence approach, which allows us to capture long-run and short-run causal linkages between the Service Sector Index and economic growth in Turkey, since the approach combines both time domain causality and frequency domain causality tests. The findings from wavelet coherence reveal that there is one-way causality running from the Service Sector Index to economic growth in Turkey at different frequencies and different periods between 1997 and 2017.


The relationship between Arminianism and Roman Catholicism in the early Stuart period has long been a source of historiographical controversy. Many contemporaries were in no doubt that such an affinity did exist and that it was politically significant. This article will consider how far there was ideological sympathy and even rhetorical collaboration between Caroline Catholics and those members of the Church of England whom both contemporaries and modern scholars have tended to describe as Arminians and Laudians. It will suggest that certain members of the English Catholic community actively tried to use the changes which they claimed to observe in the government of the Church of England in order to establish a rapport with the Caroline regime. In particular they enthused about what they perceived as a strongly anti-puritan trend in royal policy. Some of them argued that a similar style of governance should be exercised by a bishop over Catholics in England. This was something which they believed would correct the factional divisions within their community and align it more effectively with the Stuart dynasty.


Aim/Background: Arecoline is considered to be the principal etiologic agent for Oral Sub mucous Fibrosis (OSF) with the buccal fibroblasts being the major target. Hence, this model alkaloid has been used to evaluate toxicity and cell death potential in NIH/3T3 cells and compared with that of Hesperidin. Materials and Methods: Toxicity and cell death, for the two molecules, was tested using a battery of assays (MTT assay based cytotoxicity assessment; AO/EtBr assay-based determination of the percentage of dead cells; PI-based cell-cycle and cell death analysis using flow cytometry; DCFH-DA-based ROS levels). We also evaluated the role of S100A4 in this process using Trifluoperazine (TFP)an antagonist of this protein. These experiments involved challenging the cells with arecoline and protecting them with Hesperidin and TFP separately. Results: IC50 measurements, based on the MTT assay, were found to be 38μM and 7. 5 Micromolar respectively. Based on the AO/EtBr and the flow cytometry assay, both the chemicals exhibited a dose-dependent increase in cell death. Both chemicals arrested the cells in different phases of the cell cycle. Arecoline and Hesperidin altered ROS levels in a dosedependent manner. Our challenge-protection experiments showed that Hesperidin and TFP, were able to reduce the arecoline-mediated cell death in NIH/3T3 fibroblasts. These results may due to an alteration in the ROS levels, despite quantitative differences in their cytotoxicity and cell death potential. The protection-challenge experiments showed that Arecoline and TFP may have a marginal cytoprotective effect. Conclusions: Our results substantiates and validates our experimental design to evaluate the toxicity and safety of model fibrotic chemicals as well as test the probable protective effects conferred by Hesperidin-like natural molecules as well as possibly address mechanistic issues pertaining to ROS as well as S100A4 antagonism using TFP and related molecules.


In Western societies, punk represented a benchmark for rupture towards the existing social structure while providing a soundtrack for it. So, it is in this context that we will approach the Portuguese punk considering its importance in a society engaged in relatively recent processes of democratization and modernization. Thus, we propose here to take a look at the punk from its protagonists' discourses and the text that they form. We will consider the words used by the bands in two ways: when they name themselves and their lyrics. In each case, we will deal with the self-representation issues in the light of the polarity between identity and difference: who we are, how we position ourselves, how we distinguish ourselves, what we have to say about ourselves, our time and our world; what are our values and what we have to say regarding the dominant social values; which causes move us, how we want to act, how we want the world to be. As in any other discursive self-representation, the content is not independent of the forms of expression. Therefore, the identification and dialogue questions (who is speaking, who is he or she speaking to) and the language questions (how does the speaker express, with which codes, in which forms) are also examined. Our analysis suggests that the punk discourse on identity tends to be structured by three main axes: a) cosmopolitanism, b) the radical assumption of an irreducible difference regarding social order and c) an ambivalent attitude towards politics and the political action.


A competitive and a sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were developed for human leukocyte collagenase and gelatinase. The competitive assay could detect 0.5 ng collagenase and 0.05 ng gelatinase. The detection limit of the sandwich ELISA was 0.05 ng for collagenase and 0.02 ng for gelatinase. No cross reactivity between human leukocyte collagenase and gelatinase was detected. The sandwich ELISA was used to determine plasma levels of these enzymes. The 90% range for collagenase was between 0 and 50 micrograms/l; the 90% range for gelatinase was between 27 and 94 micrograms/l.


