A LITTLE-RECOGNIZED FEATURE of the mean-variance portfolio-selection model is that induced preferences for asset holdings are not necessarily monotone; more of an asset (or portfolio) is not necessarily better, even if the asset (or portfolio) has positive expected return. The model predicts that an investor typically wants only a limited number of shares of an asset, and beyond that the increase in mean return from costlessly getting more of an asset is not sufficient to compensate for the increased risk. This is reasonable if the model describes a market for contracts with unlimited liability where total returns may be negative (e.g., they may be normally distributed). It is unreasonable, however, if the model is used to describe a stock market with limited liability. In that case, it is desirable to impose conditions that ensure that there is no upper limit to how much of an asset (or portfolio) the investor wants. The sharpest possible conditions are identified in Section I. Since portfolio preferences are not monotone, global satiation is possible. Again, this is unrealistic when liability is limited. Satiation is bothersome also because it may lead to nonexistence of equilibrium in Black's [4] CAPM without a riskless asset, as demonstrated in Nielsen [9]. (Uniqueness of equilibrium in CAPM is investigated in Nielsen [10].) Section I identifies the exact conditions under which global satiation does or does not occur. The conditions compare the maximum ratio of mean to standard deviation of total return available from the assets with the investor's limiting degree of risk aversion (as measured by the slope of his or her indifference curves) at high levels of risk. An optimal portfolio may or may not exist in the portfolio-selection problem, depending on the asymptotic slopes of the efficient frontier and the investor's indifference curves. Section II identifies the exact conditions. Mean-variance behavior can arise from expected utility maximization based on normal distributions. In that case, the conditions for nonsatiation and for existence of optimal portfolios can be stated in terms of the von NeumannMorgenstern utility function. Section III relates the relevant properties of the utility function for standard deviation and mean to properties of the von Neumann-Morgenstern utility function.


Secretion of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antithyroid microsomal antibodies (AMA) was induced in vitro by coculturing non-T cells (B lymphocytes) and autologous CD4 (helper/inducer) cells from normal subjects stimulated with pokeweed mitogen (PWM) or a combination of human thyroid microsomal antigen (McAg) and Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (SAC) strain. With PWM stimulation, AMA production was induced in more IgM-secreting cells (AMA-M) than IgG-secreting cells (AMA-G). However, McAg plus SAC stimulation resulted in similar numbers of AMA-G- and AMA-M-secreting cells. PWM induced a significantly greater number of both AMA-M (and generalized IgM)-secreting cells than did McAg plus SAC, while the number of AMA-G-secreting cells induced by the two stimuli were similar. There were no significant differences between autologous or allogeneic CD4 cells from normal subjects or patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) when cocultured with B cells from normal subjects in terms of helper activity in the induction of AMA-M- or IgM-secreting cells with PWM stimulation. However, with McAg plus SAC, CD4 cells from patients with AITD induced a significantly greater number of AMA-M-secreting cells than did autologous or allogeneic CD4 cells from normal subjects. There was no difference in helper activity between autologous and allogeneic normal CD4 cells in the induction of generalized IgM-secreting cells regardless of the stimulus used. Normal autologous or allogeneic CD8 (suppressor/cytotoxic) cells cocultured with normal B cells and autologous CD4 cells suppressed the induction of AMA-M-secreting cells by PWM stimulation. On the other hand, CD8 cells from patients with AITD suppressed the induction of AMA-M-secreting cells significantly less effectively. All CD8 cells suppressed the induction of IgM-secreting cells equally well. We conclude that 1) B lymphocytes from normal subjects are capable of producing autoantibodies in vitro in the presence of CD4 cells; 2) the helper activity of CD4 cells from patients with AITD to induce AMA-M secreting cells is greater than that of normal CD4 cells with thyroid antigen stimulation; and 3) this helper activity may be due to relatively impaired suppressor activity in thyroid antigen-specific CD8 cells from patients with AITD, whereas the immunoregulatory function of CD8 cells from normal subjects appears to play an important role in the maintenance of self-tolerance.


We prove two identities for multivariate Bernstein polynomials on simplex, which are considered on a pointwise. In this paper, we study good approximations of Bernstein polynomials for every continuous functions on simplex and the higher dimensional q-analogues of Bernstein polynomials on simplex.


OBJECTIVE
In 1996 we found by serendipity that 2 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who were taking clarithromycin (CM) to eradicate Helicobacter pylori experienced a regression of their RA symptoms. Following this observation, we tested the hypothesis that this reduction in symptoms could have been caused by CM administration.

METHODS
We performed a 6-month, open, uncontrolled pilot study on 18 patients (14 females and 4 males, mean age 62 yrs.) with RA who had previously received DMARDs (mean 2.6) and discontinued the treatment at least one month earlier because lack of efficacy or severe side effects. Patients were treated with CM at the dose of 500 mg twice per day for the first 10 days, followed by a daily maintenance dose of 250 mg twice per day.

RESULTS
4/18 patients did not complete the treatment, 2/18 were not responsive to the treatment and 2/18 discontinued the treatment. Following ACR criteria the improvement was: 10 patients ACR 20; 6 patients ACR 50; and 2 patients ACR 70. The remaining 4 patients did not reach ACR 20 since either the number of tender or swollen joints was not to the level required. Reductions in PGE2 and soluble phospholipase A2 plasma levels were closely related to CM plasma levels.

CONCLUSIONS
Ourfindings suggest that CM treatment can be beneficial in those patients who are not responsive to or cannot tolerate DMARDs. No definitive conclusions can be drawn based on the present study, due to the small sample size involved.


At present, research on impact tectonics mainly covers the following aspects: 1. The structure and formation mechanism of the impact crater; 2. The ore-forming mineralization in impact structures; and 3. The economic and geological significance of impact structures. The study of impact structure not only has academic significance but also practical economic and geological significance. Economic deposits associated with impact structures range from world-class to relatively local deposits. There are three types of deposits: progenetic, syngenetic and epigenetic. There is increasing evidence that large-scale impact structures are often associated with economic deposits. Many impact structures can be targets for resource exploration but still need to be discovered. The exploration of impact structures is hindered by technology and sea-land erosion, and a considerable number of craters have been likely buried. Based on the economic deposits associated with these structures, further resource discovery and extraction has great potential. Original article, Published date: 2018-05-22 DOI: 10.23977/geors.2018.11011


This paper presents a secure LSB steganography system against sample pair analysis, such as RS, SPA and DIH method by adopting chaotic technique and dynamic compensation skill. Firstly, this paper gives a new chaotic system, and embeds message in the LSB plane of the carrier image randomly via the chaos system, then make a dynamic compensation, add 1 or subtract 1 to all pixel value of the selected compensation steg-image area. Even the embedding rate is near 100% in this steg-image, such dynamic compensation can make RS, SPA and DIH steganalysis get three very small estimate values close to zero in the same time, and lead the attacker to make incorrect judgement. Moreover, the initial value of the chaos system and the selection parameters of the compensation can be used as parts of the steganography system key to improve the system security


OBJECTIVE
To pool and meta-analyze the results of all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL).

DATA SOURCES
A MEDLINE search and hand search were conducted to identify RCTs published between January 1966 and February 2006 in the English language on the treatment of SSHL. Search terms included hearing loss, sensorineural (MeSH term), sensorineural hearing loss (text words), and sudden deafness (text words).

STUDY SELECTION
Prospective RCTs on the treatment of patients diagnosed as having sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

DATA EXTRACTION
A meta-analysis using the random effects model was conducted when data existed for 2 or more studies. Odds ratios (ORs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and tests for heterogeneity were reported.

DATA SYNTHESIS
Twenty RCTs were identified, of which 5 met inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. Pooling of data from 2 RCTs that compared steroids with placebo showed no difference between treatment groups (OR, 2.47; 95% CI, 0.89-6.84; P=.08). No difference existed between patients treated with antiviral plus steroid therapy vs placebo plus steroid therapy (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.29-2.92: P=.88). Finally, there was no difference between subjects treated with steroids vs subjects treated with any other active treatment (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 0.64-2.55; P=.50).

CONCLUSIONS
Despite the traditional practice in North America of treating of SSHL with systemic steroids, a meta-analysis revealed no evidence of benefit of steroids over placebo. There was also no difference in the addition of antiviral therapy to systemic steroids, nor was there difference between systemic steroids and other active treatment.


Summary form only given. The development of wireless technologies sets off new issues regarding exposure of the people to electromagnetic radiation. The non-ionizing dosimetry is focused on the calculation of the dose that can be absorbed by users of a wireless technology. The integration of the variability in the dosimetry is a major issue, especially the one led by the environment. Electromagnetic environment are described by wireless channel model. The model indicates that the exposure of people is random; the channel parameters follow known probability distributions. This model shows that the electromagnetic waves do not arrive separately but in cluster form. The angles of incidence and amplitudes of the electromagnetic waves follow specific probability distribution. In the framework of the study of people's exposure to complex environment, it is necessary to expose an anatomical body model to all possible angle of incidence. The computation time in dosimetry is especially long so it is essential to pitch for an efficient estimation method in order to obtain the SAR values for all possible angle of incidence. In this study, we look into estimation of SAR in function of azimuthal angle of arrival of the electromagnetic wave. Kriging method which proves its efficiency in many domains will be used to respond to this problem. The kriging method is a stochastic spatial interpolation method which estimates a value of a phenomenon at locations where no calculation or measure has been done and also estimation variance (called kriging variance). In the full paper an estimation method of whole body SAR based on kriging approach will be presented in order to decrease the number of FDTD calculation. In the full detailed results will be presented, showing the impact of the number of SAR values taken in kriging estimation.


