In this paper, the recent research progress on the corrosion of reinforced alkali-activated materials (AAMs) concrete structures is reviewed. The corrosion mechanisms induced by carbonation and chloride ingress in AAMs concrete are discussed, from the perspectives of composition, microstructure and pore solution chemistry, in comparison to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete. The steel–alkali-activated concrete interface is a key to investigating corrosion initiation and propagation, which has different physical and chemical characteristics of the steel–concrete interface in OPC concrete. Moreover, the electrochemical process testing methods including half-cell potential and linear polarization resistance are critically discussed with a focus on what could be inherited from the OPC concrete and what criteria are no longer suitable for AAMs concrete due to underestimation in most cases. New data and theories are urgently needed for using AAMs in concrete structures to replace OPC. At the end of this paper, the research gaps and future research needs are summarised for the sake of widespread application of AAMs in concrete structures for sustainable and low-carbon construction.


Peanut is one of the most popular foods in the world due to its high nutrition; however, it contains multiple seed storage proteins which are identified as allergens and hence are the most common cause of life-threatening, IgE-mediated anaphylaxis among the hypersensitive individuals. Three peanut proteins, Arachis hypogaea allergy 1, 2, 3 (Ara h 1, Ara h 2 and Ara h 3), which have the common biochemical characteristics like resistance to proteases and heat, are considered as the major allergens because they are recognized by serum IgE from a peanut-allergic patient population. The linear IgE-binding epitopes in the allergens lay the foundation of the anaphylaxis in the peanut-allergic individuals. Peanut allergy is often a life-long problem, so many investigators are focusing on decreasing clinical reactivity. In this review, the latest advances in the researches on biochemical characteristics, structure and function of the three major allergens were described and particular attention was given to the immunity properties of the three allergens. The future research directions were also discussed.


We review here work on the biosynthesis of diketopiperazines (DKPs), a large class of natural products with noteworthy biological activities, focusing on the biosynthetic pathways involving cyclodipeptide synthases (CDPSs), a newly defined family of enzymes. Distinct from nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs), the other family of enzymes synthesizing DKPs, CDPSs bridge the primary and secondary metabolic pathways by hijacking aminoacyl-tRNAs to produce DKPs. This review includes a comprehensive description of the state of the art for CDPS-dependent pathways, and highlights the ways in which this knowledge could be used to increase the diversity of natural DKPs by pathway engineering.


The U.S. Supreme Court's decision regarding patent-eligible subject matter in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank has been in effect for more than five years, and it has made a significant impact on inventions in the life science industry. Statistics have shown that patent applications and allowance rate decreased significantly after Alice due to legal uncertainties created by this decision.

This work develops a causal empirical study (using difference-in-difference regressions) of Alice and carefully explores how this decision impacts patent examiners and patent applicants in bioinformatics. We deploy and analyze patent application data between 2012 and 2016 for all the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ("PTO") office actions in bioinformatics and manufacturing devices, a total of 0.14 million patent office actions and patentee responses. Patent applications in bioinformatics are defined as broad and narrow according to specific technology centers or art units and compared with the patent applications in manufacturing devices before and after Alice.

We find that applicants in bioinformatics, regardless of the broad or narrow definitions, received more Sec. 101 rejections after Alice, and they are positively associated with Alice-based rejections. Alice-based rejections are not always positively associated with other types of statutory rejections (i.e., Sec. 102, Sec. 103, and Sec. 112 rejections). Moreover, applicants gradually filed fewer patent applications, compared to the time period before Alice, with the greatest reduction in patent applications occurring in June 2014, when the Alice decision was delivered by the Supreme Court. In addition, patentees received many more Sec. 101 rejections based on Alice, but these applicants also faced difficulties in overcoming these rejections, especially in the sub-areas of data processing and combinatorial chemistry technology in bioinformatics.

Due to the high costs of patenting on bioinformatics imposed by Alice, this study suggests legislation by Congress is the best hope to bring more certainty to this area of patent law.


Background: Halitosis or bad breath is oral health condition characterized by unpleasant odors emanating consistly from oral cavity. The biggest cause of halitosis is a intraoral condition characterized by increase gram-negative bacteria which produce volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs). There are few ways to reduce halitosis, one of them is using bee propolis and zinc toothpaste. Bee propolis is a substance collected by bees, the most important composition of these compounds is flavonoid. Zinc ions have anti-VSC capable of binding the receptor protein and reduce the sulphur gas production. Objective: This study aimed to know comparison of effectivity tooth paste with bee propolis and zinc. Methods: Experimental method is used in this study, comprised 32 subject divided into 2 group who had criteria for inclusion. Each group was given treatment brushing with bee propolis and zinc toothpaste for 2 minutes. Measurements was done before intervention, after intervention at 0 min, 20 min, 40 min, and 60 min. Results: Collected data was analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk of normality test and non-parametric Mann-Whitney Test. Based on the test results show that the both toothpaste constant in 20 min. The toothpaste with zinc more effective because zinc have a mean value of 2,0625 in 20 min and was constan in 40 min. Conclusion: The conclusion of this study is toothpaste containing zinc more effective in reducing halitosis compared with toothpaste containing bee propolis.


Activation of the STING pathway by intratumoral (IT) injection of synthetic cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs) induces stable tumor regression in preclinical models, yet the underlying immune correlates are not fully understood. ADU-S100, a CDN under clinical evaluation, was administered IT with an optimized dosing regimen to explore the immune requirements for antitumor efficacy in mouse syngeneic tumor models. We show that CD8+ T cells are necessary and sufficient for durable antitumor immunity elicited by ADU-S100 and that activation of STING in hematopoietic cells mediates CD8+ T cell induction. Both type I IFN and TNFα, which are induced by STING pathway activation, influence the antitumor immune response. The combination of ADU-S100 and anti-PD1 treatment enhances CD8+ T cell-dependent, noninjected tumor control that correlates with an enhanced effector profile of CD8+ T cells in the tumor. Combination of ADU-S100 with checkpoint inhibition also enhances durable immunity in a poorly immunogenic tumor model. Together, these results elucidate the immune correlates to STING-mediated antitumor efficacy and highlight the potential of combining STING agonists with checkpoint inhibition in the clinic. Citation Format: Anthony L. Desbien, Kelsey Sivick Gauthier, Leticia Corrales, Gabrielle Reiner, Laura Hix Glickman, George Katibah, Thomas E. Hudson, Uyen Vu, Natalie H. Surh, Brian Francica, Weiwen Deng, David B. Kanne, Justin J. Leong, Chudi Ndubaku, Ken Metchette, Jeffery M. McKenna, Steven L. Bender, Meredith L. Leong, Thomas W. Dubensky Jr., Andrea van Elsas, Sarah M. McWhirter. Intratumoral activation of STING with a synthetic cyclic dinucleotide elicits antitumor CD8 T-cell immunity that effectively combines with checkpoint inhibitors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 631.


Marketers often use incentives such as coupons, rewards or special membership discounts in order to motivate consumers to purchase or recommend a particular brand. This practice is based on the underlying assumption that an increase in incentives will lead to an increase in consumer response – an idea which has been at the core of traditional economic thinking for decades. Some psychologists have claimed, however, that under specific conditions an increase in incentives can reduce (rather than increase) one's willingness to perform the behavior which is being incentivized. If materialized, the possibility that extrinsic incentives may diminish consumer willingness to recommend a favorite brand could have important theoretical and practical consequences in the context of word-of-mouth or buzz marketing. This study tests that possibility in the context of an experiment about Apple computers, a favorite brand among US college students. Participants were asked to recommend the brand to a friend (1) in absence of any monetary reward and (2) for a small monetary incentive. Students who were promised a small monetary reward experienced a decrease in intrinsic motivation and wrote shorter recommendations than those who were not promised any incentives. Data also suggest that the quality of the recommendation may decrease when incentives are offered. The results are discussed in line of their possible theoretical and practical significance.


Today's challenges of the IT tools assisting medical care for seniors generate obviously technological updates and a new strategy for health care systems at national level as well as at community level within which, seniors, an important segment of the XXI century's population both quantitatively or qualitatively, occupies an important place. The current framework of the e-health systems and applications is objectively shaped by the dynamics of innovative IT tools availability, the dynamics of threats and vulnerabilities of seniors' health, the dynamics of needs for health care, home care and social care services. An entire market with innovative solutions addressing the services for seniors' health care has emerged and generated projects cover partially the seniors' needs. The efficiency of the financial support of such projects is clearly sustained by a good strategy of results dissemination and communication but mainly, a strategy for results exploitation based on classic, innovative or personalized business models. The paper presents some research results regarding the valorization of a ehealth solution for seniors if a personalized business model is foreseen to be used in parallel with the e-health system developing phases.


The utility of duplex Doppler ultrasonography (US) for monitoring was evaluated after 19 liver transplantations. The assessment of the resistive index (RI) of the hepatic arteries showed no significant difference in the RI measured in grafts with stable function compared with grafts with ischemic damage, acute rejection, chronic rejection, or cytomegalovirus hepatitis. Nor was there any correlation between the levels of RI and the severity of acute rejection. In 2 out of 5 liver transplants in which hepatic artery pulsations were not identified with US, hepatic artery thrombosis was found at angiography. Although high echogenicity of the parenchyma was often observed during acute rejection episodes, it was not diagnostic for rejection. Fluid collections observed around the grafts resolved spontaneously. Thus, duplex Doppler US for monitoring liver transplants is especially useful for the diagnosis of hepatic artery thrombosis. It was not helpful for the diagnosis of acute or chronic rejection.


Multiple lines of tetrapods show reduced limbs or their loss. Such patterns are in diverse lines associated with multiple other characteristics. Only bodily elongation represents a common denominator. Analysis suggests that elongation for traverse of crevices in a sheltering environment and for the utilization of undulatory locomotion may have provided the initial selective advantage to the system. Limb reduction would then have been secondary. This hypothesis leads to several interesting implications about the process of diversification in tetrapods.