Abstract The urban expressway system serves as a key role in the roadway transportation system. It provides an efficient and comfortable approach for long-distance travel within the city. However, the safety status of the urban expressways is becoming a critical issue as the high-frequent traffic crashes have severely influenced the traffic operations. Among the safety influencing factors, including traffic operational parameters (such as traffic speed and volume), geometric features and traffic participants' characteristics (such as vehicle roadway usage patterns), the traffic operational parameters and geometric features have been widely investigated. However, the impacts of traffic participants' characteristics on traffic safety have never been examined. This unprecedented study aims to link vehicles' roadway usage patterns with traffic safety through crash frequency analyses. First, the roadway usage patterns were identified using Latent Class Cluster Analysis (LCCA) based on their traveling rates. Then, the hourly-based crash frequency analysis data were formulated with traffic operational parameters, geometric features and crash data. Finally, crash frequency analysis models were developed to unveil the relationships between the crash occurrence and their influencing factors. The modeling results showed that the Random Effects Hurdle Negative Binomial Model (REHNBM) provided better goodness-of-fit. And it concluded that higher proportions of vehicles with low-level roadway usage pattern would substantially enhance the possibility of crash occurrence; while the proportions of vehicles with the medium-high-level roadway usage pattern had negative impacts on crash occurrence probability. Finally, safety improvement recommendations and strategies based on the modeling results were put forward.


Yan Yi's narrative text has the rich cultural connotation,mainly including war cultural narrative,folk cultural narrative,historical story narrative,exotic cultural narrative and social construction of narrative.From Yan Yi's description of the text which is full of passion,we could trail the journey,from a writer to a soldier,of him.This is an expression of its high level of sense of national responsibility and historical mission.It reflects the rational thoughts of Chinese intellectuals towards life and nation.


A test program has been conducted at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory to demonstrate that the concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) within the innermost layer of confinement in a vented waste drum can be estimated using a model incorporating diffusion and permeation transport principles as well as limited waste drum sampling data. The model consists of a series of material balance equations describing steady-state VOC transport from each distinct void volume in the drum. The primary model input is the measured drum headspace VOC concentration. Model parameters are determined or estimated based on available process knowledge. The model effectiveness in estimating VOC concentration in the headspace of the innermost layer of confinement was examined for vented waste drums containing different waste types and configurations. This paper summarizes the experimental measurements and model predictions in vented transuranic waste drums containing solidified sludges and solid waste.


The increasing amount of data requires greater scalability for clustering algorithms. The intrinsic parallelism of the MapReduce model confers management and reliability to large-scale distributed operations. However, its restrictions hinder the direct application of several traditional clustering algorithms. K-means is one of the few clustering algorithms that satisfy the MapReduce constraints, but it requires the prior specification of the number of clusters and is sensitive to their initialization. This paper proposes a MapReduce algorithm able to evolve clusters with no need to specify k-means' parameters. Through evolutive operators, obtained clusters are used to search for better solutions, allowing the algorithm to find quality solutions quickly. The algorithm is compared with state-of-the-art MapReduce versions of a systematic algorithm which is able to find the number of kmeans clusters and initializations. Computational experiments and statistical analyses of the results indicate that the proposed algorithm is able to obtain clusters with quality equal or superior to clusters of the compared algorithm, but faster.


INTRODUCTION
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become one of the most frequent causes of chronic liver disease. Currently, therapeutic options for NAFLD patients are limited, but new pharmacologic agents are being investigated in the course of clinical trials. Because most of these studies are focusing on patients with fibrosis stages II and III (according to Kleiner), non-invasive identification of patients with intermediate fibrosis stages (II and III) is of increasing interest.

AIMS
Evaluation of NAFLD Fibrosis Score (NFS) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) for prediction of fibrosis stages II/III.

METHODS
Patients with histologically confirmed NAFLD diagnosis were included in the study. All patients underwent a clinical and laboratory examination as well as a LSM prior to liver biopsy. Predictive value of NFS and LSM with respect to identification of fibrosis stages II/III was assessed.

