Deliberate self-harm (DSH) is distinguished from a suicide attempt. The person who self-harms him/herself does not necessarily have the intention to kill themselves, unlike a suicide attempt where the person has an intention to end their life. Studies have shown that DSH is prevalent among adolescents more than the rest of the population and the risk factors attributed to it are various. These risk factors comprise of mental health issues, family issues, relationship issues, and financial problems majorly. Childhood maltreatment also has been frequently associated with self-harm. The consequences of DSH can result in serious physical and mental injury to the person. A nurse who works with adolescents and especially in schools should be skilled with theoretical and practical skills and knowledge to deal with such patients.


In the course of our investigations on new monoboronic acid saccharide sensors with C(0) spacers, a series of probes 1-6 based on 1,8-naphthalenedicarboximide were synthesized. Sensor 1 displays features typical of PET monoboronic acid sensors and shows high selectivity to fructose. Sensor 2 exhibits a novel dual emission and remarkable sensitivity for glucose relative to fructose and galactose through subtle changes in pH. Sensor 3 displays significantly enhanced fluorescence in the presence of galactose at low pH. Although probes 4-6 exhibit unique properties such as high quantum yield (Phi(F) = 0.407) and excellent solubility in water, they did not show significant change in fluorescence intensity in the presence of monosaccharides. The effects of substituent on all six probes lend support to the proposed photoelectrochemical model.


Body-fat gain is a common finding among peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, and the accumulation of adipose tissue occurs predominantly in the abdominal area. Waist circumference (WC) is a reliable marker of abdominal obesity and its association with worse outcomes has been demonstrated in non-dialysis and haemodialysis patients. We aimed at investigating whether WC measurements as well as the changes over time in WC were able to predict mortality in PD patients. This prospective study included 109 patients undergoing PD (57 % male, age 52 (sd 16) years, 32 % diabetics, 48 % BMI≥25 kg/m2). WC was measured at the umbilicus level (empty abdominal cavity), and values >88 cm for women and >102 cm for men were considered high. Nutritional status and laboratory parameters were also evaluated. WC was measured at baseline and after 6 months, and mortality was registered during a period of 48 months. High WC was observed in 55 % of women and in 23 % of men at baseline. After 6 months, 61 % of the patients showed an increased WC. At the end of the study, twenty-seven deaths were registered. A significant increase in WC was observed only in the non-survivor group. In the Cox regression analysis adjusting for sex, age, duration on dialysis, diabetes, BMI, serum albumin and C-reactive protein, high WC at baseline as well as the 6-month increase in WC were independently associated with mortality. This study demonstrated that a high WC and the increase over time in WC were both predictors of mortality in PD patients.


Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the overall anxiety severity and impairment scale (OASIS), a measure designed to evaluate the severity and functional impairments associated with clinical and subsyndromal anxiety. Methods: Using a descriptive-analytic framework, first, the OASIS was translated into Persian according to the forward-backward translation guidelines. Then, a total of 463 students of Guilan University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2017 - 18 were selected using the convenience sampling method. Participants completed seven measures (i.e., OASIS, anxiety and stress subscales of depression anxiety stress scales-21, Beck anxiety inventory, openness subscale of NEO five-factor inventory, positive affect and negative affect scales, Connor-Davidson resilience scale, and state subscale of state-trait anxiety inventory), and the data were analyzed by SPSS V. 20.0 for windows and Lisrel V. 8.80. Results: Internal consistency reliability of the OASIS was acceptable (Cronbach's α = 0.877). The exploratory factor analysis indicated that all items were loaded on a single factor (loadings = 0.799 - 0.849). The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the single-factor model has resulted in an adequate model fit. The OASIS was positively correlated with the anxiety- and negative affect-related scales, whereas it was negatively correlated with the resilience- and positive affect-related scales. Correlations with the openness subscale were not significant. Conclusions: In line with previous studies, the findings showed that the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the OASIS are acceptable. Therefore, it seems that the measure can be used in clinical practices and research studies in Iran.


The anatomy of the anterior neck in the area of the hyoid, thyrohyoid membrane, and epiglottis is herein redescribed and compared to its classical depiction. The concept of the posterior hyoid space (PHS) is defined and substantiated through review of archived tissue and cadaver larynx dissection as well as by observation at many surgical dissections. The true anatomy of these relationships provides an insight into the effectiveness of the Sistrunk procedure. The author believes that recurrence of thyroglossal duct cysts (TGDC) occurs as a consequence of incomplete resection of: 1) microscopic suprahyoid ductules and/or 2) infra‐ and perihyoid tissue.


Develop and maintain standard system-wide policies and best practices regarding acquisitions management in the Library Services Platform (LSP) throughout the SUNY Library Consortia (SLC). Create and maintain a plan for facilitating best practices within


Background:Reactive arthritis is the current name for the clinical triad characterized by arthritis, urethritis, and conjunctivitis, which develops over the course of a month or more. In some patients, this clinical triad is accompanied by circinate balanitis and keratoderma on the palms and soles. Balanitis, in some cases, is refractory to conventional therapy and can be recurrent, becoming a therapeutic challenge. Methods:A total of 4 clinical cases of male patients, with ages ranging from 21 to 36 years old, presented with arthritis, conjunctivitis, urethritis, and recurrent circinate balanitis, which developed over a period of 1 to 6 months. All patients were treated with corticosteroids and sulfasalazine. In addition, one was treated with ciprofloxacin; however, balanitis was resistant to treatment in 3 patients. Results:As other treatments had failed, topical 0.1% tacrolimus was used, with excellent results, as the balanitis lesions were cleared during the first week of topical therapy. Conclusion:We propose the complementary use of topical tacrolimus in cases of reactive arthritis associated with circinate balanitis.


Whilst transition to primary school is a commonly experienced phenomenon for most children, some groups of children, including those with disabilities, are less likely to engage in the process because it can be very challenging for them and their families. This article presents evidence from a review of research looking at the transition of children with disabilities within early childhood and primary education in low income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. From the meta-aggregation, three central areas were identified within the topic of transition of children with disabilities to primary school in sub-Saharan Africa: key actors, obstacles and enablers. Although this review identified some of the main obstacles to transition related to finance, it has highlighted the fact that many children with disabilities and their parents wish to attend school, and there are a number of ways to support and enable successful transition from home to school.


: The internet of things (IoT) is a chance to provide users with pervasive environments in which they can interact naturally with the environment. Multimodal interaction is the domain that provides this naturalness by using different senses to interact. However, the IoT context requires a specific process to create such multimodal systems. In this article, we investigate the process of creating multimodal systems with connected devices as interaction mediums, and provide an analysis of the existing tools to complete this process. We discuss tools that could be designed to support the creation process when the existing ones are not sufficient.


Abstract Both phylogenetic and environmental forces can drive ecological variation across the geographic distribution of squamates. We compared microhabitat use, temperature, diet, and reproductive data among three Tropidurus hispidus and Cnemidophorus ocellifer populations (Caatinga; Atlantic Forest; and Restinga coastal environments) and tested whether these characteristics varied along that distribution. Tropidurus hispidus was found primarily on human-made structures or tree trunks, and C. ocellifer was more often found on open ground or associated with vegetation. Substrate temperature was the most influential factor on body temperature, and no difference in body temperatures was observed among populations. Overall, diet composition was similar among populations; however, some differences were observed for main prey categories for C. ocellifer. Mean clutch size (T. hispidus = 6 eggs; C. ocellifer = 2 eggs) did not significantly differ among populations. Tropidurus hispidus seems to avoid reproducing during the dry season, exhibiting seasonal reproduction in the Caatinga and continuous reproduction in the Restinga and Atlantic Forest. Cnemidophorus ocellifer exhibited seasonal reproduction in the Tabuleiro region of the Atlantic Forest and continuous reproduction in the other two environments. Microhabitat use, diet, and reproductive cycle varied among populations of each species, whereas body temperature and clutch size remained unaltered, showing the importance of both ecological and historical factors along their geographic range.


Any time Throughout the human story, when man has been exposed to boredom and health problems , he has used the expertise of those in the life of medicine and treatment. The holy Prophet (PBUH) has been narrated as saying, "The experts are healers of people, and in case the healers are themselves ill, who will treat the patients? From the Holy narration by the Holy Prophet (PBUH), we learn that the important figures in the society, especially the physicians, have to be always in good health both physically and morally. The medical team being known as outstanding characters, are highly valuable in the society. In the past they were known as 'healers', a title which is used to call the God showing that Islam pays a special attention to the physicians. It is so incredible to utilize this value in guiding the people, especially the patients in the best way possible. . It has to be noted that those with the highest quality features, characters, and self-efficient personalities shall be better benefited. . The health of the healers is therefore, an undeniable necessity. Studies have revealed that even a 24-hour monthly work shift may triple the occurrence of medical errors. As the most serious part of the present study is the definition of the term "Fault" in medicine, it becomes mandatory to define it morphologically and terminologically to see what it really refers.


BACKGROUND
Despite the large body of literature on the psychological sequelae of childhood sexual abuse, the literature on the psychopathology of pedophiles is surprisingly underdeveloped. The present article explores the hypothesis that pedophiles evidence deficits in interpersonal functioning (lack of assertiveness and empathy, passive-aggressiveness) and in self-concept, which might contribute to the motivation for pedophilic acts, as well as elevated sociopathy, impulsivity, and propensity for cognitive distortions, which might underlie the inhibitory failure.

METHOD
Twenty male heterosexual pedophiles (DSM-IV criteria) recruited from an outpatient clinic for sex offenders were compared with 24 demographically similar, healthy male controls using 3 personality instruments: the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II, the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Impairment-Questionnaire, and the Temperament and Character Inventory.

