Introduction. Stroke is one of the main complications of Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA), occurring in about ten percent of the affected individuals before the age of twenty. Hydroxyurea (HU) currently used to treat SCA, although its exact mechanism of action remains not fully understood. The transcranial Doppler (TCD) is used to detect the risk of stroke in children with SCA, which measures the time-averaged mean of the maximum velocity (TAMMV) in the internal carotid artery and the middle cerebral arteries. TAMVV above 200 centimeters per second (cm/s) is associated with a high risk of stroke. In the present work, we evaluated the correlations between laboratory markers and TCD velocities and we also studied the influence of HU in different TCD groups. Material and methods. A cross-sectional study including 164 HbSS patients with average age 7.51±4.14 was conducted at the Pediatric Professor Hosannah de Oliveira Hospital (HUPES/UFBA) and in the Sickle Cell Disease Reference Center, hospitals located in Salvador and in Itabuna, both cities in northeastern Brazil. The risk of stroke was assessed by TCD, for three outcomes were considered: TCD1 for the normal group (TAMMV 200 cm/s). The legal representatives signed the informed consent terms. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee and was conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki and its revisions. Hemoglobin profiles were confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Hematological analyses were carried out using an electronic cell counter. Biochemical and inflammatory analyses were performed by immunochemistry assays and immunoassays. Statistical analyses were performed on Graphpad prism 6.0. The distribution of quantitative variables was analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. The median of quantitative variables between three or more groups was compared using One-way Anova/Kruskall-Wallis for nonparametric data. When comparing two groups, Mann-Whitney t-tests were performed. The correlation analyses were performed between variables using Spearman coefficient (r). Results. We observed negative correlations (with Spearman r 0.2 and p 2>1), but not significantly. The lymphocyte count (p=0.006) was increased in the TCD3 group, as compared to the other two groups. Ferritin median values were increased (p=0.005) in TCD2 and TCD3 groups. The MPV values were lower in TCD2 and TCD3 groups both for HU treated and untreated patients (p=0.032), with the lowest MPV values observed for TCD3. WBC count was significantly different among TCD groups of untreated patients (p=0.009) but not among TCD groups of patients treated with HU. Patients in use of HU showed decreased WBC counts in all TCD groups, but only in a significant way for TCD3 (p=0.002). In the same line, the lymphocyte counts were significantly decreased by HU in TCD 1 and TCD3, (p=0.04 and p=0.006) but not for TCD2. Conclusions. The current results show significant correlations between TCD-TAMMV and laboratory markers commonly used to monitor SCA pediatric patients. These laboratory parameters included reticulocyte percentage and white blood cell counts, which are known markers of SCA severity, but their correlations with TAMMV has never been shown before. We also show that hydroxyurea treatment had different impacts on laboratory parameters such as MPV, lymphocyte and leukocyte numbers in the different TCD groups evaluated here. We speculate that the association of these markers with TCD should be further studied and carefully analyzed along with TCD velocities. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Solutions to electromagnetic scattering at any angle of incidence by a perfectly conducting spheroid and a homogeneous dielectric spheroid coated with a dielectric layer are obtained by solving Maxwell's equations together with boundary conditions. The method used is that of expanding electric and magnetic fields in the spheroidal coordinates in terms of the spheroidal vector wave functions and matching their respective boundary conditions at spheroidal interfaces. In this formulation, the column vector of the series expansion coefficients of the scattered field is obtained from that of the incident field by means of a matrix transformation, which is in turn obtained from a system of equations derived from boundary conditions. The matrix depends only on the scatterer's properties; hence the scattered field at a different direction of incidence is obtained without repeatedly solving a new set of simultaneous equations. Different from the previous work, the present work developed an accurate and efficient Mathematica source code for more accurate solution to the problem. Normalized bistatic and backscattering cross sections are obtained for conducting (for verification purpose), homogeneous dielectric (for verification purpose), and coated dielectric prolate (for some new results) spheroids, with real and complex permittivities. Numerically exact results for the coated dielectric prolate spheroids are newly obtained and are not found in existing literature.


Thai and Dai Languages Belong to the Zhuang-Dai Language Branch of the ZhuangDong Language Family of the Sino-Tibetan Language Family. There Are Many Similarities in Pronunciation, Vocabulary and Grammar between the Two Languages. They Have Many Similarities in Pronunciation. Even If They Are Different in Some Aspects, They Are Regular in Their Internal Parts. Based on the Perspective of Cultural Identity, This Paper Intends to Take Thai Standard Dialect and Dehong Dai Dialect as Research Objects, Compare Their Similarities and Differences in Pronunciation, and Find out the Corresponding Laws of the Two Languages in Pronunciation, So as to Prove the Consistency of Their Initial Consonant Systems in the Early Period, and Talk about Some Phonetic Changes between Them.


A Monte Carlo simulation of electrostatic charging of the LISA test masses by cosmic-ray protons and alpha particles has been developed using the Geant4 toolkit. A positive charging rate of 58±17 +e/s (elementary charges per second) was obtained with a 250 eV threshold for the production of secondary particles. This charging rate is five times larger than that found in previous simulations. The difference is mainly explained by the larger test mass investigated in this study, the tracking of lower energy secondary electrons and the wider range of cosmic-ray energies considered. We examine the significance of this mean charging rate and its associated fluctuations in terms of spurious Lorentz and Coulomb forces, and relate these to constraints in the sensor design and the discharge mode for the LISA test masses.


We describe an immersive and interactive experimental protocol developed in a virtual reality environment using the CAREN system. The environment allows the user to receive enhanced feedback about the quality and outcome of varied pointing movements made in a virtual elevator. Features of the virtual environment (representation of the user's body movement; collision detection) as well as details about the feedback provided to the user (knowledge of results and knowledge of performance) are outlined. The described training environment will be used in the rehabilitation of the upper limb for patients who have motor disorders due to stroke and other neurological conditions. The advantage of training upper limb pointing movements in this environment is that the task difficulty can be manipulated according to the user's level of motor impairment and the feedback can be manipulated to provide a more motivating and task-relevant training experience


This paper proposes and applies a formal theoretical model of an automatic (prosocial and antisocial) caring mechanism: the informational affective tie mechanism (iATM) model. Novel in the formalization is the factoring in of information extraction concerning the behavioral type of agents interacted with, jointly with the contexts of these interactions and the attention they attract. Empirical support comes from five very different data sources: experimental findings, econometric results, model-based brain scanning (fMRI) findings, additional neurobiological evidence, and translational and evolutionary evidence. Applications address: the impact of time pressure and cognitive load; the endogeneity of different behavioral response patterns (like tit-for-tat); social preference drift and tipping points in collective action; why behavioral survey questions can be problematic; spread of caring through affective networks, an uncertainty-based link between social-, risk- and time-preferences; happiness and identity; and, the neglected political economic role of communities (next to centralized authorities and markets). The endogeneity of caring preferences sharply contrasts with the standard assumption in economic theory of stable (mostly selfish) preferences. Moreover, the provision of a neurobiological underpinning moves the iATM model away from the standard as-if approach towards an as-is approach. Although the focus is on humans, some attention will be paid also to the model's relevance for studying other species.<br>


We propose a robust Hough transform (RHT) which addresses many of the problems associated with the conventional Hough transform (HT). The bin-splitting problem is solved by the use of robust clustering for peak detection, the accuracy problem is solved by means of an analog Hough space, the bias problem is solved by the multiple-point method combined with random sampling, and the spurious peak problem is solved by the use of a validity measure. We present experimental results of the proposed RHT on real images.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Procalcitonin (PCT) has been introduced in many European protocols for the management of febrile children. Its value among young, well-appearing infants, however, is not completely defined. Our objective was to assess its performance in diagnosing serious bacterial infections and specifically invasive bacterial infections (IBIs) in well-appearing infants aged <3 months with fever without source (FWS). METHODS: Well-appearing infants aged <3 months with FWS admitted to 7 European pediatric emergency departments were retrospectively included. IBI was defined as the isolation of a bacterial pathogen in blood or cerebrospinal fluid culture. RESULTS: We included 1112 infants who had PCT measured and a blood culture performed. IBI was diagnosed in 23 cases (2.1%). In the multivariate analysis including clinical and laboratory data, PCT was the only independent risk factor for IBI (odds ratio 21.69; 95% confidence interval [CI] 7.93–59.28 for PCT ≥0.5 ng/mL). Positive likelihood ratios for PCT ≥2 ng/mL and C-reactive protein (CRP) >40 mg/L were 11.14 (95% CI 7.81–15.89) and 3.45 (95% CI 2.20–5.42), respectively. Negative likelihood ratios for PCT <0.5 ng/mL and CRP <20 mg/L were 0.25 (95% CI 0.12–0.55) and 0.41 (95% CI 0.22–0.76). Among patients with normal urine dipstick results and fever of recent onset, areas under the receiver operator characteristic curve for PCT and CRP were 0.819 and 0.563, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Among well-appearing young infants with FWS, PCT performs better than CRP in identifying patients with IBIs and seems to be the best marker for ruling out IBIs. Among patients with normal urine dipstick results and fever of recent onset, PCT remains the most accurate blood test.


As the number of online students has been growing significantly for the last couple of years, generic Web Information Retrieval methods have either maintained an emphasis on serving the general population, or have been lagging in integrating the power of adaptive semantics and personalization via knowledge discovery into real-life working E-learning applications. This paper is devoted to the implementation of an augmented ontology-based information retrieval system with external open-source resources from MIT OpenCourseWare that uses Protégé to design and build the structure of HyperManyMedia ontology as means of retrieving documents in two languages, English and Spanish. In addition, this paper deals with clustering the augmented documents, the outcome of the Clustering Analysis is added to the domain ontology as additional leaves under the "SubSubSubconcept = lecture". From each cluster, we extract the keywords (descriptive terms), then we modify the ontology accordingly by adding the cluster's terms as semantic terms under the "SubSubSubconcept = lecture" to which these documents belong. This research is implemented and evaluated on a real platform HyperManyMedia at Western Kentucky University.