RESULTS
134 NAFLD patients were included and analyzed. Median age was 53 (IQR 36 - 60) years, 55 patients (41 %) were female. 82 % of our patients were overweight/obese with typical aspects of metabolic syndrome. 84 patients (66 %) had liver fibrosis, 42 (50 %) advanced fibrosis. LSM and NFS correlated with fibrosis stage (r = 0.696 and r = 0.685, respectively; p < 0.01 for both). NFS values between -2.0 and + 0.5, and LSM values between 8 and 22kPa were associated with fibrosis stages II/III. If both criteria were met, probability of fibrosis stage II/III was 61 %. If none of the two criteria was met, chance for fibrosis stage II/III was only 6 % (negative predictive value 94 %).

CONCLUSION
Combination of LSM and NFS enables identification of patients with significant probability of fibrosis stage II/III. Accordingly, these tests, especially in combination, may be a suitable screening tool for fibrosis stages II/III in NAFLD. The use of these non-invasive methods might also help to avoid unnecessary biopsies.


This paper examines the rise of networking in education, paying particular attention to the recent recognition of their importance during the unprecedented challenges that have emerged for schools during the COVID-19 period. The paper begins with an overview of the development of network theory, exploring how the concept has been adopted across a series of disciplines as a mode of organisational and personal development. It is evidentiated that networks are goal driven, rely on good communication, are challenging and seek to provide a way for school communities to uncover and transmit the knowledge that helps them ensure effective teaching and learning. The paper subsequently examines how networking has been adapted for educational settings and has become increasingly seen as a potential answer to many of the challenges facing rapidly changing social and educational contexts. Most notably, networking has a significant impact in the field of organisational leadership. The understanding of leadership as a mode that sees power and authority distributed among school communities as a whole has at its heart an awareness of the necessity to network, communicate and dialogue within schools and, perhaps as importantly, between schools. The paper concludes with a brief introduction to the emerging discourse surrounding the potential of networks to re-imaging educational provision in a Covid-19 context.


Rapidly triggered excitotoxic cell death is widely thought to be due to excessive influx of extracellular Ca2+, primarily through the N-methyl-D-aspartate subtype of glutamate receptor. By devising conditions that permit the maintenance of isolated retina in the absence of Ca2+, it has become technically feasible to test the dependence of excitotoxic neurodegeneration in this intact neural system on extracellular Ca2+. Using biochemical, Ca2+ imaging, and electrophysiological techniques, we found that (1) rapidly triggered excitotoxic cell death in this system occurs independently of both extracellular Ca2+ and increases in intracellular Ca2+; (2) this cell death is highly dependent on extracellular Cl-; and (3) lethal Cl- entry occurs by multiple paths, but a significant fraction occurs through pathologically activated gamma-aminobutyric acid and glycine receptors. These results emphasize the importance of Ca2+-independent mechanisms and the role that local transmitter circuitry plays in excitotoxic cell death.


Wastewater management is one of the biggest challenges in the world due to increase in population and industrialization. In Faisalabad (FSD), wastewater treatment is being done through Wastewater Stabilization Ponds (WSPs) at Chokera, which is one of the most economical methods of Wastewater Treatment (WWT). Various parameters were examined to check wastewater treatment efficiency of the ponds under diverse climatic conditions. These included Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), pH, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Turbidity, Copper, Total Solids (TS), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Lead. Six locations which were selected for monitoring treatment efficiency, included inlet and outlet of treatment plant, influent of anaerobic ponds, effluent of anaerobic ponds, effluent of facultative ponds, and Pharang drain before and after blending with treated sewage. The testing was performed in two seasons (i.e. Winter 2015 and Summer 2016) in Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Lahore, Pakistan. BOD5 removal efficiency of the treatment plant was found 30.08% in winter and 51.74% in summer against designed value of 90% removal. Most of the parameters of the effluent were not meeting the Punjab Environmental Quality Standards (PEQS). The reasons of low efficiency are; variation in climatic conditions (i.e. less solar heat intensity, wind speed and ceased microbial activity in winter), lack of funds by government, increased population, mixing of industrial sewage with domestic sewage and less attention being paid to maintain the performance of Ponds. The study was carried out to assess and compare the efficiency of treatment plant with PEQS in two climatic conditions.


