Background Ethiopia has adopted the "Universal Test and Treat" strategy to its national policy in 2016 to put all people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) regardless of their World Health Organization (WHO) clinical stage or CD4 cell count level. A significant percentage of PLHIV start therapy has been delayed despite the availability of ART, which results in poor treatment outcomes including HIV-related morbidity and mortality, and continued HIV transmission. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the magnitude and associated factors of delayed ART initiation among PLHIV at ART Clinic, Nekemte Referral hospital, Western Ethiopia between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2020 for the time period of January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2019. A consecutive sampling method was used to recruit 417 study subjects. The collected data were entered into Epi data version 3.1 and exported to STATA version 14 for statistical analysis. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify associated factors with delayed ART initiation among PLHIV. P-values<0.05 were used to declare significant association. Results A total of 417 PLHIV were included in the study. The mean age of study subjects was 33.49 (SD±9.81) years. The majority of participants attended formal education (77%) and were urban dwellers (82%). One-third (34%) of them initiated ART delayed, beyond 7 days of confirmed HIV diagnosis. Subjects with normal nutritional status (BMI=18.5–24.9kg/m2) (AOR=3.12, 95% CI=1.29–7.57; P=0.012), CD4 count ≥351cells/mm3 (AOR=2.89, 95% CI=1.27–6.58; P=0.011), tuberculosis (TBC) co-infection (AOR=2.76, 95% CI=1.13–6.70; P=0.025), use of traditional treatment (AOR=4.03, 95% CI=2.03–8.00; P<0.001) and did not know other ART user(s) (AOR=2.86, 95% CI=1.52–5.37; P=0.001) were significantly associated with delayed ART initiation. Conclusion Early HIV testing mechanisms and timely linkage to HIV care by advocating "Test-and-Treat" should be strengthened.


A denoising algorithm for point-sampled geometry is proposed based on noise intensity. The noise intensity of each point on point-sampled geometry (PSG) is first measured by using a combined criterion. Based on mean shift clustering, the PSG is then clustered in terms of the local geometry-features similarity. According to the cluster to which a sample point belongs, a moving least squares surface is constructed, and in combination with noise intensity, the PSG is finally denoised. Some experimental results demonstrate that the algorithm is robust, and can denoise the noise efficiently while preserving the surface features.


By a decision on appeal rendered on 3 February, 2006, the President of the Czech Office for the Protection of Competition has annulled a first instance decision according to which SKODA AUTO a.s.…


Nanoparticles may affect secondary pollutants such as copper. Layer Double Hydroxides (LDH) are synthetically produced nanoparticles that adsorb copper via cation exchange. Pretreatment of copper test solutions with LDH nanoparticles followed by filtration removal of LDH nanoparticles demonstrated the smallest LDH aggregates removed the most copper toxicity. This was due to increased surface area for cation exchange relative to larger particle aggregates. Co-exposure tests of copper chloride and clay were run to determine if smaller clay particles increased copper uptake by D. magna. Coexposure treatments had lower LC50 values compared to the filtration tests, likely as a result of additive toxicity. LDH nanoclays do reduce copper toxicity in Daphnia magna and may serve as a remediation tool.


Abstract Near-eutectic Al-Si alloys have low strength and high brittleness because of the presence of many eutectic b-Si flakes, needle-like Al-Fe-Si intermetallics, and coarse α-Al grains. This study disclosed the effects of cerium-rich RE (rare earth) element modification on orientation characters of crystals, formation of Al-Ce compounds, and microstructural refinement to improve the microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloys. The RE addition depressed preferential growth along the close-packed and/or sub-closepacked planes and promoted growth along the non-closepacked planes, in which La and other elements were dissolved into needle-like Al11Ce3 phase. When the temperature decreased, Al11Ce3 was preferentially crystallized from the melts and then devitrified by attaching to the surface of β-Al5FeSi needles. Moreover, many small Al11Ce3 particles were precipitated in the matrix and on the Si surface by a T6 heat treatment. Eutectic β-Si phases were constructed into discontinuous networks, short rods, and even particles by RE additions, which were further transformed into fine nodules following the T6 treatment. α-Al grains and primary β-Al5FeSi needles were simultaneously refined. The addition of 1.0 wt.% REs and subsequent T6 treatment yielded the highest tensile strength, elongation, and hardness of the alloy.


The pyrimidine moiety of thiamin can be synthesized in bacteria from 5-aminoimidazole ribotide (AIR), an intermediate in purine biosynthesis. To transform the imidazole ring of AIR to the pyrimidine, the bond between C-4 and C-5 of the imidazole ring should be ruptured and a two-carbon unit should be inserted. We investigated a precursor of the two-carbon unit which should be inserted to form the pyrimidine. To examine the possibility of the two-carbon compound as a precursor which is formed from a three-carbon intermediate in the glycolytic pathway and its three-carbon derivative by decarboxylation in cells, we studied the incorporation of [2-14C]glycerol, [2-14C]pyruvate, [U-14C]alanine and [3-14C]serine into the pyrimidine by Escherichia coli. Glycerol, pyruvate and alanine were not incorporated into the pyrimidine. Radioactive carbon of [3-14C]serine was incorporated into C-2 of the pyrimidine via one-carbon units pool. Then, we investigated the possibility of a ribose moiety of AIR being a precursor of the two-carbon unit. As ribose has low permeability into E. coli cells, the ribose moiety of AIR was labeled with [14C]glucose which was added to the growth medium. The results show that two radioactive carbons of [U-14C]glucose were incorporated into the pyrimidine and radioactive carbon of [6-14C]glucose was incorporated into hydroxymethyl carbon attached to C-5 of the pyrimidine. The dilution rates of the specific radioactivity of the pyrimidine from [U-14C]glucose and [6-14C]glucose well coincide with those of the ribose moiety of the nucleotide (AMP). Radioactive carbon of [1-14C]glucose was not incorporated into the pyrimidine and nucleotide. It is concluded that the two-carbon fragment derived from C-4' and C-5' of the ribose moiety of AIR can be incorporated into the pyrimidine moiety of thiamin as the precursor of C-5 and hydroxymethyl carbon.


We study proper curvature collineations in the most general form of the Bianchi types 0 VI and 0 VII space-times using the rank of the 6 6× Riemann matrix and direct integration technique. It is shown that when the above space-times admit proper curvature collineations, they form an infinite dimensional vector space.


This paper introduces ensembles of systematic accumulate-repeat-accumulate (ARA) codes which asymptotically achieve capacity on the binary erasure channel (BEC) with bounded complexity, per information bit, of encoding and decoding. It also introduces symmetry properties which play a central role in the construction of new capacity-achieving ensembles for the BEC. The results here improve on the tradeoff between performance and complexity provided by previous constructions of capacity-achieving code ensembles defined on graphs. The superiority of ARA codes with moderate to large block length is exemplified by computer simulations which compare their performance with those of previously reported capacity-achieving ensembles of low-density parity-check (LDPC) and irregular repeat-accumulate (IRA) codes. ARA codes also have the advantage of being systematic.


Internet usage is rapidly growing in areas like cosmopolitan cities, semi-urban cities in India. I-enabled services offered by various government agencies, educational institutions and commercial activities force users of these services to seek superior internet access like broadband, WiMax is likely to replace traditional broadband and dial-up access soon. Interestingly, reforms in telecom sector are taking place at a rapid pace in India. Many private players started internet services affecting monopolistic public sector telecoms. The advent of private ISPs, the consumer behavior and brand choice of broadband consumers are witnessing dynamic shift in favor of private players. Cost competitiveness, transparency, paradigm shift in consumer responsiveness etc weigh in favor of Public Sector telecoms. This paper attempts to identify the factors affecting broadband consumer behavior. Further, paper studies the causes and effects, mediating effects of consumer behavior and conceptualizes a model to capture these effects. The results suggest that adoption of broadband service is playing a mediatory role in consumer satisfaction.


In this paper, we develop and test hypotheses on how authoritative parenting and collective efficacy combine to increase a child's risk of affiliating with deviant peers and engaging in delinquent behavior. Analyses using two waves of data from a sample of several hundred African American caregivers and their children largely supported the predictions. Over time, increases in collective efficacy within a community were associated with increases in authoritative parenting. Further, both authoritative parenting and collective efficacy served to deter affiliation with deviant peers and involvement in delinquent behavior. Finally, there was evidence of an amplification process whereby the deterrent effect of authoritative parenting on affiliation with deviant peers and delinquency was enhanced when it was administered within a community with high collective efficacy.


Information flow security is classically formulated in terms of the absence of illegal information flows, with respect to a security setting consisting of a single flow policy that specifies what information flows should be permitted in the system. In this paper we investigate the security issues that emerge in distributed security settings, where each computation domain establishes its own local security policy, and where programs may exhibit location-dependent behavior. In particular, we study the interplay between two distinct flow policy layers: the declared flow policy, established by the program itself, and the allowed flow policy, established externally to the program by each computation domain. We refine two security properties that articulate how the behaviors of programs comply to the respective flow policies: Distributed Non-disclosure, for enabling programs to declare locally scoped flow policies; and Flow Policy Confinement, for controlling the flow policies that are declared by programs. We present enforcement mechanisms that are based on type and effect systems, ranging from purely static mechanisms to hybrid combinations with dynamic migration control, for enforcing the above properties on an expressive ML-like language with concurrent threads and code migration, and which includes an allowed flow policy construct that dynamically tests the allowed flow policy of the current context. Finally, we show that the combination of the above two properties guarantees that actual information flows do not violate the relevant allowed flow policies. To this end we propose and use the Distributed Non-Interference property, a natural generalization of Non-Interference to a distributed security setting that ensures that information flows in a program respect the allowed flow policy of the domains where they originate.