Russian phlebology, as a field of surgery, has passed a long historical path of formation. A.A. Troyanov and his followers laid the foundation for the scientific study of venous pathology. Subsequent works in this area of prominent Russian surgeons made it possible to form those fundamental ideas that are currently the basis of medical tactics. The article presented historical portraits of surgeons of the St. Petersburg phlebology school, who had made a huge contribution to the development of phlebology and the study of surgical pathology of veins.The authors declare no conflict of interest.The authors confirm that they respect the rights of the people participated in the study, including obtaining informed consent when it is necessary, and the rules of treatment of animals when they are used in the study. Author Guidelines contains the detailed information.


Multipactor is a low power, electron multiplication based resonance breakdown phenomenon in vacuum often observed in radio frequency (RF) and microwave systems. A multipactor discharge is often undesirable as it can create a reactive component that detunes the resonant cavities, generates noise in communication system and induces gas desorption from the conductor surfaces. Multipactor breakdown on dielectric surface is also a major concern for failure of vacuum window in klystrons, cyclotrons and accelerators. Despite of these, the multipactor discharge is not absolutely undesirable. Its usefulness is being explored in electron gun technology, plasma display technology, ICRH antenna conditioning etc. Since multipactor is a pure electron resonance phenomenon, it can happen without any gas being present in the system. Nevertheless, the massive electron bombardment on conductor surfaces removes substantial amount of adsorbed gas species and increases the neutral pressure. In the presence of neutrals these resonant electrons ionize the gaseous atoms and forms the plasma known as multipactor plasma. Many of the high power RF components used in the vacuum transmission line interface sections of ICRH system are having restricted access to surface condition them especially the inner conductors of transmission line sections and dielectric material of vacuum window. By suitably choosing the operating frequency and a minimum pressure, it is possible to form a multipactor plasma in the above components to condition them. Such a conditioning technique is adopted for conditioning of vacuum window and vacuum transmission line of ICRH system. In this paper, an overview of multipactor plasma, a brief description of the test set up, testing conditions and conditioning results are presented.


We classify the positive braid words with Morton-Williams-Franks bound 3 and show that closed positive braids of braid index 3 are closed positive 3-braids. Then we show that 3-braid links with given (non-zero) Alexander or Jones polynomial are finitely many, and can be effectively determined. We classify among closed 3-braids strongly quasipositive and fibered ones, and show that 3-braid links have a unique incompressible Seifert surface. At last, we apply the Burau representation to obtain braid index criteria, also for braids on more strings, in particular, an efficient 4-braid test.


We prove that the probability $P_N$ for a real random Gaussian $N\times N\times 2$ tensor to be of real rank $N$ is $P_N=(\Gamma((N+1)/2))^N/G(N+1)$, where $\Gamma(x)$, $G(x)$ denote the gamma and Barnes $G$-functions respectively. This is a rational number for $N$ odd and a rational number multiplied by $\pi^{N/2}$ for $N$ even. The probability to be of rank $N+1$ is $1-P_N$. The proof makes use of recent results on the probability of having $k$ real generalized eigenvalues for real random Gaussian $N\times N$ matrices. We also prove that $\log P_N= (N^2/4)\log (e/4)+(\log N-1)/12-\zeta '(-1)+{\rm O}(1/N)$ for large $N$, where $\zeta$ is the Riemann zeta function.


The paper discusses the influence of modernist aesthetics on the changes in the dramatic structure of film. In the films analysed by the author, the typical tricks for the classical model, such as dramatisation of action and climax as the classic denouement, are etiolated, turning into their antitheses: de-dramatising of action and anti-climax. On the examples of films such as: The Four Hundred Blows by F. Truffaut, The Adventure by M. Antonioni, Gran Torino by C. Eastwood, The Mist by F. Darabont, Smoke by W. Wang, and Three Monkeys and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia by N.B. Ceylan, the author demonstrates the functions and artistic potential of denouements which shift attention from action to characters and leave the viewer with the dilemma of an "open" ending.


One of the most significant figures in the history of Japanese philosophy is the Zen master Hakuin. Yet, in the West, little attempt has been made to present and evaluate his thought in a way that would make it accessible to Western philosophers. This article attempts to redress this neglect. Here, it is shown how Hakuin uses kōan meditation to create 'the great doubt' or scepticism concerning the self. Hakuin's method shares elements in common with both ancient Greek scepticism and Descartes. Kōan-induced scepticism leads to 'the great death' or a rejection of the self as a delusion. Hume's similar rejection of the self helps to explain the basis of this delusion. The rejection of this delusion carries with it the realization that one is not separate from the rest of reality. This is the instant of seeing into one's own nature and, for Hakuin, is the experience of nirvana.


Obesity is a public health challenge that has crossed into the area of reproductive health. An obese pregnant woman has multiple complications before, during, and after pregnancy. Likewise, cesarean section is more difficult and has slower recovery times in this group of patients. This paper proposes a surgical technique adapted to the morbidly obese pregnant patient that aims to reduce cesarean section complications.


This paper presents results from a laboratory study comparing Klinkenberg-corrected permeability measurements in tight gas sands using both a conventional steady-state technique and two commercially-available unsteady-state permeameters. We also investigated the effects of various rate and pressure testing conditions on steady-state flow measurements. Our study shows the unsteady-state technique consistently overestimates the steady-state permeabilities, even when the steady-state measurements are corrected for gas slippage and inertial effects. The differences are most significant for permeabilities less than about 0.01 md. We validated the steady-state Klinkenberg-corrected permeabilities with liquid permeabilities measured using both brine and kerosene. Although gas slippage effects are more pronounced with helium than with nitrogen, we also confirmed the steady-state results using two different gases. Moreover, we show results are similar for both constant backpressure and constant mass flow rate test conditions. Finally, our study illustrates the importance of using a finite backpressure to reduce non-Darcy flow effects, particularly for ultra low-permeability samples.


This study was designed to compare the in vitro activities of recent cephalosporins and other beta-lactams. One of our objectives was to determine whether the microbiologist could use a single cephalosporin for routine antibiotic sensitivity testing. All the strains studied were recovered from outpatients. Sensitivity and/or resistance were evaluated by MIC determination, according to a program developed in our laboratory, using a personal computer. Using special programs, patterns of activities of beta-lactams were determined quantitatively and graphically for each bacterial strain tested. For most strains ceftriaxone, and to a lesser extent moxalactam and cefoperazone, exhibited greater antibacterial activity than the other beta-lactams, except against group D streptococci. For Enterobacteriaceae, cefadroxil is satisfactory in screening for in vitro activity of cephalosporins.


The investigation of emotional face processing has largely used faces devoid of context, and does not account for within-perceiver differences in empathy. The importance of context in face perception has become apparent in recent years. This study examined the interaction of the contextual factors of facial expression, knowledge of a person's character, and within-perceiver empathy levels on face processing event-related potentials (ERPs). Forty-two adult participants learned background information about six individuals' character. Three types of character were described, in which the character was depicted as deliberately causing harm to others, accidently causing harm to others, or undertaking neutral actions. Subsequently, EEG was recorded while participants viewed the characters' faces displaying neutral or emotional expressions. Participants' empathy was assessed using the Empathy Quotient survey. Results showed a significant interaction of character type and empathy on the early posterior negativity (EPN) ERP component. These results suggested that for those with either low or high empathy, more attention was paid to the face stimuli, with more distinction between the different characters. In contrast, those in the middle range of empathy tended to produce smaller EPN with less distinction between character types. Findings highlight the importance of trait empathy in accounting for how faces in context are perceived.


Background: Adjustable sutures have been used in strabismus surgery for more than 40 years, but controversy remains regarding their application. This review sought to analyze studies comparing the efficacy of adjustable sutures (AS) and nonadjustable sutures (NAS) in the treatment of different ocular deviations. Materials and Methods: The PubMed literature database was searched using the keywords 'adjustable sutures' and 'strabismus surgery', yielding a total of 209 results. Only comparative studies were extracted, and the results were divided into three categories: Adult comitant strabismus, childhood comitant strabismus, and paretic/restrictive strabismus. Results: The search revealed eleven comparative studies on AS versus NAS in adult strabismus, including only one randomized controlled trial. Five of these studies analyzed just the postoperative success rate, three studies analyzed just the reoperation rate, two studies analyzed both the postoperative success and reoperation rates, and one study evaluated achievement of the postoperative target angle. Three of seven studies analyzing postoperative success reported the statically significant superiority of AS over NAS, while four of five studies analyzing reoperation rate indicated a significantly smaller percentage of reoperations with the use of AS. The study covering postoperative target angle as an outcome favored the AS technique. Separately, the search revealed three comparative studies on AS versus NAS in childhood strabismus, one of which reported a statistically significant advantage with AS. Only four comparative studies on AS versus NAS in paretic or restrictive strabismus were found; all showed a tendency for better results with the use of AS but not in a statistically significant fashion. Overall, out of 18 studies analyzed in this review, 17 suggested better clinical results followed the application of AS versus NAS; however, only a minority had statistically significant results. Conclusion: The analysis of available research failed to support AS as the preferable surgery technique over NAS in cases of simple and predictive strabismus. Further research is needed to more precisely determine the group of patients able to benefit the most from AS.


