Background Drug resistance is one of the major problems encountered in clinical therapy of multiple myeloma treatment. Combination treatment with several drugs may increase the sensitivity and overcome drug resistance. Methods Here, we combined chemotherapy with a newly developed technology, cold atmospheric plasma, to enhance drug sensitivity. Results We found that plasma treatment had a synergistic anti-cancer effect with a first line drug (bortezomib). Based on our previous study, we further found that plasma treatment could inhibit Notch pathway and down-regulate cyp1a1 expression and enzyme activity, which contributing to the enhanced drug sensitivity to bortezomib after combination of bortezomib with gas plasma. Conclusions Our results showed a new strategy to overcome drug resistance by combination of traditional chemotherapy with cold atmospheric plasma.


Complex fluctuations of unknown origin appear in the normal gait pattern. These fluctuations might be described as being 1) uncorrelated white noise, 2) short-range correlations, or 3) long-range correlations with power-law scaling. To test these possibilities, the stride interval of 10 healthy young men was measured as they walked for 9 min at their usual rate. From these time series, we calculated scaling indexes by using a modified random walk analysis and power spectral analysis. Both indexes indicated the presence of long-range self-similar correlations extending over hundreds of steps; the stride interval at any time depended on the stride interval at remote previous times, and this dependence decayed in a scale-free (fractallike) power-law fashion. These scaling indexes were significantly different from those obtained after random shuffling of the original time series, indicating the importance of the sequential ordering of the stride interval. We demonstrate that conventional models of gait generation fail to reproduce the observed scaling behavior and introduce a new type of central pattern generator model that successfully accounts for the experimentally observed long-range correlations.


Abstract This paper reconstructs the ways in which the Hungarian People's Army Performing Arts Ensemble arranged its repertoire to perform socialist Hungary in the autumn of 1956, during the Ensemble's tour in the People's Republic of China. The paper performs a close reading of a single archival document, the program of the Ensemble's début performance before non-European socialist audiences that took place in Shenyang on September 21, 1956. The repertoire featured a simple chronological, quasi-historical overview of musical and dance traditions from Hungary. It offered a vague, highly stylized set of references to Hungary's military traditions. It attempted to realize the triple formula of a new, 'modern, Magyar, European,' art form, and foregrounded a plebian ('peasant-') progressive-patriotic theme with hints of ethnic nationalism. The program provided the absolute minimum of the standard Stalinist fare, resolutely avoided any reference to the USSR or Russia, and, most fascinating, closed with a self-ironical dance piece featuring a powerful allegorical story of socialism with a 'Hungarian face,' something that represented a resolute break with the Stalinist aesthetic canon and reinforced the group's political commitment to a socialism that is 'modern, Magyar and European.'


Although some have begun to study the relationships between national disasters and commercial tourism, practices of touring in the aftermath of disasters warrant closer examination. Marita Sturken argues tourists of disaster provide a metaphor for US contemporary culture, epitomizing an attitude that is superficial, distanced, and uncritical. To identify the hopeful possibilities that we can recuperate from literal practices of touring disaster, I turn to the US city of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 2005 to explore the uses of tours as: first responses, lobbying tools, field reports, organizing tactics, and publicity. To contextualize these acts, I engage public discourses of ''Katrina fatigue'' and the politics of remembering as it relates to post-Katrina tours. From secondary research and participant observation, I then illustrate how non-commercial and commercial tourist practices after a disaster can offer compelling opportunities for rebuilding, more sustainable memories, and political critique.


In this paper, we propose a political economic explanation for the well documented difference in labor market institutions between high natural resource per capita countries and those that are natural resource dependent but whose populations are large. This dichotomy is widespread but particularly apparent in the oil-rich countries of the Arab world. We argue that the natural resource endowment influences the policy that a dictatorship chooses. It is optimal for governments in countries of the first type to employ a large proportion of the population in the public sector, while it is optimal to set up a repressive security apparatus and employ a smaller proportion of the population when the natural resource endowment is small relative to the size of the population. We provide empirical support for our theory using global data on public wages, rents per capita and other correlates.


Nanoparticles are nowadays largely investigated in the field of drug delivery. Among nanoparticles, protein-based particles are of paramount importance since they are natural, biodegradable, biocompatible, and nontoxic. There are several methods to prepare proteins containing nanoparticles, but only a few studies have been dedicated to the preparation of protein- based nanoparticles. Then, the aim of this work was to report on the preparation of bovine serum albumin (BSA)-based nanoparticles using a well-defined nanoprecipitation process. Special attention has been dedicated to a systematic study in order to understand separately the effect of each operating parameter of the method (such as protein concentration, solvent/non-solvent volume ratio, non-solvent injection rate, ionic strength of the buffer solution, pH, and cross-linking) on the colloidal properties of the obtained nanoparticles. In addition, the mixing processes (batch or drop-wise) were also investigated. Using a well-defined formulation, submicron protein-based nanoparticles have been obtained. All prepared particles have been characterized in terms of size, size distribution, morphology, and electrokinetic properties. In addition, the stability of nanoparticles was investigated using Ultraviolet (UV) scan and electrophoresis, and the optimal conditions for preparing BSA nanoparticles by the nanoprecipitation method were concluded.


Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is an inherited condition in which the body produces defective collagen. Manifestations are highly variable, and include numerous skin abnormalities. Nurses play an important role in helping patients and their families live with this unusual disorder.


Gas hydrates are the foremost flow assurance issue in deep water operations. Since heat transfer is a limiting factor in gas hydrate formation processes, a better understanding of its relation to hydrate formation is important.This work presents findings from experimental study of the effect of gas hydrate content on heat transfer through a cylindrical wall. The experiments were carried out at temperature conditions similar to those encountered in flowlines in deep water conditions. Experiments were conducted on methane hydrate, Tetrahydrofuran hydrate, and ethylene oxide hydrate respectively in stirred cylindrical high pressure autoclave cells. Methane hydrate was formed at 90 bars (pressure), and 8°C, followed by a cooling/heating cycle in the range of 8°C → 4°C → 8°C. Tetrahydrofuran (THF) and ethylene oxide (EO) hydrates were formed at atmospheric pressure and system temperature of 1°C in contact with atmospheric air. This was followed by a heating/cooling cycle within the range of 1°C → 4°C → 1°C, since the hydrate equilibrium temperature of THF hydrate is 4.98°C in contact with air at atmospheric pressure. The experimental conditions of the latter hydrate formers were more controlled, given that both THF and EO are miscible with water.We found in all cases a general trend of decreasing heat transfer coefficient of the cell content with increasing concentration of hydrate in the cell, indicating that hydrate formation creates a heat transfer barrier. The hydrate equilibrium temperature seemed to change with a change in the stoichiometric concentration of THF and EO. While the methane hydrate cooling/heating cycles were performed under quiescent conditions, the effect of stirring was investigated for the latter hydrate formers.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


Tabernaemontana bufalina Lour. is extensively cultivated as an ornamental plant in Hainan, Guangdong, and other regions of southern China. In January 2020, we observed a rust disease on T. bufalina leaves in Sanya (18.15。N and 109.30。E) Hainan, China, and the rust occurred all year-round. In the early stage of rust, yellow chlorotic spots appeared, and then uredinia on the abaxial leaf surface became visible. Uredinia (approximately 200-700 µm in diameter) were mostly yellowish-brown in color, solitary, and irregularly scattered. In the late stage of the disease, spots were connected into lesions, and eventually, the whole leaf became severely chlorotic. Urediniospores were light brown, subglobose, measured 25-30 µm × 20-25 µm. They had two pores and were echinulate with spines spaced 2-5 µm. The teliospores were naked, scattered, or aggregated on severely infected leaves. They were two-celled, measured 33-40 µm × 25-30 µm, elliptic, dark brown, and covered with tiny spines. The teliospores had a colorless pedicel at one end which was approximately 28-34 µm long and enlarged at the lower part. The morphological characteristics of the spores were consistent with the descriptions of Puccinia engleriana Henn. (Hennings 1905). In China, P. engleriana was first identified on the leaves of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L.) in Yunnan province, and recorded as new to China in 2012 (Zhuang 2012). Untill now, no leaf rust caused by P. engleriana has been reported in Hainan. Urediniospores were collected and DNA was extracted using a Quick-DNA extraction Kit (TIANGEN Biotech, Beijing, China). The nuclear large subunit (28S) region of the ribosomal DNA repeat was amplified with primers Rust28SF (Aime et al. 2018) and LR5 (Vilgalys and Hester 1990) following the protocol of Aime and McTaggart (2021). The length of the large subunit sequence was 1,010 bp. When searched the GenBank database, the sequence showed 97.07% homology to the large subunit ribosomal RNA gene (Sequence ID: MW147048.1) of P. engleriana, and 92.5% similarity with 18S ribosomal RNA gene (Sequence ID: KM249855.1) of P. hemerocallidis. This result was consistent with the morphological identification. As for the 3% difference in large subunit ribosomal RNA gene, it was speculated that it may be related to the differences of geographical distribution and host plants, as the reference P. engleriana was obtained from Tabernaemontana orientalis in Australia (Aime and McTaggart 2021). The large subunit sequence was submitted into the GenBank database, with accession No. MZ314895. T. bufalina cutting seedlings with 4 available leaves were used in the Koch's postulate test. These seedlings were planted in a greenhouse with a 14 h/10 h light/dark photoperiod at 28°C and 65% humidity. The urediniospores suspension (5107/ml in 0.05% Tween 20 solution) was sprayed on 6 healthy seedlings and other 6 seedlings were sprayed with 0.05% Tween 20 solution as a negative control. Two weeks after inoculation, leaf chlorosis and yellowish uredinia were observed on the inoculated seedlings, whereas the non-inoculated seedlings stayed healthy. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. engleriana causing leaf rust on T. bufalina in Hainan province. This report will provide the reference for future investigation of T. bufalina leaf rust, and for further improvement on the knowledge of the geographical distribution of P. engleriana in China.