.. Objective: To determine the impact of overactive bladder on health related quality of life (HRQOL). Study Design: Cross Sectional study. Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences Gambat, Khairpur Sindh. Period: 1st November 2018 to 30th June 2019. Material & Methods: One Hundred forty nine women included who fulfilled inclusion criteria after taking inform consent. The questionnaire consisting of domain of general health perception, urinary incontinence, role limitation on physical, social & personal relationship, emotion with score was analyzed. Each question was carry 1 point as score .Score was analyzed further on percentage basis. Those who gain >33% were be labeled as impact of overactive bladder –ve patients. Finally data was analyzed on SPSS version 21. Results: The present study consisted of 145 subjects presented to the Department of Psychiatry, Services Hospital Lahore (both in and Out-patients). Over reactive bladder were matched on age, sex and socio-economic status & educational status. The age range of the total sample was 23-60 years. Mean age was 42.53 + 11.69. The duration of symptoms range of the total sample was 09-20 years. Mean duration was 16.7 + 5.6. The prevalence of over reactive bladder (OAB) syndrome were found 21%, respectively. The age were divided in to four classification age groups 17(11.7%) under the age of <30years, 31(21.4%) under the age of 31-40 years, 85(58.6%) found under the age of (58.6%) & 41-50 Years of age 85(58.6%) Women constitute the largest age groups. Out of 145 Women 68(46.9%) were Illiterate, 48(33.1%) were literate up to intermediate, 29(20%), took graduation education. The distribution of income classes of women 61(42.06%) belong to low class, 65(44.84%) belong to middle class and only 19(13.10%) belong to upper class. The parity distributions were revealed that most of the 78(53.7%) women had multiparty. Stratification of confounding variable for effect modifier Age & parity were found to be significantly associated with over reactive bladder syndrome. Again Stratification of confounding variable for effect modifier socio economic status & education status are not found significantly associated with over reactive bladder syndrome & P –Value were not found significantly associated with OAB P>0.05. Conclusion: We concluded incidence of overactive bladder in the female is almost similar and associated with increasing your age. Patients of OAB are under-diagnosed and under-treated. This patient can benefit from standard tests.


We propose a data-driven algorithm for reconstructing the irregular, chaotic flow dynamics around two side-by-side square cylinders from sparse, time-resolved, velocity measurements in the wake. We use Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) to reduce the dimensionality of the problem and then explore two different reconstruction approaches: in the first approach, we use the subspace system identification algorithm n4sid to extract a linear dynamical model directly from the data (including the modelling and measurement error covariance matrices) and then employ Kalman filter theory to synthesize a linearly optimal estimator. In the second approach, the estimator matrices are directly identified using n4sid. A systematic study reveals that the first strategy outperforms the second in terms of reconstruction accuracy, robustness and computational efficiency. We also consider the problem of sensor placement. A greedy approach based on the QR pivoting algorithm is compared against sensors placed at the POD mode peaks; we show that the former approach is more accurate in recovering the flow characteristics away from the cylinders. We demonstrate that a linear dynamic model with a sufficiently large number of states and relatively few measurements, can recover accurately complex flow features, such as the interaction of the irregular flapping motion of the jet emanating from the gap with the vortices shed from the cylinders as well as the convoluted patterns downstream arising from the amalgamation of the individual wakes. The proposed methodology is entirely data-driven, does not have tunable parameters, and the resulting matrices are unique (to within a linear coordinate transformation of the state vector). The method can be applied directly to either experimental or computational data.


Visualization of the microstructure of the food matrix of both raw materials and the final product is one of the keys to understanding the processes occurring during its formation. It is the fixation of the results at the microlevel that allows us to form a hypothesis and then confirm it with the obtained array of experimental data. The presented study is aimed at studying the effect of ultrasonic water treatment on the change in the microstructure of wheat grain during its humidification. The article also presents the results of studying the microstructure of dough and wheat flour bread obtained using water after ultrasonic water treatment and the intensity of the processes of staling of finished bread in storage. The object of the study was grain of soft spring white wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), varieties of Lubava, harvest 2014-2018, Russia (the protein content was 12.5 ± 0.3 g/100 g in terms of humidity); dough and bread made from wheat flour (ash content 0.55%, mass fraction of gluten 28.5%), produced using the technology of plain bread, a classic recipe without improvers. Ultrasound-treated water with an exposure frequency of 22 ± 1.65 kHz and with a power variation of 252-630 W/l was used in test technology. The experimental data obtained made it possible to establish the intensification of the processes of swelling of wheat grain during soaking. In the experimental samples, after 8 hours of soaking, the loosened structure of the endosperm and evenly swollen components of the grain were observed, and the loop of the groove was closed. Activation of the processes of dough science was established, and gluten flour in the dough formed a single monolithic frame, in which the swollen starch grains are tightly packed. The interstitial walls of the crumb of the prototypes consisted of a solid mass of protein coagulated during baking, inside of which swollen gelatinized starch grains are interspersed, they are closely adjacent to the mass of coagulated protein with their entire surface, and therefore, there is no sharp, clearly visible boundary between them. The most pronounced changes in the structure of the dough and bread crumb were noted when using water, after ultrasonic water treatment at a power of 504 and 630 W/l. This method of exposure can be recommended as the best for obtaining good quality bread with less pronounced staling during storage.


While modern science is receiving harsh criticism within the framework of environmental education, at the same time ecology is presented as an alternative science, characterized as 'holistic' and 'non‐exploitative'. However, many of the characteristics of the science of ecology do not comply with its characterization as alternative science. Furthermore, ecology is a science with competing paradigms, provisional theories, incommensurable worldviews, and extensive theoretical and methodological debates. The treatment of the science of ecology in environmental education is not taking into account the relevant evidence, resulting in a quite strong positivistic and dogmatic educational approach. The importance of approaches that comply more with a post‐positivistic account of education are discussed in the light of the possible contribution of environmental education to science education discourse.


ABSTRACT Governments across anti-communist Asia, with US backing or tacit consent, devised institutions and practices for marginalising popular forces. Such internalisation of the Cold War involved measures ranging from violence and ideological mobilisation to disciplinary modes of control. With democratisation, Cold War devices for domestic control could remain entrenched or be rolled back. Examining the relationship between democratic transformation and the unwinding of Cold War practices in Taiwan can shed new light on democratic change in the region. While the Kuomintang regime of the martial law period had abundant resources for suppression, electoral politics was left relatively undisciplined by anti-communist meanings of democracy. The limited elections produced a new group within the political elite, who negotiated for a more open electoral landscape. The rules governing electoral politics in Taiwan today reflect the principles of pluralism and inclusiveness that were at the heart of that elite bargain. As far as control over electoral politics is concerned, and in so far as the electoral sphere's growth is taken as significant, democratisation moved Taiwan out of the shadow of the Cold War's internalisation. Comparison with South Korea clarifies an alternative form of change.


The objects and interior spaces, present in the advertising images of AUCA magazine between 1965 and 1973, constitute a starting point for a visual account of the history of local interior design. This account tells the story of the reform and social transformation projects promoted by the Chilean State, which allowed the mechanization of national industry and the transfer of rationalist and functionalist aesthetic from modern architecture. The role played by this media in the dissemination of these ideas was fundamental, especially if it considers that at the time there was no specific academic training in design in Chile. The equipment and interior design companies that commissioned these advertisements formulated their own discourse that evidenced the evolution of the interior space and graphic production, and openly proposed a conception of living that was typical of modernity.


This study provides a different perspective in revisiting the racial and gender discrimination issue regarding FSA loans. The Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition method, commonly used in wage discrimination analysis, is employed to determine whether there exist unwarranted differences between the loan amounts approved among racial and gender classes. The findings of this study are inconclusive. As with previous studies, no clear and convincing evidence was found to signal racial or gender discrimination with respect to approved loan amounts to farmer borrowers.


—Cytologically, the mucoid middle ear effusions could be divided into a lymphocyte-monocyte type and a type where the granulocytes predominated. By α-naphthyl-acetate esterase (ANAE) staining procedure the T lymphocytes were found to make up the majority of lymphocytes in the first type, often accompanied by large numbers of ANAE-positive macrophages. In the second type the relative and particularly the absolute numbers of T cells were smaller. The T lymphocytes in aural effusions, distributed in agreement with their normal distribution in blood, could be the basis of possible delayed hypersensitivity immune mechanisms in the middle ear, but definite proof, either demonstrating receptor molecules directed to antigens or a specific response by T cells, is still lacking.


INTRODUCTION
The US Army Burn Center, the only burn center in the Department of Defense provides comprehensive burn care. The Burn Flight Team (BFT) provides specialized burn care during transcontinental evacuation. During Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, burn injuries accounted for approximately 5% of all injuries in military personnel. To augment BFT capacity, US Air Force Critical Care Air Transport Teams (CCATTs) mobilized to transport burn patients. The purpose of this study was to describe critically ill, burn injured patients transported to the US Army Burn Center by BFT or CCATT, to compare and contrast characteristics, evacuation procedures, in-flight treatments, patient injuries/illnesses, and outcomes between the two groups.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of CCATT and BFT patients, admitted to the burn ICU between January 1, 2001 and September 30, 2018. Patients with total body surface area burned (TBSA) >30% were evacuated by BFT, while CCATT evacuated patients with ≤ 30% TBSA.

