Levin Tree Search (LTS) is a search algorithm that makes use of a policy (a probability distribution over actions)

and comes with a theoretical guarantee on the number of expansions before reaching a goal node, depending on the quality of the policy.

This guarantee can be used as a loss function, which we call the LTS loss, to optimize neural networks representing the policy (LTS+NN).

In this work we show that the neural network can be substituted with parameterized context models originating from the online compression literature (LTS+CM).

We show that the LTS loss is convex under this new model,

which allows for using standard convex optimization tools,

and obtain convergence guarantees to the optimal parameters in an online setting for a given set of solution trajectories --- guarantees that cannot be provided for neural networks.

The new LTS+CM algorithm compares favorably against LTS+NN on several benchmarks: Sokoban (Boxoban), The Witness, and the 24-Sliding Tile puzzle (STP). The difference is particularly large on STP, where LTS+NN fails to solve most of the test instances while LTS+CM solves each test instance in a fraction of a second.

Furthermore, we show that LTS+CM is able to learn a policy that solves the Rubik's cube in only a few hundred expansions, which considerably improves upon previous machine learning techniques.


Abstract 763 MLL is the target of chromosomal translocations which cause leukemias with poor prognosis. All leukemogenic MLL fusion proteins retain the CXXC domain which binds to nonmethylated CpG DNA. We present the solution structure of the MLL CXXC domain in complex with DNA, showing for the first time how the CXXC domain distinguishes nonmethylated from methylated CpG DNA. Based on the structure, we designed point mutations which disrupt DNA binding. Introduction of these mutations into MLL-AF9 results in increased DNA methylation of specific CpG nucleotides in Hoxa9 , increased H3K9 methylation, decreased expression of Hoxa9 locus transcripts, loss of immortalization potential, and inability to induce leukemia in mice. These results establish that DNA binding by the CXXC domain and protection against DNA methylation is essential for MLL fusion leukemia. They also validate this interaction as a potential target for therapeutic intervention. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


We previously identified cystatin C (CystC) as a novel antagonist of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) signaling in normal and malignant cells. However, whether the anti-TGF-beta activities of CystC can be translated to preclinical animal models of breast cancer growth and metastasis remains unproven. Assessing the preclinical efficacy of CystC was accomplished using metastatic 4T1 breast cancer cells, whose oncogenic responses to TGF-beta were inhibited both in vitro and in vivo. Indeed, we observed CystC to prevent TGF-beta from stimulating the growth and pulmonary metastasis of 4T1 tumors in mice in part by reducing the extent of Smad2, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 phosphorylation present in 4T1 tumors. We also found CystC to significantly antagonize angiogenesis in developing 4T1 tumors, suggesting a novel role for CystC in uncoupling TGF-beta signaling in endothelial cells (ECs). Accordingly, CystC dramatically reduced murine and human EC responsiveness to TGF-beta, including their ability to regulate the expression of 1) TGF-beta signaling components, 2) inhibitor of differentiation (ID) family members, and 3) matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors (TIMPs) and to undergo cell invasion and angiogenic sprouting stimulated by TGF-beta. Importantly, CystC prevented TGF-beta from stimulating vessel development in Matrigel plugs implanted into genetically normal mice. Collectively, our findings provide the first preclinical evidence that CystC is efficacious in preventing breast cancer progression and angiogenesis stimulated by the oncogenic TGF-beta signaling system and suggest that CystC-based chemotherapeutics possesses translational efficacy to one day treat and improve the clinical course of late-stage breast cancers.


The authors examine the views of investment and non-investment grade industrial bond issuers about the four leading U.S. credit rating agencies. The issuers differ significantly in their attitudes about the rating agencies. While respondents are generally satisfied with the performance of credit rating agencies, their level of satisfaction is higher for S&P than for Moody's. The results have implications for bond market participants who rely on credit ratings for corporate financing, investment decisions, and risk management.


Background: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteremia is a serious health care-associated infection with significant morbidity and excess hospitalization costs. Our aim is to study the association between incidences of MDR bacteremia, antibiotic consumption, and infection control measures in a hospital from 2013 to 2018. Methods: We analyzed the following indices: (1) incidence of bacteremia (carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumanii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococci); (2) use of antibiotics; (3) consumption of disinfectant solutions for hand hygiene; and (4) isolation rates of MDR carrier patients. Findings: The use of advanced antibiotics (p = 0.001) and carbapenems (p = 0.008) decreased significantly in all hospital departments but the incidence of total MDR bacteremia did not change significantly. Increased use of hand disinfectant solutions was statistically associated with decreased incidence of total MDR bacteremia (incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 0.94, confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.90-0.99, p: 0.020) in all hospital. Also, increased isolation rates of MDR carrier patients 2 months before correlated with decreased incidence of bacteremia due to carbapenem-resistant gram-negative pathogens (IRR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.18-0.66, p: 0.001) in adults intensive care unit. Conclusion: In our hospital, hand hygiene and isolation of MDR carrier patients controlled MDR bacteremia.


We demonstrate an InP-based photonic multiwavelength transmitter realized by integrating an array of distributed Bragg reflector lasers with modulators in Mach-Zehnder configuration. An arrayed waveguide grating is used to multiplex the generated signals into a common optical output. The device is designed according to a generic integration concept, using standardized building blocks, and is fabricated in a multiproject wafer run. The device delivers up to 4 dBm of optical power into the fiber with a modulation data rate of 12.5 Gbps per transmission channel. The obtained performance makes it very promising for application in the next generation optical access networks as a key source in the central office part of the telecommunication systems.


Reverse takotsubo cardiomyopathy (rTTC) is a rare variant of takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) which is characterized by reversible left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Emotional and physical stress have been implicated in triggering TTC especially in postmenopausal women. TTC and its variants are becoming more recognized due to the widespread adoption of early coronary angiography in the setting of acute coronary syndromes. A man in his late 50s presented to the emergency department with left lower extremity pain, swelling, and cyanosis. Clinical assessment was consistent with phlegmasia cerulea dolens, with deep venous thrombosis detected by venous duplex ultrasound. During his admission, he developed clinical and EKG findings suggestive of acute coronary syndrome. Emergent coronary angiography and ventriculography revealed basal and midventricular hypokinesis with hyperdynamic left ventricular apex, depressed LV dysfunction without coronary artery obstruction diagnostic of reverse takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Venous thromboembolism is a rare finding but has been associated with takotsubo cardiomyopathy and should be considered in the appropriate setting.


With complexities of systems-on-chips (SoCs) rising almost daily, the system designers have been searching for new design methodology that can handle given complexities with decreased times-to-market. The obvious solution that comes to mind is increasing the level of abstraction. However the system designers also care about the system architectures, HW/SW performance, and communication protocols. Furthermore, the transaction-level model (TLM) can satisfy the requests on complex design with relative high simulation speed and well performance evaluation. In this paper, we implement a TLM-based network-on-chip (NoC) platform and share-bus system architecture with SystemC. We also implement the H.263 encoder as the system application, and apply a design methodology at electronic-system level (ESL) to make design modeling, design space exploration and performance evaluation. Out platform is able to evaluate performance in relatively short time, obtain important information and complete the design more instinctively. In addition, we compare and contrast the NoC and share-bus system architectures in terms of evaluation performance. In experimental result, the performance bottleneck in communication congestion is solved well by using the NoC instead of using the share-bus design.


Patients with eczema experienced significant changes in systemic immunity indexes that indicate the presence of immunomediated mechanisms of the development involving T link immunity, with multi-directional changes of subpopulations of T lymphocytes in patients with different clinical forms of dermatitis. It was established that more significant changes in rates of systemic immunity were observed in patients suffering from eczema with advanced skin lesions and prolonged (over 3 years) course of dermatosis which justifies the advisability of administering adequate, immunocorrective therapy for such patients.


The past 30 years have seen a consistent increase in agricultural commercialization in rural Viet Nam, at the same time when rural residents have moved increasingly into non-agricultural activities.The contribution of the latter to welfare improvement and poverty reduction is well known; in this paper we investigate the extent to which increased agricultural commercialization has also contributed to improving welfare levels. For this purpose, we use the five-wave Viet Nam Access to Resources Household Survey (VARHS) panel data set from 2008–16 to consider the specific impacts of increased commercialization of rice, Viet Nam& 39;s dominant crop.We use three measures of welfare and two measures of agricultural commercialization, and find a significant impact of commercialization on household assets, a longer term welfare measure. However, we do not find much impact on household income and food consumption. The results also show heterogeneous effects across different types of households, with particularly large impacts for those who are frequent sellers.


We characterized seven temperature-sensitive capsid cleavage (cleavage-defective) mutants of encephalomyocarditis virus. Our experimental approach was to monitor in vitro proteolysis reactions of either wild-type or cleavage-defective mutant capsid precursors mixed with cell-free translation products (containing the viral protease) of either wild-type or mutant viral RNA. The cell-free translation reactions and in vitro proteolysis reactions were done at 38 degrees C, because at this temperature cleavage of the capsid precursors was restricted in reactions containing cleavage-defective mutant viral RNA as the message, relative to those reactions containing wild-type viral RNA as the message. Wild-type or cleavage-defective mutant capsid precursors were prepared by adding cycloheximide to cell-free translation reactions primed with wild-type or mutant viral RNA, respectively, 12 min after the initiation of translation. In vitro proteolysis of wild-type capsid precursors with cell-free translation products of either wild-type or cleavage-defective mutant viral RNA led to similar products at 38 degrees C, indicating that the cleavage-defective mutant viral protease was not temperature sensitive. As a corollary to this, at 38 degrees C cleavage-defective mutant capsid precursors were not cleaved as completely as were wild-type capsid precursors by products of cell-free translation of wild-type viral RNA. The results from these in vitro proteolysis experiments indicate that all seven of the cleavage-defective mutants have capsid precursors with a temperature-sensitive configuration.


The Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC) developed by CIDB to measure and evaluate the quality of workmanship and finishes of construction works. Unfortunately, QLASSIC is not fully implemented and applied by all contractors in Malaysia as this element is not a compulsory requirement in getting projects. This paper presents the findings of determination on the understanding of contractors towards the implementation of Quality Assessment System in construction (QLASSIC) in construction industry. This objective was achieved based on the literature review and questionnaire survey. The respondents were selected based on the grade of contractor from G5 to G7 construction companies in Klang Valley. Sample of questionnaire would be 200 and the reply from respondents responded is 95. The data was analysed using Reliability Analysis and Descriptive Analysis. The results indicate that the understanding of contractors is only basic understanding on QLASSIC system but the detail implementation of QLASSIC from contractors were still low. On further research, it may able to study on the implementation of QLASSIC in client's perspective. The research will study on the implementation of QLASSIC but in the others perspective which is look into the understanding of QLASSIC to clients, the challenges and benefit from QLASSIC implementation.


AIMS: To investigate the relation between localised amyloidosis and immunocytic dyscrasia. METHODS: Open lung biopsy specimens from a 72 year old man with multiple nodules in the right middle and lower lung were stained with haematoxylin-eosin, Congo red, and antibodies against IgG, IgA, IgM, and kappa and lambda light chains. Semi-nested PCR amplification for the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene was performed using consensus primers for the VDJ region of the IgH gene, FR3A, LJH, and VLJH. RESULTS: The biopsy specimens contained eosinophilic amorphous material stained with Congro red and anti-kappa light chain, and surrounded by inflammatory cells intermingled with plasma cells. Plasma cells in the adjacent amorphous material showed cytoplasmic staining with anti-kappa. Polymerase chain reaction revealed a discrete amplified band of apparently uniform size with background smear. CONCLUSIONS: Primary AL type localised amyloidosis involves local accumulation of monoclonal plasma cells and their secreted products, as in nodular cutaneous amyloidosis. Localised AL type nodular amyloidosis is a separate entity in amyloidosis.


[Purpose] This study examined the effects of manipulation of the thorax and the intensity of the pressure biofeedback unit on the superficial cervical flexors muscle during craniocervical flexion exercise. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty three subjects participated in the experiment. Thirty three healthy people without any orthopedic history were also selected. The subjects could monitor the pressure applied to cervical vertebra 3 of the craniocervical junction by markings on the pressure biofeedback unit. Craniocervical flexion exercise was performed for 20 seconds per pressure, and two minutes of rest was allowed after exercise to reduce muscle fatigue. [Results] Significant differences in the post-training gains in the sternocleidomastoid and scalene were observed between the thorax fixation group and thorax non-fixation group. The thorax fixation group showed that muscle activation of the sternocleidomastoid and scalene was increased when the pressure biofeedback unit intensity was 40 mmHg than when pressure biofeedback unit intensity was 20 mmHg and 30 mmHg in the post-hoc result. The thorax non-fixation group showed that muscle activation of the sternocleidomastoid and scalene was higher when the pressure biofeedback unit intensity was 40mmHg compared to that when the pressure biofeedback unit intensity was 20mmHg in the post-hoc result. [Conclusion] Craniocervical flexion exercise is a clinically effective method that reduces the superficial neck flexor muscle activation.


The Kimberley region in far-north Western Australia has some of the highest reported incidences of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the nation. This report documents the region's incidence rates of gonorrhoea and syphilis from 1997 to 2001 and of chlamydia from 1993 to 2001. Chlamydia rates have been increasing since 1993 when genital chlamydia became a notifiable disease. By contrast, gonorrhoea rates remained stable from 1997 to 2001. Syphilis rates, which plateaued between 1996 and 2000 following a steep decrease in the previous decade, rose in 2001 in association with a regional syphilis outbreak. Factors important in interpreting changes in STI rates over time include the increased accuracy of more recent census data, the introduction of new and more sensitive diagnostic techniques and the influence of health workforce numbers and skills on STI diagnosis.


LVCMOS is Low Voltage Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor. I/O standard is used to match the impedance of input line, output line, input port, output port and device in order to avoid transmission line reflection. Selection of energy efficient I/O standard is required to make energy efficient ROM. LVCMOS12 is the most optimal IO standard. Whereas, LVCMOS33 is the highest power consumer IO standard. With uniform frequency, there is no change in clock power and signal power but LVCMOS33 having 76.47%, 64.47%, 55.88%, 14.07% more I/O power consumption with respect to LVCMOS12, LVCMOS15, LVCMOS18, LVCMOS25, respectively. We can save up to 77% power using the energy efficient LVCMOS12 I/O standards. When, there is no demand of peak performance, then we can save 92.18% clock power, 100% signal power, and 75.75% I/O power by operating our device with 1GHz frequency in place of 4GHz using dynamic frequency scaling as power management techniques.


The thermoremanent magnetization in the insulating spin glasses CsNiFeF6, CsCoFeF6, and CsCoCrF6 was measured with a superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer below the spin glass temperature. The time range of the observed decay of the magnetization after removing an applied magnetic field between 2 and 43 G was from 10-2 to 103 s. It is shown that the experimental results follow closely the form predicted by a new theory of continuous phase transitions.


The performance of a multi-layer honeycomb skeleton can be significantly enhanced through tandem connection, while the structure's properties can be tailored by altering the layer stacking method of the honeycomb skeleton. To investigate the impact of layer stacking methods on the mechanical properties of multilayer honeycomb skeletons, 3D printing technology was used to prepare double-layer honeycomb skeleton tandem structures with different dislocation modes in compression testing. A finite element simulation model was established to conduct quasi-static simulation research. Compared to that of a single-layer honeycomb skeleton, the energy absorption of the honeycomb skeleton tandem structure increased. The optimal bearing capacity of the honeycomb skeleton was achieved when the upper and lower layers were precisely aligned. Once dislocation occurred, both the value of average platform stress and energy absorption decreased. Then, the bearing capacity of the honeycomb skeleton tandem structures increased with an enlargement of the dislocation, reaching its maximum at the half-dislocation period. An increase in the partition thickness and stiffness led to a reduction in the dislocation-induced effects on the mechanical properties. The research results can provide theoretical and data support for the engineering application of honeycomb skeleton tandem structures.


The cognitive, linguistic and memory functions of non-retarded fragile X heterozygotes and matched controls were examined by a detailed protocol of neuropsychological measures in order to determine the incidence of specific learning disabilities in this subgroup, and to compare their performance profiles with those of control subjects (mothers of Down syndrome sons). There were no group differences in psychometric intelligence, but the heterozygotes scored significantly lower than controls on most academic achievement tests, as well as on language-based neuropsychological measures. By neuropsychological criteria, 8 of the 15 heterozygotes, but only one of the controls, exhibited performance profiles consistent with a diagnosis of specific learning disability, and similar to cognitive profiles commonly seen in individuals from the general population with developmental dyslexia.


Genotoxicity in cells may occur in different ways, direct interaction, production of electrophilic metabolites, and secondary genotoxicity via oxidative stress. Chloroform, dichloromethane, and toluene are primarily metabolized in liver by CYP2E1, producing reactive electrophilic metabolites, and may also produce oxidative stress via the uncoupled CYP2E1 catalytic cycle. Additionally, GSTT1 also participates in dichloromethane activation. Despite the oxidative metabolism of these compounds and the production of oxidative adducts, their genotoxicity in the bone marrow micronucleus test is unclear. The objective of this work was to analyze whether the oxidative metabolism induced by the coexposure to these compounds would account for increased micronucleus frequency. We used an approach including the analysis of phase I, phase II, and antioxidant enzymes, oxidative stress biomarkers, and micronuclei in bone marrow (MNPCE) and hepatocytes (MNHEP). Rats were administered different doses of an artificial mixture of CLF/DCM/TOL, under two regimes. After one administration MNPCE frequency increased in correlation with induced GSTT1 activity and no oxidative stress occurred. Conversely, after three-day treatments oxidative stress was observed, without genotoxicity. The effects observed indicate that MNPCE by the coexposure to these VOCs could be increased via inducing the activity of metabolism enzymes.


Oxidative cleavage of internal double bonds in polycyclic systems can give access to compounds containing medium- to large-sized rings. In this example, the nine- and ten-membered ring containing compounds that resulted from the mCPBA-mediated (mCPBA=meta-chloroperoxybenzoic acid) oxidative cleavage reaction were shown to exhibit atropisomerism. The reaction of the polycyclic system with catalytic amounts of ruthenium tetraoxide followed by diol cleavage achieved the same synthetic goal. Use of the Nishiyama-Beller ruthenium-based catalysts enabled the synthesis of optically-enriched samples, providing the first example of an atropselective oxidative cleavage reaction.


Research background. About 30% of lumbar pain is caused by sacroiliac joint disfunction (Alayat et al., 2017). The problem often becomes chronic lower back pain of about 10–23% of people around the world (Diaz-Cerrillo et al., 2017). As a result, the lumbar function and muscle endurance decrease. Research aim was to investigate sacroiliac joint mobilization effect of lumbar pain and function on patients with chronic non-specifc lumbar pain. Methods. Twenty people who felt chronic non-specifc lumbar pain and had sacroiliac joint disfunction were investigated in this research. Research methods were VAS pain scale, Measurement of lumbar range of motion and Lumbar muscle stamina tests. Results. The results of the study showed that pain decreased in the study group from score 3.31 ± 0.56 to 1.38 ± 0.39 (p < 0.05). The torso muscle dynamics and isometric endurance and torso amplitude improved (p < 0.05), comparing values before and after treatment. In the control group, the pain after treatment decreased from score 3.02 ± 0.23 to 1.27 ± 0.36 (p < 0.05). The torso muscle dynamics and isometric endurance and torso amplitude improved (p < 0.05), comparing values before and after treatment. Conclusion. The spinal stabilization exercises together with sacroiliac joint mobilization are a more effective treatment than spinal stabilization exercises alone. In addition to this, average pain level decreased, function of lumbar part of spine as well as lumbar muscle stamina increased.Keywords: sacroiliac joint mobilization, chronic non-specifc lumbar pain, functional lumbar indicators.