Objectives: To assess various measures undertaken to overcome the occupational hazards among dentists in Bellary. Methods: This was a cross sectional questionnaire study. Results: Only nine dentists were still doing amalgam restorations and were properly disposing and handling it. Dentists were stretching their arms and improving their posture during and in between the treatment procedures. Hardly four dentists were using medication to relieve pain mainly for backache and headache. 100% (n=66) were wearing masks and most of them following standards for prevention of cross infection like wearing gloves, vaccination etc. Conclusion: Study showed that most of the dentists in Bellary were well aware of the hazards they can come across in their field. Most of them were taking necessary steps to combat the problems in the form of physical exercise, meditation, vaccination, usage of preventive barriers as well as following ethical principles


Acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection results in polyclonal B cell activation and a delay of specific humoral immunity. TcPRAC, a T. cruzi B cell mitogen may contribute to this dysfunction. Stimulation of splenocytes with TcPRAC induced B cell proliferation, secretion of IgM and IL-10, and up-regulation of CD69 and CD86. During experimental infection, TcPRAC specific IgG was undetectable when responses to other T. cruzi antigens developed. Genetic immunization generated TcPRAC specific IgG without apparent B cell dysfunction. TcPRAC immune sera inhibited TcPRAC-induced B cell proliferation in vitro. These results suggest that TcPRAC may contribute to delayed specific antibody development during experimental infection by non-specifically activating B cells and inducing IL-10 and non-specific IgM secretion. In addition, we demonstrated that while TcPRAC was not antigenic during experimental infection, delivery of TcPRAC via genetic immunization elicited specific antibodies. Further experiments will analyze the effect of TcPRAC immunization and neutralization on the generation of T. cruzi specific humoral immunity during early acute phase infection.


As an agreement on an international climate treaty appears out of sight in the short run, many countries rely on unilateral greenhouse gas abatement strategies. The reach of such unilateral policies can be extended beyond the borders of the abating country by a switch to a consumption-based policy orientation. Such a policy does not target the emissions discharged on the territory of the country that abates, but the emissions embodied in the goods it consumes. If industrialized countries adopt this approach, they can bring the large and increasing amount of emissions embodied in imports from emerging economies into the scope of the policy. The policy switch could be implemented by means of border carbon adjustments; according to theoretic arguments such adjustments can improve the efficiency of unilateral policies. This paper develops a 2-region, 5-good analytical partial-equilibrium model to study the effects of a switch of the policy base. We especially focus on changes in production technology triggered by the policy. We find that a policy targeting consumption – when using a leakage definition appropriate for consumption-based approaches – does not cause leakage through the non-energy market leakage channel. In addition, the question whether a consumption-based policy is environmentally more effective is decided through policy transmission in non-energy markets, but not in energy markets. Still, despite the many arguments in favour of consumption-based approaches, we find that none of these arguments per se suffices to make a consumption-based policy the environmentally more effective or the more cost-effective option. Whether it is indeed more effective depends on (i) demand and production parameters and (ii) the precise design of the border tax (or any other appropriate policy instrument). In particular, the availability of "green" technology in emerging economies influences the results. Additionally, a switch of the policy base may also cause a substantial redistribution of the costs of the policy between abating and non-abating countries.


Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was discovered in the late 1980s. Since then, tremendous progress has been made in understanding the pathophysiology of HCV infection together with the development of improved therapies for patients with chronic hepatitis C. The main focus of this thesis was to improve our understanding of new treatment strategies for chronic hepatitis C. Several direct-acting antivirals were investigated in multiple in vitro and in vivo studies. This thesis gives more insight into the pathogenesis of chronic HCV infection, its epidemiology, development of innovative treatments and upcoming viral resistance during therapy with direct-acting antivirals. The results of this thesis contribute to the impressive treatment progress, which will ultimately improve the prognosis of chronic hepatitis C patients.


The long arm of chromosome 4D in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) has been shown in previous studies to harbor genes of agronomic importance. A major dominant gene conferring Aluminum (Al) tolerance (Alt2 in 'Chinese Spring' and AltBH in 'BH 1146'), and the Knal locus controlling the K+/Na+ discrimination in saline environments have been mapped to this chromosome arm. However, accurate information on the genetic and physical location of markers related to any of these genes is not available and would be useful for map-based cloning and marker-assisted plant breeding. In the present study, using a population of 91 recombinant inbred lines segregating for Al tolerance, we provide a more extensive genetic linkage map of the chromosome arm 4DL based on RFLP, SSR, and AFLP markers, delimiting the AltBH gene to a 5.9-cM interval between markers Xgdm125 and Xpsr914. In addition, utilizing a set of wheat deletion lines for chromosome arm 4DL, the AltBH gene was physically mapped to the distal region of the chromosome, between deletion breakpoints 0.70 and 0.86, where the kilobase/centimorgan ratio is assumed to be low, making the map-based cloning of the gene a more realistic goal. The polymorphism rates in chromosome arm 4DL for the different types of markers used were extremely low, as confirmed by the physical mapping of AFLPs. Finally, analysis of 1 Mb of contiguous sequence of Arabidopsis chromosome 5 flanking the gene homologous to the BCD1230 clone (a cosegregating marker in our population coding for a ribulose-5-phosphate-3-epimerase gene), revealed a previously identified region of stress-related and disease-resistance genes. This could explain the collinearity observed in comparative mapping studies among different species and the low level of polymorphism detected in the chromosome arm 4DL in hexaploid wheat.


Initiation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis by the avian myeloblastosis virus DNA polymerase was previously suggested to involve a ribonucleic acid (RNA) primer, the initial product being a DNA molecule joined by a phosphodiester bond to the RNA primer. The existence and nature of such an RNA-DNA joint was investigated by assaying for transfer of a 32P atom from an α-32P-deoxyribonucleotide to a 2′(3′)-ribonucleotide after alkaline hydrolysis of the polymerase product. Such a transfer was observed, but only from α-32P-deoxyadenosine triphosphate and only to 2′(3′)-adenosine monophosphate. This same transfer was observed in both the endogenous DNA polymerase reaction of purified virions and the reconstructed reaction of purified DNA polymerase plus purified 60 to 70S viral RNA. These results indicate a high level of specificity for the initiation process and support the idea of a low-molecular-weight initiator RNA as part of the 60 to 70S RNA complex.


BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE
The incidence of distant metastasis is high in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). It is the most important cause of death for NPC patients. This study was to investigate prognostic factors of NPC patients with distant metastasis.

METHODS
A total of 128 NPC patients with distant metastasis were treated in Cancer Center of Sun Yat-sen University from Jan. 1997 to Jun. 2003. Of the 128 patients, 112 were men and 16 were women, with a median age of 48 (range, 15-70); 54 received chemoradiotherapy, 48 received chemotherapy alone, 14 received radiotherapy alone, and 12 received no treatment. The survival rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log-rank test. COX multivariate prognosis analysis was performed.

RESULTS
The 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates of the 128 patients were 60.9%, 34.4%, and 14.1%, respectively. The median survival time was 15.6 months (range, 0.8-96.6 months). Univariate analysis showed that age (P=0.038), treatment modality (P=0.041), chemotherapy cycles (P=0.034), and short-term treatment response (P=0.007) were prognostic factors of NPC with distant metastasis. Multivariate analysis showed that sex (P=0.013), chemotherapy cycles (P=0.032), N stage (P=0.011), and short-term treatment response (P<0.001) were independent prognostic factors.

CONCLUSION
Sex, chemotherapy cycles, and short-term treatment response are independent prognostic factors of NPC with distant metastasis.


An isomeric series of dehydro[m]pyrido[n]annulenes incorporating strained 1,4-buta-1,3-diyne units have been synthesized, where m = 2, n = 14 (1a-d); m = 2, n = 15 (2a,b); and m = 3, n = 15 (3). The number of pyridine rings and annulene ring π-electrons are denoted by m and n, respectively. The X-ray crystal structures of 1b and 1c confirmed their cyclic formulation. All macrocycles were found to be luminescent chromophores with differing isomer-dependent proton and metal ion-sensory emission responses, which appear collectively as analyte-specific color patterns. Within the series studied, 1a was singular in displaying the highest luminescence quantum yield and sharing the strongest emission energy and molar absorption changes upon protonation and Hg(II) binding. Spectroscopic and electrochemical results were supported by density functional theory calculations in showing 1a, 2a, and 3 to be low bandgap materials with lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals delocalized over the 1,4-di(pyridin-4-yl)buta-1,3-diyne bridges that provide a pathway for electronic communication between the nitrogens. Overall, the investigations suggest that 1a, 2a, and 3 would be excellent ligands for the construction of novel conjugated hybrid metallosupramolecular nanostructures, polymers, and ion-sensory systems.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the way to reconstruct bone scaffold after removal of giant benign bone tumor in extremities of children.

METHODS
From June 1995 to October 2000, 6 cases of benign bone tumor were treated, aged 6-14 years. Of 6 cases, there were 4 cases of fibrous hyperplasia of bone, 1 case of aneurysmal bone cyst and 1 case of bone cyst; these tumors were located in humerus (2 cases), in radius (1 case), in femur (2 cases) and in tibia (1 case), respectively. All patients were given excision of subperiosteal affected bone fragment, autograft of subperiosteal free fibula(4-14 cm in length) and continuous suture of in situ periosteum; only in 2 cases, humerus was fixed with single Kirschner wire and external fixation of plaster.

RESULTS
After followed up 18-78 months, all patients achieved bony union without tumor relapse. Fibula defect was repaired, and the function of ankle joint returned normal.

CONCLUSION
Autograft of subperiosteal free fibula is an optimal method to reconstruct bone scaffold after excision of giant benign bone tumor in extremities of children.


Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) is etiologically linked to infection with the human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type 1 (HTLV-I). ATL is classified into 4 distinct clinical diseases: acute, lymphoma, chronic, and smoldering. Acute ATL is the most aggressive form, representing 60% of cases and has a 4-year survival of < 5%. A frequent complication and cause of death in acute ATL patients is the presence of lytic bone lesions and hypercalcemia. We analyzed the Wnt/β-catenin pathway because of its common role in cancer and bone remodeling. Our study demonstrated that ATL cells do not express high levels of β-catenin but displayed high levels of LEF-1/TCF genes along with elevated levels of β-catenin (LEF-1/TCF target genes) responsive genes. By profiling Wnt gene expression, we discovered that ATL patient leukemia cells shifted expression toward the noncanonical Wnt pathway. Interestingly, ATL cells overexpressed the osteolytic-associated genes-Wnt5a, PTHLH, and RANKL. We further show that Wnt5a secreted by ATL cells favors osteoclast differentiation and expression of RANK. Our results suggest that Wnt5a is a major contributing factor to the increase in osteolytic bone lesions and hypercalcemia found in ATL patients. Anti-Wnt5a therapy may prevent or reduce osteolytic lesions found in ATL patients and improve therapy outcome.