The article describes the case of 35 year old female who was admitted to the department with saddle type hypoesthesia, anal incontinence without muscle weakness of lower extremities and sciatica. Central lumbar disc herniation (LDH) was determined on level L5-S1 level and the patient was operated thereafter. In the postoperative period, the patient did not have any muscle weakness of leg but had residual saddle type sensory loss and sphincter dysfunction. This article discusses atypical presentation of cauda equina syndrome (CES) secondary to LDH. Early diagnosis and surgery are important factors for a better prognosis in CES.


BACKGROUND
Treatment of canine otitis externa with owner-administered products can be difficult.

OBJECTIVES
To evaluate otic treatment administered by a veterinarian on quality of life (QoL) of dogs with otitis externa and their owners, and on clinical and cytology parameters of otitis; compared to an owner-administered treatment.

ANIMALS
Fifty client-owned dogs randomly randomized into two groups and treated for 2 weeks.

METHODS
Veterinarians treated Group A dogs with a veterinary licensed otic gel on two occasions at a 1 week interval; owners treated Group B dogs once daily with a veterinary licensed otic drop based product along with twice weekly cleaning. Veterinarians evaluated otitis with the OTI-3 scale and semi-quantitative cytological examination on days 0, 7, 14 and 28. At each visit, owners assessed QoL with a validated questionnaire and pruritus with a Visual Analog Scale. Scores before and after treatment of each group, and differences between groups were analysed statistically.

RESULTS
In both groups, all parameters improved significantly. There was a significantly higher improvement of QoL scores, for dogs and owners, in Group A, compared to Group B at all time points (P < 0.05), except for owner QoL on Day 28. There was no difference in improvement of OTI-3 between groups at any time point, whereas Group A cytology scores and pruritus improved significantly more by Day 7 (P = 0.0026 and P = 0.0294, respectively).

CONCLUSION
A veterinarian-administered otic gel provided equivalent efficacy and higher QoL to dogs with otitis externa and their owners, compared to an owner-administered topical otic therapy.


Peer-to-peer (P2P) exchange of renewable energy is an attractive option to engage and empower citizens to actively participate in the energy transition. Whereas previous research has provided techno-economic models and technological solutions to enable P2P energy trading, little is yet known about citizen preferences for solar power trading. Importantly, the impacts of community members' trading decisions across scales such as individual electricity bills, community autarky, and grid stability remain unknown. Here, we assess actual P2P trading strategies based on an experimental study with German homeowners and simulate how retrieved decision-making strategies impact the performance of P2P communities across the three scales. Our findings suggest that community autarky is higher in P2P communities than in self-consumption communities, even if self-consumption communities search to maximize autarky (an autarky paradox). We show that actual prosumer decision-making may lead to benefits at the individual (reduced energy bills), community (higher community autarky), and grid level (reduced stress).


3D rapid prototyping is a fast, precise enough and affordable technique of producing prototypes with almost any geometrical complexity. This paper presents the advantages of applying Z Corporation three dimensional printing in obtaining a new product's prototype. A case study is used to illustrate the various stages of the process and to enhance the results. Simulation with ANSYS software, of further processes involved by studied product geometrical characteristics, is important and efficient. Both, rapid prototyping and simulation, techniques resulted in important time and cost savings achieved in the development of the studied product.


Background: Diabetes is increasing globally resulting in 1.5 million deaths in 2012. The high mortality is due to life-threatening complications of uncontrolled sugar. Medication helps to control glucose level and prevents its complications. Objective: To identify the factors associated with medication adherence among type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. Methods: A hospital based cross sectional study was conducted among 343 patients visiting Dhulikhel Hospital, Nepal for their regular Fasting Blood Sugar test from September to December 2016. Inclusion criteria were (i) type 2 DM patients (ii) under diabetes medication from at least past three months (iii) aged 18 years or above. We measured medication adherence using Nepali version of 8 item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) (© 2007 Donald E. Morisky). Adherence was categorized as high if MMAS score was equal to 8 and moderate/low if it was less than 8. We used standard questionnaire to measure socio-demographic and clinical factors. Multivariate logistic regression was applied to assess factors associated with medication adherence. Results: Proportion of high and moderate/low medication adherence among the respondents were 60.9% and 39.1% respectively. In multivariate logistic regression, high medication adherence was found to be positively associated with formal education [AOR: 2.43 (95% CI: 1.34, 4.39), p=0.003] and attendance of diabetes counseling [AOR: 1.76 (95% CI: 1.02, 3.04), p=0.04] after adjusting for age, occupation, annual household per-capita income, medicine intake duration and diabetes medicine types. Other variables in the model were not statistically significantly associated. Conclusion: Formal education and attendance of diabetes counseling were found to positively affect patients' adherence to medicine. We encourage heath care institutions to provide counseling services to all type 2 DM patients and focus more on those who are least educated. Disclosure P. Shakya: None. B.M. Karmacharya: None. A. Shrestha: None. B.E. Kulseng: None.


A method for chaotic oscillation suppression in intracavity frequency-doubled lasers based on the rate-equation model of a bipolarised solid-state laser is proposed. It is shown that the use of optoelectronic feedback either stabilises the system in the stationary state or leads to quasi-sinusoidal oscillations with a constant amplitude.


Borexino is a massive calorimetric liquid scintillation detector whose installation has been completed in the underground Gran Sasso Laboratory. The focus of the experiment is on the direct and real time measurement of the flux of neutrinos produced in the 7 Be electron capture reaction in the Sun. Furthermore, recent studies about the reduction of the 11 C background through suitable rejection techniques demonstrated the possibility to open an interesting additional observation window in the energy region of the pep and CNO solar neutrinos. Beyond the solar neutrino program, the detector will be also a powerful observatory for antineutrinos from Supernovae, as well as for geoneutrinos, profiting from a very low background from nuclear reactors. The Borexino main goal is to detect neutrinos from the Sun via the scattering process e − νx → e − νx. The neutrino signature is given by the scintillation light produced as the recoil electron deposits its energy in the medium. The detector is designed to work with a very low energy threshold (250 keV), thus providing important information on the low energy portion of the solar neutrino spectrum. Recent studies proved the capability to reduce the 11 C background through suitable rejection techniques and demonstrated the possibility to exploit the energy region of the pep and CNO solar neutrinos. Borexino will also be able to observe antineutrinos coming from Supernovae and from the Earth (geoneutrinos); the detector is far away from nuclear reactors, which represent the most important background to electron antineutrino detection. The installation of the detector has been completed in July 2004. Several campaigns of data-taking with the empty detector have been performed in order to check the overall performance of the apparatus, DAQ, electronics and software. Some runs were performed inserting a radiactive source into the detector (i.e. a vial containing liquid scintillator loaded with Rn) to check the light collection efficiency of the detector and to test the position reconstruction algorithm. Currently (September 2006) the detector is being filled with ultra pure water and the filling with pseudocumene is foreseen starting from the end of this year. Borexino will be ready to take data by the spring of 2007.


The relationship between soil moisture and soil matric suction is called soil moisture characteristic curve, which its measurement is time-consuming and expensive. One of the estimation methods of soil moisture characteristic curve is using the soil particle size distribution curve and bulk density which contains a scaling parameter (). In this study, 10 soil samples were selected from Marvdasht region in Fars province, and soil texture and soil moisture characteristic curve of each soil were measured. Then, the soil particle size distribution curve of each soil was estimated based on Fooladmand and Sepaskhah model (FS) and Fooladmand and Mansuri model (FM), and also eight methods were used for determining the scaling parameter including linear procedure with constant void ratio (N), logistic procedure with constant void ratio (G), linear procedure with local void ratio (LN), logistic procedure with local void ratio (LG), Alfa-1 (A1), Alfa-2 (A2), Alfa-3 (A3) and Alfa-4 (A4). Therefore, the soil moisture characteristic curve of each soil was estimated with 16 different methods, and all of them were compared with measured soil moisture characteristic curve data. For this purpose, Standard error (SE), geometric mean error ratio (GMER) and geometric standard deviation of the error ratio (GSDER) were used. The results sowed that the FM model for estimating the soil particle size distribution curve and then estimation the soil moisture characteristic curve was better than the FS model. In general, the results indicated that the procedures of FM-A1, FM-A2, FM-A3, FM-N and FM-LN were appropriate for estimating the soil moisture characteristic curve.


E-commerce has grown in acceptance over the past few years in India. Recent studies have demonstrated and generally acknowledged that customer loyalty and satisfaction levels for online transactions are lower than those for more conventional methods of buying. A problem for online businesses is how to keep and improve online client's loyalty and satisfaction. This article aims to comprehend the service quality factors that influence client's loyalty and satisfaction. Parasuraman's E-S-QUAL four determinants i.e. efficiency, requirement fulfilment, system accessibility, and privacy, are used to construct model for assessing e service quality, consumer satisfaction and online purchases loyalty measures. Data from a sample of 400 respondents was then analysed using a PLS estimation and mediated moderation analysis. 164 online buyers participated from a wide and varied range of backgrounds on the basis of goods purchased. The findings show a positive relationship between efficiency, fulfilment, privacy and consumer loyalty. Customer satisfaction also has a favourable impact from all e service quality measures. The paper examines service quality from many angles, the study concludes that all the factors has a favourable impact on customer loyalty and satisfaction except system accessibility. This paper attempts to explain these results because they are somewhat at odds with earlier research findings.