We fabricated a ZnO nanosheet-based piezoelectric nanogenerator with different thicknesses and types of dielectric layers. The electrical outputs from the nanogenerators with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and poly(methyl methacrylates)(PMMA) layers were measured under a constant load and frequency. We found that the electrical output decreased with decreasing the thickness of the dielectric layer. The working mechanism can be explained in terms of the capacitance difference between the dielectric layers. The calculated result for the number of accumulated electrons in the dielectric layer was a constant. This indicates that the capacitance of the dielectric layer plays an important role in deciding the output potential. This result implies that a careful design of the dielectric layer is necessary to improve the electrical outputs of piezoelectric nanogenerators.


Imagine a world in which your medicine cabinet notices that you are due for a prescription refill and calls it in. A sensor implanted under your skin detects a fluid buildup in your lungs and alerts your doctor, who decides your heart medication needs an adjustment and contacts the pharmacist to change your dosage. Meanwhile, sensors in your toilet confirm that your body has adjusted well to your other medications but sees indications that you may be a borderline diabetic. Your doctor, given these readings and your family medical history, suggests that you change your diet. Noting that fact, your bathroom scale asks you to punch in a weightloss goal and starts giving you a regular progress update. Your medical checkup isn't an annual event- it happens every day, simply as you go about your daily life.


Purpose: The aim of this study is to describe the patient population and the process of care in patients with subacromial shoulder complaints both in physiotherapy and in general practice. Relevance: Shoulder complaints are common in the daily practice of a general practitioner (GP) and physiotherapist. They often have a recurrent and lengthy clinical course and substantial disability in daily livingmayresult from it, leading to consumption of medical health care and sick leave from work. About 80% of all these shoulder complaints concern subacromial complaints but according to recent systematic reviews information about the patient population and process of care is lacking. Participants: From two electronic registration networks for general practitioners and physiotherapists, patients were selected that visited their GP in 2008 (4227) or physiotherapist between 2003 and 2010 (2068) for shoulder syndromes (ICPC L92). Methods: Observational study using data from electronic registration networks. Analysis: Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables. Chi-square tests (α = 0.05) were used to test differences in categorical data between patients with subacromial complaints and the general populations; two-sample t-tests were used for continuous data. Results: In general and physiotherapy practice, 43% of the patients with subacromial complaints were male and the mean age was 54 years. On average, patients with subacromial complaints visited their general practitioner (GP) 1.5 times a year. In 63% of the patients medicines were described, mostly anti-inflammatory drugs. 27% of all patients received an injection with corticosteroids. Almost 8% of the patients were referred for physiotherapy. In the average physiotherapy practice almost 76% of the patients with subacromial complaints were referred by a GP, 13% by a medical specialist and 11% came via direct access. More than half of the patients visited the physiotherapist within three months since the complaints began. On average, physiotherapists treated patients with subacromial complaints 16 times in 13 weeks. Most frequently, physiotherapists focussed their treatment on mobility and pain to restore function of the arm and hand. To realise this, functions and skills were trained. Also manual mobilisation and massage were regularly used interventions. At the end of the treatment, according to the physiotherapists, the treatment goals were accomplished in 59% of all patients. Conclusions: Compared to the total group of patients with musculoskeletal problems, patients with subacromial complaints visit their GP more often. In comparison with the general patient population that visits a physiotherapist, patients with subacromial complaints are older and wait longer before they access a physiotherapist. They also receive more treatment sessions. Mobility is chosen more frequently as a treatment goal and muscle functions less often than in the general population. According to the physiotherapists, at the end of treatment, the goals are reached less often in patients with subacromial complaints. Implications: These results can be used as benchmark information for practice and research. For example whether the recruited patient population in new trails is representative of the average population with subacromial complaints. In addition, it provides leads for possible improvements in treatment, e.g., is earlier treatment by a physiotherapist associated with better outcome?


Abstract Background Periodic alternating nystagmus is a rare condition characterised by spontaneous horizontal nystagmus that periodically reverses direction, indicating an alteration of the velocity storage mechanism. Windmill nystagmus is a peculiar and rare variant of periodic alternating horizontal nystagmus with a superimposed periodic alternating vertical nystagmus. It is generally observed in blind patients. Case report This paper presents the unique case of a normally sighted patient with a windmill nystagmus triggered by an episode of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo due to bilateral posterior canalolithiasis. Videonystagmography revealed an anticlockwise up-beating nystagmus followed by a clockwise down-beating nystagmus with a cycle lasting 2 minutes, followed by a brief burst of horizontal left-beating nystagmus. Conclusion This case report represents the first observation of a new type of windmill nystagmus, probably provoked by a malfunction of the velocity storage mechanism, gaze-stabilisation and short-adaptation networks, with a loss of cerebellar inhibition.


In this paper we propose an accurate and robust image mosaicing method of soccer video using line tracking and self-calibration. The mosaicing of soccer video is not easy because their playing fields are low textured and moving players are included in the fields. Our approach is to track line features on the playing fields. The line features are detected and tracked using self-calibration technique for rotating and zooming camera. In order to track line features efficiently, we propose a new line tracking algorithm called the camera parameter guided line tracking, which works even when the camera motion undergoes sudden changes. Since we need not know any model for scenes beforehand, the proposed algorithm can be easily extended to other video sources as well as other sports videos. Experimental results show the accuracy and robustness of the algorithm.


The article focuses on the analyses of the EU countries positions about Turkey joining to the European Union. Religious factor, as well as social, political and economic difficulties, impedes Turkey to join the EU.


Regulation of the functional status of integrin receptors plays a critical role in inflammation and tissue remodeling, as it affects cell adherence and cytokine secretion. We have previously shown that in monocytes the binding of collagen to the alpha 2 beta 1 integrin induces the release of IL-1, an event that is potentiated by binding of fibronectin (Fn) to the alpha 5 beta 1 integrin. In this study, we have investigated the mechanisms leading to this phenomenon. Fn binding to alpha 5 beta 1 induced intracellular signals which increased the alpha 2 beta 1-dependent adhesiveness of monocytes to collagen without modifications of alpha 2 beta 1 expression. By using Abs against the intracellular region of the alpha 5 subunit of the alpha 5 beta 1 receptor, and specific inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC), we found that the potentiation effect of Fn on monocyte IL-1 production and their adherence to collagen was dependent on an intact alpha 5 subunit cytoplasmic domain, and required PKC activation. Although the alpha 2 beta 1 could be activated by several intracellular second messengers, including protein kinase A and intracellular calcium, the potentiating effect of Fn was mediated only by PKC. These data provide an example of a novel regulatory mechanism: potentiation of beta 1 integrin-mediated events as a result of ligand binding to another integrin of the same class. They also show that the intracellular region of alpha 5 beta 1 plays a critical role in transducing signals generated by ligand binding to alpha 5 beta 1.


Many Miniature Aerial Vehicles (MAV) are driven by small scale, fixed blade propellers which can have significant impact on MAV aerodynamics. In the design and analysis process for MAVs, numerous computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations of the coupled aircraft and propeller are often conducted which require a time averaged, steady-state approximation of the propeller for computational efficiency. Most steady state propeller models apply an actuator disk of momentum sources to model the thrust and swirl imparted to the flowfield by a propeller. The majority of these momentum source models are based on blade element theory. Blade element theory discretizes the blade into airfoil sections and assumes them to behave as two-dimensional (2D) airfoils. Blade element theory neglects 3D flow effects that can greatly affect propeller performance limiting its accuracy and range of application. In this paper, surrogate models for the time averaged thrust and swirl produced by each blade element are trained from a database of time-accurate, high-fidelity 3D CFD propeller simulations. Since the surrogate models are trained from these high-fidelity CFD simulations, various 3D effects on propellers are inherently accounted for such as tip loss, hub loss, post stall effect, and element interaction. These surrogate models are functions of local flow properties at the blade elements and are embedded into 3D CFD simulations as locally adaptive momentum source terms. Results of the thrust profiles for the steady-state surrogate propeller model are compared to the time-dependent, high-fidelity 3D CFD propeller simulations coupled to an aircraft. This surrogate propeller model which is dependent on local flowfield properties simulates the timeaveraged flowfield produced by the propeller and captures the 3D effects and accuracy of time-dependent 3D CFD propeller blade simulations but at a much lower cost.


Objective:In Old World monkeys, the tripartite motif 5α (TRIM5α) protein confers resistance to HIV-1 infection following virus entry into host cells. However, the pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina) is an exception and is susceptible to HIV-1 infection. This study dissects the molecular mechanism of the pig-tailed macaque's susceptibility to HIV-1 infection. Methods:Genomic sequencing and expression analysis of the TRIM5α gene was conducted in the pig-tailed macaque. A novel TRIM5-Cyclophilin A fusion gene isoform was identified and subsequently cloned into the pcDNA3.1(+) expression vector. This construct was transfected into HeLa-T4 or HeLa cells which were then infected with the HIV-1IIIB or HIV-GFP-VSVG pseudotyped virus, to examine the effects of the TRIM5-Cyclophilin A fusion protein on HIV-1 infection. Results:A novel TRIM5-Cyclophilin A fusion gene (mnTRIMCyp) in the pig-tailed macaque was found and its fusion pattern is different from the known fusion gene in the owl monkey (owlTRIMCyp). TRIMCyp protein expression in transfected cells was confirmed by western blotting. The tests using HIV-1IIIB and HIV-GFP-VSVG pseudotyped virus indicated that mnTRIMCyp did not inhibit HIV-1 replication at various multiplicities of infection. Conclusions:The mnTRIMCyp fusion protein does not restrict replication of HIV-1, which provides a potential molecular mechanism that might explain why the pig-tailed macaque is prone to HIV-1 infection, the only known exception in Old World monkeys.