Present study has been conducted to investigate the effects of raising the awareness of middle-school students toward hand hygiene via using theater performances. The population of this intervention study consists of 5th and 6th graders studying at the Middle-school. Prior to using the theater performance, 15.7% of students practiced proper hand-washing technique while after the theater, the ratios escalated to 33.8%. After the intervention, there was a statistically significant increase in the ratio of respondents having emphasized the need to wash hands as shown by the demonstrated technique(p<0.05). It was demonstrated that upon performing drama, entertainment and didactic scenarios integrated theater activities among middle-school students, there was a heightened level of hand-hygiene awareness toward a manifold of issues in the short term. In addition it was detected that by teaching the proper technique students achieved to double increase their knowledge on hand hygiene.


Facility location selection is a vital decision for companies that affects both cost and delivery time over the years. However, determination of the facility location is a NP-hard problem. A hybrid algorithm that combines revised weighted fuzzy c-means with Nelder Mead (RWFCM-NM) performs well when compared with well-known algorithms for the facility location problem (FLP) with deterministic customer demands and positions. The motivation of the study is both analyzing performance of the RWFCM-NM algorithm with probabilistic customer demands and positions and proposing a new approach for this problem. This paper develops two new algorithms for FLP when customer demands and positions are probabilistic. The proposed algorithms are a probabilistic fuzzy c-means algorithm and Nelder-Mead (Probabilistic FCM-NM), a probabilistic revised weighted fuzzy c-means algorithm and Nelder Mead (Probabilistic RWFCM-NM) for the un-capacitated planar multi-facility location problem when customer positions and customer demands are probabilistic with predetermined service level. Proposed algorithms performances were tested with 13 data sets and comparisons were made with four well known algorithms. According to the experimental results, probabilistic RWFCM-NM algorithm demonstrates superiority on compared algorithms in terms of total transportation costs.


Fruit seeds include a large number of bioactive substances with potential applications in the culinary and pharmaceutical industries, satisfying current demands for natural ingredients, which are generally preferred since they have fewer adverse effects than artificial components. Researchers have long been interested in the functional features, as well as the proximate and mineral compositions, of diverse fruit seeds such as tomato, apple, guava, and dates, among others. Bioactive components such as proteins (bioactive peptides), carotenoids (lycopene), polysaccharides (pectin), phytochemicals (flavonoids), and vitamins (-tocopherol) are abundant in fruit by-products and have significant health benefits, making them a viable alternative for the formulation of a wide range of food products with significant functional and nutraceutical potential. This article discusses the role and activities of bioactive chemicals found in tomato, apple, dates, and guava seeds, which can be used in a variety of food forms to cure a variety of cardiovascular and neurological disorders, as well as act as an antioxidant, anticancer, and antibacterial agent. The extraction of diverse bioactive components from by-products could pave the path for the creation of value-added products from the fruit industry, making it more commercially viable while also reducing environmental pollution caused by by-products from the fruit industry.


: Two German habilitations dealing with practical-theological epistemology are reviewed. Fritz Lienhard's book theorizes the theory-practice relation between academic research and church life advocating a theological 'central perspective' for a fruitful use of different method-ologies of research. The book's preoccupation with modern hermeneu-tics is questioned through a reference to P. Bourdieu's theory of practice. Alexander Deeg's book on the liturgical tradition of German Lu-theranism renews a wide discussion of the Lutheran conceptualism of the externality of the Word . The book suggests a new term, 'WortKult', to denote the complexity of the Lutheran Worship, which includes both interpretation of words and aesthetic mediated experience of presence.


Tactile interaction plays a crucial role in interactions between people. Touch can, for example, help people calm down and lower physiological stress responses. Consequently, it is believed that tactile and haptic interaction matter also in human-robot interaction. We study if the intensity of the tactile interaction has an impact on people, and do so by studying whether different intensities of tactile interaction modulate physiological measures and task performance. We use a paradigm in which a small humanoid robot is used to encourage risk-taking behaviour, relying on peer encouragement to take more risks which might lead to a higher pay-off, but potentially also to higher losses. For this, the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) is used as a proxy for the propensity to take risks. We study four conditions, one control condition in which the task is completed without a robot, and three experimental conditions in which a robot is present that encourages risk-taking behaviour with different degrees of tactile interaction. The results show that both low-intensity and high-intensity tactile interaction increase people's risk-taking behaviour. However, low-intensity tactile interaction increases comfort and lowers stress, whereas high-intensity touch does not.


Abstract : A randomized crossover feeding study with a macadamia nut and oil based high monounsaturated fat diet (HIMUFA) and a typical American diet high in saturated fat (HISAT) was conducted on 27 healthy men and women aged 20 to 52. Fatty acid profiles were HIMUFA: 22% MUFA, 9% SEA; HISAT: 11% MUFA, 20% SFA. Each diet was consumed for 8 weeks with a 2-month wash-out. Fasting plasma lipids and lipoprotein subclasses by using NMR or chemical analysis were measured on week 5 and the last two consecutive days of week 8 in each diet period. Isoenergenic substitution with 11% Kcal MUFA for SEA significantly reduced plasma total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, VLDL and TG (in NMR). A small but significant reduction in both LDL and HDL particle size in the HIMUFA diet compared to the HISAT diet. These were due to the reductions in larger particles- L3, and HDL2 (H5, H4). LDL particle concentrations in parallel with LDL levels were significantly reduced in the HIMUFA diet. The cholesterol lowering effects in total cholesterol and LDL of the HIMUFA diet are very prominent. Macadamia nut based MUFA can be a good alternative for SEA in the diet to lower CHD risks. Further investigations are warranted to evaluate the long-term beneficial effects of HIMUFA on CVD risk.


It is only within a comparatively few years that multiple neuritis has been recognized as a disease. Twenty-five or thirty years ago it was an open question whether even diphtheria and lead palsy were due to a muscular affection or to disease of the nerves. As recently as 1879 Bristowe, in his Practice of Medicine, remarks, in connection with the pathology of lead poisoning: "But as regards the paralysis of the voluntary muscles, there is no doubt that Ducheane is right in regarding it as a consequence of nervous disorder. For if it were muscular not only should we find the muscular fibers degenerated in proportion to their loss of power, but we should find faradic contractility surviving as long as any healthy muscle was left. On the other hand, the rapid shrinking of the muscles, without degeneration, and their speedy loss of faradic contractility, obviously point


We have obtained a contiguous set of long-slit spectra of a shock wave in the Cygnus Loop to investigate its structure, which is far from the morphology predicted by 1D models. Proper motions from Hubble Space Telescope images combined with the known distance to the Cygnus Loop provide an accurate shock speed. Earlier analyses of shock spectra estimated the shock speed, postshock density, temperature, and elemental abundances. In this paper we determine several more shock parameters: a more accurate shock speed, ram pressure, density, compression ratio, dust destruction efficiency, magnetic field strength, and vorticity in the cooling region. From the derived shock properties we estimate the emissivities of synchrotron emission in the radio and pion decay emission in the gamma-rays. Both are consistent with the observations if we assume simple adiabatic compression of ambient cosmic-rays as in the van der Laan mechanism. We also find that, although the morphology is far from that predicted by 1D models and the line ratios vary dramatically from point to point, the average spectrum is matched reasonably well by 1D shock models with the shock speed derived from the measured proper motion. A subsequent paper will analyze the development of turbulence in the cooling zone behind the shock.


SEASONAL VARIATION OF LEPIDOPTERA LEAFMINERS AND their PARASITOIDS IN SPONTANEOUS VEGETATION IN AN ORGANIC CITRUS ORCHARD IN MONTENEGRO, RS, BRAZIL. Phyllocnistis citrella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), known popularly as "citrus leafminer," is one of the main insect-pests of citrus orchards in many countries. This study was aimed to determine the species and the seasonal variation of Lepidoptera leafminers and their parasitoids, present in the vegetation spontaneously growing in a citrus orchard, to verify if P. citrella is present in other host plants and if the parasitoids of other leafminers are the same ones reported for this insect-pest. The work was conducted in Montenegro, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in an organic orchard of the Murcott cultivar. Samplings were taken fortnightly, from May 2003 to May 2004, collecting on each occasion all the plants with mines found in an area delimited by a 0.28m2 ring thrown in the lines and between the lines of 30 randomly chosen trees. In the lab, the number of larvae and pupae per leaf of leafminers were recorded. The leaves were maintained until emergence of leafminers or parasitoids. Counting revealed 11 species of Lepidoptera leafminers of the families Gracillariidae, Acrolepiidae, Nepticulidae and Tischeriidae; 15 species of leafminer host plants of 9 families, and 12 species of hymenopteran parasitoids of the families Eulophidae and Braconidae. The leafminers larvae and pupae presented a negative association with temperature and air relative humidity. P. citrella was not observed in the spontaneous plants. Parasitoid species included in the genera Chrysocharis, Closterocerus, Sympiesis and Bracon have been previous reported as parasitizing P. citrella in several countries, and could be possible agents of biological control of this insect in the study area.


There are two major approaches to formal specification: state based specification techniques and process algebras. This paper looks both at combinations of the approaches to ordering and the less-studied question of the dynamic creation of objects. As an "extended abstract" it is outlining a research agenda rather than reporting a closed research result.