RESULTS
The data suggested that pedophiles have impaired interpersonal functioning, specifically, reduced assertiveness and elevated passive-aggressiveness, as well as impaired self-concept. Regarding disinhibitory traits, pedophiles demonstrated elevated sociopathy and propensity for cognitive distortions.

CONCLUSION
Our data are consistent with previous reports of pathologic personality traits in pedophiles and lend support to a hypothesis that such pathology is related to both motivation for and failure to inhibit pedophilic behavior. Such information could potentially have important treatment implications.


BackgroundSalicylic acid (SA) plays an important role in regulating leaf senescence. However, the molecular mechanism of leaf senescence of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is still elusive. In this study we found that the bHLH transcription factor (TF) CtbHLH41 in Carthamus tinctorius significantly delayed leaf senescence and inhibited the expression of senescence-related genes.ResultsIn order to explore how CtbHLH41 promotes leaf senescence, we carried out yeast two-hybrid screening. In this study, by exploring the mechanism of CtbHLH41 regulating CtCP1, it was found that CtCP1 promoted the hydrolysis of CtbHLH41 protein, accelerated the transcriptional activities of salicylic acid-mediated senescence-related genes CtSAG12 and CtSAG29, chlorophyll degradation genes CtNYC1 and CtNYE1, and accelerated leaf senescence. We found a negative SA regulator CtANS1, which interacts with CtbHLH41 and regulates its stability, thereby inhibiting CtCP1-mediated leaf senescence.ConclusionsIn short, our results provide a new insight into the mechanism of CtbHLH41 actively regulating the senescence of safflower leaves induced by SA.


More than 2300 medical and scientific professionals attended the 4th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infection held in Washington, DC, during January 22-26, 1997, to discuss the latest information on treatment for HIV/AIDS and opportunistic infections. The keynote speakers were Dr. David Ho, a researcher at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Institute, and Dr. Peter Piot, Director of UNAIDS. Dr. Ho told the audience that reasons exist to be hopeful about prolonging the life of people with AIDS even though HIV has not yet been eliminated from any infected individual. He urged the media to carefully and accurately portray HIV/AIDS, and stressed that there is no cure for AIDS and that safer sex practices should be maintained in order to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV. In his address, Dr. Piot considered how HIV/AIDS treatment and care options translate to the reality of developing countries in which 90% of all HIV/AIDS cases reside. Recognizing researchers' accomplishments in developing treatment therapies against HIV/AIDS, Piot urged them to focus upon the development of preventive technology, including microbicides, vaccines, and a way to prevent mother-to-fetus HIV transmission. Dr. Piot also discussed a proposed UNAIDS plan to make advanced therapies against HIV/AIDS available in developing countries.


To evaluate possible matrilineal factors in the inheritance of Parkinson's disease, we prospectively identified families in which a parent and multiple siblings had Parkinson's disease. In each of the 5 families identified, the affected parent was the mother (p < 0.03). The age at onset in the offspring generation in these 5 families was younger than the age at onset in the parental generation (p < 0.001). In addition, the age at onset in all patients with an affected mother (n = 18) was younger than the age at onset in the affected mothers (p > 0.001). No difference was found between the age at onset in patients with an affected father (n = 14) and the age at onset in the affected fathers. These results are consistent with a role for inherited abnormalities of mitochondrial DNA in the pathogenesis of at least some cases of Parkinson's disease.


In the work, a comparative correlation and fractal analysis of time series of Bitcoin crypto currency rate and community activities in social networks associated with Bitcoin was conducted. A significant correlation between the Bitcoin rate and the community activities was detected. Time series fractal analysis indicated the presence of self-similar and multifractal properties. The results of researches showed that the series having a strong correlation dependence have a similar multifractal structure.


Although the plant epidermis serves primarily a protective role, during plant development some epidermal cells specialize, becoming competent to interact not only with pollen but also with other epidermal cells. In the former case, these interactions mediate recognition, germination, and pollen growth responses and, in the latter case, result in interorgan fusions which, most commonly, alter floral architecture in ways that are thought to promote reproductive success. In either case, all of the initial signaling events must take place across the cell wall and cuticle. In Arabidopsis, mutation of the FIDDLEHEAD gene alters the shoot epidermis such that all epidermal cells become competent to participate in both types of interactions. In fdh-1 mutants, epidermal cells manifest not only a contact-mediated fusion response but also interact with pollen. Since carpel epidermal derivatives manifest both of these properties, we postulated that fdh-1 epidermal cells were ectopically expressing a carpel-like program. In this report we demonstrate that manifestation of the fdh-1 phenotype does not require the product of the AGAMOUS gene, indicating that the phenotype is either independent of the carpel development program or that fdh-1 mutations activate a carpel-specific developmental program downstream of the AG gene. Furthermore, we demonstrate that plants bearing mutations in the fdh-1 gene show significant changes in cell wall and cuticular permeability. Biochemical analyses of the lipid composition of the crude cell wall fraction reveal that fdh-1 cell walls differ from wild-type and manifest significant changes in high-molecular-weight lipid peaks. These results suggest that cell wall and cuticular permeability may be important determinants in developmental signaling between interacting cells and implicate lipids as important factors in modulating the selectivity of the permeability barrier presented by the epidermal cell wall and cuticle.


Background and aims Understanding the age-related trend of risk in high blood pressure (BP) is important for preventing heart failure and cardiovascular diseases. But such a trend is still underexplored. This study aims to (a) depict the relationship of BP patterns with age, and (b) understand the trend of high BP prevalence over time in different age groups. Materials and methods Health check-up data with an observational period of 8 years (January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2018) was used as the data source. A total of 71,468 participants aged over 18 years old with complete information on weight, height, age, gender, glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, systolic (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were included for analysis. Generalized additive models were adopted to explore the relationship between the risk of high BP and age. Variance analysis was conducted by testing the trend of high BP prevalence in age groups over time. Results Risk of high SBP showed a continuous rise from age 35 to 79 years and a concurrent early increase in the risk of high DBP; after age 50–65 years, high DBP risk declined. The risk of SBP rises linearly with age for men, whereas increases non-linearly for women. In addition, a significant increasing trend of high SBP risk among middle-aged people was found during the past decade, men experienced a later but longer period of increase in high SBP than women. Conclusion The high SBP risk progresses more rapidly in the early lifetime in women, compared to the lifetime thereafter. Thresholds of increasing trend of SBP suggest a possible need for hypertension screening in China after the age of 40.


Image analysis workflows for Histology increasingly require the correlation and combination of measurements across several whole slide images. Indeed, for multiplexing, as well as multimodal imaging, it is indispensable that the same sample is imaged multiple times, either through various systems for multimodal imaging, or using the same system but throughout rounds of sample manipulation (e.g. multiple staining sessions). In both cases slight deformations from one image to another are unavoidable, leading to an imperfect superimposition Redundant and thus a loss of accuracy making it difficult to link measurements, in particular at the cellular level. Using pre-existing software components and developing missing ones, we propose a user-friendly workflow which facilitates the nonlinear registration of whole slide images in order to reach sub-cellular resolution level. The set of whole slide images to register and analyze is at first defined as a QuPath project. Fiji is then used to open the QuPath project and perform the registrations. Each registration is automated by using an elastix backend, or semi-automated by using BigWarp in order to interactively correct the results of the automated registration. These transformations can then be retrieved in QuPath to transfer any regions of interest from an image to the corresponding registered images. In addition, the transformations can be applied in QuPath to produce on-the-fly transformed images that can be displayed on top of the reference image. Thus, relevant data can be combined and analyzed throughout all registered slides, facilitating the analysis of correlative results for multiplexed and multimodal imaging.


GAGs content was examined in chick embryo brain starting from the 9th day of incubation to the 4th post-hatching day. Chondroitin 6-sulfate, hyaluronate and heparan sulfate were recovered at any developmental stage examined. C6-S was the main GAG (except on the 15th day), while HS was the least represented. The highest differences in the relative amounts of GAGs are observed on the 9th day. C6-S shows high developmental relative changes, while HA and HS exhibit a similar pattern.


Current Web-based training (WBT) is based upon systematic research and experience with strategies for improving learning and instruction, beginning in the early part of the 20th century and continuing to the present. Use of the World Wide Web for delivery may improve access to training, but the effectiveness of the resulting training and the usefulness of the outcomes is chiefly dependent upon the quality of the instructional design and the completeness of the support package provided. Factors that impact WBT quality, and which must be addressed in design and implementation processes, include assessment and accommodation of trainees' previous learning experiences, training expectations, and overall readiness for new training; availability and familiarity to trainees and trainers of appropriate delivery technologies; presence of technical support; opportunities for interaction with the trainer and other trainees; the preparation and practices of trainers; corporate support and recognition; trainees' capacities and expectations for independent and self-directed learning; and the presence of relevant, quality online training materials.

WBT creates changes and may thus produce stresses in the training environment, as well as efficiencies. Reduction in travel and subsistence requirements means cost savings, but may also be seen by trainees as depriving them of opportunities to meet with each other face-to-face; self-pacing means trainees may proceed independently and at their own rate, but also that group support may be reduced (unless a cohort model is adopted); use of the Internet for delivery of training materials may foster trainee independence, but may also result in confusion for some trainees used to print materials and a paced, group delivery model; trainers no longer have to lecture as materials (always high quality, and often multimedia-based) are prepared in advance, but some may resent the loss of their role at center-stage; trainees are more responsible for their own learning, which may reflect the autonomy of adult responsibility common in the other areas of their lives, but this may be different from the expectations of some for how training should be conducted.

To achieve the efficiencies and advantages well-designed and -managed WBT may offer, adopting organizations must make adjustments. Managers may need to show concrete support for online training by permitting trainees to use corporate resources during company time, to assure access to adequate bandwidth. Trainers may need to master new skills and be willing to adopt new roles less concerned with information dissemination and more involved with meeting individual trainees' expressed needs. Trainees themselves may also need new skills, and may need to exercise more independence and self-direction in their learning.

