In all retrovirus systems studied, the leader region of the RNA contains a cis-acting sequence called psi that is required for packaging the viral RNA genome. Since the pol and env genes are dispensable for formation of RNA-containing particles, the gag gene product must have an RNA binding domain(s) capable of recognizing psi. To gain information about which portion(s) of Gag is required for RNA packaging in the avian sarcoma and leukemia virus system, we utilized a series of gag deletion mutants that retain the ability to assemble virus-like particles. COS cells were cotransfected with these mutant DNAs plus a tester DNA containing psi, and incorporation of RNA into particles were measured by RNase protection. The efficiency of packaging was determined by normalization of the amount of psi+ RNA to the amount of Gag protein released in virus-like particles. Specificity of packaging was determined by comparisons of psi+ and psi- RNA in particles and in cells. The results indicate that much of the MA domain, much of the p10 domain, half of the CA domain, and the entire PR domain of Gag are unnecessary for efficient packaging. In addition, none of these deleted regions is needed for specific selection of the psi RNA. Deletions within the NC domain, as expected, reduce or eliminate both the efficiency and the specificity of packaging. Among mutants that retain the ability to package, a deletion within the CA domain (which includes the major homology region) is the least efficient. We also examined particles of the well-known packaging mutant SE21Q1b. The data suggest that the random RNA packaging behavior of this mutant is not due to a specific defect but rather is the result of the cumulative effect of many point mutations throughout the gag gene.


Purpose

The aim of the present study was to investigate predictors of pathological invasiveness and prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma in patients with pure ground-glass nodules (pGGNs).
Methods

Clinical and computed tomography (CT) features of invasive adenocarcinomas (IACs) and pre-IACs were retrospectively compared in 641 consecutive patients with pGGNs and confirmed lung adenocarcinomas who had been followed up by CT postoperatively, and potential predictors of prognosis were investigated.
Results

Of 659 pGGNs in 641 patients, 258 (39.1%) were adenocarcinomas in situ, 265 (40.2%) were minimally invasive adenocarcinomas, and 136 (20.6%) were IACs. Respective optimal cutoffs for age, serum carcinoembryonic antigen, maximal diameter, mean diameter, and CT density for distinguishing preIACs from IACs were 53 years, 2.19 ng/mL, 10.78 mm, 10.09 mm, and − 582.28 Hounsfield units (HU). In univariable analysis sex, age, maximal diameter, mean diameter, CT density, and spiculation were significant predictors of lung IAC. In multivariable analysis age, maximal diameter, and CT density were significant predictors of lung IAC. During a median follow-up of 41 months no pGGN IACs recurred.
Conclusions

pGGNs may be lung IACs, especially in patients aged > 55 years with lesions that are > 1 cm in diameter and exhibit CT density > − 600 HU. pGGN IACs of < 3 cm in diameter have good post-resection prognoses. These data may assist the selection of surgical procedures in patients with pGGNs at high risk of malignancy.


Anesthetized dogs were subjected to hypotension at 35 mm Hg mean arterial pressure for 3 hours according to Wiggers' modified technique. One group of dogs received IV fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) while the other group received equimolar glucose throughout the oligemic period. At 3 hours of hypotension, five glucose-treated and six dogs that received FDP were sacrificed for determination of myocardial ATP, creatine phosphate, and lactic acid tissue content. The remaining 14 dogs (six glucose-treated and eight FDP-treated) were retransfused with the shed blood and allowed to recover. The mean arterial pressure measured at 1 1/2 hours posttransfusion in the FDP-treated group returned to control values while the glucose controls remained 34 mm Hg below control. All controls had EKG ischemic changes, whereas no such changes were observed in the FDP-treated group. Endocardial ATP and creatine phosphate content in the controls were depleted to the same degree as found in acute myocardial ischemia, whereas in the FDP-treated dogs they were nearly normal range. All six retransfused dogs treated with glucose died, whereas all eight dogs that received FDP survived and had normal bowel and renal function and no apparent neurological deficit. These data indicate that FDP appears to be a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of irreversible hemorrhagic shock by intervening in the Embden-Meyerhof pathway both as a metabolic regulator and high energy substrate.


The ongoing evolution of the Internet has enabled web applications that use real time three-dimensional (3D) graphics and virtual environments. Moreover, in recent years, cultural technology has also flourished notably. Virtual museums represent one significant application that combines culture with modern technologies and the internet, requiring an interdisciplinary approach aiming both at dissemination and education. We present our approach to enhance virtual museums by incorporating content-based retrieval that refers to 3D objects. In this context, a virtual visitor is able to navigate within the museum, examine the exhibited artifacts and perform queries-byexample in order to locate the position of related artifacts. The retrieval mechanism responds to the visitor's queries by indicating similar artifacts, which are ranked according to their similarity scores. This way, the visitor is able to navigate within a virtual museum not only by means of a virtual walkthrough but also by means of the context.