Fusobacteríum are Gram-negative, anaerobic, opportunistic pathogens involved in multiple diseases, including the oral pathogen Fusobacterium nucleatum being linked to the progression and severity of colorectal cancer. The global identification of virulence factors in Fusobacterium has been greatly hindered by a lack of properly assembled and annotated genomes. Using newly completed genomes from nine strains and seven species of Fusobacterium, we report the identification and correction of virulence factors from the Type 5 secreted autotransporter and FadA protein families, with a focus on the genetically tractable strain F. nucleatum subsp. nucleatum ATCC 23726 and the classic typed strain F. nucleatum subsp. nucleatum ATCC 25586. Within the autotransporters, we employed protein sequence similarity networks to identify subsets of virulence factors, and show a clear differentiation between the prediction of outer membrane adhesins, serine proteases, and proteins with unknown function. These data have defined protein subsets within the Type 5a effectors that are present in predicted invasive strains but are broadly lacking in passively invading strains; a key phenotype associated with Fusobacterium virulence. However, our data shows that prior bioinformatic analysis that predicted species of Fusobacterium to be non-¡nvasive can indeed invade human cells, and that pure phylogenetic analysis to determine the virulence within this bacterial genus should be used cautiously and subsequently paired with experiments to validate these hypotheses. In addition, we provide data that show a complex interplay between autotransporters, MORN2 domain containing proteins, and FadA adhesins that we hypothesize synergistically contribute to host cell interactions and invasion. In summary, we report that accurate open reading frame annotations using complete Fusobacterium genomes, in combination with experimental validation of invasion, redefines the repertoire of virulence factors that could be contributing to the species specific pathology of multiple Fusobacterium induced infections and diseases. IMPORTANCE Fusobacterium are emerging pathogens that contribute to the progression and severity of multiple mammalian and human infectious diseases, including colorectal cancer. Despite a validated connection with disease, a limited number of proteins have been characterized that define a direct molecular mechanism for pathogenesis in a diverse range of host tissue infections. We report a comprehensive examination of virulence associated protein families in multiple Fusobacterium species, and show that complete genomes facilitate the correction and identification of multiple, large Type 5a secreted autotransporter genes in previously misannotated or fragmented genomes. In addition, we use protein sequence similarity networks and human cell invasion experiments to show that previously predicted non-invasive strains can indeed enter human cells, and that this is likely due to the expansion of specific virulence proteins that drive F. nucleatum infections and disease.


In this work, we develop a statistical thermal simulator including the effect of spatial correlation under within-die process variations. This method utilizes the Karhunen-Loève (KL) expansion to model the physical parameters, and apply the Polynomial Chaoses (PCs) and the stochastic Galerkin method to tackle stochastic heat transfer equations. We demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of our simulator by comparing with the Monte Carlo simulation, and point out that the stochastic thermal analysis is essential to provide a robust estimation of temperature distribution for the thermal-aware design flow.


This article analyses obstacles faced by female Muslim jobseekers in Australia using the theoretical framework of liminality suggested by Homi Bhabha. Interviews were conducted with 21 female Muslim refugees and migrants of varying ages from 10 sending countries. Australia has long been a multicultural society, economically dependent on the labour of repeated waves of migration. Engagement with the labour market provides not only income but a sense of belonging in the receiving country. Yet these women faced substantial obstacles in their search for work. Nevertheless, they showed resilience in the face of repeated disappointment, and dedication to the task.


Innovation is commongly discussed from the perspective of the manufacturing industry. Innovations can be the profitable market introduction of novelties, including new products, improved production techniques and logistics, or new ways of marketing and communication. Innovation can also be used to describe organisational and relational changes. While the service industry differs from the manufacturing industry in many aspects, innovation theories can also be used to describe changes in this sector. This thesis focuses on innovation in regard to tourism services.

On the basis of a sample of firms, the research seeks to indicate why service-based tourism companies innovate in the first place and shows that factors inside the organisation, such as entrepreneurialism and organisational character as well as outside influences, such as the market and the regional support structure, influence innovativness.

Through interviews with experts in tourism development on both sides of the Oresund region (Landskrona and Storstroms Amt) and interviews with enterprises considered "innovative" by these actors, the research indicates that where the market pull to respond to customer needs is too strong, external influences can encourage innovation through various networking arrangements. The research identifies the problems at each stage of the innovation process and introduces a set of techniques which an outside actor can bring in to stimulate innovativeness in the company.

The research concludes that companies need to learn to think with a long term perspective. Small businesses operate on a day-to-day basis, and may therby lack a vision and strategic thinking. Especially for sustainable innovation, a more holistic and ?outside the daily business? thinking is a prerequisite. Both private and public sector actors are seen to play a role in encouraging the thinking behind sustainable innovation in small tourism enterprises.


The delivery of services to government groups have historically been unsatisfactory. Multiple studies have identified these services as low performing. Studies have also found that information communication technology services have been one of the worst performing services over the last 10 years. The Performance Based Studies Research Group (PBSRG) has been testing a delivery model, called the Best Value Approach, for the last 20 years that can ensure government groups receive high performing services. The major issue that the BVA approach encounters is it requires the organization to change their normal way of delivering services. It requires the organization to minimize their management, direction, and control of the vendors and instead, utilize their expertise. This paper will review a case study with a local government organization (LGO) and their issues with trying to apply the BVA to deliver their Peoplesoft software.


Gelifluction, thixotropy and yield stress were measured from < 5 g soil samples taken from Signy, Alectoria, Greenwich, Wiencke and Livingston islands in the maritime Antarctic using a temperature‐controlled rotational rheometer. The small sample size that this method permitted is compatible with sampling from sensitive sample locations. An oscillating 10 Pa shear stress was applied to samples at ‐0.5 kPa water potential. Two freeze‐thaw cycles had temperature ramps from 5°C to ‐10°C over 2 h, followed by ‐10°C to 5°C over 2 h and finally at 5°C for 1 h. At freezing onset, the shear modulus, G, dropped to 4–50 per cent of thawed G, with no differences between locations. At thawing onset, G dropped to 8–32 per cent of thawed G, with significant differences between locations (P < 0.001). Thixotropy was then measured by applying a 2 kPa oscillating shear stress for 10 min, followed by relaxation at 10 Pa for 2 h. The increased shear stress caused G to drop to less than 8 per cent of the pre‐stressed value, with no difference between locations. After 0.1 and 2 h, G was 18–65 per cent and 31–82 per cent of the pre‐stressed value, respectively. A shear ramp determined yield stresses ranging from 494–2217 Pa. These findings demonstrate the potential risk of more frequent freeze‐thaw cycles or the occurrence of thawed soil to the stability of polar soils. Gelifluction through more frequent freeze‐thaw cycles could result in increased slope movement, whereas thixotropy caused by trampling of thawed soils could exacerbate mechanical damage of surface soils. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This paper proposes an algorithm for obtaining the periodic steady-state solution of a multiphase network including nonlinear, switching, and frequency dependent elements. Unlike existing methods which deal with nonlinear and switching elements in the time domain, the approach presented is entirely in the harmonic domain. The method will be used for the harmonic analysis of power systems and for steady-state initialization in electromagnetic transient analysis. The algorithm takes rigorously into account the inter-harmonic couplings in the Jacobian matrix of the proposed Newton-Raphson iteration process so that a quadratic convergence rate is achieved. Linear, nonlinear, switching, and frequency dependent elements are modeled in a modular approach, and any network topology can be handled by extending the Modified Nodal Equations approach to the harmonic domain case. First the algorithm is described and then applied to a test case to demonstrate its computational performance.


Nuclear and other large-scale energy-producing plants must include systems that guarantee the safe discharge of residual heat from the industrial process into the atmosphere. This function is usually performed by one or several cooling towers. The amount of heat released by a cooling tower into the external environment can be quantified by using a numerical simulation model of the physical processes occurring in the respective tower, augmented by experimentally measured data that accounts for external conditions such as outlet air temperature, outlet water temperature, and outlet air relative humidity. The model's responses of interest depend on many model parameters including correlations, boundary conditions, and material properties. Changes in these model parameters induce changes in the computed quantities of interest (called "model responses"), which are quantified by the sensitivities (i.e., functional derivatives) of the model responses with respect to the model parameters. These sensitivities are computed in this work by applying the general adjoint sensitivity analysis methodology (ASAM) for nonlinear systems. These sensitivities are subsequently used for: (i) Ranking the parameters in their importance to contributing to response uncertainties; (ii) Propagating the uncertainties (covariances) in these model parameters to quantify the uncertainties (covariances) in the model responses; (iii) Performing model validation and predictive modeling. The comprehensive predictive modeling methodology used in this work, which includes assimilation of experimental measurements and calibration of model parameters, is applied to the cooling tower model under unsaturated conditions. The predicted response uncertainties (standard deviations) thus obtained are smaller than both the computed and the measured standards deviations for the respective responses, even for responses where no experimental data were available.


The Navy Aerosol Model (NAM, available in MODTRAN) is widely used as a tool to assess the aerosol extinction in the marine atmospheric surface layer. NAM was built as a regression model in the 1980s to represent the aerosol extinction at deck height as a function of the meteorological conditions. The recently developed Advanced Navy Aerosol Model (ANAM) utilizes additional experimental evidence to supersede NAM by correcting the underestimation of the concentration of aerosols larger than a few microns. More importantly, ANAM provides the aerosol extinction as a function of height between the surface and several tens of meters. Present-day naval surveillance and threat scenarios require detection of targets at the horizon, such as seaskimming missiles, or small targets such as rubber boats. In either case, the propagation path from sensor to target is likely to come very close to the wave surface and in order to estimate detection ranges, an assessment of the transmission losses along the path is necessary. To answer the question posed in the title, we assess the two models using two meteorological data sets (784 cases) representative of diverse maritime conditions in regions of interest around the world.


[1] We used detailed microtopographic surveys to measure fault offset along the southern trace of the Wairarapa fault, near Wellington, New Zealand, which most recently experienced a Mw > 8.1 earthquake in 1855. Our measurements at 16 localities support the inference that dextral slip in 1855 reached 18.7 m and averaged ∼16 m over the 16 km length that we studied. Five measurements were made where a single active strand comprises the fault zone, yielding "smallest" dextral offsets of 13.0–18.7 m. At Pigeon Bush, sequential beheading of a stream and new 14C dating support the interpretation that its 18.7 ± 1.0 m of offset accumulated in 1855. We also measured three "next-smallest" offsets on single-strand faults of 26.3–32.7 m, evidence that dextral slip during the previous event was ∼14 m. Eight measurements were made where the Wairarapa fault includes two closely spaced strands, yielding smallest dextral offsets of 12.9–16.0 m. At Tauherenikau River, 14C dating of postoffset mud yielded ages indistinguishable from A.D. 1855. Combining all single-strand and two-strand (minimum) estimates yields an average dextral slip of 15.5 ± 1.4 m in the study area. Historical observations and our data indicate that vertical slip reached ∼2.5 m. The large displacement and short (∼145 km) strike length yield an unusually high displacement/length ratio for the rupture. As suggested by previous dislocation modeling, we propose that the rupture extended tens of kilometers downdip (W) to merge with the underlying subduction interface. Alternatively, the rupture may have been strongly segmented at depth, yielding an earthquake with an unusually large static stress drop.


Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a fatal parasitic disease caused by a free-living amoeba called Naegleria fowleri also called a brain-eating amoeba. The parasite can invade the central nervous system causing brain damage and death in a few days. PAM is characterized by a high fatal mortality rate of 98% and the estimated time for death is less than two weeks after symptoms onset making it the most deadly parasitic infection in the world. Treatment options for PAM are still the major obstacle since the drugs cannot pass the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to kill the parasite leading to a high mortality rate. This review came to focus on the new approach and updating regarding the new treatment options and recent case reports in addition to elucidating the diagnosis process.


Previous works have shown that for characters with obvious articulation, animations comprising the blending of skeletal bone transformations, significantly reduce the computation and data requirements, permitting much greater visual detail. However increasingly, animators and engine designers must produce animations that can run on platforms with quite different runtime capabilities. They may simply author multiple skeletons and sets of animations, or reduce the temporal or spatial detail to achieve acceptable frame rates. In this paper we show how these skeletal skinning methods can be extended to support a continuous level of animation detail. We show that by manipulating the skeletal hierarchy and skinning parameters we can throttle the computational load of a character model in real‐time according to its position in a scene and any hardware constraints. Our method is compatible with additional geometric level of detail (LoD) methods. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The Great East Japan Earthquake, a magnitude 9.0 quake that occurred on March 11, 2011, left more than 20,000 killed or missing and resulted in more than 400,000 people being displaced. The Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident released large amounts of radioactive material into the air. Among the victims of this combined disaster were many pregnant and parturient women, and this study aimed to determine post-disaster anxiety among this specific population and measures for the future. Participants were 259 women (mean age 33.02 ± 4.79 years) who gave birth around the time of the earthquake in Miyagi Prefecture, one of the disaster areas. Sixteen months after the earthquake, we administered survey questionnaires on anxiety. We transcribed questionnaire responses, coded raw data by context, and categorized these codes by commonality. After extracting subcategories of anxiety-related factors, we categorized them into more abstract concepts. Among the participants, 126 (48.6%) reported having no available professionals with whom they could consult about childrearing. Participants reported anxiety in the following 12 categories: "radiation," "child's physical and mental growth/development," "recurrence of earthquake and tsunami," "financial issues," "childrearing environment," "living environment," "maternal employment," "stigma," "familial issues," "maternal health," "childrearing," and "the future". A beneficial way to reduce maternal anxiety in the 12 areas identified would be to develop support systems that provide continuous support for children's mental health care needs, psychological guidance, community support for maternal empowerment, outreach for individual support, and professional consultation for mothers who have high anxiety about radioactivity.


HVDC circuit breaker designs have commonly included additional series inductance to reduce the rate of rise of current during the initial transient period after a fault occurs, minimising the peak current stress that the circuit breaker must endure. A method of approximating the peak fault current and energy dissipation in a circuit breaker is developed, through circuit analysis of a multi-level converter (MMC) under fault conditions. These approximations are validated against simulation results for an 800kV MMC system.


Evolutionary relationships between species are usually represented in phylogenies, i.e. evolutionary trees, which are a type of networks. The terminal nodes of these trees represent species, which are made of individuals and populations among which gene flow occurs. This flow can also be represented as a network. In this paper we briefly show some properties of these complex networks of evolutionary and ecological relationships. First, we characterize large scale evolutionary relationships in the Tree of Life by a degree distribution. Second, we represent genetic relationships between individuals of a Mediterranean marine plant, Posidonia oceanica, in terms of a Minimum Spanning Tree. Finally, relationships among plant shoots inside populations are represented as networks of genetic similarity.


The objective of this research was to determine the influence of wood species (Fagus sylvatica L. and Populus tremula L.), thickness (4, 6, 10, 18 mm), and degree of densification (0%, 10%, and 20%) on the impact bending strength (IBS) and Brinell hardness (BH) in the radial direction. Three-factor analysis of variance confirmed that the difference in IBS was significantly related to the wood species and wood thickness. Wood densification did not have a significant effect on IBS. In addition, beech wood exhibited higher IBS values than aspen wood. The IBS values increased proportionally with increasing thickness. All factors affecting Brinell hardness were statistically significant, although thickness had the smallest influence overall. The Brinell hardness values were substantially higher in beech wood than aspen wood, and in some cases were more than three times greater. On the other hand, densification exhibited a more positive effect on increasing Brinell hardness for aspen wood than beech wood.


Our research is mainly concerned with the path planning problem with general end-eflector constraints (PPGEC) for robot manipulators with many degrees of freedom. For example, a robot manipulator holding a glass of water should keep the glass vertically up all the time, a constraint on end-effector orientation; or, in some other cases, the end-effector may be constrained to move in a plane, a constraint on end-effector position. In this thesis, we show that there are two approaches to deal with the PPGEC problem. The first approach is adapted from the existing randomized gradient descent method [33] for closed-chain robots. The second approach is a new planning algorithm called ATACE, Alternate Task-space And C-space Exploration. Unlike the first approach which works only in the configuration space, ATACE works in both the task space and the configuration space. Instead of finding a path in the configuration space directly, ATACE finds an end-effector path in the task space, and then computes the corresponding configuration space path by tracking this end-effector path. In our simulation environment, we have implemented and compared these two a p proaches. With intuitive explanations, we outline scenarios where one planner is better than the other.


Various disinfecting agents showing variable success in disinfecting polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) are available. The aim of our study was to evaluate the antifungal efficacy of sodium perborate (denture cleaning tablet-DC), microwave irradiation, and their combination for eradicating candida albicans (C. albicans) from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) denture base polymer. One hundred and sixty-eight PMMA resin specimens (30 × 30 × 15 mm) were divided into four groups, including control (no disinfection), microwave disinfection in distilled water (MW-DW), sodium perborate with distilled water (DC-DW), and a combination of MW-DC-DW (n = 10). Biofilms of C. albicans were cultured on the PMMA resin denture base specimens for 96 h. The samples were exposed to three different antifungal regimes, i.e., MW, denture cleaning agent-sodium perborate (DC) and DW, and a combination of MW-DC-DW for 1 to 5 min. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to evaluate colony formation. The colony-forming units (CFU) among the experimental groups were assessed using ANOVA, a Kruskal–Wallis test, and a Mann–Whitney test. The mean CFU values were compared with the control for each disinfecting regime at 96 h growth time. For MW-DC-DW, the CFU were significantly low at 2 and 3 min of exposure when compared with the control (DW) (p < 0.05). For the MW-DW treated group, the CFU were significantly low at 3 min of exposure when compared with the control (DW) (p < 0.05). It was also found that for DC-DW, the CFU were significantly low at 5 minutes when compared with the control specimens (DW) (p < 0.05). Microwave disinfection in combination with sodium perborate is a more effective disinfecting regime against C. albicans than that of microwave disinfection and sodium perborate alone.


One threat in the post-9/11 world that was previously subsumed under the Cold War rubric is the threat of instability in financial markets that can undermine the legitimacy of the governments of states. Understanding the structure of international finance is thus crucial to issues of global governance, the more so because the contemporary structure of finance can threaten any individual state beyond its capacity to cope. All the actors in finance (whether commercial or investment banks, central banks, or other types) are connected by each financial transaction they make, as well as every regulatory or enforcement transaction; all transactions are relationships. All of these relationships together make a network. By examining these relationships using network analysis, we should see how all financial actors are wired together—not just the position of the biggest or most prominent. We should also be able to see secondand third-degree relationships. Network analysis thus allows us to explore a "map" of the financial terrain on which various strategies for security may be employed. These strategies can include checks to stop cascades and regulations to break up actors with high measures of centrality.


We have performed experiments on thin (6 µm) spray-deposited CdS films. All-optical and optoelectronic (hybrid) bistabilities were observed at 210 K. We have been successful for the first time in demonstrating that it is possible to reach, in thin CdS films, the same contrasted bistable loops in both transmission and photocurrent. The origin of the bistability is explained by the measured dependence of transmission on temperature. A generalized model based mainly on Urbach's rule is presented for calculating the temperature dependence of transmission. A good agreement between theory and measurement is obtained.


The article relates an approximation of the most important selection criteria in the process of linking personnel in the solidarity sector, bearing in mind that the research purpose was focused on identifying the selection criteria demanded by companies in the solidarity sector. Likewise, quantitative research makes it possible to support and validate the results obtained from the research according to the demands of the labour supply in the labour market. It is concluded that the factors of great incidence in the selection in the solidary sector are: schooling, professional experience and practices


This study aims to examine (a) the time course of stress, fatigue, and sleep quality among PhD students awaiting a stressful event and (b) whether daily anticipation of this event influences day-level stress, fatigue, and sleep quality. Forty-four PhD students completed evening and morning questionnaires on eight days from 1 month before their dissertation defense until one month thereafter. Results showed increased stress leading up to the defense, while fatigue and sleep quality remained unchanged. Comparing the night before the defense with the night after, stress rapidly decreased, whereas fatigue and sleep quality increased. Following the defense, stress and sleep quality remained stable, whereas fatigue declined. Stress 1 month before the defense was higher than 1 month thereafter. Regarding day-level relations, stress was adversely affected by negative anticipation and favorably by positive outcome expectancy, whereas positive anticipation had no influence. Positive outcome expectancy was an important predictor of improved sleep quality. We conclude that stress may be elevated long before a stressful event takes place but that one can recover rather quickly from temporary stress. Positive outcome expectancy of a stressful event may be an important predictor of reduced day-level stress and improved day-level sleep quality leading up to a stressful event.


