Background and objective Activated synovial fibroblasts are key players in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by driving inflammation and joint destruction. Numerous molecules including cytokines and toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands induce pro-inflammatory signalling and gene expression through a hierarchical network of kinases. Upstream mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinases (MAP3Ks) represent an attractive target for RA treatment. In this study the authors sought to determine the role of the MAP3K transforming growth factor β activated kinase1 (TAK1) in cytokine and TLR-mediated signalling. Materials and methods TAK1 activity was inhibited using either a small molecule inhibitor 5Z-7-oxozeaenol or lentivirally overexpressed kinase-inactive TAK1-K63W mutant in murine embryonic and human dermal and synovial fibroblasts. Fibroblasts were stimulated with interleukin 1 (IL-1), tumour necrosis factor (TNF), TLR2 or TLR4 agonists and responses were evaluated using transcriptional reporters and analysis of gene expression of collagenases (matrix metalloproteinases (MMP3, MMP13)), cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6) and chemokines (IL-8, MCP-1). Results TAK1 inhibition abrogated cytokine- and TLR-induced activation of nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and Saa3-promoter reporters in mouse and human dermal fibroblasts. In synovial fibroblasts, TAK1 crucially regulated IL-1 and TNF mediated NF-κB, but not Saa3-promoter activation. Furthermore, TAK1 was required for inducible mRNA expression of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, MMP3 and MMP13, but not MCP-1, in response to IL-1, TNF and TLR2 agonist. Unexpectedly, TLR4-induced NF-κB activation and gene expression was fully TAK1-independent as found using the TAK1 inhibitor or kinase inactive mutant. Western blots demonstrated IL-1-inducible p38 and p65 phosphorylation and inhibition by the TAK1 inhibitor 5Z-7-oxozeaenol, whereas no effect of TAK1 inhibitor on lipopolysaccharides signalling in RA-SF. Conclusions In general, TAK1 plays a prominent role in regulation of IL-1- and TNF mediated signalling in fibroblasts. Interestingly, TLR4 signalling is specifically TAK1-independent in synovial fibroblasts. Consequently, therapeutic TAK1 inhibition in arthropaties may not dampen the damage-associated molecular pattern-mediated TLR4 activation of synovial fibroblasts.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the experiences and perceptions of health care providers caring for new immigrant families in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

DESIGN
Qualitative design using grounded theory methodology.

SETTING
Two tertiary-level NICUs of two large metropolitan hospitals in western Canada.

PARTICIPANTS
Fifty eight (58) health care providers from multiple disciplines.

METHODS
Health care providers were interviewed during seven focus groups. We recorded and transcribed focus group data. We analyzed transcripts via line-by-line coding, categorization of codes, concept saturation, and theme generation assisted through NVIVO software.

RESULTS
Health care providers identified the nuanced construct of fragile interactions that is embedded within care of the new immigrant family in the NICU. During crisis, decision making, differing norms and beliefs, and language and communication are barriers that affected the fragile nature of interactions. During transition home, fragile interactions were affected by unintentional stereotyping, limited time for intangible activities, and lack of intuitive perceptions of the needs of new immigrant families. Health care providers employed caring and culturally competent strategies to overcome the fragile nature of interactions.

CONCLUSION
Within the premise of providing family-centered care is the concept of honoring cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity; it is imperative that culturally competent care be considered and implemented as a separate stand-alone aspect when caring for new immigrant families.


Abstract A new species of Scleropodium (Brachytheciaceae) is described from western North America. Initially recognized in a recent molecular phylogenetic study of the genus, Scleropodium occidentale B.E. Carter sp. nov. is very similar in morphology, ecology, and distribution to S. obtusifolium. A morphological investigation of S. obtusifolium and S. occidentale was conducted using 62 specimens assigned to species independently based on analyses of DNA sequences of nuclear ribosomal ITS and the chloroplast trnG region. Morphological differences between the two species are subtle, but include relatively robust and commonly spine-tipped stem and branch leaf costae in S. occidentale versus weaker and without a spine in S. obtusifolium, slightly longer lamina cells in S. obtusifolium than in S. occidentale, and a strangulate capsule in S. occidentale in contrast to the cylindrical capsule in S. obtusifolium. Fieldwork and herbarium study indicate that S. occidentale is common in California and is present in Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and southern British Columbia. All herbarium specimens of S. occidentale were previously labeled as S. obtusifolium.


Many years ago it was analytically demonstrated that phase noise in free-running oscillators might be different on the different circuit nodes. Recently this result was questioned. It was claimed that phase noise is identical at all nodes, and characterised by a single scalar constant for white noise sources. Using the time domain Monte Carlo method, which is the only method which does not treat the large signal and the noise signals separately, it is demonstrated that in free-running oscillator circuits the phase noise could be different on the nodes of the circuit and cannot be represented by a single scalar constant. This result is confirmed by simulations performed in the frequency domain using the conversion matrices method.


Cellular transplantation strategies for repairing the injured spinal cord have shown consistent benefit in preclinical models, and human clinical trials have begun. Interactions between transplanted cells and host tissue remain poorly understood. Trophic factor secretion is postulated a primary or supplementary mechanism of action for many transplanted cells, however, there is little direct evidence to support trophin production by transplanted cells in situ. In the present study, trophic factor expression was characterized in uninjured, injured-untreated, injured-treated with transplanted cells, and corresponding control tissue from the adult rat spinal cord. Candidate trophic factors were identified in a literature search, and primers were designed for these genes. We examined in vivo trophin expression in 3 paradigms involving transplantation of either brain or spinal cord-derived neural precursor cells (NPCs) or bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). Injury without further treatment led to a significant elevation of nerve growth factor (NGF), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and lower expression of vascular endothelial growth factor isoform A (VEGF-A) and platelet-derived growth factor-A (PDGF-A). Transplantation of NPCs led to modest changes in trophin expression, and the co-administration of intrathecal trophins resulted in significant elevation of the neurotrophins, glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), LIF, and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). BMSCs transplantation upregulated NGF, LIF, and IGF-1. NPCs isolated after transplantation into the injured spinal cord expressed the neurotrophins, ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and bFGF at higher levels than host cord. These data show that trophin expression in the spinal cord is influenced by injury and cell transplantation, particularly when combined with intrathecal trophin infusion. Trophins may contribute to the benefits associated with cell-based repair strategies for spinal cord injury.


Evidence suggests that adults in school settings are doing less than they should to stop student peer sexual harassment. When such behavior persists, it creates an intrusive environment that may interfere with learning. The study was designed to determine teachers' attitudes toward sexual harassment; their perceptions of sexually harassing student behaviors; how they would respond to these behaviors; and the influence of teachers' age, sex, sex role identity, and size of school on their attitudes, perceptions, and actions. The two hundred and seventy survey respondents represented 20 randomly selected high schools in a 20-county region of one southwestern state. The results show that the teachers were intolerant in their attitudes toward sexual harassment. They recognized student peer sexual harassment, particularly in its more severe forms, and indicated that they would take action to stop such behavior when it occurred. The teachers were relatively homogeneous in their attitudes toward and perceptions of sexual harassment. However, the set of four predictors, age, sex, sex-role identity, and size of school, did influence the actions teachers would take in response to peer harassment, particularly with regard to the most frequently chosen actions, report the behavior to the designated authority and tell the initiator to stop.


Gold nanorods have unusually strong absorption in near infrared, which can be utilized for an optical imaging with nanocolloids. The feasibility of photoacoustic imaging of inflammatory responses using bioconjugated gold nanorods is demonstrated. To target the stimulated cells, gold nanorods were conjugated to anti-intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) which binds to cell surfaces over expressing ICAM-1. A monolayer of stimulated endothelial cells labeled with bioconjugated gold nanorods was scanned using a high frequency transducer. Photoacoustic images differentiated inflamed cells from control cells and matched well with fluorescence images. This technology may permit identification of critical inflammation sites such as blood vessels.


It is well-established that there exists an inverse relationship between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) levels in the plasma. However, information is lacking on the impact of post-prandial triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRLs) on the structure of HDL subclasses in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). In this study, the data of 49 patients with CAD were analyzed to evaluate dynamic alterations in post-prandial lipid profiles using nuclear magnetic resonance-based methods. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify the serum angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3). After glucose supplementation, the expression of hepatic ANGPTL3 was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. Compared to fasting levels, the post-prandial serum TG level of all participants was considerably increased. Although post-prandial total cholesterol in HDL (HDL-C) remained unchanged, free cholesterol in HDL particles (HDL-FC) was significantly reduced after a meal. Furthermore, the post-prandial decrease in the HDL-FC level corresponded to the increase in remnant cholesterol (RC), indicating the possible exchange of free cholesterol between HDL and TRLs after a meal. Moreover, CAD patients with exaggerated TG response to diet, defined as TG increase >30%, tend to have a greater post-prandial increase of RC and decrease of HDL-FC compared to those with TG increase ≤30%. Mechanistically, the fasting and post-prandial serum ANGPTL3 levels were significantly lower in those with TG increase ≤30% than those with TG increase >30%, suggesting that ANGPTL3, the key lipolysis regulator, may be responsible for the different post-prandial responses of TG, RC, and HDL-FC.


Five cationic surfactants, each bearing a single sulfur at various locations along their chains, were adsorbed into sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles. An oxidant, periodate, was added to the system, and the subsequent rate of thioether oxidation to sulfoxide, determined by NMR, was found to be diminished (more or less equally for all sulfur loci) by 2 orders of magnitude. In contrast, rates of hydrogen peroxide oxidation were hardly perturbed by micellization. Once again, however, there was no rate dependence on sulfur location within the chains. These results are interpreted in terms of a disordered micelle in which all chain positions have roughly equivalent access to the micelle surface. The kinetic method for assessing exposure to the external medium is applicable to self-assemblies and polymer systems wherever the NMR resolution so permits.


Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in MYH9 and APOL1 on chromosome 22 (c22) are powerfully associated with non-diabetic end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in African Americans (AAs). Many AAs diagnosed with type 2 diabetic nephropathy (T2DN) have non-diabetic kidney disease, potentially masking detection of DN genes. Therefore, genome-wide association analyses were performed using the Affymetrix SNP Array 6.0 in 966 AA with T2DN and 1,032 non-diabetic, non-nephropathy (NDNN) controls, with and without adjustment for c22 nephropathy risk variants. No associations were seen between FRMD3 SNPs and T2DN before adjusting for c22 variants. However, logistic regression analysis revealed seven FRMD3 SNPs significantly interacting with MYH9—a finding replicated in 640 additional AA T2DN cases and 683 NDNN controls. Contrasting all 1,592 T2DN cases with all 1,671 NDNN controls, FRMD3 SNPs appeared to interact with the MYH9 E1 haplotype (e.g., rs942280 interaction p-value = 9.3E−7 additive; odds ratio [OR] 0.67). FRMD3 alleles were associated with increased risk of T2DN only in subjects lacking two MYH9 E1 risk haplotypes (rs942280 OR = 1.28), not in MYH9 E1 risk allele homozygotes (rs942280 OR = 0.80; homogeneity p-value = 4.3E−4). Effects were weaker stratifying on APOL1. FRMD3 SNPS were associated with T2DN, not type 2 diabetes per se, comparing AAs with T2DN to those with diabetes lacking nephropathy. T2DN-associated FRMD3 SNPs were detectable in AAs only after accounting for MYH9, with differential effects for APOL1. These analyses reveal a role for FRMD3 in AA T2DN susceptibility and accounting for c22 nephropathy risk variants can assist in detecting DN susceptibility genes.


Estimating the behaviour of buckling clamped–clamped beams entails solving nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs). Several techniques are found in the literature that deal with such PDEs; techniques that also take into account initial curvatures and/or imperfections. However, when the system configuration is different from that of one single beam it becomes more involved. In this Letter, a buckling energy harvester is presented. Owing to the nature of its design, a nonlinear differential equation (not a PDE) capable of capturing all the salient characteristics of its behaviour could be developed. The effectiveness of the model is validated using finite element analysis. The energy harvester is designed using the SINTEF piezoVolume process and operated in the d 31 mode. With electrical damping only, the device, designed for validation purposes, achieved a power density of 0.13 mW cm−3 at 3.5 g ms−2 at 560 Hz and produced d 31 open-circuit voltages of 0.6 V.


Rural areas are geographically dispersed and if educational programs for such rural areas are to provide equitable coverage, accessibility technological means must be considered. Indeed there has to be an existing or proposed infrastructure that would enable these programs to be conveyed. This paper looks into the information and communication needs for the vast majority of rural areas in Enugu State so as to build mechanisms to support ICT in order to increase the rate of development and economic growth. The paper shows, through data collected from Secondary schools in Enugu State, why there is a pressing need to primarily finance ICT projects focusing on the needs, aspirations, capacities and perspectives of the vast majority of people in rural areas. Choices for communication infrastructure are detailed.


Estimating stature in human skeletal remains of Asian ancestry is problematic for forensic anthropologists due to the paucity and uncertain suitability of regression formulae. To address this issue, our study analyzed 64 individuals from a modern skeletal collection of South‐East Asian origin and developed population‐specific ordinary least squares regression formulae to estimate skeletal height from each of the long bones of the upper and lower limbs, as well as from trunk length. Results indicate that the most accurate estimates of skeletal height from a single bone (as measured by standard error of the estimate—SEE) are from tibial length in males (SEE = 2.40 cm) and from humeral length in females (SEE = 2.59 cm), followed by femoral length (SEE = 2.84 cm). When multiple elements are considered, the combination of femoral and tibial length yields the best estimates in both sexes as well as combined sex samples (male SEE = 2.40 cm; female SEE = 2.77 cm; combined sex SEE = 2.54 cm).


The evolution of resonant waves due to the nonlinear interaction associated with the plasma-maser effect is considered, and the nonlinear growth rate obtained. It is shown that the latter contains a "polarization" (only for the resonant waves) as well as a "direct third-order" contribution. In particular, the effect of the plasma-maser mechanism on the beam instability caused by Landau growth is investigated. It is shown that this effect can significantly modify the behavior of the instability. The conditions for the dominance of the plasma-maser effect nonlinearity over that of the usual quasilinear mechanism are given.


The development of European Union (EU) Consumer Law has reached an important watershed. After decades of piecemeal harmonisation of selected aspects of Consumer Law, it seems the moment has been reached where the future of EU Consumer Law may lie somewhere other than in further harmonisation of national law. The trigger has been the shift in responsibility for much of EU Consumer Law from DG SANCO to DG Justice following the appointment of a new Commission in 2009, and Commissioner Reding's willingness to open a debate as to where the priorities for EU Consumer Law should lie. Furthermore, after a period of uncertainty, it now seems that the work on the Common Frame of Reference on European Contract Law has resumed in earnest, and, more importantly, that this has once again been linked with the future development of EU Consumer Law. The Commission opened a broad debate about this in a Green Paper on Policy Options for Progress towards a European Contract Law for Consumers and Businesses in July 2010. This contribution will first take stock of the current situation regarding EU Consumer Law, before moving on to examine the various policy choices put forward in the Green Paper. It will be suggested that the overall focus for the future development of EU Consumer Law should be on cross-border transactions, and that further harmonisation of national consumer laws should be stopped.


Tendons play a critical role in the transmission of forces between muscles and bones, and chronic tendon injuries and diseases are among the leading causes of musculoskeletal disability. Little is known about sex‐based differences in tendon structure and function. Our objective was to evaluate the mechanical properties, biochemical composition, transcriptome, and cellular activity of plantarflexor tendons from 4 month old male and female C57BL/6 mice using in vitro biomechanics, mass spectrometry‐based proteomics, genome‐wide expression profiling, and cell culture techniques. While the Achilles tendons of male mice were approximately 6% larger than female mice (p < 0.05), the cell density of female mice was around 19% greater than males (p < 0.05). No significant differences in mechanical properties (p > 0.05) of plantaris tendons were observed. Mass spectrometry proteomics analysis revealed no significant difference between sexes in the abundance of major extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins such as collagen types I (p = 0.30) and III (p = 0.68), but female mice had approximately twofold elevations (p < 0.05) in less abundant ECM proteins such as fibronectin, periostin, and tenascin C. The transcriptome of male and female tendons differed by only 1%. In vitro, neither the sex of the serum that fibroblasts were cultured in, nor the sex of the ECM in which they were embedded, had profound effects on the expression of collagen and cell proliferation genes. Our results indicate that while male mice expectedly had larger tendons, male and female tendons have very similar mechanical properties and biochemical composition, with small increases in some ECM proteins and proteoglycans evident in female tendons. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:2117–2126, 2017.


The study analyzed socialization practices promoted within early education settings from a sociocultural constructivist perspective on human development. It aimed at investigating the promotion and/or inhibition of different modes of human interdependency, namely, cooperation, competition and individualism, which are associated with specific social interactions, and values/beliefs orientations. Social interaction patterns presented by two teachers and their respective 4 to 6 year-old children were analyzed in two different educational contexts. Results showed the promotion of individualistic interactive patterns and competive, with almost no incentive to peer cooperation, neither at a daily basis nor at the level of the teacher-planned structured activity, which was microanalyzed.


In this paper, a scheduling problem is considered in the cellular network where there exist CBR (constant bit rate) users requiring exact minimum average throughput guarantee, and EMG (elastic with minimum guarantee) users requiring minimum average throughput guarantee and more if possible. We propose a combined scheduling and call admission control algorithm that exactly guarantees the minimum requirements of CBR and EMG users, and then allocates the leftover capacity to EMG users. The proposed algorithm is developed using utility maximization problem without minimum throughput constraints and newly defined utility functions. In the algorithm, it is easy to give priority to particular users so that their requirements are guaranteed prior to any other user. Moreover, the priority structure enables the proposed measurement-based call admission control algorithm to perform admission trial without affecting the minimum required throughput of ongoing users. We verify the performance of our algorithm through mathematical analysis and simulations.


The Wireless Mesh Network (WMN) has already been recognized as a promising broadband access network technology from both academic and commercial perspective. In order to improve the performance of WMNs, extensive research efforts have been dedicated towards finding means to increase the number of simultaneous transmissions in the network while avoiding signal interference among radios. In case of WMNs based on IEEE 802.11 b/g standards, most recent research works have relied upon the usage of orthogonal channels for solving the Channel Assignment (CA) problem. In this paper, we explore the possibility of exploiting Partially Overlapped Channels (POCs) by introducing a novel game theoretic distributed CA algorithm. The proposed algorithm CoCAG is shown to achieve near-optimal performance in the average case.


This paper discusses the application of micro-Raman spectroscopy to measure mechanical stress in microelectronic packages. Examples are given for local stress induced in the silicon chip by solder bumps, stress induced in the chip by bonding to a Cu substrate, and stress induced during thinning of wafers by polishing. Both 1D and 2D results from stress measurements are shown. It is demonstrated that micro-Raman spectroscopy is a very useful tool for the study of packaging induced local mechanical stress and offers a means for verification of finite element simulation results.


BACKGROUND: Stature is the height of the person in the upright posture. It is an important measure of physical identity. Estimation of body height from its segments or dismember parts has important considerations for identifications of living or dead human body or remains recovered from disasters or other similar conditions. OBJECTIVE: Stature is an important indicator for identification. There are numerous means to establish stature and their significance lies in the simplicity of measurement, applicability and accuracy in prediction. Our aim of the study was to review the relationship between foot length and body height. METHODS: The present study reviews various prospective studies which were done to estimate the stature. All the measurements were taken by using standard measuring devices and standard anthropometric techniques. RESULTS: This review shows there is a correlation between stature and foot dimensions it is found to be positive and statistically highly significant. Prediction of stature was found to be most accurate by multiple regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Stature and gender estimation can be done by using foot measurements and study will help in medicolegal cases in establishing identity of an individual and this would be useful for Anatomists and Anthropologists to calculate stature based on foot length.