As technologies become more available to support WBT, and as more models of successful WBT are available, the commitment to this delivery model is predicted to continue to grow. The previous corporate experience of the "productivity paradox" in relation to computers, in which some succeeded in improving productivity while others did not—and some even experienced productivity losses—will need to be avoided, especially in relation to promising innovations such as reusable learning objects. Similarly, arrival of the noncommercial "new Internets" in Canada and the United States constitute a fresh start, an opportunity to demonstrate the value of these resources for academic and research purposes.

Choices of the right technologies, effective use of these choices, attention to security and privacy concerns, adequate training and support of users at all levels, assurance of timely and convenient technology access, and attention to interpersonal needs of participants, if achieved, will result in the expansion and continued success of WBT.

Keywords:

bandwidth;
computer-mediated communications (CMC);
prior learning assessment (PLA);
synchronous;
training;
World Wide Web (WWW)


Electrostatic interactions make a large contribution to solvation free energy in ionic fluids such as electrolytes and colloidal dispersions. The electrostatic contribution to solvation free energy has been ascribed to the self-energy of a charged particle. Here we apply a variational field theory based on lower bound inequality to the inhomogeneous fluids of one-component charged hard-spheres, thereby verifying that the self-energy is given by the difference between the total correlation function and direct correlation function. Based on the knowledge of the liquid state theory, the self-energy specified in this study not only relates a direct correlation function to the Gaussian smearing of each charged sphere, but also provides the electrostatic contribution to solvation free energy that shows good agreement with simulation results. Furthermore, the Ornstein-Zernike equation leads to a set of generalized Debye-Hückel equations reflecting the Gaussian distributed charges.


Genetic algorithms (GA) are used to optimize the performance of a full-wave AC to DC converter in terms of improving its input supply power factor and minimising its output ripple factor. GA is used for optimization on the ground of their computation versatility and robustness. The converter topology and the optimisation control strategy is described. The GA theory and its application to the control strategy is explained. Four controller parameters are treated as Genes in the GA and are optimised for achievement of best fit of the controller objectives. This process is carried out to yield results for various loads of the converter. Further, these results, in conjunction with least square extrapolation technique, are used to develop an adaptive controller for the converter. Simulation results for the converter operating under this adaptive controller are presented.


A simple theoretical model explaining the increase of X-ray sensitivity caused by adding tungsten nanoparticles into thin layers of organic materials is proposed. The mentioned increase of sensitivity is caused by quenched electron multiplication due to secondary electron emission from tungsten particles. After some simplifying assumptions, an expression of the electron multiplication factor K is derived for the case when tungsten atoms are uniformly mixed with the matrix material. The main assumption of the model is the existence of a threshold energy Emin of the order of 0.1 eV, below which the recombination of charge carriers prevents them from being accelerated by the electric field to energies sufficient for impact ionization. It is shown that this assumption makes the increase of K and photocurrent with increasing electric field much slower than the exponential increase commonly associated with an electron avalanche, and K may even start to decrease when the electric field strength exceeds a certain value. Another factor, which has an adverse effect on the X-ray sensitivity, is the ionization energy loss of photoelectrons inside metallic nanoparticles. The results of Monte Carlo simulations show that in the case of spherical tungsten particles with 0.8 μm diameter, the latter phenomenon may cause an additional decrease of the sensitivity by as much as 75%. In order to reduce this effect, the size of nanoparticles should be reduced, or, alternatively, most of the photoelectrons should be generated in the organic matrix rather than inside the nanoparticles.


We prove the stability of global equilibrium in a multi-species mixture, where the different species can have different masses, on the $3$-dimensional torus. We establish stability estimates in $L^\infty_{x,v}(w)$ where $w=w(v)$ is either polynomial or exponential, with explicit threshold. Along the way we extend recent estimates and stability results for the mono-species Boltzmann operator not only to the multi-species case but also to more general hard potential and Maxwellian kernels.


OBJECTIVE
Our purpose was to evaluate thick-section reformatted helical CT of the brain base as a technique for reducing skull base-related artifacts and to compare it with conventional CT.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Twenty-three patients with suspected intracranial abnormalities related to the brain base, as determined either by clinical examination or at the time of imaging, were evaluated with contrast-enhanced conventional CT of the brain (5-mm collimation, 140 kVp, 170 mA, 2-sec rotation time) and reformatted helical CT (1-mm collimation, 1.5 pitch, 120 kVp, 220 mA). Helical sections were reformatted to a thickness of 5 mm by a volume-averaging algorithm using a computer workstation. Three observers retrospectively and blindly reviewed the images and qualitatively scored artifacts at the foramen magnum, middle cranial fossa, anterior cranial fossa, interpetrous region, and internal occipital protuberance. Image graininess and observer confidence were also scored. Paired statistical analyses using score differences in each patient were possible.

RESULTS
Reformatted helical CT reduced skull base-related artifacts across all five anatomic regions (p < 0.05). The foramen magnum showed the greatest reduction in artifacts and the anterior cranial fossa the least. Image graininess was increased on reformatted CT compared with conventional CT (p < 0.05), but observer confidence remained higher for reformatted CT (p < 0.05). Total additional scan time was 3.15 +/- 0.38 min with 5.3 +/- 1.2 min required for reformatting.

CONCLUSION
Reformatted CT significantly decreases skull base-related artifacts in the brain, improving confidence in evaluation of the brain base and adding an average of only 8.45 +/- 1.6 min of scanning and processing time to each examination.


Vagus nerve stimulators currently on the market can treat epilepsy and depression. Recent clinical trials show the potential for vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) to treat epilepsy, autoimmune disease, and traumatic brain injury. As we explore the benefits of VNS, it is expected that more possibilities for a new treatment will emerge in the future. However, existing VNS relies on electrical stimulation, whose limited selectivity (due to its poor spatial resolution) does not allow for any control over which therapeutic effect to induce. We hypothesize that by localizing the stimulation to fascicular level within the vagus nerve with focused ultrasound (US), it is possible to induce selective therapeutic effects with less side effects. A geometrically curve US transducer array that is small enough to wrap around the vagus nerve was fabricated. An experiment was conducted in water, with 48 US elements curved in a 1 mm radius and excited at 15 MHz to test the focusing capabilities of the device. The results show that the geometrical curvature focused the US to an area with a width and height of 110 μm and 550 μm. This will be equivalent to only 2.1% of the cross section of the vagus nerve, showing the potential of focused US to stimulate individual neuronal fibers within the vagus


All Turkic literature has a common cultural framework. A substantial confirmation of this fact comes from the national spiritual heritage, which has become the basis for the further development and flourishing of the verbal art of Turkic peoples. First of all, these are Китабы Деде Коркут of the Oghuz, the Kyrgyz heroic epos Манас (Manas), Идегей (Idegei) – the variants of which were widespread among the Kazakhs and the Tatars, the famous Чура батыр (Chura Batyr) among the Tatars, etc. The works such as A Thousand Nights and a Night (Мың бір түн), Shakhname or Shakh-Name (Шахнама), Kalila and Dimna (Кәлила мен Димна), Leili and Majnun (Ләйлі-Мәжнүн), Zhusip-Zylikha (Жүсіп-Зылиха), Takhir-Zukhra, Farkhad-Shyryn or Khosrov-Shyryn (Хұсрау-Шырын) have exerted a significant influence on the development of literature. The article concludes that, despite the national differences of the Turkic peoples, they are united by common literary background, common goals, and interests, moral, spiritual, and cultural values. It is proved out again that the literature of the Turkic peoples is abundant in authors and works, characterized by a variety of genres and poetic forms, ideological and thematic wealth, and a high artistic level. Emphasis is also put on the fact that in the eastern tradition, there are many samples of word-of-mouth literature of the general plot and cultural heritage of the Turkic peoples who had inhabited the eastern lands since ancient centuries.


In the modern oceans, the removal of dissolved silica from sea water is principally a biological process carried out by diatoms, with lesser contributions from radiolaria, silicoflagellates, and sponges. Because such silica in sediments is often redistributed locally during diagenesis to from nodular or bedded chert, stratigraphic changes in the facies distribution of early diagenetic chert provide important insights into the development of biological participation in the silica cycle. The abundance of chert in upper Proterozoic peritidal carbonates suggests that at this time silica was removed from seawater principally by abiological processes operating in part of the margins of the oceans. With the evolution of demosponges near the beginning of the Cambrian Period, subtidal biogenetic cherts became increasingly common, and with the Ordovician rise of radiolaria to ecological and biogeochemical prominence, sedimented skeletons became a principal sink for oceanic silica. Cherts of Silurian to Cretaceous age share many features of facies distribution and petrography but they differ from Cenozoic siliceous deposits. These differences are interpreted to reflect the mid-Cretaceous radiation of diatoms and their subsequent rise to domination of the silica cycle. Biogeochemical cycles provide an important framework for the paleobiological interpretation of the organisms that participate in them.


West Nile virus (WNV) is a leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the United States. Annual seasonal outbreaks vary in size and location. Predicting where and when higher than normal WNV transmission will occur can help direct limited public health resources. We developed models for the contiguous United States to identify meteorological anomalies associated with above average incidence of WNV neuroinvasive disease from 2004 to 2012. We used county-level WNV data reported to ArboNET and meteorological data from the North American Land Data Assimilation System. As a result of geographic differences in WNV transmission, we divided the United States into East and West, and 10 climate regions. Above average annual temperature was associated with increased likelihood of higher than normal WNV disease incidence, nationally and in most regions. Lower than average annual total precipitation was associated with higher disease incidence in the eastern United States, but the opposite was true in most western regions. Although multiple factors influence WNV transmission, these findings show that anomalies in temperature and precipitation are associated with above average WNV disease incidence. Readily accessible meteorological data may be used to develop predictive models to forecast geographic areas with elevated WNV disease risk before the coming season.