We analyse, for the first time, the effect of bond angle disorder on the dielectric constant of a model amorphous III - V compound semiconductor. We adopt a linear combination of hybrids method developed by us. We introduce distortion in bond angles and construct an orthonormal basis set for the disorder network to obtain an expression for in terms of bond-angle distortion parameter . We analyse with increasing . Our results agree well with experiment.


Abstract The authors have been involved in ontological modeling of function for over 15 years. As an instance of the revisionary approach discussed in Vermaas's position paper, we have proposed an ontological definition of function and a modeling framework based on it, which has been deployed in industry. In addition, as an instance of the overarching approach, we have proposed a reference ontology of function that explains some kinds, definitions, and practical expressions of functions. In this paper, we explain our methodology in an overarching approach based on perspectives for capturing functions. When one captures a function of an artifact, one focuses on a specific aspect of the artifact from a specific perspective. In this paper, we conceptualize such perspectives behind the reference ontology. In addition, based on our experiences in deployment in an industrial setting, we report some solutions, such as ontological modeling guidelines, for overcoming some of the difficulties faced in the practical functional modeling approach described in Eckert's position paper. Our findings suggest that such solutions will help engineers to describe consistent functional models compliant with a single definition of function.


There have been mixed reviews about the potential of e-readers to enhance higher education. At first glance, e-readers appear to have significant potential to provide students with access to course content and learning materials. There are a number of considerations and obstacles to be addressed, however, before these devices are ready for widespread adoption. This paper reports on a pilot study using e-readers to provide students without internet access, with access to electronic course content. Course readings were converted into ePub format and were made available to a cohort of 16 incarcerated students via e-readers. This paper provides an overview of the steps undertaken as well the challenges and obstacles encountered in converting the readings to ePub format.


South Africa's Vaal River is the country's hardest working rivers. It has been instrumental in securing valuable water supplies in the development of the country's economic hub – the Gauteng Province. Since the mid-twentieth century there have been increasing indications of water pollution threatening the storage facility of the Vaal River Barrage, built by the water utility, Rand Water, at the start of the twentieth century. Currently, as a result of a variety of factors, untreated wastewater is posing a severe environmental threat in the Vaal River Barrage Catchment area. In the article attention is given to the origins of pollution and recent events that had the effect of mobilising grassroots anger in civil society with the state of affairs. The article forms part of a transdisciplinary research project that is currently conducted at North-West University's Vaal Triangle campus in Vanderbijlpark.


Tara, the 17-year-old narrator of Dear Vincent by Mandy Hager, struggles in the relationship with her mother and learns about her family's past on a trip to Ireland. She must decide whether she follows in the footsteps of her sister who died by suicide or whether she chooses life for herself and what her life will look like. Whiti Hereaka's Bugs follows the development of Bugs, who turns 17 about half-way through the novel. She faces low expectations and institutional discrimination at school and must make decisions about her future. While Bugs chooses to stay; her personal growth is like that of Tara who leaves. In Kate De Goldi's The 10PM Question, we engage with 12-year-old Frankie, who struggles with anxiety and a permanently house-bound mother. Like the protagonists of the other novels, Frankie must determine who he is by forming his first strong friendship with a teenager of the opposite sex and by questioning the adults around him. He, too, must make decisions which contradict the actions of his family. All three, Tara, Bugs and Frankie, are supported in this process by friends and extended family, and, as we will see, these characters come to play crucial roles in each protagonist's identity formation.  What this thesis shows is that their stories are both universal and local. All three novels include common elements of Young Adult fiction about identity formation and coming-of-age and they are firmly located in New Zealand by way of incorporating uniquely New Zealand national myths. These myths shape our collective identities and adolescence is a time when teenagers form theirs. It is during this time that they explicitly notice and, at times, question the myths that they have been raised to believe in. This thesis is concerned with Overseas Experience (OE) as a way to develop one's sense of self and broadening one's horizons, the egalitarian myth or the belief that 'we are all equal here', and the 'she'll be right' myth, the assumption that things will somehow right themselves. It seeks to explore what these novels suggest about the three different national myths of New Zealand and their role in identity formation. It will also discuss whether different views are presented.


The article is based on the author research and examines the issues of the EU security development in the globalized world with the purpose to highlight the threats, challenges as well as the future perspectives of the creation a new European Security Model among Member States. Today, s ecurity has become a key factor in ensuring a high quality of life in EU society, guarantee respect for human rights, the rule of law and solidarity and in protecting our critical infrastructures through preventing and tackling common threats. The EU security study has undergone a fundamental shift over the last decade. At first glance, it seems that in the Member States there is a single understanding of the existing threats (terrorism, organized crimes, trafficking of human beings, economic crimes and corruption and etc.), but we have to admit and accept that the new type challenges for maintaining security at EU level is constantly changing due to the global, social, legal, economic or political environment (the growth and development of private security sector, public-private partnership for providing security services, the ongoing processes of privatization of security services). Scientific validity of the proposed relevant and problematic assertions imply that the Member States must start the discussion on the implementation of common standards of EU Security Strategy as well as the most importantly on the development of a European Security Model. Strategic directions set out by the Lisbon Treaty, the Stockholm Program and the Security Strategy for the European Union will create a safe environment in which EU citizens feel protected and secure. KEYWORDS: security, public and private security sector, globalization, EU Security Strategy Model.


Women with a diagnosis of breast cancer, particularly African-American women, face multiple barriers to survival. Although research exists regarding the unique barriers faced by African-American breast cancer survivors, there has been little research into the various coping needs or coping strategies used among African-American women. The purpose of this article is to provide information from an exploratory study of data investigating the coping skills of 30 African-American women diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. Quantitative data was collected via a self-report questionnaire based on the pretest of the Breast Cancer Survivors Toolbox. The study sample was evaluated to determine overall coping skills followed by an analysis of individual categories of coping skills (e.g., communication, information seeking, negotiating, social support systems, cultural norms). Although limited by the non-random sampling technique and self-report, the results of the study support the need for further research regarding the use of interventions and strategies tailored to improve coping skills used by this population.


The game-theoretical analysis of this paper shows that stress tests that cover the entire banking sector (macro stress tests) can be performed by institutional supervisors to improve welfare. In a multi-receiver framework of Bayesian persuasion we show that a banking authority can create value when committing to disclose the stress-testing methodology (signal-generating process) together with the stress test result (signal). Disclosing two pieces of information is a typical procedure used in stress tests. By optimally choosing these two signals, supervisors can deliver superior information to prudent investors and enhance welfare. The paper offers a new theory to explain why stress tests are generally welfare enhancing. We also offer a treatment of the borderline case where the banking sector is hit by a crisis, in which case the supervisor will optimally disclose an uninformative signal.


A new and sensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor which is visible-light-activated was fabricated based on acetochlor's ability to inhibit glucose oxidase (GOx) activity. An NH2-MIL-125(Ti)/TiO2 nanocomposite, as a new functional material, was used for the immobilization of GOx by using chitosan (CS) as the dispersion matrix. Under visible light irradiation, the GOx/CS/NH2-MIL-125(Ti)/TiO2 nanocomposite can generate a stable photocurrent in a glucose solution. When acetochlor was added to a phosphate buffer solution containing glucose, the activity of GOx was inhibited thus causing a photocurrent drop, and the photocurrent was inversely proportional to the acetochlor concentration. A corresponding analytical method was developed. The inhibition of the photocurrent was proportional to the concentration of acetochlor in the range from 0.02 to 1.0 nM and in the range from 10 to 200 nM with a detection limit of 0.003 nM (S/N = 3). The study is a successful attempt to make a PEC biosensor based on monitoring the activity and inhibition of GOx, and shows its practical application in acetochlor detection in fruit and vegetable samples.


The construction of concept maps should be carried out considering a hierarchical structuring of the concepts that will be presented. The mapping is a technique that can be used in various situations. This study it is an experience report by the students of the tenth period of the course of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Trairi / Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, which were activities in Physical Therapy Care stage in Rheumatology, held in the school clinic of physiotherapy of the aforementioned institution. A total of six students developed their concept maps, from 6:01 CmapTools software. We can see the stage of students' speeches that they understood the importance of using this type of tool as a way to improve and optimize learning. Experience reports show that indeed the construction of the conceptual map brings positive effects in the rescue of theoretical content and facilitates clinical practice.


Study Design. A prospective clinical study of a multistep screw insertion method using a patient-specific screw guide template system (SGTS) for the cervical and thoracic spine. Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of SGTS for inserting screws into the cervical and thoracic spine. Summary of Background Data. Posterior screw fixation is a standard procedure for spinal instrumentation; however, screw insertion carries the risk of injury to neuronal and vascular structures. Methods. Preoperative bone images of the computed tomography (CT) scans were analyzed using 3D/multiplanar imaging software, and the screw trajectories were planned. Plastic templates with screw-guiding structures were created for each lamina using 3D design and printing technology. Three types of templates were made for precise multistep guidance, and all the templates were specially designed to fit and lock onto the lamina during the procedure. In addition, plastic vertebra models were generated, and preoperative screw insertion simulation was performed. This patient-specific SGTS was used to perform the surgery, and CT scanning was used to postoperatively evaluate screw placement. Results. Enrolled to verify this procedure were 103 patients with cervical, thoracic, or cervicothoracic pathologies. The SGTS were used to place 813 screws. Preoperatively, each template was found to fit exactly and to lock onto the lamina of the vertebra models. In addition, intraoperatively, the templates fit and locked onto the patient lamina, and the screws were inserted successfully. Postoperative CT scans confirmed that 801 screws (98.5%) were accurately placed without cortical violation. There were no injuries to the vessels or nerves. Conclusion. The multistep, patient-specific SGTS is useful for intraoperative pedicle screw (PS) navigation in the cervical and thoracic spine. This method improves the accuracy of PS insertion and reduces the operating time and radiation exposure during spinal fixation surgery. Level of Evidence: 3


We present evidence that short sellers alternate between stock picking during expansions and market timing during recessions. First, firm-level short interest is a much stronger negative predictor of the cross-section of stock returns during expansions than it is during recessions. High short interest also only predicts negative future earnings announcement returns during expansions. We attribute these findings to short sellers' emphasis on collecting firm-specific signals. Second, short sellers appear to make factor bets more so during recessions than in expansions. These bets tend to pay off as we observe a strong negative relation between the betas of highly shorted stocks and future stock market returns, a result which disappears during expansions. Together, these findings are consistent with theories of information acquisition under attention constraints, endogenous information production, as well as theories of time variation in aggregate overconfidence amongst traders.