RESULTS
Ninety-seven patients met inclusion criteria for this study. Of these, 40 (41%) were transported by the BFT and 57 (59%) were transported by CCATTs. Compared with patients transported by CCATTs, patients transferred by the BFT had higher median TBSA and full-thickness burn size, higher prevalence of chest, back and groin burns, and higher prevalence of inhalation injury. BFT patients had increased hospital days (62 vs. 37; P = .08), ICU days (29 vs. 12; P = .003) and ventilator days (14 vs. 6; P  < .001). TBSA was the only variable significantly associated with ARDS (aOR = 1.04; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.08; P = 0.04), renal failure (aOR = 1.07; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.11; P = .002), and mortality (aOR = 1.08; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.13; P = .001).

CONCLUSIONS
Evacuation by the BFT was associated with increased ICU and ventilator days, increased mortality, and a greater risk for developing renal failure. The severity of injury/TBSA likely accounted for most of these differences.


Three studies tested a stereotype inoculation model, which proposed that contact with same-sex experts (advanced peers, professionals, professors) in academic environments involving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) enhances women's self-concept in STEM, attitudes toward STEM, and motivation to pursue STEM careers. Two cross-sectional controlled experiments and 1 longitudinal naturalistic study in a calculus class revealed that exposure to female STEM experts promoted positive implicit attitudes and stronger implicit identification with STEM (Studies 1-3), greater self-efficacy in STEM (Study 3), and more effort on STEM tests (Study 1). Studies 2 and 3 suggested that the benefit of seeing same-sex experts is driven by greater subjective identification and connectedness with these individuals, which in turn predicts enhanced self-efficacy, domain identification, and commitment to pursue STEM careers. Importantly, women's own self-concept benefited from contact with female experts even though negative stereotypes about their gender and STEM remained active.


Antony Duff has chosen to portray the presumption of innocence (PoI) as a broad and general rule or principle. In his paper, he gives this essentially procedural norm an extensive, explanatory and normative function far outside its usual scope, i.e., the trial. According to Duff, some sort of PoI is engaged at the pre-trial stage as well as in the later face when punishments are executed. The same is the case even after a convicted criminal has served his sentence, i.e., when he is restored to civic life.


We study one- and two-dimensional models which undergo a transition between active and absorbing phases. The transition point in these models is of a novel type: jump of the order parameter coincides with its power-law singularity. Some arguments supported by Monte Carlo simulations prompted us to predict the exact location of the transition point. Both models possess gaugelike symmetry.


, a layered intermetallic compound, displays two magnetic phase transitions below room temperature, the lower one being a metamagnetic transition occurring near 100 K. We have completed measurements of both zero-field resistivity for and the magnetoresistance in fields of up to 8 T for temperatures between 1.5 and 120 K; in addition the magnetization has been studied in fields up to 5.5 T in the temperature range . As the spin configuration in the ordered phases remains uncertain, these measurements concentrate on the behaviour near the `ferromagnetic-to-antiferromagnetic' transition, and as such they can be compared and contrasted with those reported recently for Ru-doped in which the spin configurations are better known. Plots of the metamagnetic field as a function of temperature yield metamagnetic transition temperatures of between 94 and 96 K (in zero field), in good agreement with earlier estimates. Additional features are observed below 100 K in this system, suggesting differences between and the doped system, originating possibly from fundamental differences in spin structure.


Abstract Seventy-five percent of psittacine species, including the blue-fronted Amazon parrot (Amazona aestiva), are classified as sexually monomorphic. However, this classification is based on the inability of the trichromatic human eye to perceive light in the near-ultraviolet spectrum. Spectrometry is a technique that enables humans to recognize the increased range of color perceived by the tetrachromatic avian eye. By using this technique, researchers have reclassified many avian species as sexually dimorphic. In this exploratory study, several body regions of 30 blue-fronted Amazon parrots (males and females) were investigated by multiple-angle spectrometry. A model was developed that enabled gender prediction with 100% accuracy based on plumage color characteristics. However, the areas that were most promising in our model (forehead and wing tip) need to be confirmed independently to exclude the possibility of type I error attributed to multiple testing.


Central to the study of chromosome biology are techniques that permit the purification of small chromatin sections for analysis of associated DNA and proteins, including histones. Chromatin purification protocols vary greatly in the extent of chemical cross-linking used to prevent protein dissociation/re-association during isolation. Particularly for genome-wide analyses, chromatin purification requires a balanced level of fixation that captures native protein-protein and protein/DNA interactions, yet leaving chromatin sections soluble and accessible to affinity reagents. We have applied a relative quantification methodology called I-DIRT (isotopic differentiation of interactions as random or targeted) for optimizing levels of chemical cross-linking for affinity purification of cognate chromatin sections. We show that fine-tuning of chemical cross-linking is necessary for isolation of chromatin sections when minimal histone/protein exchange is required.


Background: Fluoride plays an important role in preventing dental caries. Low fluoride concentrations cannot prevent dental caries, but ingestion of very high concentrations of fluoride during enamel development and maturation could lead to fluorosis. Fluoridation of drinking water is the most effective and inexpensive method for preventing caries. The mandated concentration of fluoride incorporated into drinking water should consider the mean temperature of each region. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of fluorosis in children aged 6 - 12 in Mariwan and Behbahan and determine the fluoride content of drinking water in these two towns. Materials andMethods: In the present descriptive and cross-sectional study, 13 water samples were taken from homes in Behbahan, 1 sample from the town's water reservoir, 10 samples from homes in Mariwan (5 samples for each reservoir) and 1 sample each from the town's 2 reservoirs. The 26 samples (23 from homes and 3 from reservoirs) were taken in polyethylene containers. The SPANDS colorimetric technique was used to determine fluoride content. Homes that used home-based water purification systems were excluded from the study. In addition, 128 students (62 girls and 66 boys) in Behbahan and 90 students in Mariwan were randomly selected. Dean's index was used to determine dental fluorosis. The mean yearly temperatures of the two towns were obtained from the metrological bureaus of the two towns. Results: The means fluoride content of water in Behbahan's reservoir and Mariwan's reservoirs 1 and 2 were 0.7, 0.24 and 0.036 ppm, respectively. The mean fluoride content of Behbahan's home waterlines and in the relevant home waterlines of reservoirs 1 and 2 in Mariwan were 0.67, 0.218, and 0.054 ppm, respectively. There were no significant differences between the relevant reservoirs. The prevalence of fluorosis in Behbahan was as follows: 84.4% healthy, 10.9% questionable, 1.6% very mild, 2.3% mild, and 0.8% moderate. In Mariwan, the prevalence in areas related to reservoir 1 was 96.7% healthy and 3.3% questionable; in areas related to reservoir 2 it was 94.4% healthy and 5.6% questionable. Conclusions: The fluoride content of drinking water in reservoirs and at homes was below the optimal level in Mariwan. No differences were observed from the standard levels in Behbahan. There were no differences in fluoride content of water in reservoirs and in home pipelines, indicating no tangible changes in fluoride content from the reservoirs to the homes. In neither of the towns was severe fluorosis observed. There was no significant difference in the prevalence and severity of fluorosis between genders.


KMV model is one of
the most important credit risk evaluation models in the world. It uses B-S option
pricing and Morton formula based on the market value and volatility of the
company's equity, debt maturities, risk-free interest rates and the book value
of liabilities to estimate the market value of the company's assets and the
volatility of the asset value. In this paper, based on the theory of KMV model,
we can derive the listed company's default rate, and assess credit risk. And
the result is reasonable.


Context awareness is a field in pervasive computing, which has begun to impact medical systems via an increasing number of healthcare applications that are starting to use context awareness. The present work seeks to determine which contexts are important for medical applications and which domains of context-aware applications exist in healthcare. A systematic scoping review of context-aware medical systems currently used by patients or healthcare providers (inclusion criteria) was conducted between April 2021 and June 2023. A search strategy was designed and applied to Pub Med, EBSCO, IEEE Explore, Wiley, Science Direct, Springer Link, and ACM, articles from the databases were then filtered based on their abstract, and relevant articles were screened using a questionnaire applied to their full texts prior to data extraction. Applications were grouped into context-aware healthcare application domains based on past reviews and screening results. A total of 25 articles passed all screening levels and underwent data extraction. The most common contexts used were user location (8 out of 25 studies), demographic information (6 out of 25 studies), movement status/activity level (7 out of 25 studies), time of day (5 out of 25 studies), phone usage patterns (5 out of 25 studies), lab/vitals (7 out of 25 studies), and patient history data (8 out of 23 studies). Through a systematic review process, the current study determined the key contexts within context-aware healthcare applications that have reached healthcare providers and patients. The present work has illuminated many of the early successful context-aware healthcare applications. Additionally, the primary contexts leveraged by these systems have been identified, allowing future systems to focus on prioritizing the integration of these key contexts.


Equations of chordwise and flapwise bending motions of pretwisted rotatin cantilever beams are derived. The two motions are coupled to each other due to the pretwist angle of the beam cross section. As the angular speed, hub radius ratio, and pretwist angle vary, the vibration characteristics of the beam change. It is found that engenvalue loci veering phenomena and associated mode shape variations occur between two vibration modes due to the pretwist angle. The effect of the pretwist angle on the critical angular speed is also investigated.


