Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) development imitates the workings of the human brain to comprehend modern problems. The traditional approaches such as high throughput screening (HTS) and combinatorial chemistry are lengthy and expensive to the pharmaceutical industry as they can only handle a smaller dataset. Deep learning (DL) is a sophisticated AI method that uses a thorough comprehension of particular systems. The pharmaceutical industry is now adopting DL techniques to enhance the research and development process. Multi-oriented algorithms play a crucial role in the processing of QSAR analysis, de novo drug design, ADME evaluation, physicochemical analysis, preclinical development, followed by clinical trial data precision. In this study, we investigated the performance of several algorithms, including deep neural networks (DNN), convolutional neural networks (CNN) and multi-task learning (MTL), with the aim of generating high-quality, interpretable big and diverse databases for drug design and development. Studies have demonstrated that CNN, recurrent neural network and deep belief network are compatible, accurate and effective for the molecular description of pharmacodynamic properties. In Covid-19, existing pharmacological compounds has also been repurposed using DL models. In the absence of the Covid-19 vaccine, remdesivir and oseltamivir have been widely employed to treat severe SARS-CoV-2 infections. In conclusion, the results indicate the potential benefits of employing the DL strategies in the drug discovery process. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma


T his first-edition book on emergency and difficult airway management arose from a series of courses presented by the author. Jim Rich used his training as a certified nurse anesthetist and his extensive experience in airway management to coordinate this text. He worked with 24 collaborators: 23 with extensive airway management experience plus an expert in scientific communication. Two of the coauthors hold patents on airway device inventions used extensively in securing difficult airways: Michael Frass, professor of medicine at the Medical University of Vienna, designed the Combitube, an esophageal-tracheal double-lumen airway for combined endotracheal and esophageal obturator ventilation, and George Beck designed an airflow indicator, or "whistle," for facilitating blind intubations. Another contributor, Andrew Mason, is an anesthesiologist who travels with paramedics in a helicopter to motor vehicle collision sites; he has extensive experience in gaining control of trauma victims' airways. I also coauthored parts of two chapters and strongly encouraged Jim Rich to complete this endeavor. Among the other contributors are several international peers as well as many national experts. The outcome of this work is a first-class text on airway management. What sets this text apart from many other texts on airway management is the hands-on practicality that pervades the book. It emphasizes the concept that if your patient can't breathe, nothing else matters. Patients die or get severely injured from failure to ventilate and oxygenate, not failure to intubate. The SLAM concept explains alternative techniques for managing the patient with the difficult airway, including use of the latest technology. The title of this book might suggest that it helps a man or woman on the street deal with an emergency airway situation. Book Review


This paper describes a series of studies designed to investigate the possible limits to the number of different colours that can be used in a colour code and the relative merits of colours and shapes for communicating information. The studies took their particular form in response to an observation by Rudolf Arnheim that an alphabet of 26 colours would be unusable. It was found that a text, with letters represented by coloured rectangles, can be read, first with the help of a key and then without. The colour alphabet, tested in competition with other alphabets made up of unfamiliar shapes and faces, was read more quickly than the others. Speed of reading was only matched with an alphabet made up of shapes that were familiar and nameable. Colours are most helpful for quick identification and for clarifying complex information, but where more than 26 distinctions must be made colours must be supplemented by shapes, typically in the form of letters and numbers.


Debugging is often difficult and frustrating for novices. Yet because students typically debug outside the classroom and often in isolation, instructors rarely have the opportunity to closely observe students while they debug. This paper describes the details of an exploratory study of the debugging skills and behaviors of contemporary novice Java programmers. Based on a modified replication of Katz and Anderson's study of novices, we sought to broadly survey the modern landscape of novice debugging abilities. As such, this study reports general quantitative results and fills in the picture with qualitative detail from a relatively small, but varied sample. Comprehensive interviews involving both a programming and a debugging task, followed by a semi-structured interview and a questionnaire, were conducted with 21 CS2 students at seven colleges and universities. While many subjects successfully debugged a representative set of typical CS1 bugs, there was a great deal of variation in their success at the programming and debugging tasks. Most of the students who were good debuggers were good novice programmers, although not all of the good programmers were successful at debugging. Students employed a variety of strategies to find 70% of all bugs and of the bugs they found they were able to fix 97% of them. They had the most difficulty with malformed statements, such as arithmetic errors and incorrect loop conditions. Our results confirm many findings from previous studies (some quite old) – most notably that once students find bugs, they can fix them. However, the results also suggest that some changes have occurred in the student population, particularly an increased use of debugging tools and online resources, as well as the use of pattern matching, which has not previously been reported.


We consider the inverse boundary value problem for the Schrödinger equations with electromagnetic potentials in domains with several obstacles. We show that the boundary data allow one to recover integrals of potentials along broken rays. Then we prove the uniqueness modulo a gauge transform of the recovery of electromagnetic potentials from the integrals over broken rays under some geometrical conditions on the obstacles.


The problems of hardware fault detection and correction using software techniques are analysed. They relate to our experience with a large class of applications. The effectiveness of these techniques is studied using a special fault injector with various statistical tools. A new error-handling scheme is proposed.


Few studies and epidemiological surveys are carried out in populations geographically and culturally isolated, such as rural and riverine communities. Riverine populations represent one of the typical populations of the Amazon region. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of dental caries and periodontal disease on the quality of life of adolescents and young adults from an urban area and from two riverine communities of the Amazon region located at different distances from the urban area. The occurrence of dental caries and periodontal disease was examined through the Decayed, Missing, Filled (DMFT) Index and the Community Periodontal Index (CPI). The impact of oral health conditions on quality of life was examined through the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire. The data were collected from 564 individuals (15–25 years old): 212 residents of the urban area of Abaetetuba-Pará-Brazil, were compared to 186 inhabitants of the nearest riverine community (Maracapucu) and 166 of another riverine community (Tucumanduba River) located further from the city. The OHIP-14 was analyzed as a dependent outcome, while dental caries, bleeding, calculus, the presence of periodontal pockets, as well as sex and age were analyzed as independent variables through Poisson analysis in a multilevel model. The worst indicators of OHIP-14 and the highest DMFT scores were found in the riverine populations, especially those from the riverine community farthest from the urban area. Based on the adjusted multivariate model, variables such as the contextual variable (location, RR 1.31), and individual demographic variables (sex and age), DMFT (RR 1.53), and the presence of periodontal pockets (RR 1.15) were significantly related to the OHIP (p<0.001). Our results confirm that dental caries and periodontal disease negatively impact oral health-related quality of life; however, these diseases seem to impact the individuals from remote communities more significantly.


The isoenzymes of lacticdehydrogenase of cerebral cortex, investigated by starch gel electrophoresis, are changed during pre and neonatal thyroidectomies in relation to these factors: a) dose of the drug (131I or Propylthiouracil), b) date of gestation, c) the age of the animal (with a maximal modification at the 17th-18th day). They retain an enzymatic pattern like the fetal pattern, showing the retardation of the developing central nervous system.


The transcription factors STAT5A and STAT5B have essential roles in survival and proliferation of hematopoietic cells—which have been considered largely redundant. Mutations of upstream kinases, copy number gains, or activating mutations in STAT5A, or more frequently in STAT5B, cause altered hematopoiesis and cancer. Interfering with their activity by pharmacological intervention is an up-and-coming therapeutic avenue. Precision medicine requests detailed knowledge of STAT5A's and STAT5B's individual functions. Recent evidence highlights the privileged role for STAT5B over STAT5A in normal and malignant hematopoiesis. Here, we provide an overview on their individual functions within the hematopoietic system.


Orexigenic peptides are group of endocrine hormones exerting a pleiotropic influence on many physiological functions including regulation of the feeding behaviour and energy expenditure, release of growth hormone (GH) and inotropic effects on the heart. Some of these peptides such as ghrelin, originally identified in the gastric mucosa, has been involved not only in control of food intake and growth hormone release but also exerts the immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. This review summarizes the recent attempts to prove the concept that orexigenic peptides such as ghrelin, orexin-A and obestatin besides playing an important role in the mechanism of food intake, exhibit a potent gastroprotective action against the formation of acute gastric mucosal injury induced by various ulcerogens. This protective effect depends upon vagal activity and hyperemia mediated by NOS/NO and COX/PG systems and CGRP released from sensory afferent nerves. In addition, the appetite peptides such as ghrelin and orexin-A are implicated in the mechanism of the healing of preexisting gastric ulcers due to an activation of specific GHS-R1a and OX-R1 receptors and PG/COX system.


The British literature of the long eighteenth century, from 1660 to 1820, represents objects as sites of complex meanings. In recording the changing culture of collecting, the various, "factual" literatures of collection – collecting catalogs, museum guides, and advertisements – present things paradoxically both as physically real objects, and as transcendent representations of identity and idea. They negotiate this paradox by descriptive and organizational modes that translate material culture into a literary theme, structure, and technique. These narratives thus embrace divergent registers of meaning: history, myth, science, religion, and personal and social valuation. This narrative practice of juxtaposing or collapsing contrary meanings informs the self-consciously "literary" devices of antithesis and of authentication by means of provenance in eighteenth-century literature.