Background: chitin and its derivates microparticles (MPs) have immunomodulatory activities. In this study, we examined the effect of size, purity and acetylation degree of chitin MPs on CHID1encoding SI-CLP, involved in inflammation- gene expression in mixed leukocyte culture. Materials and Methods: Small (<40) and medium(40-70) sized chitin MPs were prepared by sonication, and they were used in treatment of leukocyte mixed culture in comparison with chitosan and also shrimp shell small-sized MPs. Neutral red uptake assay and microscopic examination of apoptosis were used to assess cytotoxicity of MPs. Finally, following cell treatment with MPs (100 μg/mL) for 48h, expression levels of CHID1 gene were determined by Real Time PCR. Results: Different concentrations of chitinous MPs hadn't any cytotoxic effects. In gene expression analysis, small-sized chitin MPs (<40 µ) resulted in down regulation of CHID1 gene expression (p=0.004), while other MPs didn't change it significantly. Conclusion: Size, purity and acetylation degree of chitin MPs influence their interference in immune cells interactions and it seems small-sized chitin MPs can potentially modulate immune responses through decreasing CHID1 gene expression. Using small-sized chitin MPs may be effective to treat allergies which their treatment strategies rely on modulating the immune responses.


Structural reconstruction of plant roots from MRI is challenging, because of low resolution and low signal-to-noise ratio of the 3D measurements which may lead to disconnectivities and wrongly connected roots. We propose a two-stage approach for this task. The first stage is based on semantic root vs. soil segmentation and finds lowest-cost paths from any root voxel to the shoot. The second stage takes the largest fully connected component generated in the first stage and uses 3D skeletonization to extract a graph structure. We evaluate our method on 22 MRI scans and compare to human expert reconstructions.


ABSTRACT The European Union's (EU) fundamental principles of free movement of persons and non-discrimination have long challenged the traditional closure of the welfare state. Whereas the relationship between the EU and the welfare state appeared largely reconciled before the grand enlargement of 2004, economic downturn and politicisation question the nexus anew. This collection explores the current dynamics, scope and limits of free movement and welfare equal treatment for EU citizens on the move. The different contributions bring together the normative, legal and political developments and about-turns which dynamically square the circle of pan-European social solidarity. The collection covers the new politics of EU cross-border welfare but also the structuring role of the European Court of Justice. It includes the political economy of free movement as well as its outputs and outcomes in selected member states. Finally, it analyses the mechanisms that activate attitudinal polarisation on intra-EU migration and welfare.


Background Anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) are a major risk factor for bone destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ACPA may directly induce bone loss by stimulating osteoclast differentiation [1]. Accordingly, the trabecular bone microarchitecture at peripheral sites is significantly compromised in ACPA(+) subjects irrespective of joint inflammation [2,3]. Whether ACPA positivity also influences systemic bone changes is however unknown. Objectives To investigate the relationship between generalised bone loss and the ACPA status in patients with early RA. Methods We evaluated 102 consecutive untreated patients with early RA (symptoms duration <12 months). Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed at the lumbar spine (L1-L4) and hip by dual X-ray absorptiometry. Demographic and clinical data were collected, including: age, gender, menopausal status, body max index (BMI), current smoking and alcohol intake, other risk factors for secondary osteoporosis. Disease variables evaluated included symptoms duration, the disease activity score 28 (DAS28), the swollen and tender joint count, acute phase reactants, and ultrasonographic (US) scores for Gray Scale and Power Doppler signals at the hands and wrists. Results The study population included 73 women (63% in post-menopause) and 29 men, with a mean age of 57 (±14) years and a median disease duration of 3 (IQR 1.9-6) months. All patients had active disease, with a mean DAS28 of 4.41 (±1.11). Thirty-nine patients (38.2%) were ACPA(+), with ACPA values >3 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) in 89.7% of the cases. In the overall group, BMD measurements at baseline were almost comparable to the normal range when corrected for age and sex. Z scores were 0.03 (±1.31) at the lumbar spine, and -0.11 (±0.97) at the femoral neck. Z scores were not significantly influenced by disease variables such as symptoms duration, overall disease activity, the clinical and the US joint count, and acute phase reactants. In contrast, ACPA(+) patients had lower Z scores at the lumbar spine compared to ACPA(-) patients (-0.33 [±1.11] vs 0.26 [±1.38], p=0.03), whilst no differences were found at the femoral neck. Furthermore, in ACPA(+) patients, the lumbar Z score was inversely related to ACPA titers (r -0.33, p=0.04 for log-transformed ACPA). Accordingly, 40% of the patients with ACPA values >3 times the ULN had a Z score <-1 compared with 17.5% of ACPA(-) patients (p=0.03). Despite similar disease duration and activity, ACPA(+) patients showed a non-significant increase in C-reactive protein levels (p=0.07). However, at multiple regression analysis, ACPA emerged as the only disease variable significantly predicting the BMD at the spine independent of gender, age, BMI and other risk factors for secondary osteoporosis (p=0.04). Conclusions Vertebral BMD in patients with early RA is significantly reduced in relation with ACPA positivity. This finding supports the hypothesis that autoimmunity associated with RA may have a significant role in bone remodeling, either directly by stimulating osteoclasts or indirectly by eliciting subclinical inflammation. References Harre U, et al. J Clin Invest 2012;122:1791-802. Kocijan R, et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2013;doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2013-203791. Kleyer A, et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2013;doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2012-202958. Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.4941


This paper sought to find out the policy measures through case analysis of Kukkiwon - mecca of taekwondo people - becoming corporation with special status as part of measures for promotion of taekwondo, the country's traditional martial arts. For this, the study conducted analysis of general policy formation process as well as specific policy formation process in Kukkiwon – MOCST (the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) situation in an effort to generalize logic of such policies. This study is an attempt to recognize and understand conflict between Kukkiwon and MOCST as one among Kukkiwon, the government and taekwondo organizations, and sought to conduct detailed and in-depth analysis in the aspect of policy beyond normal prescriptive discussion - just remaining in the normative level for the present. For this purpose, this study limited its scope to Eom Un-kyu, Lee Seung-wan, legal corporation Kang Won-sik (2008.6.26 - 2010.6.11) and adopted case study as its methodology for its analysis. Case study, which is an empirical research method using multilateral sources of data for its analysis, can be a useful means for researchers to derive results to identify unique characteristics of social objects as their research target. So, this method was considered as an appropriate one for this study. And the study drew following conclusions in the process of Kukkiwon becoming of corporation with special status First, policy formation process was made through complicated process rather than unilinear one. Second, formation structure of legal corporation was based on friendly relations between MOCST, incorporated foundations and legal corporations of Kukkiwon, and its policy was designed and implemented accordingly. Third, there was increase of influences of taekwondo leaders in the process of policy formation process. Through these findings, the study could confirm that policy was the outcome of important political interactions by means of adjustment and negotiations among policy makers, rather than a reasonable decision. Taking this into account, the study suggested proper allocation between each ministry and department as well as systemization in the process of policy-making of taekwondo.


Hypophosphataemic vitamin-D-resistant rickets (HVDRR) is a hereditary disease mainly transmitted as an X-linked dominant trait and characterized by certain general clinical signs (Filho HM, de Castro LC, Damiani D. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab. 2006;50:802). In literature, only one study had been published in 1965 on the cephalometric findings in patients with HVDRR (Marks SC, Lindahl RL, Bawden JW. J Dent Child. 1965;32:259). This is the first detailed study on craniofacial characteristics of patients with HVDRR in the dental literature. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of HVDRR on the parameters of the craniofacial skeleton of young Jordanian patients using cephalometric analysis. Lateral cephalometric radiographs were made for 22 Jordanian children (aged 2-16 years) diagnosed with HVDRR. The cephalometeric parameters of HVDRR group were compared with those of normal control group matched for gender and chronological age using paired t-test. The HVDRR group had a significant increase in the SNBa angle (P < 0.01); as well as reduced anterior cranial base length (P = 0.01), reduced maxillary length, corpus mandibular length and mandibular height (P = 0.01, 0.04 and 0.008 respectively). The cranial base and gonial angles were significantly increased in diseased individual, but the SNA and ANB angles were significantly reduced (P = 0.018 and 0.000 respectively). The angulation of the lower incisor to mandibular plane was also significantly reduced in the diseased group compared with Jordanian norm (P = 0.004). Patients with HVDRR have deficiency in the anterior cranial base length, ramus height and cranial base angle. Patients with HVDRR also have class III skeletal relationship.


Projection analysis is a technique for finding out information about lazy functional programs. We show how the information obtained from this analysis can be used to speed up sequential implementations, and introduce parallelism into parallel implementations. The underlying evaluation model is evaluation transformers, where the amount of evaluation that is allowed of an argument in a function application depends on the amount of evaluation allowed of the application. We prove that the transformed programs preserve the semantics of the original programs.
Compilation rules, which encode the information from the analysis, are given for sequential and parallel machines.