In this paper, the effect of viscous dissipation and pressure stress work on free convection flow along a vertical flat plate has been investigated. Heat conduction due to wall thickness b is considered in this investigation. With a goal to attain similarity solutions of the problem posed, the developed equations are made dimensionless by using suitable transformations. The non-dimensional equations are then transformed into non-linear equations by introducing a non-similarity transformation. The resulting non-linear similar equations together with their corresponding boundary conditions based on conduction and convection are solved numerically by using the finite difference method along with Newton's linearization approximation. Numerical results for the details of the velocity profiles, temperature profiles, skin friction coefficients and the surface temperature distributions are shown both on graphs and tabular form for different values of the parameters entering into the problem. Keywords: Free convection, viscous dissipation, pressure work and conduction. DOI: 10.3329/jname.v3i2.921  Journal of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering 3(2006) 69-76


C9H13N5, Mr = 191.24, monoclinic, P2(1)/c, a = 7.562 (1), b = 6.825 (1), c = 20.905 (1) A, beta = 104.84 (1) degree, V = 1042.9 A3, Z = 4, room temperature, Dx = 1.218 g cm-3, lambda (Cu K alpha) = 1.5418 A, mu = 6.6 cm-1, F(000) = 408. The structure was solved by the multisolution technique and refined by the block-diagonal least-squares method to a final R index of 0.045 using 1970 intensities. The adenine bases form three pairs of hydrogen bonds to symmetry-related molecules in the crystal lattice. Two distinct modes of hydrogen bonding are observed. One mode involves a planar interaction between adjacent adenine bases while the second mode is characterized by an unusually high propeller twist angle of 79.3 degrees between the planes through the two participating adenine bases.


CONTEXT
In March 2020, the Swiss Federal Council issued recommendations for a partial lockdown, with an emphasis on people aged 65 years and over because of their vulnerability to COVID-19. This study investigated whether seniors clearly understood the meaning of four recommendations (do not go grocery shopping; do not use public transport; avoid personal contact; stay at home), whether they complied with them, and what was the impact of the partial lockdown on their daily life, including difficulties and opportunities.

METHODS
In April 2020, a questionnaire about how seniors experienced the partial lockdown was sent to the participants in the Lausanne Cohort Lc65+, a population-based study. The response rate reached 89%, with 2746 participants aged 72-86 years included in the analysis. Bivariable analyses and multivariable logistic models were used to identify sociodemographic and health-related characteristics associated with each outcome (clarity; compliance; impact).

RESULTS
Most seniors rated the recommendations as clear (84-91%, depending on the recommendation) and complied with them (70-94%). In multivariable analyses, men were more likely to rate the recommendations as unclear. Perceiving the recommendation as unclear and having a low level of fear of the virus were associated with noncompliance. People who complied with the recommendations were more likely to experience difficulties, but also to seize opportunities during the partial lockdown.

CONCLUSION
Most seniors followed the recommendations and found them clearly worded. However, some subgroups, such as men and seniors who do not fear the virus, were less likely to clearly understand the recommendations. As a correct understanding is a key factor for compliance, the findings emphasise the importance of tailoring public health communications to the characteristics of the target group, and of testing whether they are correctly understood.


Background The balloon-assisted coil embolization (BACE) technique represents an effective tool for the treatment of complex wide-necked intracranial aneurysms; however, its safety is a matter of debate. This study presents the authors' institutional experience regarding the safety of the BACE technique. Methods 428 consecutive patients with 491 intracranial aneurysms (274 acutely ruptured and 217 unruptured) treated with conventional coil embolization (CCE) or with BACE were retrospectively reviewed. All procedure-related adverse events were reported, regardless of clinical outcome. Thromboembolic events, intraprocedural aneurysm ruptures, device-related complications, morbidity and mortality were compared between the CCE and BACE groups. Results The total rate of procedural and periprocedural adverse events was 9.6% (47/491 embolizations). Thromboembolic events, intraprocedural aneurysmal rupture and device-related complications occurred in 2.4%, 3.9% and 3.3% of procedures, respectively. The risk of thromboembolic events and device-related problems was similar between the CCE and BACE groups. A trend towards a higher risk of intraprocedural aneurysm rupture was observed in the BACE group (not statistically significant). The total cumulative morbidity and mortality for both groups was 2.6% (11/428 patients) and there was no statistically significant difference in the morbidity, mortality and cumulative morbidity and mortality rates between the two groups. Conclusion In this series of patients with acutely ruptured and unruptured aneurysms, the BACE technique allowed treatment of aneurysms with unfavorable anatomic characteristics without increasing the incidence of procedural complications.


Defining the success of Urban Extension units is sometimes challenging. For those Extension agents, specialists, administrators, and others who have worked to bring solid, research-based programming to urban communities, it is no surprise that working in these communities brings its own unique and sometimes difficult challenges. Kentucky's Urban Extension Forum was designed to help identify both the structural barriers to urban Extension success as well as possible solutions


ABSTRACT The increasing volume of garbage of Balinese Hindu's offering is still a problem. The garbage, when it is decomposed however could be useful for fertilized. This organic litter can be decomposed in biopore. This research ainied to investigated the decomposition rate of C. nucifera and O. tigillarium litter in biopores. This research was conducted between February and July 2015. Garbage were collected from temples in Jembrana city and treated at Dangin Tukadaya village, Jembrana Distric. Sampels were arranged in a Factorial Randomized Blocked Sampling Design 2 factors i.e: treatments and times (1, 2, 3, 4 and 23 weeks). The result showed that decomposition rate 98,63% of cocos litter and 99,23% of oncosperma litter were decomposed in biopore on week 23 compared to 89,06% of cocos and 75,76 % of oncosperma litter in control. Decomposition mean rate is 9,33 %/week of cocos litter and 9,64 %/week of oncosperma litter were decomposed in biopore but in control is 7,85 %/week of cocos and 8,07 %/week of oncosperma litter. Total cocos and oncosperma litter decomposition took about 23,3 and 23,2 weeks in biopore but for control 25,8 and 30,4 weeks The number of millipedes ( Harpaphe haydeniana ) as decomposer was found higher compared to other decomposers such as earth worms and molusca. Keywords: decomposition, biopore, decomposer, bali, cocos litter, oncosperma litter


Introduction: Exposure misclassification in epidemiologic studies results in attenuated exposureresponse relationships. Using quantitative exposure estimates helps reduce exposure misclassification in retrospective studies, but it does not eliminate it. This study focused on two areas that impact the degree of exposure misclassification inherent in quantitative exposure estimates: 1) the choice of exposure indicator where the exposure o f interest is a component of a mixture; 2) the choice between expert judgment and measurement-based exposure assessment strategies. Methods: These themes were examined empirically using data from two Canadian retrospective occupational cohort studies: the B C Aluminum Smelter Cohort (n=6423) and the B C Sawmill Cohort (n=26,847). In the smelter cohort exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ( P A H ) , measured as benzene soluble materials ( B S M ) and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), was examined in relation to mortality and cancer incidence. In the sawmill cohort three exposures classes were evaluated: 1) nonspecific dust and wood dust in relation to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease hospitalizations; 2) total chlorophenols, pentachlorophenols (PCP), and tetrachlorophenol (TCP) in relation to cancer incidence; and 3) noise estimated using expert-based and measurement-based approaches in relation to heart disease mortality. The shape, goodness of fit, and precision of the exposure-response relationships were evaluated using Poisson regression. Results: Using a more specific exposure measure that was more proximal to the causal agent(s) improved the precision of the exposure-response relationship by between 1-14% for BaP over B S M , by 10-30% for P C P over total chlorophenols, and by 218% for wood dust over nonspecific dust. Measurement-based noise estimates improved the precision by 12-108% over the use o f expert ratings. Accounting for hearing protection use in the measurement-based noise estimates improved the precision by 58% over the unadjusted estimates. The observed attenuation was not correlated with predicted attenuation from theoretical equations. Conclusions: Examining the precision of exposure-response relationships provided a quantifiable measure for evaluating different exposure assessment approaches. Refining the quantitative exposure estimates, through the use o f more proximal exposure measures and the use of exposure measurements, resulted in stronger, more precise exposure-response relationships. With the exception of the expert-based noise estimates, the more common, less specific exposure measures resulted in inconclusive exposure-disease associations.


Question generation, the task of automatically creating questions that can be answered by a certain span of text within a given passage, is important for question-answering and conversational systems in digital assistants such as Alexa, Cortana, Google Assistant and Siri. Recent sequence to sequence neural models have outperformed previous rule-based systems. Existing models mainly focused on using one or two sentences as the input. Long text has posed challenges for sequence to sequence neural models in question generation – worse performances were reported if using the whole paragraph (with multiple sentences) as the input. In reality, however, it often requires the whole paragraph as context in order to generate high quality questions. In this paper, we propose a maxout pointer mechanism with gated self-attention encoder to address the challenges of processing long text inputs for question generation. With sentence-level inputs, our model outperforms previous approaches with either sentence-level or paragraph-level inputs. Furthermore, our model can effectively utilize paragraphs as inputs, pushing the state-of-the-art result from 13.9 to 16.3 (BLEU_4).


Modeling a system's temporal behaviour in reaction to external stimuli is a fundamental problem in many areas. Pure Machine Learning (ML) approaches often fail in the small sample regime and cannot provide actionable insights beyond predictions. A promising modification has been to incorporate expert domain knowledge into ML models. The application we consider is predicting the progression of disease under medications, where a plethora of domain knowledge is available from pharmacology. Pharmacological models describe the dynamics of carefully-chosen medically meaningful variables in terms of systems of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs). However, these models only describe a limited collection of variables, and these variables are often not observable in clinical environments. To close this gap, we propose the latent hybridisation model (LHM) that integrates a system of expert-designed ODEs with machine-learned Neural ODEs to fully describe the dynamics of the system and to link the expert and latent variables to observable quantities. We evaluated LHM on synthetic data as well as real-world intensive care data of COVID-19 patients. LHM consistently outperforms previous works, especially when few training samples are available such as at the beginning of the pandemic.