Events represent a significant source of information on the web; they deliver information about events that occur around the world in all subjects and areas. These events can be collected and organized to provide valuable and useful information for decision makers, researchers, as well as for any person seeking knowledge. In this paper, we discuss an ongoing research to target stock markets domain to observe and record changes (events) when they happen, collect them, understand the meaning of each one of them, and organize the information along with meaning in a well-structured format. By using Semantic Role Labeling (SRL) technique, we have identified four factors for each event in this paper: verb of action and three roles associated with it, entity name, attribute, and attribute value. We have generated a set of rules and techniques to support our approach to analyze and understand the meaning of the events that take place in stock markets.


Objective: According to the World Health Organization, pancreatic endocrine tumors are graded by assessment of the Ki67 proliferation index and/or mitotic count. The objective was to find comparable grading on the basis of the novel mitotic marker phosphohistone-H3 (PHH3). Study Design: A computer-assisted system was used to assess 23 cell blocks stained with PHH3 and Ki67 antibodies. We investigated possible cut-points for PHH3 and computed percent agreement between the PHH3- and Ki67-based grading. Results: The Spearman correlation between percent Ki67 positive and percent PHH3 positive was 0.76 (p = 0.001). A value of 0.3% for the lower cut-point ('cut-point 1', differentiating between grades 1 and 2) and values of about 1.8-1.9% for the higher cut-point ('cut-point 2', differentiating between grades 2 and 3) shows optimal agreement between PHH3 and Ki67 grading. The percentage of positive cells was much higher for Ki67 than for PHH3 (mean 10.6 vs. 3.0%). Conclusions: PHH3 has good correlation with Ki67, but the range of PHH3 positivity is much narrower than that of Ki67 (range 0-4% for PHH3 vs. 0-50% for Ki67). Therefore, to be as accurate, grading on the basis of PHH3 requires evaluation of a larger number of tumor cells for a precise determination of percent PHH3-positive nuclei.


Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by a progressive neuronal degeneration, immunodeficiency, cancer proneness and an extreme sensitivity to ionizing radiation. In this work, micronucleus dose-response curves for lymphocytes of normal and AT individuals, exposed in G(zero) to low LET gamma-rays and high LET fast neutrons, are compared. After gamma-irradiation, the micronucleus yields for AT lymphocytes are strongly increased compared with controls. The micronucleus dose-response curve for AT cells shows a linear dependence instead of a linear-quadratic one which is found for normal cells. After neutron irradiation, the increase in micronucleus yield above controls is less pronounced than with gamma-rays and the micronucleus dose-response curves are linear, as expected. The high increase in micronucleus yield compared with controls after gamma-irradiation further suggests the application of the micronucleus assay as a diagnostic tool for ataxia telangiectasia.


This study aims to investigate what degree do the hospital buildings carry out their role in regional scenery. To carry out this study the existing theoretical and field survey was conducted to the 44 private hospitals in small and medium-sized cities - Jeonju city, Kunsan city and Iksan city in Jeonlabukdo district. The contents of the survey are the general aspect of the polled, the image of the buildings, that of medical treatment parts, the relations to the regional scenery. And they are questionnaire surveyed to the 44 private hospital buildings. In questionnaire survey, the 35 professional architects who major architecture and related design and 118 citizens who doesn't major architecture are participated. The results of this study are as follows: 1. Those surveyed who answered those private hospital buildings which have their functional images are barely 20%. Some of 27% answered they have images of the commercial building. Especially in professional architects, 5% of them answered thet have their hospital images. It showed that they don't have their identity in the architectural expression in the processof architectural design. 2. The architectural facade elements that express their images in surveyed buildings are answered that architectural building form is 62%, architectural color is 27% and architectural material is 10% in turn. And the architectural elements that express their images in surveyed buildings are answered that building wall is 56%, architectural decoration is 32%. In this article, the reason why the ratio of the architectural decoration is high is that they don' have their identity in building itself. And they expressed their identity by their decoration, sign system not their buildings. 3. As the preference level for their images, some of the 49% of the total surveyed answered common. The general surveyed answered a little preference. But the architect professional group answered preference is 14%, not preference is 29%. The reason of this article is that the general surveyed are familiar with their buildings. So the questionnaire of the harmony with the surrounding scenery, 25% of the general surveyed answered that they are in harmony with surrounding but 22% of them answered that they are not in them. But In professional group, they answered 6% oh them are positive 37% of them are negative. This results suggests that the identity of the private hospital buildings are established in the process of archiectural design.


A browser behavior monitoring method on the client/server structure was proposed. The method can be used to monitor and manage the behavior of the users on the Internet. A web browser component of Internet Explorer was embedded with automatic object linking and embedding technology. Through the interface of the web browser component, web data records are accessed and written into files using the format of XML that can be used to replay and check the Internet behavior of the client users. The experimental results show that the system can effectively monitor the Internet behaviors, therefore can be used to reduce the aggressive behaviors of the internal network in an organization.


Abstract Baena-Raya, A, Díez-Fernández, DM, López-Sagarra, A, Martínez-Rubio, C, Soriano-Maldonado, A, and Rodríguez-Pérez, MA. Novel curvilinear sprint test in basketball: reliability and comparison with linear sprint. J Strength Cond Res 37(9): e535–e540, 2023—This study (a) evaluated the reliability of a curvilinear sprint (CS) test to assess kinetic and kinematic outcomes in basketball players, (b) compared the kinetic and kinematic outcomes derived from curvilinear vs. linear sprints (LS), and (c) examined the association of both the CS and LS with change of direction (COD) performance. Thirty young basketball players (17 men and 13 women) competing at the national level (i.e., Spanish Basketball National League) performed a novel CS test around the 3-point line (the 3-point line CS test) to the right and left sides. The maximum and average values of acceleration (ACC), velocity (VEL), and centripetal force (CentF) were measured using Local Positioning System technology (WIMU PRO, Realtrack Systems S.L., Almería, Spain). All outcomes showed a high relative (intraclass correlations coefficient ≥ 0.90) and absolute (coefficient of variation [CV] < 5%) reliability, except the maximal CentF to the right (CV = 5.41%) and left sides (CV = 7.72%). Linear sprints displayed higher ACC and VEL outputs compared with the 3-point line CS test (all p < 0.001). Both sprinting tests were very large to nearly perfect associated with COD performance (LS r range from −0.71 to −0.86; CS r range from −0.68 to −0.94; p < 0.001), and the curvilinear ACCmax was the kinematic outcome most strongly associated with COD performance (r range from −0.73 to −0.94). In conclusion, the 3-point line CS test is reliable to measure CS performance in basketball and presents different kinetic and kinematic features than LS.


Online quality prediction allows service-oriented systems to anticipate the need for adaptation and thus to prevent the actual occurrence of failures or to mitigate upcoming failures. Such proactive adaptation capabilities are increasingly relevant for future service-oriented systems, which need to cope with limited control over third-party services, as well as rapidly changing usage contexts. Initial, promising results have been achieved for what concerns online quality prediction for service-oriented systems. However, there are many challenging issues remaining that call for concrete solutions. In this paper we present a set of research challenges identified by the research community that may be worth investigating in the coming years.


The paper deals with the problem of singularly perturbed systems when the parameter e, representing the ratio speed between the fast and slow dynamics, is time-varying. We will show that using an adequate fuzzy partition of ε, we can combine techniques of fuzzy control and singular perturbations to control the system. The parameter ε, may be only partially known (known only on some particular "representative" points). The lack of information is recovered using a method of fuzzy approximation, that provides in the same time the partition required to build the control law.


Background and Goal of Study: There is wide variability in the treatment of acute traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI) within the British Neurosurgical population.1 Our aim was to ascertain the current medical treatment of acute traumatic SCI injuries within the British Neuroanaesthetic community. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire survey via an online survey tool was sent to all full members of the Neuroanaesthetic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (NASGBI). Prior approval was obtained from the NASGBI. We asked about experience of the anaesthetist, intraoperative management during spinal surgery for traumatic SCI, and management in the intensive care unit in the week following injury. A total of 96 responded (37% response rate). Results: Desflurane (35%), TCI propofol and remifentanil (33%) and sevoflurane (27%) were the preferred anaesthetics used. Most neuroanaesthetists (96%) avoided agents known to increase intracranial pressure. Intraoperative monitoring was variable: 15% always measure central venous pressure; 78% invasive arterial blood pressure and 6% non invasive cardiac output. We assessed whether, in the intensive care unit, neuroanaesthetists manage spinal cord injury similar to brain injury. Only 3% consider mannitol or hypertonic saline. No one advocates hypothermia. Most (92%) maintain arterial pCO2 and pO2 within normal ranges. There was uncertainty about optimal mean arterial pressure; 54% aimed for ≥80 mmHg, with the use of inotropes if required. Conclusions: There is variability in the anaesthetic management of SCI. Our data suggests British Neuroanaesthetists assume that the injured spinal cord responds in the same way as injured brain. Intraoperative monitoring, however, is more limited and their intensive care management does not follow the same principles as used for brain injury. ReferencesWerndle MC, Zoumprouli A, Bell BA, Papadopoulos MC. Acute traumatic spinal cord injuries: wide variability of treatment within the UK. British Journal of Neurosurgery. April 2011; 25(2):166.