Research background. Breast cancer is the most common female malignancy. Different types of surgery are performed after assessing stage of the disease, tumour morphology, and other dimensions. Dysfunction of hand after surgery may affect physical, emotional and sexual function and quality of life more than body shape changes (Guan et al., 2012). The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life, shoulder range of motion, arm pain, circumference of arm, and hand muscle strength after breastconserving surgery after mastectomy. Methods. The study included 30 women, 15 of them were after breast conserving surgery, and 15 – after mastectomy. All subjects participated in the same physiotherapy program ‒ stretching and muscle strengthening exercises, shoulder girdle, neck and hand massage, lymph drainage massage (sleeve), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Duration of rehabilitation was two weeks. Quality of life, shoulder range of motion, arm pain and circumference, hand muscle strength of the affected side were measured before and after rehabilitation. Results. Regardless of the type of surgical intervention, the range of motion of shoulder flexion, extension and abduction in both groups after physiotherapy increased signifcantly, but for the patients who had undergone breast conserving surgery the ranges of motion were signifcantly higher (flexion – 163.20 ± 11,7°; extension – 48.53 ± 5.5°; abduction – 145.27 ± 13.6°) than for those who undergone mastectomy (flexion – 141.20 ± 13.2°; extension – 33.13 ± 4.9°; abduction – 130.33 ± 14.9°). It was found that circumference of the arm reduced significantly  in both groups, but comparing one group to another no signifcant differences were found. Pain intensity after physiotherapy in patients with mastectomy and patients who had undergone breast conserving surgery signifcantly decreased, but pain reduction was signifcantly higher in patients after breast conserving surgery (6.00 ± 1.1 points) compared to mastectomy group (3.67 ± 1.5 points). Muscle strength of hand of the affected side after physiotherapy increased signifcantly in both groups, but signifcantly more (up to 15.03 ± 2.1 kg) in patients after the breast conserving surgery compared to patients who had undergone mastectomy (up to 12.77 ± 2.0 kg). In addition, most of the functions of quality of life in patients who had undergone breast conserving surgery were signifcantly better than those in patients who had undergone mastectomy. Conclusions: 1. Regardless of the surgery type, shoulder range of motion and hand muscle strength increased signifcantly, and arm circumference and the pain reduced signifcantly after physiotherapy. 2. Shoulder range of motion and hand strength of the affected side were signifcantly higher while pain was signifcantly lower in patients who had undergone breast-conserving surgery compared to patients who had undergone mastectomy. 3. three components of the quality of life ‒ role, emotional and social functions – were signifcantly higher, but symptom scale scores were better in patients who had undergone breast-conserving surgery compared to those who had undergone mastectomy.Keywords: physiotherapy, breast cancer, mastectomy, breast-conserving surgery


We study the unexpected distorted wave effects of the 1b3g orbital in ethylene using a high resolution binary (e,2e) electron momentum spectrometer, at an impact energy of 800 eV plus the binding energy (8-22 eV) with symmetric non-coplanar kinematics. The experimental momentum profile of the 1b3g orbital is obtained and compared with the data previously measured at an impact energy of 1200 eV plus the binding energy. Also, the experimental momentum profiles of the 1b3g orbital are compared with the theoretical momentum distributions calculated by using Hartree-Fock and density functional theory methods. The experimental momentum profiles of the 1b3g orbital of ethylene at different impact energies show that the cross section of the orbital below the momentum p~1 a.u. is higher for lower impact energies.


Abstract: This research was a study on speaking ability of the second year students of SMA Negeri 1 Kateman. The aim of this study was to know about the second year students speaking ability at SMA Negeri 1 Kateman. The sample of this research was class X1 IPA 1 that consists of 13 males and 19 females. In conducting this study, there were four questions in an interview as a test which was used to know the students' speaking ability based on five aspects: pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. The questions of interview were: (1) introducing her/his self (2) telling about her/his family (3) describing the idol in her/his life (4) telling the subject her/his like in their school and its reason. To get the quantitative data in this research, the three raters were involved to give the scores of students speaking performance. From the result of the oral test in five aspects of speaking ability, the writer concluded that the average score of students' ability in speaking from rater one it was 65.62 it was categorized as good level. From the rater two it was 66.72 it was categorized as good level. From rater three it was 67.19 it was categorized as good level. From the three raters in five aspects of speaking ability above, the average of speaking ability of students at the second year of SMA Negeri 1 Kateman was 66.51 it was categorized good level. The research finding shows that most of students were still had problems to express their idea to the listeners. It was caused by the lack of their ability in grammar, vocabulary, understanding the meaning of the word, and pronouncing the word clearly. Besides, they were lack of practice their speaking with their friend and teacher in the English classroom. Keywords : descriptive research, students' speaking ability


We develop a competitive pricing model which combines the complexity of time‐varying demand and cost functions and that of scale economies arising from dynamic lot sizing costs. Each firm can replenish inventory in each of the T periods into which the planning horizon is partitioned. Fixed as well as variable procurement costs are incurred for each procurement order, along with inventory carrying costs. Each firm adopts, at the beginning of the planning horizon, a (single) price to be employed throughout the horizon. On the basis of each period's system of demand equations, these prices determine a time series of demands for each firm, which needs to service them with an optimal corresponding dynamic lot sizing plan. We establish the existence of a price equilibrium and associated optimal dynamic lotsizing plans, under mild conditions. We also design efficient procedures to compute the equilibrium prices and dynamic lotsizing plans.© 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 2009


Optical injection locking was experimentally performed using a 38-GHz-band InP-based HEMT MMIC oscillator and a 1.55-/spl mu/m lightwave. Two optical modulation schemes were compared for optical injection locking, and no difference was found except for the optical modulation frequency. With suppressed carrier modulation of the lightwave, phase noise of less than -73.2 dBc/Hz at a 10-kHz frequency offset and a 14-MHz locking range were achieved.


Ionic MOFs are rare but function in an interesting manner due to charged frameworks and the existence of counter ions in the channels. Using one of the most simple and cheap ligands of benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid (H3btc), we constructed five novel anionic MOFs namely [Me2NH2][Cd(btc)]·0.5DMA·2H2O (1), [Me2NH2]2[Cd5(btc)2(lac)3(H2O)3]·4DMF (2, H2lac = 2-hydroxypropanoic acid), [Me2NH2][MnII(btc)]·DMA (3), [Me4N]3[MnII3(btc)2(Hbtc)(CH3COO)]·9CH3OH (4) and [Me2NH2]2[Zn5(btc)4(DMA)2]·5.5DMA (5). Rich structure variabilities including cluster-based, pillared-layer and rod-spacer motifs were found in these MOFs because of the different metal coordination and effect of auxiliary ligands. 1 was a [Cd2(COO)4]-based porous framework belonging to (3,6) connected α-PbO2 net. 2 was a [Cd(btc)]-layers and [Cd2(lac)2] pillar-based framework, which possessed rare-ordered defects due to the self-absence of 25% pillars. In 2, for the first time, extremely rare square-planar Cd(II) geometry in porous MOFs was found. 3 was the first 3D framework constructed from unusual Mn–carboxyl chains with [Mn2(COO)2] building blocks. 4 provided a new example to construct a pillared-layer framework from self-assembled metal–ligand chains as pillars. 5 had a [Zn2]-cluster-based framework with dual pore systems of 1D rounded channels and elongated cages. A new single-phase white-emitting phosphor of 1 was found, which exhibited near-sunlight and human vision friendly broadband spectrum, with extremely large full width at half maximum (FWHM) of up to 268 nm, close pure white chromaticity coordinates of (0.303–0.317, 0.354–0.364), near daylight color temperature of 5773–5899 K, as well as high color rendering index of 90. In comparison, 2, 3 and 4 showed single and narrow blue emission. Rapid and selective capture of methylene blue (MB) over methyl orange (MO) was realized in 1, while MB adsorption in other MOFs was negligible.


The proximate composition, minerals and microflora of Treculia africana seeds were investigated during a 72 h of fermentation of the seeds. The ash content ranged from 3.28 to 2.25 g/100 g, moisture content: 8.78–9.25 g/100 g, crude protein: 18.98–19.98 g/100 g, fat content: 3.55–2.27 g/100 g, fibre content: 1.29–1.22 g/100 g and the carbohydrate content: 65.2–64.57 g/100 g. For the mineral analysis, Na content ranged from 6.85–6.54 mg/100 g, Mg: 180.31–165.88 mg/100 g, Zn: 7.25–7.18 mg/100 g, Fe: 1:48–1.27 mg/100 g, Cu: 3.83–3.70 mg/100 g, Mn: 0.2–0.15 mg/100 g, P: 448.36–439.66 mg/100 g and Pb was not detected. Aspergillus flavus, Absidia corymbifra, Aspergillus niger, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus xylosus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus fructivorans and Lactobacillus lactis were isolated during the fermentation process. Keywords : Nutrient, microflora, fermentation, breadfruit, minerals Cite this Article Ibrahim TA, Fagbohun ED. Microflora and Nutrient Changes during 72 hours Fermentation of African Breadfruit (Treculia Africana) Seeds. Research & Reviews: Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2015; 4(3): 10–15p.


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

Background: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is responsible for 10% of breast cancer deaths although contributing to a small percentage (∼1%) of total breast cancer cases each year. The hallmarks of IBC are skin involvement and a high propensity to metastasize. It is thought that a small population of stem-like cancer cells is responsible for the metastatic potential and treatment resistance to therapies such as radiation therapy in IBC. In this study we explored the radiosensitization of several breast cancer cell lines in vitro with simvastatin and the mechanism for this.