Pseudoaneurysm of the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa is a rare but serious sequela of endocarditis or valve replacement surgery. Because open-heart surgery is a high-risk treatment option, alternative methods are sought. We present the case of a 77-year-old man with a noninfected mechanical mitral valve whose pseudoaneurysm was repaired by introducing an occluder device into the defect by a transapical approach. Upon follow-up imaging, the defect was successfully closed. We conclude that percutaneous closure of pseudoaneurysm of the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa is a viable alternative to surgery and that a transapical approach is an appropriate method of access.


A novel species of Curvularia was identified as a foliar pathogen of Cynodon dactylon (bermudagrass) and Zoysia matrella (zoysiagrass), two important warm-season turfgrasses in the southeastern United States. Field symptoms were conspicuous chocolate brown to black spots in turf of both species on golf course putting greens and fairways. Leaves of plants within these spots exhibited prominent, black eyespot lesions from which a darkly pigmented fungus was consistently isolated. The fungus produced gray- to black-olivaceous mycelium within 10 d on potato dextrose agar at 25 C but never produced conidia despite numerous attempts to induce them. Field symptoms were reproduced in inoculated plants of both grasses, and re-isolation of the pathogen from symptomatic tissues confirmed its pathogenicity in fulfillment of Koch's postulates. A phylogenetic analysis was performed using sequence markers of internal nuclear ribosomal transcribed spacer region (ITS), glyceralde-hyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD1) and translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF 1). The concatenated phylogenetic tree showed strong support for a new species within Curvularia that is distinctly divergent from other Curvularia spp. Therefore, the darkly pigmented pathogen of warm-season turfgrasses is described and illustrated as a new species, Curvularia malina.


There is scarcely an industrial plant or a business that does not use some solvents. The kinds and the quantities vary from the can of type cleaner in the secretary's desk to tank car loads of less familiar substances used as degreasing agents in the metal trades or as vehicles in the manufacture of chemicals. There are hazards in the handling of all solvents because of their appreciable volatility. Some danger may be recognized by the user, but flammability and explosiveness are more likely to be considered than physiological action. The selection of a solvent for a specific purpose depends on technological factors, such as required action, volatility, handling practice (including vapor recovery), the tendency of the substance to leave a residual film on metal surfaces, cost, and availability. The safety aspect may be introduced as a last consideration but, perhaps, only in terms of risk of fire or explosion.


Abstract. One of the fundamental factors contributing to the spatiotemporal inaccuracy in climate modeling is the
mapping of solution field data between different discretizations and numerical grids used in the coupled component
models.
The typical climate computational workflow involves evaluation and serialization of the remapping weights during
the preprocessing step, which is then consumed by the coupled driver infrastructure during simulation to compute
field projections.
Tools like Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF) ( Hill et al. ,  2004 ) and TempestRemap ( Ullrich et al. ,  2013 ) offer
capability to generate conservative remapping weights, while the Model Coupling Toolkit (MCT) ( Larson et al. ,  2001 )
that is utilized in many production climate models exposes functionality to make use of the operators to solve the
coupled problem. However, such multistep processes present several hurdles in terms of the scientific workflow and
impede research productivity. In order to overcome these limitations, we present a fully integrated infrastructure
based on the Mesh Oriented datABase (MOAB) ( Tautges et al. ,  2004 ; Mahadevan et al. ,  2015 ) library, which allows for a
complete description of the numerical grids and solution data used in each submodel.
Through a scalable advancing-front intersection algorithm, the supermesh of the source and target grids are computed,
which is then used to assemble the high-order, conservative, and monotonicity-preserving remapping weights between
discretization specifications. The Fortran-compatible interfaces in MOAB are utilized to directly link the submodels
in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) to enable online remapping strategies in order to simplify the
coupled workflow process.
We demonstrate the superior computational efficiency of the remapping algorithms in comparison with other state-of-the-science
tools and present strong scaling results on large-scale machines for computing remapping weights between the spectral element
atmosphere and finite volume discretizations on the polygonal ocean grids.


Natural degradation of slopes is normally considered to involve surficial displacements resulting mainly from frost action, erosion, and downhill creep. Measurements from inclinometer installations in a variety of slope profiles in the Ottawa area show that significant deep-seated movements may occur in these slopes. These movements are associated with seasonal peaks in ground water pressures within the slope and may contribute to the long term degradation of the slope.While the factor of safety against catastrophic failure of a slope is of prime importance, the possible effects of deep-seated slope movements should not be disregarded when considering adjacent land use.


Eddy current probes (EC) with Giant Magnetoresistive (GMR) sensors have recently emerged as a promising tool for rapid scanning of multilayer aircraft panels that helps detect cracks under fastener heads. However, analysis of GMR data is challenging due to the complexity of sensed magnetic fields. Further, probes that induce unidirectional currents are insensitive to cracks parallel to the current flow. In this paper, signal processing algorithms are developed for mixing data from two orthogonal EC-GMR scans in order to generate pseudo-rotating electromagnetic field images of fasteners with bottom layer cracks. Finite element simulations demonstrate that the normal component of numerically computed rotating field has uniform sensitivity to cracks emanating in all radial directions. The concept of pseudo-rotating field imaging is experimentally validated with the help of MAUS bilateral GMR array (Big-MR) designed by Boeing.


Eaton and Littler's ligament reconstruction is used to treat carpometacarpal instability of the thumb using the flexor carpi radialis tendon. This procedure involves a reconstruction of the deep anterior oblique ligament in patients with post-traumatic prearthritic unstable joints. According to a recent paper, the dorsoradial ligament as well as the deep anterior oblique ligament plays an important role in stabilizing the trapeziometacarpal joint. We report three cases of post-traumatic instability in a prearthritic thumb that was treated with Eaton and Littler's reconstruction using the flexor carpi radialis tendon.


Background Fibromyalgia (FM) has a significant impact on health status, functional ability, and quality of life. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), concomitant FM has been reported in 15 –20% of cases. There is evidence showing that the presence of FM is associated with a significant increase in the HAQ score in patients with RA. There are controversial data regarding impact of FM on measurement of disease activity in RA patients. Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of FM comorbidity on disease activity measure in patient with RA. Methods We have examined 122 (9 men, 113 women) with RA according to the ACR/EULAR (2010) criteria. Concomitant FM in RA patient was revealed by the ACR (1990) criteria. All the patients were examined by rheumatologist, assessing tender joint count (TJC), swollen joint count (SJC), and tender point count (TPC). Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were recorded. Disease activity was measured by DAS-28, which includes TJC, SJC, ESR, and patient general health by a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS-GH), and also by the Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI). Functional disability was assessed by the Health Assessment Questionnaire. Results A total of 24/122 (19.7%) patients in the investigated cohort had ≥11 tender points and met the criteria for FM. Patients with FM had higher tender joint counts, VAS-GH, DAS-28, CDAI and HAQ. Most patients with FM had high disease activity (DAS-28 ≥5.1). The same result occurred if the DAS-28 was replaced by CDAI – most FM patient where characterized as highly active. However, their swollen joint counts, ESR and CRP were similar to those without FM. Conclusions Our findings confirm previous reports that about 20% of RA patients have concomitant FM. Presence of FM in RA patients mimics high disease activity when it calculated by DAS28 or CDAI because it is related to higher scores independently of objective evidence of RA activity. References Naranjo A, Ojeda S, Francisco F, Erausquin C, Rua-Figueroa I, Rodriguez-Lozano C. Fibromyalgia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is associated with higher scores of disability [letter]. Ann Rheum Dis 2002;61:660–1. Ranzolin A, Brenol JC, Bredemeier M, Guarienti J, Rizzatti M, Feldman D, et al. Association of concomitant fibromyalgia with worse disease activity score in 28 joints, health assessment questionnaire, and short form 36 scores in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 2009;61:794–800. Toms J, Soukup T, Bradna P, Hrncir Z. Disease Activity Composite Indices in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and concomitant fibromyalgia. J Rheumatol 2010;37;468. Joharatnam N, McWilliams DF, Wilson D, Wheeler M, Pande I, Walsh DA. A cross sectional study of pain sensitivity, disease activity assessment, mental health and fibromyalgia status in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Res Ther. 2015 Jan 20;17(1):11. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Avian-origin H3N2 canine influenza A viruses (CIVs) have become enzootic in China and Korea and have sporadically transmitted to North America, causing multiple epidemics. We isolated six CIVs in Korea from CIV-infected patients during 2014-2017 and conducted whole genome sequencing and phylogenetic analyses. Results revealed that CIVs have circulated and evolved in Korea since the early 2000s and then diversified into a new clade, probably contributing to multiple epidemics in China, the USA, and Canada. Our findings bridge an evolutionary gap for understanding the global transmission of CIVs, emphasizing the significance of continuous monitoring of CIVs.


This paper investigates the currency regime choices of six Southeast Asian (SEA) countries, namely Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, for the period 1973-99 from the perspectives of optimum currency area (OCA), macroeconomic stabilization and currency crisis. Regime transition dynamics are insignificant among three broad categories of regimes, such as fixed, intermediate and floating regimes but significant among a variety of intermediate regimes. Economic development, financial liberalization and inflation are found to be significant to the pegged regime choice, while high degree of trade openness, capital mobility, real exchange rate volatility and fiscal performance are significant to the choice of a more flexible regime. However, the policy of financial (capital account) liberalization under a pegged (intermediate) regime was paradoxical in nature and has been proved to be inappropriate in the aftermath of crisis. Except this, the static regime choice in SEA countries is largely consistent with the predictions of international macroeconomics.