ABSTRACT
 The current study examined the effects of different delivery modes of misinformation on false memory creation in adolescents and adults. Forty adolescents (14-15 year olds) and fifty-three adults (over 18) were instructed to watch a video. Following this, half of the participants were given direct-with interaction misinformation, in which misinformation was delivered by the experimenter and participants (co-witnesses) were able to interact before their memory was tested. The other half of the participants were given direct-without interaction misinformation, in which they listened to a narrative read aloud by the experimenter, without interacting. Lastly, all participants completed a memory test. We found that participants in the direct-without interaction group were more likely to report false memories compared to the direct-with interaction group. Furthermore, adolescents endorsed more misinformation details than adults. Our results provide a new perspective about the role of social factors in the occurrence of false memories.


The project presents the digital simulation of Quasi Resonant Converter for driving multiple LED strings using MATLAB Simulink. Quasi Resonant Converter (QRC) is fast replacing conventional PWM converters in high frequency operation. The salient feature of QRC is that the switching devices can be either switched on at Zero Voltage or switched off at Zero Current, so that switching losses are zero ideally. It adopts suitable PWM switching method using resonance. QRC based digitally controlled dual output buck switching LED driver operates in Discontinuous Conduction Mode (DCM) to reduce the input current ripple and extends it to drive multiple outputs. Based on the time multiplexing control scheme in DCM, a theoretical upper limit of the total number of outputs in a buck switching LED driver for various backlight LED current values can be derived analytically. The PWM gate pulses are generated using active current summation technique and it is used to regulate the LED current accurately. The output of QRC is regulated by varying the switching frequency of the converter. The proposed scheme eliminates the series current regulation element present in all conventional LED drivers and it greatly improves efficiency and reduces cost. Keywords— Discontinuous Conduction Mode (DCM); Quasi Resonant Converter (QRC); Soft Switching, LED Lamp Driver; Zero Current Switching (ZCS); Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)


INTRODUCTION
We have previously shown that panoramic X-rays (PXs) demonstrating calcified carotid artery atheromas (CCAA) are associated with increased systemic inflammation demonstrating increased neutrophil lymphocyte ratios (NLRs), a validated risk indicator of fatal myocardial infarctions arising from coronary artery atherosclerosis. Using this same cohort of patients (with minor adjustments because of missing data), we sought to determine if a like association existed between PXs evidencing CCAA and elevated red blood cell distribution width (RDW) given conflicting data as its reliability relative to NLR as a biologic marker of system inflammation. We hypothesized that CCAAs on PXs would simultaneously be associated with both increased NLR and RDW.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Investigators implemented a cross-sectional study design. Study sample consisted of patient medical records and PXs of white men ≥ 55 years. Two groups (N = 50 each) were constituted, one with atheromas (CCAA+) and without atheromas (CCAA-). The predictor variable was CCAA+ and outcome variables were NLR and RDW. Bootstrapping analysis was employed to analyze the differences in mean NLRs and RDWs between groups since the data was not normally distributed. Statistical significance determined to be ≤ 0.05 for all tests. The Medical Center's Institutional Review Board approved the research protocol.

RESULTS
A study group of 50 CCAA+ men (mean age 71; range 58-89 years) demonstrated a mean NLR of 2.98 ± 1.38 and an RDW of 13.21 ± 0.85. A control group of 50 CCAA- males (mean age 70 range; 55-91 years) evidenced a mean NLR of 2.38 ± 0.77 and an RDW of 13.16 ± 0.77. Bootstrapping comparison of NLR values evidenced significant (P = 0.008) difference (95% confidence interval of difference of mean: - 0.4272, 0.4384; observed effect size: 0.579) between groups; however, there was no significant difference in RDW values between the groups. Furthermore, logistic regression modeling demonstrated that for a one unit increase in NLR the odds of being CCAA+ (vs. CCAA-) increases by a factor of 1.659.

CONCLUSION
The existence of CCAA seen on PXs of elderly white men is associated with significantly (P = 0.008) elevated NLR values but is not associated with increases in RDW.