This paper aims to estimate the price and income elasticities of the demand for essential commodities in Cote d'Ivoire. Using data from the 2002 Cote d'Ivoire Living Standard Survey and a theoretical framework developed by Crawford et al. (2003), we analyse price effects on the demand for groups of commodities by exploiting a relationship between unit values and commodity quantities and deriving Engel curves. Our findings reveal that the own-price elasticity of meat and dairy products is considerably stronger for rich households (those in the 90th percentile of total expenditure) than for poor households (those in the 10th percentile of total expenditure). Although all the modelled groups of commodities are normal goods, the paper shows that starch is more of a necessity for poor households than for rich ones, whereas meat and dairy products are more of a luxury good for poor households than for rich households.


Naturally, with the mounting application of biometric systems, there arises a difficulty in storing and handling those acquired biometric data. Fingerprint recognition has been recognized as one of the most mature and established technique among all the biometrics systems. In recent times, with fingerprint recognition receiving increasingly more attention the amount of fingerprints collected has been constantly creating enormous problems in storage and transmission. Henceforth, the compression of fingerprints has emerged as an indispensable step in automated fingerprint recognition systems. Several researchers have presented approaches for fingerprint image compression. In this paper, we propose a novel and efficient scheme for fingerprint image compression. The presented scheme utilizes the Bezier curve representations for effective compression of fingerprint images. Initially, the ridges present in the fingerprint image are extracted along with their coordinate values using the approach presented. Subsequently, the control points are determined for all the ridges by visualizing each ridge as a Bezier curve. The control points of all the ridges determined are stored and are used to represent the fingerprint image. When needed, the fingerprint image is reconstructed from the stored control points using Bezier curves. The quality of the reconstructed fingerprint is determined by a formal evaluation. The proposed scheme achieves considerable memory reduction in storing the fingerprint.


. Sciurus igniventris is a squirrel with broad distribution in South America. We examined one female adult specimen which was donated after death by trampling. The aim of this work was describe the morphological characteristics of mammary gland of one specimen. The body was fixed using 10% aqueous formaldehyde. Tissues were processed and slides prepared following standard histological protocols. Morphological analysis of the mammary glands revealed similarities to those described in the literature for domestic and wild mammals. As special features in kind, macroscopically identified a pair of thoracic glands, followed by three pairs of abdominal glands. Microscopically the abundant presence of connective tissue dividing the alveolar-tubular glands. Similar to that described for domestic and wild mammals.


Introduction: Biomarker computation using deep-learning often relies on a two-step process, where the deep learning algorithm segments the region of interest and then the biomarker is measured. We propose an alternative paradigm, where the biomarker is estimated directly using a regression network. We showcase this image-tobiomarker paradigm using two biomarkers: the estimation of bone mineral density (BMD) and the estimation of lung percentage of emphysema from CT scans. Materials and methods: We use a large database of 9,925 CT scans to train, validate and test the network for which reference standard BMD and percentage emphysema have been already computed. First, the 3D dataset is reduced to a set of canonical 2D slices where the organ of interest is visible (either spine for BMD or lungs for emphysema). This data reduction is performed using an automatic object detector. Second, The regression neural network is composed of three convolutional layers, followed by a fully connected and an output layer. The network is optimized using a momentum optimizer with an exponential decay rate, using the root mean squared error as cost function. Results: The Pearson correlation coefficients obtained against the reference standards are r = 0.940 (p < 0.00001) and r = 0.976 (p < 0.00001) for BMD and percentage emphysema respectively. Conclusions: The deep-learning regression architecture can learn biomarkers from images directly, without indicating the structures of interest. This approach simplifies the development of biomarker extraction algorithms. The proposed data reduction based on object detectors conveys enough information to compute the biomarkers of interest.


While it is widely acknowledged that corruption has negative effects on economic growth, investment, and social welfare, the structural causes of corruption have received very little quantitative country-level cross-national analysis. Our structural equation-based analysis of data for 91 nations includes several important determinants of cross-national variation in perceived levels of corruption. Our analyses yield four major findings: 1) democracy, as measured by indicators of political rights, civil liberties, and press freedom, has a positive effect on perceived level of corruption control; 2) state strength has a positive direct effect; 3) openness of the economy, as measured by economic freedom, has a positive effect; and 4) ethnolinguistic fractionalization has both direct and indirect negative effects.


A modified computer-controlled high-temperature X-ray diffractometer with good stability and an upper temperature limit of more than 2300 K is described. a critical test of the system, determining the thermal expansion of Pt, Ni and AlN, showed close agreement with dilatometric and literature data. Lattice thermal expansion data of CrB2 and TiB2 up to 2100 K were also determined.