In the paper we investigate the properties of the stock markets in six transition economies: Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. We try to find out, whether the transition has some effect on the stock markets in the sense of Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH). According to the empirical work done in this field we suggest methodology, which will be based on a new approach for testing the validly of the EMH. In contrast to other studies, we will not only test the EMH for the whole transition process, but also investigate whether the result are stable over time. This will probably give us some additional information on the transition process in the observed countries.


OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of lead exposure on synaptic structural plasticity in the hippocampus of postnatal Wistar rats by observing the change of neurons number, the number of synapses and synaptic structural parameters including synaptic cleft, the thinkness of postsynaptic density, synaptic curvature and the width of synaptic active zone.

METHODS
Wistar rats, after lactation, 16 pub rats were divided into test group and control group. The test group was given lead dichloride 400 micromol/L by drinking water while the control group with distill water till 2 month old. The hippocampus was taken out after T maze test which was employed to excise their spatial learning and memory ability. Immunohistochemistry method was used to determine the amount of neurons. The number of synapses and the features of synaptic strutural parameters were measured by transmission electron microscope.

RESULTS
The blood lead level of the test group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the amount of neurons in the CA3 region of hippoeampus (P > 0.05). Compared with the control group, the number of synapses in the test group was reduced (P < 0.05). Among the synaptic strutural parameters, the results revealed a significant increase in the synaptic cleft (P < 0.05), while the thinkness of postsynaptic density, synaptic curvature and the width of synaptic active zone were significantly reduced (P < 0.05 ) comparing the normal control group respectively.

CONCLUSION
Lead exposure of low dose affect spatial learning and memory ability in postnatal life not on the amount of hippocampus neurons, but reducing the number of synapses and changing the synaptic parameters, such as the thinkness of postsynaptic density, synaptic curvature and the width of synaptic active zone.


The iterative innovation of processing technology is one of the important tasks in studies on processing of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). It is also the prerequisite for modern, refined, automatic and intelligent manufacturing of TCM pieces. Microwave processing is a new fire processing technique developed in the recent 30 years, with a unique thermodynamic form, and energy transfer and transformation laws. Moreover, it owns the advantages of a high processing efficiency, good product properties and low production energy consumption, with great application prospects. This paper introduced the study overview of microwave expansion technology in the food industry, reviewed the origin of microwave processing technology of TCM, and expounded the basic concept, principle and main purpose of microwave processing technology used in TCM. Then, the impacts of drug factors and microwave factors on the microwave processing effect were summarized, the industrial equipment that could be used for microwave processing was listed, and the impacts of microwave heating on starch, polysaccharide, protein and other components in Chinese herbal medicines were analyzed. Furthermore, the study advance of microwave processing of 14 herbs was investigated, including Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparaia, Galli Gigerii Endothelium Corneum and Asini Corii Colla; and the appearance and components of herbs processed by traditional processing method and microwave processing method were compared, so as to reveal the opportunities and challenges of microwave processing technology in the industrial transformation. We hoped that the systematic study of microwave processing technology could provide new ideas and techniques for the high-quality and high-level development of the TCM pieces industry in the new era, and promote its inheritance, innovation and transformation.


An in-depth analysis of the dynamics connected to the Doppler-effect brings clear light to elements of contradiction with the original ground on which the axiom of the constancy of lightspeed was based.
Thereby, with regard to electromagnetic phenomenology, the duality waves/particles and the wavy dynamic of light-propagation suggest the existence of a natural kind of waves, which differently from the classic ones, are originating by kinetic thrust and propagating, also though vacuum, by inertial force. The model taken into consideration, to which has been given the name of "kinetic waves" is, like the classic one, a concretely existing natural phenomenon which can also be visually perceived if produced on molecular scale. Moreover, kinetic waves seem to offer many more points of similarity, in dynamic and behavior, with the electromagnetic waves, than the classic model.
Applying the obtained results to astrophysical field, taking as example the quasar 3C-273, the recently found, most far galaxy GN-z11 and the galaxy NGC 224 (better known as Andromeda), can mathematically and concretely be sustained that none of the energy sources we optically perceive, showing a Doppler-shift, is regressing nor approaching.
In the appendix, a suggested and accurately described experiment on base of Radar Astronomy to possibly confirm the validity of the model presented by this article.


Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is becoming increasingly popular and experienced a high growth all over the world. A medicinal plant, Swertia chirata, has been widely use as herbal medicine in Asian countries and some parts of the world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial property of Swertia chirata. Plants were extracted using ethanol. Disc diffusion technique was used to determine antimicrobial activity. Crude extraction of whole plant showed significant antimicrobial activities against some gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Test materials at a concentration of 100 µg disc -1 were used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity and 30 µg disc -1 concentration of Chloramphenicol was used as positive control. Zone of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella arizonae were 10mm, 6mm, 9mm and 7mm respectively. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of the crude extract was determined by serial dilution technique which showed 128 µg/ml, 64 µg/ml, 128 µg/ml and 128 µg/ml respectively . Although the results obtained revealed inhibition against some gram positive and gram negative bacteria, a further study need to be carried out to detect the active compounds of this highly potent plant. Moreover, problems of drug resistance leading to recurrent infections highlight a need to search for new compounds for treatment of microbial infections. Hence, Swertia chirata which possesses antimicrobial activity, hope will complement if not replace a standard antimicrobial drug that will be of benefits to the health of the mankind.


We consider the mean-variance (M-V) model of Markowitz and the construction of the risk-return efficient frontier. We examine the effects of applying buy-in thresholds, cardinality constraints and transaction roundlot restrictions to the portfolio selection problem. Such discrete constraints are of practical importance but make the efficient frontier discontinuous. The resulting quadratic mixed-integer (QMIP) problems are NP-hard and therefore computing the entire efficient frontier is computationally challenging. We propose alternative approaches for computing this frontier and provide insight into its discontinuous structure. Computational results are reported for a set of benchmark test problems.


The use of sexed semen in dairy cattle almost eliminates the birth of unwanted male calves and can lead to increased milk production by means of genetic selection exerted on the females. However, AI with sexed semen still presents several obstacles to overcome. Holstein-Zebu cows are responsible for 80% of the milk produced in Brazil. These crossbred animals are used extensively throughout the country because their physiologic and morphologic characteristics are compatible with milk production in the tropics which results in an economic performance advantage. The objective of this study is to evaluate the conception rates with sexed semen, comparing it to the use of non-sorted semen in crossbred dairy cows. In addition, two insemination times had been studied to determine the best timing for AI with the sexed semen. Both studies were carried out in the Experimental Station Seropedica of Pesagro-RJ, located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The experiment was done in 2008/2009 (January to April). In the first Trial 56 Holstein-Zebu females, composed of 1/2 to 7/8 Holstein genetics, were inseminated 12 h after estrus detection with non-sorted semen (control group n = 29, 14 heifers and 15 cows) or with sexed semen (experimental group n = 27, 13 heifers and 14 cows). The semen utilized was from the same bull and thawing was performed intravaginally. In the second trial, 55 females were inseminated only with sexed semen from the same bull, with thawing in water at 35°C, at two different times: 12 h after estrus observation (control group n = 27, 12 heifers, 4 primiparous, and 11 multiparous) and 15 h after estrus observation (experimental group n = 28, 12 heifers, 5 primiparous, and 11 multiparous). The pregnancy diagnoses were done by rectal palpation and transrectal CAT scan at Day 45. Statistical analyses had been done using Chi-square. The conception rate in the first trial was of 17.2% (5/29) for sexed semen and 53.8% (14/26) for non-sorted semen (P 0.05). It is possible that one of the causes of fertility reduction with sexed semen is that sexed-sperm remain viable for a shorter time after the insemination. Inseminations with sexed semen done 15 h after estrus detection, which can be more synchronized with the time of ovulation, and when accompanied by closely controlling the thawing process, show results similar to those obtained with conventional semen.


This is the third volume in a pioneering series of authoritative studies on the social history of the Welsh language. It contains fourteen chapters, all written by acknowledged experts in the field, together with many explanatory maps and figures. The volume seeks to make a contribution to our understanding of the complex relationship between language and community in the long nineteenth century. The linguistic geography of Wales is placed within the context of the Celtic language family and the broader central European experience.The projected series on 'A Social History of the Welsh Language' - the fruits of the second major research project of the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies of the University of Wales - will interest and intrigue the general public as well as specialists in the field and help readers to familiarise themselves with the history of a language which, over the centuries, has been an integral part of the everyday life of the Welsh people and of their sense of nationhood.


Summary: The lipopolysaccharide of free-living Rhizobium leguminosarum was isolated and purified, and its homogeneity was determined by gel electrophoresis and, after mild acid degradation, by gel filtration. On electrophoresis, two molecular species were observed. After acid degradation and gel filtration, three components could be isolated: one was very rich in glucose, one contained 2-O-methylfucose, fucose, mannose, galactose, glucose, l-glycero-d-manno-heptose, 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonic acid, l-alanine, quinovosamine and uronic acids, and the third component consisted of low molecular weight material. In the lipid A fraction, d-glucosamine, β-hydroxymyristic acid, β-hydroxypalmitic acid and β-hydroxystearic acid were detected as major components. The phosphorus content was low. No major chemical differences were observed in the neutral sugar and fatty acid compositions of the lipopolysaccharides isolated from bacteria and bacteroids. The lipopolysaccharide of bacteroids was rapidly lost during isolation from the nodules and on dialysis, and behaved anomalously during ultracentrifugation.