DC power supply are commonly used to convert DC voltage level to another level. One type of DC power supply is a buck converter that is used to lower a voltage level. In order to have a proper feedback of voltage output in buck converter system, it will be controlled by a  Two Degrees of Freedom PID Controller. This research aim to analyze the performance of the buck converter that have a Two Degrees of Freedom PID Controller. Two Degrees of Freedom Controller has proportional, integral and derivative control parameters. The simulation of the system is made with the help of software MATLAB. The first simulation and analysis is buck converter system without controller. From the analysis, the desired criteria is obtained . Then a buck converter system was designed. It is controlled using a parallel type of Two Degrees of Freedom PID Controller as well as feedforward, feedback, and filter. From all these types of controllers, it showed that the first order of Proportional Differential Filter (PDF) feedforward type with the value of  Kp = 171, Kd = 0.00545, Tf = 4.88e-07 and the first order of  PDF feedback type with the value of Kp = 171, Kd = 0.00545, Tf = 4.88e-07 was considered as the proper controller that matched with the characteristic. Therefore, it could be concluded that the buck converter controlling system with Two Degrees of Freedom PID Controller could produce a buck converter system with a good performance compared to buck converter without any controllers. Keywords: Buck converter, Two Degrees of Freedom PID Controller, control system, time domain performance .


Abstract Snowmelt regions on Greenland ice are mapped daily with the SeaWinds wideswath Ku-band (13.4 GHz) scatterometer on the QuikSCAT satellite. The approach exploits the high temporal resolution of SeaWinds/QuikSCAT data for the melt mapping using diurnal backscatter change independent of the absolute calibration. The results reveal several pronounced melting and refreezing events, and effects of topography are evident in the melt patterns. The spatial resolution is sufficient to identify melt features on the Sukker-toppen Iskappe west of the main ice sheet. An anomalous warming event, caused by down-ward mixing of warm air, is detected in late September 1999 over the west flank of the southern Greenland ice sheet. Time-series images of melt regions are presented over the period from summer to the fall freeze-up. The satellite observations are verified with in situ measurements from the Greenland Climate Network stations.


Total beta-adrenoceptor density and beta 1- and beta 2-subtype distribution in right and left atria and in different ventricular regions from 14 failing and seven nonfailing human hearts have been compared. End-stage heart failure was due to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 8) or ischaemic cardiomyopathy (n = 6). In nonfailing hearts the total beta-adrenoceptor density was similar in the right and left atria and in all the ventricular regions studied (about 70 to 80 fmol/mg protein). The beta 1:beta 2-adrenoceptor ratio in both nonfailing atria was similar (about 70:30%) and was significantly smaller than in the different regions of both ventricles (about 80:20%). The beta 1-subtype density was similar in nonfailing atria and ventricles (about 55 fmol/mg protein). The beta 2-subtype density was significantly higher in the right and left atrium (about 25 fmol/mg protein) than in both ventricles (about 15 fmol/mg protein). In patients with end-stage heart failure due to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy or ischaemic cardiomyopathy the total beta-adrenoceptor density was reduced by 50-60% in all regions. On the other hand, the beta 1- and beta 2-subtype distribution differed with the cause of heart failure. In patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, the beta 1-adrenoceptor density was not significantly reduced. In patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy both beta 1- and beta 2-adrenoceptors were reduced in all regions. It is concluded that downregulation of beta-adrenoceptors in patients with end-stage idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy or ischaemic cardiomyopathy occurs uniformly throughout the heart. The results support the hypothesis that changes in beta-adrenoceptor subtypes may be related to the cause of heart failure.


The results of model calculations of the critical currents of silver sheathed Bi(2223) multifilamentary tapes with reduced -anisotropy, which can be achieved by assembling the filaments into several preferred orientations with respect to the external transverse magnetic field, are presented. Such tapes can be prepared by a two-axial rolling technique. It is shown that the properties of tape with higher disordered orientation of the filaments will approach those of isotropic tape. The characteristics of this new class of tapes have been constructed with respect to the angular dependence of the mutual orientation of the magnetic field and the tape surface. A comparison of the evaluated critical current values with those of an original tape with the same cross-section was performed. Further, these data were used for calculation of the critical current of a small model magnet consisting of cylindrical pancake coils. Unexpected results were obtained, showing that practically no appreciable change in the absolute value of the resulting critical current of the magnet can be achieved when the magnet winding is made of the tape with reduced anisotropy. It is shown that the increase in the critical currents of some turns is accompanied by the simultaneous decrease of the critical currents of other turns. However, a slight increase in the magnet critical current at 77 K could be achieved by combining both tape types in the winding, i.e. the tape showing considerable anisotropy and the tape with reduced anisotropy. The influence of the tape widening on the resulting engineering current density is discussed.


ESR spectra of single crystals of silver(I) nitrate–butanedinitrile(1/1) were measured at 77 K. Two paramagnetic centers, –CN···Ag2+···NC– and NO32−···Ag+, appeared simultaneously on X-irradiation at 77 K. The principal values of the g value (g) and the hyperfine coupling constants (A in the units of 10−1 cm−4) were g1=2.050, g2=2.053, and g3=2.302, A(Ag)1=21.8, A(Ag)2=22.0, A(Ag)3=34.9, A(N)1=15.3, A(N)2=15.9, and A(N)3=14.0 for the first center, and g⁄⁄=2.001, g⊥=2.006, A(Ag)⁄⁄=20.3, A(Ag)⊥=17.4, A(N)⁄⁄=59.4, and A(N)⊥=32.8 for the second center. When the crystals X-irradiated at 77 K were exposed to visible light, the two centers disappeared simultaneously and the NO2 radicals increased. When the crystals X-irradiated at 77 K were warmed to room temperature, the first center changed to a new paramagnetic center, in which the unpaired electron coupled with a silver nucleus, two equivalent nitrogen nuclei, and a proton.