Methods: In order to determine cell proliferation, breast cancer cell lines SUM149, SUM159 and MCF-7 were grown in 96 well plates with different concentrations of simvastatin for one week. In order to determine the effect of simvastatin in stem-like cancer cells, cells were seeded in serum free, growth factor enriched, anchorage independent, treated with simvastatin for 24 hours and mammosphere formation was quantified a week later. In addition, SUM149, SUM159 and MCF-7 cells were cultured in standard monolayer cultures and in stem cell enriching anchorage independent cultures with simvastatin and treated with increasing concentrations of radiation. Survival curves were generated using Sigmaplot 8.0 and t-test was used to compare surviving fraction (SF) of groups. Finally, cell lysates were obtained from cultures untreated and treated with simvastatin and radiation and analyzed through western blot.

Results: Simvastatin significantly decreased cancer cell proliferation in vitro in all cell lines (p<0.002). Cell lines SUM 159 and MCF 7 grown in mammosphere enriched media showed significant decreased mammosphere formation when grown in the presence of simvastatin (p<0.05). Moreover, simvastatin radiosensitized all cell lines in both monolayer and anchorage independent clonogenic assays. The triple-negative IBC cell line SUM149 had the greatest response to combined treatment regardless of the radiation dose used in monolayer cultures (SF2: 0.417 vs 0.319, SF4: 0.136 vs 0.075, SF6: 0.026 vs 0.018, in control vs treated respectively, all p<0.0001) and in stem cell enriching cultures (SF2: 0.880 vs 0.762, SF4: 0.863 vs 0.492, SF6: 0.920 vs 0.492, in control vs treated respectively, all p<0.0001). The triple-negative non-IBC cell line SUM159 was more sensitive to combined treatment in monolayer cultures (p<0.001) than in stem cell enriching cultures. Combination of simvastatin and radiation therapy decreased protein expression of phospho-rho A, VEGF-A, and phospho-ras.

Conclusions: IBC remains a difficult disease to treat with a high rate of local recurrence after radiation therapy. Statins have been shown to increase tumor free survival in breast cancer. Herein we show simvastatin targets breast cancer stem-like cells resulting in radiosensitizing of IBC in vitro.

Citation Format: Adam R. Wolfe, Lara Lacerda, Richard Larson, Bisrat G. Debeb, Wei Xu, Naoto T. Ueno, Wendy A. Woodward. Simvastatin targets breast cancer stem-like cells by inhibiting intracellular signaling pathways leading to radiosensitization of inflammatory breast cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1600. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1600


Modern livestock farming industry practice continues to cause concern about hazardous exposures among workers and nearby residents. Occupational and environmental health nurses can join other advocates and encourage policies that protect workers, communities, and the environment from confined animal feeding operations health hazards.


OBJECTIVES
Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a regional painful soft-tissue disorder, characterized by trigger points (TrPs) and taut bands in the muscles. In this study, we aimed to compare the effectiveness of kinesio taping (KT), TrPs injection, and neural therapy (NT) on pain and disability in acute MPS.

METHODS
104 patients with MPS in the cervical region were allocated into three groups. Group 1 (n=35) were treated with KT, Group 2 (n=35) received local anesthetic (LA) (lidocaine of 0.5%) TrPs injection, and Group 3 (n=34) received NT with the same LA solution. Patients were assessed by means of pain, pressure pain threshold (PPT), and disability. Pain severity was measured by Visual Analog Scale. The neck pain disability scale was used for assessing disability. PPT was measured by using an algometer. Measurements were taken before and after treatment of 3rd and 7th days.

RESULTS
There were improvements on pain and disability in all groups at the end of treatments at 3rd day and during follow-up period (p<0.001) and no differences were found between the groups. There was significant difference in PPT values in TrPs injection and NT groups in comparisons between all time periods, however, the change, depending on time in the KT group, was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION
The results of this study show that all these three treatment methods found to be effective on pain relief and disability in acute MPS. In terms of PPT, injection treatments seem to be superior than KT.


The usage of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) in defence application is increasing, and much research effort is put into the field. Also, many defence vehicle producers are developing UGV platforms. However, the autonomy functionality of these systems are still in need of improvement. At the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment a project for developing an autonomous UGV was started in 2019 and use a Milrem THeMIS 4.5 from Milrem Robotics as the base platform for achieving this. In this paper we will describe the modifications made to the vehicle to make it ready for autonomous operations. We have added three cameras and a Lidar as vision sensors, for navigation we have added a GNSS, IMU and velocity radar, and all sensors get a common time stamp from a time server. All the sensors have been mounted on a common aluminium profile, which is mounted in the front of the vehicle. The vision and navigation sensors have been mounted on the common aluminium profile to ensure that the direction the vision sensors observe is known with as little uncertainty as possible. In addition to the hardware modification, a control software framework has been developed on top of Milrem's controller. The vehicle is interfaced using ROS2, and is controlled by sending velocity commands for each belt. We have developed a hardware abstraction module that interfaces the vehicle and adds some additional safety features, a trajectory tracking module and a ROS simulation framework. The control framework has been field tested and results will be shown in the paper.


OBJECTIVE
Few multiracial epidemiological community-based studies of anxiety have been conducted with older adults. This study examined the prevalence of subsyndromal and syndromal anxiety and associated factors among older persons living in an urban area.

METHODS
Persons aged 55 years and over (214 Caucasian and 860 black) living in Brooklyn, New York, between 1996 and 1999 were interviewed in randomly selected block groups. The researchers used an adaptation of George's social antecedent model to examine the association of 18 variables with anxiety. Syndromal anxiety was defined as a score of 50 or higher on the Anxiety Status Inventory Scale (ASIS). Subsyndromal anxiety was defined as an ASIS score under 50 and a positive response on three or more ASIS items, including at least one worry item. The sample was weighted by race and gender on the basis of 1990 census totals.

RESULTS
The prevalence of syndromal and subsyndromal anxiety was 2.3 and 13.3 percent, respectively. With binary logistic regression analysis, persons rated as having syndromal anxiety differed from nonanxious individuals on ten of the 18 variables and persons with subsyndromal anxiety differed on seven. The anxiety groups differed from each other on three variables. In the past year, 23 and 12 percent of persons with syndromal and subsyndromal anxiety, respectively, reported seeking mental health assistance.

CONCLUSIONS
About 14 percent of older adults have anxiety, and much of it is untreated. Anxious and nonanxious individuals have substantial differences in psychosocial and health-related variables. Older adults who have subsyndromal anxiety can be viewed as distinct from nonanxious older individuals.


We present explicitly Poisson structures, for both time-dependent and time-independent Hamiltonians, of a dynamical system with three degrees of freedom introduced and studied by Calogero et al [2005]. For the timeindependent case, new constant of motion includes all parameters of the system. This extends the result of Calogero et al [2009] for semi-symmetrical motion. We also discuss the case of three bodies two of which are not interacting with each other but are coupled with the interaction of third one.


The longitudinal bunch dynamics in the BESSY-II storage ring was studied in view of the planned installation of a bunch-by-bunch feedback system. A simulation of coupled-bunch instabilities was performed to study the effectivity of the feedback system in the presence of beam-loading effects and under the influence of noise and phase detection errors as well as transient effects during injection.


In recent years, the city of Ibarra, Ecuador has received nearly 10,000 migrants from Venezuela. In this municipality, the relations between locals and migrants are quite complex. In January 2019, a group of local residents physically assaulted several Venezuelan migrants (Case Diana). These acts had a xenophobic nature. Through ethnographic research, this article analyzes the social dynamics at this city in the months after these events. The research showed that, on the one hand, after these events migrants criticized homogenizing discourses, highlighting the group's own heterogeneity. On the other, migrants also strengthened cooperation networks based on belonging to Venezuelan nationality. The article is aimed to shed light on intergroup dynamics in intermediate cities in the context of the ever-growing Venezuelan migration in Latin America.


Dialectic of Love analyses the arguments of Schiller's major writings on aesthetics and argues that his philosophical thought, theories, and concepts are characteristic of the Platonic tradition. Schiller's conception of beauty is seen as synthesis, the sublime as separation. Pugh connects these concepts to Aristotle's critique of Plato's theory of ideas, in which Aristotle points out an aporia of chorismos (separation) and methexis (participation). In Schiller's thought, Pugh argues, beauty and the sublime operate primarily as metaphysical relations of methexis and chorismos and only secondarily as aesthetic concepts. While Schiller, Pugh reveals, is not very well suited for the role of champion of the Enlightenment, he remains a crucial figure in the transmission of the Platonic tradition to modern idealism and in the application of the Platonic metaphysical heritage to nineteenth-century aesthetics.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the etiological role of Val384Asp in the hMLH1 gene, which may be a polymorphism in Chinese, in colorectal, gastric and esophageal cancers.

METHODS
Genomic DNA extracted from normal tissues were subjected to analysis in exon 12 of the hMLH1 gene by single strand conformation polymorphism(SSCP) followed by DNA sequencing of aberrant bands in 101 colorectal, 79 gastric and 76 esophageal cancer patients; in 79 and 76 first degree relatives of gastric cancer and esophageal cancer patients respectively; and in 100 healthy control individuals.

RESULTS
Six percent of Chinese healthy individuals were the carriers of Val3 84Asp in the hMLH1 gene. There were significant differences in the frequencies of Val384Asp in the hMLH1 gene between the patients with colorectal cancer at young age(<45 years) and the control individuals (P<0.05), and between the gastric cancer patients with family history, the first degree relatives and the control group (P<0.05 and P<0.01 respectively). No difference was found between the esophageal cancer patients, their relatives and healthy controls.

CONCLUSION
The alleles frequency of Val384Asp in the hMLH1 gene in Chinese is three percent. This missense mutation may play a part in the etiology of colorectal and gastric cancers in Chinese.


BACKGROUND
We aimed to assess the role of histogram analysis of DCE-MRI parameters for accurately distinguishing renal clear cell carcinoma from renal hamartoma with minimal fat.