The most common method of normalizing sEMG signals from a given muscle is to refer it to the signal recorded from the same muscle during a maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC). It is still not fully clear, however, what test should be used to produce maximum neural activation in a given muscle, particularly for sEMG analysis of respiratory muscles. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare RMS values of sEMG of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM), scalene (SCA), diaphragm (eighth intercostal space, EIS) and rectus abdominal (RA), while performing different maneuvers. 24 healthy subjects underwent the protocol (9M, 15F, age 27,8±7,1 years, BMI 23,7±3,4 kg/m², FVC% 92,20 ± 12,63; FEV 1 /FVC% 86,56 ± 4,94). After skin preparation , sEMG signals were acquired by wireless sEMG sensors positioned accordingly to previously published protocols (Falla, 2002; De Andrade, 2005; Maarsingh, 2000), during sniff test, MIP, MEP and MVIC of RA, SCM and SCA. Electromyographic values of the maneuvers and respective signal muscle groups are presented on table 1. In conclusion, MVIC specific for the muscles provides the maximal RMS for SCM, SC and RA muscles, while for the EIS the maneuver providing maximal RMS is MVIC of RA.


ABSTRACT Quantitative analysis of growth genetic parameters is not available for many breeds of buffaloes making selection and breeding decisions an empirical process that lacks robustness. The objective of this study was to estimate heritability for birth weight (BW), weight at 205 days (W205) and 365 days (W365) of age using Bayesian inference. The Brazilian Program for Genetic Improvement of Buffaloes provided the data. For the traits BW, W205 and W365 of Brazilian Mediterranean buffaloes 5169, 3792 and 3883 observations have been employed for the analysis, respectively. In order to obtain the estimates of variance, univariate analyses were conducted using the Gibbs sampler included in the MTGSAM software. The model for BW, W205 and W365 included additive direct and maternal genetic random effects, random maternal permanent environmental effect and contemporary group that was treated as a fixed effect. The convergence diagnosis was performed employing Geweke, a method that uses an algorithm from the Bayesian Output Analysis package that was implemented using R software environment. The average values for weight traits were 37.6±4.7 kg for BW, 192.7±40.3 kg for W205 and 298.6±67.4 kg for W365. The heritability posterior distributions for direct and maternal effects were symmetric and close to those expected in a normal distribution. Direct heritability estimates obtained using the modes were 0.30 (BW), 0.52 (W205) and 0.54 (W365). The maternal heritability coefficient estimates were 0.31, 0.19 and 0.21 for BW, W205 and W365, respectively. Our data suggests that all growth traits and mainly W205 and W365, have clear potential for yield improvement through direct genetic selection.


Business incubators are seen as important actors for enterprise and even for regional development. Incubators are created to facilitate entrepreneurship by providing a favorable environment to recently formed firms until they reach a degree of maturity. In this article we use the framework originally proposed by Soetanto and Van Geenhuizen (2007) to examine the importance of critical factors in the incubation process. Ours is a quantitative study of a sample of 37 technology based incubators, using the rough set method on data collected from SAPI - Sistema de Acompanhamento de Parques Tecnologicos e Incubadoras de Empresas. This system is a development from the National Program of Support to Business Incubators and Technological Parks (PNI). The results show that incubators located in metropolitan areas with better access to knowledge and tangible resources will have more candidates for occupancy. We also show that incubators that offer value added services beyond the usual infrastructure assistance have more candidate companies, and that incubators with greater experience achieve a better results in terms of candidate demand. We conclude with a general discussion of the need for better understanding of incubator effectiveness.


The ripening of discs cut from the pericarp of green tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) fruits is inhibited by treatments with GA3 and several divalent cations, including calcium. Normal ripening is marked by an increase in the solubility of wall pectins. Calcium and GA3 alter the pattern of pectin solubility changes. In part this may be because polygalacturonase synthesis and/or secretion to the apoplast is reduced. The impact of divalent cations on ripening-related tissue softening appears to have a nonmetabolic component. Ripening-inhibiting ions rapidly reduce tissue softening, pectin solubilization and the normal ripening-related decrease in cellular turgor.


The aim of the current study is on the base of detailed lithofacial and architectural-element investigation of one section of the Lozenetc Formation from the area of town of Sofia to be demonstrated the fluvial style that has controlled the accumulation of this Formation in the central-southern part of the Sofia Basin. Four elementary fluvial cycles were distinguished and characterized. Any one of them is building up by channel, near-channel (levee) and inter-channel (crevasse- splay and aggradational overbank fines) deposits. The channel deposits (element CH) are characterized by planar cross-bedded sands (lithofacies Sp) that demonstrate evidence for lateral accretion. The thickness of element CH is from 1.2 m to over 3.4 m. The levee deposits (element LV) are building up by irregular alternation of lithofacies Fl, Sr, Sh and Sl. The morphology of this element varies - from solitary ribbon-like beds, to compound bodies of intercalated wedges and lenses. The crevasse-splay deposits (element CS) are developed in two forms - proximal and distal, and form as solitary, as well as stacked units. The overbank aggradational deposits (element OF) are dominated by three lithofacieses - Fsc, Fm and Fl, and form mainly sheet-like bodies with thickness from 45 cm to over 2 m. Other specific feature of this element is the development of calcretes horizons (lithofacies P) in it. The thickness of the elementary fluvial cycles increases from 3.15 m in the lower part of the outcrop to over 5.45 m in its upper part. The described sedimentary architecture defines the fluvial settings under which the studied succession was generated as anastomosing one.