Influenza A viruses cause an annual highly contagious respiratory disease in humans, and are responsible for periodic human pandemics that have high mortality rates. Pandemic influenza A viruses can result from reassortment of one or more gene segments between a human and an avian virus. These avian virus gene segments need to adapt to humans post introduction. The role of synonymous mutations in this adaptation is not known. Here we focus on the human adaptation of the synonymous codons of the avian virus PB1 gene of the 1968 H3N2 pandemic virus. We generate recombinant H3N2 viruses differing only in codon usage of PB1 mRNA, and demonstrate that the codon usage of recent virus isolates enhances replication in interferon-treated human cells rather than in untreated cells, thereby partially alleviating the interferon-induced antiviral state. High-throughput sequencing of tRNA pools explains this virus phenotype: the levels of some tRNAs differ between interferon-treated and untreated human cells; and the codon usage of H3N2 PB1 mRNA has been evolving over time to match the tRNA pools in interferon-treated human cells. Consequently, our results identify a previously unknown mechanism by which influenza A virus counteracts the host interferon-induced antiviral response and highlight the important role of tRNA pools in the regulation of gene expression. Disclosure of Interest : None Declared


The Late Archaean Dharwar Supergroup in the Chitradurga schist belt NW of Tungabhadra river is dominated by low-grade metabasalts, polymict conglomerates, ferruginous cherts and greywackes with intercalations of dolomitic limestone and felsic volcanic rocks. The belt was thickened as the result of overturning on large-scale folds and stacking on reverse faults in a hinterland-dipping duplex, herein called the Gadag duplex. Gold mineralisation is confined to, and was controlled by, the duplex structure. In the Late Archaean oblique convergent setting of the Dharwar craton, the duplex dips NE away from the foreland formed by the western part of the craton and into the accretionary complex of granites (Dharwar batholith) and intra-arc schist belts comprising the eastern part. The Gadag duplex comprises four thrust slices. Its foot wall block comprises metabasalts and greywackes of the Dharwar Supergroup and underlying, variably mylonitised granites s.l. with magmatic-state and mylonite fabrics indicating top-NW shear sense. The supergroup in the foot wall block is arched over domes of these granites to link with the lowest metabasalts and greywackes in the eastern margin of the Ranibennur schist belt. Lit-par-lit injections in the metabasalts suggest the plutonic rocks are younger than the Dharwar Supergroup, i.e. they are probably Late Archaean, not pre-2900 Ma basement to the schist belt. Arching of the foot wall block is attributed to NE-SW shortening broadly contemporaneous with, or soon after, thrust stacking in the Gadag duplex. The hanging wall block comprises mylonitised granites s.l. with top-SW shear sense indicators. The roof thrust south of Gadag dips gently NE, but steepens further SE. Lit-par-Ut injections in metabasalts adjacent to the roof thrust indicate a tectoni sed intrusive contact like that in the foot wall block. Large-scale gentle folding of the shallow part of the roof thrust is linked to sinistral displacement along the steepened thrust. Plutonic rocks in the hanging and foot wall blocks are tentatively correlated with granites in the western margin of the Dharwar batholith.


The variation of a magnetic field as a function of depth beneath the surface of an YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-delta) thin film in the Meissner state has been measured using low energy muons. The depth of implantation was varied from 20-150 nm by tuning the energy of the implanted muons from 3-30 keV. These are direct measurements of the penetration of a magnetic field beneath a superconducting surface which illustrate the power of low energy muons for near surface studies in superconductivity and magnetism.


1. Continuous measurement of the flow of digesta near the pylorus, and 5 cm aborally, was assessed in the conscious dog using a chronically implanted flowmeter. The patterns of flow were related to motor activity of the gastroduodenal junction. 2. Electromagnetic measurement of the flow was calibrated in vitro by means of a pulsatile pump. Validation was obtained in vivo by direct evaluation of the amount of chyme collected from an open duodenal cannula and indirectly by a dye‐dilution technique. 3. After a 12 h fast, only small amounts of gastric contents were delivered into the duodenum. This transfer occurred during periods of irregular motor activity recorded along the gastroduodenal junction, which occupied less than 25% of the recording time. The patterns of flow near the pylorus and beyond the duodenal bulb were correlated to antral and duodenal contractions respectively. 4. After a meal, gastric emptying occurred intermittently and was related to enhanced antral motor activity beyond the duodenal bulb; digesta flowed in clusters of gushes which were related to the duodenal contractions. 5. It is concluded that the mechanical role of the duodenal bulb is to change the intermittent juxtapyloric flow of digesta into a uniform flow at the duodenal level.


Collaboration is the foundation to strengthen disaster preparedness and for effective emergency response actions at all levels. Some studies have highlighted that remote volunteers, i.e., volunteers supported by Web 2.0 technologies, possess the potential to strengthen humanitarian relief organizations by offering information regarding disaster-affected people and infrastructure. Although studies have explored various aspects of this topic, none of those provided an overview of the state-of-the-art of researches on the collaboration among humanitarian organizations and communities of remote volunteers. With the aim of overcoming this gap, a systematic literature review was conducted on the existing research works. Therefore, the main contribution of this work lies in examining the state of research in this field and in identifying potential research gaps. The results show that most of the research works addresses the general domain of disaster management, whereas only few of them address the domain of humanitarian logistics.

Collaboration among Humanitarian Relief Organizations and Volunteer Technical Communities: Identifying Research Opportunities and Challenges through a Systematic Literature Review (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315790817_Collaboration_among_Humanitarian_Relief_Organizations_and_Volunteer_Technical_Communities_Identifying_Research_Opportunities_and_Challenges_through_a_Systematic_Literature_Review [accessed May 26, 2017].


Hospital management system is the most important part for Doctors. As test is the most important for knowing cause of any diseases. Besides maintaining other records of the hospital every year or after some time, the price of conducting tests changes, then it issues a list of prices of every test. Hence, software concerning Hospital Management should be well organized for its efficient working. So, this project is an attempt to relieve the burden of manual system by providing fully automated and a secure system. The function, which this system provides, is maintaining the records of the patient pertaining to his name, address, tests and tests results. The password system check allows only the authorized person to use the system in order to maintain the security of the system and if the user forgets his password then he can use his security question and password to enter the system.


By judicious selection of crystallization conditions, it has been possible to obtain the salts of a common building block, [(RNC)4Rh(I)]+, in single-crystal form suitable for X-ray diffraction. Salts that contain a single type of cation include deep green [(C6H11NC)12Rh(I)3](SbF6)3, deep green [(C6H11NC)12Rh(I)3](AsF6)3, and straw yellow [(C6H11NC)8Rh(II)2Cl2](BF4)2 (in addition to the previously isolated trimeric deep green [(i-PrNC)12RhI3]Cl3 x 4.5 H2O, monomeric, [(C6H11NC)4 Rh(I)](BPh4), and [(i-PrNC)4Rh(I)](BPh4) (both yellow), and red, dimeric [(C6H11NC)8Rh(I)2]Cl2 x 0.5C6H6 x 2H2O). Ordered crystals of [(C6H11NC)12Rh(I)3](SbF6)3 contain linear Rh3 units, while those of [(C6H11NC)12Rh(I)3](AsF6)3 show disorder which is consistent with the presence of linear or bent Rh3 units. The formation of green [(C6H11NC)12Rh(V/III)3Cl2][(C6H11NC)12Rh(I)3]Cl6, and brown [(C6H11NC)12Rh(V/III)3Cl2][(C6H11NC)8Rh(I)2][(C6H11NC)4RhI]Cl6 x 16H2O x 3C6H6 along with unidentified red-brown cubes from an air-exposed solution of [(C6H11NC)4Rh(I)]Cl is reported. As their formulas indicate, green [(C6H11NC)12Rh(V/III)3Cl2][(C6H11NC)12Rh(I)3]Cl6, and brown [(C6H11NC)12Rh(V/III)3Cl2][(C6H11NC)8Rh(I)2][(C6H11NC)8Rh(I)]Cl6 x 16H2O x 3C6H6 contain two or three chemically distinct cations, respectively, but again are built from a common precursor, [(C6H11NC)4Rh(I)]+.


Minimally invasive gastrectomy is increasingly performed for advanced gastric cancer, but the indication for this procedure for a tumor invading adjacent structures is still limited. In cases with tumors invading the transverse mesocolon, a large tumor together with the involved mesocolon blocks the surgical view, which prevents evaluation of the extent of invasion and makes it difficult to ensure oncologically adequate resection. To solve these technical issues, we established a novel method that uses a dorsal approach. By approaching the transverse mesocolon from the dorsal side, tumor penetration and involvement of the colic vessels or pancreas can be evaluated, and margin‐free resection of the tumor becomes easier. In a series of 13 patients with mesocolon invasion, a dorsal approach enabled minimally invasive margin‐free resection in 11 cases by resection of the anterior layer of the mesocolon (n = 6); enucleation of the mesocolon (n = 4); or enucleation plus distal pancreato‐splenectomy (n = 1). Two patients with broad invasion that obstructed the view underwent combined colectomy by open conversion. A major postoperative complication of pancreatic fistula following distal pancreatectomy occurred in one case. These results suggest that a dorsal approach may be useful for minimally invasive combined resection of gastric cancer invading the transverse mesocolon.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE
Disability identity involves affirming one's status as a person with a disability and incorporating this group membership into one's identity. It is associated with well-being in populations of people with disabilities, but its relationship with depression and anxiety in multiple sclerosis (MS) has yet to be examined. It was hypothesized that disability identity would predict lower depression and anxiety above and beyond the effects of demographic and disability variables.

RESEARCH METHOD/DESIGN
One hundred and six participants with MS completed a cross-sectional Internet survey measuring disability identity, depression and anxiety, activities of daily living performance, MS duration, and demographic variables. Inclusion criteria were as follows: self-reported diagnosis of MS, self-reported impairment in walking, age 18 or older, living in the United States, and English fluency.

RESULTS
Hierarchical regressions revealed that disability identity was a unique predictor of lower depression and anxiety. Older age and higher activities of daily living performance also predicted lower depression and anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS
Stronger disability identity predicts lower psychological distress in MS. Clinical implications include supporting patient disability identity by encouraging involvement in disability support and advocacy groups. Future research should examine psychosocial interventions to affirm identity.