We consider the problem of estimating the location of a single change point in a dynamic stochastic block model. We propose two methods of estimating the change point, together with the model parameters. The first employs a least squares criterion function and takes into consideration the full structure of the stochastic block model and is evaluated at each point in time. Hence, as an intermediate step, it requires estimating the community structure based on a clustering algorithm at every time point. The second method comprises of the following two steps: in the first one, a least squares function is used and evaluated at each time point, but ignores the community structures and just considers a random graph generating mechanism exhibiting a change point. Once the change point is identified, in the second step, all network data before and after it are used together with a clustering algorithm to obtain the corresponding community structures and subsequently estimate the generating stochastic block model parameters. A comparison between these two methods is illustrated. Further, for both methods under their respective identifiability and certain additional regularity conditions, we establish rates of convergence and derive the asymptotic distributions of the change point estimators. The results are illustrated on synthetic data.


The synthesis, diastereoisomeric separation, attribution to erythro and threo series, and resolution of the enantiomers of 2-(4-biphenylyl)-3-oxybutyric acid are described. The four isomers were tested for anti-inflammatory activity: the preliminary results are interesting, particular those for the (--) erythro enantiomer.


We compared recovery times in patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1—III receiving sevoflurane or isoflurane during surgical procedures longer than 1 hour in duration. Of the 50 patients enrolled, 23 received sevoflurane and 27 received isoflurane. Anesthetic gases were discontinued abruptly at the end of the surgical procedure. The following parameters were recorded: time to emergence (opens eyes), time to extubation, response to verbal command (squeezes hand of observer), and orientation (time and place). Exposure times to the agents were similar. The time to emergence was significantly less with sevoflurane than with isoflurane (5.6 vs 11.2 min, respectively). There were no significant differences in time to extubation, response to verbal command, or orientation between the groups. Our data support more rapid emergence with sevoflurane than with isoflurane in surgical procedures longer than 1 hour in duration.


By an argument which involves matching sample paths, some useful equations for the probability distribution of the fundamental period in the MAP/G/1 queue are derived with less calculational effort than in earlier proofs. It is further shown that analogous equations hold for the MAP/SM/1 queueing model. These results are then used to derive explicit formulas for the mean vectors of the number served during and the duration of the fundamental period.


In this work, we present a planarization concept for epitaxial SiC trench structures involving reactive ion etching (RIE) and inductive coupled plasma (ICP) dry etching. The general idea is to transfer the flat surface from spun-on BCB/photo-resist layers to deposited silicon dioxide and finally to bulk SiC by applying process conditions with the same etch rate for the different materials. In this way several microns of unwanted material can be removed and planar SiC surfaces are obtained. With this method trench structures filled by epitaxial re-growth can be planarized with smooth surfaces and good homogeneity over the wafer. Cost-efficient device manufacturing can be achieved by using standard semiconductor process equipment. This technology makes it possible to manufacture advanced epitaxial SiC material structures for devices such as trench JBS diodes and double-gate trench JFETs.


The River red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehn. ) is found in a lot of places in Syria, and the trees in Damascus- Daraa Road are in good height, diameter and growth, so that we aimed to study some of the mechanical properties of its wood related to the most important modern uses of this wood in industry.The study was done over Three trees, and three trunk masses of wood about 70 cm were taken from each tree from the beginning, the breast and the middle of the tree .The results show that the wood of Rever red gum has the following mechanical properties:- The compression strength parallel to grain is medium (39.6 N/mm2), therefore, it is good in industries uses.- The bending factor is weak (1.44) , and its coherence is medium (2.27).- The risistance of tensile strength was 40 N/mm2 .- Hardness (Janka) was 38.3 N/mm2.So that we find out that the wood of River red gum is good and could be considered as a good wood with various uses and this spice is considered one of the promosing trees in our country for afforestration in zones like the stydy zones.As for the variance, ther are significant effects of tacking masses from tree on the physical and mechanical properties of the wood.


Clustering is a fundamental task in data analysis. Recently, deep clustering, which derives inspiration primarily from deep learning approaches, achieves state-of-the-art performance and has attracted considerable attention. Current deep clustering methods usually boost the clustering results by means of the powerful representation ability of deep learning, e.g., autoencoder, suggesting that learning an effective representation for clustering is a crucial requirement. The strength of deep clustering methods is to extract the useful representations from the data itself, rather than the structure of data, which receives scarce attention in representation learning. Motivated by the great success of Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) in encoding the graph structure, we propose a Structural Deep Clustering Network (SDCN) to integrate the structural information into deep clustering. Specifically, we design a delivery operator to transfer the representations learned by autoencoder to the corresponding GCN layer, and a dual self-supervised mechanism to unify these two different deep neural architectures and guide the update of the whole model. In this way, the multiple structures of data, from low-order to high-order, are naturally combined with the multiple representations learned by autoencoder. Furthermore, we theoretically analyze the delivery operator, i.e., with the delivery operator, GCN improves the autoencoder-specific representation as a high-order graph regularization constraint and autoencoder helps alleviate the over-smoothing problem in GCN. Through comprehensive experiments, we demonstrate that our propose model can consistently perform better over the state-of-the-art techniques.


The spacious auditorium of the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) played host to an international meeting of close to twohundred scholars, writers, journalists and activists from Israel, Palestine and third countries whose common denominator was their conviction in one democratic and secular state in Israel and Palestine to be enjoyed by ali occupants of various ethnic, religious and racial background.


We describe the kinetics of pentoxifylline formation from lisofylline in human liver microsomes using selective inhibitors of cytochrome P450 isozymes, correlation studies with specific isozyme activities, and cDNA-expressed human CYP1A2 and 2E1. A biphasic model fitted the data best for the formation of pentoxifylline, Km1 = 0.282 +/- 0.135 microM, Vmax1 = 0.003 +/- 0.001 nmol/min/mg protein, Km2 = 158 +/- 42.6 microM and Vmax2 =0.928 +/- 0.308 nmol/min/mg (N = 4). Pentoxifylline formation by the low Km isoform (200 microM lisofylline) required NADPH, was not inhibited by any isozyme-specific P450 inhibitor, and was inhibited only 10% and 20%, respectively, by aminobenzotriazole and N-octamylamine. We concluded that the low Km enzyme was not a cytochrome P450. At 5 microM of lisofylline the CYP1A2 inhibitor, furafylline, inhibited pentoxifylline formation by 58.8%, and the nonspecific CYP2E1 inhibitor, diethyldithiocarbamate, inhibited pentoxifylline formation by 21.7%. When preincubated with furafylline plus diethyldithiocarbamate, inhibition of pentoxifylline formation was increased 71.4%. Microsomal CYP1A2 activity correlated with pentoxifylline formation (r2 = 0.870, p < 0.001). However, CYP2E1 activity did not correlate with pentoxifylline formation (r2 = 0.143, p = 0.181). Baculovirus insect cell expressed human CYP1A2 formed pentoxifylline at 0.987 nmol/min/nmol cytochrome P450 at 5 microM lisofylline. cDNA expressed CYP2E1 did not catalyze formation of pentoxifylline. Diethyldithiocarbamate inhibited pentoxifylline formation by 85.7% in cDNA expressed CYP1A2. We conclude that CYP1A2 is the high affinity enzyme catalyzing pentoxifylline formation from lisofylline.


The immune response to cuban recombinant Hepatitis B vaccine was studied (sero conversion, sero protection, hyper response and geometric median) in 211 health workers from different general hospitals of Peruvian Social Security, along the coast of Perú. Vaccine was given by deltoid intramuscular injection at 0-1-2 months interval. Quantification of Anti HBS was done according to Organon Tecknica Methodology. Sero protection was obtained in 97% of people studied just at days of the first injection. Women less than 40 years old showed better immunogenic response. This Hepatitis B Vaccine program is recommended due to its symmetry, short time course and high immune protection obtained.


Conductive reduced graphene oxide (rGO) patterns have been successfully fabricated on graphene oxide films coated on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate via femtosecond laser direct writing (FsLDW)-induced photoreduction. Through this mask-less and high-resolution technique, the electrical conductivity of rGO patterns can be tuned by simply adjusting the laser writing parameters. Noticeably, based on FsLDW, high-performance and stretchable graphene-based strain sensors were fabricated and can be utilized for monitoring of human motion and respiration, heartbeat detection, and human/machine interaction.


OBJECTIVES
To evaluate and compare the effect of the coronal thread size on the marginal bone loss around the fixtures, when both implants were provided with threads to the top of fixture.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Two groups of implants, one with a macro-thread to the top of the fixture (A) and the other with a micro-thread to the top of the fixture (B), were placed adjacent to each other in the partially edentulous areas of 20 patients. Bone loss around each implant was analyzed after 1 year of functional loading. The bone losses after loading were compared using Wilcoxon's signed-rank test.

RESULTS
The mean marginal bone losses (A, 0.154 ± 0.144 mm; B, 0.125 ± 0.136 mm) were not statistically significant between the two groups (P = 0.669).

CONCLUSIONS
There was no significant difference between implant with macro- and micro-neck thread in terms of marginal bone loss after 1 year of loading.


This paper describes a framework and tools for automating the production of designs which can be partially reconfigured at run time. The tools include: a partial evaluator, which produces configuration files for a given design, where the number of configurations can be minimised by a process, known as compile-time sequencing; an incremental configuration calculator, which takes the output of the partial evaluator and generates an initial configuration file and incremental configuration files that partially update preceding configurations; and a tool which further optimises designs for FPGAs supporting simultaneous configuration of multiple cells. While many of our techniques are independent of the design language and device used, our tools currently target Xilinx 6200 devices. Simultaneous configuration, for example, can be used to reduce the time for reconfiguring an adder to a subtractor from time linear with respect to its size to constant time at best and logarithmic time at worst.