Mutants in the rice PLASTOCHRON 3 and maize VIVIPAROUS 8 genes have been shown to have reduced dormancy and ABA levels. In this study we used several mutants in the orthologous gene ALTERED MERISTEM PROGRAM 1 (AMP1) to determine its role in seed dormancy in Arabidopsis. Here we report that there are accession-specific effects of mutations in AMP1. In one accession, amp1 mutants produce seeds with higher dormancy, while those in two other accessions produce seeds of lower dormancy. These accession-specific effects of mutating AMP1 were shown to extend to ABA levels. We assayed global gene transcription differences in seeds of wild-type and mutant from two accessions demonstrating opposing phenotypes. The transcript changes observed indicate that the amp1 mutation shifts the seed transcriptome from a dormant into an after-ripened state. Specific changes in gene expression in the mutants give insight into the direct and indirect effects that may be contributing to the opposing dormancy phenotypes observed, and reveal a role for AMP1 in the acquisition and/or maintenance of seed dormancy in Arabidopsis.


Recurrent soft-tissue digital masses with osseous components frequently result in diagnostic and treatment dilemmas. We discuss a case of a recurrent fibro-osseous pseudotumor of the digit, review specific diagnostic and histological features, and recommend treatment.


Graph compression or sparsification is a basic information-theoretic and computational question. A major open problem in this research area is whether $(1+\epsilon)$-approximate cut-preserving vertex sparsifiers with size close to the number of terminals exist. As a step towards this goal, we study a thresholded version of the problem: for a given parameter $c$, find a smaller graph, which we call connectivity-$c$ mimicking network, which preserves connectivity among $k$ terminals exactly up to the value of $c$. We show that connectivity-$c$ mimicking networks with $O(kc^4)$ edges exist and can be found in time $m(c\log n)^{O(c)}$. We also give a separate algorithm that constructs such graphs with $k \cdot O(c)^{2c}$ edges in time $mc^{O(c)}\log^{O(1)}n$. These results lead to the first data structures for answering fully dynamic offline $c$-edge-connectivity queries for $c \ge 4$ in polylogarithmic time per query, as well as more efficient algorithms for survivable network design on bounded treewidth graphs.


PurposeThis research investigates the impact of managerial practices implemented by Italian school principals on students' outcomes, using micro-data provided by the National Evaluation Committee for Education (INVALSI) for 2013/14 school year.Design/methodology/approachEmploying an educational production function, the authors regress a set of student and school's characteristics, enriched by information from a questionnaire filled by school principals to estimate student's score at grade 8 (last year of junior secondary school), also taking into account student's prior achievement (at grade 6 – first year of junior secondary school).FindingsIndicators about managerial practices have positive coefficients, but low statistical significance. Stronger associations between management variables and test scores are detected for low-SES schools.Originality/valueThe research presented here is particularly innovative in the Italian context, where little evidence exists about the impact of managerial skills in education, though institutional reforms are leading towards a strengthening of school principal's leadership role. In this paper, the authors move a first step by describing managerial practices and their diffusion in different schools and geographical areas within the country. The authors focus the attention on the role of managerial practices (what principals do) and not on the managerial skills (what principals are able to do).


MATERIAL AND METHODS
For the period 2013-2016 four patients were treated at the Filatov Children's City Clinical Hospital #13. There were 2 children aged 14 years and 2 children aged 17 years. All patients have been diagnosed via anamnesis, complaints, pulse-wave doppler sonography, contrast-enhanced MDCT and angiography. After comprehensive examination 3 patients underwent laparoscopic decompression of celiac trunk. In all cases celiac trunk compression was predominantly caused by median arcuate ligament of the diaphragm combined with neurofibrotic tissue of celiac plexus.

RESULTS
All patients were discharged after laparoscopic decompression of celiac trunk. Intra- and postoperative complications, as well as cases of conversion were absent. Mean time of surgery was 65 minutes. In all cases postoperative period was smooth (4 days on the average). Two patients underwent follow-up examination in long-term postoperative period: pulse-wave doppler sonography, contrast-enhanced MDCT and angiography. In both cases reduced severity, incidence and duration of pain syndrome were observed.

CONCLUSION
Clinical examples show some problems in diagnosis and treatment of compressive stenosis of celiac trunk due to rarity of pathology especially in childhood. Nevertheless, combination of abdominal ischemia and celiac trunk stenosis confirmed by instrumental diagnosis is indication for surgical treatment.