Author(s): Merkle, Maxwell Graham | Advisor(s): Alivisatos, Armand P | Abstract: This dissertation examines the effects of laser-generated shockwaves on colloidally prepared nanocrystals. Their microscopic structure is first examined utilizing gold nanoparticles. The properties under scrutiny in the first study are used to then initiate a polymorphic phase transition in CdSe quantum dots. In the final study, hollow CdS particles are used to show the utility of nanoparticles as possible energy attenuation materials.In gold nanoparticles it is shown, for the first time, a direct observation of the effect of density increase on the optical properties of gold nanoparticles. The splitting of the plasmon resonance into two distinct peaks illustrates the result of a uniaxial compression characteristic of a shock wave. The behavior of CdSe nanocrystals shocked to stresses of 2andash3.75 GPa has been studied. Above 3 GPa a near-complete disappearance of the first excitonic feature and broadening of the low-energy absorption edge were observed, consistent with a wurtzite to rocksalt structural transformation. The transformation pressure is reduced relative to hydrostatic compression in a diamond anvil cell. Also, the rate of the phase transition increases. These effects are attributed to shock induced shear stress along the reaction coordinate. The especially rapid rate observed for a 3.75 GPa shock suggests multiple nucleation events per particle. Hollow CdS nanospheres have been fractured under the action of laser-induced shock waves. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been used to image the recovered fragmented particles. Additionally, time-resolved measurements of the transmission of the shock wave through a polymer layer containing hollow nanospheres have been carried out. The hollow nanospheres can attenuate the transmitted shock above a threshold stress. At the highest shock stresses measured, the shock attenuation layer acts as a composite shocked above its elastic limit. To these ends we show that nanoparticles are useful in studying and altering the properties of shockwaves. Shockwaves are also shown to be useful in high time-resolution studies of the morphological processes in solids, using nanocrystals as the archetypical, single-domain sample.


Different adhesive capacity in interactions with CD55 has been ascribed to the isoforms of the leukocyte CD97 antigen, CD97 (EGF 1,2,5), CD97 (EGF 1,2,3,5), and CD97 (EGF 1,2,3,4,5). In the study, coexpression of the three CD97 isoforms and predominance of CD97 (EGF 1,2,5) transcripts in leukocytes are demonstrated. The contribution of CD97 (EGF 1,2,3,5) and CD97 (EGF 1,2,3,4,5) to total CD97 levels varied among most cell types only slightly, although relatively higher mRNA levels of both isoforms were detected in U 937 cells and monocytes. In peripheral blood lymphocytes, CD97 isoforms did not show clear variation after PMA stimulation and were down‐regulated equally after CD97 cross‐linking. Moreover, the CD97 isoform pattern was not altered in monocytes after interferon‐γ stimulation and in synovial T cells from patients with rheumatoid arthritis. CD97 mRNA levels did not necessarily correspond to CD97 surface density. The findings suggest that adhesive activity of CD97 toward CD55 is unlikely to be regulated by differential CD97 isoform expression.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Time-of-flight (TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is commonly used to visualize the carotid arteries; however, flow void artifacts can appear. Our purpose was to determine the frequency and diagnostic meaning of flow voids by using real patient data, as part of a larger study of MRA compared with the criterion standard, digital subtraction angiography (DSA).

METHODS
In 1997-2000, 390 consecutive patients with sonographic findings suggestive of carotid artery stenosis were included in this study. All patients subsequently underwent three-dimensional (3D) TOF MRA and conventional DSA. The frequency of flow void artifacts on 3D TOF MRA images were compared with stenosis measurements on DSA images.

RESULTS
We recorded 107 flow voids (16%) during 3D TOF MRA of 662 carotid arteries. DSA images were available for comparison in 102 cases. The median percentage of stenosis in this subgroup of flow voids on MRA images was 80%, compared with measurements on DSA images according to the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET) criteria. Stenoses ranged from 36% to 100% (occlusion). Three flow voids (2.9%) were in the 0-49% range; 11 (10.8%), in the 50-69% range; and 86 (84.3%), in the 70-99% range. Two flow voids (2.0%) represented occlusions. The positive predictive value of a flow void artifact for the presence of severe (70-99%) stenosis was 84.3% (95% CI: 77.3%, 91.4%).

CONCLUSION
Flow void artifacts represented severe stenosis in most of the arteries. According to our data, the assumption that flow voids on 3D TOF MRA images represent severe stenosis is justified.


As is known to all, glioma, a global difficult problem, has a high malignant degree, high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. We analyzed and summarized signal pathway of the Hippo/YAP, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, miRNA, WNT/β-catenin, Notch, Hedgehog, TGF-β, TCS/mTORC1 signal pathway, JAK/STAT signal pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, the relationship between BBB and signal pathways and the mechanism of key enzymes in glioma. It is concluded that Yap1 inhibitor may become an effective target for the treatment of glioma in the near future through efforts of generation after generation. Inhibiting PI3K/Akt/mTOR, Shh, Wnt/β-Catenin, and HIF-1α can reduce the migration ability and drug resistance of tumor cells to improve the prognosis of glioma. The analysis shows that Notch1 and Sox2 have a positive feedback regulation mechanism, and Notch4 predicts the malignant degree of glioma. In this way, notch cannot only be treated for glioma stem cells in clinic, but also be used as an evaluation index to evaluate the prognosis, and provide an exploratory attempt for the direction of glioma treatment. MiRNA plays an important role in diagnosis, and in the treatment of glioma, VPS25, KCNQ1OT1, KB-1460A1.5, and CKAP4 are promising prognostic indicators and a potential therapeutic targets for glioma, meanwhile, Rheb is also a potent activator of Signaling cross-talk etc. It is believed that these studies will help us to have a deeper understanding of glioma, so that we will find new and better treatment schemes to gradually conquer the problem of glioma.


Context: Antibiotic resistance is a global problem. Organisms are showing resistance to not only the conventional antibiotics but also to the higher generation drugs. This enormous amount of resistance faced is a serious threat to mankind and this is further accentuated by the fact that the antibiotic pipeline is fast drying up. We are now left with only a handful of antibiotics to deal with all infections - serious or otherwise. The present paper highlights the current scenario of drug resistance especially in nosocomial settings. Aims and Objectives: To determine the distribution of bacterial pathogens causing nosocomial infections and their antibiogram, a surveillance data from January to December 2011 was collected in Mohan Dai Oswal Hospital. A total of 1800 samples were taken of which maximum samples were urine (766) followed by blood (428) and pus (216), and so on. Settings and Design: This observational study was conducted in the microbiology department of a multispeciality hospital during January-December 2011. Materials and Methods: A total of 1800 samples from different sources were included in the study like pus, blood, urine, sputum, etc., which were taken from patients admitted in the hospital for more than a week. Gram negative bacilli were isolated, identified, and subjected to antibiotic sensitivity test. Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive statistics using percentages. Results: Out of the total 1800 samples included, maximum positivity was found in the pus samples (70%). Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) positivity was also maximum in the pus samples (90%). These ESBL positive organisms were further subjected to antibiotic sensitivity tests and huge amounts of resistance was noted to the conventional drugs including the higher end agents like Carbapenems. In light of this, newer drugs like Tigecycline, Colistin, and Polymyxin B were also tested. Barring Tigecycline, none showed favorable results. A noteworthy finding was the sensitivity of the urinary ESBL isolates to Nitrofurantoin. Conclusions: The situation is quite dangerous. The time is not far when we will be back in the dark ages of the preantibiotic era. The need of the hour is to be alert of the gravity of this situation and take necessary measures to halt its progress.


Interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) contain a record of the building blocks of the solar system including presolar grains, molecular cloud material, and materials formed in the early solar nebula. Cometary IDPs have remained relatively unaltered since their accretion because of the lack of parent body thermal and aqueous alteration. We are using coordinated transmission electron microscope (TEM) and ion microprobe studies to establish the origins of the various components within cometary IDPs. Of particular interest is the nature and abundance of presolar silicates in these particles because astronomical observations suggest that crystalline and amorphous silicates are the dominant grain types produced in young main sequence stars and evolved O-rich stars. Five circumstellar grains have been identified including three amorphous silicate grains and two polycrystalline aggregates. All of these grains are between 0.2 and 0.5 micrometers in size. The isotopic compositions of all five presolar silicate grains fall within the range of presolar oxides and silicates, having large (17)O-enrichments and normal (18)O/(16)O ratios (Group 1 grains from AGB and RG stars). The amorphous silicates are chemically heterogeneous and contain nanophase FeNi metal and FeS grains in a Mg-silicate matrix. Two of the amorphous silicate grains are aggregates with subgrains showing variable Mg/Si ratios in chemical maps. The polycrystalline grains show annealed textures (equilibrium grains boundaries, uniform Mg/Fe ratios), and consist of 50-100 nm enstatite and pyrrhotite grains with lesser forsterite. One of the polycrystalline aggregates contains a subgrain of diopside. The polycrystalline aggregates form by subsolidus annealing of amorphous precursors. The bulk compositions of the five grains span a wide range in Mg/Si ratios from 0.4 to 1.2 (avg. 0.86). The average Fe/Si (0.40) and S/Si (0.21) ratios show a much narrower range of values and are approximately 50% of their solar abundances. The latter observation may indicate a decoupling of the silicate and sulfide components in grains that condense in stellar outflows. The amorphous silicate grains described here were not extensively affected by irradiation, sputtering, or thermal processing and may represent relatively pristine circumstellar grains. They are strong candidates for the "dirty silicates" in astronomical observations of circumstellar dust shells. The polycrystalline grains were originally amorphous silicate grains that were likely annealed in the early solar nebula but the processing was not sufficient to erase their anomalous oxygen isotopic compositions.