This study undertakes to analyse the determinants of private investment and establish the relationship that exists between public investment and private investment in Kenya during the
period of 1971-2011. The study adopts the flexible accelerator model using the time series data for the period in consideration. Variables in the model are real GDP, inflation, interest rate, domestic credit, exchange rate, exports and external debt. The data for these variables was collected from various sources including The Central Bank of Kenya, Economic Surveys, Statistical Abstract and International Financial statistics. Using econometric techniques such as unit root tests, co-integration and error correction model, the empirical results show domestic credit, real gross domestic product and exports have positive impact on private investment both in the long run and short run while exchange rate, external debt had both short run and long run negative impact on private investment. Public investment had only a short run negative impact while inflation had no any impact at all on private investment. The research findings show that higher amount of domestic credit, rising gross domestic product, more exports and low levels of total expenditure on public investment, less external debt and moderate exchange rate will boast private investment in Kenya. This study recommend the use of efficient and modern technologies in the manufacturing and agricultural sector to increase their productivity, more domestic credit to the private sector, debt relief among other policies are suggested to boost private investment in Kenya.


The existence of space charge may be addressed as one of the reasons that could cause shielding failure of transmission lines. In order to study the effect of space charge on discharge propagation path, a new experimental system, including mainly DC high voltage generator, impulse voltage generator as well as rod-plane electrode, has been established. The space charge was generated around the rod by means of pre-applying DC high voltage, and the air gap discharge experiments were conducted with and without pre-applying DC high voltage, respectively. Meanwhile, high speed cameras worked simultaneously from the front and lateral side to record the discharge propagation path so as to obtain the curvature. After statistical analysis, it is shown that the curvature increases in the middle and lower portions of the propagation path when the effect of space charge is taken into account.


Digital PID control algorithm is one of the most commonly used algorithms in the control systems area. This algorithm is very well known, it is simple, easily implementable in the computer control systems and most of all its operation is very predictable. Thus PID control has got well known impact on the control system behavior. However, in its simple form the controller have no reconfiguration support. In a case of the controlled system substantial changes (or the whole control environment, in the wider aspect, for example if the disturbances characteristics would change) it is not possible to make the PID controller robust enough. In this paper a new structure of digital PID controller is proposed, where the policy-based computing is used to equip the controller with the ability to adjust it's behavior according to the environmental changes. Application to the electro-oil evaporator which is a part of distillation installation is used to show the new controller structure in operation.


An increasing number of patients with motor neurone disease (MND) in the UK and Ireland are using assisted ventilation to control symptoms and prolong life. A small proportion of these are initiated on long term tracheostomy ventilation (TV). NICE guidelines dictate that MND patients should routinely receive specialist palliative care input, yet research into the management of TV MND patients in the hospice setting is limited. Objective The aim of this study was to explore the extent to which hospices and specialist palliative care units (SPCUs) in the UK and Ireland currently manage MND patients using assisted ventilation, especially TV. Methods A literature review was used to guide the development of an electronic questionnaire which was sent to medical directors or lead physicians in all hospices/specialist palliative care units in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. the questionnaire was sent to 184 units. Results The response rate was 41.3% (n=76). 97% units admit MND patients on non-invasive ventilation (NIV) but only 33% admit TV MND patients (n=22). However 40% of respondents indicated that community palliative care support was provided to TV MND patients. 61 respondents indicated adequate expertise in the management of NIV, while only 6 indicated adequate expertise in managing TV. While the majority of respondents (96%) indicated that Advance care planning was routinely offered to the MND patients, less than half routinely included conversations regarding ITU admission (40%) or invasive ventilation (39%). Only 11 (14%) of respondents indicated having personal experience of withdrawal of TV in MND patients. Conclusion This study has highlighted a perceived lack of expertise in the management TV MND patients within hospices/SPCUs with less than half of units allowing admission for TV MND patients. There is a need for further research in this area.


Although endotracheal (ET) suctioning is performed frequently in sick newborn infants, its effects on cardiorespiratory variables and intracranial pressure (ICP) have not been thoroughly documented in neonates greater than 24 h who were not paralyzed while receiving mechanical ventilation. This study evaluates these changes in preterm infants who required ventilatory assistance. We measured transcutaneous PO2 and PCO2 (PtcO2 and PtcCO2, respectively), intra-arterial BP, heart rate, ICP, and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) before, during, and for at least 5 min after ET suctioning in 15 low birth weight infants less than 1500 g and less than or equal to 30 days of age. One infant was studied twice. A suction adaptor was used to avoid disconnecting the patient from the ventilator and to attempt to minimize hypoxemia and hypercapnia during suctioning. The patients were studied in the supine position and muscle relaxants were not used. PtcO2 decreased 12.1% while PtcCO2 increased 4.7% 1 min after suctioning; however, greater increases in mean BP (33%) and ICP (117%) were observed during suctioning. CPP also increased during the procedure. ICP returned to baseline almost immediately, whereas BP remained slightly elevated 1 min after suctioning. Our findings demonstrate that ET suctioning significantly increases BP, ICP, and CPP in preterm infants on assisted ventilation in the first month of life. These changes appear to be independent of changes observed in oxygenation and ventilation.


Background: Home delivery is childbirth in a non-clinical setting that takes place in residence than in health institution. Globally, every day more than 800 women died due to complications during pregnancy or childbirth. In Ethiopia, few are known about the factors that affect women's place of delivery after utilization of antenatal care service. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of home delivery and associated factors among antenatal care booked mothers in Delanta district, North east Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based Cross-sectional study design was conducted from March 15 to 30, 2018. Multistage sampling methods were applied to select 576 respondents among mothers booked for antenatal care. Data was collected through face to face interview using pretested questionnaire. Epi-Data version 3.1 and statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 21 were used for data entry and analysis respectively. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify any statistically significant association existed between dependent and independent variables. P-value < 0.05 was declared as statistical significance level. Result: The prevalence of home delivery after ante natal care (ANC) follow up among mothers who gave birth in the last one year was 196 (35.2%). The factors associated with home delivery were age of the mothers between 20-24 years (AOR = 0.089, 95% CI [0.043, 0.184]), occupation of the mothers (AOR = 3.422, 95% CI [1.557, 7.524]), nonexposed to media (AOR =1.979, 95% CI [1.149, 3.410]), having first antenatal care) visit (AOR = 3.217, 95% CI [1.575, 6.570]) and distance (time taken) between 90-120 minutes to reach health facility on foot (5.459, 95% CI [1.681, 17.732]). Conclusion and recommendation: The magnitude of home delivery after ante natal care follow up in Delanta district was high. Distance, age and occupation of the mothers, number of ANC visit and non-media exposure were statistically significant association with home delivery. The district should better enhances geographic access to a health facility, gives awareness on the importance of media exposure and the health professionals should visit mothers if they miss the next appointment in ANC follow up care.


The basic objective of the empirical study is to identify the influence of organizational socialization (OS) and organizational climate (OC) on knowledge management (KM) among the banking sector of Pakistan. The above said sector is selected as population of the current research. By using the simple random sampling technique, different branches of public banks and private banks are selected as a sample. 270 questionnaires were circulated to top level managers and middle level managers. 240 questionnaires were filled by employees and used for analysis. The overall response rate was 89%. Different statistical techniques i.e. Pearson's correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis and reliability analysis are applied on collected data. The results of Pearson's correlation analysis shows that there is positive relationship between organizational climate (OC), organizational socialization (OS), knowledge management (KM), its dimensions i.e. knowledge sharing (KS) and knowledge application (KA). Moreover, regression analysis's results explain that organizational socialization is strong predictor of knowledge management as compare to organizational climate. From the management point of view, the results give clear clue to Pakistan's banking sector must understand the importance of organizational socialization, organizational climate for the purpose of knowledge management. In future researches, data may be collected to other sectors like telecom industry, textile industry and education sector etc. for more generalizing the results. Moreover, researches some other variables like social interaction, perceived organizational support, and perceived supervisor support may also be conducted.


Plastic shopping bags that get carried away from the side of roads and tangled on cotton plants can end up at cotton gins if not removed before the harvest. Such bags may not only cause problem in the ginning process but might also get embodied in cotton fibers reducing its quality and marketable value. Therefore, it is required to detect, locate, and remove the bags before cotton is harvested. Manually detecting and locating these bags in cotton fields is labor intensive, time-consuming and a costly process. To solve these challenges, we present application of four variants of YOLOv5 (YOLOv5s, YOLOv5m, YOLOv5l and YOLOv5x) for detecting plastic shopping bags using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)-acquired RGB (Red, Green, and Blue) images. We also show fixed effect model tests of color of plastic bags as well as YOLOv5-variant on average precision (AP), mean average precision (mAP@50) and accuracy. In addition, we also demonstrate the effect of height of plastic bags on the detection accuracy. It was found that color of bags had significant effect (p<0.001) on accuracy across all the four variants while it did not show any significant effect on the AP with YOLOv5m (p = 0.10) and YOLOv5x (p = 0.35) at 95% confidence level. Similarly, YOLOv5-variant did not show any significant effect on the AP (p = 0.11) and accuracy (p = 0.73) of white bags, but it had significant effects on the AP (p = 0.03) and accuracy (p = 0.02) of brown bags including on the mAP@50 (p = 0.01) and inference speed (p<0.0001). Additionally, height of plastic bags had significant effect (p<0.0001) on overall detection accuracy. The findings reported in this paper can be useful in speeding up removal of plastic bags from cotton fields before harvest and thereby reducing the amount of contaminants that end up at cotton gins.