Predictive Maintenance (PdM) is a one of the core topics for Industry 4.0 and entitled as "Predictive Maintenance 4.0." The main tasks of PdM are to monitor production tool health and then issue an alert when a maintenance is necessary. PdM has become a top priority as it can optimize tool utility. The so-called iFA system platform, realized by integrating several intelligent services including Intelligent Predictive Maintenance (IPM), was proposed to accomplish the goal of Zero-Defect Manufacturing. However, the current algorithm in IPM did not provide a feasible aging feature extraction procedure. Thus, once the aging features cannot be acquired adequately, the monitoring accuracy will become poor. To remedy the above-mentioned problem, the automated Aging Feature Extraction Scheme (AFES) is proposed in this paper to perform analysis of process data for remote health prediction. This automated AFES is packed as an application module and plugged in the cyber physical agent of iFA. The proposed architecture, which integrates iFA, Resource Agent (RA), message broker, and automated Production System, is also designed to effectively monitor tool health status and predict the remaining useful life via the automated AFES. The experimental results indicate that the proposed architecture can not only enhance the performance of the IPM algorithm, but also feed-back the tool health indexes to RA via comprehensive system integration, such that the goal of optimized/maximum OEE can be accomplished. This work was submitted alongside another paper to CASE2022, conceptualizing a data exchange infrastructure and its impact on dependability characteristics of the technical process.


A dynamic optical code division multiple access (DOCDMA) communication system is proposed for high-bandwidth communication systems. An implementation of the system is proposed based on a fast tunable optical filter (TOF) in each encoder and decoder. This technique actively modulates the central wavelength of a TOF according to a functional code at the transmitter during the bit period before the transmission of the data. The system is modeled and analyzed taking into account multiple access interference (MAI), thermal noise, and phase-induced intensity noise (PIIN). The performance of this system is compared to that of a spectral amplitude coding system that uses either a Hadamard code or a modified quadratic congruence (MQC) code. The results show that the proposed DOCDMA system reduces the PIIN effect on the performance of the system and improves the bit error rate (BER) performance at a large number of users. Furthermore, it is found that when the effective power is large enough, the MAI becomes the main factor that limits system performance, whereas when the effective power is relatively low, both thermal noise and PIIN become the main limiting factors with thermal noise having the main influence.


The risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease and mortality is increased by rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, data on how RA patients perceive their own CV risk and their adherence to CV prevention factors are scarce. We conducted an observational study on 266 patients with RA to determine whether the perceived CV risk correlates to the objective CV risk, and if it influences their compliance with a Mediterranean diet and physical exercise. The objective CV risk was calculated according to the modified European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE). The perceived CV risk did not correlate to the objective CV risk. The correlation was even lower when carotid ultrasound was used. Notably, 64.62% of patients miscalculated their CV risk, with 43.08% underestimating it. Classic CV risk factors, carotid ultrasound markers and ESR and CRP showed significant correlation with the objective CV risk. However, only hypertension and RA disease features showed association with the perceived CV risk. Neither the objective CV risk nor the perceived CV risk were associated with the accomplishment of a Mediterranean diet or physical activity. In conclusion, RA patients tend to underestimate their actual CV risk, giving more importance to RA features than to classic CV risk factors. They are not concerned enough about the beneficial effects of physical activity or diet.


Background To date, immunotherapy has improved the 5-year survival rate of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from 4% to 15%. However, only 30%-50% of the NSCLC patients respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) immunotherapy. Therefore, screening patients for potential benefit with precise biomarkers may be of great value. Methods First, an immunotherapy NSCLC cohort was analyzed to identify the gene mutations associated with the prognosis of ICI treatment. Further analyses were conducted using NSCLC cohort in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project to validate the correlations between the specific gene mutations and tumor immunogenicity, antitumor immunity, and alterations in the tumor-related pathways using Cell-type Identification By Estimating Relative Subsets Of RNA Transcripts (CIBERSORT) and Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Results In the immunotherapy NSCLC cohort (n = 266), significantly longer overall survival (OS) rates were observed in the PAK7-mutant type (PAK7-MT) group (n = 13) than the PAK7-wild type (PAK7-WT) group (n = 253) (P = 0.049, HR = 0.43, 95%CI = 0.23-0.79). In the TCGA cohort, PAK7 mutations were correlated with the higher tumor mutation burden (TMB) (14.18 vs. 7.13, P <0.001), increased neoantigen load (NAL) (7.52 vs. 4.30, P <0.001), lower copy number variation (CNV), and higher mutation rate in the DNA damage response (DDR)-related pathways. In addition, PAK7 mutations were also positively correlated with immune-related genes expressions and infiltrating CD8+ T cells (0.079 vs. 0.054, P = 0.005). GSEA results showed that several tumor-related pathways varied in the PAK7-MT group, suggesting the potential mechanisms that regulate the tumor immune-microenvironment. Conclusions This study suggested that the PAK7 mutations might be a potential biomarker to predict the efficacy of immunotherapy for NSCLC patients. Considering the heterogeneity among the patients and other confounding factors, a prospective clinical trial is proposed to further validate the impact of PAK7 mutation on the immunotherapy outcomes in NSCLC.


Since the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 came into effect, legal action on a range of socio-economic rights - in particular the right to have access to health care services - has demonstrated the significant value of express constitutional recognition. Collectively, the cases highlight the link that often exists between successful rights-based legal action and civil society organisation, mobilisation and advocacy. Importantly, they show that the law - particularly insofar as it relates to positive claims on the state - is ordinarily a weak tool when used on its own, but often significantly more powerful when combined with activism.But these cases also raise deeper systemic questions about the health system. Collectively, they show that effective regulation and reasonable implementation of policies and programmes - as well as the ability of the state to meet its constitutional mandate - relies on the proper functioning of a number of independent regulatory and oversight institutions. Until recently, however, health rights litigation had largely overlooked these important concerns. To date, South African jurisprudence has yet to consider the nature and extent to which the Constitution imposes obligations on the state in respect of such institutions.With a singular focus on the regulation of medicines, this paper seeks to start to address this deficit. Cognisant of the broader legal and political context within which medicines have been regulated in South Africa over the past decade, it begins by exploring recent legislative moves to replace the Medicines Control Council (MCC). By considering proposals for the MCC's successor - the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority ("the Authority") - as set out in the recently adopted Medicines and Related Substances Amendment Bill [B 44D-2008] ("the Bill"), this paper seeks to contextualise concerns regarding the Authority's structure and mandate.Thereafter, this paper considers the state's positive obligations in respect of regulatory institutions in general and drug regulatory authorities (DRAs) in particular. In so doing, it focuses on a wide range of legal developments in South Africa, including jurisprudence on socio-economic rights and other superior court decisions that consider constraints on the exercise of public power - openness, accountability, transparency, the delegation of subordinate legislative authority and the grant of discretionary powers. In particular, this paper considers the impact of the Constitution on certain aspects of the structure, mandate and operations of a DRA such as the Authority.This paper concludes by identifying ways in which new regulations to the Medicines Act - as amended by the Bill - could address outstanding concerns relating to the Authority's ability to discharge its functions effectively, efficiently and in accordance with the Constitution. Simply put, this paper ends by considering how best to address many - if not most - of the deficiencies in the Bill by way of the regulation drafting process. In so doing, it implicitly recognises that further opportunities for amending the Medicines Act - whether by way of law reform or litigation - are unlikely to arise in the short to medium term.


SOMMERHOFF, G. Logic of the Living Brain. London: John Wiley & Sons. 1974. PP. 413. E5.75. For anyone contemplating work on the nature of brain function, this book will form an excellent introduction. Sketched on a very broad front, it covers most aspects of the subject and will give the reader a sense of perspective. As the author says, the book is not a textbook, more a line of analysis; it is held together by reoccurring concepts. For greater factual detail and the most recent work in areas of particular interest the reader must turn to more specialized books and journals. Nevertheless, for a general introduction the amount of factual detail is generous. ' Two of the most frequently used concepts are "internal representations of external events" and "directive correlation", the latter being a measure of the relations between action and consequent change in external events, and hence in internal representations. The relations between these two variables and a third essential variable "drive reduction", is only brought in later, when motivation and goal seeking are discussed. The author courageously discusses the problem of consciousness ; condensing his argument perhaps to the point of misrepresentation, awareness is perception plus action; so scanning radar systems can be aware of aeroplanes and thunder clouds. Perception and action and relations between them have internal representations. Consciousness is awareness of self, where self is the internal representation of one's body and of one's internal representations ; so consciousness is possessed by a system which has internal representations of internal representations. This definition need not be recursive; a special part of the brain may have the function of observing the rest of the brain, and of interfering with its activity. The title of the book may suggest that the author treats the nervous system as a collection of two-state devices; however, he is careful to point out that synapses vary smoothly in state. Nevertheless, when the author comes to circuit diagrams of possible nerve networks he only considers two states of a variable unit; he even says that the frequency of firing of a unit is unimportant compared with that of "line-labelling", i.e. specificity. One must question this. As will be seen by examining the functional diagram of a servo mechanism, the treatment of negative feedback control systems is inadequate; it would be well worthwhile to expand this section in a second edition. One of the basic building bricks of a theoretical nerve network is what the author calls a "lambda" unit; this is a unit with excitation from "below", and lateral inhibition. Rather than coin meaningless labels it would be better to emphasize the anisotrophy of neural connections, radial and transverse pathways having different histology and possibly synaptic function. The transverse connections may well have many more functions than lateral inhibition. In a discussion of learning, it is pointed out that synaptic effectiveness must be able to increase or decrease accordingly as some action is successful or unsuccessful, good or bad. Theories of how this essential forcing action may be achieved neurophysiologically are not discussed; the argument turns over to psychological facts and theories. There is a huge gap between the study of single synapses and the whole animal. The author makes a brave attempt to sketch his idea of the circuit diagram of the whole brain in a section entitled "Ground Plan". A. M. UTTLEY


Research describing wide prevalence variation of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and comorbid depression is explained in light of subsyndromal depressions, the use of standardized diagnostic instruments and procedures, and the subcortical and cortical components of mood. There appear to be several "depressions" of AD. Against this backdrop, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of antidepressant use in AD are reviewed and methodologic problems identified. Evidence for efficacy in controlled trials is weak, but open-label trials are, as expected, more encouraging. The potential efficacy of new agents for the depressions of AD receive comment. A heuristic model makes use of the conclusions developed, the stage of illness, and a preliminary classification scheme for the depressions of AD; this model provides a rational basis for thinking about medication selection for AD depressions. Clinical decisions are illustrated. (J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 1995; 8(suppl 1):S40-S51).