The current study revealed the effects of strain rate on tensile strength and ductile-to-brittle transition of Sn–3Cu/Cu joints in the strain rate range of 4.2 × 10^−5 to 2.4 × 10^−1 s^−1. Experimental results indicate that these joints broke in a ductile manner at low strain rates with a rapid increase in the tensile strength but displayed a brittle manner at higher strain rates with a slow increase in the tensile strength, indicating a typical ductile-to-brittle transition feature. A method was proposed to estimate the interfacial strength between the solder and the intermetallic compounds.


Smart grids are introduced as a promising concept to facilitate the future energy supply system without excessive distribution grid reinforcement, while maintaining the same level of reliability. Load management is expected to enable a higher grid capacity utilization, thereby deferring or eliminating the need for asset reinforcements and corresponding capital expenditures. However, estimation of the potential economic benefit is difficult, due to a high degree of uncertainty surrounding the electricity distribution grids. It is for instance uncertain what the future energy system will look like in terms of the penetration of new technologies and energy demand. Furthermore, it is unknown what the technical consequences of load management on the distribution grid assets are. A model was developed suitable for analysis of the economic consequences of smart grids on the medium voltage electricity distribution grids, in different environmental scenarios over the next three decades. The model takes capital expenditures as a result of grid reinforcement and costs of energy losses into account. Simulation shows that the economic benefit of smart grids with the goal of maximizing grid utilization is not guaranteed. Though smart grids induce significant capital expenditure savings resulting from peak shaving, they increase the costs of energy losses. The economic potential is highly dependent on the energy-transition scenario, more specifically on the degree of load flexibility of all consumers connected to the grid. The model can be improved in several areas, most notably by the technical implications of a 'smart' load profile on the distribution grid assets.


This work tested the applicability of theories designed to predict the compressive stress-strain behavior of cellular materials for modeling the consolidation of a wood flake mat. Model mats designed to simulate narrow sections of randomly aligned and preferentially oriented flake mats were compressed at ambient temperature and moisture conditions in a specially designed apparatus fitted to a servo-hydraulic testing machine. Load and deflection data were collected in real time, and theoretical equations designed to predict the compression of cellular materials were fit to the experimental data. Wood flake mats are cellular-cellular materials, exhibiting two overlapping phases of densification and a highly nonlinear stress-strain response. No differences in the observed stress-strain responses of mats resulted from variations in flake orientation. Theoretical models developed for the stress-strain relationships of cellular foams were fairly effective in predicting the stress-strain relationships of wood flake mats at strains less than 70%. At higher strain levels, the relative density surpassed the initial flake density, causing a violation of model assumptions and forcing the predicted stress levels to increase asymptotically. Combining one cellular material model for the densification of the mat with another for the densification of the wood flakes may be an effective way to model the complex mechanical behavior occurring during consolidation of a wood flake mat.


The complexity and gradual increase of the international co-production phenomenon makes its
research from different points of views important, and also increases the need to have trustworthy
and verifiable data that are sometimes hardly accessible to researchers. The aim of this work contemplates
two main aspects: an analysis of the current situation of the cataloging system of film coproduction
and an inquiry into the appropriateness of the creation of a specific database, a unique
archiving and cataloging system, for the Spanish film co-productions with different Latin American
and European countries. In addition, the study will allow for an approximation, albeit an introductory
one, in order to understand the circumstances of production and international circulation of Spanish
film co-productions


Jan and Tseng (see IEE Proc. Comput. Digit. Tech., vol.145, no.6, p.419-24, 1998) proposed two integrated schemes of user authentication and access control which can be used to implement a protection system in distributed computer systems. However, Lee (2000) showed that both schemes were insecure. Although Lee modified Jan-Tseng's second scheme to withstand the proposed attacks, how to repair Jan-Tseng's first scheme to prevent Lee's attacks is still unknown. Thus, this paper proposes an improvement of Jan-Tseng's first scheme using smart cards to withstand Lee's attacks and the replay attack. The security of the proposed scheme is based on the difficulty of solving discrete logarithms. The proposed scheme holds the following advantages (1) servers do not need to keep any secret information about the system or the users; and (2) the updating processes for the modification of access rights are very efficient.


Serum and erythrocyte (RBC) total folate are indicators of folate status. No nationally representative population data exist for folate forms. We measured the serum folate forms (5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-methylTHF), unmetabolised folic acid (UMFA), non-methyl folate (sum of tetrahydrofolate (THF), 5-formyltetrahydrofolate (5-formylTHF), 5,10-methenyltetrahydrofolate (5,10-methenylTHF)) and MeFox (5-methylTHF oxidation product)) by HPLC–MS/MS and RBC total folate by microbiologic assay in US population ≥ 1 year (n approximately 7500) participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2. Data analysis for serum total folate was conducted including and excluding MeFox. Concentrations (geometric mean; detection rate) of 5-methylTHF (37·5 nmol/l; 100 %), UMFA (1·21 nmol/l; 99·9 %), MeFox (1·53 nmol/l; 98·8 %), and THF (1·01 nmol/l; 85·2 %) were mostly detectable. 5-FormylTHF (3·6 %) and 5,10-methenylTHF (4·4 %) were rarely detected. The biggest contributor to serum total folate was 5-methylTHF (86·7 %); UMFA (4·0 %), non-methyl folate (4·7 %) and MeFox (4·5 %) contributed smaller amounts. Age was positively related to MeFox, but showed a U-shaped pattern for other folates. We generally noted sex and race/ethnic biomarker differences and weak (Spearman's r< 0·4) but significant (P< 0·05) correlations with physiological and lifestyle variables. Fasting, kidney function, smoking and alcohol intake showed negative associations. BMI and body surface area showed positive associations with MeFox but negative associations with other folates. All biomarkers showed significantly higher concentrations with recent folic acid-containing dietary supplement use. These first-time population data for serum folate forms generally show similar associations with demographic, physiological and lifestyle variables as serum total folate. Patterns observed for MeFox may suggest altered folate metabolism dependent on biological characteristics.


"Self-healable" materials can recover their structures and functions upon injury, which is extremely attractive for emerging biomedical applications. In this research, P(N-isopropyl acrylamide-co-4-formylphenyl acrylate) P(NIPAM-co-FPA) with a pendant benzaldehyde group though connection with a base-labile phenolic ester bond was designed, and polymer gels were prepared with PEO dihydrazide as a cross-linker. The polymer gels formed automatically by self-catalysis but their self-healing property was dependant on cross-linking density. The self-healing property of the polymer gel improved with decreasing cross-linking density based on decreasing FPA composition, increasing molecular weight of the cross-linker, and decreasing gelator concentration. Based on the reversibility of the acylhydrazone bond, the polymer gel showed gel–sol–gel transition by variation of acidity and group ratios. Furthermore, the gels could be degraded by Na2CO3 solutions because the phenolic ester bond is base-labile.


The amount of salted food waste and non-salted food waste from household consisted of 4 family members was surveyed. And the feeding rate and growth rate of Eisenia fetida population upon the different food wastes such as vegetables, grains, fruits and salted food waste were investigated. Total amount of food waste from a household was 3,200g/week. i.e. 0.114kg/day/capita and non-salted food waste was 53.9% of food waste. Salt contents of vegetables, grains, fruits were 0.60, 0.36 and 0.33%, respectively, if they were assumed to have 70% water content. Salt content of salted food waste was 0.78%. Upon the non-salted vegetables and fruits, feeding rate of earthworm was high but growth rate was low. Upon the non-salted grains, feeding rate of earthworm was low but growth rate was high. Upon the food with 70% water content, earthworm could not feed and grow when salt content of food was over 0.6%, and earthworm could feed normally but showed low growth rate when salt content of food was 0.3%. These results indicated that earthworm could stabilize the non-salted food wastes with ease but could hardly stabilize the salted food wastes.


Pedestrian injury is second only to cancer as the leading cause of death of children between the ages of five and nine years1,2. Furthermore, pedestrian injury accounts for 31% to 61% of all admissions of children to the hospital for treatment of injuries3-5. In the United States, rates of pedestrian injuries among children are estimated to be 111 per 100,000 and account for approximately 18,000 hospital admissions each year6-8. In 1996, 1191 children under the age of sixteen were killed in pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions9. Operative intervention is required after approximately 11% of pedestrian injuries, and hospital admission is required after 36%10,11. Pedestrian injuries are more likely to be severe than are injuries sustained by motor-vehicle occupants, and they are associated with a higher rate of mortality (4% compared with 0.5%)12. Mortality is caused by multisystem trauma (80%) or isolated head injury (20%)13.

There are three phases of injury in a pedestrian-motor vehicle collision14. The initial impact from the bumper often results in lower-extremity injuries. Next, head and torso injuries are sustained as the victim strikes the hood or windshield. Finally, additional head, torso, and upper-extremity injuries occur as the child falls to the ground. There is a high incidence of head injury with attendant increases in morbidity and mortality15,16. In one series of more than 1900 children who had been struck by a motor vehicle, 31% had intracranial injuries, 14% had lower-extremity fractures, and 2% had pelvic fractures10. Given the height of a bumper strike, children under three years of age sustain femoral fractures twice as often as they sustain tibial or fibular fractures, whereas lower-extremity injuries in older patients …


The National Parts Return Program involves the voluntary submittal by independent automative Repair shops of failed automotive components. The purpose of this program is to gather information on these components to assist the NHTSA to identify the existence of safety-related, manufacturing defects in design, materials, construction, on performance of motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment. Under authority of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, and amendments to the Act in 1974, the NHTSA can require manufacturers to conduct safety defect notification campaigns when it has been determined that a defect relating to motor vehicle safety exists. In addition, the information obtained from these parts is also valuable in preparing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.