Concentration profiles for Ca, Na, AI, K, Fe, Ti, Mg, Sr, and Ba obtained by electron microprobe and secondary ion mass spectrometry from plagioclase crystals, together with textural observations from interference contrast microscopy, are consistent with contrasting magma dynamics in two subvolcanic reservoirs from which silicic lavas erupted at the Tatara-San Pedro volcanic complex, Chilean Andes. The 1 km3 late Pleistocene (68 ka) Tatara dacite is chemically homogeneous, phenocryst-poor, and contains crystals of opacitized hornblende, orthopyroxene, and titanomagnetite, plus 2 mm euhedral plagioclase phenocrysts with simple zoning patterns. Except at their rims, analyzed phenocrysts show nearly monotonic core-to-rim changes from An52 to An31, including slight decreases in MgO and FeO' and slight increases in Ba, Sr, and K concentrations. Abrupt, but small, chemical shifts are associated with many subtle dissolution surfaces. In contrast, the 0.1 km3 of chemically and texturally heterogeneous Holocene San Pedro dacite contains crystals of clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, hornblende, biotite, titanomagnetite, ilmenite, and abundant 2 mm euhedral plagioclase phenocrysts, plus plagioclase and olivine xenocrysts derived from fragmented quenched basaltic inclusions. Analyzed phenocrysts span the range from Ann to An32. Abrupt increases of 15 mol% An, large increases in MgO, FeO', and Sr, and decreases in Ba and K20 concentrations are associated with a few major dissolution surfaces. Plagioclase xenocrysts of An74-86have higher Sr, MgO, and FeO' and lower Ba and K concentrations than the phenocrysts, reflecting crystallization from a basaltic melt. In both dacites, phenocryst rims decrease in Sr and increase in K and Ti relatiye to equilibrium values as a consequence of rapid crystal growth at high undercooling during magma ascent and eruption. Modeling of variations in apparent D~~ag/melt implies growth rates for the ~ 100 JLm phenocryst rims of 10-9 cm/s, suggesting that magma ascent may have taken several months. Provided these kinetic effects are identified, the remainder of the concentration profiles for Sr, Ba, Mg, and K in plagioclase phenocrysts can be inverted using partition coefficient expressions to monitor the temporal evolution of melts in the preeruptive magma chambers. Monotonic melt trends and periodic thermal dissolution of Tatara dacite phenocrysts imply a magma chamber closed to inputs of new magma and heat. Repeated cycles of crystal growth and weak dissolution occurred during phenocryst retention in thermally driven convection cells characterized by steady-state laminar flow. In contrast, dissolution events associated with large, abrupt shifts in melt Sr, Mg, and K/Ba toward basaltic values indicate that in the Holocene magma chamber heating of silicic melt adjacent to basaltic inclusions during magma mingling caused plagioclase dissolution. Renewed plagioclase growth from the resulting small volumes of hybrid melt recorded highly localized chemical mixing by diffusion and accompanying cycles of fractionation. INTRODUCTION and chamberwide stratification (Hildreth, 1979; Marsh, 1989a; Druitt and Bacon, 1989). In addition, open-system behavior, including mechanical mingling, thermal equilibration, and chemical mixing of initially separate magmas (Eichelberger, 1978; Bacon, 1986), crustal assimilation (Wilcox, 1954; Bacon et aI., 1989), and eruption and degassing (e.g., Rutherford and Hill, 1993; CashProcesses in sub volcanic magma chambers playa major role in producing the spectrum of igneous rock compositions on Earth. Intrinsic phenomena include the following: cooling, crystallization, and convection of the magma, crystal fractionation or retention in residual melt, 0003-004 X/9 5/0708-077 6$02.00 776 SINGER ET AL.: VOLCANIC PLAGIOCLASE man, 1992) are well documented. Despite theoretical and experimental studies focused on such processes (e.g., Sparks et at, 1984, 1993; Sparks and Marshall, 1986; Huppert and Sparks, 1988; Marsh, 1988, 1989a, 1989b; Weinstein et at, 1988; Oldenberg et aI., 1989), extracting unambiguous information about the dynamic history of natural magmas has proved difficult (Marsh, 1990, 1991; Sparks, 1990; Huppert and Turner, 1991). Plagioclase phenocrysts preserve records of the chemical and physical evolution of magma chambers (e.g., Anderson, 1984; Pearce et aI., 1987; Blundy and Shimizu, 1991) because slow interdiffusion (Grove et aI., 1984) ensures that their chemical and textural zoning reflects primary growth. The major element composition of plagioclase (albite-anorthite) and its stability are functions of intensive and kinetic parameters, including melt composition and H20 content, temperature and pressure (Tsuchiyama, 1985; Rutherford and Devine, 1988; Housh and Luhr, 1991), decompression (Nelson and Montana, 1992), and growth rate (Lofgren, 1980). Thus, it is difficult to discriminate uniquely among rival magmatic effects on the basis of binary compositional variations. Since Homma's (1932) interpretation that oscillatory zoned plagioclase in andesitic lavas recorded thermally driven magmatic convection cycles, many petrologists have sought to correlate zoning in plagioclase with specific magmatic processes. An approach that can be used in conjunction with profiles of binary plagioclase components is to examine variations in non binary components present at minor (< 5000 ppm) or trace « 500 ppm) levels in these phenocrysts. Depending on the element, these concentrations reflect abundances in the melt, An content of the plagioclase, and kinetic factors such as diffusion in the melt and crystal growth rates. In this paper we address the behavior of nonbinary elements present at variable concentrations in coexisting melts, including the major elements Mg, Fe, Ti, and K. The elements Sr and Ba, which are present in trace amounts in the liquid but at minor (Sr) or trace (Ba) concentrations in plagioclase, are presumed (along with K) to occur as stoichiometric nonbinary feldspar substitutions. The precisions ofSr, Ba, Mg, and Fe determinations in plagioclase by EPMA are limited by low count rates, high detection limits, Na volatilization, and Fe fluorescence (e.g., Longhi et aI., 1976). Droitt and Bacon (1989) discriminate between high-Sr (> 2500 ppm) and low-Sr ( < 1500 ppm) plagioclase phenocrysts with a 2crprecision of :t 20% (300-500 ppm). Such uncertainties preclude application of EPMA data to studies of zoning in which the goal is to quantify subtle compositional variations in liquids or to separate kinetic from compositional and thermal effects. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) using an ion microprobe permits more precise measurements of non binary element concentrations in plagioclase (Meyer et at, 1974; Steele et at, 1980). The ion probe provides the spatial resolution (~ 10 JLm) and analytical precision (:t2-50/0) necessary for inversion of zoning profiles for 777 elements such as Sr, Mg, and Ba to obtain records of melt evolution (Meyer et at, 1974; Shimizu, 1978; Blundyand Shimizu, 1991). Compositionally dependent textural features in etched plagioclase crystals may be imaged at the micrometer scale using reflected-light Nomarski differential interference contrast (NDIC) microscopy (Anderson, 1983). Internal features of plagioclase phenocrysts, such as dissolution surfaces and fine oscillatory growth zoning, which are difficult to detect in transmitted light, are readily visible with NDIC (Pearce et at, 1987; Pearce and Kolisnik, 1990). All EPMA and SIMS data in this study were obtained following thorough documentation of dissolution and growth features using NDIC imagery. Calculations of transient melt compositions from solidphase compositions require partitioning expressions that accurately incorporate thermal and compositional dependencies. The types of dependencies inherent in plagioclase-melt expressions differ for Sr, Ba, Fe, Mg, and K (Blundy and Wood, 1991; Longhi et at, 1976; Nagasawa and Schnetzler, 1971). Although errors in these expressions (analytical and formulaic) apparently do not preclude the applications proposed in this paper, additional determinations on the basis of carefully designed experiments could resolve several outstanding questions (Morse, 1992; Blundy and Wood, 1992, 1994). The D~~ag/melt and D§~glmeltrelations derived by Blundy and Wood (1991) from experimental data are based on their conclusion that partitioning of Sr and Ba between plagioclase and melt is insensitive to melt composition and temperature and is principally a function of An content of the crystal. This interpretation is reinforced by experiments illustrating relations between cation charge and radius, lattice site energetics, and partition coefficients (Blundy and Wood, 1994). Experiments of Longhi et al. (1976) also suggest that partition coefficients for Mg and Fe in plagioclase are largely independent of melt composition. Thus, if crystal growth occurred under nearequilibrium conditions, measurements ofSr, Ba, Mg, and Fe concentrations in plagioclase permit calculations of concentrations in the coexisting melt. Melt compositions calculated in this manner must be viewed with caution because high rates of crystal growth at large undercoolings may induce significant departures from equilibrium (Albarede and Bottinga, 1972; Shimizu, 1983). Blundy and Shimizu (1991) argued that plagioclase growth rates in plutons are sufficiently low as to preclude departure from equilibrium. Our results demonstrate that this assumption is not always valid for volcanic rocks. The role of kinetics in minor and trace element partitioning needs careful investigation. Moreover, the thermal and chemical histories of different parts of magma chambers are different, and where convective motions occur, phenocrysts with different histories will be brought into close proximity. The goals of this study are twofold: (1) to demonstrate the efficacy of integrated NDIC-EPMA-SIMS studies in


I would like to draw your attention to a number of errors in the paper 'A comparison of APACHE I1 and a clinical sickness score' (Anaesthesia 1991; 46: 442-6.) (a) The authors do not appear to appreciate the difference between the APACHE I1 score and the risk of death. Their definition of the APACHE I1 score: 'is made up of a physiological score, weighted for age, diagnostic group and chronic health' is incorrect. There are very important differences between the APACHE I1 score and the APACHE risk of death.'.' The former is a summary score based on derangement in physiology, chronic health status and age. While it is true that mortality (y-axis) increases with the APACHE I1 score (x-axis), the y-intercept varies according to the diagnosis. The most extreme examples are sepsis and diabetic ketoacid~sis.~ The APACHE I1 score does not account for case-mix and therefore cannot be used for audit or evaluation of therapy except for a narrow class of patients. The APACHE risk of death is probability of dying estimated from a logistic regression equation, substituting into the equation the APACHE I1 score, a coefficient based on a specific diagnostic category and whether emergency surgery was performed. The logistic regression equation and the coefficients were derived from over 5000 patients.* It has now been validated extensively all over the world with a database exceeding 60000 patients. The APACHE I1 risk of death calculated for each patient after 24 hours in the ICU is a probability. If a patient has an APACHE I1 risk of death of 3O%, all it means is that out of 100 patients with the same diagnosis and the same degree of physiological derangement and the same amount of reserve, 30 are expected to die. Because it is based on static analysis of group data, it is generally not applicable for clinical decision making in the individual patient! However, it is useful as an audit instrument. The standardised mortality ratio (SMR), which is obtained by dividing the observed by the expected mortality (where the expected mortality is the sum of the individual risks of all the patients divided by the total number of patients), for an intensive care unit (ICU) gives an indication of its performance. In general, if an ICU's SMR is less than 1 it is performing better than expected; if a unit has an SMR greater than 1.3 there may be a problem. The beauty of the system is that by recalculating the SMR,' excluding specific groups of patients, the problem area can be located. For example, an ICU in a tertiary hospital with large numbers of transfers has a high SMR, say 1.7. If the transferred patients were excluded in recalculating the SMR, and the new SMR is say 1.1, we can say that the performance of the ICU is adversely affected by transfer patients, a problem known as 'lead-time bias'.6 This may be due to poor triage, deterioration during transfer, late transfers, problems at the referring ICUs or other causes. The APACHE I1 score, the clinical sickness score (CSS) or any other current system cannot be used in such a way. (b) Figures 1 and 2 are meaningless. The cell sizes are too small. Also, there are obvious errors in Figure 1: with a CSS of I , there were three ITU survivors, no ITU nonsurvivors and one hospital (postICU) survivor and yet no hospital nonsurvivor. There should have been two hospital nonsurvivors. With a CSS of 2, there was one ITU survivor and four hospital survivors, another impossibility. When there are errors in simple outcome classification how valid are the other computations in this paper? (c) The authors used cut-off points of 18 or 20 for the APACHE I1 score and 13 or 16 for the CSS to estimate the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of the two systems (Table 3). This methodology, although it reminds me of how one estimates the EDSo for a drug, has absolutely no relevance in testing the usefulness or lack of use of a system for audit. First of all, scores and not probability of death were used (see above). To be useful for audit, the system should be predictive over the entire risk range. The way to do this is to plot observed mortality against predicted mortality, a perfect system being a straight line passing through the x-y origin at 45". (d) Figure 3 is a futile exercise. It is like trying to compare the performance of an Intercity express train and a donkey drawn cart on a motor-way! Unless data have been collected for the CSS to enable probability estimates to be made and then tested prospectively, one cannot say whether it will work or not. Even then only a comparison of the areas under the receiver-operator characteristics (ROC)' curves of the APACHE I1 risk and the CSS risk may give us an idea of which is the better system. (e) The time taken to do APACHE I1 assessments is grossly exaggerated. It takes an experienced data collector less than 3 minutes to do an APACHE I1 assessment. Meaningful audit has to be properly organised and funded. The time 'saved' in collecting data for an unvalidated system by untrained and ad hoc data collectors will end up as time wasted. Finally, by sowing confusion, this paper has done a great disservice to the relatively new science of prognosis in intensive care.