Chapter 1. Understanding Religion What Is Religion? Patterns among Religions Multidisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Religion Key Critical Issues Why Study the Major Religions of the World? The Journey Chapter 2. Indigenous Religions Discovering Indigenous Religions Studying Indigenous Religions: Learning from Patterns Sacred Practices in Indigenous Religions Indigenous Religions Today Chapter 3. Hinduism The Origins of Hinduism The Upanishads and the Axis Age Living Spiritually in the Everyday World Devotional Hinduism Hinduism and the Arts Hinduism: Modern Challenges Chapter 4. Buddhism The Beginnings of Buddhism: The Life of the Buddha The Basic Teachings of Buddhism The Influence of Indian Thought on Early Buddhist Teachings The Early Development of Buddhism Theravada Buddhism: The Way of the Elders Mahayana Buddhism: The "Big Vehicle" Vajrayana Buddhism: The "Diamond Vehicle" Buddhism and the Modern World Chapter 5. Jainism and Sikhism Shared Origins Jainism Background Mahavira and the Origins of Jainism Worldview Jain Ethics The Development of Jainism and Its Branches Jain Practices Jain Scriptures Jain Art and Architecture Sikhism Background Nanak and the Origins of Sikhism The Worldview and Teachings of Nanak The Development of Sikhism Sikh Scriptures Sikhism and the Modern World Chapter 6. Daoism and Confucianism Basic Elements of Traditional Chinese Beliefs Daoism The Origins of Daoism The Basic Early Teachings Daoism and the Quest for Longevity The Development of Daoism Daoism and the Arts Daoism and the Modern World Confucianism The Dao in Confucianism The Life of Confucius Living According to Confucian Values Confucian Literature The Development of Confucianism Confucianism and the Arts Confucianism and the Modern World Chapter 7. Shinto The Origins of Shinto The Historical Development of Shinto Essentials of Shinto Belief Shinto Religious Practice Shinto and the Arts Shinto Offshoots: The New Religions Shinto and the Modern World Chapter 8. Judaism An Overview of Jewish History The Hebrew Bible Biblical History Cultural Conflict during the Second Temple Era The Development of Rabbinical Judaism Questioning and Reform Judaism and the Modern World Jewish Belief Religious Practice Divisions within Contemporary Judaism Jewish Identity and the Future of Judaism Chapter 9. Christianity The Life and Teachings of Jesus Early Christian Beliefs and History The Early Spread of Christianity Influences on Christianity at the End of the Roman Empire The Eastern Orthodox Church Christianity in the Middle Ages The Protestant Reformation The Development of Christianity Following the Protestant Reformation Christian Practice Christianity and the Arts Christianity Faces the Modern World Chapter 10. Islam The Life and Teachings of Muhammad Essentials of Islam The Historical Development of Islam Sufism: Islamic Mysticism Islamic Law and Philosophy Islam and the Arts Islam and the Modern World Chapter 11. Alternative Paths Origins of New Religions Contemporary Paganism: Wicca and Druidism Religions of the Yoruba Tradition: Santeria, Voodoo, Candomble Theosophy Scientology Falun Gong Cao Dai Rastafarianism Baha'i New Religious Movements: A Special Role Chapter 12. The Modern Search Modern Influences on the Future of Religion The Recurring Challenge of Change Environmentalism: A Religious Phenomenon? Eclectic Spirituality Answer Key Notes Credits Index In each chapter: First Encounter Related Readings Key Terms


Thirty‐two patients with previous systemic allergic reaction to yellow jacket stings were randomly allocated to three groups receiving immunotherapy with different preparations of yellow jacket venom: 1) extract adsorbed to aluminium hydroxide (Alutard®‐SQ), 2) Pharmalgen® extract or 3) non‐adsorbed extract from Allergologisk Laboratorium (ALK aq.). Regular examinations showed a decrease in skin prick test size in nearly all patients. Specific IgE‐antibody (RAST and CRIE scores) showed a similar, but not significant tendency to decrease in all three groups. Specific IgG‐antibody increased considerably in the Alutard group only; after 2 years, however, no difference could be detected between the three groups. During dose increase, patients treated with ALK aq. generally had smaller local reactions to injections than those treated with Pharmalgen. Few systemic reactions occurred in all three groups. Nineteen patients treated for 21/2–31/2 years were challenged in‐hospital with stings from yellow jackets. No systemic and only minor local reactions occurred. Consequently, with the dose regimens applied all three extracts seem effective even though no common changes in either specific IgE or IgG could be demonstrated.


A Graded Autocatalysis Replication Domain (GARD) model is proposed, which provides a rigorous kinetic analysis of simple chemical sets that manifest mutual catalysis. It is shown that catalytic closure can sustain self replication up to a critical dilution rate, lambda c, related to the graded extent of mutual catalysis. We explore the behavior of vesicles containing GARD species whose mutual catalysis is governed by a previously published statistical distribution. In the population thus generated, some GARD vesicles display a significantly higher replication efficiency than most others. GARD thus represents a simple model for primordial chemical selection of mutually catalytic sets.


The following are "minimum standards" for the routine clinical recording of magnetic evoked fields (MEFs) in all age-groups.

Practicing at minimum standards should not be the goal of a magnetoencephalography (MEG) center but rather a starting level for continued improvement. Minimum standards meet only the most basic responsibilities to the patient and the referring physician.

These minimum standards have been put forth to improve standardization of procedures, to facilitate interchange of recordings and reports among laboratories in the United States, and to confirm the expectations of referring physicians.

Recommendations regarding Laboratory (Center) Environment and Preparation for MEG Recordings are detailed in the American Clinical Magnetoencephalography Society Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) 1 : Recording and Analysis of Spontaneous Cerebral Activity, except for its EEG aspect that is not considered necessary (although may be helpful in trained hands) for MEFs (presurgical functional brain mapping).