We introduce the standard distribution width of fitness to characterize the global and individual features of an ecosystem described by the Bak–Sneppen evolution model. Through tracking this quantity in evolution, a different hierarchy of avalanche dynamics, the w0 avalanche, is observed. The corresponding gap equation and the self-organized threshold wc are obtained. The critical exponents τ, γ and ρ, which describe the behaviour of the avalanche size distribution, the average avalanche size and the relaxation to attractor, respectively, are calculated by numerical simulation. The exact master equation and γ equation are derived, and the scaling relations are established among the critical exponents of this new avalanche.


Biometrics, a journal of the International Biometric Society (IBS), is a top scholarly publication reporting work promoting the use of statistical and mathematical theory and methods in the biosciences. Authors of Biometrics articles are among the foremost researchers in the statistical profession. Information about the journal, including detailed instructions for authors; new developments; and review-time statistics (updated monthly) are available at the journal website, http://www.biometrics.tibs.org/. The newsletter of the IBS, the Biometric Bulletin, features a column in each issue reporting on news related to Biometrics. The journal is published by Wiley-Blackwell; online content is accessible at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/biom.


We report on deep near-infrared F125W (J) and F160W (H) Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 images of the z = 6.42 quasar J1148+5251 to attempt to detect rest-frame near-ultraviolet emission from the host galaxy. These observations included contemporaneous observations of a nearby star of similar near-infrared colors to measure temporal variations in the telescope and instrument point-spread function (PSF). We subtract the quasar point source using both this direct PSF and a model PSF. Using direct subtraction, we measure an upper limit for the quasar host galaxy of mJ > 22.8 and mH > 23.0 AB mag (2 σ). After subtracting our best model PSF, we measure a limiting surface brightness from 0.″3 to 0.″5 radius of μJ > 23.5 and μH > 23.7 AB mag arcsec−2 (2 σ). We test the ability of the model subtraction method to recover the host galaxy flux by simulating host galaxies with varying integrated magnitude, effective radius, and Sérsic index, and conducting the same analysis. These models indicate that the surface brightness limit (μJ > 23.5 AB mag arcsec−2) corresponds to an integrated upper limit of mJ > 22–23 AB mag, consistent with the direct subtraction method. Combined with existing far-infrared observations, this gives an infrared excess log (IRX) > 1.0 and corresponding ultraviolet spectral slope β > −1.2 ± 0.2. These values match those of most local luminous infrared galaxies, but are redder than those of almost all local star-forming galaxies and z ≃ 6 Lyman break galaxies.


Background N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) enzyme is a Phase II drug-metabolizing enzyme that metabolizes different compounds. Genetic variations in NAT2 can influence the enzyme's activity and potentially lead to the development of certain diseases. Aim This study aimed to investigate the association of NAT2 variants with the risk of Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and the lipid profile among Jordanian patients. Methods We sequenced the whole protein-coding region in NAT2 using Sanger's method among a sample of 45 Jordanian T2DM patients and 50 control subjects. Moreover, we analyzed the lipid profiles of the patients and examined any potential associations with NAT2 variants. Results This study revealed that the heterozygous NAT2*13 C/T genotype is significantly (P = 0.03) more common among T2DM (44%) than non-T2DM subjects (23.5%). Furthermore, the frequency of homozygous NAT2*13 T/T genotype was found to be significantly higher (P = 0.03) among T2DM patients (26.7%) compared to that of non-T2DM subjects (11%). The heterozygous NAT2*7 G/A genotype was exclusively observed in T2DM patients (11.1%) and absent in the control non-T2DM group. Moreover, among T2DM patients, those with a homozygous NAT2*11 T/T genotype exhibited significantly higher levels of triglycerides (381.50 ± 9.19 ng/dL) with a P value of 0.01 compared to those with heterozygous NAT2*11 C/T (136.23 ± 51.12 ng/dL) or wild-type NAT2*11 C/C (193.65 ± 109.89 ng/dL) genotypes. T2DM patients with homozygous NAT2*12 G/G genotype had a significantly (P = 0.04) higher triglyceride levels (275.67 ± 183.42 ng/dL) than the heterozygous NAT2*12 A/G (140.02 ± 49.53 ng/dL) and the wild NAT2*12 A/A (193.65 ± 109.89 ng/dL). Conclusion The finding in this study suggests that the NAT2 gene is a potential biomarker for the development of T2DM and changes in triglyceride levels among Jordanians. However, it is important to note that our sample size was limited; therefore, further clinical studies with a larger cohort are necessary to validate these findings.


Anti-TNF and thiopurines are the only drugs that demonstrated efficacy in preventing postoperative recurrence (POR) in Crohn's disease (CD). However, in some cases these drugs are contraindicated or have previously failed. Recently, ustekinumab was licensed for CD but no data on its efficacy in the prevention of POR is still available.

 All CD patients in whom ustekinumab was prescribed for primary prevention of POR within the first 3 months after ileocecal or ileocolonic resection with anastomosis were identified from the ENEIDA registry (a prospectively maintained database of the Spanish Working Group in IBD –GETECCU-). We evaluated the rates of endoscopic, clinical or surgical POR in the first 18 months. Endoscopic POR was defined by a Rutgeerts score >i1 and advanced endoscopic POR by >i2.

 Thirty patients were included; ustekinumab was started after a median time of 60 days (IIQ 31–90). Concomitant immunosuppressants were used in 17%, 27% received an additional 3-month course of metronidazole after surgery. Regarding risk factors for POR: 23% were active smokers, 62% had prior resections, 33% had penetrating CD behaviour, and 22% had a history of perianal disease. In total, 36% of them had more than one risk factor. 50% had been exposed to ustekinumab prior to the index surgery (46% within the last 6 months). The median time of follow-up on ustekinumab was 17 months (IQR 11–21). Fifty-six per cent of patients had at least one endoscopic assessment within 18 months after surgery: 58% had endoscopic POR and 23% advanced endoscopic POR. Additionally, 13% presented clinical POR at the discretion of the treating physician and none developed surgical POR.

 In a small clinical practice cohort, ustekinumab showed similar efficacy as that reported with anti-TNF in the prevention of endoscopic POR. Unfortunately, the lack of early endoscopic monitoring is still frequent despite the recommendations from guidelines.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) hyperintensity is hypothesized to represent irreversibly infracted tissue (ischemic core) in the setting of acute stroke. Measurement of the ischemic core has implications for both prognosis and therapy. We wished to assess the level of evidence in the literature supporting this hypothesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a systematic review of the literature relating to tissue outcomes of DWI hyperintense stroke lesions in humans. The methodologic rigor of studies was evaluated by using criteria set out by the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. Data from individual studies were also analyzed to determine the prevalence of patients demonstrating lesion progression, no change, or lesion regression compared with follow-up imaging. RESULTS: Limited numbers of highly methodologically rigorous studies (Oxford levels 1 and 2) were available. There was great variability in observed rates of DWI lesion reversal (0%–83%), with a surprisingly high mean rate of DWI lesion reversal (24% of pooled patients). Many studies did not include sufficient data to determine the precise prevalence of DWI lesion growth or reversal. CONCLUSIONS: The available tissue-outcome evidence supporting the hypothesis that DWI is a surrogate marker for ischemic core in humans is troublingly inconsistent and merits an overall grade D based on the criteria set out by the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine.


Excessive software development is the tendency to develop new software above and beyond the requirements of the market and/or planned specifications. It is a widespread phenomenon involving both risks and flexibility advantages. As it represents a challenging dilemma for software developers, it is important to study its human origins. Drawing on the tripartite model of individual attitudes, this study investigates the influence of developers's cognitive (intuitive and rational thinking styles), affective (emotional attachment) and behavioural (reliance on past experiences) traits on two forms of excess, beyond needs and beyond plans. Using survey data on 307 software developers, this study shows that different manifestations of excess are associated with distinct traits of software developers. Emotional attachment drives beyond needs excess. A positive (negative) association is found between relying on past experiences and beyond needs excess (beyond plans excess). An intuitive cognitive style fosters the inclusion of extra features in the new product scope, whereas a rational style might lead to developing one-size-fits-all software that targets the needs of a broad user base. These findings contribute to research on the development of digital new products and production technologies by offering a comprehensive yet fine-grained picture of excessive software development's nature and drivers.


Register transfer level (RTL) power macromodeling is a mature research topic with a variety of equation and table-based approaches. Despite its maturity, macromodeling is not yet widely accepted as a de facto industrial standard for power estimation at the RT level. Each approach has many variants depending upon the parameters chosen to capture power variation. Every macromodeling technique has some intrinsic limitation affecting either its performance or its accuracy. Therefore, alternative macromodeling methods can be envisaged as part of a power modeling toolkit from which multiple models for a given component could be exploited so as to reduce the estimation errors resulting from conventional single-model approaches. This paper describes two different approaches for a new multi-model power estimation engine. The first one selects the macromodeling technique that leads to the least estimation error, for a given system component, depending on the properties of its input-vector stream. A proper selection function is built after component characterization and used during estimation. Though simple, this approach has revealed a substantial improvement in estimation accuracy. The second one builds a power estimate function that captures the correlation between individual macromodel estimates and input-stream properties. Experimental results show that our multi-model engine improves the robustness of power analysis with negligible usage overhead. Accuracy becomes seven times better on average, as compared to conventional single-model estimators, while the overall maximum estimation error is divided by 9.