We describe four patients in whom porokeratosis coexisted with lympoedema of the legs. A possible pathogenetic link between the two disorders is discussed, as well as the therapeutic implications and the novel physical sign of lymphoedema bulging through the porokeratotic lesions.


Film in Australia, as with many other nations, is often seen as an important cultural medium where national stories about belonging and identity can be (re)produced in pleasurable and, at times, complicated ways. One such film is Ray Lawrence's Lantana. Although striking a chord in Australia as a good film about ' basically good people', people that rang 'brilliantly' true (Lantana DVD 2002), this paper argues that, at the same time as it produces a fantasy of a 'good' Australia, the film also conducts a regulation of what constitutes Australianness. In many ways the imaginary of Australia offered in this film, to its contemporary, urban, professional and intellectual elite audience, still draws on and (re)produces a vision of an Australian community that uses the same narrative frameworks of protection and control as the cruder discourses of 'white Australia' offered to an earlier generation of cinema-goers. This film's central motif of the lantana bush, the out of control weed, that is known as both foreign and local is here emblematic of tensions about belonging, place and otherness. Yet while, within the film's knowingly reflexive purview any remaining potential for racism is understood and itself under control – we know how to be good mutliculturalists –it is the trope of sexuality in Lantana that provides the real sense of edginess and anxiety about belonging. It is in this arena that the film sets up an idea of danger and –less self-consciously, and in the end more aggressively – marks out who is and who is not part of the community. In this context the motif of lantana signals an ambivalence about difference and the exotic. Lantana is both desirable because of the difference in its attractive Latin looks and repulsive or feared because of other qualities inherent within its difference: a refusal to behave and a propensity to get out-of control, spread and potentially take over. The film here explores desire for a taste of the other (a gay man, a newly separated woman, a Latin dance teacher). However, these fantasies are in the end emphatically shut down as the film ends by producing a vision of subtly normalised hetero, mono, familial (though not necessarily happy) forms of desiring, loving and reproducing in contemporary Australia.


Dementia is a chronic condition in the elderly and depression is often a concurrent symptom. As populations continue to age, accessible and useful tools to screen for cognitive function and its associated symptoms in elderly populations are needed. The aim of this study was to test the reliability and validity of a new internet-based assessment battery for screening mood and cognitive function in an elderly population. Specifically, the Helping Hand Technology (HHT) assessments for depression (HHT-D) and global cognitive function (HHT-G) were evaluated in a sample of 57 elderly participants (22 male, 35 female) aged 59-85 years. The study sample was categorized into three groups: 1) dementia (n = 8; Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) score 10-24), 2) mild cognitive impairment (n = 24; MMSE score 25-28), and 3) control (n = 25; MMSE score 29-30). Test-retest reliability (Pearson correlation coefficient, r) and internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha, α) of the HHT-D and HHT-G were assessed. Validity of the HHT-D and HHT-G was tested via comparison (Pearson r) to commonly used pencil-and-paper based assessments: HHT-D versus the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and HHT-G versus the MMSE. Good test-retest (r = 0.80; p < 0.0001) and acceptable internal consistency reliability (α= 0.73) of the HHT-D were established. Moderate support for the validity of the HHT-D was obtained (r = 0.60 between the HHT-D and GDS; p < 0.0001). Results indicated good test-retest (r = 0.87; p < 0.0001) and acceptable internal consistency reliability (α= 0.70) of the HHT-G. Validity of the HHT-G was supported (r = 0.71 between the HHT-G and MMSE; p < 0.0001). In summary, the HHT-D and HHT-G were found to be reliable and valid computerized assessments to screen for depression and cognitive status, respectively, in an elderly sample.


There have been observed several voltage instability phenomena in electric power systems where receiving end voltages oscillate remarkably or get much lower than the nominal values. Those phenomena tend to occur in heavy loaded conditions and seem to be related to the multiple load flow solution problem for the following reasons. It has been confirmed analytically and by simulations that the multiple load flow solutions are likely to appear under the heavy-loaded conditions, and that the individual solutions of the solution pair have different features from each other, from the standpoint of stability, although they are close to each other.


Purpose: Patient education constitutes a relevant strategy to improve pain management. In the field of therapeutic patient education (TPE), we aimed 1) to assess pain impact in cancer patients, 2) to identify patients' educative needs in pain management, and 3) to refine research criteria for its future evaluation. Patients and methods: Pain intensity, relief and interference were assessed in 75 cancer patients with unbalanced background pain. Self-assessment questionnaire evaluated i) patients' pain management and ii) their knowledge and needs in TPE. Results: Most patients experienced pain for more than 6 months and 41.6% reported adequate pain relief. Understanding pain and pain management were major patients' preferences (>58%). Most patients declared they knew their pain treatments, but fewer than half of them were able to name them. However, education concerning pain treatment was considered as essential in <30% of patients. Almost all patients (97.1%) stated pain education as beneficial, with a preference for individualized sessions (41.2%). In addition, the assessment criteria for its future evaluation were refined. Conclusion: Targeted population mainly concerned patients with persistent pain. Only half of patients reported pain relief despite antalgics. Patient education was declared as beneficial for almost all participants. Practice implications: Tailoring a pain TPE on patients' needs has the potential to help them to optimally manage their pain daily.


Angiotensin II AT2 receptors have been implicated to play a role in the regulation of renal/cardiovascular functions under pathological conditions. The present study is designed to investigate the function of the AT2 receptors on renal sodium excretion and AT(2) receptor expression in the cortical membranes of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The STZ treatment led to a significant weight loss, hyperglycemia, and decrease in plasma insulin levels compared with control rats. STZ-induced diabetic rats had significantly elevated basal urine flow, urinary sodium excretion rate (U(Na)V), urinary fractional sodium excretion, and urinary cGMP compared with control rats. Infusion of PD-123319, an AT2 receptor antagonist, caused a significant decrease in U(Na)V (mumol/min) in STZ-induced diabetic rats (1 +/- 0.09 vs. 0.45 +/- 0.1) but not in control rats (0.35 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.4 +/- 0.07). The decrease in U(Na)V was associated with a significant decrease in urinary cGMP levels (pmol/min) in STZ-induced diabetic rats (21 +/- 2 vs. 10 +/- 0.8) but not in control rats (11.75 +/- 3 vs. 12.6 +/- 2). The infusion of PD-123319 did not alter glomerular filtration rate (STZ: 0.3 +/- 0.02 vs. 0.25 +/- 0.03; control: 1.4 +/- 0.05 vs. 1.5 +/- 0.09 ml/min) or mean arterial pressure (STZ: 82 +/- 3 vs. 79 +/- 3.5; control: 90 +/- 4 vs. 89 +/- 4 mmHg), suggesting a tubular effect of the drug. Western blot analysis using an AT2 receptor antibody revealed a significantly enhanced expression of the AT2 receptor protein ( approximately 45 kDa) in brush-border ( approximately 50-fold) and basolateral membranes ( approximately 80-fold) of STZ-induced diabetic compared with control rats. In conclusion, our data suggest that the tubular AT2 receptors in diabetic rats are profoundly enhanced and possibly via a cGMP pathway promote sodium excretion in this model of diabetes.


Revised regulations in Germany have allowed new curricular concepts to be introduced into the undergraduate dental curriculum. In the first 2 years of the dental curriculum at the University of Greifswald, a new teaching concept which is based on the interactions between Community Medicine and Dentistry has been introduced. It emphasises the importance of early patient contact in providing experience for students. The course consists of three principal elements: student-patient contacts in the patient's home; problem-based learning tutorials to discuss patient cases; and special training in communication skills. The aim of the course is to give students an insight into the patient's view of the illness and treatment, and the effect of their condition on his or her lifestyle. The students also learn about the communal perspective (health survey, intervention planning and implementation in a community). The first four courses were evaluated by questionnaires from the students before and after the 2-year course to assess the concept from the students' perspective. The results indicate that it is possible to provide considerable improvement of the medical/dental education as regards communication skills and understanding of the patients' perceptions, by letting the student establish contact with patients at the very beginning of the curriculum.


The competing and non‐equilibrium phase transitions, involving dynamic tunability of cooperative electronic and magnetic states in strongly correlated materials, show great promise in quantum sensing and information technology. To date, the stabilization of transient states is still in the preliminary stage, particularly with respect to molecular electronic solids. Here, a dynamic and cooperative phase in potassium‐7,7,8,8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane (K‐TCNQ) with the control of pulsed electromagnetic excitation is demonstrated. Simultaneous dynamic and coherent lattice perturbation with 8 ns pulsed laser (532 nm, 15 MW cm−2, 10 Hz) in such a molecular electronic crystal initiates a stable long‐lived (over 400 days) conducting paramagnetic state (≈42 Ωcm), showing the charge–spin bistability over a broad temperature range from 2 to 360 K. Comprehensive noise spectroscopy, in situ high‐pressure measurements, electron spin resonance (ESR), theoretical model, and scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) studies provide further evidence that such a transition is cooperative, requiring a dedicated charge–spin–lattice decoupling to activate and subsequently stabilize nonequilibrium phase. The cooperativity triggered by ultrahigh‐strain‐rate (above 106 s−1) pulsed excitation offers a collective control toward the generation and stabilization of strongly correlated electronic and magnetic orders in molecular electronic solids and offers unique electro‐magnetic phases with technological promises.


Data analytics (DA) is the process of examining data sets in order to draw conclusions about the information they contain, increasingly with the aid of specialized systems and software. Data analytics technologies and techniques are widely used in commercial industries to enable organizations to make moreinformed business decisions and by scientists and researchers to verify or disprove scientific models, theories and hypotheses.


Abstract Qualitative models can be used for decision making under uncertainty. This provides a useful framework for evaluating the models. If the costs for every action/state of nature combination are known, decisions made using a well-calibrated model would result in actual costs being close to expected costs. In addition, the actual cost can be compared to the cost of perfect foresight actions, giving a bound on the value of a better model. Application of these procedures is made using a logit model developed to predict Missouri country grain elevator bankruptcies.