Losses in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) production in Zimbabwe have been attributed to Pythium spp induced damping–off. Current research trends in seedling production suggest that Trichoderma harzianum has a positive effect on nursery diseases. T. harzianum uses a variety of mechanisms to colonise various ecological niches. Different plant varieties have different affinity levels for T. harzianum. In this research an evaluation was done on the effect of four different rates of T. harzianum (0cfu/ml, 105cfu/ml, 106cfu/ml and 107cfu/ml) and four tomato varieties namely Floradade, Money-maker, Rodade and Star 9064 in controlling Pythium spp damping-off. A 4x4 factorial experiment was laid in a completely randomized design with three replicates. Four different tomato varieties were primed with T. harzianum suspension for 24 hours and then sown in float trays according to the experimental design. Data was collected on emergence percentage, growth (number of true leaves and plant height); damping-off incidence and severity and dry weight. There was a significant interaction (P=0.001) between T. harzianum and variety on all parameters. T. harzianum 106cfu/ml and T. harzianum 107cfu/ml had no disease incidence and severity recorded on all tomato varieties. Emergence percentage, number of true leaves and dry weight increased on Money-maker and Star 9064 with an increase in T. harzianum rate. T. harzianum did not induce an increase on Rodade plant height. This study was carried out in the view of the use of T. harzianum as a bio-control strategy for Pythium-induced damping-off on tomato seedlings.


Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus, which causes severe illness in humans and is responsible for epidemic outbreaks in Africa, Asia, North and South America, and Europe. Despite its increased global prevalence, no licensed vaccines are available to date for treating or preventing CHIKV infection. The envelope E2 protein is one of the promising subunit vaccine candidates against CHIKV. In this study, we describe successful cloning, expression, and purification of CHIKV E2 full-length (E2-FL) and truncated (E2-ΔC and E2-ΔNC) proteins in the Escherichia coli expression system. The recombinant E2 proteins were purified from inclusion bodies using Ni-NTA chromatography. Further, we describe a detailed refolding procedure for obtaining the CHIKV E2-FL protein in native conformation, which was confirmed using circular dichroism and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. BALB/c mice immunized with the three different E2 proteins exhibited increased E2-specific antibody titers compared to sham-immunized controls, suggesting induction of strong humoral immune response. On analyzing the E2-specific antibody response generated in immunized mice, the CHIKV E2-FL protein was observed to be the most immunogenic among the three different CHIKV E2 antigens used in the study. Our B-cell and T-cell epitope mapping results indicate that the presence of specific immunogenic peptides located in the N-terminal and C-terminal regions of the CHIKV E2-FL protein may contribute to its increased immunogenicity, compared to truncated CHIKV E2 proteins. In summary, our study provides a detailed protocol for expressing, purifying, and refolding of the CHIKV E2-FL protein and provides an understanding of its immunogenic epitopes, which can be exploited for the development of novel multiepitope-based anti-CHIKV vaccine strategies.


In the early 19 century, J. Fourier was an impassioned advocate of the use of such sums, of course writing sines and cosines rather than complex exponentials. Euler, the Bernouillis, and others had used such sums in similar fashions and for similar ends, but Fourier made a claim extravagant for the time, namely that all functions could be expressed in such terms. Unfortunately, in those days there was no clear idea of what a function was, no vocabulary to specificy classes of functions, and no specification of what it would mean to represent a function by such a series. In hindsight, probably issues of pointwise and L convergence, unspecified to some degree, were confused with each other.


A transcript repressor is responsible for the normal development of spikelet and floral organs in rice and can be used in breeding design to improve yield. An understanding of flower and panicle development is crucial for improving yield and quality in majority of grass crops. In this study, we used mapping-based cloning to identify MULTI-FLORET SPIKELET2 (MFS2), which encodes a MYB transcription factor and regulates flower and spikelet development in rice (Oryza sativa). In the mfs2 mutant, specification of palea identity was severely disturbed and showed degradation or transformation into a lemma-like organ, and the number of all floral organs was increased to varying degrees. Due to the increase in the number of floral organs and development of extra transformed palea/marginal region of the palea-like organs, some mfs2 spikelets had a tendency to produce two florets. These defects implied that the mfs2 mutation caused abnormal specification of palea identity and partial loss of spikelet determination. We confirm that MFS2 is a transcriptional repressor that shows strong repression activity by means of two typical ethylene-responsive element binding factor-associated amphiphilic motifs, one of which locates at the C terminus and is capable of interaction with three rice TOPLESS and TOPLESS-related proteins. The results indicate that MFS2 acts as a repressor that regulates floral organ identities and spikelet meristem determinacy in rice by forming a repression complex with rice TOPLESS and TOPLESS-related proteins.