Fusion Management: Harness ing th e Power of Six Sigma, Lean. ISO 9001:2000. Malcolm Baldrige, TQ~I and Other Quall~' Breakthroughs of the Past Century, Stanley A. Marash. with Paul Berman and Michael Flynn. 2003. Fairfax, \'a.: QSU Publishing Company. 179 pages. Stanley Marash applies the astrophysicist's approach to unite the fou r forces of nature into a grand unfed theoIy in his quest to bring themyriol 01 quality concepts that arebeingused todayintoa single theoretical construct Herefers to hisquest as "fusion management," which unites Six Sigma, lean enterprise. ISO 9001:2000, the Baldrige Award, total quality management, andother quali ty breakthroughs 01 the past centuryinto a singlequality concept In his defin ition of fusion, simpler elements combine to form more complex elements,which take on features and qualities that the constituent ingredients did not Jl'"S"S. (p. 8) However, rather than four forceselectromagnetic, weak, strong. andgraviry-c-that physicists deal with. ~1a rash has identified more than 70! Putting this in perspective he says: "In the 70·plus users since Shewhart's 1931 text,we can point 10 an average of about one ..... program per rear. " (p. 18) His analysis of the strengths and weaknesses ofthemajorones is,-et)' insightful. He makes a good point that many of them were not pro-grams at all. but rather techniques,


ABSTRACT The performance of mine detecting instruments is embedded in the behavior of a complex system. The total reliability is always composed of the intrinsic physical detection capability of the sensor, application/environmental influences and human factors. The intrinsic capability and some application factors can be investigated in laboratory measurements. Human factors, other application factors and the overall reliability, can only be evaluated in blind field trials in which the probability of detection (PoD) and false alarm rate (FAR) are measured statistically. Both of these approaches are included in CEN Workshop Agreement CWA 14747:2003, which standardizes detector testing in Humanitarian Demining. We report here the results of a study to investigate how to optimize such testing. For efficient and statistically valid field trials, the number, types and burial depths of targets, and the number of test lanes, soil types, repetitions and operators need to be carefully chosen. Laboratory results should be used to help construct field trial protocols and also to help distinguish the different contributions to the PoD and FAR, to determine where to improve insufficient performance. In this study, four models of metal detector were tested in three field trials and in the laboratory. The repeatability of the field trials is assessed, taking into account operator training and experience. Results of the laboratory tests are compared with results of the field trials and used to construct a "modular model" of the system, as used in nondestructive testing. The conclusions are, in principle, applicable to trials of other types of sensor.


DeepLab is a widely used deep neural network for semantic segmentation, whose success is attributed to its parallel architecture called atrous spatial pyramid pooling (ASPP). ASPP uses multiple atrous convolutions with different atrous rates to extract both local and global information. However, fixed values of atrous rates are used for the ASPP module, which restricts the size of its field of view. In principle, atrous rate should be a hyperparameter to change the field of view size according to the target task or dataset. However, the manipulation of atrous rate is not governed by any guidelines. This study proposes practical guidelines for obtaining an optimal atrous rate. First, an effective receptive field for semantic segmentation is introduced to analyze the inner behavior of segmentation networks. We observed that the use of ASPP module yielded a specific pattern in the effective receptive field, which was traced to reveal the module's underlying mechanism. Accordingly, we derive practical guidelines for obtaining the optimal atrous rate, which should be controlled based on the size of input image. Compared to other values, using the optimal atrous rate consistently improved the segmentation results across multiple datasets, including the STARE, CHASE_DB1, HRF, Cityscapes, and iSAID datasets.


The in vitro effect of IFN-a on lymphocyte transformation and specific immune response against Brucella antigens was studied in 33 patients with chronic brucellosis and 10 normal controls. The following immunologic in vitro tests were applied: PHA activated lymphocyte transformation test using Bromodeoxyuridine and a monoclonal antibody in the presence and absence of 50 and 100 IU IFN Alpha-2b and leukocyte migration inhibition test against Brucella antigens in the presence and absence of 100 and 500 IU of IFN Alpha-2b. Patients were further divided to 2 subgroups according to a positive or negative migration inhibition test. Our results showed that T lymphocyte transformation was similar in patients and controls and that the addition of 50 IU IFN resulted in a significant increase of transforming cells whereas in the concentration of 100 IU IFN only anergic patients and controls responded positively. IFN also resulted in a significant leukocyte migration inhibition only in anergic patients and controls. These findings suggest that the chronic infection is not due to a generalized cellular immunodeficiency state and that IFN Alpha-2b might be a promising therapeutic approach in anergic patients.


With the rapid progress in permanent-magnet technology, through the use of high-energy-density rare-earth materials a range of compact and high-performance linear actuators is now available. The paper presents simulated and experimental results from an investigation into the performance of such a device, in which the internal operating conditions are first modeled using a finite-element approach. Information obtained from this investigation is used, together with equations for both the electrical circuit and the mechanical motion, to enable both the static and the dynamic characteristics to be predicted. The most significant parameters affecting the performance of the actuator are identified, and an optimized design is produced.


OBJECTIVE
This study aims to evaluate the occlusal characteristics of full edentulous patients with implant-supported prostheses and to provide a reference with the occlusal situation for clinicians.

METHODS
A Teetester occlusal analysis system was used with 30 full edentulous patients of implant-supported fixed denture (test group) in comparison with 30 natural dentition (control group). The percentage of occlusal force distribution were measured, as well as the occlusal time at the intercuspal, protrusion, and left and right lateral positions.

RESULTS
Compared with control group, the occlusion time, maximum occlusal force in intercuspal of test group significantly reduced (P<0.05); while control group was obviously superior to test group in the left and right bit force degree. Disclusion time in protrusion, occlusion times in lateral positions of test group also significantly reduced (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in average occlusion force, percentage of total force in anterior teeth, and lateral occlusion between test group and control group.

CONCLUSIONS
The maximum occlusal force in intercuspal of full edentulous patients with implant-supported prostheses reduce. The occlusal force in protrusive occlusion is concentrated in the front teeth, and the group function occlusion is the main lateral occlusal pattern.


This article focusses on the work of street-food market organizers in London as a design practice. The argument is based on ethnographic research about the curation of the street-food scene, which aimed at understanding how market organizers created markets as economic entities and design marketplaces as urban forms. Space, objects, people, aesthetics, and atmospheres were designed into a marketplace with distinctive qualities. As such, market designers perform an important role as urban actors. They not only design the qualities of place but also use them to create inequalities in the street-food scene and the urban realm more widely.


Since the mid-1990s, claims have been put forward in the management literature of the emergence of new organizational forms, which would go beyond the Chandlerian "command and control" and divisional structures and instead would rely more on internal networks and less hierarchical management styles. This exploratory article examines the role of organizational culture in the transformation process of four innovative companies in the German-speaking area. We find that people in the two organizations characterized by rapid and comprehensive organizational innovation report that the importance of organizational culture has increased significantly over the 1992-1997 period, especially as a vertical, and to a lesser extent as a horizontal and cross-unit coordination mechanism. People at the two companies with an ethnocentric management orientation systematically report that organizational culture plays a less important role as a co-ordination mechanism than do people at companies with a geocentric orientation. ...


The problem with Britain is that it is dominated by a single city: London. In other countries with highly developed economies and societies, political, cultural and economic power is dispersed: think, for instance, of Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and Berlin; New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington DC; Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver; Milan, Turin and Rome. Indeed, with the principal exceptions of France and Japan, the vast majority of the world's major developed economies (as well as its 'rising powers': China, India and Brazil) have similar spatial dispersals of power. This is so because, unlike Britain, they are federal states.


Jakosky and Golombek [2000] have addressed important public policy issues in their recent Forum piece (Eos, February 8, 2000, p. 58). Their analyses should be read carefully in the context of the numerous debates and discussions that have occurred in the last decade on the role of public funding for research. I wish to take this opportunity to comment and elaborate on several of the issues raised in their piece.

The American Geophysical Union has an active and vigorous program in public policy under the auspices of the Committee on Public Affairs (CORA). A full-time professional AGU staff member with strong policy credentials has guided the Union's activities in public affairs for the last 2 years.


The assessment of specificity in two-site immunometric assays is complex. Conventional approaches based on standard substitution with cross-reactant may yield misleading results. An 'in-house' immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) for human growth hormone (hGH) appeared free from cross-reactivity with human placental lactogen (hPL) in a single point standard substitution experiment performed by the United Kingdom External Quality Assessment Scheme (UK EQAS). However, detailed studies based on the substitution of hGH standards with hPL cross-reactant, the addition of hPL cross-reactant to hGH standards and the recovery of added hGH from endogenous cross-reactant (sera from pregnant subjects) revealed gross cross-reactivity of hPL in the hGH assay. We recommend that the validation of assay specificity should require the demonstration of quantitative recovery of a range of analyte concentrations from human sera that contain varying endogenous concentrations of cross-reactant.


Quality factors like passive voice or sentence length are commonly used in research and practice to evaluate the quality of natural language requirements since they indicate defects in requirements artifacts that potentially propagate to later stages in the development life cycle. However, as a research community, we still lack a holistic perspective on quality factors. This inhibits not only a comprehensive understanding of the existing body of knowledge but also the effective use and evolution of these factors. To this end, we propose an ontology of quality factors for textual requirements, which includes (1) a structure framing quality factors and related elements and (2) a central repository and web interface making these factors publicly accessible and usable. We contribute the first version of both by applying a rigorous ontology development method to 105 eligible primary studies and construct a first version of the repository and interface. We illustrate the usability of the ontology and invite fellow researchers to a joint community effort to complete and maintain this knowledge repository. We envision our ontology to reflect the community's harmonized perception of requirements quality factors, guide reporting of new quality factors, and provide central access to the current body of knowledge.