About 30–40 years ago, local economic development (led) was conceptualised in developing countries and is still gaining momentum in these countries. it has been practised as a development strategy in various forms, more particularly in developed countries. in the African context, led has been incorporated with local or community development, and these poverty alleviation strategies have focused on social goals over the short term, rather than economic goals that are more broad-based and longer term. Particular emphasis has been placed on survival strategies and remedial measures to address social problems, as opposed to sustainable development over the longer term. Globally, led strategies seek to enhance economic growth. in the African context, the approach adopted includes the former, but prioritises poverty alleviation and greater inclusion of previously excluded groups. African countries that develop a positive linkage between growth and poverty alleviation are the exception rather than the rule. only countries that are reasonably well developed, diversified, globally linked and have an urbanised economy would fall into this category; South Africa has managed to bridge this divide and is a rare exception. the African continent as a whole is experiencing distinct challenges in implementing led , namely a lack of human resources, and limited financial, institutional and technical capacity. furthermore, the development environment is not very enabling and this has also proved to be a stumbling block in facilitating led in many countries.


This article argues that efforts to implement collective property ownership via community land trusts (CLTs) in Latin America can be seen as a viable means for reducing socio-spatial inequalities, strengthening the urban poor's 'right to the city,' and enabling more substantive social citizenship. It begins by arguing that, in Latin America, market models intended to strengthen individual property rights can increase urban inequality and spatial exclusion. It then examines recent measures undertaken to reverse the negative impacts of these patterns, focusing explicitly on the adoption of CLTs and how they serve as a means for strengthening urban citizenship. After highlighting the fact that CLTs have proliferated in the US and Europe but not Latin America, we explain how and why a few Latin American countries have nonetheless embraced CLTs. Building on deeper analysis of two cases in the region, Puerto Rico and Brazil, we show that despite the legal and governance constraints of Latin American cities, CLTs can materialise when local authorities join with citizens to embrace these models.


The mouse bitter taste receptors Tas2r143, Tas2r135, and Tas2r126 are encoded by genes that cluster on chromosome 6 and have been suggested to be expressed under common regulatory elements. Previous studies indicated that the Tas2r143/Tas2r135/Tas2r126 cluster is expressed in the heart, but other organs had not been systematically analyzed. In order to investigate the expression of this bitter taste receptor gene cluster in non-gustatory tissues, we generated a BAC (bacterial artificial chromosome) based transgenic mouse line, expressing CreERT2 under the control of the Tas2r143 promoter. After crossing this line with a mouse line expressing EGFP after Cre-mediated recombination, we were able to validate the Tas2r143-CreERT2 transgenic mouse line and monitor the expression of Tas2r143. EGFP-positive cells, indicating expression of members of the cluster, were found in about 47% of taste buds, and could also be found in several other organs. A population of EGFP-positive cells was identified in thymic epithelial cells, in the lamina propria of the intestine and in vascular smooth muscle cells of cardiac blood vessels. EGFP-positive cells were also identified in the epithelium of organs readily exposed to pathogens including lower airways, the gastrointestinal tract, urethra, vagina, and cervix. With respect to the function of cells expressing this bitter taste receptor cluster, RNA-seq analysis in EGFP-positive cells isolated from the epithelium of trachea and stomach showed expression of genes related to innate immunity. These data further support the concept that bitter taste receptors serve functions outside the gustatory system.


The paper compares the actual patterns of agencification and depoliticisation in Lithuania and explains the extent to which the EU contributed to these changes. Based on the transformational approach and theories of public policy process, our framework for analysis links external factors (including the EU's influence), internal factors and our dependent variables (changes in public administration and the impact of the EU). Our research employs (descriptive and inferential) statistical analysis of data on the organisational changes of Lithuanian agencies and political participation of their managers. Furthermore, it follows a longitudinal approach to observe 'net changes' by mapping agencification and politicisation throughout the period 1990–2012. The paper found that the EU made a significant contribution to the establishment of new agencies driven by the exigencies of EU accession, but its impact on the survival of Europeanised agencies was much smaller after enlargement. Changes in the scope of politicisation can be explained by a combination of evolution in the political conditionality of EU membership and wholesale government changes. The differentiated impact of the EU on public administration changes was observed with the management of the Europeanised agencies becoming increasingly professional over time. Overall, the results of our research confirm the stronger and more enduring impact of specific acquis rules in the EU policy domains compared to the much weaker influence of the EU's political conditionality. Furthermore, it points to the importance of interactions between domestic actors that realise particular beliefs and pursue certain strategies to understanding institutional and policy changes at domestic level.


Human Influenza A virus (IAV), a relatively newer threat to mankind, is becoming invincible due to non availability of proper antiviral drug or effective long lasting vaccine against it. All existing measures to control this virus are overpowered by the phenomena of genetic shift and drift shown by Influenza A virus (IAV). Throughout the world, researchers are exploring the therapeutic potential of antisense technology (AST) to fight against this genetically variable virus. Antisense technology refers to the laboratory manipulation and/or modification of DNA or RNA so that its components (nucleotides) hybridize with target nucleic acid or mRNA or protein itself to inhibit the protein finally encoded. RNA inhibitory (RNAi) mechanism (particularly siRNA) seems to be the most promising among the different agents of AST. However, other agents like oligonucleotides, ribozymes and DNAzymes also show great potential. Decoys and aptamers, alone or in conjunction with other agents, are also being explored to inhibit the replication of virus. Presently, most of these agents have passed initial level of in vitro and in vivo experiments, passing through various levels of clinical trials but none of them has been approved for human purpose till date. Present review consolidates the efforts of researchers worldwide in this particular field and discusses the future perspectives this technology holds, to tame this notorious virus. Day by day, various areas of this technology are being explored and the day is not far when this chemical entity will reach from "bench to bedside".


Measles, a highly infectious viral disease is the next target for eradication following poliovirus. Decades of experience with highly effective vaccination has invigorated us to take on this virus. The task is not only Titanic but is laced with intricate issues. Recently, an outbreak of fever with rash occurred on a tertiary care teaching hospital campus and was confirmed serologically as measles outbreak by IgMELISA. Therefore, we searched the literature related to outbreaks, transmission of the measles virus, age groups involved, vaccination strategies, vaccination failure and epidemiological features of the disease and reviewed the possible reasons for such outbreaks and problems in the global eradication of the virus.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Cystic fibrosis (CF) in Asian populations is very rare. We performed molecular genetic analysis in 2 Taiwanese CF patients for detection of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutations.

METHODS
Temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE) was used for mutation detection, and direct sequencing was used for identification of mutations.

RESULTS
In one patient, 2 novel mutations, E7X and 989-992insA, were identified and the carrier status of his parents was confirmed. In the other patient, 3 mutations, S895N, 2215insG, and 1898+5G>T, were found. The 2215insG and S895N were found cis in the same chromosome. These splice site, frameshift, and nonsense mutations produce severely truncated CFTR polypeptides which lack a transmembrane domain, nucleotide binding folds, and the regulatory region, and are predicted to be null in CFTR function.

CONCLUSIONS
These cases underscore the importance of comprehensive mutation analysis of Taiwanese CF patients. Definitive molecular findings can confirm the clinical diagnosis and facilitate patient management, carrier testing, and genetic counseling. Furthermore, there is an urgent need to understand the mutation spectrum and the clinical features of the CFTR gene in Asian patients in order that a mutation panel can be established for effective screening of CF chromosomes.


Abstract In the last three decades a number of schools have established clinical masters of social work programs. This paper identifies and reviews the existing single concentration clinical MSW programs in the U.S. Utilizing published program data, content analysis of descriptive program promotional materials and telephone interviews, single concentration clinical programs were examined along institutional, historical, structural, student and faculty dimensions. Comparisons between single concentration clinical programs and multi-concentration programs are also drawn. Findings are discussed within the context of current trends in social work education.


At 94 GHz, the highest radar frequency used for atmospheric research, no radar bright band is observed at the melting layer. In this study, simulations of a vertical profile of melting particles and their scattering properties for a variety of melting particle models are used to capture the basic features of the radar reflectivity structure at 94 GHz in the melting layer. Observations of stratiform precipitation from vertically pointing 3 GHz and 94 GHz radars are used for comparison with the model results. The simulations show good agreement with the observations. The melting of precipitating particles results in an abrupt increase in the radar reflectivity at 94 GHz without a subsequent decrease at the base of the melting layer. The simulations also captured a small decrease in the radar reflectivity at 94 GHz (dark band) often observed at the top of the melting layer.


Abstract An in vivo preclinical study has been made of the oral absorption of morphine (CAS 57-27-2) from a new sustained release formulation (morphine-Eudragit® L complex, MEC), which had shown good sustained release properties in in vitro dissolution studies. The absorption of morphine from capsules filled with morphine hydrochloride trihydrate (MHT) or MEC was compared in fasted and fed dogs. Mean plasma morphine concentrations obtained after administration of MHT and MEC to fasted dogs were similar, and no statistically significant differences were found in the pharmacokinetic parameters of morphine (Cmax, Tmax and area under the plasma morphine concentration versus time curve from time zero to the last time with a detectable concentration of morphine). When MHT and MEC were administered to fed animals, mean plasma morphine concentrations were again similar for both formulations, without statistically significant differences in the pharmacokinetic parameters of morphine. These results contrast with those obtained in vitro, and indicate the limited usefulness of in vitro assays for this kind of sustained release formulations in which pH and ionic strength are important factors for drug release from the polymeric structure. The plasma morphine concentrations obtained in fed dogs were generally lower than in fasted dogs, though they were detectable for a longer time, until 10 h after dosing, in contrast to up to 6 h in fasted dogs. It is postulated that the apparently prolonged absorption of morphine in fed dogs may be due to the enterohepatic recycling of the drug (excreted in bile as glucuronide, hydrolysed back to the parent compound in the intestine, and then reabsorbed) as a consequence of gallbladder emptying induced by food.