A detailed systems analysis code has been used to compare the projected cost of electricity (COE) for inertial fusion energy for direct drive (DD) and indirect drive (ID) target scenarios, based on a diode pumped solid state laser driver with Yb:S-FAP (Yb doped Sr5(PO4)3F) gain media. Previously published target gain curves which resulted in a target gain at the optimal DD operating point that is 30% higher than that for the ID scenario have been used. This gain advantage for DD is offset by a requirement for improved beam smoothing, which was obtained via smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD) with a 1 THz bandwidth at 349 nm. Such a large SSD bandwidth has a number of effects on laser performance, including greater risk of optics damage from non-linear effects, lowered harmonic conversion efficiency, altered extraction parameters and higher front-end costs. The non-linear effects, which contribute to optical component damage by amplification of intensity non-uniformities, were parameterized through a constraint on the maximum allowable B integral (i.e. the total average phase retardation due to the non-linear indices of all materials traversed by the beam). If we constrain B to be no larger than 1.8 rad, which is the presently accepted safe value based on observations in single shot glass laser facilities, the COEs for DD and ID are predicted to be the same within the uncertainties. If technology permits the B limit to be raised, the optimized COE for DD is predicted to decrease relative to that for ID.


Objective To expand, in an unbiased manner, our knowledge of autoantigens and autoantibodies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and evaluate their associations with serological and clinical variables. Methods Human proteome arrays (> 21,000 proteins) were screened with serum from patients with SLE (n = 12) and healthy controls (n = 6) for IgG and IgA binding. Top hits were validated with 2 cohorts of patients with SLE (cohort 1, n = 49; cohort 2, n = 46) and other rheumatic diseases by ELISA. Clinical associations of the autoantibodies were tested. Results Ro60 was the top hit in the screen, and the 10 following proteins included 2 additional known SLE autoantigens plus 8 novel autoantigens involved in microRNA processing (Argonaute protein 1 [AGO1], AGO2, and AGO3), ribosomes (ribosomal protein lateral stalk subunit P2 and ovarian tumor deubiquitinase 5 [OTUD5]), RNA transport by the vault (major vault protein), and the immune proteasome (proteasome activator complex subunit 3). Patient serum contained IgG reactive with these proteins and IgA against the AGO proteins. Using the 95th percentile of healthy donor reactivity, 5-43% were positive for the novel antigens, with OTUD5 and AGO1 showing the highest percentages of positivity. Autoantibodies against AGO1 proteins were more prevalent in patients with oral ulcers in a statistically significant manner. IgG autoantibodies against AGO proteins were also seen in other rheumatic diseases. Conclusion We discovered new autoantigens existing in cytosolic macromolecular protein assemblies containing RNA (except the proteasome) in cells. A more comprehensive list of autoantigens will allow for a better analysis of how proteins are targeted by the autoimmune response. Future research will also reveal whether specific autoantibodies have utility in the diagnosis or management of SLE.


To define the medical characteristics of intravascular drug users in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, we examined 280 men, of whom 235 were infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), being treated in a rehabilitation center. The patients used mainly opium, often in shooting galleries (50%). The prevalence of oral candidiasis (58%) and zoster infection (20%) was high in HIV-seropositive patients, whereas oral hairy leukoplasia and Kaposi's sarcoma were absent. The prevalence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome was 24%. More than 80% of the patients had infections with hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus, cytomegalovirus, or human T cell lymphotropic virus type-1. The CD4+ cell counts correlated well with viral load. Only HIV-1 subtype E was detected in the 30 patients tested. A cohort study of HIV-infected subjects in this population seems feasible, and would permit introduction of anti-retroviral therapy The large number of HIV-seronegative subjects sharing the same at-risk practices as the HIV-infected subjects raises the possibility of natural protection in this population.


G-quadruplex (G4) transitions play integral roles in regulating biological functions and can be modified by ligands. However, little is known about G4 transitions. Herein, we reveal distinct pathways of a platinum(II) compound Pt-phen converting parallel-stranded MYC G4 to a hybrid-type structure. Three NMR structures, 1:1 5'-end binding, 1:1 3'-end binding and 2:1 Pt-phen-MYC G4 complexes, were determined by NMR. We find that Pt-phen drives G4 transition at a low ratio. Under physiological 100 mM K+ conditions, a significant stable hydrogen-bonded T:T:A triad is formed at 3'-end of hybrid-type Myc1234, and consequently, Pt-phen first binds the 5'-end to form a 1:1 5'-end binding complex and then disrupts the 3' T:T:A triad and binds 3'-end to form a 2:1 complex with more Pt-phen. Remarkably, the G4 transition pathway is different in 5 mM K+ with Pt-phen first binding the 3'-end and then the 5'-end. 'Edgewise-loop and flanking/ligand/G-tetrad' sandwich structure formation and terminal T:T:A triad stabilization play decisive roles in advancing and altering transition pathways. Our work is the first to elucidate the molecular structures of G4 transitions driven by a small molecule. The ligand-driven G4 transition is a dynamic process that includes a quick G4 transition and multiple complexes formation.


A new series of aromatic poly(arylene ether ether ketone ketone) copolymers containing pendant sulfonic acid groups (SPAEEKK-D) were synthesized from commercially available monomers 1,3-bis(4-fluorobenzoyl)-benzene, sodium 6,7-dihydroxy-2-naphthalenesulfonate, and 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-phthalazin-1-one (DHPZ). Structure-property relationships of the phthalazinone SPAEEKK-D series poly(arylene ether ether ketone ketone) copolymer were compared with copolymers SPAEEKK-B and SPAEEKK-H containing different diols such as 4,4'-biphenol and hydroquinone, respectively, prepared in our earlier work. Ion exchange capacity (IEC w , weight-based; IEC v , volume-based), thermal stabilities, swelling, proton and methanol transport properties of the membranes were investigated in relation to their structures and compared with those of perfluorinated ionomer (Nafion 117). The SPAEEKK-D membrane incorporating the phthalazinone monomer DHPZ showed relatively lower water uptake and methanol permeability compared with earlier SPAEEKK-B and SPAEEKK-H membranes incorporating biphenol and hydroquinone monomers, respectively. Inclusion of phthalazinone in the SPAEEKK-D copolymers led to lower water absorption, enabling increased proton exchange concentrations in the hydrated polymer matrix that resulted in more desirable membrane properties for future direct methanol fuel cell applications. The SPAEEKK-D membranes also showed improved mechanical and thermal properties and oxidative stability compared with the earlier SPAEEKK-B and -H membranes.


The role of prostaglandins in endocrine diarrheagenic syndromes was evaluated by measuring peripheral concentration of immunoreactive PGE and PGF in patients with non-endocrine diarrhea as well as those with the Zollinger-Ellison (Z-E) syndrome, MCT, carcinoid tumors and the WDHA syndrome. In 21 normals, PGE and PGF levels averaged 272 ± 18 and 119 ± 14 pg/ml, respectively. Twenty eight patients with diarrhea of non-endocrine origin (mainly inflammatory bowel disease) had levels indistinguishable from normal, i.e. 353 ± 25 and 77 ± 37 pg/ml, respectively. Among 29 patients with the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (mean gastrin 6127 ± 3267 pg/ml) only 2 had significantly elevated PGE levels; mean PGE levels, 382 ± 32 pg/ml, were not significantly different from normal and did not correlate with either diarrhea or the serum gastrin concentration. In contrast, 18 of 22 patients with carcinoid tumors (mean blood serotonin concentration 1655 ± 604 ng/ml; mean urinary excretion of 5 HIAA 66.8 ± 16.7 mg/day) had elevated peripheral concentrations of PGE. The mean PGE level (1367 ± 245 pg/ml) was significantly elevated (P <0.001). Nonetheless PGE levels did not correlate with diarrhea, blood concentrations of serotonin, or urinary indole excretion. MCT (mean serum calcitonin 24.5 ± 6.3 ng/ml) was similarly associated with consistent (18/19) elevation in peripheral concentrations of PGE (mean 1922 ± 541 pg/ml; P <0.001). In this syndrome, PGE levels were higher in patients with diarrhea and in those with markedly elevated serum thyrocalcitonin levels. Finally, 8 of 21 patients with the WDHA syndrome had increased levels of PGE. Although 13 of 17 patients had high levels of VIP (mean 8133 pg/ml), 2 patients had hyperprostaglandinemia in the face of normal peripheral concentrations of VIP. In one patient the serum PGE level was elevated prior to resection of the primary pancreatic neoplasm (9939 pg/ml) as well as the subsequent extirpation of a solitary hepatic metastasis (1063 pg/ml); following each procedure the diarrhea abated and the PGE level returned to normal. In none of these syndromes were mean PGF levels elevated. The study has documented hyperprostaglandinemia in some endocrine diarrheagenic syndromes and validated the usefulness of measurements of PGE in patients with unexplained diarrhea.


The first man-loading high-temperature superconducting (HTS) Maglev test vehicle in the world was successfully developed on Dec. 31, 2000 in the Applied Superconductivity Laboratory, Southwest Jiaotong University, China. Heretofore over 24 500 passengers took the vehicle, and it has been operating back and forth for about 400 km. The HTS Maglev vehicle provides inherent stability both in the vertical and lateral direction, so no control system is needed. The only control system is used for linear motor driving devices. The melt-textured YBaCuO bulk superconductors are fixed on the bottom of a liquid nitrogen vessel and cooled by liquid nitrogen. The bottom thickness of the rectangle liquid nitrogen vessel with its thin wall is only 3 mm. The onboard HTS Maglev module is placed over the guideway. The guideway consists of two parallel permanent magnetic tracks, whose concentrating magnetic field at 20 mm height above the surface is about 0.5 T. The levitation forces of 8 HTS Maglev modules were measured. The total levitation force of 8 onboard Maglev modules was 10431 N at the levitation gap of 10 mm, and 8486 N at the levitation gap of 15 mm, respectively. These results were measured on May 28, 2002.