The performance of a polymeric electret material depends on many parameters, and besides chemical structure, charging conditions, and application temperature, other factors, such as grade, manufacturer, processing history, and additive package, are critical. Commercial polyetherimide (PEI) Ultem®1000 films exhibited satisfying electret properties as revealed by an isothermal potential decay (ITPD) to 75% of the initial surface charge after 24 h at 90°C. It was found that after purification by reprecipitation this value drops to 34% and that the same PEI synthesized by two different methods revealed to be a very poor electret with charge retention of almost zero. Assuming that an additive in the commercial material might be responsible for this behavior, we identified an organophosphonite which is commonly used as antioxidant in high-temperature polymers. We incorporated this additive by melt compounding into purified PEI and found a dramatic increase in charge retention to 79% of the initial charge at an additive load level of 0.5 wt %. By immersing Ultem®1000 films in water, the electret behavior was further improved and almost 100% charge retention was achieved. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010


This Letter proposes a fast selective ACK scheme for Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) to enhance transmission throughput in multi-homing scenarios. In the proposed scheme, a multi-homed receiver sends SACK chunks to the sender over the fastest reverse path, which facilitates to inflate the congestion window and to retransmit the lost data packets as quickly as possible. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme could improve the throughput performance of multi-homed SCTP hosts under both normal SCTP and CMTSCTP cases if only the reverse paths have various one-way delays.


Tea crop damage is caused by mites and insect pests, and each year a significant amount of crop loss is occurring due to their damage. Synthetic pesticides' efficiency has allowed them to be widely used as a control tool for several decades. Synthetic pesticides, on the other hand, have resulted in the development of insect pest resistance, pollution, and pesticide residues in the finished product, among many other issues, forcing the planting community to look for an alternative strategy. Microbial pesticides have been used to combat mite and insect pest-damaging tendencies, and a substantial portion of scientific evidence indicates that their actions are both desirable and environmentally beneficial. In recent years, there has been a lot more emphasis on the use of natural enemies such as entomopathogens for pest control. entomopathogenic microorganisms (EM) expands the range of pest control possibilities. Eco-friendly alternatives to existing agricultural pesticides that are employed to manage insect pests and improve agricultural sustainability are being developed. The study summarises current knowledge on EM (entomopathogenic fungi, nematodes, viruses, bacteria, etc) as it relates to their present application as biological pest management.


Diasporas are people settled far from their ancestral homelands. This research has been conducted to address the problems of Pakistani Diasporas who then plan to back-settle in Pakistan. It also defines probable solutions to the problems. The problems have different ways to take over the minds of the returning overseas Pakistanis. They face problems due to change in environment, change in the mindsets of people, change in the communications with other people, change in facilities in terms of education and basic necessities, change in religious interactions etc. These changes cause an effect on the mindset, physical health and mental health leading to diseases such as depression, tension, mental disorder, frequent mood swings etc.


I. INTRODUCTIONIn light of the globalized concern to improve world economies, policymakers are faced with the difficult task of whether to implement policies to benefit their nation's economy such as increasing tariffs, quotas, or transaction taxes. Many countries are looking to impose additional taxes on financial transactions in order to boost revenue lost with the slump of the global economy. In fact, the European Union recently backed a financial transaction tax (FTT) implementation for ten European Union (EU) states (BBC News Business, 2012). If implemented, the EU could tax cross-border transactions such as purchases of securities, bank investments, and loans: for each financial transaction, the government would receive a percentage through the tax. Policymakers theorize that these taxes will be small enough not to impact overall transactions, and that with so many transactions on a day-to-day basis, the government would receive large revenues (BBC News Business, 2012).These taxes and other transaction taxes such as the securities transaction tax (STT) are brought up by Congresses often enough (Wang & Yau, 2012, p. 2). The idea originated with England's Stamp Duty and is currently in place in countries such as England where currency transactions are taxed (Wang, p. 2). Proponents argue that FTTs "would increase government revenues that could be used for various purposes, including funding regulatory agencies" (Wang & Yau, 2012, p. 2). The argument is that certain capital flow restrictions would not impact economic growth and much needed revenue will be raised. Those who oppose FTTs argue "increase[d] price volatility, reduce[d] market liquidity, and decrease[d] price efficiency" would result, causing increased costs of capital and lower security values (Wang & Yau, 2012, p. 2). Yet, this tax appeals to many countries that face high deficits, reduced tax revenue due to unemployment, and dissatisfied constituents who wish to reduce global competition.Despite the global context, a key question is whether or not this is the best solution for countries to increase revenue. For example, revenue can also increase through economic growth. Thus, it is possible that reducing financial openness is a more painful way for countries to raise revenue - reducing consumer spending power and growth. An alternative to imposing a restriction, such as a tax, would be to increase openness. This could potentially lead to increased growth and may be less painful for consumers in a slumped global economy.In the context of the recent global economic crisis and the increasing pursuance of trade barriers such as higher tariffs or FTTs, this study seeks to examine how financial openness impacts annual growth: whether or not there is a significant relationship between the two. If there is a relationship, that should direct future policy decisions related to increasing growth of the global economy. Therefore, it is important to examine the relationship between growth and financial openness in order to produce the best policy solution. The current analysis focuses on the impact of open globalized financial markets in developed countries, and the change in annual GDP growth in relation to changes in financial openness.The key variable examined in the study is financial openness. Financial openness is defined as the extent of openness in cross-border financial transactions (Chinn & Ito, 2007, p. 4). The Openness variable is composed of four sub-variables which measure various aspects of restricting capital accounts. The higher the values, the more open a country is in terms of crossborder transactions. In theory, policymakers should expect that financial openness would lead to higher growth because it allows for investment through spread risk and increased liquidity.Before additional restrictions are placed on global financial transactions in the form of taxes, assessing the impact of financial openness on economic growth is a priority. …


Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) is the most widely used robust regression algorithm in computer vision. However, RANSAC has a few drawbacks which make it difficult to use for practical applications. Some of these problems have been addressed through improved sampling algorithms or better cost functions, but an important difficulty still remains. The algorithm is not user independent, and requires knowledge of the scale of the inlier noise. We propose a new robust regression algorithm, the projection based M-estimator (pbM). The pbM algorithm is derived by building a connection to the theory of kernel density estimation and this leads to an improved cost function, which gives better performance. Furthermore, pbM is user independent and does not require any knowledge of the scale of noise corrupting the inliers. We propose a general framework for the pbM algorithm which can handle heteroscedastic data and multiple linear constraints on each data point through the use of Grassmann manifold theory. The performance of pbM is compared with RANSAC and M-Estimator Sample Consensus (MSAC) on various real problems. It is shown that pbM gives better results than RANSAC and MSAC in spite of being user independent.


Xylulose kinase is an important enzyme involved in xylose metabolism, which is considered as essential biocatalyst for sustainable lignocellulosic‐derived pentose utilization. Bacillus coagulans IPE22 is an ideal bacterium for refinery due to its strong ability to ferment xylose at high temperature. However, the B. coagulans xylose utilization mechanism remains unclear and the related promising enzymes need to be developed. In the present study, the gene coding for xylulose kinase from B. coagulans IPE22 (Bc‐XK) was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Bc‐XK has a 1536 bp open reading frame, encoding a protein of 511 amino acids (56.15 kDa). Multiple sequence alignments were performed and a phylogenetic tree was built to evaluate differences among Bc‐XK and other bacteria homologs. Bc‐XK showed a broad adaptability to high temperature and the enzyme displayed its best performance at pH 8.0 and 60 °C. Bc‐XK was activated by Mg2+, Mn2+, and Co2+. Meanwhile, the enzyme could keep activity at 60 °C for at least 180 min. KM values of Bc‐XK for xylulose and ATP were 1.29 mM and 0.76 mM, respectively. The high temperature stability of Bc‐XK implied that it was an attractive candidate for industrial application.


It is becoming widely accepted that recovery is slowed for injured persons who are involved in compensation systems, yet the reasons for this are unclear. Interactions between injured workers and healthcare providers and insurers can affect the injured workers' engagement in rehabilitation and thus their recovery and return to work. Injured worker perspectives have only recently been considered in the research literature, and less attention has been paid to healthcare provider experiences within workers' compensation systems. This thesis examines the experiences and perceptions of injured workers internationally, and healthcare provider experiences and perceptions both internationally and within the state of Victoria, Australia, regarding their involvement in workers' compensation systems. This thesis focuses on the experiences of psychologists as a subgroup of healthcare providers that provide services to injured workers who have sustained both work-related physical and mental health injuries. This thesis utilises three distinct qualitative methodologies to investigate injured worker and healthcare provider experiences: a systematic review of qualitative literature; exploratory research through "idea building" with groups of psychologists; and in-depth interviews with individual psychologists. Critical realism is the paradigm that serves as the theoretical framework which guides this research. Critical realism fits neatly with other methodologies such as thematic analysis and meta-ethnographic synthesis methods that were used to analyse the findings and to uncover the deeper meaning of participants' experiences and the corresponding broader implications for workers' compensation system administrators. A number of key messages were repeated across the systematic review, the group research and individual interviews. It was identified that interactions between injured workers and insurers are interwoven in cyclical and pathogenic relationships that create secondary psychological consequences for injured workers. A number of claims management processes, namely independent medical evaluations and surveillance, were identified as being harmful to injured workers and complicated treatment. The research highlights independent medical evaluations as a central procedure in the workers' compensation system that creates stress and promulgates stigma for injured workers. Insurers' evaluation of psychologists' treatment and disputation of professional opinions via independent medical evaluations also impacted the efficacy of treatment. Injured workers can be caught between the adversarial interactions that exist between healthcare providers and insurers. Healthcare providers found that system-related administrative demands, together with delays in treatment approvals and payments, reduced their level of job satisfaction and willingness to work in the workers' compensation arena. The findings from the research outlined in this thesis support existing literature that concludes injured workers' recovery is slower when involved in compensation systems. The thesis also extends current knowledge in the occupational health field by identifying the lack of procedural justice that should be accorded to injured workers and healthcare providers alike. A number of changes to policy and clinical practice are suggested to effectively address the identified problems.