ABSTRACT Background: No previous studies have considered elder abuse in Eastern Europe. We aimed to determine the proportion of home care workers and older people receiving care in a Romanian home care service who correctly identified elder abuse in a vignette, and who had detected elder abuse at work. Methods: In 2009, care workers and clients of a non-government home care organization serving four areas in Romania completed the Caregiver Scenario Questionnaire to measure ability to identify abuse. We asked the professionals whether they had detected a case of abuse. Results: 35 (100%) professionals and 79 (65.8%) older people took part. Four (11.4%) professionals had encountered a case of elder abuse, two (5.7%) in the last year. No staff and only one older person correctly identified all four abusive strategies in a vignette. Staff with more professional caregiving experience recognized fewer abusive strategies (r = −0.46, p = 0.007). Conclusion: Rates of identification were worryingly low among all professionals, and this was more marked if they had worked longer, suggesting their experiences may have reduced their ability to detect it. Mandatory abuse training for care professionals, and strategies to support reporters of suspected abuse, could help improve the management of elder abuse in all countries.


Defective (missing S atoms) and nonmetal (C- and N-) doped MoS2 monolayers in the 2H and 1T′ phases have been evaluated for catalyzing CO oxidation based on first-principles calculations. For the reaction 2CO + O2 → 2CO2, the oxidization of the first CO molecule is fairly easy and sometimes is even spontaneous, as the O2 molecule is highly activated or dissociates upon adsorption. However, for the defective (2H-), C-doped (1T′-), and N-doped (2H- and 1T′-) MoS2 monolayers, the remaining O* adatom often refuses to react with other CO molecules and is hard to be removed (barrier > 1.20 eV). Only when over the C-doped 2H- and defective 1T′-MoS2 monolayers, the removal of the second O* adatom requires to overcome moderate barriers (0.74 and 0.88 eV, respectively) by reacting with another CO molecule via the Eley–Rideal mechanism and the catalysts are recovered. The barriers can be further reduced by applying either tensile or compressive strain to the MoS2 nanosheet. In contrast, the Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism is followed over the metal-containing MoS2 nanosheets, as the bigger size of metal dopants allow the co-adsorption of CO and O2. Therefore, the C-doped 2H- and defective 1T′-MoS2 monolayers are promising nonmetal-doped catalysts for CO oxidation.


Much of the existing research on tourism advertising has focused on visual semiotics rather than verbal language. This research note discusses the methodological approach that was taken to investigate language use in British tourism print advertising. Pragmatics, a branch of linguistics, was utilized to support the content analysis of figures of speech. This methodological approach is the first serious attempt to explore the language use in tourism advertising. The approach taken provides rich insight into the interpretation of figures of speech and demonstrates how language contributes to the communication of tourism images. The major contribution of this research lies in the detailed textual analysis of figures of speech. This analysis is based on pragmatic approach, relevance theory, which enhances the interpretation of tourism images.


Aims: This research was conducted to determine the concentration of Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cr and orthophosphates in the soil of the river bed from Zayandehrood dam to Gavkhoni wetland. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Zayandehrood river of Isfahan, central area of Iran. Seventeen points were sampled through the upstream, Zayandehrood Dam, and downstream, Gavkhooni Wetland, of the river. The samples were selected from soil of the river bed at certain locations during 6 months. Heavy metals and orthophosphates analysis was done by Atomic Absorption and Spectrophotometry methods, respectively. Results: The results indicated that concentration of heavy metals and orthophosphates increased from upstream to Choom bridge in downstream of the river and then decreased from this point to Govkhooni wetland. In the first sampling point, the concentration of Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cr and orthophosphates were 29, 9, 51, 83, 49, and 570 mg/kg (dried weight). For Choom bridge it were 1413, 406, 289, 123, 86, and 104 mg/kg and in the wetland were 820, 24, 49, 68, 87, and 88 mg/kg (dried weight), respectively. Conclusion: The metal concentration from the first point to Choom bridge has been increased and then has been decreased in the wetland. The maximum amount of Zn, Ni, Cu, and Pb in the river bed was higher than and closer to maximum allowed concentration of heavy metals in soil (mg/kg dried weight) and for Cr was within normal limits. Industrial plants located on the banks of the river, widening of the river in downstream and entering the drainages to the river are among effective factors in these changes.


This paper presents a framework for training an agent to actively request help in object-goal navigation tasks, with feedback indicating the location of the target object in its field of view. To make the agent more robust in scenarios where a teacher may not always be available, the proposed training curriculum includes a mix of episodes with and without feedback. The results show that this approach improves the agent's performance, even in the absence of feedback.