METHODS
Patients with renal tumors were enrolled from January 2013 to December 2015, including renal clear cell carcinoma (n = 39) and renal hamartoma (n = 10). Preoperative DCE-MR Imaging was performed, and whole-tumor regions of interest were drawn to obtain the corresponding histogram parameters, including skewness, kurtosis, frequency size, energy, quartile, etc. Histogram parameters differences between renal clear cell car-cinoma and renal hamartoma with minimal fat were compared. The diagnostic value of each significant parameter in predicting malignant tumors was determined.

RESULTS
Histogram parameters of the DCE map contributed to differentiating the benign from malignant renal tumor groups. Histogram analysis of DCE maps could effectively present the heterogeneity of renal tumors and aid in differentiating benign and malignant tumors. ROC analysis results indicated that when frequency size = 1,732 was set as the threshold value, favorable diagnostic performance in predicting malignant tumors was achieved (AUC - 0.964; sensitivity - 84.6%; specificity - 100%), followed by skewness, Energy, Entropy, Uniformity, quartile 5, quartile 50, and kurtosis.

CONCLUSIONS
Histogram analysis of DCE-MRI shows promise for differentiating benign and malignant renal tumors. Frequency size was the most significant parameter for predicting renal clear cell carcinoma.


Kawasaki disease (KD) is a multisystem vasculitis condition with a relatively unknown etiology. It has a high prevalence in children ages 6 months to 5 years, and patients often present with high fever, rash, cervical lymphadenopathy and mucocutaneous abnormalities. Visceral manifestations can be present, being coronary complications the most frequent. There is no diagnostic test for KD, its presentation can be complete or incomplete and, in some cases, it can be atypical. We report a case of a 3-month-old infant with 3-weeks of fever and aseptic meningitis. Infectious diseases were excluded and there was no response to antibiotics. Echocardiography was normal in the second week. Genetic test for CINCA syndrome was negative. In the third week, dilatation of coronary arteries determined Kawasaki disease's diagnosis. Prolonged fever, accompanied by nonspecific clinical symptoms were the only manifestations, becoming a challenging diagnosis. KD must be considered when prolonged fever is present, mainly in young children in whom the incomplete forms of the disease are more frequent.


431 Background: Non-RCC neoplasms of the kidney include neuroendocrine tumors (small cell carcinoma and carcinoid) and Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumors (PNET). Small cell carcinoma and renal carcinoids are small blue cell tumors that rarely occur as primary renal neoplasms. PNET, known as extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma, is characterized by t(11;22), the gold standard for diagnosis. It is a small round cell tumor derived from the neural crest and treated with chemotherapy; the role of nephrectomy is unclear.

METHODS
We reviewed records of patients seen at MDACC between 01/01/2001 and 01/01/2011 for PNET, small cell carcinomas, and carcinoid tumors of the kidney. Overall survival (OS) was determined from diagnosis to death.

RESULTS
21 pts met inclusion criteria. Disease-specific data is shown in the table. Common treatments included: carboplatin/etoposide for small cell carcinomas; vincristine/doxorubicin/ifosfamide, vincristine/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin/ifosfamide alternating with cisplatin/etoposide for PNET. Irinotecan was a common salvage agent in PNET. Most carcinoid tumors were treated with surgery alone. Two patients with small cell received whole brain radiation for brain metastases.

CONCLUSIONS
Carcinoid tumors of the kidney had better outcomes compared to renal small cell carcinomas or PNET. Local carcinoid tumors of the kidney were generally managed with surgery alone. Renal small cell carcinomas and PNET were treated with systemic therapies. [Table: see text].


Objective: Exact identification of C-cells in thyroid with defined morphological features, number of cells present in whole population, ratio of parafollicular to follicular cells and localization is a challenge with conventional analysis. A specific and sensitive calcitonin immunohistochemistry is necessary for the demonstration.
Method: Tissue obtained from 30 cadaveric specimens at AIIMS Jodhpur were processed, sectioned and stained for immunohistochemical analysis using calcitonin. The results obtained were also compared with H&E staining for same section.
Results: C-cells were found distributed in both lateral lobes, concentrated around a vertical axis in cranio-caudal direction. It was a randomized distribution with hardly any symmetry. A complete homogeneous distribution of C-cells all over the thyroid was never demonstrated. C-cells were usually concentrated in the middle thirds of the thyroid, and more in the right lobe. Upper third predominantly had more C-cells as compared to lower third of the gland. Incidentally, no C-cells were found in the isthmus in any thyroid at all. When observed for the localization, most of the C-cells were in the interfollicular position.
Conclusion: The present study findings corroborate the use of IHC for C-cell analysis in thyroid gland. Calcitonin proved to be an important diagnostic marker in C-cell identification. Quantification was done reliably, proving calcitonin used in the procedure justified due to its high specificity and affinity.


The selection of an appropriate material that duplicates the appearance of natural tooth structure is very important in restorative dentistry. Photometric and colorimetric analysis techniques offer great potential as a tool for aiding in the duplication process. The degree to which these techniques will be useful depends on the accuracy and precision with which they can be applied to translucent as well as opaque surfaces. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the performance of three currently-available photometric devices. The performance capabilities of the instruments were tested on various shades of opaque and translucent dental porcelain surfaces. The performance tests were designed for evaluation of the accuracy and precision of the instrument relative to a well-studied reference instrument. CIELAB color difference metrics were used for the performance analysis. The results revealed that each of the photometric instruments evaluated was capable of producing color measurements with precision. However, the degree of accuracy with which the color measurements were made varied depending on the instrument used and the type of material surface being measured. A photo-electric tristimulus colorimeter showed the best overall performance on the porcelain surfaces, supporting its use as a valuable tool for evaluating color in dentistry.


The article represents the results of investigation of combined thermomechanical processing effects on the steel strength properties. Methods of thermomechanical processing include forging, torsion, and equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) with various types of thermal processing. The results of investigation of the strength and plasticity of low-carbon steel subjected to ECAP, forging, and torsion are given, as well as results of fracture toughness tests in conditions of normal and low temperatures. The study of the steel plasticity properties was carried out with the use of the developed experiment-calculated technique based on thermovision method of the specimen surface temperature measurement and solution of inverse problem of thermal conductivity with constant coefficients.


Three-dimensional ultrasound (3D US) is widely useful in clinical diagnosis and therapy monitoring. However, the existing methods for 3D US are generally expensive and physically constraining. This paper describes a low-cost and unobtrusive method for 3D US, which spatially registers 2D US scans in six degrees of freedom (6 DoF). In this method, artificial skin features are created in the scan region of the body for robust feature tracking. A lightweight camera is mounted on the US probe to track the features for probe motion recovery and skin surface mapping. This algorithm does not rely on any assumption on the scene, so this system is suitable for scan regions of any size and any surface shape. In this paper, the system design and the preparation of artificial skin features are described. Performance of this method in 3D volume reconstruction is examined quantitatively through in-vitro experiments and qualitatively through in-vivo experiments.


Sensorless control of a PM synchronous motor for direct drive washers with parameter variation is presented. The rotor position is estimated by using the d-axis and q-axis current errors between the real system and the model of the position estimator. The stator resistance is measured near zero speed when the motor changes its rotating direction. The variation of the stator resistance and back EMF constant due to the temperature variation is compensated for in the model of the position estimator. The gains in the position estimator are also adapted according to motor speed. The increase in the DC link voltage caused by the regenerated power at braking is reduced by adding the extra γ-axis current in the DC link capacitor voltage controller.


Skin is the organ-barrier which assures the isolation and the protection of the organism, but in the same time, it is vulnerable because of its continuous exposure to various environmental factors. Unfortunately, the prevalence of skin cancer in pet animals continues to rise. Several studies have been conducted with the purpose of establishing incidence rates of skin cancer in pets, revealing that regarding dogs, tumors of the skin are the most common, accounting for approximately 30% of all tumors. Similarly, skin tumors in cats are very often diagnosed, accounting for approximately 25% of all tumors (Meuten, 2012; Withrow and Vail, 2007).Considering the importance of deepening the studies related to skin cancer in dogs and cats, this review aims to emphasize the most common types of epidermal and melanocytic neoplastic lesions, highlighting their prevalence, the associated factors, the gross morphology and the histological features.


Interactive Machine Teaching (IMT) systems allow non-experts to easily create Machine Learning (ML) models. However, existing vision-based IMT systems either ignore annotations on the objects of interest or require users to annotate in a post-hoc manner. Without the annotations on objects, the model may misinterpret the objects using unrelated features. Post-hoc annotations cause additional workload, which diminishes the usability of the overall model building process. In this paper, we develop LookHere, which integrates in-situ object annotations into vision-based IMT. LookHere exploits users' deictic gestures to segment the objects of interest in real time. This segmentation information can be additionally used for training. To achieve the reliable performance of this object segmentation, we utilize our custom dataset called HuTics, including 2040 front-facing images of deictic gestures toward various objects by 170 people. The quantitative results of our user study showed that participants were 16.3 times faster in creating a model with our system compared to a standard IMT system with a post-hoc annotation process while demonstrating comparable accuracies. Additionally, models created by our system showed a significant accuracy improvement (ΔmIoU = 0.466) in segmenting the objects of interest compared to those without annotations.


This paper, after an introduction on the origin, development and principal aims of the National Union of Associations for Mental Health (UNASAM), briefly describes what happened in the last 30 years in the field of mental health in Italy. This period covers roughly the lifespan of the Italian Law 180, from the beginnings, the closure of psychiatric hospitals, to the difficulties of present days. The second part of the paper is a summary of a study commissioned to UNASAM by Istituto Superiore di Sanità and conducted in collaboration with the Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri" of Milan. This research was aimed at evaluating the quality of mental health services in four Italian Regions. Members of patients' families participated with enthusiasm, filling up a questionnaire and engaging in fieldwork, which required more than 3000 working hours and produced significant and useful results.


It is proved that the shape of the typical cell of a stationary Poisson-Voronoi tessellation in Euclidean space, under the condition that the volume of the typical cell is large, must be close to spherical, with high probability. The same holds if the volume is replaced by the surface area or other suitable functionals. Similar results are established for the zero cell of a stationary and isotropic Poisson hyperplane tessellation.