[1] The most powerful explosions on the Sun – in the form of bright flares, intense storms of solar energetic particles (SEPs), and fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – drive the most severe space-weather storms. Proxy records of flare energies based on SEPs in principle may offer the longest time base to study infrequent large events. We conclude that one suggested proxy, nitrate concentrations in polar ice cores, does not map reliably to SEP events. Concentrations of select radionuclides measured in natural archives may prove useful in extending the time interval of direct observations up to ten millennia, but as their calibration to solar flare fluences depends on multiple poorly known properties and processes, these proxies cannot presently be used to help determine the flare energy frequency distribution. Being thus limited to the use of direct flare observations, we evaluate the probabilities of large-energy solar events by combining solar flare observations with an ensemble of stellar flare observations. We conclude that solar flare energies form a relatively smooth distribution from small events to large flares, while flares on magnetically active, young Sun-like stars have energies and frequencies markedly in excess of strong solar flares, even after an empirical scaling with the mean coronal activity level of these stars. In order to empirically quantify the frequency of uncommonly large solar flares extensive surveys of stars of near-solar age need to be obtained, such as is feasible with the Kepler satellite. Because the likelihood of flares larger than approximately X30 remains empirically unconstrained, we present indirect arguments, based on records of sunspots and on statistical arguments, that solar flares in the past four centuries have likely not substantially exceeded the level of the largest flares observed in the space era, and that there is at most about a 10% chance of a flare larger than about X30 in the next 30 years.


It is thought that the art and design of ceramics led the art and craft production of humanity in the civilization process. Ceramics, which has such a rich history, has a permanent meaning that has taken its place in the audience's visual reading. This situation arises from the nature of the goods to which ceramics has owed its existence since primitive times. Historically, the imaginary and object characteristics of ceramics and the meaning associated with it follow a process that is shaped by primitive needs, turning into functional materials that help life, and in this respect, into goods. In this sense, ceramics created an intercultural code in the minds of the audience regarding the characteristics of the goods with which ceramics is associated. In this context, the return of the material and traditional object production in the art of ceramics also gains a functional form semiotic expression. Especially in the face of the changing artistic expression and the traditional understanding of art, which was falling apart after 1960, it is seen that the art of ceramics passed over this atmosphere with the discipline's own inner conflict regarding functionality. Ceramic artists or artists who prefer ceramics as a material and use ceramic technology in the production of art objects have made it possible to get rid of the traditional codes of ceramics and to reveal their subjective art creations by being loyal to the material that forms the character of the discipline only through the practices they carry out regarding form. In this sense, Peter Voulkos, whose art practice is discussed, has an abstract expressionist attitude that eliminates functions such as cutting, adding, drilling and assemblage, which he applies in his intervention to ceramic form, apart from the predetermined and taken-for-granted situation such as function and usability, by breaking it off from its functional context and with an intuitive understanding of shaping examined. Keywords: Ceramic Art, Peter Voulkos, Contemporary art


Background. Basic life support (BLS) training with hands-on practice can improve performance during simulated cardiac arrest, although the optimal duration for BLS training is unknown. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of various BLS training durations for acquiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) skills. Methods. We randomised 485 South Korean nonmedical college students into four levels of BLS training: level 1 (40 min), level 2 (80 min), level 3 (120 min), and level 4 (180 min). Before and after each level, the participants completed questionnaires regarding their willingness to perform CPR and use AEDs, and their psychomotor skills for CPR and AED use were assessed using a manikin with Skill-Reporter™ software. Results. There were no significant differences between levels 1 and 2, although levels 3 and 4 exhibited significant differences in the proportion of overall adequate chest compressions (p < 0.001) and average chest compression depth (p = 0.003). All levels exhibited a greater posttest willingness to perform CPR and use AEDs (all, p < 0.001). Conclusions. Brief BLS training provided a moderate level of skill for performing CPR and using AEDs. However, high-quality skills for CPR required longer and hands-on training, particularly hands-on training with AEDs.


The paper presents the specialisation patterns and indexes of the Central American economies based on the CAN database of CEPAL and reports on recent research on these issues and compare this "Intel Island" observation with the "Mobil Valley" case of growth of the electronics sector in the relative less developed region of North Jutland, Denmark. Here the knowledge base, research and education was established prior to investments (with EU subsidies) in assembly factories together with growth in investment in private R&D departments, joint industry-university collaboration, a science park etc., which all in all gives an almost opposite picture of a sustainable development of the new economy. On this basis, the paper evaluates and discuss how to promote dynamic effects of the new economy in the context of re-exportation-based FDI in developing countries. The industrialisation picture of the trade statistics of the rest of Central America resembles very much the Costa Rican one in recent years in terms of growth in manufacturing exports. The paper also opens a discussion of their conditions for participation in the new economy viz-a-viz the prevailing re-exportaion regimes of the countries. Some general lessons and principles for the new economy as a strategy for development are offered as a conclusion.


In this paper we present the POCEMON platform, a platform aiming to the early prognosis and diagnosis of autoimmune diseases at any point of care, even the primary. The objective of the POCEMON platform is the development of a diagnostic lab-on-chip device based on genomic microarrays of HLA-typing. The POCEMON is going to advance and promote the primary health care across Europe by supporting a) point-of-care diagnostics, b) monitoring of immune system status and c) management of the chronic multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) autoimmune diseases. The platform combines high-end Information and Communication Technologies based on microfluidics, microelectronics, microarrays and intelligent diagnosis algorithms.


The interaction of a high-intensity laser with a solid target generates a large current of fast electrons flowing into the target. Due to the large value of the current, the fast electrons generate significant electric and magnetic fields in the target and rapidly heat it to high temperatures. However, these effects were neglected in interpreting x-ray emission experiments, so the details of the fast electron generation that were inferred could be incorrect. This is considered, theoretically, for layered target, Kalpha emission experiments, by using a hybrid Monte Carlo code that includes field generation. The code is used to model such experiments with aluminum and plastic targets, using fast electron parameters taken from experimental results for average intensities of around 10(18) W cm(-2). These numerical results are then interpreted in the same manner as previous experiments, using only the Monte Carlo part of the code. The field generation leads to lower total emission and to an apparent two-temperature fast electron distribution. The laser absorption into fast electrons inferred by Monte Carlo modeling is consistently lower than the actual value. The mean fast electron energy inferred could be either higher or lower than the actual value, depending on the experimental setup and the cone angle and energy distribution used in the Monte Carlo modeling. The errors caused by neglecting the fields are, in general, greater for plastic than aluminum targets, leading to inconsistencies in results obtained by Monte Carlo modeling.


The superoxide ion (O2•-) has been generated electrochemically from oxygen dissolved in two different solvent systems:  (1) acetonitrile with tetraethylammonium perchlorate (TEAP) as the supporting electrolyte at elevated pressure and (2) in a room-temperature ionic liquid, 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][HFP]), at atmospheric pressure. A high-pressure electrochemical cell with a quasi reference electrode was developed for elevated pressure tests. Increasing the partial pressure of oxygen in the first system increased the rate of superoxide generation because of the increased solubility of oxygen according to Henry's law. The subsequent addition of gaseous carbon dioxide enhances the rate of oxygen reduction in both systems but inhibits the reverse (oxidation) reaction of O2•- to O2. This later observation is consistent with the irreversible formation of a peroxydicarbonate ion, as has been postulated by others.


In this paper, stereo image reconstruction using regularized adaptive disparity estimation is proposed. That is, by adaptively predicting the mutual correlation between stereo images pair using the proposed algorithm, the bandwidth of stereo input images pair can be compressed to the level of a conventional 2D image and a predicted image also can be effectively reconstructed using a reference image and disparity vectors. Especially, in the proposed algorithm, the first feature values are extracted from the input stereo images pair. Then, a matching window for stereo matching is adaptively selected depending on the magnitude of these feature values. That is, for the region having larger feature values, a smaller matching window is selected, while, for the opposite case, a larger matching window is selected by comparing predetermined threshold values. This approach is not only able to reduce a mismatching of disparity vectors, which occurs in the conventional dense disparity estimation with a small matching window, but is also able to reduce blocking effects that occur in the coarse disparity estimation with a large matching window. In addition, in this paper, a new regularized adaptive disparity estimation technique is proposed. That is, by regularizing the estimated disparity vector with the neighboring disparity vectors, problems of the conventional adaptive disparity estimation scheme might be solved, and the predicted stereo image can be more effectively reconstructed. From experiments using stereo sequences of "Man", "Fichier", "Manege", and "Tunnel", it is shown that the proposed algorithm improves the PSNRs of a reconstructed image to about 6.90 dB on average at ±30 search ranges as compared to those of conventional algorithms. Also, it is found that there is almost no difference between an original image and a reconstructed image through the proposed algorithm by comparison to that of conventional algorithms.