Poly(ethylene phosphates) are promising polymers for use in biomedical applications. Catalytic ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclic ethylene phosphate monomers (CEPMs) is the most effective approach for obtaining these polymers. The mechanism of coordination ROP of CEPMs remains unclear. We report, for the first time, the results of DFT modeling of CEPM ROP. In these calculations by Gaussian-09 program package with the B3PW91/DGTZVP basis set, we explored methyl ethylene phosphate (MeOEP) ROP catalyzed by dimeric and monomeric catalytic species derived from heteroleptic complex [(BHT)Mg(μ-OBn)(THF)]2 (Mg1, BHT = 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenolate). Analysis of the reaction profiles for the binuclear and mononuclear reaction mechanisms allowed us to conclude that the ROP of MeOEP is preferentially catalyzed by mononuclear Mg complexes. This estimation was confirmed by comparative polymerization experiments using MeOEP and traditional monomers ε-caprolactone (εCL), racemic lactide (rac-LA), and l-lactide (l-LA) initiated by Mg1. ROP of MeOEP proceeds at an extremely high rate due to the substantially lower activation barrier calculated for mononuclear mechanism in comparison with that of cyclic esters that polymerize without the dissociation of BHT-Mg binuclear species. We also demonstrated the use of MeOEP as a "monomerization" agent in the synthesis of MeOEP-lactide block copolymers. Comparison of the multiple acceleration of l-LA ROP after MeOEP prepolymerization and formation of atactic PLA blocks in rac-LA polymerization with the heterotactic PLA formation during Mg1-catalyzed homopolymerization also confirmed the mononuclear nature of the polyphosphate-containing catalytic particles.


This book is intended to be accessible to individuals with a special interest in the field of technology in education. It is addressed mainly for academicians, students, learners, policy makers and researchers. It comprises 15
chapters written by authors from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
(UKM), Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), Taylor's University, Southern College and Multimedia University (MMU). This publication is timely in promoting the development of technology integration in education, particularly in Malaysia.


This descriptive study investigated the relationship between both demographic characteristics and type of health care setting and elderly people's attributions for control, functional status, mood, type of helplessness, and perception of self-efficacy. Results of the study demonstrate that elderly people in long-term care settings are more vulnerable to experiencing learned helplessness and depression than elderly people in acute or rehabilitation settings. The findings indicate that the critical period for the development of learned helplessness and depression is for subjects with a length of stay of 7 weeks to 6 months. The study supports other research which concludes that depression in elderly people is better explained by the original learned helplessness theory rather than being related to attributions about the cause of loss of control.


ABSTRACT. Nest parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) can negatively affect host populations. Landscape-scale factors, such as proximity to residential areas, equestrian riding stables, and grazing allotments, can affect the risk of nest parasitism as well as the abundance of Brown-headed Cowbirds, Recent increases in residential and recreational development along with a reduction in grazing allotments in the northern Sierra Nevada provide an opportunity to reevaluate factors that influence frequency of nest parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds, Frequency of nest parasitism increased as the distance to the nearest residential center and distance to the nearest equestrian riding stable decreased. Similarly, Brown-headed Cowbird abundance was negatively correlated with distance to the nearest residential center and distance to the nearest equestrian stable. To reduce the risk of nest parasitism, efforts should be devoted to (1) reducing further residential development at the wildland—urban interface and (2) educating landowners about bird feeders, which frequently attract Brown-headed Cowbirds.