It is meaningful to accurately quantify the changes in local viscosity within the mitochondria of living cells, because viscosity influences mitochondrial network organization and metabolite diffusion. Although many molecular probes targeting mitochondria have been reported, almost all of them are not fixed to the mitochondria. Thus, they may not be suitable for sensing in abnormal mitochondria with lowered potential. In order to monitor viscosity in all mitochondria, no matter their working or health status, we develop the first fixable BODIPY (boron-dipyrromethene) rotor, named Vis-A. Vis-A contains an aldehyde group as an anchor to react with amino groups of proteins, which make it immobilizable in mitochondria. Vis-B, the reference compound without such anchor unit, is also synthesized. Both Vis-A and Vis-Bshow excellent mitochondrial targetability, as good as the commercially available mitochondrial dye (Mito Tracker Deep Red). However, when cells are chemically treated to decrease the mitochondrial potential, only Vis-A continues emitting strong fluorescence in mitochondria, but the signals of Vis-B and Mito Tracker Deep Red completely disappear. This comparison confirms that Vis-A not only specifically localizes in mitochondria, but also can be stably retained there. Then, Vis-A is applied to detect the mitochondrial viscosity of living cells by Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM). Especially, with the aid of Vis-A, the changes in viscosity under typical pathological conditions (i.e., treatment with rotenone and carbonylcyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP)) for mitochondria are monitored by FLIM.


Proposes a new approach for identification of faulty processing elements based on an analysis of the compressed test response of the system. The test response is compressed first in space and then in time, and faulty processing elements are identified by hard decision decoding of the corresponding space-time signature. The approach results in considerable savings in hardware required for diagnostics. >


Serum amyloid A (SAA), an apolipoprotein of high density lipoprotein (HDL), is a sensitive acute phase reactant. We established a sandwich type enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for human SAA utilizing a monoclonal antibody and polyclonal antibodies. This assay was sensitive enough to detect SAA at 40 pg/ml. The use of nonionic detergent, Tween-20, in reaction buffer was essential to enhance specific binding of SAA to antibodies and reduce nonspecific binding to plastic. The values by this assay showed a good agreement with those by previously established latex agglutination immunoassay. Plasma clearance of human SAA was studied in mice by injection with SAA-rich human HDL and serial SAA measurement by the present assay. Half-life of injected SAA was 55 minutes, similar to mean of the reported value of murine SAA isotypes.


The assumption of normality is very important because it is used in many statistical procedures such as Analysis of variance, linear regression analysis, discriminant analysis and t-tests. The three common procedures are used for assessing the assumption of normality that is graphical methods, numerical methods and formal normality tests. In the literature, significant amount of normality tests are available. In this paper, only eight different tests of normality are discussed. The tests consider in the present study are Shapiro Wilk, Shapiro Francia, Kolmogrov Smirnov, Anderson Darling, Cramer von Mises, Jarque Bera, Geary and Lilliefors test. Power comparisons of each test are obtained by using Monte Carlo computation of sample data generated from different alternate distributions by using 5% level of significance. The results show that power of each test is affected by sample size and alternate distribution. Shapiro Francia and Kolmogrov Smirnov test perform well for Cauchy exponential distribution respectively. For t-distribution Geary, Shapiro Francia and Jarque Bera test perform well for degrees of freedom 5, 10 and 15 respectively.


Protecting an area from fishing by establishing a sanctuary is one possible management strategy that could protect adults during spawning, potentially enhancing recruitment in freshwater systems. From 2001-2006, Briery Creek Lake (342 ha), Virginia was characterized by high fishing pressure in spring when adults were spawning and low abundance of age-0 Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides. Therefore, we created two sanctuaries in 2006 in Briery Creek Lake that were closed to angling and boats; these areas provided protection for nest-guarding male Largemouth Bass. However, the nest-success rate did not differ significantly between open areas and sanctuaries (30-40% nest success). Catch per unit effort of age-0 Largemouth Bass did not differ between areas open to angling (28.8/h and 39.0/h in 2006 and 2007, respectively) and sanctuaries (14.6/h and 22.2/h in 2006 and 2007, respectively). Similarly, mean length-at-capture was not different for age-0 Largemouth Bass between sanctuaries and open areas. Closing spawning areas to fishing may not be an effective management option to increase Largemouth Bass recruitment success in Briery Creek Lake.


Inventions are patentable according to the German Patent Law (and the European Patent Convention), if they are new, involve an inventive step and are susceptible to industrial application. Living matter and processes performed therewith are likewise patentable.


Landslides are a frequent natural hazard that affect millions of people globally and cause considerable damage and fatalities each year. Changing climate patterns and expanding urban areas are leading to an increased landslide risk. Thus, there is a need for novel methods to mitigate the hazard. Here, we provide an overview of recent work conducted within the densely populated San Francisco Bay Area, where geophysical characterization and monitoring are used to gain a predictive understanding of landslide processes. First, we show how geophysical and remote sensing can be used to map the landslide hazard, and then we show how geophysical data can be used to estimate the temporal variability of the hazard and possibly to provide landslide early warning. To estimate variations in soil properties and deformations across the site, we installed a wireless sensor network. We show how data from this network can be used to provide a predictive estimation of critical conditions. Eventually, the data presented here will be used by site management to address and mitigate the landslide hazard.


Subpopulations of T cells play important roles in promoting transplant rejection or in maintaining transplantation tolerance. Little is known about the impact of immunosuppressive drugs calcineurin inhibitor Tacrolimus (Tac) and mTOR inhibitor Sirolimus (SRL) on the generation/expansion and functions of allospecific T cell subpopulations. Alloreactive CD4 T cells generated with naive T cells and allogeneic APCs were re-stimulated with autologous APCs and anti-CD3 in the presence of SRL/Tac and cytokines. Tac significantly blocked the productions of IFNgamma (Th1) and IL-17 (Th17) while SRL had minimal effect. FOXP3 expression (Treg) was markedly increased in SRL compared to Tac. These also confirmed at transcriptional levels by determining the T-bet, RORgt, and FOXP3 mRNA expressions. When used together, Tac at 2-5ng/ml with SRL at 2.5-10ng/ml achieved the maximal effect in inhibiting the productions of IFNgamma and IL-17 while maintaining a high level of FOXP3 expression. SRL-derived Tregs expressed normal Treg surface markers, were anergic to allostimulation, and functioned normally and specifically suppressed proliferation of allogenic effector T cells and Th1 and Th17 responses. When TNFalpha, IL-6, IL-1beta were added with SRL, there was a markedly decrease of SRL-induced Tregs. SRL significantly decreased DNA methyltransferase1, and thus increased stability of FOXP3 expression, which in part accounted for increased Treg conversion in alloreactive CD4 T cells.


Abstract This study concerns the transformation of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) sawdust waste into potentially novel products through isolation of volatile compounds in the form of valuable oil. Different techniques, namely, turbohydrodistillation (THD), solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME), microwave hydrodiffusion and gravity (MHG), and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) were tested. These different processes were compared to conventional hydrodistillation (HD) and allowed to extract almost similar yields of isolated oils. THD which consists in a permanent agitation during extraction and UAE improve the kinetics of extraction, but MHG and SFME required the shortest extraction times, 60 min to reach a maximal yield of 0.272 and 0.266% (w/w), respectively. The compositions of isolated oils are almost similar with a high proportion of oxygenated compounds for MHG and SFME, respectively, 56.9% and 54.5% compared with 37.7%, 44.1% and 34.1%, respectively, for THD, UAE, and for the conventional HD method.


Intestine-specific homeobox (ISX), a newly identified proto-oncogene, is known to regulate cell proliferation and drive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) formation; however, the underlying mechanisms linking gene expression and tumor formation remain obscure. In this study, we showed that ISX transcriptionally activates E2F1 expression and related oncogenic activity by directly binding to its promoter region. Mechanistically, forced ISX expression upregulated the expression and nucleus translocation of the E2F1-DP1 complex phosphorylated by the cyclin D1-CDKs complex, which promoted oncogenic activities of ISX-E2F1 axis in hepatoma cells. In addition, co-expression of both ISX and E2F1 significantly promoted cell proliferation and anti-apoptotic signals instead of apoptosis and autophagy induced by the tumor suppressors p53 and RB1. In contrast, short hairpin RNA-mediated attenuation of ISX and E2F1, respectively, in hepatoma cells decreased cell proliferation and malignant transformation in vitro and in vivo. The mRNA expression was compared in 238 paired specimens of HCC and adjacent normal tissues, and E2F1, as an expression of ISX, pathologically exhibited a tumor-specific expression pattern and was highly correlated with ISX expression, patient survival time, progression stage, and poor prognosis. Taken together, our results highlight that E2F1 is an important downstream gene of ISX in hepatoma progression. Citation Format: Shen-Nien Wang, Li-Ting Wang, Shih-Hsien Hsu. Intestine-specific homeobox (ISX) upregulates E2F1 expression and related oncogenic activities in HCC. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2275.


Massively parallel architectures are gaining momentum thanks to the opportunities for both high performance and low-power consumption. After being a matter for experiments in academia, manycores are now in production and industries with products that rely on high performance, for example, in the field of telecom and radar, are in the process of adopting them. In order to encourage adoption, there is a need for compiler technologies that can make appropriate use of the opportunities of these architectures. Programming languages with constructs that the compiler can easily identify as parallel are a reasonable starting point for these technologies. For example, in CAL (Caltrop Actor Language) [1], a program is organized as a network of actors and these actors can be executed in parallel. As a first approach, if there were enough processors for all actors in the network, each actor could be mapped on to one processor. Writing a compiler is a comprehensive software engineering project and there are a number of tools, data structures and algorithms that have to be chosen and that facilitate the task. Some tools are lexer and parser generators, some data structures are abstract syntax trees and intermediate representations for code generation, some of the algorithms are for analyzing properties of the program and for translating between different data structures. LLVM (Low Level Virtual Machine) [7] is a compiler infrastructure that offers a well defined language and target independent intermediate representation for programs. LLVM also provides compile-time, link-time and run-time optimization. This report discusses the front end of a compiler for CAL, including generation of code to LLVM. The work described in this report translates CAL programs into LLVM's intermediate representation and includes a runtime system that handles intercommunication links between actors and actor scheduling. This is an intermediate step in generating LLVM code for parallel architectures. With this compiler, application developers that need to evaluate different parallel platforms will be able to have their applications written in CAL and only the back-end, form LLVM to the platform, will need to be re-programmed.