On laparoscopy in 3 patients with primary infertility, the only pathology found was hydatid cysts of Morgagni that were excised. In one patient with monolateral hydatid cyst, pregnancy failed to be achieved. Despite prior failure of repeated trials of ovulation induction and intrauterine insemination in the other 2 patients, a spontaneous pregnancy was achieved within 2–3 months following laparoscopic extirpation of hydatid cysts of Morgagni. The hydatid cysts were bilateral in one case; and monolateral (in relation to the only present tube with a unicornuate uterus) in the other dase. Jt is concluded that hydatids of Morgagni, as a single pelvic pathology, might hinder fertility. Laparoscopic extirpation of these cysts would improve ovum pick‐up and enhance fertility.


TREMBLY, JASON P., Ph.D., June 2007, Chemical Engineering INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTS OF TRACE COAL SYN GAS SPECIES ON THE PERFORMANCE OF SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELL ANODES (197 pp.) Director of Dissertation: David J. Bayless Coal is the United States' most widely used fossil fuel for the production of electric power. Coal's availability and cost dictates that it will be used for many years to come in the United States for power production. As a result of the environmental impact of burning coal for power production more efficient and environmentally benign power production processes using coal are sought. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) combined with gasification technologies represent a potential methodology to produce electric power using coal in a much more efficient and cleaner manner. It has been shown in the past that trace species contained in coal, such as sulfur, severely degrade the performance of solid oxide fuel cells rendering them useless. Coal derived syngas cleanup technologies have been developed that efficiently remove sulfur to levels that do not cause any performance losses in solid oxide fuel cells. The ability of these systems to clean other trace species contained in syngas is not known nor is the effect of these trace species on the performance of solid oxide fuel cells. This works presents the thermodynamic and diffusion transport simulations that were combined with experimental testing to evaluate the effects of the trace species on the performance of solid oxide fuel cells. The results show that some trace species contained in coal will interact with the SOFC anode. In addition to the transport and thermodynamic simulations that were completed experimental tests were completed investigating the effect of HCl and AsH3 on the performance of SOFCs. Approved: ______________________________________________________________


Latent collagenase, subject to activation by trypsin, was found in culture fluids of cells and tissues from several mammalian sources. The activation requires exposure to enzymatically active trypsin and cannot be achieved by inhibited or by heat-inactivated trypsin.


Data on the oxygen transport function of hemoglobin in patients with craniocerebral injury, cerebrovascular disorders, and epilepsy are presented. The role of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate contained in the erythrocytes, and of changes of the hemoglobin affinity to oxygen in the oxygenation of tissues in such patients is discussed. It is concluded that determinations of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate content in the erythrocytes be applied in clinical practice for diagnosing a number of nervous diseases accompanied by symptoms of cerebral hypoxia, so that the latter could be compensated in due time.


A model of the MES auditory area was formulated in order to count the number of different response patterns resulting from signals in the left and right ears under various conditions. The elementary sound signals for the model were similar to the short duration, narrow band pulses, which had been used experimentally. The elementary responses for the model were simplified from data obtained from experiments in which strychnine had been used locally. Combinatorial analysis and the methods of Shannon were used in counting the patterns of the model. With all signals considered for one ear, the number of patterns was greatest on the ipsilateral side. With all signals considered independently for both ears, the total number of patterns was equal on both sides and was the greatest count observed. Reducing the intensity of the components in one ear but keeping the spectrum of the signals the same for both ears, caused an increase in number of patterns on the side having the highest intensity of its components. The estimate of the total number of patterns suggests a lower limit for the storage capacity in the MES auditory area. The storage capacity is given by the logarithm to the base 2 of the number of patterns.


Development of novel strategies is required for cancer treatment because most human tumors are refractory to current conventional therapy. During the past decade, a number of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes have been cloned and the molecular mechanisms as to how mutations in such genes contribute to tumor development are going to be clarified. It is, therefore, a great challenge to develop novel strategies for tumor specific therapy based on molecular biology of cancer. p53 tumor suppressor gene is one of the most frequently mutated genes in a variety of human cancers. This review paper introduces several recent approaches related to the p53 as a molecular target of cancer treatment, including (i) p53 status and chemo-radiosensitivity, (ii) p53 gene therapy, (iii) E1B-deficient adenovirus and (iv) restoration of p53 function by synthetic polypeptides.


The pooled incidences of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were examined by indication using the integrated clinical database of Merz-sponsored, placebo-controlled, or repeat-dose studies of incobotulinumtoxinA in adults with cervical dystonia, blepharospasm, limb spasticity, sialorrhea, or essential tremor of the upper limb. Overall incidences of TEAEs, serious TEAEs, TEAEs leading to discontinuation, fatal TEAEs, TEAEs of special interest (TEAESIs; indicating possible toxin spread), and treatment-related (TR) events were determined for incobotulinumtoxinA and placebo after a single injection and for repeated dose cycles of incobotulinumtoxinA. The most frequent events after a single dose of incobotulinumtoxinA are summarized. After a single cycle, incidences of overall TEAEs were similar between incobotulinumtoxinA and the placebo in most indications, although between-indication differences were observed. Few TEAEs led to incobotulinumtoxinA discontinuation; there were no fatal TEAEs with incobotulinumtoxinA. In general, repeated cycles did not increase the incidence of any event. The most frequent TR-TEAEs were indication-dependent, including dysphagia for indications affecting the head or neck. The TR-TEAESIs across all indications were most commonly muscular weakness, dysphagia and dry mouth. Overall, the results of this pooled analysis support and extend the favorable safety and tolerability profile of incobotulinumtoxinA for the treatment of adult neurological disorders established by individual clinical studies.