Elevated amounts of free radicals due to ionizing radiation have damaging effects on the
body. H2-receptor antagonists have potential oxygen radical scavenging properties. We tried to determine the effects of two H2-receptor antagonists (cimetidine and ranitidine) on lipid peroxidation (LPO) and lipid profile (LP) in plasma and liver of γ-irradiated (1Gy/day for 3 days) BALB/c mice. The control group of mice were fed with normal food and drinks but the experiment group of mice were fed control diet and drinking water, containing cimetidine or ranitidine (1mg/lit). After 3 days of supplementation, the animals were subjected to sublethal γ-radiation, which caused a significant increase in cholesterol level in experimental group (100% increase in comparison with the control group), but the amount of phospholipids did not change. The ratio of cholesterol to phospholipid showed a slight increase. Also γ-irradiation caused a significant increase in lipid fluorescence (11-48%), conjugated dienes (33-81%) in liver and increase in malondialdehyde (19-300%) in serum of mice who had received 1.09-3.1 Gy for 1-3 days. Cimetidine or ranitidine supplementation was able to restore the changes of LPO and LP in mice (1 Gy-radiated for 3 days). It is therefore concluded that the mice treated with cimetidine or ranitidine were able to tolerate biomembrane damages provoked by sublethal γ-radiation. This supports the hypothesis that cimetidine or ranitidine may afford an efficient protection against ionizing radiation or diseases that are characterized by in vivo free radical-mediated oxidative stress mechanisms.


The graphics annotation is an interaction technique through which the teachers and the students may enhance the visual communication based on free expression forms, practical and artistic ability, imagination, and creativity. This paper explores the knowledge assessment techniques based on the 3D annotations. A few cases are exemplified on the medical elearning objects.


1.1 From systemic to intra-articular gene therapy The first experiments of gene therapy (GT) in arthritis were done in the midnineties. Arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory disease responsible for joint inflammation and destruction resulting in an imbalance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines production. Moreover, we know that bone destruction is more active than bone regeneration. Therefore, there are different ways of targeting the disease. At the moment, there are three classes of drugs commonly used: 1. Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Agents (NSAIDs), 2. corticoids, 3. Disease Modifying Anti-rheumatic Drugs (DMARDS). Biotherapies have been used for a decade. These treatments restore the balance of many functions such as the immune system and the bone metabolism. Agents used in biotherapy include recombinant proteins, monoclonal antibodies, growth factors, and vaccines. The efficiency of these treatments depends on the stage of the disease. Serious side effects and infrequent persistent remission are known as drawbacks. Furthermore, the systemic administration of immune regulator can affect several immune responses and trigger infections. The objectives using gene therapy in arthritis are mainly 1) to obtain a therapeutic quantity of therapeutic molecule without side effects, 2) to get a long expression of the therapeutic molecule without multi injections, 3) to target the joint specifically resistant to the usual treatment (Fiocco & Punzi, 2011). Arthritis models are still being used to improve gene therapy strategies: for instance we use induced arthritis models such as collagen induced arthritis (CIA) in mice developing subchronic poly arthritis or adjuvant induced arthritis or spontaneous models such as Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF) transgenic mice. Our team who had the first results in 1996 has seen many changes over the years in its approach due to scientific progress. Our first gene therapy experiments used the ex vivo strategy (using autolog transfected cells (immortalized fibroblast from DBA/1 mice) or heterolog transfected cells (xenogenic fibroblasts from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) with plasmid encoding murine IL-4 or IL-13); then the viral vectors experiments were used until the risk of using this methods arose (Bessis et al., 1996). We also used a non viral vector as plasmid (Bloquel et al., 2004, 2007; Saidenberg-Kermanach et al., 2003). Several teams tried


We present in this paper novel techniques that determine the semantic relationships among genes and gene products. We implemented these techniques in a middleware system called GOtoGene, which resides between user application and Gene Ontology database. Given a set S of genes, GOtoGene would return another set S' of genes, where each gene in S' is semantically related to each gene in S. The framework of GOtoGene refines the concept of Lowest Common Ancestor by defining the concept of Semantically Relevant Lowest Common Ancestor using the concept of existence dependency. We evaluated GOtoGene experimentally and compared it with three other methods. Results showed marked improvement.


We present full-band structure calculations of temperature- and wavelength-dependent two-photon absorption coefficients and free-carrier absorption cross sections in GaAs, InP, and 0.92 eV-band gap Ga64In36As and InP60As40 alloys. The calculated coefficient decreases with increasing wavelength and band gap but increases with temperature. Using detailed band structure analysis, we identify various contributions to the free-carrier absorption in GaAs and InP. Although the free-carrier absorption is found to arise predominantly from hole absorption, we show that direct absorption by excited electrons is possible, leading to an enhanced free-carrier absorption coefficient. This excited state absorption could be exploited to modulate the transmission of light at communication wavelengths (of 1.33 or 1.55 μm) with, for example, the more commonly available 0.8 μm diode laser. We further show that the high-intensity transmission calculated with our values of nonlinear parameters in GaAs agrees very well with the ...