The unemployment dynamics in the Mezzogiorno of Italy seems to corroborate the New Economic Geography predictions, whereby, under some specific hypotheses, a stronger economic integration can amplify the regional polarisation of unemployment rates in Europe. It is, however, unclear which features characterise the South of Italy compared to other peripheral areas in the Union. To answer this question, this work investigates the Core/Periphery pattern in the European Union and carries out a comparative analysis of unemployment rates of the different "Mezzogiornos of Europe". Finally, some policy prescriptions are proposed to reduce unemployment in the South of Italy.


Today Android has the biggest market share as compared to other operating system for smart phone. As users are continuously increasing day by day the Security is one of the main concerns for Smartphone users. As the features and power of Smartphone are increase, so that they has their vulnerability for attacks by Malwares. But the android is the operating system which is more secure than any other operating systems available for Smart phones. The Android operating system has very few restrictions for developers and it will increase the security risk for end users. In this paper we have reviewed android security model, application level security in android and its security issues. KeywordsAndroid, vulnerability, malwares, smart phones __________________________________________________*****_________________________________________________


Two distinct genetic clades of seasonal influenza A(H1N1) viruses have cocirculated in the recent seasons: clade 2B oseltamivir-resistant and adamantane-susceptible viruses, and clade 2C viruses that are resistant to adamantanes and susceptible to oseltamivir. We tested seasonal influenza A(H1N1) viruses collected in 2008-2010 from the United States and globally for resistance to antivirals approved by the Food and Drug Administration. We report 28 viruses with both adamantane and oseltamivir (dual) resistance from 5 countries belonging to 4 distinct genotypes. Because of limited options for antiviral treatment, emergence of dual-resistant influenza viruses poses a public health concern, and their circulation needs to be closely monitored.


The formation of condensates in membraneless organelles is thought to be driven by protein phase separation. Arginine methylation and serine/threonine phosphorylation are important in the phase separation process; however, these post-translational modifications are often present in intrinsically disordered regions that are difficult to analyze with standard proteomic techniques. To understand their presence and co-occurrence in condensate-associated proteins, here, we use a multiprotease and multi-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) fragmentation approach, coupled with heavy methyl stable isotope labeling of amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) and phospho- or methyl-peptide enrichment. For Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we report a 50% increase in the known arginine methylproteome, involving 15 proteins that are all condensate-associated. Importantly, some of these proteins have arginine methylation on all predicted sites-providing evidence that this modification can be pervasive. We explored whether arginine-methylated, condensate-associated proteins are also phosphorylated and found 12 such proteins to carry phosphorylated serine or threonine. In Npl3, Ded1, and Sbp1, single peptides were found to carry both modifications, indicating a co-occurrence in close proximity and on the same protein molecule. These co-modifications occur in regions of disorder, whereas arginine methylation is typically on regions of disorder that are also basic. For phosphorylation, its association with charged regions of condensate-associated proteins was less consistent, although some regions with multisite phosphorylation sites were strongly acidic. We conclude that arginine-methylated proteins associated with condensates are typically also modified with protein phosphorylation.


Distributed consensus algorithms play a key role in several self-organized systems and are used, for instance, in ad-hoc and sensor networks. In order to behave correctly they need to rely upon an efficient information dissemination mechanism, so as to make available, to each node in the network, a representative sample of the states of the other nodes. This is a non-trivial issue when agents communicate over an unstructured network, where each node has to rely only on local information to perform routing decisions. Often this issue is approached by having the information to be disseminated by gossiping i.e. by means of some kind of random walks. Recently we have proposed a self repulsive random walk policy which increases the speed of information propagation with respect to traditional policies, by avoiding to visit the neighbors of the current node which are also neighbors of the most recently visited node (neighbor-avoiding random walks). This sort of self-repulsion of the path results in some extra stiffness in the walker's effective path, and as a consequence -- due to the square root law of diffusion -- results in a larger average geometrical path walked by the message in random geometrical networks (which are often used to model ad-hoc and wireless sensor networks). We generalize here this policy to a family of policies where walkers may carry the memory of the latest $m$ hops (memory-less random walk will correspond to $m=0$) and know their neighbors up to $n$ hop distances: normally nodes know just the first round of neighbors -- n=1 i.e. their nearest neighbors -- however by exchanging messages with those, they may gain knowledge of their $n=2$ neighbors, i.e. their neighbor's neighbors. The above mentioned neighbor-avoiding random walk corresponds to the case $(m=1,n=2)$. On the basis of the spectrum of possibilities corresponding to higher values of $m$ and $n$ one can formulate a rich range of different random walk policies, with different stiffness and average geometrical path. We notice that the mathematical description of the class of random walks with memory and neighbor repulsion parameters $(m,n)$ is reminiscent of that of polymeric chains of length $m$ with some sort of degree $n$ of self-repulsion. We observe that the policy followed by a single walker can be made vary with time, enhancing or decreasing its self-repulsion. We argue furthermore that such random walk in the random geometrical network, would be analogous to the scattering in a random medium of a high-energy particle, endowed with changing momentum: typically during the scattering in a medium a particle looses gradually momentum and eventually releases most of its energy in a localized area of specific depth (distance from the source), giving rise to a rather localized structure of the amount of energy deposition as a function of distance, known as Bragg peak (used for instance in radiation therapy). By analogy it may be useful also considering \"aging\" random walk policies, devised to weaken their long-leg property with time, up to the simple random walk so as to spend -- in average -- more time in regions at a specified distance. We propose to use this property to gauge the distance at which a message undergoing a random walk can have higher density of node visits. An ensemble of messages produced by a single node and characterized by different momentum decay rates could be made advertise the state of the source node more uniformly than a single policy random walk.


Background: This article focused on the use of social innovation (SI) during local government (LG) service delivery, and how it could enable citizens to participate meaningfully through co-production. The two variables underpinning the conceptualisation of SI in the context of its dual purpose, and that are relevant in this article, are co-production and citizen participation. Aim: The aim of this article was to investigate how the use of SI could enable citizens to participate meaningfully during the local governance of service delivery through co-production. Setting: Through a comparative approach, the research presented in this article investigates the use of SI in LG service delivery in the cases of the City of Ghent (Belgium) and Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality (South Africa). Methods: The methodology of this study entailed using a qualitative research design that was combined with a case study approach. Results: It was evident that citizen participation during the co-production of services was influenced by the divergent circumstances and needs of citizens, infrastructure and the availability of resources. Conclusion: Significantly, this research found that meaningful citizen participation starts with the individual duty of every citizen to protect, preserve and sustainably use the collective goods and services provided by the state.


Several techniques of data embedding and data hiding have been proposed and developed especially during the last two decades due to continually increasing needs of secure communication. Still image, audio and video files are the most promising digital mediums for steganography applications. However, video files have a vast potential for embedding secret data compared to other alternatives in terms of storage size. Selecting the most appropriate pixels is of great importance in the procedure of embedding secret data into video files. Unsuccessful pixel selection can trigger some negative spatial and/or temporal awareness, which eventually causes an ineffective data embedding process. In this paper, we have proposed and developed an effective blind steganography method, which uses an appropriate pixel selection mechanism, based on histogram techniques. The method we have proposed proves its success by means of perceptibility of the secret data in both spatial and temporal domains.


364 Background: Cabozantinib (cabo) is an oral, potent inhibitor of MET and VEGFR2 that is currently undergoing clinical efficacy evaluation in several oncology indications. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) was chosen as an indication in this drug-drug interaction (DDI) study based on involvement of the MET and VEGFR signaling pathways in this disease. The primary objective of this study is to determine the effect of cabo on single dose PK of the CYP2C8 substrate rosiglitazone (rosi). The exploratory objective of this study is to evaluate the preliminary antitumor activity of cabo in pts with RCC.

METHODS
Eligible pts were required to have RCC with clear cell components with metastases, Karnofsky performance status of ≥70 and measurable disease by RECIST. Pts needed to have experienced PD following standard therapies. Method for DDI study: Day 1, 4 mg rosi; Days 2 - 22, cabo given daily at a dose of 175 mg; Day 22, 4 mg rosi to complete PK assessment for DDI. Cabo continued until PD. On Day 57 and every 8 weeks thereafter subjects underwent tumor assessments by mRECIST.

RESULTS
Enrollment is complete at 25 RCC pts with a median of 2 prior regimens; 17/25 (68%) RCC pts had received ≥ 2 lines of prior therapy and 13/25 (52%) with at least 1 VEGF pathway inhibitor and 1 mTOR inhibitor. All pts were intermediate (24/25) or poor (1/25) risk category per Heng et al prognostic strata (JCO 2009). Related AEs ≥ Grade 3 severity: hypophosphatemia 8 (32%), PE 3 (12%; all were incidental / resolved) and diarrhea 3 (12%). Preliminary PK data suggest that clinically relevant doses of cabo do not markedly alter the Cmax or AUC0-24h of rosi consistent with lack of inhibition of CYP2C8. RCC pts with confirmed PR by mRECIST: 6/25 (24%). Additionally, 1 pt had an unconfirmed PR. Disease control rate (PR + SD): 68% at 16 weeks; 18/21 (86%) pts with ≥1 post-baseline scan experienced tumor regression (range: 4 - 63% reduction in measurements). 14/25 (56%) remain on cabo with a median follow-up of 4 months. Median PFS and OS have not been reached.

CONCLUSIONS
Cabo demonstrates encouraging anti-tumor activity in heavily pretreated pts with RCC with a toxicity profile similar to that of other TKIs. Preliminary data suggest no DDI between cabo and rosi (CYP2C8 substrate).