1) The present paper deals with the thermal effect on the germination of the conidia, the growth of the mycelium and the formation of the conidia of Helminthosporium Oryzae, and also the thermal death point. 2) The optimum temperature for the germination of the conidia lies between 20° and 30°C., at which temperature the greatest germination percentage (70 percent or more) of conidia is secured. 3) The minimum temperature for conidia germination is 2°C. The germ tubes produced at this temperature, are spherical or elliptical and pronouncedly swell up, and never linear, as those of normal shape are. 4) The maximum temperature for conidia germination is 41°C., at which the germ tubes are also spherical or elliptical, but smaller than those formed at 2°C. 5) The best growth of the mycelium was secured at a temperature between, 27° and 30°C. 6) The maximum temperature for the formation of the conidia is between 35° and 38°C., and the minimum temperature 5°C. 7) Conidia formed at the optimum temperature, are obclavate and curve to one side; those formed at 5°C. are cylindrical and straight and have a smaller number of the septa; and those at 30°C. are shorter and wider than those formed at 20°C. 8) Conidia formed at lower temperature are dark in color, and become lighter with the rise of temperature. 9) The thermal death point (in 10 minutes exposures) for the conidia is 50-51°C.; and for the germinated conidia on hyphae 48-50°C.


Background: The purpose of this review is to highlight selected studies in the economics literature that address sexually transmitted disease (STD)-related topics that are typically not examined in the STD literature. Methods: Two databases (EconLit and Web of Science) were searched to locate STD-related articles in the economics journals. Relevant articles were also identified in other ways, such as informal discussions with colleagues familiar with the literature. To maintain a focus on unique STD-related topics, studies with topics common in the STD literature (e.g., cost-effectiveness, transmission modeling) were excluded. Results: Selected STD-related studies in the economics literature were grouped into the following 8 topics: impact of abortion laws and policies on sexual health outcomes; same-sex marriage and syphilis rates; alcohol policy and STD rates; welfare laws and STD rates; discounting the future; HIV disclosure laws; the impact of tolerance for gays on HIV incidence; and economic versus epidemiologic models of HIV dynamics. Conclusions: A general theme of STD-related studies in the economics literature is that laws and policies that increased the "cost" of risky sex tended to reduce the demand for risky sex, and therefore reduce the incidence of STDs. Economic research can contribute in novel ways to our understanding of influences on risky sexual behavior at the individual level and STD incidence at the population level. Economists and STD experts could mutually benefit from increased collaboration.


The Saga of Eirik the Red describes the visit of a spakona, a seeress, to a Greenland farm, one thousand years ago. Her clothing and shoes, her staff and cloak, are detailed. She is asked to predict the progress of the community; she eats a meal of the hearts of the farm animals, and the next day a "high seat" is made ready for her, where she will sit to foretell. She engages in ritual practices known as seidhr, which requires a special song to be sung to "the powers" in order that she may gain their knowledge, in trance.


The observed frequency dependence of attenuation can be used to calculate Q values which are independent of losses due to geometrical spreading or to reflections at boundaries. The observed apparent rates of attenuation in terms of Qap along two refraction lines were computed to be 169 ± 42 at 5 cps in eastern New Mexico and 116 ± 38 at 4 cps in Nevada. The geometrical spreading factor which satisfied the observed amplitudes and both of the observed Qap values is r −0.5. Thus, the primary seismic wave at epicentral distances of 100 to 600 km would appear to be a continuous refraction (direct wave). Attenuation is the dominant factor in determining the waveform, spectral content, and amplitude of the first arrival. A Q of 100 implies a functional relation between frequency and distance which shows that amplitudes at frequencies above 4 cps at 150 km and above 3 cps at 400 km will be less than one tenth the peak spectral amplitude and cannot be reliably related to the source.


Although body mass index (BMI) has been adopted by WHO as an international measure of obesity, it lacks a theoretical basis, and empirical evidence suggests it is not valid for all populations. We determined standard weight-for-height using a model calibrated by multivariate analysis of observational data on body dimensions and health status in the USA (NHANES III). A multiple linear regression model based on a simple mathematical formulation accurately described the observed weight variations in this normal adult population. A standardized reference model using just two measurements (upper arm length and sitting height), readily applied in both clinical and research settings using lookup tables, improved explanatory power substantially compared to the best BMI formulation (r(2) increased 16.3% for males, 21.1% for females). Physical dysfunction and self-reported poor health showed strong trends with excess body weight. These findings need confirmation from larger population samples.


This paper presents the design, development, and testing of an active textile-based wearable compression device that is capable of delivering a controlled pulsatile compression. The device uses low spring index nickel titanium (NiTi) coil actuators to produce an applied dynamic pressure of up to 5.5 kPa. The selected NiTi coil actuators produce pressure when thermally stimulated with Joule heating via an applied current (0.3 A), and generate recoverable strains up to 75% in extension. An optical fiber strain sensor was developed to monitor the textile strain and enable the indirect estimation of the applied pressure. A new approach using a passive NiBR spring (in parallel with the NiTi actuators) was also developed to assist the NiTi coils in recovering the detwinned martensite form after cooling. The pressure distribution around a rigid cylindrical shape was also evaluated, showing higher applied pressures (5.5 kPa) where the NiTi coil actuators were located. The strain sensor exhibits high accuracy compared to a reference commercial sensor (as indicated by the high correlation indexes of up to 0.97 between compression cycle measurements with both solutions).


Reliable aerosol optical depth (AOD) data with high spatial and temporal resolutions are needed for research on air pollution in China. AOD products from the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) onboard the geostationary Himawari-8 satellite and reanalysis datasets make it possible to capture diurnal variations of aerosol loadings. However, due to the different retrieval methods, their applicability may vary with different space and time. Thus, in this study, taking the measured AOD at the Aerosol Robotic NETwork (AERONET) stations as the gold standard, the performance of the latest AHI hourly AOD product (i.e., L3 AOD) was evaluated and then compared with that of two reanalysis AOD datasets offered by Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) and Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), respectively, covering from July 2015 to December 2017 over China. For all the matchups, AHI AOD shows the highest robustness with a high correlation (R) of 0.82, low root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 0.23, and moderate mean absolute relative error (MARE) of 0.56. Although MERRA-2 and CAMS products both have lower R values (0.74, 0.72) and higher RMSE (0.28, 0.26), the former is slightly better than the latter. Accuracy of AOD products could be mainly affected by the pollution level and less affected by particle size distribution. Comparisons among these AOD products imply that AHI AOD is more reliable in regions with high pollution levels, such as central and eastern China, while in the northern and western part, MERRA-2 AOD seems more satisfying. The performance of all the three AOD products presents a significant diurnal variety, as indicated by the highest accuracy in the morning for AHI and at noon for reanalysis data. Moreover, due to various pollution distribution patterns and meteorological conditions, there are distinct seasonal characteristics in the performance of AOD products for different regions.


DOI: 10.7764/RDLC.16.1.133 Performance measurement in residential housing, at a company or project level, is usually assessed using financial performance indicators. There are other performance indicators that can be also applied to the construction industry. The literature review identified papers and reports that propose a set of indicators that can be applied to different areas. However, there is no evidence of a system that comprises the key performance indicators at the design-bid-build-delivery stages of the life-cycle of developer and homebuilder companies. Therefore, the main goal of this research is to create a model of performance indicators (at the strategic, tactical and operative levels), based on the production chain of a developer and homebuilder company. Once the theoretical proposal is set, a Delphi study is developed so a panel of 11 experts assesses and summarize the indicators that allow measuring the performance of Mexican developer and homebuilder companies.


The establishment of a convenient method of acquiring ample human bone marrow and the successful growth of hematopoietic precursor cells in standard methylcellulose assay is described. Human sternal marrow curettings were obtained at open-heart surgery. Growth of colonies derived from CFU-gm, BFU-e, and CFU-e was successful. Comparison of the CFU-gm colony production between this and prior studies indicates a consistent mean and range of growth. These results document this to be an efficient source of normal human marrow.


Background Reliable testing for SARS-CoV-2 is key for the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. Aim We estimate diagnostic accuracy for nucleic acid and antibody tests 5 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, and compare with manufacturer-reported accuracy. Methods We reviewed the clinical performance of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid and antibody tests based on 93,757 test results from 151 published studies and 20,205 new test results from 12 countries in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA). Results Pooling the results and considering only results with 95% confidence interval width ≤ 5%, we found four nucleic acid tests, including one point-of-care test and three antibody tests, with a clinical sensitivity ≥ 95% for at least one target population (hospitalised, mild or asymptomatic, or unknown). Nine nucleic acid tests and 25 antibody tests, 12 of them point-of-care tests, had a clinical specificity of ≥ 98%. Three antibody tests achieved both thresholds. Evidence for nucleic acid point-of-care tests remains scarce at present, and sensitivity varied substantially. Study heterogeneity was low for eight of 14 sensitivity and 68 of 84 specificity results with confidence interval width ≤ 5%, and lower for nucleic acid tests than antibody tests. Manufacturer-reported clinical performance was significantly higher than independently assessed in 11 of 32 and four of 34 cases, respectively, for sensitivity and specificity, indicating a need for improvement in this area. Conclusion Continuous monitoring of clinical performance within more clearly defined target populations is needed.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the spectrum and management of head injuries among earthquake victims.

STUDY DESIGN
Case series.

PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY
The study was conducted at Surgical Ward II, Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, from October 2005 to December 2006.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Three hundred consecutive cases of head injury, secondary to earthquake were included in the study. Plain X-rays of skulls were undertaken in clinically stable patients with head injuries. Cases with altered level of consciousness and compound depressed fractures were advised CT scan of head. Pus swabs were taken from open wounds. Proformas were maintained for every patient. Head injury was classified as mild, moderate and severe, and each patient was treated accordingly.