The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang) is located near the western border of China. Xinjiang has a high frequency of dust storms, especially in late winter and early spring. Geostationary satellite remote sensing offers an ideal way to monitor the regional distribution and intensity of dust storms, which can impact the regional climate. In this study observations from the Indian National Satellite (INSAT) 3D are used for dust storm detection in Xinjiang because of the frequent 30-min observations with six bands. An analysis of the optical properties of dust and its quantitative relationship with dust storms in Xinjiang is presented for dust events in April 2014. The Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) derived using six predefined aerosol types shows great potential to identify dust events. Cross validation between INSAT-3D retrieved AOD and MODIS AOD shows a high coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.92). Ground validation using AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) AOD also shows a good correlation with R2 of 0.77. We combined the apparent reflectance (top-of-atmospheric reflectance) of visible and shortwave infrared bands, brightness temperature of infrared bands and retrieved AOD into a new Enhanced Dust Index (EDI). EDI reveals not only dust extent but also the intensity. EDI performed very well in measuring the intensity of dust storms between 22 and 24 April 2014. A visual comparison between EDI and Feng Yun-2E (FY-2E) Infrared Difference Dust Index (IDDI) also shows a high level of similarity. A good linear correlation (R2 of 0.78) between EDI and visibility on the ground demonstrates good performance of EDI in estimating dust intensity. A simple threshold method was found to have a good performance in delineating the extent of the dust plumes but inadequate for providing information on dust plume intensity.


Carbon dots (CDs) is a kind of carbon nanoparticles with a plentiful of surface functional groups and tunable emission with different excitation wavelength. Broadly speaking, CDs include carbon nanodots, carbon quantum dots, graphene quantum dots, carbonized polymer dots. Due to the unique nature, they are explored for various applications in the bio-related fields such as bioimaging, sensor for ion and (bio)molecules, catalyst, LED and other fields. They are viewed as great alternative tracers to the current fluorescent biomarkers in personalized nanomedicine and surgery operation monitoring. In this review, we summarized the recent progress in the development of CDs, including improvement in fluorescence properties, two-photon fluorescence, and integration with other modalities as theragnostic agents. Specifically, we discussed the preparation of dual-modal imaging agents to improve the accuracy of diagnosis, the combination of imaging and targeting functionality for the effective accumulation of biomarkers, and the integration of imaging and therapeutic agents to effectively monitor the localization and concentration of therapeutic agents. Finally, the theragnostic agents composed of three functionalities (e.g. targeting, imaging, and therapy) were summarized to provide readers with future perspectives in this field.


Abstract : The more risky moments in combating terrorism arguably involve the use of force abroad, where there is violence of action and lives are placed directly in harm's way. Often considered an option of last resort, the use of force abroad rests primarily with two instruments of national power. The first instrument is the military. Although many traditional military activities, such as overt or blunt uses of force, are less effective against terrorist networks, Special Operations are tailored to counter nonstate and networked actors, and counterterrorism has been one of the core activities for SOF for more than two decades. The use of force also is inherent in the instrument of intelligence and, more specifically, kinetic operations that are conducted as part of covert action. Both Special Operations and kinetic forms of covert action play important roles in disrupting the lifecycle of terrorism and degrading terrorist organizations. They can be used to destroy, sabotage, or neutralize the weapons, infrastructure, and organizational assets that terrorists rely upon for their operations; deny physical sanctuaries; and help surrogate and other indigenous forces conduct operations against mutual enemies. They also can be used to capture or kill terrorists who threaten the safety and security of the United States and to rescue U.S citizens held hostage abroad. When faced with a decision to approve a Special Operation or a kinetic form of covert action in combating terrorism, presidents and their national security teams take into account a range of political and operational considerations. Drawing on examples from the Bin Ladin raid and the Iranian hostage rescue mission, this paper examines six such considerations: (1) Confidence in the intelligence, (2) Challenges of sovereignty, (3) Sensitivity to casualties, (4) Assessments of effectiveness, (5) Comfort with the operational units, and (6) Pressures to take action.


This paper analyzes the process of preparation and implementation of strategic documents in Macedonian municipalities in terms of public participation and respect of the principle of anti-discrimination. These two principles underpin greater transparency and democracy in municipalities and greater efficiency of developed local policies. The paper builds up on the empirical research where more than 30 municipal strategic documents in ten municipalities. Results indicate that vast majority of analyzed documents were prepared, monitored and evaluated without public participation. In addition, the principle of anti-discrimination was not incorporated in the documents and individual target groups susceptible to discrimination were not mainstreamed. Possible recommendations are discussed, and implications for future engagement of municipalities are outlined.


Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV) genome consists of three pieces of RNA (24-S, 20-S and 17-s RNA). For infectivity these three RNAs and the coat protein are required. In the absence of coat protein, infectivity is obtained by adding the 12-S RNA also normally present in the virus. This 12-S RNA represents the message for coat protein. Thus a redundancy of the gene for coat protein exists between 12-S RNA and one of the other RNAs. Sequence analysis of the oligonucleotides resulting from pancreatic ribonuclease digestion of the AMV RNAs indicates that the nucleotide sequence of 12-S RNA occurs in 17-S RNA. Analysis of the pancreatic ribonuclease digestion products of the two larger alfalfa mosaic virus RNAs (20-S and 24-S RNA) shows some oligonucleotides containing seven, eight and nine nucleotides with the same structure present in both RNAs. The possibility of a limited nucleotide sequence homology between these two RNAs is discussed. The comparison of the RNase digestion products of 20-S and 24-S RNA with those of 12-S or 17-S RNA revealed no homologous oligonucleotides, thus the origin of 12-S RNA appears to be 17-S RNA.


Temperature and compositional dependencies of ultrasonic velocities on molten alkali silicates have been reviewed. Although compositional correlation equations for the ultrasonic velocities on molten silicates have been previously proposed, the compositional dependency has not been interpreted yet from the viewpoint of the silicate structure. The authors focused on the ultrasonic velocities of molten alkali silicates, closely examined the reported data and have found that there is an identical linear relationship between the adiabatic compressibilities, which are strongly relevant to the ultrasonic velocities, and the molar volumes. This indicates that the molar volume is one of the most significant factors affecting the ultrasonic velocities.


Following the increasing impacts on the value of Western play-based pedagogy, early childhood (EC) teachers in China face developmental challenges related to understanding and implementing play-based mathematical education. The purpose of this paper is to explore Chinese EC teachers' perspectives on play-based mathematics teaching. In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews and lesson plans are collected from six EC teachers in a Chinese kindergarten. Hedegaard's model is applied to frame analysis for capturing EC teachers' views and practices from a holistic perspective. The findings show that all six EC teachers valued play as a pedagogical tool for teaching mathematics, while their pedagogical decisions in applying play to children's mathematics are determined by the various demands from society, parents and children. The multiple demands from different perspectives result in challenges for teachers in designing collective play. This study revealed that only when play activity caters to the possibility of satisfying those demands can teachers pedagogically implement play for children's mathematical learning. The insights emerging from this study might address the pragmatic challenges that teachers face by enhancing teachers' professional development to support the advance of culturally sensitive play-based mathematics teaching in China.


Motor neurons (MNs) constitute an ancient cell type targeted by multiple adult-onset diseases. It is therefore important to define the molecular makeup of adult MNs in animal models and extract organizing principles. Here, we generated a comprehensive molecular atlas of adult Caenorhabditis elegans MNs and a searchable database (http://celegans.spinalcordatlas.org). Single-cell RNA-sequencing of 13,200 cells revealed that ventral nerve cord MNs cluster into 29 molecularly distinct subclasses. All subclasses are delineated by unique expression codes of either neuropeptide or transcription factor gene families. Strikingly, we found that combinatorial codes of homeodomain transcription factor genes define adult MN diversity both in C. elegans and mice. Further, molecularly defined MN subclasses in C. elegans display distinct patterns of connectivity. Hence, our study couples the connectivity map of the C. elegans motor circuit with a molecular atlas of its constituent MNs, and uncovers organizing principles and conserved molecular codes of adult MN diversity.


In this paper a practical real-time video trans-mission system is proposed by combining SVC (Scalable Video Coding) and MDC (Multiple Description Coding). Each description of MDC can be designed as scalable bit stream which is helpful for UDP/RTP based transmission over practical packet loss network, such as Internet. To provide different spatial resolution / fidelity videos and flexible transmission over error-prone network, a new coding architecture needs to be revised. In the proposed coding scheme, each MDC description includes independent copy of raw video with lower quality, and each copy can be compressed using SVC. The proposed system achieved better experimental results when compared to schemes without MDC, especially when packet loss occurs.


Ground failure case studies have been the source of the most important advances in geotechnical earthquake engineering over the past 50 years. Documented case histories from the 2010 M8.8 Maule Chile earthquake will, if carefully studied, further advance this field. The 2010 M8.8 earthquake in Chile showed that liquefaction-induced soil-foundation-structure interaction problems are still far from being completely understood. The observed damage and partial collapse of pile-supported bridges like Juan Pablo II, Llacolén, Tubul, La Mochita, and Raqui, is most likely due to the effects of liquefaction-induced lateral and vertical ground displacement, which often causes large ground deformations that impose kinematic loads on the pile foundations. In this paper, simplified back-analyses regarding the seismic performance of bridges Mataquito, Juan Pablo II, and Llacolen are presented. The bridges have been selected not only because clear evidence of liquefaction was found at their respective locations, but also because their seismic performance was very different, ranging from little to negligible damage to a larger and more distributed level of damage.


pH changes produced by photo‐induced proton transport through chloroplast membranes in spinach were measured by a glass microelectrode. Effect of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate on proton translocation through chloroplast membranes has been studied. Kinetic analysis of proton translocation shows that the rate is reduced as the carbamate concentration increases. The rate of proton uptake follows firstorder kinetics and diminishes with increasing carbamate concentrations. The outward leakage of accumulated protons through thytakoid membranes in the dark also decreases likewise. However, the leakage of protons takes a much longer time. Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate is an effective inhibitor of proton transport through chloroplast membranes. The results suggest that the photo‐induced proton translocation is regulated by conformation change in the membrane. Higher concentration of carbamate disrupts the tertiary conformation of the membrane. The inhibition of proton transport would affect ATPase function; thus, an excess use or accumulation of pyrrolidine thiocarbamate may compromise ATP production.