Because of the large variation across different environments, a generic classifier trained on extensive data-sets may perform sub-optimally in a particular test environment. In this paper, we present a general framework for classifier adaptation, which improves an existing generic classifier in the new test environment. Viewing classifier learning as a cost minimization problem, we perform classifier adaptation by combining the cost function on the old data-sets with the cost function on the data-set collected from the new environment. The former term is further approximated with its second order Taylor expansion to reduce the amount of information that needs to be saved for adaptation. Unlike traditional approaches that are often designed for a specific application or classifier, our scheme is applicable to various types of classifiers and user labels. We demonstrate this property on two popular classifiers (logistic regression and boosting), while using two types of user labels (direct labels and similarity labels). Extensive experiments conducted for the task of person detection in conference-room environments show that significant performance improvement can be achieved with our proposed method.


ABSTRACT Paclitaxel is used as an adjuvant to enhance the effectiveness of ionization radiation therapy; however, high-energy radiation often damages the healthy cells surrounding cancer cells. Low-energy, middle-infrared radiation (MIR) has been shown to prevent tissue damage, and recent studies have begun combining MIR with paclitaxel. However, the cytotoxic effects of this treatment combination remain unclear, and the mechanism underlying its effects on HeLa cells has yet to be elucidated. This study investigated the effectiveness of treating HeLa human cervical cancer cells with a combination of paclitaxel for 48 h in conjunction with narrow-band MIR from 3.0 to 5.0 μm. This combined treatment significantly inhibited the growth of HeLa cells. Specifically, results from Annexin V-FITC/PI apoptosis detection and cell mitochondrial membrane potential analyses revealed an increase in apoptotic cell death and a collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential. One possible mechanism underlying cellular apoptosis is an increase in oxidative stress. These preliminary findings provide evidence to support the combination of narrow-band MIR with paclitaxel as an alternative approach in the treatment of human cervical cancer.


The objective of this study was to evaluate cases of brought in dead
(BID) patients in the accident and emergency unit of Effia-Nkwanta Regional
Hospital through a retrospective study of a period
of 3 years. A retrospective descriptive
study of BID cases from the death register and patients' records of the accident and emergency unit of the
hospital was carried out from January 2011 to December 2013. 31% (180/574) of BID cases were recorded over the study
period with the age range from below 1 year to over 70 years. They were
58.5% male and 41.5% female with a ratio of 1.4:1.
The majority of the BID cases (20.7%) were patients above 70 years and most
cases (40.8%) have no known
clinical condition associated with the death. The majority of the unexplained
deaths were highest among young adults between the ages 30 and 40 years
(22.6%). The highest cases of BID (20%) were
seen in the month of December and majority of the cases (72.5%) lived within
the metropolis. This study showed a concerning trend of BID cases in the
hospital with a high prevalence among the elderly and unexplained death among
the young adults. Hence there is an urgent need to upgrade hospitals in the
area with the hope of relieving the burden off Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital
and also a need to increase health promotion strategies among the people of the
area so as to instill health seeking behavior in order to prevent avoidable
deaths.


During in vitro fertilization, 22 human embryos were exposed to hepatitis B virus (HBV) in contaminated human serum present in the culture medium. All mothers experienced hepatitis B during the first trimester of pregnancy, and two had hepatitis B surface antigen and HBV DNA, as determined by PCR, at the time of delivery. No HBV DNA was found in serum or lymphocytes from the exposed 22 infants. HBV DNA was also absent from one infant at autopsy.


The mastery of speaking is important in English language learning, even in the period of pandemic, due to the outbreak of COVID 19. Teacher should use interesting method to keep students engage in the teaching and learning process. One of methods in teaching speaking is by using gossiping. The aims of this research is to describe the application of gossiping as one of the techniques in the teaching speaking which focuses on intermediate level students. This research will explain: 1) gossiping and its advantages, 2) topics to be gossiped in speaking English activity, 3) the application of gossiping in teaching speaking. Gossiping as a talk with inspiration and emotion has three major function: a) As a mechanism of information exchange, b) As an entertainment, c) As a portal to brings groups together and d) As a way to be influential. Topics to be gossiped in speaking can be someone famous or popular. The conclusion shows that there is an example of teaching procedure in speaking English using gossiping and it can be a way to keep students engage in the process of teaching speaking, thus it an improve the students mastery in speaking skill.


S. Abstracts Editor—W. DOUGLAS HAEMEE, 9, Park Crescent, London, W. 1.s Editor—W. DOUGLAS HAEMEE, 9, Park Crescent, London, W. 1. Authors of Original Communications on Oto-laryngology in other Journals are invited to send a copy, or two reprints, to the JOURNAL OF LARYNOOLOGT. If they are willing, at the same time, to submit their own abstract {in English, French, Italian or German) it will be welcomed.


With the increasing influence of electromagnetic radiation on precision instruments and organisms, there is an urgent need for research on lightweight and high-strength electromagnetic wave absorbing materials. This study has probed into a new composite absorbing material based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-NiMnO3, where the like-core-shell NiMnO3 is anchored on the rGO nanosheets to significantly improve the electromagnetic wave dissipation ability of the composite material using the inter-component dipole polarization and interface polarization. At the same time, NiMnO3 can effectively adjust the impedance matching ratio of rGO so that electromagnetic waves can effectively enter the absorbing material. At a thickness of 3.73 mm, the maximum absorption strength of rGO-NiMnO3 reaches −61.4 dB at 6.6 GHz; at a thickness of 2.5 mm, the adequate absorption bandwidth is 10.04–18.00 GHz, achieving a full coverage for the Ku band. As a new option for preparing lightweight and broadband electromagnetic wave absorbing materials, rGO-NiMnO3 is an ideal material for electromagnetic wave protection.


The exercise of intellectual property rights is the realization bythe subject of intellectual property rights of moral and / or economic intellectual propertyrights, the content of which in relation to certain objects of intellectual propertyrights is determined by the Civil Code of Ukraine and other laws. The exercise of intellectualproperty rights is also the realization of economic intellectual propertyrights by other persons on the basis of the permission of the person who has the rightto allow the use of such object of intellectual property rights.The Law «On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine ConcerningStrengthening the Protection and Protection of Rights to Trademarks and IndustrialDesigns and Counteraction to Patent Trolling» (which entered into force on August16, 2020) has аmended the Law of Ukraine «On Protection of Rights to Marks forGoods and Services» (hereinafter — the Law). The amendments have removed theprovision that a well-known trademark receives the same legal protection as thetrademark for which the certificate is issued. Such changes have created a gap in thelegislation in part of defining what does the exercising of intellectual property rightsto well-known trademarks include.In this connection the following questions arise: (1) can the right to use a wellknownmark (as well as the mark for which the certificate is issued) be the subject ofa license agreement, a commercial concession agreement; (2) whether it is possible tocontribute economic intellectual property rights to a well-known trademark to the authorizedcapital of a legal entity; (3) whether it is possible to transfer such rights onthe basis of an agreement on the transfer of economic intellectual property rights or to provide as collateral. We believe that these issues should be addressed through theadoption of appropriate amendments to Art. 25 of the Law.In our opinion, the right to use a well-known trademark may be the subject of licenseagreements and commercial concession agreements. According to the currentlegislation of Ukraine, it is impossible to transfer economic intellectual propertyrights to a well-known mark to another person.It is expedient to make changes to Art. 25 of the Law, which would provide necessityof creation and functioning of the State register of Ukraine of well-knowntrade marks.The introduction of the proposed amendments to the legislation of Ukraine in thefield of economic intellectual property will help to improve the relevant legal relationsrelated to the exercise of property rights to well-known trademarks.Key words: trademark, well-known trademark, economic intellectual propertyrights, exercise of economic intellectual property rights, assignment (transfer) of economicrights of intellectual property


Random-pattern skin flap necrosis limits its application in the clinic. It is still a challenge for plastic surgeons. Catalpol is an effective ingredient extracted from Rehmannia glutinosa, which is reported to promote angiogenesis and protect against ischemic cerebral disease. The aim of our experiment is to assess whether catalpol can facilitate random flap survival and the underlying mechanisms. Male "McFarlane flap" rat models were employed to explore the protective effects of catalpol. The range of necrosis in the flap was calculated 7 days after the models were established. The flap specimens were harvested for further experiments, including angiogenesis, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and autophagy evaluation. Catalpol-treated group promoted the average survival area of the flap than that in the control group. Based on immunohistochemical staining, Western blotting, and ROS detection, we found that catalpol significantly reduces oxidative stress and apoptosis and increases angiogenesis. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and laser Doppler images further clarified the enhancement of angiogenesis after catalpol treatment. The impact of catalpol in flap was switched by using 3-methyladenine (3MA), proving the important role of autophagy in curative effect of catalpol on skin flaps. Importantly, the ability of catalpol to regulate autophagy is mediated by the activation of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) based on its high affinity for SIRT1. Our findings revealed that catalpol improved the viability of random skin flaps by activating SIRT1-mediated autophagy pathway.