RESULTS
One hundred and twenty three (41%) patients were children under 10 years of age. Adults below 55 years were 69 (23%) and above 55 years were 108 (36%). Mean age was 32.2 years (SD + 6.7). Female to male ratio was 1.1:1. One hundred and sixty five (55%) cases were of mild head injury, 103 (34.3%) patients had moderate head injury and 32 (10.7%) patients had severe head injury. Majority (48.7%) of patients was managed conservatively. Minor surgeries were done in 17% of patients and major surgeries were done in 34.3% of patients. Glasgow Outcome Scale assessment was made at the end of 6 months and 1 year. Mortality increased from 3.3% to 7% in one year time.

CONCLUSION
Patients at the extremes of age are more vulnerable to trauma and should be given timely attention in disaster management plans. General and trauma surgeons should be well-versed with the techniques and indications of burr hole evacuation of life threatening intracranial haematomas in situations, where early evacuation is unattainable.


Emissions
  of
  particulate
  matter
  from
  poultry
  facilities
  can
  impact
  local
  resources,
  animal
  and
  human health,
  and
  can
  be
  a
  potential
  pathway
  for
  the
  transmission
  of
  diseases.
  This
  report
  determines
  the effectiveness
  of
  various
  vegetative
  buffers
  layouts
  as
  a
  potential
  measure
  reducing
  particulate
  matter emissions
  leaving
  poultry
  facilities.
  Vegetative
  buffers
  modify
  the
  airflow
  and
  filter
  the
  air
  flowing through
  them,
  which
  can
  enhance
  the
  deposition
  of
  particulate
  matter
  on
  leaves
  and
  ground,
  and redistribute
  zones
  of
  major
  deposition. The
  report
  summarizes
  five
  case
  studies
  of
  poultry
  facilities
  in
  the
  Lower
  Fraser
  Valley,
  BC,
  Canada.
  It demonstrates
  that
  appropriate
  choice
  of
  vegetative
  buffer
  layout
  (composition
  and
  placement)
  can affect
  overall
  emissions
  from
  poultry
  facilities
  and
  hence
  reduce
  deposition
  on
  neighboring
  properties. The
  use
  of
  effective
  buffer
  layouts
  allows
  part
  of
  the
  emitted
  particulate
  matter
  to
  be
  intercepted before
  leaving
  the
  property.
  The
  simulations
  predict
  that
  the
  fraction
  of
  total
  PM10
  emissions intercepted
  by
  the
  buffer
  ranges
  between
  0.62
  to
  4.38%.
  In
  relative
  terms,
  total
  deposition
  on
  the property
  can
  be
  increased
  between
  10.81%
  and
  29.37%
  with
  effective
  buffer
  configurations.
  Deposition on
  neighboring
  properties
  is
  predicted
  to
  be
  lowered
  between
  -‐2.05
  and
  -‐7.62%. In
  conditions
  where
  the
  buffer
  is
  placed
  directly
  in
  front
  of
  the
  source
  fans
  and
  wind
  directing particulate
  matter
  directly
  into
  the
  buffer,
  highest
  interception
  was
  achieved
  (filter
  effect).
  In
  other cases,
  buffers
  disrupt
  wind
  patterns
  modifying
  air
  flows
  and
  hence
  affect
  spatial
  deposition
  patterns (deflection
  effect).
  Layouts
  with
  corner
  structures
  were
  more
  effective,
  as
  were
  layouts
  including
  double rows
  and
  full
  enclosure
  around
  the
  emission
  sources.
  Although
  these
  simulations
  show
  that
  buffers
  can be
  effective
  to
  control
  (reduce)
  deposition
  on
  selected
  neighboring
  properties
  of
  concern
  (up
  to
  7.62% reduction),
  their
  impact
  is
  limited
  in
  terms
  of
  overall
  emission
  reduction
  to
  the
  environment
  as
  overall reduction
  simulated
  was
  less
  than
  3.12%. Keywords:
  Agriculture,
  emission
  control,
  particulate
  matter,
  poultry,
  vegetative
  buffers 4/114 Evaluation of the performance of vegetative buffers


A new theory is proposed for the estimation of the tensile strength of a two-dimensional composite with a brittle matrix and randomly orientated discontinuous elastic fibrous reinforcement. The estimate is made by integrating the strengths of all fibres that cross a transverse crack. It is necessary to know the relationship between the length of embedment of a fibre and the force needed to break it or pull it out. No assumptions are made about the shape of the cross section of the fibre or about the magnitude or distribution of bond stresses. An important feature is the allowance made for the loss of effectiveness of fibres cut by the edges of a tensile specimen of finite width.


C-C chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) plays a pivotal role in promoting the migration of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cells into the central nervous system during leukemogenesis. Overexpression of CCR7 has also been linked to developing central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma. CCR7 and its ligand, CCL19 are important mediators in the development of these cancers. Thus there is an urgent need for a translational syngeneic CCR7-expressing T-ALL model that can speed up the discovery of drugs that can be used to block CCR7 function during the progression of T-ALL. Using the established ROSA26 floxed-stop Prdm14 (R26PR)/Mx-1 Cre mouse T-ALL model we have initiated studies using a CCR7/CCL19 antagonist, ELC8-83 to examine the molecular mechanisms that mediate CCR7-directed migration to, invasion of, proliferation within and exit from the CNS. mRNA expression of CCR7 in the T-ALL was confirmed by RT-PCR and protein expression on the cell surface was confirmed by flow cytometry. Chemotaxis and calcium mobilization of T-ALL in response to CCL19 was confirmed using transwell-migration assays and FURA-4. ELC8-83 was used to block this signaling. These studies demonstrate the efficacy of ELC8-83 in blocking signaling in T-ALL and provide a platform for testing ELC8-83 in the mouse model of T-ALL.
 Citation Format: Angel Torres, Aaron Vazquez, Sean Glenn, Zenaida Fuentes, jessica Chacon, Colin Bill, Charlotte M. Vines. CCR7-expressing T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia mouse model provides a platform for developing novel anti-CCR7 therapies to prevent CNS invasion [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr LB015.


The formulations that Peano gave to many mathematical notions at the end of the 19th century were so perfect and modern that they have become standard today. A formal language of logic that he created, enabled him to perceive mathematics with great precision and depth. He described mathematics axiomatically basing the reasoning exclusively on logical and set-theoretical primitive terms and properties, which was revolutionary at that time. Yet, numerous Peano's contributions remain either unremembered or underestimated.


Mediheal is a well-known sheet mask brand in South Korea. Bringing K-Pop idols together and also the widespread influence of Korean culture in Indonesian, have made skincare products famous in Indonesian. This study aims to determine, test, and analyze how much influence the brand ambassadors and Korean wave have on the purchasing decisions of Mediheal sheet mask users. The method used is descriptive and verification with a quantitative approach. Data were analyzed using path analysis and hypothesis testing using partial and simultaneous. With a sample of 100 respondents. The results showed that there was a relationship between brand ambassadors and the Korean waves of 33.4%. Partially, brand ambassadors and the Korean wave both have a significant effect on purchasing decisions. Brand ambassadors have an influence of 22.5% on purchase decisions, and Korean waves have an influence of 24.4% on purchasing decisions. Meanwhile, simultaneously, brand ambassadors and the Korean wave contributed 14.6% to purchasing decisions, then 85.4% of purchase decisions were influenced by other variables that were not studied.


A wide band 5.8–10.6 GHz low-noise amplifier (LNA) employing a common-gate stage for wideband input matching is presented in this paper. This LNA is used to work for the upper band of ultra wide band (UWB) wireless receivers according to the DS-CDMA proposal. The feedback technique is used to achieve a large bandwidth around 4 GHz. Moreover, this topology helps to cancel the noise of the input matching transistor and partially remove the nonlinear distortions as well. Simulated in a 0.13-µm RF CMOS technology, the proposed LNA achieves a power gain of 12.4 dB and the input and output return loss of less than 10 dB. The IIP3 is about −3 dBm and the noise figure (NF) ranges from 2.88–3 dB over the band of interest. The proposed LNA consumes 13.5 mW from a single 1.2-V power supply voltage.


ABSTRACT.
 To examine the partitioning of genetic variation within the Mexican vole (Microtus mexicanus), we analyzed variation within the cytochrome b (cytb, ca. 953 bp) from 44 samples of the Mexican vole from the mountains of the southwestern United States and Mexico. Phylogeographic analyses demonstrated strong support for a western clade and an eastern clade, corresponding to the Sierra Madre Occidental and mountains of the southwestern United States (western clade) and the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Sierra Madre del Sur (eastern clade). Levels of genetic distinctiveness among vole populations in Mexico and the southwestern United States support recognition of the Mogollon vole (Microtus mogollonensis). Estimates of lineage divergence suggested an older divergence for populations in Mexico and a more recent divergence for the presumptive M. mogollonensis. Ecological analyses demonstrated a distinct climate niche between vole lineages in the Southwest and Mexico, which indicated the possible role of environmental variation in diversification of the Mexican vole. A similar pattern of climatic separation was also demonstrated between clades of the codistributed taxa Sigmodon hispidus, Neotoma mexicana, and Peromyscus truei, suggesting a broader role for climatic variation in the origin and maintenance of the region's biodiversity.


Distributed systems with multi-stage workflows are characterized by multiple logical stages which can either execute sequentially or concurrently and a single stage can be executed on one or more physical nodes. Knowing the mapping of logical stages to physical nodes is important to characterize performance and study resource bottlenecks. Often due to the physical magnitude of such systems and complexity of the software, it is difficult to get detailed information about all the system parameters. We show that under light load conditions, the system can be well approximated using first order models and the hence simplifying the system identification problem. For general load, we develop a parameter estimation technique using maximum likelihood and propose a heuristic to solve it efficiently.