An experiment was conducted with 18 different characters in bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) standl) comprising 36 hybrids obtained by crossing 9 lines and 4 testers by line x testers method to study the correlation and direct and indirect effects of different characters on fruit yield. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design. The overall analysis reveals that fruit yield was positively and significant correlated with fruit flesh thickness, number of fruits per vine and number of fruit pickings. The path analysis indicated that number of fruits per vine, days to first female flower opening, fruit cavity and fruit weight had positive direct effect on fruit yield. Therefore emphasis should be given on fruit flesh thickness, number of fruits per vine, number of fruit pickings, days to first female flower opening, fruit cavity and fruit weight, while selecting a good hybrids for enhancing the yield of bottle gourd.


Task transfer is extremely important for reinforcement learning, since it provides possibility for generalizing to new tasks. One main goal of task transfer in reinforcement learning is to transfer the action policy of an agent from the original basic task to specific target task. Existing work to address this challenging problem usually requires accurate hand-coded cost functions or rich demonstrations on the target task. This strong requirement is difficult, if not impossible, to be satisfied in many practical scenarios. In this work, we develop a novel task transfer framework which effectively performs the policy transfer using preference only. The hidden cost model for preference and adversarial training are elegantly combined to perform the task transfer. We give the theoretical analysis on the convergence about the proposed algorithm, and perform extensive simulations on some well-known examples to validate the theoretical results.


The Pacific Manuscripts Bureau (PMB) is one of very few long-term archival projects in the world based on international cooperation. For 27 years it has responded to the twin imperatives of academic research requirements and the need to preserve the documentary cultural heritage of the Pacific islands. The Bureau is small in scale: one room, one camera, one officer; a cork in an ocean of Pacific archives. Known affectionately as "Pambu", the Bureau has a strong reputation, a resilience born out of the necessity of its task and an enormous amount of support. With minimal resources and independent funding, the Bureau responds constructively to Pacific documentary preservation needs by making microfilm copies of Pacific archives. The survey and arrangement of the archives and manuscripts for microfilming provides archival expertise (a scarce resource in the Pacific) which helps to keep the original records in good order, while the microfilms themselves provide security against their loss. The microfilms, which are distributed widely by subscription and direct sales, also provide valuable sources for academic research especially when access to the originals, if they survive, can be difficult and expensive.


The ototoxicity of netilmicin (NTL) in pregnant guinea pigs (Hartley strain) and the newborn was examined and compared to that of gentamicin (GM). NTL was administered intramuscularly at dose of 90 mg/kg to pregnant guinea pigs from day 0 to day 35 of pregnancy (the early period of pregnancy) or from day 42 of pregnancy to 1 day prior to delivery (the late period of pregnancy). GM at dose of 45 mg/kg or physiological saline were administered intramuscularly to pregnant guinea pigs during the late period of pregnancy. Four of 5 dams given NTL during the early period of pregnancy, 4 of 7 dams given TNL during the late period of pregnancy, and 2 of 4 dams given GM during the late period of pregnancy died. No pinna reflex loss in frequency range from 2 to 20 KHz were detected in mother guinea pigs treated with NTL either during the early period of pregnancy or during the late period of pregnancy. GM caused a loss of pinna reflex at 20 KHz in mother guinea pigs treated during the late period of pregnancy. Histopathologically, no damages were detected in the cochlea of mother guinea pigs treated with NTL during the early or late period of pregnancy, whereas slight scattered loss of hair cells was seen in the vestibulum. However, GM at dose of 45 mg/kg, caused an incomplete scattered loss of outer hair cells in the spiral organ, moderate atrophy of the spiral ganglion cells and a partial loss of hair cells in the vestibular organs in mother guinea pigs treated during the late period of pregnancy. In newborn guinea pig from the pregnant one treated with NTL during the early period of pregnancy, there was no loss of pinna reflex. The same results were obtained in newborn guinea pigs from the pregnant ones treated with either NTL or GM during the late period of pregnancy. No histopathological damages were detected. The present study suggests that NTL has a minimal effect on the auditory and vestibular organs in pregnant guinea pigs and the newborn and is considered to be 1 of the aminoglycosides with low ototoxic potential.


Alternative Complex III (ACIII), like Complex III, catalyzes the oxidation of membrane‐bound quinol and reduction of cytochrome c, but is structurally unrelated to Complex III. We solubilized the ACIII directly from membranes of Flavobacterium johnsoniae using styrene maleic acid (SMA) copolymer in the absence of traditional detergents. The ACIII was isolated as a functional 1:1 supercomplex with an aa3‐type cytochrome c oxidase (cyt aa3) within SMA copolymer nanodiscs. We determined the structure of the ACIII component of the supercomplex to 3.4 Å resolution by cryo‐EM and constructed an atomic model for its six subunits, two of which are anchored to the lipid bilayer with N‐terminal triacylated cysteine residues, resolved here for the first time. The structure also contains a [3Fe‐4S] cluster, a [4Fe‐4S] cluster, and six hemes c along with 11 phospholipid molecules. The ACIII is in direct contact with subunit III of the cyt aa3 component of the supercomplex. The structure revealed that this subunit is structurally modified from the canonical form of subunit III to facilitate association with ACIII, suggesting a specific role of the supercomplex in the respiratory system of this bacterium.


To study the effect of dysglycemia and dyslipidemia on the severity of airflow limitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 292 patients with moderate and higher chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were collected from a hospital during the period November 2018 to November 2019. They were divided into the dysglycemia group (n=119) and the non-dysglycemia group (n=173), the hyperlipemia group (n=106) and non-hyperlipemia group (n=186). Lung function index including the forced expiratory volume in 1 s, forced expiratory volume 1/forced vital capacity and the forced expiratory volume in 1 s predicted. The blood gas indices including the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the artery, the arterial partial pressure of oxygen and dyspnea index modified by the British Medical Research Council. Results indicated that the values of forced expiratory volume, forced expiratory volume 1 % predicted and forced expiratory volume 1/forced vital capacity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with dysglycemia were significantly higher than those in patients without dysglycemia (p<0.05). The values of forced expiratory volume 1, forced expiratory volume 1 % predicted, and forced expiratory volume 1/forced vital capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in hyperlipidemia group were significantly higher than those in the non-hyperlipidemia group (p<0.05). Compared to the group without dysglycemia, the value of partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the artery in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with dysglycemia was significantly higher (p<0.05), and the partial pressure of oxygen value was significantly lower (p<0.05). The partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the artery value of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with hyperlipidemia was significantly higher than that of the non-hyperlipidemia group (p<0.05) and the partial pressure of oxygen value was significantly lower (p<0.05). The dispnea index modified by the British medical research council of the dysglycemia group was significantly higher than that of the non-dysglycemia group (p<0.05) and the modified dispnea index of the hyperlipidemia group was significantly higher than that of the non-hyperlipidemia group (p<0.05). Diabetes or hyperlipidemia will aggravate the severity of airflow limitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and dysglycemia and/or dyslipidemia were the risk factors of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.


Uric acid metabolism is an important concern in many clinical disciplines. Just as "all that wheezes is not asthma," all hyperuricemia is not gout. Clearly, altered urate metabolism is intimately associated with gout. But abnormal serum uric acid concentrations are encountered regularly in such varied pathophysiological problems as hypertension, coronary artery disease, obesity, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, polycythemia, and toxemia of pregnancy. How can this alteration be related to such a disparate collection of diseases, none of which is gout? Of course, several of these problems are otherwise linked: coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and obesity. But this linkage still does not explain the fundamental cause of the altered uric acid levels. Uric acid is a circulating end product of purine metabolism whose concentration may be elevated in gout where uric acid may be deposited in the synovial joint to result in arthritis or in other tissues (eg, kidney) to


This paper is concerned with a non-compact GIT quotient of a vector space, in the presence of an abelian group action and an equivariant regular function (potential) on the quotient. We define virtual counts of quasimaps from prestable curves to the critical locus of the potential, and prove a gluing formula in the formalism of cohomological field theories. The main examples studied in this paper is when the above setting arises from quivers with potentials, where the above construction gives quantum correction to the equivariant Chow homology of the critical locus. Following similar ideas as in quasimaps to Nakajima quiver varieties studied by the Okounkov school, we analyse vertex functions in several examples, including Hilbert schemes of points on $\mathbb{C}^3$, moduli spaces of perverse coherent systems on the resolved conifold, and a quiver which defines higher $\mathfrak{sl}_2$-spin chains. Bethe equations are calculated in these cases. The construction in the present paper is based on the theory of gauged linear sigma models as well as shifted symplectic geometry of Pantev, To\"en, Vaquie and Vezzosi, and uses the virtual pullback formalism of symmetric obstruction theory of Park, which arises from the recent development of Donaldson-Thomas theory of Calabi-Yau 4-folds.


With the help of databases of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS), statistical analyses are carried out on the lifetime of railway switches (points) and crossings. The expected lifetimes are attributed to different parameters which influence the speed of geometrical degradation or wear of the material, e.g. total train loads (expressed in cumulative tonnages), axle loads, train type, the quality of the foundation.