Background: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, respiratory pathogens such as influenza, parainfluenza, and respiratory syncytial virus were the most commonly detected viruses among hospitalized patients with respiratory tract infections. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of inpatients and outpatients who attended Jordan University Hospital and underwent Nasopharyngeal Aspiration (NPA) in the periods from December 2017 to December 2018 and from December 2021 to December 2022. The results of multiplex respiratory pathogen real-time PCR tests for nasopharyngeal swab specimens were extracted from the electronic-based molecular diagnostic laboratory record of JUH. We compared the prevalence of the detected viruses as well as the patients' characteristics and outcomes between the two periods. Results: The total number of included patients was 695. Our analysis showed that a higher percentage of patients with hypertension and diabetes presented before the pandemic compared to the same period after it (p-value < 0.001). The need for O2 devices, white blood cell counts, diastolic blood pressure, and the length of hospital stay were significantly higher among patients who presented before the pandemic (p-value < 0.050). Influenza H1N1 (8.70% vs. 4.03%), influenza B (1.67% vs. 0.25%), parainfluenza (1.00% vs. 0.00%), human metapneumovirus (5.35% vs. 0.76%), adenoviruses (6.35% vs. 3.02%), and coronaviruses (8.70% vs. 3.53%) were detected with higher frequency in the period before the pandemic (p-value = 0.011, 0.045, 0.045, 0.000, 0.035, 0.004). These results were similar in terms of changes in the detection rates of viruses after matching the number of tested patients between the periods before and after the pandemic. Conclusions: We have demonstrated a reduction in the detection of several viruses, which might be due to the increase in public awareness toward infection protection measures after the COVID-19 pandemic.


The authors were asked by the Editors of ACS Chemical Biology to write an article titled "Why Nature Chose Selenium" for the occasion of the upcoming bicentennial of the discovery of selenium by the Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius in 1817 and styled after the famous work of Frank Westheimer on the biological chemistry of phosphate [Westheimer, F. H. (1987) Why Nature Chose Phosphates, Science 235, 1173-1178]. This work gives a history of the important discoveries of the biological processes that selenium participates in, and a point-by-point comparison of the chemistry of selenium with the atom it replaces in biology, sulfur. This analysis shows that redox chemistry is the largest chemical difference between the two chalcogens. This difference is very large for both one-electron and two-electron redox reactions. Much of this difference is due to the inability of selenium to form π bonds of all types. The outer valence electrons of selenium are also more loosely held than those of sulfur. As a result, selenium is a better nucleophile and will react with reactive oxygen species faster than sulfur, but the resulting lack of π-bond character in the Se-O bond means that the Se-oxide can be much more readily reduced in comparison to S-oxides. The combination of these properties means that replacement of sulfur with selenium in nature results in a selenium-containing biomolecule that resists permanent oxidation. Multiple examples of this gain of function behavior from the literature are discussed.


One hundred and seventy children attending a hospital accident and emergency department following everyday trauma were interviewed and completed the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) screening battery suggested by Yule and Udwin (1991). Diagnostic interviews (CAPS-C) confirmed that 39 (22.9%) fulfilled the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD. There were significant differences between children with and without PTSD on each individual component of the screening battery. Various criteria for caseness were evaluated and at 6 weeks post trauma the screen identified up to 90% of children diagnosed with PTSD and 73% with borderline conditions. A subset of 36 children were reassessed 8 months post trauma and all children with persistent PTSD were correctly identified by initial screen scores. The limitations of the study and the role of screening for PTSD in the absence of proven psychological interventions are discussed.


Gaseous microemboli (GME) generated during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) can present a significant risk to patient outcomes, specifically if they are delivered to the cerebral vasculature. A number of GME sources have been identified, leading to improved clinical practice and equipment design to ameliorate the presence and intensity of GME during CPB. Recently, a number of new venous reservoir/oxygenator systems have entered the market, including the Sorin Inspire6 and Inspire8, the Terumo FX15 and FX25 and the Maquet Quadrox-i. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the GME-handling capacity of these contemporary venous reservoirs, oxygenators and complete systems, as well as our currently used Sorin Synthesis, using the EDAC system. The venous reservoir of the Quadrox-i was the most effective in removing all sizes of GME and total GME load, while the Synthesis was the least effective. The FX15 and FX25 were least effective removing small GME, while the FX15 and Quadrox-i were the least effective at removing medium GME. The Quadrox-i was least effective at removing large GME. In terms of complete venous reservoir/oxygenator systems, the Synthesis permitted the greatest amount of GME to pass, while the other systems appeared largely equivalent.


The purpose of this paper was to evaluate technical conformity of bench terraces in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. A sample of 180 actual bench terraces from 12 sites located in this Province was tested against technical standards and models provided for by the Ministry of Agriculture of Rwanda and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The results showed that many sites have been constructed with no consideration of these technical guidelines. Terraces were built on land slopes lower or higher than standards while terrace riser slopes above 90% and height above 2.9 m were frequent. Findings indicated weak correlation coefficient (r=0.314), although very significant, between field-measured and Agriculture Organization model-computed vertical intervals, and very weak but significant correlation coefficient (r = 0.194) between terrace measured and model-derived widths. In such circumstances, land terracing might have increased risks of landslide and erosion with no sustainable benefit for soil erosion control and crop production.

 Key words: Bench terraces, soil erosion, technical efficacy, Eastern province.


Objective: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) confers high cardiovascular risk. Regression of LVH reduces risk. Patients with blood pressure in the normal range and LVH are common. We investigated whether further reduction in blood pressure would further regress LVH. Methods: 51 subjects with blood pressure in the normal range and echocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy were randomly assigned to active treatment (antihypertensive medication) or placebo in a ratio of 2:1. The aim was to maintain office systolic blood pressure at 10 mm Hg less than baseline in the active arm and at baseline level in the placebo arm. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure change in left ventricular mass index over 12 months. Results: 35 subjects completed the study (active 23: placebo 12). Average mean baseline office systolic blood pressure was 122 (SD 9) mm Hg in the active group and 124 (9) mm Hg in the placebo group (p = 0.646). The mean baseline left ventricular mass index was 65.88 (11.87) g/m2 in the active group and 59.16 (11.13) g/m2 in the placebo group (p = 0.114). The mean difference between baseline and end of study office systolic blood pressure was −9.33 (8.56) mm Hg in the active group and −0.08 (9.27) mm Hg in the placebo group (p = 0.007). The mean change in left ventricular mass index was −4.68 (7.31) g/m2 in the active group and +1.97 (6.68) g/m2 in the placebo group (p = 0.014). Conclusions: Reduction in office systolic blood pressure, already in the normal range, of approximately 9 mm Hg, leads to a reduction in left ventricular mass. Further work is required to see if this also leads to a reduction in cardiovascular events. Trial registration number: ISRCTN48331653.


A surface micromachining process for the fabrication of a pressure sensitive field effect transistor (FET), compatible with complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processing, has been established in which residual membrane stress can be tuned without changing the underlying CMOS operation. The residual membrane stress must be controlled at a low tensile value for optimum operation of the pressure FET. Controlling this residual stress involves the development of suitable processing conditions, and the effect of alteration from standard CMOS processing on the underlying circuitry must be evaluated. The effects of different processing conditions for a surface micromachined polysilicon pressure sensing membrane on the CMOS characteristics are presented. Variations in the polysilicon sensor layer deposition and implant conditions in the surface micromachining process and back-end CMOS interlayer dielectric reflow were examined as these strongly influence the residual stress in the membrane. The electrical characteristics for devices that had only CMOS processing did not vary significantly from the electrical characteristics of devices that had the pressure sensor surface micromachining layer processing.


To be competitive, manufacturers need to know how things fail, as well as how things work. The combination of physics-of-failure and best practices is an approach to the development of cost-effective reliable products that focuses on how things can fail through an understanding of the root causes of failure. The goal is to answer the following questions: (1) how can the supplier measure how well he is doing?; (2) what kind of reliability assurances can a supplier give to a customer?; (3) how can a customer determine that the supplier knows what he is doing, and that he is likely to deliver what is desired?; and (4) how can both the supplier and customer assess and minimize the risks? These questions are important because the supplier of a product that fails in the field experiences a loss of customer confidence and subsequently a loss of business. Similarly, the customer of a product that fails will experience a loss of functionality which could result in decreased business, safety and customer satisfaction.


Self-supervised disentangled representation learning is a critical task in sequence modeling. The learnt representations contribute to better model interpretability as well as the data generation, and improve the sample efficiency for downstream tasks. We propose a novel sequence representation learning method, named Contrastively Disentangled Sequential Variational Autoencoder (C-DSVAE), to extract and separate the static (time-invariant) and dynamic (time-variant) factors in the latent space. Different from previous sequential variational autoencoder methods, we use a novel evidence lower bound which maximizes the mutual information between the input and the latent factors, while penalizes the mutual information between the static and dynamic factors. We leverage contrastive estimations of the mutual information terms in training, together with simple yet effective augmentation techniques, to introduce additional inductive biases. Our experiments show that C-DSVAE significantly outperforms the previous state-of-the-art methods on multiple metrics.


We describe the design and implementation of a security infrastructure for a distributed Java application. This work is inspired by SDSI/SPKI, but has a few twists of its own. We define a logic for access control, such that access is granted iff a proof that it should be granted is derivable in the logic. Our logic supports linked local name spaces, privilege delegation across administrative domains, and attribute certificates. We use SSL to establish secure channels through which principals can "speak", and have implemented our access control system in Java. While we implemented our infrastructure for the Placeless Documents System, our design is applicable to other applications as well. We discuss general issues related to building secure, distributed Java applications that we discovered.