Games engagement has become one of the main concerns in game industry. Early study revealed that Malaysian digital traditional games are suffering with the same issue due to several factors. One of it is the lack of the game itself. Although many Malaysian traditional games have been digitized, none of them has incorporated rewards despite its importance in games engagement. Realizing the importance of rewards in games engagement, one of Malaysian traditional Congkak has been chosen to be enhanced by incorporating rewards. Experiments have been conducted among 50 gamers among the Millennials. Prior interview, game demo and human test are conducted. Experiments focused on the influence of rewards on games flow, games challenge, and its effects which covers both positive and negative effects through four hypotheses. Findings show that three hypotheses are supported by the experiments thus suggested that rewards have significant influence on the measured constructs. The findings can be useful to new psychologists to obtain more understanding pertaining to games engagement through some experiments of rewards in traditional games. Ideas of incorporating rewards in digital traditional games can useful and beneficial to game developers in attracting gamer and make them hooked to the games.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

BRCA1 and BRCA2 were originally identified as breast cancer tumor suppressor genes. Germline mutations of BRCA1 have been found to predispose the carrier mainly to breast and ovarian cancers. However, germline mutations of BRCA2 can cause a much wider spectrum of cancers, including breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancers. There are conflicting reports on whether BRCA2 mutations also contribute to the tumorigenesis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Previously, it had been reported that K14-cre; BRCA2f/f mice do not develop any cancer of epithelial origin even at 600 days of age in a 129/C57 background. Here, we generated a K14-cre mediated BRCA2 knockout mouse model in a different mouse strain background than previously reported. To our surprise, we found that K14-cre; BRCA2 f/f mice started to develop tumors at seven months of age. Most of the tumors were in the head and neck region, while others were skin tumors in other locations. The head and neck tumors showed no skin involvement or ulceration. Tumor growth in many mice eventually affected their food intake and they had to be euthanized for humane reason. At around 11 months of age, we sacrificed the remaining mice and subjected them to necroscopy. All the visually suspicious tissues were processed for pathologic examination. In total, we found 8 out of 31 K14-cre; BRCA2 f/f mice (26%) with pathologically confirmed head and neck cancer and 4 out 31 K14-cre; BRCA2 f/f mice (13%) with skin cancer. None of the 28 control BRCA2 f/f mice developed any cancer at this age. The head and neck cancers are squamous cell carcinomas arising from the mucosa surface and form large, palpable masses. In some areas, the tumors are well-differentiated with evidence of abundant keratin production, while in other areas they are less differentiated and exhibit high nuclear to cytoplasmic ratios, nuclear aytpia, mitoses and central necrosis. These histological features are highly reminiscent of the pathological characteristics of human HNSCC. This finding strongly indicates that mutations of BRCA2 play an important role in the tumorigenesis of HNSCC in a specific genetic background.

Citation Format: Michael Kamradt, Chaozhong Zou, Lin Liu, Yuexia Wang, Philip P. Fitchev, Howard J. Worman, Susan E. Crawford, Mark Talamonti, Qingshen Gao. Head and neck and skin squamous cell carcinoma developed in a BRCA2 knockout mouse model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 331. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-331


Background: Self-esteem is an overall subjective evaluation of one's worth or value which encompasses the positive or negative orientation or beliefs towards oneself. Self-esteem has established itself as an important psychological factor contributing to health and quality of life. Thus, this study aimed at understanding the factors influencing the level of self-esteem among the undergraduate students and its correlation with depression, anxiety and stress symptoms experienced by the students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 618 randomly sampled undergraduates from different academic institutions of Pokhara Metropolitan city. We used Rosenberg self-esteem scale to assess the level of self-esteem and DASS-21 to assess the level of depression, anxiety, and stress. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS statistical software. The chi-squire test, binary logistic regression and Pearson correlation analysis were performed to establish the relationship between variables at the level of significance, p<0.05. Results: More than three-forth (75.7%) of the students were found to have a normal level of self-esteem while around one-fifth (21.4%) of the students had low self-esteem. There was no statistical relationship established between students' academic discipline and their self-esteem. However, students' academic performance, family history of any psychological distress and their perceived level of social support were the major influencing factors associated with their self-esteem at p<0.001. Based on Pearson correlation analysis, self-esteem was negatively correlated with depression, anxiety and stress at p<0.01. Conclusion: The students' level of perceived social support, family history of psychological disorder and academic performance are statistically associated with student's level of self-esteem. Furthermore, there existed a negative correlation between self-esteem and depression, anxiety and stress experienced by the students. Thus, strategies aimed to increase students' level of perceived social support and self-esteem can reduce their risks of acquiring any mental health problems in near future.


With the increased restrictions on physical distancing due to the COVID‐19 pandemic, remote proctoring has emerged as an alternative to traditional onsite proctoring to ensure the continuity of essential assessments, such as computer‐based medical licensing exams. Recent literature has highlighted the significant impact of different proctoring modalities on examinees' test experience, including factors like response‐time data. However, the potential influence of these differences on test performance has remained unclear. One limitation in the current literature is the lack of a rigorous learning analytics framework to evaluate the comparability of computer‐based exams delivered using various proctoring settings. To address this gap, the current study aims to introduce a machine‐learning‐based framework that analyzes computer‐generated response‐time data to investigate the association between proctoring modalities in high‐stakes assessments. We demonstrated the effectiveness of this framework using empirical data collected from a large‐scale high‐stakes medical licensing exam conducted in Canada. By applying the machine‐learning‐based framework, we were able to extract examinee‐specific response‐time data for each proctoring modality and identify distinct time‐use patterns among examinees based on their proctoring modality.


The acquisition of T cell functions seems to be closely linked to the reprogramming of the metabolic pathway. However, the impact of metabolic changes on the differentiation of helper T cell subsets remains unclear. We found that TCR-mediated activation of glutamine metabolism regulates Th2 cell differentiation via the supplementation of α-ketogulutalate (α-KG) and histone H3K27 demethylation. Deprivation of glutamine or pharmacological inhibition of glutamine metabolism blocks the induction of Th2 cell differentiation without affecting Stat6 phosphorylation. The methylation status of H3K27 at the Th2 cytokine gene locus was significantly increased in Th2 cells cultured under glutamine-deprived conditions. The inhibitory effect of glutamine-deprivation was antagonized by α-KG, and the α-KG-dependent induction of Th2 cell differentiation was reduced in utx- and jmjd3-deficient naïve CD4 T cells. These findings show that the glutamine-a-ketoglutarate axis is crucial to regulating the epigenetic status at the Th2 cytokine gene locus and subsequent Th2 cell differentiation.


AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
To identify the characteristics in each symptom cluster and factors influencing the quality of life of haemodialysis patients in Korea according to cluster.

BACKGROUND
Despite developments in renal replacement therapy, haemodialysis still restricts the activities of daily living due to pain and impairs physical functioning induced by the disease and its complications.

DESIGN
Descriptive survey. Two hundred and thirty dialysis patients aged >18 years. They completed self-administered questionnaires of Dialysis Symptom Index and Kidney Disease Quality of Life instrument-Short Form 1.3.

METHODS
To determine the optimal number of clusters, the collected data were analysed using polytomous variable latent class analysis in R software (poLCA) to estimate the latent class models and the latent class regression models for polytomous outcome variables. Differences in characteristics, symptoms and QOL according to the symptom cluster of haemodialysis patients were analysed using the independent t test and chi-square test. The factors influencing the QOL according to symptom cluster were identified using hierarchical multiple regression analysis.

RESULTS
Physical and emotional symptoms were significantly more severe, and the QOL was significantly worse in Cluster 1 than in Cluster 2. The factors influencing the QOL were spouse, job, insurance type and physical and emotional symptoms in Cluster 1, with these variables having an explanatory power of 60.9%. Physical and emotional symptoms were the only influencing factors in Cluster 2, and they had an explanatory power of 37.4%.

CONCLUSIONS
Mitigating the symptoms experienced by haemodialysis patients and improving their QOL require educational and therapeutic symptom management interventions that are tailored according to the characteristics and symptoms in each cluster.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
The findings of this study are expected to lead to practical guidelines for addressing the symptoms experienced by haemodialysis patients, and they provide basic information for developing nursing interventions to manage these symptoms and improve the QOL of these patients.


Scandinavian countries are known for having a high adoption of cooperative models of work design. This article investigates the role of parity labour market associations, termed intermediary cooperative associations , in the dissemination of these models. Findings are based on an examination of the Centre for the Development of Human Resources and Quality Management (SCKK), a social partnership-based organization that funds workplace development projects at state workplaces, and of nine participative development projects that received financial and logistical support from the SCKK. These projects increased union and management commitment to partnership-based approaches to problem-solving, despite their ambiguous results for both groups. This suggests that intermediary cooperative associations help to enhance the normative legitimacy of participative work practices through the provision of resources and 'best practice' management approaches.


OBJECTIVE
To analyse retrospectively the results of one-stage laparoscopic treatment for common bile duct stones in 19 surgical centers in France.

PATIENTS
From January 1991 to July 1996, 612 patients with choledocholithiasis underwent laparoscopic treatment.

RESULTS
Overall duct clearance was obtained in 489 of the 612 patients (80%): through the cystic duct in 222 of 380 patients (58.4%), by secondary choledochotomy (after unsuccessful transcystic duct extraction) in 77 of 96 (80%), and in 190 of 232 (82 %) by primary choledochotomy. The overall duct clearance rate increased from 65% in 1991 to 84% in 1996. The use of the choledochotomy approach increased from 43% in 1991 to 69% in 1996 (P<0.01), due to a substantial increase in primary choledochotomy. In contrast, the use of the transcystic approach decreased from 57% to 31% (P<0.01). The mean time for surgery was shorter for cystic duct exploration than for primary choledochotomy (101+/-51 vs. 155+/-62 min, P<0.0001). The mean hospital stay decreased from 7.7+/-3.6 days in 1991 to 4.1+/-2 days in 1996 (P<0.001). The main biliary complications were related to biliary drainage (2,8%) and retained stones (3.1%).