Seed companies in the USA grow winter soybean (Glycine maxL. Merr.) nurseries in Puerto Rico to advance their breeding programs and seed increase. However, the soybean nurseries are being threatened by a viral disease that cause stunting, leaf and stem necrosis and shoot wilting that leads to death of the whole plant. In the present study transmission assays were conducted using stem grafting, mechanical inoculation, and whiteflies (WFs), Bemisia tabci (Gennadius). Cultivated and wild host plants infested by WFs were surveyed at Dow AgroSciences Research Station and nearby farms at Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico. Based on previous report in Brazil of similar disease caused by an isolate of Cowpea mild mottle virus(CpMMV), a Carlavirus, these samples were screened for the presence of the Carlavirususing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and RT-PCR using Carlavirus-specific primers. The results showed that all the transmission assays expressed the viral symptoms on soybean plants on which the tests were done. Out of the 19 plant species surveyed, 8 species gave positive results for the ELISA test. The RT-PCR also successfully amplified a 300 bp fragment from these ELISA positive samples. Additionally, transmission electron microscopy revealed feather-like aggregates of presumed virions in the cytoplasm, characteristic for many members of the genus Carlavirus. This virus infecting soybean and other plants in Puerto Rico is considered an isolate of the CpMMV. This study underlines the importance of controlling WFs and weed species that serve as reservoirs both for the vectors and the virus. DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.17525/vrr.v19i1.101


Mobile devices with wireless communication capabilities are a constant in our daily lives. This offers the possibility for such devices to exchange information for their users to assist in their daily lives. Consider for instance the exchange of information about points of interest in the locations that the user usually frequents. One should expect those devices to support such an application in a decentralized fashion, through pairwise interactions, without the interaction of the user, and avoiding to disclose information that might be sensitive to a central entity. Current solutions are not suitable for supporting such applications since most rely on some kind of centralized architecture (either brokers or rendezvous nodes), other solutions that don't rely on centralized solutions present a high overhead. To address this challenge, in this paper we propose MobUser, a novel topic-based publish-subscribe service specially tailored for supporting location-aware operation for mobile devices in a decentralized fashion. Extensive experimental work shows that MobUser offers not only better performance but also superior delivery rates when compared with a state-of-the-art mobile publish subscribe solution and a state-of-the-art gossip solution. We also show through a prototype implementation deployed on Android 4.0 devices, that the overhead and energy consumption of MobUser is acceptably low.


Acute injuries of the upper cervical spine as a cause of severe disability and death following trauma has at all times been an interesting phase of anatomical study. The present case study describes a rare outgrowth from the left transverse process of the atlas vertebra. This process referred to as epitransverse process can be of high importance to many specialties and especially to surgeons performing radical neck dissections, radiologists for accurate diagnosis of bony malformations and manipulative therapists, as it may markedly influence the posture, stability and mobility at the atlanto-occipital joint.


Currently, there are still different views regarding the chronology of the Late Cenozoic deposits in the Nihewan Basin, which results from the contradiction between biostratigraphic correlations based on mammalian fossils and magnetostratigraphic dating results. Biostratigraphic correlations indicate that the aeolian red clay exposed in the Sanggan River canyon, the fluvio-lacustrine red clay with sands and gravels, and the sandy clay of swamp facies on both sides of the lower reaches of the Huliu River belong to the Upper Pliocene, whereas the magnetostratigraphic dating usually correlates them to the Lower Pleistocene. In October 2011, a collection of mammalian fossils was unearthed from a block of collapsed deposits at Yegou in the Nihewan Basin, which is about 300 m north of the Laowogou section that is well known for the Pliocene mammalian fossils from its lower part. The Yegou fossils are identified herein as 10 species in 9 genera: Nyctereutes tingi , N. sinensis , Pachycrocuta pyrenaica , Homotherium sp., Hipparion ( Plesiohipparion ) houfenense , Dicerorhinus sp., Muntiacus sp., Axis shansius , Gazella blacki , and Paracamelus sp. The fauna is quite different from the classic Early Pleistocene Nihewan Fauna in composition and provides new evidence for the existence of the Upper Pliocene in the Nihewan Basin. Based on a systematic description of the fauna, its composition and geological age are discussed, and the compositional features of large mammals of the Late Pliocene and the Early Pleistocene mammalian faunas in the Nihewan Basin are summarized.


In recent years, the incidence of gastrointestinal cancers is increasing, particularly in the younger population. Effective treatment is crucial for improving patients' survival outcomes. Programmed cell death, regulated by various genes, plays a fundamental role in the growth and development of organisms. It is also critical for maintaining tissue and organ homeostasis and takes part in multiple pathological processes. In addition to apoptosis, there are other types of programmed cell death, such as ferroptosis, necroptosis, and pyroptosis, which can induce severe inflammatory responses. Notably, besides apoptosis, ferroptosis, necroptosis, and pyroptosis also contribute to the occurrence and development of gastrointestinal cancers. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary on the biological roles and molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis, necroptosis, and pyroptosis, as well as their regulators in gastrointestinal cancers and hope to open up new paths for tumor targeted therapy in the near future.


In a phase I trial, BGB-283, which targets the RAF family of proteins, was found to be safe and tolerable-and effective-in treating patients with a variety of solid tumors harboring mutations in BRAF, KRAS, and NRAS.


Engineering of biocatalysts with the help of immobilization techniques is a worthy approach
for the advancement of enzyme function and stability and is finer to the other chemical as
well as biological methods. These biocatalysts encapsulation methods actually use very gentle
method conditions that hardly affect biocatalysts internal specific biocatalytic activity and this leads
to its internment without losing its freedom but restrict the movements related to unfolding. Additionally,
enzyme encapsulation somehow imitates their mode of normal incidence within the cells
and it also provides secured surroundings for enzymes to the operating parameter changes. According
to these advantages, enzyme encapsulation finds enhanced applications in a wide variety of fields
such as medicine and sustained or continuous release delivery systems, biosensing, clinic diagnostic,
biocatalysts in the manufacture of high-value yield correlated to pharmaceuticals especially in cancer
cure, fragrances as well as flavors. This review mainly focuses on the current status of enzyme immobilization
using nanocarriers, nanoparticles or polymeric matrix materials, which aim to summarize
the latest research on the natural polymer, chitosan based nanoparticles in various enzyme immobilizations.


ABSTRACT Defects in cilia centrosomal genes cause pleiotropic clinical phenotypes, collectively called ciliopathies. Cilia biogenesis is initiated by the interaction of positive and negative regulators. Centriolar coiled coil protein 110 (CP110) caps the distal end of the mother centriole and is known to act as a suppressor to control the timing of ciliogenesis. Here, we demonstrate that CP110 promotes cilia formation in vivo, in contrast to findings in cultured cells. Cp110−/− mice die shortly after birth owing to organogenesis defects as in ciliopathies. Shh signaling is impaired in null embryos and primary cilia are reduced in multiple tissues. We show that CP110 is required for anchoring of basal bodies to the membrane during cilia formation. CP110 loss resulted in an abnormal distribution of core components of subdistal appendages (SDAs) and of recycling endosomes, which may be associated with premature extension of axonemal microtubules. Our data implicate CP110 in SDA assembly and ciliary vesicle docking, two requisite early steps in cilia formation. We suggest that CP110 has unique context-dependent functions, acting as both a suppressor and a promoter of ciliogenesis. Highlighted article: CP110 promotes the assembly of subdistal appendages and ciliary vesicle docking during cilia formation in vivo, thereby facilitating mammalian organogenesis.


The increasing water scarcity associated with environmental change brings significant negative impacts to the growth of cotton plants, whereby it is urgent to enhance plant tolerance to drought. Here, we overexpressed the com58276 gene isolated from the desert plant Caragana korshinskii in cotton plants. We obtained three OE plants and demonstrated that com58276 confers drought tolerance in cotton after subjecting transgenic seeds and plants to drought. RNA-seq revealed the mechanisms of the possible anti-stress response, and that the overexpression of com58276 does not affect growth and fiber content in OE cotton plants. The function of com58276 is conserved across species, improving the tolerance of cotton to salt and low temperature, and demonstrating its applicability to improve plant resistance to environmental change.


Family, friends and peers are often seen as pillars of social support, especially in challenging times. However, during the pandemic where there are constant fear of infection, uncertainties, social isolation, and everyday disruptions, interactions with acquaintances and even strangers, even virtually and briefly, may help provide comfort and support. This study evaluated the 'Inner Nurturing for Personal Growth Series' of virtual psychosocial workshops aimed at improving mental wellbeing and decreasing feelings of uncertainty for students attending a community college. Facilitated by helping professionals, the workshops intended to create a sense of belonging and solidarity among participants while physically apart. The Self-Compassion Scale – Short Form, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, and the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale were administered before and after each of the first three out of five workshops. 36 participants from different age groups (18-24yo, 25-34yo, 35-44yo, 55-64yo) completed both the pre- and post-tests. Repeated-measures t-tests were conducted on the sub-scale and total scores to determine changes in participants' psychosocial wellbeing after workshop participation. The post-tests revealed a significant increase in participants' self-kindness, t (35) = 2.273 (p < .05) and common humanity, t (35) = 2.132 (p < .05), and a significant decrease in prospective anxiety, t (35) = -2.123 (p < .05). The results provided preliminary recommendations on how time-limited, virtual psycho-social workshops may help students cope with pandemic-induced stress. To the authors' knowledge, this was the first study to provide a statistical picture of the benefits of attending virtual brief psychosocial interventions among higher education students in Hong Kong.