Objective A study was undertaken to characterise how doctors in emergency medicine (EM), acute medicine (AM) and critical care (ICU) in the UK, USA and Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) approach the initial resuscitative care of patients with severe sepsis. Methods In 2007, members on the mailing lists of UK, US and ANZ EM, ICU and AM specialist organisations were invited to answer an anonymous scenario-based online survey. Respondents described their management of a patient with pneumonia and signs of sepsis. Multiple-choice questions were based on the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) 6-hour resuscitation bundle guidelines while avoiding the specific terms "sepsis" and "SSC guidelines". Results The response rate was 21% (2461/11 795). Only two respondents (0.1%) complied with all SSC resuscitation recommendations. Inter-specialty and inter-country variations included differences in reporting initial lactate measurement (ranging from 30% in US-EM to 79% in UK-EM), fluid resuscitation targeting a central venous pressure of 8–12 mm Hg (from 15% in ANZ-ICU to 60% in UK-EM), blood transfusion for a central venous oxygen saturation <70% and haematocrit <30% (from 15% in ANZ-ICU to 70% in US-EM and UK-EM) and insertion of invasive monitoring (intra-arterial catheter: 89% in UK-ICU vs 20% in US-EM; central venous catheter: 83% in UK-ICU vs 44% in US-EM). 81% of respondents identified at least one reason why they did not implement all the recommendations; the reasons varied by region and specialty. Conclusions Reported management of early sepsis varies between specialities and countries, and the responses do not follow SSC guidelines. Concerns relate to knowledge, attitudes and resources.


: Aim: Examination in Pakistan atomic cardiology practice with the fact that the rest of the world can discern the developmental regions and lead to instructive activities to minimize NC radiation experience. Methods and Results: Our current research was conducted at Jinnah Hospital, Lahore from March 2019 to February 2020. INCAPS gathered information on both SPECT and PET approaches that was used in the solitary week of March-April 2013 in 39 laboratories in 10 LA nations (n 5,1142) and in 274 laboratories in 56 RoW countries (n 5,6774). Eight 'prescribed protocols' were separated from the previous one and a radiation-related consistency index (RQI) was established representing the amount used. The average radiation power (ED) was higher in Los Angeles than in the rest of the world (11.8 vs. 9.1 mSv, p < 0.002). In a country as populous as Brazil, a wide variety of average EDs were found in the laboratory, ranging from 8.4 to 17.8 mSv. Only 11% of the research facilities in Los Angeles achieved an average ED of <9 mSv, likened to 33% in the hinterland (p < 0.001). IQs increased from 2 in a laboratory in Mexico to 7 in a laboratory in Cuba. Three significant opportunities to reduce ED for patients in Los Angeles were identified: (1) additional research centers were able to update the pressure by simple imaging, (2) camera-based ED reduction techniques, including tilted imaging, were used as often as possible, and (3) the infused motion of the 99mTc was able to be modified according to the patient's weight and habitat. Conclusion: All things considered, the share of radiation from NC is higher in Los Angeles than in RoW, with the intermediate research center ED <9 mSv performing only a third of its activities. Overtures to reduce the introduction of radiation in Los Angeles have been identified and rule-based proposals have been made to advance the conventions and to keep the standard "as low as reasonably achievable".


For over five decades the main route for the extraction of titanium has been the Kroll process. It is regarded as being expensive, labour intensive, reliant on a high quality feedstock, and environmentally unfriendly, but it has thus far not been possible to replace it. As a result the usage of titanium is still restricted to a few high end applications. During the past twenty years several new molten salt based electrochemical approaches for the reduction of titanium oxide have been introduced to meet these challenges, and these may, eventually, lead to novel extraction processes for titanium and other reactive metals. This paper summarises the many interesting concepts that underlie these electrochemical meth- ods, of which some have already advanced to the stage of substantial pilot plants whilst others are still being developed at the laboratory level. The paper also reviews the development of new materials for use as the anode in these processes. Finally, it touches upon the development of processes for the regeneration of oxidised titanium and for the welding of titanium under cathodic protection in cases where protective gas shielding is not possible. [doi:10.2320 / matertrans.MK201619] (Received


We present a detailed study of the H 3 + auroral emission at Jupiter, which uses data taken on 31 December 2012 with the long‐slit echelle spectrometer Cryogenic Infrared Echelle Spectrograph (European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope). The entire northern auroral region was observed using significantly more slit positions than previous studies, providing a highly detailed view of ionospheric flows, which were mapped onto polar projections. Previous observations of ionospheric flows in Jupiter's northern auroral ionosphere, using the long‐slit echelle spectrometer CSHELL (NASA Infrared Telescope Facility) to measure the Doppler‐shifted H 3 + ν 2 Q(1,0−) line at 3.953 μm, showed a strongly subrotating region that was nearly stationary in the inertial magnetic frame of reference, suggesting an interaction with the solar wind. In this work, we observe this stationary region coincident with a polar region with very weak infrared emission, typically described as the dark region in UV observations. Although our observations cannot determine the exact mechanisms of this coupling, the coincidence between solar wind controlled ionospheric flows and a region with very low auroral brightness may provide new insights into the nature of the solar wind coupling. We also detected a superrotating ionospheric flow measured both at and equatorward of the narrow bright portion of the main auroral emission. The origin of this flow remains uncertain. Additionally, we detect a strong velocity shear poleward of the peak in brightness of the main auroral emission. This is in agreement with past models which predict that conductivity, as well as velocity shear, plays an important role in generating the main auroral emission.


Forecasting the microeconomics of electricity will turn into a challenging process when electricity is produced through renewable energy technologies (RET). These technologies are mainly sunlight-based photovoltaic (PV), wind power, and tidal resources, which vigorously rely upon ecological conditions. For a reliable and livable energy supply to the electricity grid from renewable means, electrical energy storage technologies can play an important role while considering the weather effects in order to provide immaculate, safe, and continuous energy throughout the generation period. Energy storage technologies (ESTs) charge themselves during the low power demand period and discharge when the demand of electricity increases in such a way that they act as a catalyst to provide energy boost to the power grid. In this paper, we presented and discussed the renewable ESTs for each type with respect to their operational mechanism. In this regard, the renewable energy scenarios of Pakistan and Turkey are first discussed in detail by analyzing the actual potential of each renewable energy resource in both the countries. Then, policy for the EST utilization for both the countries is recommended in order to secure sustainable and reliable energy provision.


Advantages of early intravenous (IV) to oral (PO) switches of antimicrobials are well known. Yet, little data have been published on reasonable IV-to-PO switches of other drug classes, although interventions to promote early IV-to-PO conversions may further increase patient safety and decrease costs. We therefore analyzed IV-to-PO switches of non-antimicrobials.


Nosocomial pneumonias are recognized as an important cause of morbidity and mortality in industrialized nations. Emerging data show that they play a similar role in the developing world. A host of extrinsic and intrinsic factors predispose individuals to the development of pneumonias, and a modification of some of these factors provides a low cost solution to prevention of pneumonias. The ideal modality for microbiologic diagnosis of pneumonia remains to be determined. Recent data suggest that there is no difference in outcome when noninvasive techniques are compared with invasive techniques. Antimicrobial resistance is a rapidly increasing problem globally, and combating this with appropriate antibiotic policies, close surveillance, and physician education is essential.


A stochastic general-equilibrium model is used to explore the welfare effects of optimal monetary policy and the potential benefits of policy coordination. Cross-country perfectly symmetric shocks in the traded goods sectors and imperfectly correlated shocks in the non-traded goods sectors are considered. In this set-up, monetary policy may not be able to achieve efficient sectoral resource allocations within countries and avoid inefficient relative price changes across countries. Welfare gains from coordination are sizable if the shocks to the traded and non-traded goods sectors are negatively correlated and both sectors are of roughly equal size.


Within integrated services digital networks (ISDN), all inter-change signaling messages for ISDN and intelligent network (IN) call controls are carried through a common channel signaling network (CCSN) as a backbone signaling network. Since CCSN usually have very strict reliability requirements as well as good performance objectives, performance and reliability of CCSN need to be jointly analyzed. This paper evaluates the mean end-to-end delay of a single-mated pair (SMP) CCSN for various call-arrival rates in a normal state and several failure states, as a performance index. As a performability index, this paper also analyzes the mean time to unreliable operation (MTUO) of a given network for various call-arrival rates at each signaling end point (SEP) and the failure rate of each signaling transfer point (STP). These results can be used in the design of common-channel signaling networks. This performability evaluation can be further studied for varying the failure rates of SEP and linksets, and the various threshold values of the unreliable operation.


Electronic reading has become an integral part of our daily life. Nowadays, we read more from our digital devices than print-based materials. However, most reading assignments inside the university classrooms remain print-based. Therefore, integrating electronic reading with the existing literacy instruction meets the changing needs of our adult English learners. The possibility that the younger generation growing up in a digital environment may lack the ability and confidence to read deeply concerns many educators. This mixed-method study aims to explore the effects of Kindlemediated reading on university students' higher-order thinking and reading self-efficacy. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 45 first-year students taking their year-long required reading course. The analyses of the post-reading questions raised by the participants indicate that the Kindle group raised a higher number of higherorder thinking questions than did the hard-copy group. However, no significant difference was identified in reading self-efficacy between the two groups.