Bilateral asymmetries were tested on a series of anthropological measurements recorded from 566 femora of 161 males and 122 females of southern African populations. Uni- and multivariate statistics revealed that there is a high degree of side differences apparent in the morphological features of the femur, and close to 75% of all femora could be correctly assigned to their respective sides. While most dimensions were greater on the left side, anteroposterior diameter of the proximal shaft, bicondylar width and collo-diaphyseal angle yielded significantly higher mean values on the right side. Anteroposterior diameter of the proximal shaft loaded highest in both canonical discriminant analyses. This result indicates that, overall, the left leg is stronger and is more suited to withstand axial forces and mediolateral bending. Thus, the findings seem to further support the hypothesis that most people, regardless of handedness, use their left leg for weight-bearing, whereas the right leg is more likely to be used for other tasks.


Trace elements play a poorly understood role in human metabolism and nutrition. In the elderly, the normal effects of aging further complicate an understanding of trace element nutriture. The RDA standards established to date for the elderly have important limitations in that "healthy" persons 51 years of age and older constitute a single, regrettably imprecise category. Although any minor elemental constituent of the body is considered to be a trace element, only 16 are currently believed to be of biologic importance to humans. A recommended dietary allowance (RDA) has been established for only three of these--iron, zinc, and iodine.


In January and February of 1988, a questionnaire was sent to family physicians affiliated with family practice teaching departments in Toronto to determine whether there was any consensus among family physicians as to which patients they counselled about AIDS and to whom they recommended antibody testing for HIV. Ninety-seven out of 126 questionnaires were answered, for a response rate of 77.0%. More than 90% of the physicians reported discussing AIDS and its prevention with patients in high-risk groups, sexual partners of such patients, and those with multiple sexual contacts. More than 90% recommended HIV antibody testing for patients in high-risk groups who requested it. For discussing AIDS with all sexually active patients, however, there was much less consensus in the reported physician practices.


To develop an effective technology to prevent vortex forming in ladles, the mechanism underlying vortex formation during steel teeming must be studied. For simulations using the numerical simulation software Fluent, a geometric model of the ladle was generated, and initially water teeming in the ladle was simulated for different initial tangential velocities. The results obtained help to verify the validity of the numerical computations. Similar simulation conducted for steel showed that the tangential velocity increases from the liquid level to the bottom of the ladle, and the flow at the bottom is related to vortex formation. The inference is that vortex formation begins from the ladle bottom. Causes for vortex formation during teeming are discussed to help lay a theoretical basis for ladle design in preventing vortex formation during steel teeming.


This report describes a case of acute flaccid paralysis after administration of oral polio vaccine (OPV). A 4 month-old male patient with the decreased movement of left lower extremity for 1 month was transferred to the Department of Pediatrics. He received OPV with DTaP at 2 months of age. Flaccid paralysis was detected 4 weeks after OPV immunization. Attempts to isolate Sabin-like viruses in the two stool and CSF samples failed because those specimens were collected more than 2 month after the onset of paralysis. Hypotonic monoparesis (GIV/V), hypotonia and atrophy on the left lower extremity, and ipsilateral claw foot persisted for more than 18 months, while we followed him with rehabilitation therapy. This is the first case of officially approved, recipient vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis in Korea.


This thesis investigates the equilibrium and dynamic properties of stochastic systems of varying complexity. The dynamic properties of lattice models -- the 1-d Ising model and a 3-d protein model -- and equilibrium properties of continuous models -- particles in various potentials -- are presented. Dynamics are studied according to a large deviation formalism, by looking at non-equilibrium ensembles of trajectories, classified according to a dynamical order parameter. The phase structure of the ensembles of trajectories is deduced from the properties of large-deviation functions, representing dynamical free-energies.

The 1-d Ising model is studied with Glauber dynamics uncovering the dynamical second-order transition at critical values of the counting field 's', confirming the analytical predictions by Jack and Solich. Next, the dynamics in an external magnetic field are studied, allowing the construction of a dynamic phase diagram in the space of temperature, s-field and magnetic field. The dynamic phase diagram is reminiscent of that of the 2-d Ising model. In contrast, Kawasaki dynamics give rise to a dynamical phase structure similar to the one observed in kinetically constrained models.

The dynamics of a lattice protein model, represented by a self avoiding walk with three different Hamiltonians, are studied. For the uniform Go Hamiltonian all dynamics occurs between non-native and native trajectories, whereas for heterogeneous Hamiltonians and Full interaction Hamiltonians a first-order dynamical transition to sets of trapping trajectories is observed in the s-ensemble. The model is studied exhaustively for a particular sequence, constructing a qualitative phase diagram, from which a more general dynamic behaviour is extrapolated.

Lastly, an estimator for equilibrium expectations, represented by a transition matrix in an extended space between temperatures and a set of discrete states obtained through the discretisation of a continuous space, is proposed. It is then demonstrated that this estimator outperforms conventional multi-temperature ensemble estimates by up to three orders of magnitude, by considering three models of increasing complexity: diffusive particles in a double-well potential, a multidimensional folding potential and a molecular dynamics simulations of alanine dipeptide.


The genus Pytinicarpa G.L.Nesom is taxonomically revised in New Caledonia with four species recognised. The circumscription of one previously published species, P. sarasinii (Däniker) G.L.Nesom, is discussed and updated, and P. neocaledonica (Guillaumin) G.L.Nesom is placed in its synonymy. The name P. comptonii Gâteblé, Lannuzel & M.Pignal, nom. nov. is proposed to accommodate the former Lagenophora neocaledonica S.Moore in Pytinicarpa, and its lectotype is designated. Two new narrowly endemic species are also described. The first is from the top of Mount Kaala massif with the name P. kaalaensis Lannuzel, Gâteblé & M.Pignal, sp. nov. The second, P. tonitrui Lannuzel, Gateblé & M.Pignal, sp. nov. is from the Babouillat peninsula, and is supposedly extinct, as extensive field research did not allow to find it. The four species are fully described, illustrated, and keyed. The distribution, ecological affinities, and threats for the four species are discussed to support the assessments of conservation status for two of them as Endangered (EN), one as Critically Endangered (CR) and one as Extinct (EX), following the IUCN Red List guidelines and criteria.


In this study, I discuss why some subordinate clauses that are marked by diye cannot be complement clauses contrary to expectation. These clauses include adverbial clauses of verbs of communication, verbs of perception, verbs of cognition, and verbs of emotion. Diye tends to occur very frequently both in formal language and colloquial language. Based on an exhaustive analysis of TS Corpus and METU Corpus, we observe that diye is special in that (i) it occurs in complement clauses of verbs of cognition and verbs of emotion; (ii) it occurs in adverbial clauses denoting manner, reason, purpose / result, assumption, understanding, precaution, and agreement as well as in adverbial clauses denoting the content of the action denoted by the matrix verb for which either the complement of diye is an onomatopoeic form or the matrix verb is a verb of quotation (except for de - 'say') or the matrix verb is a verb of perception or cognition and its content is non-veridical, or the matrix verb is a verb of emotion; (iii) it creates constructions that can be likened to relative clauses. The important point in this division is that some of the subordinate clauses which occur with the verbs of quotation, verbs of perception and cognition, and verbs of cognition and are marked by diye are adverbials rather than complements contrary to expectation and we focus on this in this study.Throughout this study the instances of diye are examined. Passivization and causativization tests are presented in order to better understand the syntactic relationship between the matrix clause and the subordinate clause.


stopping treatment there was an immediate relapse, with another remission when ethisterone was introduced again. This sequence of events was repeated with the same results on two further occasions. Since then four more cases of this relatively uncommon disease have been successfully treated with ethisterone. The mechanism for this improvement is unknown, but I hope this note will prompt investigators with laboratory facilities for endocrine assays to study the phenomenon more deeply.


Anaerobic syntrophic bacteria degrade fatty acids and some aromatic compounds which are important intermediates in the degradation of organic matter in methanogenic environments. Several of the described syntrophic species produce poly-β-hydroxyalkanoate (PHA) suggesting that the synthesis and use of PHA is important in their physiology. In the fatty acid-degrading, syntrophic bacterium, Syntrophomonas wolfei, PHA is made during exponential phase of growth and used after growth has stopped and substrate levels are low. Altering the carbon to nitrogen ratio of the medium does not affect the amount of PHA made or its monomeric composition. It is hypothesized that PHA serves as an endogenous energy source for syntrophic bacteria when the concentrations of hydrogen or acetate are too high for the degradation of the growth substrate to be thermodynamically favorable. In S. wolfei, PHA is synthesized by two routes, the direct incorporation of 3-ketoacyl-coenzyme A (CoA) generated in β-oxidation without cleavage of a C-C bond, and by the condensation and subsequent reduction of two acetyl-CoA molecules. Genes that encode for the synthesis of PHA in S. wolfei have been cloned into Escherichia coli in order to understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate PHA synthesis.


Radial velocity measurements of stellar reflex motion have revealed many extrasolar planets, but gaps in the observations produce aliases, spurious frequencies that are frequently confused with the planets' orbital frequencies. In the case of Gl 581 d, the distinction between an alias and the true frequency was the distinction between a frozen, dead planet and a planet possibly hospitable to life. To improve the characterization of planetary systems, we describe how aliases originate and present a new approach for distinguishing between orbital frequencies and their aliases. Our approach harnesses features in the spectral window function to compare the amplitude and phase of predicted aliases with peaks present in the data. We apply it to confirm prior alias distinctions for the planets GJ 876 d and HD 75898 b. We find that the true periods of Gl 581 d and HD 73526 b/c remain ambiguous. We revise the periods of HD 156668 b and 55 Cnc e, which were afflicted by daily aliases. For HD 156668 b, the correct period is 1.2699 days and the minimum mass is (3.1 ± 0.4) M⊕. For 55 Cnc e, the correct period is 0.7365 days—the shortest of any known planet—and the minimum mass is (8.3 ± 0.3) M⊕. This revision produces a significantly improved five-planet Keplerian fit for 55 Cnc, and a self-consistent dynamical fit describes the data just as well. As radial velocity techniques push to ever-smaller planets, often found in systems of multiple planets, distinguishing true periods from aliases will become increasingly important.