Previous optical and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic studies of the newly discovered peroxynitrite scavenging pseudoperoxidase from Leishmania major (LmPP) suggested that ferric LmPP contained a six-coordinate low-spin (6cLS) heme with a thiolate ligand, presumably a cysteine, bound to its heme iron. To identify the axial ligands of LmPP, we exploit a systematic mutational analysis of potential heme ligands. On the basis of UV-visible and EPR spectroscopy, we report that the substitution of the proximal His206 with alanine in LmPP alters the 6cLS to a five-coordinate high spin (5cHS) form at pH 4.0 that has a spectrum characteristic of a Cys-ligated 5cHS derivative. The electronic absorption and EPR analysis of all alanine-substituted Cys and Met single mutants establish that when Cys107 is replaced with alanine, a new species appears that has a spectrum characteristic of a histidine-ligated 5cHS derivative at pH 4.0. Together, these results suggest that His206 and Cys107 act as the proximal and distal axial ligands in ferric LmPP, respectively. However, the electronic properties of reduced wild-type LmPP are similar to those of known 5cHS His-ligated heme proteins at pH 8.8, indicating that the thiolate bond was broken upon reduction. Furthermore, the wild-type protein was only partially reduced at pH 4.0, but the E105L mutant was completely reduced to form a 5cHS ferrous heme. These results imply that the presence of an acidic residue near the distal site may prevent reduction of the heme iron at acidic pH.


Aim The aim of the study was to describe and reveal an association of social, psychological, and sexual aspects among couples seeking marital therapy. Background There are scanty data in Egypt on social, psychological, and sexual aspects among couples seeking marital therapy. Participants and methods Fifty couples attending the marital counseling clinic in the psychological medicine hospital in Cairo between June 2013 and June 2014 were assessed. Informed consent was given by couples, who were assessed on the basis of the following: (a) psychiatric interview; (b) General Health Questionnaire (GHQ); (c) ICD-10 symptom checklist (positive score on GHQ); (d) structured assessment of personality (negative score on GHQ); (e) sexual function questionnaire; (f) marital silence scale; (g) marital conflicts scale. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS version 16. Results At least one or both partners of all couples had a positive score on GHQ. Women showed higher rates of positive score on GHQ than did men. Personality disorders and accentuated traits were highly prevalent in the study sample. Women showed higher rates of depressive episodes, whereas men showed higher rates of substance abuse. Marital conflicts are directly associated with education level and inversely associated with age; marital silence is inversely associated with education level and directly associated with age. Conclusion Marital conflicts and silence are associated with the presence of psychiatric morbidity. Age and level of education are associated with marital conflict and silence.


The relationship between source and sink interferes on maize (Zea mays) stalk rot occurrence. This study was conducted in Lages, SC, Brazil, to evaluate the effect of defoliation, plant population, and hybrids on the intensity (incidence or severity) of maize stalk rots. The experiment was set in a randomized complete block design (three replications) with a split-split-plot arrangement. The hybrids P32R21 (very early), Premium (early) and C333B (late) were tested without defoliation and with 50% defoliation on ear formation stage at plant populations of 25,000, 50,000, 75,000, and 100,000 plants ha-1. The incidence and severity of Colletotrichum graminicola, Diplodia maydis and Fusarium moniliforme stalk rots were evaluated. The hybrid P32R21 was the most affected by stalk rots. Defoliation enhanced rots on P32R21 and Premium. Enhancements in plant population increased stalk rots intensity on intact plants but decreased rot occurrence when hybrids were defoliated.


The component structure of a generic N=1/2 supersymmetric Non-Linear SigmaModel (NLSM) defined in the four-dimensional (Euclidean) Non-Anti-Commutative (NAC) superspace is investigated in detail. The most general NLSM is described in terms of arbitrary Kähler potential, and chiral and anti-chiral superpotentials. The case of a single chiral superfield gives rise to splitting of the NLSM potentials, whereas the case of several chiral superfields results in smearing (or fuzziness) of the NLSM potentials, while both effects are controlled by the auxiliary fields. We eliminate the auxiliary fields by solving their algebraic equations of motion, and demonstrate that the results are dependent upon whether the auxiliary integrations responsible for the fuzziness are performed before or after elimination of the auxiliary fields. There is no ambiguity in the case of splitting, i.e. for a single chiral superfield. Fully explicit results are derived in the case of the N=1/2 supersymmetric NAC-deformed CP n NLSM in four dimensions. Here we find another surprise that our results differ from the N=1/2 supersymmetric CP n NLSM derived by the quotient construction from the N=1/2 supersymmetric NAC-deformed gauge theory. We conclude that an N=1/2 supersymmetric deformation of a generic NLSM from the NAC superspace is not unique. Supported in part by the Japanese Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) Email address: email@example.com Email address: firstname.lastname@example.com Email address: firstname.lastname@example.com Email address: firstname.lastname@example.com


The International Space Station offers an attractive platform for external payloads in many regards, but its large, complex structure is challenging for payloads that require precise, unobstructed pointing. As an instrument that measures solar irradiance on a continual basis, the TSIS payload was designed to robustly account for these ISS challenges and is now performing its mission on the ISS with great success. This paper first describes how TSIS was able to measure the ISS background jitter using High-rate Fine Sun Sensor data that was taken during passive solar transits through its field of view. The measurements showed that ISS jitter at the TSIS location on ELC-3 Site 5 is relatively benign with less than 4 arcseconds 1σ at frequencies less than 0.5 Hz. This value is lower than previous estimates but agrees well with recent measurements from other external payloads, including OPALS and SAGE III. Because TSIS was designed to be robust to base motion jitter, it has achieved less than 4 arcseconds 1σ of pointing error, which provides an extremely precise pointing platform for the solar irradiance measurements. The other challenging ISS characteristic is its large, complex structure that obscures solar viewing at sunrise and sunset from the zenith-facing location of TSIS. Although TSIS was able to predict solar viewing durations during the design phase with relatively high accuracy, the exact timing and causes of obscuration were difficult to predict and understand after TSIS began operating on the ISS. To aid in the understanding of blockage by ISS structure, detailed obscuration maps were created using HFSS measurements that clearly show the exact gimbal angles where blockage occurs and the specific structural features of the ISS that cause the blockage. These maps have helped TSIS to maximize its solar tracking durations each orbit, which has supported the mission in meeting its science objectives.


We serendipitously found that chaperonin GroEL can hydrolyze ortho-nitrophenyl β-galactoside (ONPG), a well-known substrate of the enzyme β-galactosidase. The ONPG hydrolysis by GroEL follows typical enzyme kinetics. Our experiments and molecular docking studies suggest ONPG binding at the ATP binding site of GroEL.


The present work presents a strategy to stabilize amorphous anodic self-organized TiO2 nanotube layers against morphological changes and crystallization upon extensive water soaking. The growth of needle-like nanoparticles was observed on the outer and inner walls of amorphous nanotube layers after extensive water soakings, in line with the literature on water annealing. In contrary, when TiO2 nanotube layers uniformly coated by thin TiO2 using atomic layer deposition (ALD) were soaked in water, the growth rates of needle-like nanoparticles were substantially reduced. We investigated the soaking effects of ALD TiO2 coatings with different thicknesses and deposition temperatures. Sufficiently thick TiO2 coatings (≈8.4 nm) deposited at different ALD process temperatures efficiently hamper the reactions between water and F− ions, maintain the amorphous state, and preserve the original tubular morphology. This work demonstrates the possibility of having robust amorphous 1D TiO2 nanotube layers that are very stable in water. This is very practical for diverse biomedical applications that are accompanied by extensive contact with an aqueous environment.


Abstract: This study investigated the effects of an inoculant on silage fermentation, aerobic stability, and the growing and finishing performance of feedlot steers. Whole-crop barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) was chopped, wilted [350-400 g kg-1 dry matter (DM)], and ensiled without (Control) or with (Treated) a bacterial inoculant containing a mixture of Pediococcus pentosaceus, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Propionibacterium freudenreicheii (1.3 × 105 CFU g-1 forage), as well as enzymes applied to fresh forage ensiled in mini or Ag-Bag® silos. Inoculation resulted in a pH decline (P < 0.05) from 6.0 on the day of ensiling to <4.0 after 3 d. In contrast, it required more than 20 d for the pH of the Control silage to fall below 4.0. Inoculant reduced (P < 0.05) the concentration of acetic acid and aerobic stability of silage, as evidenced by a higher (P < 0.05) temperature and pH in aerobically exposed silage. Although the inoculant accelerated pH decline during ensiling, it did not improve the growth performance (P < 0.05) or alter the carcass traits of steers. It is possible that a reduction in the aerobic stability of the inoculated silage may have contributed to this outcome.


The Hanon volcano on the southern coast of Jeju Island is a nested maar-scoria cone complex. The crater of the volcano is filled with lacustrine sediments deposited in ponded lake and shallow swamp settings. Sedimentological characteristics of an 10 m-long drilling core obtained from the crater-lake deposit were analyzed to reveal the paleo-environmental variations related to the late Quaternary glacial and interglacial paleoclimatic changes. The crater-lake deposit since ca. 32,000 years BP consists mainly of silt- to clay-sized clastic and organic particles, and shows various sedimentary structures including bioturbation, lamination and normal grading. The sedimentary sequence is divided into 4 stratigraphic units based on the sediment texture, magnetic susceptibility, sediment color and sedimentary structures. According to the AMS 14C dates, the stratigraphic units are considered to correspond to Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 1 to 3. Unit 4 below the core depth of 780 cm is characterized by common intercalation of massive to graded sand and gravel layers with background fine mud. This is attributed to a frequent generation of mass flows on the unstable pyroclastic crater rim of the incipient Hanon volcano. Units 2 and 3 at the core depth between 210 cm and 780 cm approximately correspond to last glacial period (MIS 2 and 3). They are characterized by restricted bioturbation and slightly higher silt content and magnetic susceptibility than unit 1, which most probably represents a deposition in a deeper lake setting and a dominant influence of strengthened winter monsoon winds coupled with cold and arid climatic conditions of East Asian region during the glacial period. Unit 1 above the core depth of 210 cm consists of dark gray to black peaty mud with a very low magnetic susceptibility, and shows intense post-depositional disturbance by plant roots and other bio-activities. This reflects the rapid climate change from cold and arid to warm and humid climate conditions at the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary and an increased input of biogenic materials into the shallow swamp under the warm climatic condition (MIS 1).