Mechanical vibration signals of GIS equipment are important information to reflect the operating status of equipment, but the vibration excitation of existing research is mostly based on a single power frequency current, and the detection effect has certain limitations. Therefore, in order to explore the influence of current frequency on GIS mechanical vibration characteristics, this paper carried out research on GIS mechanical vibration characteristics under variable frequency current excitation. Firstly, the mechanical vibration simulation platform of 110 kV GIS equipment under variable frequency current excitation was built in the laboratory. Then, the vibration signals generated by the equipment shell under normal operation state were collected based on the mechanical vibration detection system. Finally, the evolution laws of time domain and frequency domain vibration spectra of GIS equipment under different current frequencies and loads were studied. The results show that the overall time domain waveforms are smooth and the main vibration frequencies are twice the frequencies of excitation currents. Under the condition of the variable frequency current excitation with the same amplitude, the amplitudes of time domain and frequency domain vibration spectra of vibration signals are the largest when the GIS equipment is excited by 1200 A current at 40 Hz and 2400 A current at 80 Hz. Under the condition of the variable amplitude currents excitation with the same frequency, the amplitudes of vibration signals are positively correlated with the amplitudes of currents, and the distributions of frequency spectra are highly concentrated.


Quadratic maps are used to show explicitly that the skeleton of unstable periodic orbits underlying classical and quantum dynamics is stratified into a doubly infinite hierarchy of orbits inherited from a set of basic "seeds" through certain nonlinear transformations T(alpha)(x). The hierarchy contains nonunique substructurings which arise from the different possibilities of sequencing the transformations T(alpha)(x). The structuring of the orbital skeleton is shown to be generic for Abelian equations, i.e., for all dynamical systems generated by iterating rational functions.


Over the past two decades, the use of computer modeling to estimate future losses from natural catastrophes has gone from being virtually unheard of to being the standard global risk assessment technology. This is primarily the result of the unprecedented and unexpected losses sustained by insurance and reinsurance companies from actual catastrophe events, most notably the series of winter storms that struck Europe in 1990, Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. By the mid-1990s it was apparent to all that the catastrophe loss potential was far greater than had previously been thought possible, even though some computer models available much earlier had been providing loss estimates well in excess of the losses sustained from Andrew and Northridge. However, these larger loss scenarios were not taken seriously by most in the industry without the actual occurrence of a major loss-producing event. Today, catastrophe modeling is used extensively for pricing, risk selection and underwriting, loss mitigation activities, reinsurance decision-making and overall portfolio management. This paper presents a history of catastrophe modeling technology and an explanation of how catastrophe models work. It also reviews recent advances in catastrophe modeling and concludes with a discussion of how insurers and reinsurers can derive maximum value from this technology. The author also hopes to dispel some of the common misconceptions about catastrophe modeling technology, which include:


Cities comprise of mixed green patches that vary in size and are highly scattered and disconnected. Although small green spaces largely dominate the cityscape, they are often neglected and ignored by the naturalists and conservationists, as they do not fulfill the large green spaces criteria. The citizens on the other hand seem to have a different perception and requirements from small green spaces as they are within their neighbourhood. Bangalore, a developing city within South India, consists of a large number of newly formed residential areas which have pocket green spaces in the form of neighbourhood parks (henceforth NPs). They are maintained by the municipality and are mainly designed for recreation purposes, completely neglecting the fact that these spaces could be essential for biodiversity. Here, there is a disconnect between the requirements of the citizens, conservationists and the end product that the municipality delivers. Here, through a questionnaire survey we assess the biodiversity citizens are fond off, and use them as surrogate taxa for the not so immediately obvious taxa, insects to enumerate the biodiversity within NPs. We analyze and identify landscape characteristics around NPs which could enhance the biodiversity within NPs. Our results reveal that people are fond of Birds and Butterflies and we use them as surrogates for the inconspicuous taxa to assess biodiversity within NPs. 55 tree species, 45 species of birds, 41 species of butterflies and 68 morpho species of insects were recorded. We demonstrate that small green spaces are critical systems and help support biodiversity across three scale within the city. Interestingly, results suggests that density of NPs is more important rather than the size of NPs. Also, the presence of high density of NPs within a neighbourhood could support similar biodiversity that large green spaces support. Finally, this study provides insights on the landscape matrix that could help enhance biodiversity support service within NPs and the surrounding neighbourhood.


Child crime and their feelings of guilt have special importance because of their impact on children's development and future life. In the last few years, the number of young and child criminals has increased in Turkey. The sample for this study is from Düğerek prison in Muğla, one of the cities of the Aegean region of Turkey, from 18 February 2007 to 22 February 2007. The sampling group was randomly chosen and consisted of 41 boys aged 15-18 from the child section of the prison. There were no girls in that section. After a one-to-one oral interview with the children, a questionnaire containing the Cornell Index, Inertial Anxiety Inventory and demographic questions was administered. There was a highly positive, meaningful relationship (r: 0.771, P < 0.05) between state anxiety and trait anxiety levels. Our recommendation is that juvenile delinquents need more psychological support than their peers with normal lives, so in order to rehabilitate them, the number of the psychologists should be increased in this prison.


The paper addresses the selection of the best lip motion features for biometric open-set speaker identification. The best features are those that result in the highest discrimination of individual speakers in a population. We first detect the face region in each video frame. The lip region for each frame is then segmented following registration of successive face regions by global motion compensation. The initial lip feature vector is composed of the 2D-DCT coefficients of the optical flow vectors within the lip region at each frame. We propose to select the most discriminative features from the full set of transform coefficients by using a probabilistic measure that maximizes the ratio of intra-class and inter-class probabilities. The resulting discriminative feature vector with reduced dimension is expected to maximize the identification performance. Experimental results support that the resulting discriminative feature vector with reduced dimension improves the identification performance.


This study investigates factors that encourage employee's speaking-up behavior in the organization which is considered to be a risky behavior. Drawing on the principles of Uncertainty Management Theory (UMT), this research proposes that factors which embodies two key facets of certainty, confidence and control, encourages employees to speak-up to direct supervisors. This study proposes that leader-member exchange (LMX) has a mediating effect on the relationship between Cheng's categorization criteria (guan-xi, loyalty, contribution) and speak-up behavior while political skill moderates the relationship between LMX and speak-up behavior. Data collected from 288 subordinates and 92 of their immediate supervisors support all hypotheses. This study reveals the effects of LMX and political skill, on 'speak-up' behavior and provides practical suggestions to aid employees and organizations maximize the potential of their workforce.


Customer input has become a valuable component of the innovation process. The integration of customer knowledge into the early innovation phase requires special types of customers and methods and entails specific risks according to each stage. This article describes when and how customers can be integrated and how possible negative side effects can be avoided. Relying on intensive desk research, in-depth case studies, and workshops with nine companies that are experienced in customer integration, the authors explain in detail the theoretical and practical aspects of knowledge integration and give advice on minimizing unwelcome side effects.


Various carbonaceous materials are valuable resources for thermochemical conversion processes and for production of materials of proven sorption properties, useful in environmental applications for gaseous and liquid media treatment. In both cases, the parameters of the porous structure of carbon materials are decisive in terms of their physical and mechanical properties, having direct effects on heat and mass transport as well as on sorption capacity and selectivity. The physical activation of carbon materials produced from various precursors is widely discussed in literature. In this respect, the effects of temperature and partial oxidation of carbonaceous materials with steam or carbon dioxide are mostly considered. The reports on the effects of pressure on the development of porous structures of carbon materials are, however, extremely limited, especially when biomass as a precursor is concerned. In this paper, the results of an experimental study on the effects of pressure in the range of 1–4 MPa on the specific surface area, the total pore volume, average pore diameter, and microporosity of carbon materials prepared with the use of Andropogon gerardi biomass as a precursor are presented. The tested samples were prepared at the temperature of 1000 °C under an inert gas atmosphere in the high-pressure thermogravimetric analyzer. The most developed porous structure was reported for carbon materials produced under 3 MPa. The highest volume of narrow micropores was characteristic for materials carbonized under 2 MPa.


This article attempts to reconstruct historically the process of diaspora of three Portuguese Women's Religious congregations as a result of the new religious policy established by the Republic of Portugal in 1910: will be favored Franciscan Hospitaller Sisters of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine and the Sisters of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, especially the latter two who have settled in Sao Paulo in 1910. During this period, St. Paul had already emerged as the leading state in Brazil and its boundaries, the coffee expansion, urbanization, railway, surrounded by European immigration and industrialization, opened new possibilities for working women, although the technological modernization was not accompanied in the field of gender relations. Women sisters from Portugal joined the others who were here and took over the management of nursing homes, schools, colleges and hospitals, leading men and women who longed for attracting other perspectives of life beyond those offered by civil society of the time.


Over the last two decades, a growing body of scholarship has examined how whiteness is socially constructed as "objective" and "neutral" in the US and elsewhere. This article seeks to trouble such a position for white teachers in the multiracial classroom, particularly those that focus on multiethnic literatures. Drawing upon scholarship in critical whiteness studies, personal experiences with students, and reflections on multicultural literature, this article advances an educational philosophy of investment wherein privilege and subjectivity are made legible in the learning process. In this model, educators and students work toward the discomfort that often comes from recognizing the risks and rewards of acknowledging one's positioning within a racial order.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the role of Treg cells in the pathogenesis of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).

METHODS
The ITP mouse model was established, the Treg cell ratio in peripheral blood and spleen was detected by flow cytometry, the CD4+ CD25+ T cells were sorted by immunomagnetic beads, the Treg cell associated transcription factors (Foxp3, Smad7, STAT5 and Akt-1) and cytokines (IL-10, TGF-β) in CD4+ CD25+ T cells were enriched from spleen mononuclear cells, and the mRNA expression of Treg cell was measured by real-time PCR.