CONCLUSION
This study confirms that laparoscopy is a good alternative with a low complication rate, a short hospital stay, and is an effective and safe option for the management of common bile duct stones.


We present important aspects of photoluminescence (PL) of CdxHg1-xTe in the infrared part of the spectrum where background thermal radiation significantly affects the PL spectrum. We show how the background spectrum can be removed from the data. We also show how the wavelength of the excitation laser affects the relative intensity of the PL peaks from a multi-layer structure. Finally, we present temperature dependent PL of a Cd0.36Hg0.64Te/Cd0.61Hg0.39Te multiple quantum well structure grown on a 4 μm thick Cd0.36Hg0.64Te buffer layer. We attribute the low temperature peak from the buffer layer to impurities. The impurity levels are depopulated as the temperature increases, resulting in a decreased PL peak intensity. Above ~200 K a band-to-band peak from the buffer layer is observed. The quantum well peak persists up to ~200 K.


Objective: To investigate the toxic effects of herpes simplex virus-thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) gene system combining with recombinant IFNα-2a (rIFNα-2a) on human prostate cancer cell line PC-3m. Methods: HSV-TK gene was transfected into PC-3m cells through retrovirus vector, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to demonstrate the successful transfection and the transcription of HSV-TK gene. Microculture tetrajolium test (MTT) method, flow cytometry (FCM) were used to determine the killing effect of Ganciclovir (GCV), rIFN-α2a, or both on PC-3m cells being transfected with HSV-TK gene. Results: Significant cytotoxic activities were found by GCV on HSV-TK gene-transduced PC-3m cells, the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 8.34 μg/ml, but the bystander effect was modest. The simultaneous treatment of GCV and rIFN-α2a could significantly strengthen the bystander effect, coefficient of two drug interaction (CDI) was less than 0.7. Conclusion: HSV-TK gene therapy combining with rIFN-α2a results in synergistic toxicity on PC-3m cells in vitro.


The dynamical behavior of two coupled chaotic oscillators caused by current-driven ion acoustic instability is experimentally studied. It is found that when two oscillators are interacting with the mediation of a central mesh grid, and the DC potential applied to either of the two oscillators is varied gradually while maintaining coupling, the two oscillators synchronize in a certain region.


The gravity gradient tensor (whose components are the second derivatives of the gravitational potential) is a symmetric tensor that, ignoring the constraint imposed by Laplace's equation, contains only six independent components. When measured on a horizontal plane, these components generate, in the spectral domain, six power spectral densities (PSDs) and fifteen cross-spectra. The cross-spectra can be split into two groups: a real group and a pure imaginary group. If the source distribution is statistically stationary, 1D spectra can be found from the 2D spectra via the slice theorem. The PSDs form two power-sum rules that link all gradient components. The power-sum rules, in combination with further equalities between the power and cross-spectra, reduce the number of independent spectra to 13, a number reduced to seven if the power spectrum of the potential is assumed isotropic. The power-sum rules, cross-spectral phases, and coherence between components all provide information on the internal consistency of a set of gradiometry measurements. This information can be used to assess the noise, to determine the isotropy, and, for a self-similar source, to calculate the scaling factor and average depth. When applied to a data set collected in the North Sea, the power-sum rules reveal high-frequency noise that is distributed among only three of the gradient components; additionally, the coherences reveal the source to be anisotropic with a nonzero correlation length.


Abstract We assembled the mitochondrial genome of the capniid stonefly Mesocapnia arizonensis (Baumann & Gaufin, 1969) using Illumina HiSeq sequence data. The recovered mitogenome is 14,921 bp in length and includes 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and 22 transfer RNA genes. The control region could only be assembled partially. Gene order resembles that of basal arthropods. This is the first partial mitogenome sequence for the stonefly superfamily group Euholognatha and will be useful in future phylogenetic analyses.


: Hollow CoPt nanospheres were synthesized by chemical reduction and galvanic displacement reactions. The catalyst showed good electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation. The results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectromenter (EDS), and electrochemical cyclic voltammograms indicated that, in the process of electrochemical experiments carried in 0.1 mol · L -1 H 2 SO 4 and 0.1 mol · L -1 CH 3 OH, hollow CoPt nanospheres were dealloying, which induced the dissolution of elemental Co from the surface of the catalyst. After the dealloying process, more Pt active sites were exposed on the surface of the catalyst and the catalyst showed better catalytic activity, as well as enhanced structural stability. The electrooxidation of methanol on the hollow CoPt nanospheres was studied on the molecular level using in situ electrochemical Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The toxic intermediate CO observed on the CoPt nanorods displayed abnormal infrared effects (AIREs). The FTIR results were similar to those obtained in an earlier experiment on the hollow CoPt nanospheres using CO as a probe molecule. All the results suggested that the dealloying method would be a useful technique for regulating the composition and performance of the catalyst. In situ electrochemical FTIR was highlighted as a potential method for studying the oxidation processes of organic molecules. It is envisaged that these methods will be widely used in the field of fuel cell research.


The cortisol awakening response (CAR) holds promise as a clinically important marker of health status. However, CAR research is routinely challenged by its innate complexity, sensitivity to confounds, and methodological inconsistencies. In this unprecedented characterization of CAR in elite military men (N = 58), we established summary parameters, evaluated sampling stability across two consecutive days, and explored the effect of subject compliance. Average salivary cortisol concentrations increased nearly 60% within 30 minutes of waking, followed by a swift recovery to waking values at 60 minutes. Approximately one in six were classified as negative responders (i.e., <0% change from waking to 30-minute postawakening). Three summary parameters of magnitude, as well as three summary parameters of pattern, were computed. Consistent with our hypothesis, summary parameters of magnitude displayed superior stability compared with summary parameters of pattern in the total sample. As expected, compliance with target sampling times was relatively good; average deviations of self-reported morning sampling times in relation to actigraph-derived wake times across both days were within ±5 minutes, and nearly two-thirds of the sample was classified as CAR compliant across both days. Although compliance had equivocal effects on some measures of magnitude, it substantially improved the stability of summary parameters of pattern. The first of its kind, this study established the foundation for a program of CAR research in a profoundly resilient yet chronically stressed population. Building from this, our forthcoming research will evaluate demographic, biobehavioral, and clinical determinants of CAR in this unique population.


Before the August 1999 Izmit (Kocaeli), Turkey, earthquake, theoretical studies of earthquake ruptures and geological observations had provided estimates of how far an earthquake might jump to get to a neighboring fault. Both numerical simulations and geological observations suggested that 5 km might be the upper limit if there were no transfer faults. The Izmit earthquake appears to have followed these expectations. It did not jump across any step-over wider than 5 km and was instead stopped by a narrower step-over at its eastern end and possibly by a stress shadow caused by a historic large earthquake at its western end. Our 3D spontaneous rupture simulations of the 1999 Izmit earthquake provide two new insights: (1) the west- to east-striking fault segments of this part of the North Anatolian fault are oriented so as to be low-stress faults and (2) the easternmost segment involved in the August 1999 rupture may be dipping. An interesting feature of the Izmit earthquake is that a 5-km-long gap in surface rupture and an adjacent 25° restraining bend in the fault zone did not stop the earthquake. The latter observation is a warning that significant fault bends in strike-slip faults may not arrest future earthquakes.

Manuscript received 30 August 2000.


The authors present a new method to solve the problem of economic power dispatch with piecewise quadratic cost function using the Hopfield neural network. Traditionally one convex cost function for each generator is assumed. However, it is more realistic to represent the cost function as a piecewise quadratic function rather than one convex function. In this study, multiple intersecting cost functions are used for each unit. Through case studies, the possibility of the application of the Hopfield neural network to the economic load dispatch problem with general nonconvex cost functions was shown. The proposed approach is much simpler and the results are very close to those of the numerical method. >


BACKGROUND
The objective in this study was to assess the association of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with asthma in pediatric patients.

METHODS
Thirty-six pediatric patients who were diagnosed as having bronchial asthma were included in the study. The male-to-female ratio was 2 to 1. The diagnosis of GER was made by 24-hour pH monitoring.

RESULTS
GER was present in 27 of 36 (75%) patients, of whom 19 (70%) were male and 8 (30%) were female patients. The GER frequency was found to be different between the supine and upright positions (p < 0.05). GER was more frequent in the upright position. However, duration of GER was longer in the supine position than the upright position (p < 0.05). Overall reflux duration was similar in both positions (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Demonstration of the relationship between asthma and GER suggests that GER is involved substantially in the pathogenesis and/or symptomatology of asthma. The patients with asthma should be evaluated for the presence of GER even in the absence of GER-related symptoms.


In the Seventh Annual Report of the Society I published an account of the journey of the shaykh Al-Tijānī to Tripoli at the beginning of the fourteenth century A. D./eighth century A. H., with particular reference to the Arab tribes and chiefs whom he encountered. What follows is a translation of the passages from the Riḥla in which he describes the city of Tripoli as he saw it during the eighteen months of his residence. Page references are to the 1958 Tunis edition of the work, followed by references to the nineteenth century French translation by Alphonse Rousseau. The latter is incomplete, and not always accurate. 221, trans. 1853, 135 Our entry into (Tripoli) took place on Saturday, 19th Jumāḍā II (707). 237, trans. 1853, 135–6 As we approached Tripoli and came upon it, its whiteness almost blinded the eye with the rays of the sun, so that I knew the truth of their name for it, the White City. All the people came out, showing their delight and raising their voices in acclaim. The governor of the city vacated the place of his residence, the citadel of the town, so that we might occupy it. I saw the traces of obvious splendour in the citadel (qaṣba), but ruin had gained sway. The governors had sold most of it, so that the houses which surrounded it were built from its stones. There are two wide courts, and outside is the mosque (masjid), formerly known as the Mosque of the Ten, since ten of the shaykhs of the town used to gather in it to conduct the affairs of the city before the Almohads took possession. When they did so, the custom ceased, and the name was abandoned.