There has been a growing recognition in the
conservation community that landscape-scale networks of preserves
and habitat corridors are needed to adequately protect native
biodiversity. While most of the efforts to protect land on this
scale have occurred in rural environments dominated by resource
lands, an increasing number of efforts are occurring in urban
environments. These locales are characterized by biological and
political fragmentation that complicate landscape-scale
conservation. Chicago Wilderness, a voluntary network of 262
conservation organizations operating in the greater Chicago region,
is one group undertaking this work. I use Chicago Wilderness as a
case study to explore how voluntary conservation coalitions
convince their membership to both adopt and implement regional
conservation plans. I identify a number of barriers that prevent
coalition members from collaborating and make the work of
protecting biodiversity difficult; these include limiting factors
like inter-organizational trust, funding, access to information,
staff capacity, and political climate. Chicago Wilderness has
sought to overcome these barriers by adopting strategies that
prioritize information sharing, technical assistance, and
relationship building, and that increase public involvement with
biodiversity protection. I argue that Chicago Wilderness' mixed
success across the region has been closely tied to the conservation
strategies that it implicitly promotes. The coalition has been most
successful in areas that are accepting of top-down, government-led
conservation solutions like direct acquisition and land use
regulation. The coalition has been less successful in areas-most
often at the edge of the metropolitan area-where citizens and
political officials value private property rights and limited
government intervention. I conclude with suggestions on how Chicago
Wilderness can increase its effectiveness and further promote
biodiversity protection across the region.


The side chain and backbone mobilities of chicken gizzard tropomyosin (TM) and its nonpolymerizable derivative have been investigated by H NMR spectroscopy and amide hydrogen exchange kinetics and compared to those of rabbit cardiac TM and its nonpolymerizable derivative. Analysis of the 300-MHz H NMR spectra of native chicken gizzard and rabbit cardiac TMs and their nonpolymerizable derivatives showed that the line widths of the aromatic and histidine residues were within a factor of 2 for all four proteins, demonstrating that the side chain mobility of these residues is similar in the different TMs. Direct proton exchange-out kinetics were determined in D2O in the pD range 1.5-3.0 at 25 degrees C by H NMR spectroscopy. Multiple exponential fitting of the exchange data indicated the presence in gizzard TM of at least three kinetically distinct classes of amide hydrogens at pD 1.7 with average population sizes of 147, 74, and 61, whose rates were retarded by a factor of 10, 10(3), and 10(5), respectively, relative to the random-coil peptide poly(DL-alanine). Measurement of the direct exchange kinetics of both rabbit cardiac and nonpolymerizable gizzard TMs showed that their rate constants and population sizes were within experimental error of those for the gizzard protein, except that the fast exchanging class for cardiac TM was increased in size while that of the nonpolymerizable gizzard TM was reduced, relative to that for gizzard TM. Comparison of the exchange-out kinetics for the cardiac and gizzard proteins at pH 2.0 and 55 degrees C, where only the two slowly exchanging amide hydrogen sets are measured, again demonstrated the similarity of their kinetic parameters.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


We study equilibrium shapes and shape transformations of a confined semiflexible chain inside a soft lipid tubule using simulations and continuum theories. The deformed tubular shapes and chain conformations depend on the relative magnitude of their bending moduli. We characterise the collapsed macromolecular shapes by computing statistical quantities that probe the polymer properties at small length scales and report a prolate to toroidal coil transition for stiff chains. Deformed tubular shapes, calculated using elastic theories, agree with simulations. In conjunction with scattering studies, our work may provide a mechanistic understanding of gene encapsulation in soft structures.


Background: Worldwide, an increasing number of people carry cell phones and utilize the vibration mode to ensure silence in quiet areas. Extensive use of this mode may be associated with the perception that the phone is vibrating when it is not, i.e., the phantom vibration syndrome.

Aims and Objectives: The present study is based on the hypothesis that moderate to extreme levels of anxiety or depression and low socioeconomic status (SES) could predispose such false vibrations. The study also aims to classify the participants into respective classes based on anxiety level, depression level, and SES mentioning the prevalence of phantom vibration in each class and thereby mentioning its relationship, if any.

Materials and Methods: A total of 258 participants were selected from GMERS Medical College, Patan, Government Nursing College, Patan, and Sheth M N Arts and Commerce College, Patan. Participants were asked to respond to self-reported questionnaires. Assessment was done using Hamilton anxiety scale, Hamilton depression scale, and modified Kuppuswamy's SES scale. Chi-square test was applied for statistical analysis to found the association of anxiety, depression, and SES with phantom vibration syndrome.

Results: Of total participants, 34% of participants had experienced phantom vibrations from the mobile phone. The perceptions were most common among the participants who were associated with frequency of mobile use. Significant association was also found between anxiety/depression and phantom vibration which was in accordance with hypothesis of this study. The study was also based on the hypothesis that low SES could predispose to false vibrations, but we did not find any significant association between phantom vibration syndrome and SES of an individual.

Conclusion: The present study can help to elaborate the ill effects of mobile overuse that might lead to damage in terms of intellectual and cognitive skills. It can also help to determine the factors mediating human behavioral patterns that might lead to such false sensations. A more comprehensive longitudinal study design is needed to validate the phenomena identified in this study and to explore the underlying mechanisms further.


Economic situation of the government described by the indicators of the national accounts is currently underthe spotlight of the professional public. The indicators have its relevance to considerations of the fiscal sustainability and the European Monetary Union enlargement. However, awareness of the methodology is rather weak; the indicators are in many cases confused with other indicators related to public finance. The main aim of the text is to provide a detailed explanation of nature of key indicators used for the purpose of the Excessive Deficit Procedure. At the same time, main differences between indicators related to the state budget, public sector and EDP procedure are outlined.


Background: Uncorrected refractive error is the leading cause of eye problem and the second cause of blindness worldwide. Among children aged 5–15 years, 12.8 million are visually impaired because of refractive errors.

Objective: To assess the magnitude of refractive error among school-going children of Imphal, Manipur, India, and to determine the association between refractive error and variables such as sex, dietary habits, family history, and daily activities such as watching television and using computers.

Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among upper primary school students (students of classes six and seven) of Imphal from June 21, 2014 to July 8, 2014. Sample size was calculated to be 267. Cluster sampling method was used to select the study participants. Snellen chart, Roman test type chart, and pinhole were used to detect refractive error. Analysis was done using χ2-test and Fisher's exact test. P value of


Introduction: Gilteritinib is a potent/selective oral inhibitor of FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3). Based upon interim analysis response rates from the ADMIRAL Phase III study of gilteritinib vs salvage chemotherapy (SC) in patients (pts) with R/R FLT3mut+ AML (NCT02421939), gilteritinib became the first FLT3 inhibitor approved as single agent therapy in this population. Here we present the final results of this pivotal trial. Methods: Adults with confirmed FLT3mut+ AML (FLT3-ITD and/or FLT3-TKD D835 or I836 mutations) refractory to induction chemotherapy or in untreated first relapse were randomized (2:1) to receive continuous 28-day cycles of 120 mg/day gilteritinib or pre-randomization selected SC: low-dose cytarabine (LoDAC), azacitidine (AZA), mitoxantrone/etoposide/cytarabine (MEC), or fludarabine/cytarabine/granulocyte colony-stimulating factor/idarubicin (FLAG-IDA). Prior FLT3 inhibitor use, other than midostaurin or sorafenib, was excluded. Overall survival (OS) and the combined rate of complete remission/complete remission with partial hematologic recovery (CR/CRh) were co-primary endpoints. Secondary endpoints were event-free survival (EFS) and CR rate; safety/tolerability was also examined. Results: A total of 371 pts were randomized: 247 to gilteritinib and 124 to SC (MEC, 25.7%; FLAG-IDA, 36.7%; LoDAC, 14.7%; AZA, 22.9%). Median age was 62 years (range, 19-85). Baseline FLT3 mutations were: FLT3-ITD, 88.4%; FLT3-TKD, 8.4%; both FLT3-ITD and FLT3-TKD, 1.9%; unconfirmed, 1.3%. Overall, 39.4% of pts had refractory AML and 60.6% had relapsed AML. Patients randomized to gilteritinib had significantly longer OS (9.3 months) than SC (5.6 months; hazard ratio [HR] for death = 0.637; P=0.0007); 1-year survival rates were 37.1% and 16.7%, respectively. The CR/CRh rates for gilteritinib and SC were 34.0% and 15.3%, respectively (P=0.0001); CR rates were 21.1% and 10.5% (2-sided P=0.0106). Median EFS was 2.8 months and 0.7 months in the gilteritinib and SC arms, respectively (HR 0.793, P=0.0830). Common adverse events (AEs) in all randomized pts were febrile neutropenia (43.7%), anemia (43.4%), and pyrexia (38.6%). Common grade ≥3 AEs related to gilteritinib were anemia (19.5%), febrile neutropenia (15.4%), thrombocytopenia (12.2%), and decreased platelet count (12.2%). Adjusted for exposure duration, serious treatment-emergent AEs per patient year were less common with gilteritinib (7.1%) than SC (9.2%). Conclusions: In patients with R/R FLT3mut+ AML, the potent, selective FLT3 inhibitor gilteritinib resulted in significantly longer OS and higher response rates compared with chemotherapy and had a favorable safety profile. These results change the treatment paradigm for salvage therapy of R/R FLT3mut+ AML and establish gilteritinib as the new standard of care. Citation Format: Alexander E. Perl, Giovanni Martinelli, Jorge E. Cortes, Andreas Neubauer, Ellin Berman, Stefania Paolini, Pau Montesinos, Maria R. Baer, Richard A. Larson, Celalettin Ustun, Francesco Fabbiano, Antonio Di Stasi, Robert Stuart, Rebecca Olin, Margaret Kasner, Fabio Ciceri, Wen-Chien Chou, Nikolai Podoltsev, Christian Recher, Hisayuki Yokoyama, Naoko Hosono, Sung-Soo Yoon, Je-Hwan Lee, Timothy Pardee, Amir T. Fathi, Chaofeng Liu, Xuan Liu, Erkut Bahceci, Mark J. Levis. Gilteritinib significantly prolongs overall survival in patients with FLT3-mutated (FLT3mut+) relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML): Results from the Phase III ADMIRAL trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr CT184.