RESULTS
The ratio of Tregs in peripheral blood and spleen decreased significantly in ITP mouse, as compared with the controls (P<0.01). In addition, the mRNA expression of IL-10, TGF-β and Foxp3 decreased significantly in spleen CD4+ CD25+ T cells (P<0.05). Expression of Smad 7 mRNA was higher than that of controls.

CONCLUSION
The alteration in Treg frequency and function may be responsible for the immune dysfunction in ITP disease. It is also speculated that the lower mRNA expression of Foxp3 and higher mRNA expression of Smad 7 may inhibit the proliferation and differentiation of Treg cells.


Beyond the trivial assumption that without a body we cannot gather sensory information from the environment and we cannot act upon it, our particular body, right here, right now, both enables and constrains our perception of the environment. In this review, I provide empirical support for the idea that our physical body can narrow the set of our possible interactions with the environment by shaping the way we perceive stimuli around us. I will propose that such effects are contributed by the effect of our physical body—that is, flesh and bone body—on the oscillatory dynamics of intrinsic brain activity.


Plasma carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in nanograms per milliliter was assayed in 149 patients with benign and 567 patients with malignant disease. Elevated CEA level (greater than 5.0) was a good indicator of malignant disease but a poor screening test for cancer because of the high false-negative rate. Degree of elevation of plasma CEA level correlated with incidence of metastatic disease in patients with colorectal, gastric, and breast carcinomas, but no correlation was seen between CEA levels and status of lymph nodes in patients with localized disease. Patients with localized colorectal cancer, but elevated CEA levels before resection, had a 2.1-fold increase in the incidence of recurrence; however, this added to the prognostic value of Dukes' staging only when the CEA level remained elevated postoperatively. In 87% of patients with colorectal cancer, the CEA level was elevated at the time of recurrence, but a therapeutic value of reexploration for unexplained CEA level elevation was not confirmed.


Abstract : This exploratory study assesses the usability of an online policy document system, specifically with company grade supply officers in the U.S. Marine Corps. Using common work scenarios, users were asked to search for specific policy documents. Their efforts to navigate through the system were recorded and analyzed to better understand areas in the system that posed challenges to supply officers' efforts at policy retrieval and understanding. The primary purpose of the study is to provide recommendations, based on the test findings, that will address opportunities to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the current electronic publication system. Based on this analysis, the second purpose of the study is to provide recommendations to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction with the electronic document system. Five participants were observed as they used electronic policy and regulatory documents related to financial management and property control functions. The participants were chosen because they represent the user population and are familiar with the electronic document system. Each participant conducted typical search and retrieval tasks using think-aloud protocols. Each session was videotaped, and participants were interviewed afterwards. In-depth analysis of the data indicates that participants are generally satisfied with the system, but significant opportunities exist to improve its effectiveness and efficiency. The most notable recommendations are as follows: increase search capability, provide consolidated offering of content, allow personalization and portability, improve ability to see context/location within documents, create additional linking mechanisms, and migrate away from .pdf file format. Additional recommendations address the need for iterative testing and triangulation of problem areas to increase data reliability.


Introduction: The outbreak of a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and associated COVID-19 disease in late December 2019 has led to a global pandemic. It directly leads to high morbidity and mortality, but also results in a devastating effect on the global economy. Unfortunately, there are no effective therapies or vaccines for it. Hence, we designed a randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine for treating patients with COVID-19.Methods and analysis: This is an open-label, multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial. One hundred and twelve patients infected by SARS-CoV-2 will be randomly assigned to the experimental or the control group in an equal ratio. The patients in control group will accept routine supportive clinically care including the therapies of anti-viral, anti-bacterial and ameliorating the related symptoms, while patients in the experimental group will be asked to take traditional Chinese medicine depending on the different stages of the disease for consecutive 14 days in addition to supportive care. All data will be gathered at baseline and on days 3, 7, 10 and 14. The primary outcome measures will be the time of Reverse Transcription PCR testing of respiratory tract sample turns to be negative. Secondary outcome measures will include Murray lung injury score, MuLBSTA score and TCM ( Traditional Chinese Medicine ) Syndrome Scoring System. A laboratory test will be taken before and after treatment to assess the safety of TCM.Discussion: The study may help to identify the the efficacy and safety of Traditional Chinese Medicine in treating COVID-2019.Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2000030759.Registered on March 13th 2020-Retrospectively registered, http://www.chictr.org.cn/.


In this thesis, several theoretical specifications and estimation techniques are employed towards the dynamic modelling and forecasting of the term structure of interest rates, both independently and in conjunction with equity markets.

The first empirical investigation is motivated by the recent call for richer specifications following the global financial crisis of 2007-2009. In that regard, several existing multi-factor continuous-time models are extended to four and five factors to assess the benefit of richer models. The Gaussian estimation methods for dynamic Continuous-Time models yield insightful comparative results concerning the two different segments of the yield curve. The dynamics of the more volatile short-end of the yield curve are best explained by the most flexible models which consistently outperform all the other less complex models in terms of both in-sample and out-of-sample performance. For the long-end flatter segment, the benchmark discrete-time parsimonious models seem hard to beat, while the addition of extra factors has a minimal benefit in terms of forecasting performance.

In a second empirical study, the term structures of three Scandinavian countries are modelled using multi-latent-factor models. The empirical results produced by Kalman filter estimation method indicate that the three-factor specification captures most of the changes over time in the shape of the yield curve for Denmark and Norway, while for Sweden the statistical tests do not reject the two-factor model against the three-factor formulation.

Finally, the third investigation brings new empirical evidence of the impact of the 2007-2009 financial crisis on the return and volatility linkages between the U.S. - the country where the shock originated and other major economies using a multivariate methodology for the simultaneous modelling of interest rates and equity markets. During the global financial crisis of 2007-2009 the financial markets around the world have communicated through a more complex network of information transmission routes. The channels with most intensity of information transmission were the indirect international ones, bringing new evidence of the importance of this type of routes that has previously been investigated very little in the spillovers literature


The variations in blood pressure, heart rate and plasma histamine levels were monitored for 10 min in 40 patients at risk of releasing histamine after they had been given 2.5 mg X kg-1 propofol in oil emulsion (n = 20) or 7 mg X kg-1 thiopentone (n = 20). The measurements were carried out before anaesthesia, and 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10 min after injecting the drug. All the patients were premedicated with a specific anti-H1 antagonist only (terfenadine). Histamine was measured by radio-immunology (Immunotech). Two patients from the propofol group and three from the thiopentone group showed minor signs, that may have been linked to a release of histamine. Blood pressure fell in both groups by about 20% (p less than 0.001) within the first minute, becoming stable afterwards. The heart rate did not change significantly. Plasma histamine levels did not change in either group, nor in those patients who had presented a local erythema. Propofol did not seem to induce non-specific histamine release when injected over a period of 60 s in patients at risk of doing so.


This work presents intensity-based credit risk models where the default intensity of the point process is modeled by an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck type process completely driven by jumps. Under this model we compute the default probability over time by linking it to the characteristic function of the integrated intensity process. In case of the Gamma and Inverse Gaussian Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes this leads to a closed form expression for the default probability and to a straightforward estimate of credit default swaps prices. The model is calibrated to a series of real-market term structures. Results are compared with the well known cases of Poisson and CIR dynamics. Possible extensions of the model to the multivariate setting are finally discussed.


BACKGROUND
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a pleiotropic cytokine with a broad range of concentration-dependent effects. The recent observation that TNF-alpha is expressed by the cardiac myocyte after certain forms of stress suggests that TNF-alpha might contribute to the maintenance of normal tissue homeostasis after environmental injury. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of TNF-alpha on protein synthesis in cultured adult cardiac myocytes.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Cultured adult feline cardiac myocytes were stimulated with 10 to 1000 U/mL TNF-alpha to examine the effects of this cytokine on the rate of protein synthesis and degradation. Stimulation with TNF-alpha led to an accelerated rate of general protein synthesis and a time-dependent decrease in protein degradation in adult cardiac myocytes. The specificity of these findings was demonstrated by studies in which the effects of TNF-alpha on protein synthesis were blocked by a neutralizing anti-TNF-alpha antibody as well as studies in which TNF-alpha-conditioned medium had no effect on protein synthesis in myocytes. In addition to the TNF-alpha-induced increase in the general protein synthesis, stimulation with TNF-alpha led to a 2.4-fold increase in net actin protein synthesis and a 3.3-fold increase in net myosin heavy chain synthesis. Finally, the effects of TNF-alpha on adult cardiac myocytes were shown to be dependent on cell-substrate interaction, suggesting that the cell signaling pathways used by TNF-alpha are dependent on a preserved interaction between cell integrins and the extracellular matrix.

CONCLUSIONS
The observation that TNF-alpha provokes a hypertrophic growth response in cardiac myocytes suggests that TNF-alpha may play an important role in myocardial homeostasis after environmental stress.


Defining environmental loading is often the most uncertain part of the electronics reliability calculation. This paper demonstrates a practical methodology to measure and characterize the dynamic thermal history of the commercial airplane environment. To reduce irregular field thermal cycles, an algorithm is presented that preserves key information necessary for viscoplastic solder fatigue analysis. As an example. the IPC solder model will be used to evaluate 20 termination leadless ceramic chip carriers on nonconstrained printed wiring boards. This methodology will enable more realistic thermal fatigue reliability assessments and acceleration test specifications.