Background Postnatal period is six weeks after birth. It is critical but is the most neglected period. A large proportion of maternal and neonatal deaths occur during 48 hours following childbirth. The utilization of the recommended three postnatal checkups within seven days after delivery, which plays a vital role in preventing maternal and neonatal deaths, is low in Nepal. Objective This study is aimed at identifying the factors associated with the utilization of complete postnatal care (PNC) among mothers. Method A cross-sectional study was carried out among 318 mothers in wards 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Baglung municipality, Nepal. Data was collected by semi-structured interviews. Descriptive analysis and comparison of characteristics of women/families with complete vs. partial postnatal checkups using multivariable logistic regression were done. Results Among 314 respondents receiving at least one PNC, 78% had partial and 22% had complete PNC. Relatively advantaged caste/ethnicity- Brahman/Chhetri (aOR = 3.18, 95% CI: 1.24-8.12) and Janajati (aOR = 2.87, 95% CI: 1.09-7.53) - compared to Dalits, husbands working as a job holder in Nepal (aOR = 3.49, 95% CI: 1.50-8.13), and delivery in a private hospital (aOR = 11.4, 95% CI: 5.40-24.2) were associated with having complete PNC. Conclusion Although PNC attendance at least once was high, utilization of complete PNC was low. More focus to mothers from disadvantaged caste/ethnicity, those whose husbands are in foreign employment, and improvement in quality of care in government health facilities may increase the use of complete PNC.


Despite economic and institutional reform in Africa during the past decade, the flow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the region continues to be disappointing and uneven. In this study we use the fixed and random effects models to explore whether the stylized determinants of FDI affect FDI flows to Africa in conventional ways. Based on a panel dataset for 29 African countries over the period 1975 to 1999, the paper identifies the following factors as significant for FDI flows to Africa: economic growth, inflation, openness of the economy, international reserves, and natural resource availability. Contrary to conventional wisdom, political rights and infrastructures were found to be unimportant for FDI flows to Africa. The significance of a variable for FDI flows to Africa was found to be dependent on whether country- and time-specific effects are fixed or stochastic.


The purpose of this thesis is to investigate opportunities to learn (OTL) algebra by grade
ten learners at three Catholic secondary schools in South Africa. Performance in
mathematics is poor and is a great cause for concern. Despite the government's effort
to make education open and available to all, underperformance has continued among
the black majority who were previously marginalised in the former regime. This thesis
focuses on the OTL which are afforded learners who are given the chance to attend
classes.
This thesis met its aims through an extensive review of related literature and the
implementation of practical research. The latter was carried out through case studies
conducted in three schools where lessons were observed and interviews conducted
with the respective teachers. Literature on how OTL mathematics are created is lacking
in South Africa. Real OTL still needs to be created if the expected level of performance
is to be achieved.
The research produced a number of key findings: the learners were given the right to
attend class but were subjected to different OTL, learning to convert within and between
the different registers of representation of algebraic concepts is necessary to provide
learners with OTL, it is not enough for learners to master certain facts and procedures,
and learning is enhanced if the means to make the conversion necessary for concept
building is developed and the OTL provided. The teacher's approach influences the way
OTL are realised and utilised by learners.
The main conclusion drawn from this research is that the OTL afforded the grade ten
learners were not the same and that different chances to make conversion within and
between registers of representation of algebra concepts were given. Giving the teachers
guidelines without expounding the meaning of specific terms such as 'convert' leaves
gaps in their practices and results in some learners receiving adequate OTL and others
not.
This research argues for a more involved capacity building programme for in-service
teachers to acquaint them with the expected learner-centred approaches to lesson
delivery as well as familiarise them with the terminology used in defining terms in the
syllabus.


The present invention discloses a solid-state image capturing apparatus, driving method and an electronic apparatus. A solid-state image capturing apparatus comprising: pixels arranged in a two-dimensional array of pixel units, each pixel includes a photoelectric conversion unit, a transfer transistor transfer accumulated in the photoelectric conversion unit charge, discharge and selectively accumulated in the photoelectric conversion unit the charge of the charge discharging transistor; and a driving unit, the driving unit performing the driving for reading signals from each pixel in the pixel array unit, and using a signal for driving the charge discharging transistor is driven.


The energy dependence of the total charge-transfer cross section for the collision of helium ions with cesium atoms at epithermal energies (0.1 to 1 eV) has been measured. It was observed that the cross section increases with E/sup -1/2/. This can be attributed to orbiting collisions. The charge-transfer cross section is expressed as the product of the classical orbiting cross section and a quantum-mechanical charge-transfer probability which is shown to be energy independent.


This study uses analytic techniques to test the hypothesis that role modeling, parents' beliefs, and the provision of experiences for the child are related to children's perceptions of sport competence, value, and participation. Mothers and fathers and their 2nd-, 3rd-, and 5th-grade children responded to questionnaires. These 3 cohorts of children were followed for 1 year. Mothers and fathers were gender stereotyped in their beliefs and practices. Regression analyses revealed that parents' perceptions of their children's ability had the strongest unique relationship with children's beliefs and participation both concurrently and over time. The results of the pattern-centered analyses demonstrated that the full set of parent socialization factors had an additive positive association with children's outcomes.


A BSTRACT . Al composites usage is growing and is gaining importance in aerospace, automotive and marine industries due to their excellent characteristics. Aluminum composites exhibit high resistance to wear and corrosion, possess high strength, offer durability and more such properties. In this study, Al 6061 alloy, reinforced with Al 2 O 3 - MoS 2 was produced by a stir casting technique and its microstructure and mechanical behavior were evaluated. Reinforcements were added in the range of 0 - 9 wt. %. The microstructure analysis, tensile and compressive strength of the hybrid MMCs (Metal Matrix Composites) have been analyzed and examined. From the investigational study, it was found that the reinforcing particulates are evenly dispersed in the base matrix. The porosity and density of the hybrid composites were found to be enhanced. The ultimate tensile and compressive strength of the hybrid MMCs could be improved by addition of ceramic (Al 2 O 3 ) particulates compared to monolithic. Further, the strength of hybrid composites was decreased by adding of MoS 2 (solid lubricant) along with hard ceramic particulates. Finally, fractured surface of the UTS test specimens were analysed using a SEM analysis.


Accurate location of target nodes is highly desirable in a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) as it has a strong impact on overall performance of the WSN. This paper proposes the application of H-Best Particle Swarm Optimization (HPSO) and Biogeography Based Optimization (BBO) algorithms for distributed optimal localization of randomly deployed sensors. The proposed HPSO algorithm is modeled for fast and mature convergence, though previous PSO models had only fast convergence but less mature. Biogeography is a school work (collective learning) of geographical allotment of biological organisms. BBO has a new inclusive vigor based on the science of biogeography and employs migration operator to share information between different habitats, i.e., problem solutions. WSN localization problem is formulated as an NP-Hard optimization problem because of its size and complexity. In this work, an error model is described for estimation of optimal node location in a manner such that the location error is minimized using HPSO and BBO algorithms. Proposed HPSO and BBO algorithms are matured to optimize the sensors' locations and perform better as compared to the existing optimization algorithms such as Genetic Algorithms (GAs), and Simulated Annealing Algorithm (SAA). Comparative study reveals that the HPSO yields improved performance in terms of faster, matured, and accurate localization as compared to global best (gbest) PSO. The performance results on experimental sensor network data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms by comparing the performance in terms of the number of nodes localized, localization accuracy and computation time.


Nonlinearity in the Northern Hemisphere's wintertime atmospheric flow is investigated from both an intermediate-complexity model of the extratropics and reanalyses. A long simulation is obtained using a three-level quasigeostrophic model on the sphere. Kernel empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs), which help delineate complex structures, are used along with the local flow tendencies. Two fixed points are obtained, which are associated with strong bimodality in two-dimensional kernel principal component (PC) space, consistent with conceptual low-order dynamics. The regimes reflect zonal and blocked flows. The analysis is then extended to ERA-40 and JRA-55 using daily sea level pressure (SLP) and geopotential heights in the stratosphere (20 hPa) and troposphere (500 hPa). In the stratosphere, trimodality is obtained, representing disturbed, displaced, and undisturbed states of the winter polar vortex. In the troposphere, the probability density functions (PDFs), for both fields, within the two-dimensional (2D) kernel EOF space are strongly bimodal. The modes correspond broadly to opposite phases of the Arctic Oscillation with a signature of the negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Over the North Atlantic–European sector, a trimodal PDF is also obtained with two strong and one weak modes. The strong modes are associated, respectively, with the north (or +NAO) and south (or −NAO) positions of the eddy-driven jet stream. The third weak mode is interpreted as a transition path between the two positions. A climate change signal is also observed in the troposphere of the winter hemisphere, resulting in an increase (a decrease) in the frequency of the polar high (low), consistent with an increase of zonal flow frequency.


The "shimmering dust" of knowledge and the conflict between authority and freedom in the writings of Phillip Pullman. The new fantasy routes of literature for the young. Travels, adventures, and the search for identity come together in different narrative genres such as adventure tales, stories of classical adventures, or the more recent, and very important Fantasy genre with its widespread success in Western society. The term 'Fantasy' is used to indicate a literary genre which represents the imaginary dimensions of "Fantasyland" of fabulous worlds which are different to ours. However, the fantastic and the wonderful are not an escape from reality, but, rather interpretations of it. As with fables and legends, the marvellous or wonderful encompasses a sacred, universal dimension. This paper highlights the narrative/emancipator/broadminded value of the trilogy His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman, one of the great contemporary authors of literature for the young.