Expert guidance to teach you "all you need to know" about "junk bonds", a highly publicized but little understood area of high finance. How to: determine volatility, measure risk and evaluate issues.


Objectives are to develop active, stable iron Fischer-Tropsch catalysts for use in slurry-phase synthesis reactors and to develop a scaleup procedure for large-scale synthesis of such catalysts for process development and long-term testing in slurry bubble-column reactors. For a H[sub 2]-CO in molar ratio of 0.5 to 1.0, catalyst performance target is 88% CO+H[sub 2] conversion at a minimum space velocity of 2.4 NL/hr/gFe, with no more than 4% methane/ethane selectivity and 1% conversion loss per week. During this period, it was found that the performance of the slurry-phase iron and copper oxide-based catalyst depends on the amount of K. Five catalysts with differing K contents were studied. The catalysts with the lowest K were more active than the ones with higher K levels. The one with the middle K level was judged best.


Individuals who have suffered fractures caused by osteoporosis – also known as fragility fractures – are the most readily identifiable group at high risk of suffering future fractures. Globally, the majority of these individuals do not receive the secondary preventive care that they need. The Fracture Liaison Service model (FLS) has been developed to ensure that fragility fracture patients are reliably identified, investigated for future fracture and falls risk, and initiated on treatment in accordance with national clinical guidelines. FLS have been successfully established in Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and Oceania, and their widespread implementation is endorsed by leading national and international osteoporosis organisations. Multi-sector coalitions have expedited inclusion of FLS into national policy and reimbursement mechanisms. The largest national coalition, the National Bone Health Alliance (NBHA) in the United States, provides an exemplar of achieving participation and consensus across sectors. Initiatives developed by NBHA could serve to inform activities of new and emerging coalitions in other countries.


Ample evidence links ubiquilins to the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative disorders. Ubiquilin-1 (also called PLIC-1) is associated to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) both genetically and functionally as indicated by investigations in different in vitro and in vivo models and human brain. Previous studies by us and others have identified ubiquilin-1 as a central regulator of the metabolism, subcellular localization, trafficking, as well as accumulation and degradation of various neurodegenerative disease-linked proteins, including the AD-associated β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilins. Our recent report reveals a previously uncharacterized relationship between ubiquilin-1 and AD-associated β-site cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1), the rate-limiting enzyme in the generation of the β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides, in cell-based model systems in vitro as well as in the brains of AD model mice in vivo and human patients. Our data suggest that ubiquilin-1 controls BACE1 levels and localization to the late endosomal compartment, the preferred cellular site for Aβ generation. Therefore, the observed decreased levels of ubiquilin-1 in AD brain may result in altered APP processing and Aβ accumulation. Here, we provide a short review on the links between ubiquilin-1 and mechanisms of AD and some other neurodegenerative diseases and then summarize the data in our recent report regarding the newly observed interrelationship between ubiquilin-1 and BACE1.


Abstract The paper deals with the way that the Czech extremist – as well as the mainstream – politicians use to frame the issues related to Moslem migration. The paper seeks to find the answer to a situation of successful use of anti-Islam and anti-immigrant campaigning in the country, which is neither a destination country nor an important transit country for the migrants. The paper approaches the topic through the conceptual lenses of the concept of cognitive frames. By discursive analysis of selected Czech politicians' rhetoric in the period of 2015–2016, the authors show how politicians are constructing the cognitive frameworks on migrants and refugees, connecting these groups with radical Islam and the construct of danger, thus shifting the migration issue from the framework of international assistance and aid to securitized frameworks.


Purpose To compare the effects of testosterone on intraocular pressure (IOP), retinal nerve �ber layer thickness (RNFL), ganglion cell complex (GCC), macular thickness (MT), and ocular blood �ow between female-to-male transgender (FMT) persons who use testosterone and healthy women and healthy men. Method The study included 39 eyes of 20 FMT(group 1), 40 eyes of 20 healthy women (group 2), and 42 eyes of 21 healthy men (group 3). In all subjects, RNFL, GCC, MT were measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Ocular blood �ow was measured by Colour Doppler Ultrasonography in all subjects.