An extended lattice Boltzmann model is developed for simulating the convection–diffusion phenomena associated with solid–liquid phase transition processes. Macroscopic hydrodynamic variables are obtained through the solution of an evolution equation of a single-particle density distribution function, whereas, the macroscopic temperature field is obtained by solving auxiliary scalar transport equations. The novelty of the present methodology lies in the formulation of an enthalpy-based approach for phase-change modelling within a lattice-Boltzmann framework, in a thermodynamically consistent manner. Thermofluidic aspects of phase transition are handled by means of a modified enthalpy–porosity formulation, in conjunction with an appropriate enthalpy-updating closure scheme. Lattice-Boltzmann simulations of melting of pure gallium in a rectangular enclosure, Rayleigh–Bénard convection in the presence of directional solidification in a top-cooled cavity, and crystal growth during solidification of an undercooled melt agree well with the numerical and experimental results available in the literature, and provide substantial evidence regarding the upscaled computational economy provided by the present methodology.


lthough Gross National Happiness (GNH) is acclaimed as the Bhutanese overarching goal of development, the country's pursuit of modernization and urbanization has inevitably brought about a decline in vitality of traditional communities and indigenous dwellings. This paper aims to explore how to sustain the state of wellbeing-ness of the Bhutanese dwellings in the evolving context. Considering the abundance of natural and cultural landscape vis-à-vis the deficiency of human resource and skill in agriculture, Shari village is selected as the case study representing the nationwide concerns. Based on field surveys, interviews and documents provided by the DCHS, this paper proposes the smart collaboration of place, people, and profession as keys to regenerating the state of wellbeing-ness of the community.


Flavonols are found in plants as aglycones and as glycosides. Antioxidant activity of flavonols may occur via several mechanisms within the cell, and mitochondria as a target may play an important role. There is a lack of information about the influence of the sugar moiety on biological activity of flavonoid glycosides. The aims of study were to investigate the effects of quercetin and its glycosides on mitochondrial respiration rates at various metabolic states, and to evaluate their antioxidant potential using chemical and biological approaches. Mitochondrial function was measured using an oxygraphic method, cytochrome c reduction spectrophotometrically, H2O2 generation in mitochondria fluorimetrically, and antioxidant activity of flavonoids using an HPLC-post column system. Our data revealed that quercetin and its glycosides isoquercitrin, rutin, and hyperoside uncouple kidney mitochondrial respiration (increasing the State 2 respiration rate) and significantly reduce cytochrome c. Moreover, quercetin, and its glycosides decrease the production of mitochondrial H2O2 and possess radical scavenging and ferric reducing capacities. The highest activity was characteristic for quercetin, showing that the sugar moiety significantly diminishes its activity. In conclusion, our results show the efficient radical scavenging, ferric and cytochrome c reducing capacities, and uncoupling properties of quercetin and its glycosides, as well as the importance of the sugar residue and its structure in the regulation of kidney mitochondrial function.


We consider dynamic (non-equal-time) correlation functions of local observables after a quantum quench. We show that, in the absence of long-range interactions in the final Hamiltonian, the dynamics is determined by the same ensemble that describes static (equal-time) correlations. For many integrable models, static correlation functions of local observables after a quantum quench relax to stationary values, which are described by a generalized Gibbs ensemble. The same generalized Gibbs ensemble then determines dynamic correlation functions, and the basic form of the fluctuation dissipation theorem holds, although the absorption and emission spectra are not simply related as in the thermal case. For quenches in the transverse field Ising chain, we derive explicit expressions for the time evolution of dynamic order parameter correlators after a quench.


Kernel based nonlinear feature extraction is feasible to extract the feature of image for classification.The current kernel-based method endures two problems: 1) kernelbased method is to use the data vector through transforming the image matrix into vector, which will cause the store and computing burden; 2) the parameter of kernel function has the heavy influences on kernel based learning method. In order to solve the two problems, we present the method of optimizing matrix mapping with data dependent kernel for feature extraction of the image for classification. The method implements the algorithm without transforming the matrix to vector, and it adaptively optimizes the parameter of kernel for nonlinear mapping. The comprehensive experiments are implemented evaluate the performance of the algorithms.


Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the two-body wear resistance of two different indirect composites and lithium disilicate porcelain versus human enamel antagonists. Materials and Methods: Ten specimens of each material (BelleGlass NG, Kerr Corp.; SR Adoro, Ivoclar Vivadent AG; IPS e.max, Ivoclar Vivadent AG) were fabricated. Indirect dental composites and all-ceramic restoration were compared by an in vitro tribological test against human teeth antagonist. Wear loss of antagonist was calculated using an image analyzer (Leica) Wear behavior of restorative materials was investigated with a profilometer after each individual tribological test. A scanning microscope was used to examine the crystal morphology of the samples; the crystal phases were identified by an X-ray diffractometer. Microhardness test results were analyzed using ANOVA. Kruskal Wallis multi-comparison test was used for evaluating the corrosion data. In order to understand whether there is a relationship between mean friction co-efficients, wear rate, and hardness, the statistical non-parametric relation test was used. Results: The indirect composites showed lower wear rate and friction co-efficient than all-ceramic dental materials against enamel. As for the wear loss of the enamel antagonists, the all-ceramic restorations were more harmful to human teeth than the dental composites. Conclusion: Indirect dental composite is relatively more wear-friendly than all-ceramic restoration. Furthermore, indirect composites are favorable and less offensive. Therefore, the second generation of indirect composites is promising in long-life dental restorations.


Retinal detachment is one of the most serious complications of cataract surgery. Vitreous changes such as 'anterior movement' or 'protuberance of the posterior surface of the vitreous' have been postulated to occur, and cause posterior vitreous detachment which subsequently may lead to an increased incidence of retinal detachment in pseudophakic eyes. Additionally , several intraocular lenses(IOLs) such as multifocal, iris fixated or scleral fixated IOLs are more and more used by cataract surgeons. Retinal detachment in these eyes pose a new therapeutic challenge to vitreoretinal surgeons.


Among the various types of couple and family therapies used to treat substance abuse, Behavioral Couples Therapy (BCT) has the strongest empirical support for its effectiveness. During the last 3 decades, multiple studies have consistently found participation in BCT by married or cohabiting substance-abusing patients results in significant reductions in substance use, decreased problems related to substance use (e.g., job loss, hospitalization), and improved relationship satisfaction. Recently, investigations exploring other outcomes have found that, compared to traditional individual-based treatments, participation in BCT results in significantly (a) higher reductions in partner violence, (b) greater improvements in psychosocial functioning of children who live with parents who receive the intervention, and (c) better cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness. In addition to providing an overview of the theoretical underpinnings of BCT, methods used with this intervention, and the literature supporting its use, this article also examines the future directions of BCT research for substance abuse.


The role of specific components from inactive dry yeast preparations widely used in winemaking on the growth of three representative wine lactic acid bacteria (Oenococcus oeni, Lactobacillus hilgardii and Pediococcus pentosaceus) has been studied. A pressure liquid extraction technique using solvents of different polarity was employed to obtain extracts with different chemical composition from the inactive dry yeast preparations. Each of the extracts was assayed against the three lactic acid bacteria. Important differences in the effect of the extracts on the growth of the bacteria were observed, which depended on the solvent employed during the extraction, on the type of commercial preparations and on the lactic acid bacteria species. The extracts that exhibited the most different activity were chemically characterized in amino acids, free monosaccharides, monosaccharides from polysaccharides, fatty acids and volatile compounds. In general, specific amino acids and monosaccharides were related to a stimulating effect whereas fatty acid composition and likely some volatile compounds seemed to show an inhibitory effect on the growth of the lactic acid bacteria. These results may provide novel and useful information in trying to obtain better and more specific formulations of winemaking inactive dry yeast preparations.


Our EAST PMG recommends IS < 1L be considered high risk in patients aged ≥65 with multiple rib fractures. HFNC/BiPap can be trialed before ETT for respiratory failure in those who can protect their airway. ICU admission and pain control should be utilized per physician judgment. BACKGROUND Chest wall injury in older adults is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Optimal nonsurgical management strategies for these patients have not been fully defined regarding level of care, incentive spirometry (IS), noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV), and the use of ketamine, epidural, and other locoregional approaches to analgesia. METHODS Relevant questions regarding older patients with significant chest wall injury with patient population(s), intervention(s), comparison(s), and appropriate selected outcomes were chosen. These focused on intensive care unit (ICU) admission, IS, NIPPV, and analgesia including ketamine, epidural analgesia, and locoregional nerve blocks. A systematic literature search and review were conducted, our data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively, and the quality of evidence was assessed per the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology. No funding was used. RESULTS Our literature review (PROSPERO 2020-CRD42020201241, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science, January 15, 2020) resulted in 151 studies. Intensive care unit admission was qualitatively not superior for any defined cohort other than by clinical assessment. Poor IS performance was associated with prolonged hospital length of stay, pulmonary complications, and unplanned ICU admission. Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation was associated with 85% reduction in odds of pneumonia (p < 0.0001) and 81% reduction in odds of mortality (p = 0.03) in suitable patients without risk of airway loss. Ketamine use demonstrated no significant reduction in pain score but a trend toward reduced opioid use. Epidural and other locoregional analgesia techniques did not affect pneumonia, length of mechanical ventilation, hospital length of stay, or mortality. CONCLUSION We do not recommend for or against routine ICU admission. We recommend use of IS to inform ICU status and conditionally recommend use of NIPPV in patients without risk of airway loss. We offer no recommendation for or against ketamine, epidural, or other locoregional analgesia. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Systematic Review/Meta-analysis; Level IV.