Background Frail patients represent 30% of the myeloma population, and are more susceptible to adverse events (AEs) with subsequent treatment discontinuations that significantly affect efficacy and dose-intensity. This community-based, phase II, multicenter trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of 3 reduced-dose intensity subcutaneous (sc) bortezomib-based treatments in newly diagnosed elderly multiple (MM) patients.

Methods Patients with symptomatic, measurable MM, older than 75 years were enrolled. No exclusion criteria were planned in the protocol, to avoid patient selection bias. Patients with abnormal cardiac, pulmonary, renal or hepatic function were included.

Treatment consisted of nine 28-day cycles with sc bortezomib 1.3 mg/m2 days 1, 8, 15, 22 plus oral prednisone 50 mg every other day (VP) or VP plus oral cyclophosphamide 50 mg every other day (VCP) or oral melphalan 2 mg every other day (VMP) for 28 days, followed by maintenance with sc bortezomib every 2 weeks until progression.

A geriatric assessment was performed, including the Charlson index for estimating comorbidities, the Activity of Daily Living (ADL) and the Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL) questionnaires to assess self-care and independence status. Combining these factors with age, patients were classified as fit ( 80 years or ADL=5, IADL=6-7, Charlson score=1), or frail (unfit patients >80 years or ADL≤4, IADL ≤5 and Charlson score ≥2).

Results A total of 152 patients were enrolled, including 51 patients in the VP, 51 in the VCP and 50 in the VMP group. Median age was 78 years and 30% of patients were older than 80 years. Overall, 53%, 47% and 32% of the patients had ISS stage III disease, 21%, 20% and 24% had an unfavourable FISH profile [at least one chromosomal abnormality: del17, or t(4;14), or t(14;16)], and 88%, 84% and 78% were defined as unfit/frail in the VP, VCP, and VMP groups, respectively.

Patients received a median of 9 treatment cycles and 44% of patients started maintenance. All three induction regimens exhibited substantial activity, with an overall response rate (≥partial response) of 67% in the VP, 63% in the VCP, and 80% in the VMP group. After a median follow-up of 17 months, median progression-free survival (PFS) was 14, 16 and 16 months and 1-year overall survival (OS) estimates were 80%, 82% and 80% in the VP, VCP and VMP group, respectively.

The incidence of Serious Adverse Events (SAEs) was 22%, 20% and 30% and the discontinuation rate due to AEs was 14%, 16% and 26% in the VP, VCP and VMP groups, respectively. The most common non hematologic grade ≥3 AEs were infections (12%), cardiovascular events (8%), and neurologic events (7%), including 5% of peripheral neuropathy.

According to the geriatric classification, and specifically in the fit, unfit and frail patients, the overall response rate was 92%, 67% and 65%, the 1 year OS was 100%, 88% and 73%, rate of SAEs was 4%, 22%, 30% and discontinuation due to toxicity was 40%, 58% and 67%, respectively.

Conclusions In this community-based population of elderly newly diagnosed MM patients low-dose intensity VP, VCP and VMP showed similar PFS and OS estimates, while SAEs and discontinuations were higher with VMP, suggesting that a melphalan-free regimen should be preferred in these patients. Geriatric assessment is mandatory, since both efficacy and toxicities are significantly different in fit, unfit and frail patients.

View this table:

Table 1

Disclosures: Larocca: Janssen and Cilag: Honoraria. Cavallo: Janssen-Cilag: Honoraria. Caravita: Janssen-Cilag: Honoraria. Petrucci: Janssen-Cilag: Honoraria. Sonneveld: Janssen-Cilag: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Onyx: Honoraria; Janssen-Cilag: Research Funding; Millenium: Research Funding; Onyx: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding. Boccadoro: Janssen-Cilag: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen-Cilag: Research Funding; Janssen-Cilag: Consultancy. Palumbo: Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria; Millenium: Consultancy, Honoraria; Onyx: Consultancy, Honoraria.


Gastrointestinal disorder has been commonly found in diabetic patients. An increase responsiveness to electrical responsiveness to neurotransmitters has been reported. N. nucifera has been used for the treatment of diabetes. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the effect of N. nucifera flower extract (NNFE) on high K+ and Ca2+-ion induced colonic contraction in diabetic rats. Male albino wistar rats were induced with 65 mg/kg b.w. streptozotocin. All groups of rats were daily oral administered of NNFE (250 mg/kg b.w.) for 8 weeks. The rats were sacrificed by asphyxiation with CO2. Longitudinal colonic smooth muscle strips of the rats were prepared for SNP-responsive investigation. The results showed that NNFE significantly (p<0.05) reduced the contractile responses of colonic smooth muscle strips of the rats in the presence of K+ and Ca2+-ion. And also, NNFE significantly (p<0.05) reduced the responses of the strips in the presence of SNP. The changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations lead to fusion of insulin-containing vesicles to the plasma membrane and subsequent rapid exocytosis of insulin from β cells. The data indicated that the flower extract from N. nucifera posses favorable hypoglycemic activity and inhibited colonic contractile activity in diabetic rats.


ABSTRACT Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains cause food-borne outbreaks of hemorrhagic colitis and, less commonly, a serious kidney-damaging sequela called the hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Stx, the primary virulence factor expressed by STEC, is an AB5 toxin with two antigenically distinct forms, Stx1a and Stx2a. Although both toxins have similar biological activities, Stx2a is more frequently produced by STEC strains that cause HUS than is Stx1a. Here we asked whether Stx1a and Stx2a act differently when delivered orally by gavage. We found that Stx2a had a 50% lethal dose (LD50) of 2.9 μg, but no morbidity occurred after oral intoxication with up to 157 μg of Stx1a. We also compared several biochemical and histological parameters in mice intoxicated orally versus intraperitoneally with Stx2a. We discovered that both intoxication routes caused similar increases in serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, indicative of kidney damage, as well as electrolyte imbalances and weight loss in the animals. Furthermore, kidney sections from Stx2a-intoxicated mice revealed multifocal, acute tubular necrosis (ATN). Of particular note, we detected Stx2a in kidney sections from orally intoxicated mice in the same region as the epithelial cell type in which ATN was detected. Lastly, we showed reduced renal damage, as determined by renal biomarkers and histopathology, and full protection of orally intoxicated mice with monoclonal antibody (MAb) 11E10 directed against the toxin A subunit; conversely, an irrelevant MAb had no therapeutic effect. Orally intoxicated mice could be rescued by MAb 11E10 6 h but not 24 h after Stx2a delivery.


The contemporary urbanization process in Brazil is directly related to the dynamics of the capitalist production mode. In this production mode the urban land, as well as habitation, become commodities – individual or collective consumer goods. With the increase in municipal autonomy back in the 1990s, along with the approval of the Statue of Cities in 2001, new tools for organization of urban territory and production of habitations were created. This work makes a brief analysis of the right to city's trajectory, since the creation of such concept by Henri Lefebvre in the 1960s, until the concept's appropriation by Brazilian legislation. Through bibliographical review, it relates the social role of property as means to grant the right to the city.


This article focuses on the role of sexuality and intimate relationships during women's exit processes from drug abuse. Drawing from qualitative interviews with Swedish women the article explores how their sexual practice is played out both during drug use and in the new drug-free life situation. The conflictual transition process evolves around the individual's attempts to adapt to various sexual scripts made available to them. An element of shame regarding past sexual experiences is enforced by a strong desire to create a new identity as 'ordinary'. The safest option then is to abstain from sex even if it may lead to frustration and longing. To some, toning down sexuality is a welcome respite, to others a meaningless wait. Why does the beautiful, lovely sexuality never come?


Photo-thermo sensitive male sterile (PTMS) line is one of the important materials in utilizing heterosis in crops. Wheat line BNS (Bainong sterility) is an important nuclear-controlling PTMS line and suitable for growing and seed production in Huang Huai wheat zone in China. It has genetic stability with male sterility when sowing in autumn and male fertility when sowing in spring. Their thermosensitive periods were between stamen and pistil differentiation stage and anther connective stage and they could be regarded key periods for fertility conversion in BNS. To determine the molecular mechanisms of fertility conversion at thermosensitive period, we investigated characters of seed setting, anther and pollen grain of fertile and sterile BNS plants and compared young spike proteome patterns at their thermosensitive periods between the two BNS plants. The results showed that sterile plants had lower seed setting rate and pollen number, small pollen grain and lower pollen vitality than fertile plants. Out of protein spots reproducibly detected and analyzed on two dimensional electrophoresis gels, 76 spots showed significant changes in at least one BNS plant and 36 spots were identified by MALDI-TOF MS. The results showed that proteins involved in multiple biochemical pathways were differentially expressed at thermosensitive period between the two plants, including energy metabolism, stress response, signal transduction and regulation, protein process, amino acid and fatty acid metabolism, nucleic acid metabolism etc. Some of these proteins are reported to be involved in the abortion of anther or pollen grains in MS plants, such as energy metabolism and anti oxidative stress, and some were found to be novel proteins involved in the fertility conversion, such as phytohormones regulation. These results indicated that proteins related with anther or pollen development had expressed differently between the two BNS plants before anther development and phytohormones and signal transduction might be involved in the regulation of fertility conversion at thermosensitive period. Our studies have provided new insight to reveal the molecular mechanisms of fertility conversion at thermosensitive period in PTMS wheat.


Domanic (and domanicoid) deposits are in a great interest of researchers and oil companies, since they possess authigenic oil and gas content. The article presents the results of study outcrops in the Volga-Ural and Timan-Pechora basins. The stratigraphic interval included sediments from the Middle Frasnian stage of the Upper Devonian to the Turnasian stage of the Lower Carboniferous. The main types of rocks were characterized by microscopic examination of thin sections and geochemical parameters of organic matter. It is shown that the domanic deposits of the Timan-Pechora basin are similar in structure and lithological composition to the deposits of the Volga-Ural Basin. The upper part of the domanic section is distinguished by the predominance of the carbonate-siliceous type of rocks over the kerogen mixed varieties. According to the geochemical parameters, the organic matter in the rocks of the sheltered deposits of the Volga-Ural and Timan-Pechora basins belongs to type II, but on the outcrops of the Volga-Ural region, the organic matter of the high-carbon sequence is more mature than on the outcrops of Timan-Pechora basin.