This Letter describes near-infrared polarimetry of the zodiacal light at 2.2 micrometers, measured with the Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE) aboard the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) spacecraft. The polarization is due to scattering of sunlight. The polarization vector is perpendicular to the scattering plane, and its observed amplitude on the ecliptic equator at an elongation of 90 deg and ecliptic longitude of 10 deg declines from 12.0 +/- 0.4% at 1.25 micrometers to 8.0 +/- 0.6% at 3.5 micrometers (cf. 16% in the visible); the principal source of uncertainty is photometric noise due to stars. The observed near-infrared colors at this location are redder than Solar, but at 3.5 micrometers this is due at least in part to the thermal emission contribution from the interplanetary dust. Mie theory calculations show that both polarizations and colors are important in constraining models of interplanetary dust.


Consider a wireless sensor network (WSN) where a broadcast from a sensor node does not reach all sensor nodes in the network; such networks are often called multihop networks. Sensor nodes take sensor readings but individual sensor readings are not very important. It is important however to compute aggregated quantities of these sensor readings. The minimum and maximum of all sensor readings at an instant are often interesting because they indicate abnormal behavior, for example if the maximum temperature is very high then it may be that a fire has broken out. We propose an algorithm for computing the min or max of sensor reading in a multihop network. This algorithm has the particularly interesting property of having a time complexity that does not depend on the number of sensor nodes; only the network diameter and the range of the value domain of sensor readings matter.


The Simulation of a 10,000 ton/yr capacity Formaldehyde plant from flared gases was performed using Aspen Hysys version 8.8, and the Hysys model of the plant was developed using data from literature. A material and energy balance for the various components of the plant was performed manually and with Hysys for comparison. The design/equipment sizing, Mechanical design, costing and economic evaluation, process control of the functional parameters of the various equipments and finally the full Hysys process flow diagram of the model was performed. The Formaldehyde reactors was simulated to study the effect of process functional parameters such as reactor dimensions, temperature, pressure, The effect of reactor size and number on Formaldehyde output was studied by simulating the plant with a compressor, mixer, conversion reactor, cooler, CSTR, heat exchanger, and storage tank.


on Representative Research and Application and contains notable reviews by O'Connor and Cermak on memory rehabilitation, by Salmon and Butters on the neuropsychology of memory and by Prigatano on personality and psycho-social sequelae of brain damage. Other areas discussed in this section include rehabilitation of attention, of visuoperceptual disorders, of language and of problem-solving ability. In the third part of the book, International Neuropsychological Rehabilitation Programmes in a dozen countries are discussed.


The study explores time series properties of three wage net discount rate series derived using interest rates based on (alternatively) 1-year, 6-month and 3-month Treasury securities coupled with wage growth rates, initially for the period from 1981:01 to 2012:06, then subsequently through 2012:12. Stationarity tests are run on the full series and various sub-series to identify any portion of the series on which reliable forecasting can be based. Initially no support is found for the total offset hypothesis based on the full-time series (but support is subsequently found for total offset when exploring various data sub-series). Positive findings include that the three trended wage net growth rate series for the entire period under study are stationary, implying that reliable short-term forecasting of wage net discount rates is possible based on each of the trended series. Short-run forecasts based on the trended series are presented for 2012:07–2012:12 and compared to actual data in the period. Finally, the three trended wage net discount rate series are re-examined for 1981:01–2012:12, with short-term forecasting equations presented. Various sub-series of WNDRs are then explored in hopes of finding one or more that may be stationary about a constant term. Additional testing identifies three sub-series all ending 2012:12 with varying start dates that have desirable stationarity properties. The sub-series starting 2007:11 is highly stationary, but peculiar, with an associated constant WNDR that is negative and statistically different from zero; and the two sub-series beginning 1990:12 and 1994:05 have stationary attributes, yet possess constant terms that are slightly positive but not statistically different from zero, thus providing modest support for the total offset method.


Citizen deaths from law enforcement activities have drawn intense interest in recent years. Nationwide statistics may provide a useful perspective on this issue but have seldom been widely reported.To assess race, ethnicity and death from legal intervention in the U.S., an analysis examined U.S. vital statistics for the United States, 1999-2012. Decedents of interest were U.S. residents with underlying cause of death coded as legal intervention.Results: In the period 1999-2012, 5071 persons (age-adjusted rate 1.22 per million) died from legal intervention including 1357 blacks (2.36) and 3487 whites (1.06). Among men aged 15-54, there were 954 deaths in Hispanic whites (5.44, 95% confidence interval 4.78-5.45). Among non-Hispanics there were 1230 deaths in blacks (8.16, 7.70-8.62) and 2056 in whites (2.75, 2.63-2.87). Rates peaked at age 25-34. Rates were generally highest in the West but black/white ratio was highest in the Middle Atlantic and in large and fringe metro areas.Conclusions: Death resulting from interpersonal violence is a major public health concern. As for homicide, marked racial, ethnic and geographic disparities exist in deaths from legal intervention.


The research aims to implement Blockchain in Smart Contract in the design phase to reduce the financial exposition of SMEs. The adoption of Smart Contract, streamlining and accelerating the payments, shows up as a potential revolution of the traditional contractual framework. However, due to the increasing fragmentation and project complexity, the AECO sector is accused of slowness in accommodating and propagating new technologies. The Smart Contract can embed a Blockchain protocol that executes the predefined and agreed clauses by the contracting parties automatically and autonomously. It is a smooth and predictable data-driven process in which, at the after each clause, the payment is automatically issued, ensuring the shortening of payments. In the construction sector, the transaction delay represents a relevant problem that is responsible for disputes and economic disadvantages for the SMEs. Therefore, the paper investigates the process of digitalization starting from Smart Contract. The research is applied to the design phase developed in a BIM environment, pointing out both the advantages and the limitations, especially in the actual legislation. The Smart Contract features allow the entire supply chain to be protected against insolvencies due to late payments, improving process efficiency, and reducing payout times. From the results obtained in this research, the approach could be applied to a real case study and extended to the overall construction process.


In this paper, we propose to extract depth information from a monocular video sequence. When estimating the depth of the current frame, the bidirectional energy minimization in our scheme considers both the previous frame and next frame, which promises a much more robust depth map and reduces the problems associated with occlusion to a certain extent. After getting an initial depth map from bidirectional energy minimization, we further refine the depth map using segmentation by assuming similar depth values in one segmented region. Different from other segmentation algorithms, we use initial depth information together with the original color image to get more reliable segmented regions. Finally, detecting the sky region using a dark channel prior is employed to correct some possibly wrong depth values for outdoor video. The experimental results are much more accurate compared with the state-of-the-art algorithms.


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

Embelin is an active ingredient of traditional herbal medicine that exhibits cytotoxic effect and inhibits cell proliferation in various cancer cell types. It is a small molecular inhibitor of XIAP undergoing preclinical testing for its anticancer effects in many different cancer types. In this study we have investigated its role as a chemotherapeutic agent in a panel of ovarian cancer cell lines. Utilising the MTT assay and annexin staining we demonstrate that embelin exhibits a potent, dose dependent cytotoxic effect in human ovarian cancer cells. Surprisingly in contrast to the previously reported cytotoxicity of embelin in many other cancer cell types, treatment of ovarian cancer cells with embelin promoted autophagy and not apoptosis as evidenced by the death without caspase 3 activation and induces cellular swelling and cytoplasmic vacuolization with evident features of necrotic cell death. Treatment of ovarian cancer cells with embelin demonsrnstrated autophagic hallmarks, including an increased number of autophagosomes were observed through acridine orange staining. Embelin also induced cell autophagy, as demonstrated by the punctuate distribution of GFP-LC3, as well as the LC3 cleavage and beclin1 activation. Red green fluorescence in acridine orange stained cells by flowcyometry further confirmed the autophagy action by embelin treatment. Our findings demonstrate a new death pathway underlying the cytotoxic effect of embelin, but also suggest that targeting autophagy could augment the anticancer activity, providing the framework for further development of embelin as a new chemotherapeutic agent for ovarian cancer treatment.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2265. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2265


A new trial function which extends the generalized Gaussian method for the study of weakly guiding single-mode fibers is presented. This function uses only simple elementary functions to approximate the fundamental modal fields. In many cases of study, we show that the present trial function gives a significant improvement over the existing trial functions, and it is very useful in the analysis of fibers and related devices. >


The purpose of the study was to examine the perception of teachers and students towards the efficiency of the techniques implemented to reduce examination malpractices in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. The design for the study was a descriptive survey. The study was guided by six research questions. The study employs the use of multi-stage sampling technique. The sample of the study comprised 280 invigilation teachers and 370 students from 10 public senior high schools in Sekondi-Takoradi. A 4-point rating scale questionnaire named "Stakeholders Perceptions of the Effectiveness of the Strategies for Curbing Examination Malpractice Questionnaire (SPESCEMQ)", was adopted. Means, standard deviation was used for analysing data. The results of the study revealed that the strategies adopted for curbing pre-examination were effective, but post-examination malpractices were slightly effective in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis. Students and teachers also agreed that banning schools involved in examination malpractices from writing external examinations and imprisonment of supervisors for aiding and abetting examination malpractice are not effective. In conclusion, it appears that both teachers and students have adopted new strategies in making post-examination to be ineffective. Per the conclusions of the investigation, West African Examination Council (WAEC) is encouraged to intensify the use of electronic means in checking students since students also adopt new methods of cheating before, during and after examination.