The transcriptional nuclear factor binding to the Y box of human leukocyte antigen genes (NF-Y) for the C5a receptor (C5aR) gene is active in erythroblasts. However, the roles of the C5aR in erythropoiesis are unclear. We have previously demonstrated that apoptotic cell-derived ribosomal protein S19 (RP S19) oligomers exhibit extraribosomal functions in promoting monocyte chemotaxis and proapoptosis via the C5aR without receptor internalisation. In contrast to the extraribosomal functions of the RP S19, a proapoptotic signal in pro-EBs, which is caused by mutations in the RP S19 gene, is associated with the inherited erythroblastopenia, Diamond-Blackfan anaemia. In this study, we detected C5aR expression and RP S19 oligomer generation in human erythroleukemia K562 cells during haemin-induced erythropoiesis. Under monocell culture conditions, the differentiation into K562 erythrocyte-like cells was enhanced following the overexpression of Wild-type RP S19. Conversely, the differentiation was repressed following the overexpression of mutant RP S19. An RP S19 oligomer inhibitor and a C5aR inhibitor blocked the association of the K562 basophilic EB-like cells and the THP-1 macrophage-like cells under coculture conditions. When bound to RP S19 oligomers, the C5aR may exhibit dual functions as a connector for the EB-macrophage island and as a sensor for EB differentiation in the bone marrow.


Corona Virus Disease 19 (COVID-19) remains a serious health problem worldwide cause by a novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARSCOV-2) which rapidly declared on 30-Jan-2020 as a global pandemic by WHO. Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment or vaccine available so far. The only preventive measure to break the spreading of the virus is by physical distancing, wearing masks, and lockdown of countries. All of the above mentioned measures implemented in European and African countries, despite that, the outbreak of the African countries has resulted in quite a few number of cases. Sever cases of COVID-19 is resulted from acute lung injury and cytokine storm. Vitamin D is wellknown to inhibit the pathological inflammatory immune response by suppressing the activation of Th1 cells and activation of T regulator cells, as a result of that, vitamin D could minimize the occurrence of the cytokine storm. African countries has a privilege of sunshine most of the year seasons that help synthesizing Vitamin D3 which could explain the low number COVID-19 cases compared to European countries.


Understanding the different effects of chemical substances on human proteins is fundamental for designing new drugs. It is also important for elucidating the different mechanisms of action of drugs that can cause side-effects. In this context, computational methods for predicting chemical-protein interactions can provide valuable insights on the relation between therapeutic chemical substances and proteins. Their predictions therefore can help in multiple tasks such as drug repurposing, identifying new drug side-effects, etc. Despite their useful predictions, these methods are unable to predict the different implications - such as change in protein expression, abundance, etc, - of chemical - protein interactions. Therefore, In this work, we study the modelling of chemical-protein interactions' effects on proteins activity using computational approaches. We hereby propose using 3D tensors to model chemicals, their target proteins and the effects associated to their interactions. We then use multi-part embedding tensor factorisation to predict the different effects of chemicals on human proteins. We assess the predictive accuracy of our proposed method using a benchmark dataset that we built. We then show by computational experimental evaluation that our approach outperforms other tensor factorisation methods in the task of predicting effects of chemicals on human proteins.


California statutes contain some of the most stringent standards for arbitrator disclosure found anywhere. While those standards are not applicable to international arbitration, the statutory provision requiring mandatory vacatur of an award for failure to disclose is. California case law currently provides that a general choice of law provision calling for the application of California law includes the application of California procedural law, including its unique arbitration provisions. Parties are advised to specifically exclude California arbitration law when agreeing to a California choice of law provision and to enforce their arbitration agreement and any ensuing award in federal, rather than California State, court.


A single wythe concrete masonry unit has been developed that can provide resistance to water penetration normally associated with cavity wall construction. An earlier paper described the development of the prototype with a single arch web. This paper reviews the performance of a newer unit that incorporates a second arch web. The rain penetration characteristics of the second unit are comparable to the prototype, but the cull rate in manufacturing is greatly reduced. Potential applications are discussed. Results of lateral load tests on a full-scale wall are presented.


Determining bioequivalence for solution pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDI) is difficult because the critical characteristics of such products are poorly defined. The aim of this study was to elucidate the non-aerodynamic properties of the emitted aerosol particles from two solution pMDI products that determine their biopharmaceutical differences after deposition. Novel particle capture and analysis techniques were employed to characterize the physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties of two beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) products: QVAR and Sanasthmax. The BDP particles emitted from the Sanasthmax inhaler were discernibly different those emitted from QVAR in terms of size (50% larger, less porous), solid state (less crystalline) and dissolution (20-fold slower). When deposited onto the surface of respiratory epithelial cell layers, QVAR delivered ∼50% more BDP across the cell layer in 60 min than Sanasthmax. Biopharmaceutical performance was not attributable to individual particle properties as these were manifold with summative and/or competing effects. The cell culture dissolution-absorption model revealed the net effect of the particle formed on drug disposition and was predictive of human systemic absorption of BDP delivered by the test inhalers. This illustrates the potential of the technique to detect the effect of formulation on the performance of aerosolized particles and contribute to assessment of bioequivalence.


BACKGROUND
Hepatitis B is common in organ transplant recipients. It adversely affects the prognosis after liver and kidney transplantation. The long-term outcome of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in heart transplant recipients has not been studied before.

METHODS
Between July 1984 and June 1993, 436 patients underwent heart transplantation at the Hannover Medical School. A total of 345 patients survived for more than 1 year and were included in this study. Of these, 74 were found to be hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive during follow-up; 69 acquired HBV infection at known time points 25+/-17 months after transplantation, and 5 had already been infected before heart transplantation. Mean follow-up was 105 (range, 25-157) months.

RESULTS
Patients developed significant alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevations after HBV infection, which peaked and then remained above normal. Preinfection levels of ALT were 15.4+/-6.4 U/L, peak values were 71.2+/-47.2 U/L, and mean values after HBV infection were 28.9+/-14.6 U/L. All patients remained HBsAg-positive. Thirteen patients (18%) became HBeAg-negative during follow-up, 10 with negative quantitative HBV-DNA assays. Mean HBV-DNA levels in the remaining patients were 292+/-267 (range, 0-978) pg/ml. Thirty-four patients died during follow-up (45.9%) compared to 78/271 (28.8%) in the control group (P=0.008). Six of the HBsAg-positive patients (17.1%) died of liver failure 6.2-10.6 years (mean, 8.6) after transplantation. Histology of 25 HBsAg-positive patients more than 5 years after infection revealed severe fibrosis or cirrhosis in 14 (56%), mild fibrosis in 9 (36%), and chronic hepatitis without fibroproliferation in 2 (8%).

CONCLUSIONS
Hepatitis B infection after heart transplantation leads to chronic liver disease in the majority of the affected patients, causing cirrhosis in more than 55% within the first decade after transplantation. Liver failure is a common cause of death in the infected group of patients. Active HBV vaccination is mandatory for all organ transplant candidates, in particular before heart transplantation.


The article examines the genre specificity of Friedrich Hebbel's dramaturgy. The attention is drawn to the operation of various genre elements in his works. The basic principles of creation of philosophical and mythological tragedy by Friedrich Hebbel are analyzed. The gnoseological conception of cognition of the world which relies on the ontological structure, transferring the center of gravity of the drama to the idea development, extension of space and time at the expense of inserting mythological plot and symbolism as the signs of the genre. The philosophical and mythological tragedy of Friedrich Hebbel makes sense of ontological categories, elaborates ideas of social philosophy and philosophy of history.


Abstract We discovered an undescribed species of Leiophron parasitizing mirid nymphs in Argentina and Paraguay; this euphorine braconid is described as Leiophron argentinensis Shaw n. sp. Wasps were reared from several mirid species collected on numerous host plants, but most parasitoids (>85%) were reared from Taylorilygus apicalis (Fieber), which was the most abundant mirid. Parasitism rates ranged from 0 to 37% and averaged ≈7% for the entire study. Excluding samples where parasitism was not observed, parasitism rates averaged ≈9%. Parasitism levels were highest in the summer. Host plant species significantly influenced parasitism levels of T. apicalis; nymphs on Conyza spp. suffered ≈16% parasitism, significantly more than nymphs on other host plants. L. argentinensis was collected throughout the study area (≈22–35° S), although the entire geographic range of this species is not yet known. We observed a transition from a male-biased sex ratio in the summer to a female-biased sex ratio in the fall. L. argentinensis has several generations per year and apparently produces some diapausing individuals in each generation. The incidence of diapause was lowest in the summer (≈40%). In laboratory trials, L. argentinensis readily parasitized Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) and Lygus hesperus Knight, suggesting that L. argentinensis has potential as a biological control agent for these pests in the United States.


This paper considers different ways to enhance access to the World Wide Web for persons with sensory, cognitive, or motor limitations. Paradoxically, while complex Web architectures may seem to have inhibited accessibility, they have broadened the range of points where we can try to improve it. This paper identifies these points and evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of each. In particular, it describes a project to develop a strategy to enhance access that can be distributed across multiple control points and implemented as an aggregation of Web services.