A new technique is proposed to make a contribution to improving the accuracy of measuring low attenuation coefficients of liquids, such as pure water. It is a differential technique with one folded light path and two alternative positions of a retroreflector, creating the measuring path length. Air calibration is needed for maximum adjustment. The method is described and its advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Experimental results based on a laboratory set-up are considered and the expected accuracy is compared with the data obtained.


The uptake of sodium into vesicles isolated from the microvillous, maternal-facing plasma membrane of human placenta was studied. In equilibrium exchange conditions, sodium entry increased with time towards an equilibrium value after 30-60 min. Over 90% of the uptake was into an osmotically active space and the initial rate of uptake was halved by amiloride but unaffected by loop diuretics and capnophorin inhibitors. The apparent inhibition constant (Ki) for amiloride was 3.5 x 10(-6) M and the Michaelis constant (Km) with respect to sodium of the amiloride-sensitive component was 7-11 mM. With an imposed outward H+ gradient, sodium was transiently accumulated within the vesicles. The overshoot was abolished by amiloride and shown, by experiments with FCCP (carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone) and potassium and valonomycin, not to be dependent on any electrical potential generated by the H+ gradient. The evidence for Na+-H+ exchange at this surface and its possible functions are discussed.


Computer aided design has become affordable and
ubiquitous, in part as a result of the development of open source
design software and web-based 3D modeling tools. Consequently, a
broad spectrum of individuals are expressing demand for access to
digital fabrication tools that are capable of automatically
rendering their computer-based designs into physical objects. In
response, manufacturers have begun to produce low-cost versions of
a limited set of automated, personal-use fabrication tools,
including 3D printers and desktop milling machines. Simultaneously,
groups of individuals and organizations are establishing community
workshops where resources can be pooled to acquire industrial-grade
machinery. Both of these approaches have been successful at
increasing the penetration of digital fabrication capabilities into
the general population. However, there are many industrial tools
which currently have no consumer-centric equivalent, and for which
demand is insufficient to warrant acquisition by a community
workshop. Additionally, as digital design continues to find new
applications among a larger and more diverse audience, new needs
will likely arise for yet non-existent automated fabrication tools.
Gestalt is an accessible and flexible control framework which aims
to augment the ability of individuals to create new automated
tools, and to thus self-extend their abilities to create objects
which would be too tedious or impossible to create by hand. This
work will enable individuals to rapidly construct controllers and
rich user interfaces for automated personal fabrication tools. The
approach taken is that of a software-based virtual machine
controlling a physical machine. This allows for increased
modularity in controller implementation, and tighter integration of
the tool with user applications than is possible with traditional
controller architectures. The foundation of the proposed system
provides a means for building APIs to communicate with modular
hardware components, and a method of combining the functionality of
these components at the virtual machine level (rather than in
hardware) to yield higher-level functionality. The Python library
developed in this work enables the rapid construction of
cross-platform virtual machines that are capable of representing
and controlling a wide variety of tools over commonly available
interfaces such as USB. Additionally, a matching C library assists
in developing microcontroller firmware for building custom modular
hardware elements that can communicate with the virtual machine. A
spectrum of unique fabrication tools controlled using the Gestalt
framework are presented as case studies which elucidate both the
successes and limitations of our approach.


The first isoform of the Na+-K+-Cl- cotransporter (NKCC1), a widely distributed member of the cation-Cl- cotransporter superfamily, plays key roles in many physiological processes by regulating the ion and water content of animal cells and by sustaining electrolyte secretion across various epithelia. Indirect studies have led to the prediction that NKCC1 operates as a dimer assembled through binding domains that are distal to the amino portion of the carrier. In this study, evidence is presented that NKCC1 possesses self-interacting properties that result in the formation of a large complex between the proximal and the distal segment of the cytosolic C terminus. Elaborate mapping studies of these segments showed that the contact sites are dispersed along the entire C terminus, and they also led to the identification of a critical interacting residue that belongs to a putative forkhead-associated binding domain. In conjunction with previous findings, our results indicate that the uncovered interacting domains are probably a major determinant of the NKCC1 conformational landscape and assembly into a high order structure. A model is proposed in which the carrier could alternate between monomeric and homo-oligomeric units via chemical- or ligand-dependent changes in conformational dynamics.


An essencial requirement for a launcher with uncontrolled last stage is to compute the ignition time of that stage and its attitude, in order to obtain a proper orbit transfer from a nonpropelled trajectory to a desired orbit, since such stage it cannot change its velocity profile and its direction. This article presented an algorithm that allows achieving the proper conditions to inject a vehicle with uncontrolled last stage into a descent Keplerian trajectory, in order to permit its reentry through the Earth's atmosphere with strictly defined conditions of radius, velocity, and flight path angle at the entry interface. These specific conditions impose requirements to the configuration, performance, and trajectory of the launcher. This strategy considers that the total energy is applied instantly for the reentry orbit injection. Impulsive ignition time and necessary attitude for the last stage are obtained based on orbital parameters, having a match between the nonpropelled and reentry orbits, and boundary conditions at the initial state and at the entry interface. Impulsive ignition time was corrected for compensating the impulsive assumption and the calculated attitude related to an inertial frame. The obtained results show the efficiency of the algorithm involving reentry missions with uncontrolled last stage, as the Sharp Edge Flight Experiment (SHEFEX) program.


Anthropologists have long posited that geographic‐mediated associations between human nasal morphology and climate evince climatic adaptation. These arguments overwhelmingly focus on the prominent role of the nose in respiratory air‐conditioning, as intranasal heat and moisture exchange in different climates is governed anatomically via the amount of nasal mucosa surface area relative to the volume of air passing through each nasal passage. Yet, the inability to quantitatively account for the nasal cycle (a physiological process in which the left and right nasal passages reciprocally alternate in their mucosal congestion levels) has limited investigation into the adaptive influence of nasal soft‐tissues. Accordingly, the goals of this study were to 1) develop protocols for accurately modeling the three‐dimensional (3D) anatomy of nasal airways with in silico controlled variation in mucosal congestion, and 2) test the hypothesis that mucosal surface area‐to‐volume ratios (SA/V) remain constant throughout the nasal cycle. A computed tomography (CT) scan of one male human head was selected for use in the development of protocols for controlling congestion levels via digital expansion/contraction of the nasal mucosa in Amira‐Avizo. These protocols were then used to generate a fully decongested (left/right = 0/0%) nasal airway model for use as an anatomical baseline comparator. Models were then generated for two different phases of the nasal cycle: asymmetrical (left/right = 90/10%) and mid‐cycle (left/right = 50/50%). Nasal passage surface areas and volumes were collected for each model to permit comparisons of SA/V ratios across different mucosal congestion levels. Following theoretical expectations, the decongested model exhibited a substantially lower SA/V (0.57) than the mid‐cycle (0.72) and asymmetrical (0.74) models. Unilateral analyses also met anatomical expectations, with the highly congested left nasal passage of the asymmetrical model demonstrating a higher SA/V (1.06) compared to the same left passage in the mid‐cycle (0.84) and decongested (0.60) models. Cumulatively, these results suggest that the developed 3D digital methods permit reliable in silico modeling of nasal soft‐tissues, allowing future studies to control for mucosal congestion while investigating the role of nasal morphology on respiratory airflow (using computational fluid dynamics analysis, etc.). Moreover, the similar overall SA/V ratios of the two nasal cycle models appear consistent with the hypothesis that, despite morphological asymmetry, the nose's overall SA/V and air‐conditioning capacity likely remains relatively stable throughout the nasal cycle. Thus, our study suggests that, rather than morphological variability within the nasal cycle, it is the distinction between the semi‐congested nasal cycle versus complete mucosal decongestion (as seen during strenuous exercise) that may confound functional interpretations of ecogeographic variation in nasal morphology. Consequently, further research is needed to determine how these distinct physiological states impact nasal functional morphology in different climates.


The x-ray emission spectrum of a magnesium plasma produced by a picosecond laser has been studied. Dielectronic satellites of the resonance line of the He-like Mg XI ion have been identified for the first time. These satellites result from radiative transitions from 1s2l2l'3l'' autoionizing levels of the Be-like Mg IX ion.


: The local (lymph node) graft-versus-host reaction (GVHR) in F1 (CBA X C57BL/6) mice and the lethal GVHR in C57BL/6 mice were induced by transfer of lymph node cells of CBA mice with skin allotransplants from C57BL/6 mice. Prednisolone in combination with asathioprin (imuran) administered to CBA mice inhibited the GVHR. Prodigiosan used alone was not active, while in combination with immunodepressants it increased their inhibitory effect. Adhesive cells with a suppressive activity were detected in the spleen of mice treated with prodigiosan. Such cells were capable of suppressing the capacity of syngeneic lymphocytes for inducing the GVHR.


This paper describes the EBMT system of Kyoto University that participated in the OLYMPICS task at IWSLT 2012. When translating very different language pairs such as Chinese-English, it is very important to handle sentences in tree structures to overcome the difference. Many recent studies incorporate tree structures in some parts of translation process, but not all the way from model training (alignment) to decoding. Our system is a fully tree-based translation system where we use the Bayesian phrase alignment model on dependency trees and example-based translation. To improve the translation quality, we conduct some special processing for the IWSLT 2012 OLYMPICS task, including sub-sentence splitting, non-parallel sentence filtering, adoption of an optimized Chinese segmenter and rule-based decoding constraints.