Laser cutting has reached a high degree of industrial maturity.Nevertheless to extend the present range of industrial applications, the performance and quality of laser cutting must be improved.Such improvements can only be achieved if the physical mechanism of laser cutting is deeply understood.Special attention has to be payed to dynamic effects, since they are most important for cut quality.Examples for dynamic effects are the formation of periodic striations, that cause a certain roughness or pulsed operation, that allows cutting of parts with changing curvature without overheating/18/. In the following bulk of the paper, a mathematical analysis of reactive gas assisted laser cutting including dynamic effects is presented. Although that work has partly been published before, the present paper contains an important task, that has never been published before, namely the calculation of the reactive energy gain.


Embedded software is used in safety-critical systems such as medical devices and autonomous vehicles, where software defects, including security vulnerabilities, have severe consequences. Most embedded codebases are developed in unsafe languages, specifically C/C++, and are riddled with memory safety vulnerabilities. To prevent such vulnerabilities, RUST, a performant memory-safe systems language, provides an optimal choice for developing embedded software. RUST interoperability enables developing RUST applications on top of existing C codebases. Despite this, even the most resourceful organizations continue to develop embedded software in C/C++. This paper performs the first systematic study to holistically understand the current state and challenges of using RUST for embedded systems. Our study is organized across three research questions. We collected a dataset of 2,836 RUST embedded software spanning various categories and 5 Static Application Security Testing ( SAST) tools. We performed a systematic analysis of our dataset and surveys with 225 developers to investigate our research questions. We found that existing RUST software support is inadequate, SAST tools cannot handle certain features of RUST embedded software, resulting in failures, and the prevalence of advanced types in existing RUST software makes it challenging to engineer interoperable code. In addition, we found various challenges faced by developers in using RUST for embedded systems development.


Electric utilities seeking to purchase power from nonutility generators (NUGs) need to provide information to NUG developers on the value to the utility power system of various attributes, in order that the developers can design projects that maximize net benefits. Dispatchability is one key attribute. This paper outlines three previous approaches to communicating to developers the value of dispatchability, and describes a fourth approach. The fourth approach presents a table of numbers representing the value of dispatchability as a function of the energy bid price and escalation rate. It has the advantage of simplicity from the perspective of the developer, while still providing a meaningful signal to the developer. >


Creative activities of both students of Master's and Bachelor's degree programs refers increasingly to scientific creativeness although it is stated that training on Bachelor's degree program is based on competence and practical-oriented approach carried out towards preparing professional workers required at the labor market rather than researchers. The government's fostering actions promoting student creative contests are focused on identifying and supporting young talents primarily through all-Russian student Olympiads, which have recently been the most popular state-sponsored form of competitions. Nevertheless, within the frames of the Russian educational system students' creative contests are useful and productive not only to identify and support a limited amount of young talents but to improve the quality of training for much greater number of students. Therefore, the aim of this research is to substantiate that the forms of student creative contests would be more responsive to professional specifics of Bachelor training and perform an increasing range of functions: generating of enthusiasm for learning, developing competition skills and abilities to evaluate the competence level. Moreover, the governmental educational policies should be built upon previously established organizational forms of such contests. It is distinguished that the "Olympic movement" has definite drawbacks, which was evidently proved by the results of the Olympiad conducted for bachelor students of "Advertising and Public Relations" training area. Some all-Russian creative contests for students of media communications, design and adjacent specialties were briefly reviewed. The analysis of almost ten years of the author's experience of creative activities organization of the students of "Advertising and Public Relations" training area studying at Belgorod University of Cooperation, Economics and Law allows to examine motivation, the forms of student association work, the outcomes of the student participation in various creative contests and to address such issues as the possibility of using contests' outcomes as an assessment measure for a competence level. The author states the fairness of such evaluation approach. Additionally, the main and the supporting effects of the association's activities are discovered and the basic methodological approaches to this form of student creativeness promotion are defined. The student creative association, which goal is to participate in all-Russian contests of professional skills is able to face a wide range of educational challenges. Furthermore, the logic of the practically-oriented approach suggests that the initiative in organization of creative contests should belong not to universities but to non-for-profit professional associations.


Background: There are multiple risk factors for occurrence of breast carcinoma among women. However, the cause and effect relationships between cholesterol and increased cancer risk remain unclear. This has been addressed in multiple retrospective clinical studies although these have yielded equivocal results, with many finding no relationship, some indicating a protective effect, while others implicating cholesterol as a significant risk factor. This descriptive study was aimed to study the relationship between prevalence of dyslipidemia among patients with breast carcinoma. Conclusion: We observed that there is a higher instance of breast cancer patients with post-menopausal status to have high total cholesterol, however our study did not reveal any association of post – menopausal women with elevated Triglycerides, LDL or lower HDL levels.


Butterflyfishes (family Chaetodontidae) are a highly conspicuous component of fish fauna on coral reefs throughout the world. In light of their strong dependence on coral, they are often regarded as the epitome of coral reef fishes. This volume examines the ecology and conservation of coral reef butterflyfishes. It provides important insights on their evolution and key events and adaptations that have led to their proliferation within coral reef ecosystems. Key to the longevity of butterflyfishes is the evolution of coral-feeding—a central focus of the ecological chapters in this volume. The book also highlights key threats and challenges related to the conservation of butterflyfishes and ends with an overview of current and future research directions.


This paper begins by rethinking the sociological theory that social conditions are fundamental causes of health disparities and that controlling disease ironically increases or creates them. While usually true, the radical proposal of non-profit health care and pharmaceutical development could ameliorate health disparities if a nation like Canada or a region like the EU looked to radically different but successful models such as the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative. It uses what could be called entrepreneurial collaboration for public health markets and inverts intellectual property to public health IP to maximize health gain instead of profits.


INTRODUCTION
This article describes the experiences of older rural women diagnosed with breast cancer while in a non-supportive, and sometimes abusive, intimate relationship. Breast cancer is primarily a disease of older women, and in the USA, a higher percentage of rural women are more than 65 years of age compared with other geographical areas. Many women identify their intimate partner as an important source of support during cancer diagnosis and recovery, but little is known about how women deal with breast cancer while in a relationship self-described as difficult.

METHODS
Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of nine rural women from community settings in western Virginia and West Virginia. Participants ranged in age from 55 to 84 years at the time of interview (mean 69 years). Age at diagnosis ranged from 53 to 71 years (mean 59.2). Relationship length ranged from 1 to 55 years (mean 28.5). Time between interview and diagnosis ranged from 1 to 31 years (mean 9.8). All were in heterosexual relationships. Breast cancer stage ranged from I to III. Data were analyzed using hermeneutic phenomenological analysis.

RESULTS
Several themes emerged related to the experience of breast cancer with a non-supportive intimate partner in a rural setting. The themes were: driving, gossip, rural location as therapeutic, and community support.

CONCLUSIONS
Older rural women operating without the support of their intimate partner present to oncology treatment with unique challenges, particularly related to distance, financial stress, and sometimes heightened relationship stress. Rural women also reported rural strengths that aided them in their recovery. These findings indicate a need for complete assessments of social network and quality of intimate partner support in the rural oncology care setting.


Gas turbine total pressure ratio, efficiency and accurate stage matching prediction are of increasing importance in multi-stage compressor design. These highly challenging objectives can only be met if all components are highly loaded and optimally designed. Stage matching and efficiency improvements still depend on the designer's experience and on empirical correlations. The upper blade part in highly loaded transonic compressors is especially difficult to design because of complex flow phenomena like compression shocks. On the one hand this region is of major interest, because of the high pressure ratios. On the other hand it is the most difficult area for the designer because of blade row interaction effects, tip leakage flows and high gradients in general. Recent publications investigated shock induced vortices (SIV), caused by the rotor bow shock. The shock interacts with the trailing edge of the upstream stator/IGV blade row. These vortices convect downstream through the rotor passage.But the unsteady flow phenomena inside transonic compressors are still worthwhile endeavor because of insufficient understanding regarding the unsteady effects onto the overall compressor performance. The vortex trajectory is predictable inside the rotor-passage. However, correlations for vorticity magnitude, vortex-frequency (number of vortices) and vortex-trajectory on the overall compressor performance were never described by equations. Furthermore it has not yet been clarified whether a small or a wide axial spacing is beneficial in highly loaded axial compressors.Therefore a transonic front stage (DLR Test Rig 250, 4 front stages of a state of the art gas turbine compressor) was chosen. The Q3D (quasi 3D) planes were extracted from 3D-Simulations for IGV/Rotor1 and Stator1/Rotor2. The approach is to separate the blade to blade effects from 3D effects, like tip leakage flow. This was achieved by different Q3D streamtubes in the upper blade part. These streamtubes allow a variation of the axial spacing without changing the steady flow solution. A wide range of the axial spacings have been simulated to get an overview about the resulting performance change. Furthermore a change of blade count ratio, inlet condition, outlet conditions and computational domain should lead to a better understanding. Physical relations between the shedded vortices and compressor overall performance should be derived.The results show a wide spreading of the compressor performance speedlines. This spreading indicates the unsteady effects caused by interaction effects. The spreading becomes wider towards the surge margin. The reduced number of IGVs result into a smaller spreading. The higher inlet temperature result into a neglectable change in data spreading. The changed computational domain (stator/rotor) result into a very small data spreading, compared to the front stage data distribution.The change of performance data is periodic to the established B3-factor [1]. This factor predicts the vortex trajectory inside the rotor passage. The analysis of rotor pre shock Mach number and blade count ratio leads to a systematic correlation factor (HK). This correlation takes the pre shock Mach number, the blade count ratio, the B3-factor and some algebraic elements into account to make a prediction of the unsteady effects regarding the total pressure ratio: HK = pt, unsteady−pt, steady.The developed correlations may be useful in 3D to calculate optimal axial spacings at a specific blade to blade plane or to make compressor performance prediction during the design process based on RANS-Simulations (reduced gap between simulation and measurement). Furthermore it was identified that neither a wide nor a short axial spacing is beneficial for a transonic compressor inside a blade to blade plane.Copyright © 2012 by ASME