INTRODUCTION: Landing on one leg is a common activity in Gaelic Football. Research has shown that the internal and external forces on the joints of the lower extremity can be modulated by changing kinematic patterns of lower limb function (Schmitz et al, 2007). Previous studies in other sports have suggested that uninjured limbs tend to land in more flexed positions (Ortiz et al, 2008). The purpose of this pilot study was to assess if injury had an effect on the kinematic pattern of a drop land in Gaelic footballers. METHODS: Ethical approval was obtained for this study from the University of Limerick research ethics committee. This was a quantitative cross sectional study. 11 male college level Gaelic Footballers provided written informed consent and completed 5 single leg drop lands on each leg from a height of 0.6m while 3D kinematic data was simultaneously collected. The CODA motion analysis system was used to track 22 markers which were placed on specific anatomical landmarks, which allowed the measurement of lower-limb joint angle displacement during each drop land. An average of the five drop lands i.e. mean of the maximum joint angle achieved at the ankle, knee and hip during the drop were calculated and statistical analysis was performed on data using SPSS version 15.0. Limbs were classified as injured if they sustained an injury which prevented their participation in their sport for greater than 2 weeks. Injures were lower limb soft tissue injuries and did not include ruptures. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The results of this study show that the uninjured ankle dorsiflexed more than the injured ankle (6.7°). This change is statistically significant (p=0.009). The other joints show that the injured limb flexed more, however these changes were not determined to be clinically or statistically significant (all p>0.05). This result differs from previous research in other sporting populations and may suggest a differing kinematic landing pattern among Gaelic Footballers. As the previous literature in this area is limited especially among Gaelic Footballers this study serves to add to the current research carried out on this population and this topic. The results of this preliminary study should be examined with caution considering its small sample size. However, it is hoped that this pilot will inform a future larger study in this area. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that kinematics alterations may exist in Gaelic Footballers following injury. In addition, this study may indicate that Gaelic Footballers rehabilitation programmes may require modifying in order to optimise the function of the injured limb. REFERENCES: Negrete, R.J., Schick, E.A. and Cooper, J.P. (2007) Lower-Limb Dominance as a Possible Etiologic Factor in Noncontact Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 21(1), 270-273 Ortiz, A., Olson, S., Libby, C.L., Trudelle-Jackson, E., Kwon, Y.H., Etnyre, B. and Bartlett, W. (2008) Landing Mechanisms Between Noninjured Women and Women with Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruciton During 2 Jump Tasks The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 36(1): 149-157 Schmitz, R.J., Kulas, A.S., Perrin, D.H., Riemann, B.L., and Shultz, S.J. (2007) Sex differences in lower extremity biomechanics during single leg landings, Clinical Biomechanics, 22, 681-688


Hexagonal AlN thin films have been deposited by DC reactive magnetron sputtering at room temperature. For a first set of samples, sputtered AlN films were deposited on silicon Si (100) substrates. For a second set, AlN films were deposited on 200 nm (002) oriented AlN epitaxial layer obtained by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) on Si (111). X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) analysis of the synthesized films on Si (100) substrate have shown an amorphous phase close to the interface followed by a nano-crystalline layer exhibiting (100) and (002) orientations of the hexagonal AlN crystalline phase. Finally a relatively well crystallised layer with a single (002) orientation has been observed for the thickest films. This improvement of crystalline quality with film thickness has been consistent with a drastic decrease of the films stress from -1.2 GPa at 300 nm to no stress around 800 nm and even 0.3 GPa tensile stress for 1.5 μm thick film. This behaviour was different when epitaxial AlN was used as substrate. In fact, we have observed thanks to HRTEM images and Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) patterns, that the AlN film deposited on such a substrate exhibits the same crystalline quality and have the same orientation as the AlN epitaxial layer during the first 500 nm of thickness. A further increase of film thickness has caused a decrease on the crystalline quality. The films became polycrystalline while preserving a (002) preferential orientation.


"AN APPROACH TO UTILIZE MD5 GENERATOR FOR UTILITY OPITIMIZATION"is a web application to automate the process of managing the infrastructure facilities in the Training Hall. The software developed will help in allotment of Systems to the users of the Hall, surrendering of the systems after the usage, monitoring of Hardware devices and Application software installed in the systems. It also aims to register complaints in the system and monitoring of the attending to the complaints by the Hardware Engineer. The System will help to register user details. In case User is a Programmer, the Project details and the Project Head to whom he/she is reporting. The System allows the users to login with their details and can register their system complaints and follow up their complaint till it is attended. Several levels are being designed which consists of modules like user login, system allotment, monitoring of hardware, system software, complaints and attendance is being registered. Final report is being submitted.


Design hyetograph or design storm definition is one of the most important parts of the design discharge determination in case of ungauged catchments. Design hyetograph duration and temporal rainfall distribution can have large impact on the peak discharge values and the shape of the runoff hydrograph. The influence of these two factors on the design runoff values is presented in the case study of the Glinščica River catchment that covers 16.85 km 2 and it is located in central part of Slovenia, Europe. A combination of Huff and intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves is used to construct the design hyeto- graph for the presented case study. The duration of the design storm is determined by the catchment time of concentration. The results are compared to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) curves and the so-called frequency storm method. The hydrological modeling result that was carried out using t he h ydrologic m odeling system (HEC-HMS) software indicates that differences among different methods should not be neglected. For the 10-year return period, differences in the peak discharge values can be larger than 10%, while even larger differences can be expected for longer return periods. Some studies showed that these can be larger than 50%. Therefore, the guidelines on how to construct the design hyetograph are presented.


Background Steroid‐responsive meningitis‐arteritis (SRMA) is an inflammatory disease of dogs that is suspected to be immune‐mediated. The development of other immune‐mediated diseases has been linked to vaccinations, time of the year, geographic location, sex, neuter status, and breed. Hypothesis/Objectives To identify if the development of SRMA is associated with time of year, vaccination, geographic location, sex, neuter status, and breed. Animals Sixty SRMA cases and 180 controls, all ≤24 months of age and matched for year of presentation, from a referral hospital population in the United Kingdom. Methods Retrospective case‐control study with unconditional logistic regression analysis. Results Beagles (P = .001), Border Collies (P = .001), Boxers (P = .032), Jack Russell Terriers (P = .001), Weimaraners (P = .048), and Whippets (P < .001) had significantly greater odds of developing SRMA in this population of dogs. Vaccination, time of year, geographic category, sex, and neuter status did not increase the odds of developing SRMA. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Only breed increased the odds of developing SRMA. It would be prudent to investigate the genetics of the identified breeds to help elucidate the etiopathogenesis of SRMA.


The Nabis were a prominent group of avant-garde artists from the Academie Julien who pushed the boundaries of representational art in fin de siecle Paris. Among this group of men who valued esoteric spirituality and the developing symbolist painting and literature was the orthodox Catholic Maurice Denis. In his paper, McKee utilizes often overlooked works in Denis's oeuvre and reinterprets those most cited to analyze the peculiar role of women within the work of this paradoxically (or is it?) orthodox Catholic and avant-garde artist. Utilizing the Positivist psychology of Charcot McKee demonstrates the problematic nature of female religious ecstasy within an increasingly secular culture. Moving onto the four versions of Mystere Catholique, McKee closely reads the modifications to the body of the Virgin in Denis's four versions of the painting, interrogating their implications in the larger Crise Catholique in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Finally, considering the original viewing context of Mystere Catholique and Soir Trinitaire, McKee demonstrates Denis's latent sexual anxiety towards the Virginal archetype expressed privately in his journal and laid bare in his religious painting.


ABSTRACT Modelling population density over time: how spatial distance matters. Regional Studies. This study provides an empirical application of the Bayesian approach for modelling the evolution of population density distribution across time. It focuses on the case of Massachusetts by tracking changes in the importance of spatial distance from Boston concerning citizens' choices of residence according to data for 1880–90 and 1930–2010. By adopting a Bayesian strategy, results show that Boston reinforced its attractiveness until the 1960s, when the city's accessibility no longer represented the unique determinant of population density distribution. Referring to selected historical evidence, a few possible interpretations are presented to endorse these results.


The aim of this study was to describe children's hospitalization and to analyse gender differences by selected diagnostic and procedure groups. Using the Clinical Classification for Health Policy Research Version 2 (CCHPR), 81 888 hospitalizations from the Minimum Basic Data Set of Hospital Discharge (CMBDAH) of 1995 related to children under 15 y of age in Catalonia, Spain, were studied. Hospitalization rates, number of days in hospital, average length of stay (d) in hospital and the standardized hospitalization ratio (SHR) (hospitalization rate in boys/hospitalization rate in girls) were computed. Two independent approaches were taken: (i) gender‐specific categories were excluded in order to compare hospitalizations by sex; (ii) a selected group of 17 diagnostic and procedure categories were chosen in order to carry out the specific gender comparison. In both approaches, the selected indicators were compared by age groups, and totals were standardized by age using the direct method. An excess of hospitalization in boys was observed (SHR= 1.18; 95% CI: 1.17–1.19). The number of days spent in hospital and hospitalization rates were higher in infants and were also higher for boys than for girls. The average length of stay in hospital was higher in infants and in girls at all ages. These differences were systematic when stratified by health region, admission and discharge circumstances and hospital category. Except for urinary infection, which was higher in girls (SHR: 0.65; CI 95%: 0.54—0.76), the SHR was higher in boys in all diagnostic and procedure categories analysed (all SHR > 1). Specific sex categories, injuries and poisonings cannot on their own explain a higher level of hospitalization among boys. More specific studies are needed to explain the role of the family and the healthcare system in gender inequalities in children's hospitalization. □Catalonia, children, differences, hospitalization, inequalities, sex


In the current mobile communication scenario, users have to trust the network operator to make correct charges over the calls made and articles purchased online using a mobile phone. Previously proposed asymmetric payment used digital signatures which are computationally expensive. In this paper, we propose the use of joint signatures as a foundation for achieving authenticity, privacy and non-repudiation in m-commerce applications.


As shown by polarographic method, administration of high doses of ascorbic acid into guinea pigs (100 mg per 100 g of body weight) within two weeks led to a distinct increase (2-fold) in concentration of endogenous peroxides in liver tissue. Maintaining of the animals on a diet, deficient in vitamin C, within 4 weeks (scorbutic animals) was accompanied by 1.6-fold decrease in content of lipid peroxides in liver tissue as compared with control group.