Applying a simple aqueous phase chemistry method, nanostructured zinc oxide surfaces have been modified with curcumin, here referred to as Zn(cur)O. The morphology of these Zn(cur)O nanostructured materials is a grain-like wurtzite hexagonal crystal structure with good crystalline quality. Doping of curcumin fills the defects of ZnO that are visible luminescence centers and prolongs electron–hole recombination, resulting, respectively, in quenching of visible luminescence and an enhancement in the exciton emission of ZnO. The photoluminescence of ZnO is insensitive to arsenic concentration in water, but the photoluminescence of a Zn(cur)O colloidal solution at an excitation wavelength of 425 nm can sensitively sense arsenic in the concentration range 100 to 3000 ppb. At the same time Zn(cur)O can significantly improve the efficient removal of arsenic contamination from water below the maximum contaminant level (MCL) within 30 minutes and almost to zero in 3 h without oxidation and/or pH adjustment. The adsorption kinetics during arsenic removal by Zn(cur)O obeys a pseudo-second order model with exceptional adsorption rates compared to ZnO, reflecting the high affinity of Zn(cur)O nanomaterials to arsenic due to improvement in adsorption.


Between structure, infrastructure (foundation) and soil there is an effective interaction, which has to be taken into account as correctly as possible every time we do the calculation. This effective interaction can be analysed in a global form, considering on one hand the entire building, and on the other hand the soil -- establishment surface, or in an analytical form: we consider first the soil -- infrastructure (foundation) interaction and then the structure -- infrastructure one. Without considering the interaction, we cannot make neither the calculation (for the soil) according to the limiting deformation state which has to be compatible with the structure's resistance system, nor calculation for the limiting resistance state, because the correct distribution of efforts along the contact surface between the soil and the structure is unknown, so we cannot determine the zones of plastical equilibrium in the soil massive and the conditions of limited equilibrium. Also, without considering the infrastructure, we cannot correctly calculate the efforts and the deformations which may occur in all resistance elements of the building. Therefore, we cannot talk about limiting state calculation without considering the interaction between the soil and the structure itself. The problem of interaction between building, on one hand and soil foundation, on the other hand, is not approached very much in the specialized literature, because of the big difficulties raised by summarizing all the factors that describe the structure and the environment, which would be more accessible to a practical calculation. A lot of buildings or elements of buildings standing on the soil or on another environment with finite rigidity can be taken into account as beams supported on a straining environment, (continuous foundations, resistance walls, longitudinal and transversal membranes of civil and industrial buildings, hydrotechnic works). Therefore, in the present paper we shall analyse the problems regarding the calculation of some types of beams supported on a straining environment (foundation soil). In general, we shall use the term "beams supported on a straining environment" and not "beams supported on an elastic environment" because the foundation soil, which is in fact the supporting environment most commonly met in practice, cannot be considered as a perfectly elastic, homogeneous and isotropic environment, and it can be at most simplified in calculation as a linear or not linear environment.


The past two decades have witnessed major changes in the paradigm of international development assistance. During the 1980s the import-substitution industrialization strategy (ISI) advocating for government market interventions to promote large-scale modern industries gave way to a new paradigm referred to as the Washington Consensus, which identified the market as a universally efficient mechanism to allocate scarce resources and promote economic growth. Scarcely a decade later, in the mid-1990s, the Washington Consensus was replaced by a contrasting paradigm called the Post-Washington Consensus. It emphasized the need for different institutions in different economies and recognized cases in which government market interventions can play a positive role. The post-Washington Consensus focused on poverty reduction, emphasizing the need for delivery to the poor of social services, such as education and health care, by government and civil society. Sustainability of this approach is questioned, however, because of its relative neglect on the provision of production-oriented infrastructure and services needed to supply profitable work opportunities for poor people.


Studies on the origins of the European University system and Islamic education have drawn heavily from the work of Alan B. Cobban and George Makdisi respectively. These two historians have offered competing explanations for the rise of higher education and degree of interchange between the Islamic caliphates and Europe in the medieval era. This comparison proposes to reject the analysis of both historians regarding the rise of higher education in Islam and the West. The aim of this work is to provide a means of moving past the current competing theories of European university origin through the texts of the medieval period by offering an alternate answer to question of university development which draws upon the shared aspects of Islamic and Western culture. The main areas examined will be the structure of education and the textual basis of educational curriculum in medieval Islamic and European culture. The structures of education will delve into the historiography of university development and provide some common models for education in the Islamic world as well. The curriculum and philosophical justifications given for higher education in both cultures will illuminate the topicality of the medieval interplay between religion and education. An examination of the educational structures of both societies will reveal the deep incongruity which existed between classical, specifically Greek knowledge and educational models as compared to the monotheistic demands of Christianity and Islam. This paper will offer a new route forward by looking to the common philosophical groundwork of neo-Platonic of Islamic and Western culture as the basis for rise of higher education in the medieval era. First, the primary works of the neo-platonic thinkers will briefly be examined to ascertain the common themes and language of neo-platonic ideology. Secondly, the structure of medieval education will be examined along with the philosophical arguments regarding pagan knowledge. This paper proposes to trace back the similarities of Islamic schools and Western institutions to a common thread of neo-platonic educational beliefs which pervaded the major discussions of Greek science and religion taking place in both cultures. The educational bodies/philosophies of Islam and the West, as well as the work of some of each culture's most well regarded scholars will be studied so that a new route of investigation into the thorny question of medieval educational origins may well be established.


The following list consists of dates for archaeologic samples mostly measured from June 1984 to June 1985. The dates were obtained by liquid scintillation counting of benzene using the laboratory procedures outlined in previous lists (see, eg, BM-VIII, R, 1976, v 18, p 16). Dates are expressed as suggested by Stuiver and Polach (1977), ie, in 14C years relative to AD 1950, based on the Libby half-life for 14C of 5570 yr, and corrected for isotopic fractionation (δ13C values are given relative to PDB). No corrections have been made for natural 14C variations. The modern reference standards are the NBS oxalic acids (SRM 4990 and RM 49). Errors quoted are the counting error for the sample, combined with an estimate of the errors contributed by the modern and background samples. This estimate includes both counting and non-counting errors, and is computed from differences in the overall count rates observed among the individual backgrounds and moderns. The overall error is given as ± 1 standard deviation (± 1σ). Descriptions, comments, and references to publications are based on information supplied by submitters.


Business Intelligence (BI) systems are information systems that combine operational data, models, analytical tools and user interfaces to generate information to support business decision-making. BI is an important part of IT practice and is currently the highest technical priority for chief information officers. As there is to date no published academic research on the nature of BI practice we commenced an exploratory study of the area. A survey of business and IT professionals was used to test fourteen propositions about the nature of BI system adoption, development, use, and governance in Australia. This paper reports on the slice of results related to BI system use, including findings related to six propositions about the nature of BI system use. The survey highlights the critical role of BI in organizations, which justifies research effort into the area, as well as organizational spending on BI implementations.


This paper proposes a real-time, robust and effective tracking framework for visual servoing applications. The algorithm is based on the fusion of visual cues and on the estimation of a transformation (either a homography or a 3D pose). The parameters of this transformation are estimated using a non-linear minimization of a unique criterion that integrates information both on the texture and the edges of the tracked object. The proposed tracker is more robust and performs well in conditions where methods based on a single cue fail. The framework has been tested for 2D object motion estimation and pose computation. The method presented in this paper has been validated on several video sequences as well as in visual servoing experiments considering various objects. Results show the method to be robust to occlusions or textured backgrounds and suitable for visual servoing applications.


Importance Concomitant urinary tract infection (UTI) is a frequent concern in febrile infants with bronchiolitis, with a prior meta-analysis suggesting a prevalence of 3.3%. However, the definition of UTI in these studies has generally not incorporated urinalysis (UA) results. Objective To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the prevalence of UTI in infants with bronchiolitis when positive UA results are incorporated into the UTI definition. Data Sources Medline (1946-2017) and Ovid EMBASE (1976-2017) through August 2017 and bibliographies of retrieved articles. Study Selection Studies reporting UTI prevalence in bronchiolitis. Data Extraction Data were extracted in accordance with meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology guidelines via independent abstraction by multiple investigators. Random-effects models generated a weighted pooled event rate with corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Main Outcomes and Measures Prevalence of UTI. Results We screened 477 unique articles by abstract, with full-text review of 30 studies. Eighteen bronchiolitis studies reported a UTI prevalence and 7 of these reported UA data for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The overall reported prevalence of UTI in bronchiolitis from these 18 studies was 3.1% (95% CI, 1.8%-4.6%). With the addition of positive UA results (defined as the presence of pyuria or nitrites) as a diagnostic criterion, the prevalence of UTI as reported in the 7 studies in bronchiolitis was 0.8% (95% CI, 0.3%-1.4%). Sensitivity analyses yielded similar results, including for infants younger than 90 days. Heterogeneous definitions of UTI and UA criteria introduced uncertainty into prevalence estimates. Conclusions and Relevance When a positive UA result is added as a diagnostic criterion, the estimated prevalence of concomitant UTI is less than recommended testing thresholds for bronchiolitis.