Today, toxoplasmosis is considered to be one of the very common infections of man—an opinion that is contrary to that held 10 years ago. However, most of these infections are well tolerated, and usually it is only the exceptional acute case that receives clinical attention and postmortem verification. Data on prevalence derive, therefore, not from clinical studies but from surveys based on serologic data or skin tests. These surveys, regardless of type, show roughly the same findings: The number of infected individuals 0-5 years of age is low, with the number increasing at 5 years of age. From this age onward the increase is progressive, reaching a peak sometime after individuals reach 40 years of age. It is not widely known perhaps that peak incidences in the United States range from 30 to 70% of the population at ages of from 40 to 60 years, the precise figures varying according


ABSTRACT This paper redefines the protest space as a performed liminal space that is topologically constituted. The production of protest space is examined through the narrations of people and participants during the post-election protests in Iran in 2009. It is well established that social exchanges are manifested in very diverse platforms, from new media to urban public spaces; this paper particularly argues that there is a topological relationship between all manifestations of protest. In other words, the protest space is articulated as a topological space, in which the protest can unfold in its physical, social, mental, and temporal capacities. The discussions deal with the complexity of spatial manifestations of protest. On one hand, the protest is discussed within the theoretical framework of ritual, showing that the protest is a temporal/liminal space. This framework helps not only to integrate spatial and temporal dimensions of protest, but also to avoid problematic conventional understanding of crowds. On the other hand, the protest space is articulated as a performed space, explaining how the protest space and collective performance are co-excited.


This paper aims to examine translator's subjectivity from the perspective of eco translatology. Translator's subjectivity emphasizes the subjective initiative of translators in the process of translation. However, the identity of translators is invisible in the viewpoints of traditional translation theories, which means that translation is studied with either writer or text as the center. Eco translatology, a new translation theory brought forth by Hu Gengshen, assumes that translators should be placed at the central position during translation practice since translation is actually the cyclical alternation of adaptation and selection in the ecological environment of translation which involves elements such as author, source text, translator, target text, reader, and publisher. According to eco translatology, translators, as the center of translation, are allowed to make selective adaptation and adaptive selection so as to keep the balance and harmony of the ecological environment. Selective adaptation means that translators are supposed to select the text of which they are capable for translation. Adaptive selection means that translators are allowed to make adaptations to the target text based on other factors in the ecological environment of translation. Translator's subjectivity, namely translator centeredness, is shown in the continuous process of adaptation and selection, and embodied in the three dimensional transformations of language, culture and communication.


ABSTRACT Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging flavivirus that can cause birth defects and neurologic complications. Molecular tests are effective for diagnosing acute ZIKV infection, although the majority of infections produce no symptoms at all or present after the narrow window in which molecular diagnostics are dependable. Serology is a reliable method for detecting infections after the viremic period; however, most serological assays have limited specificity due to cross-reactive antibodies elicited by flavivirus infections. Since ZIKV and dengue virus (DENV) widely cocirculate, distinguishing ZIKV infection from DENV infection is particularly important for diagnosing individual cases or for surveillance to coordinate public health responses. Flaviviruses also elicit type-specific antibodies directed to non-cross-reactive epitopes of the infecting virus; such epitopes are attractive targets for the design of antigens for development of serological tests with greater specificity. Guided by comparative epitope modeling of the ZIKV envelope protein, we designed two recombinant antigens displaying unique antigenic regions on domain I (Z-EDI) and domain III (Z-EDIII) of the ZIKV envelope protein. Both the Z-EDI and Z-EDIII antigens consistently detected ZIKV-specific IgG in ZIKV-immune sera but not cross-reactive IgG in DENV-immune sera in late convalescence (>12 weeks postinfection). In contrast, during early convalescence (2 to 12 weeks postinfection), secondary DENV-immune sera and some primary DENV-immune sera cross-reacted with the Z-EDI and Z-EDIII antigens. Analysis of sequential samples from DENV-immune individuals demonstrated that Z-EDIII cross-reactivity peaked in early convalescence and declined steeply over time. The Z-EDIII antigen has much potential as a diagnostic antigen for population-level surveillance and for detecting past infections in patients.


To retrieve chlorophyll a (Chla) concentration in Taihu Lake by three-band model, a field study was conducted on August 19, 2004 to collect water samples (N=38), which contained widely variable Chla (7.8-154.3 microg x L(-1)) and total suspended solids (65.0-190.2 mg x L(-1) dry wt), and the synchronous Hyperion images was also acquired as remote sensing data. After obtaining the approximate range of wavelengths for the three bands by analyzing the inherent optical properties of Taihu Lake, the three-band models were spectrally tuned to select the bands for most accurate Chla estimation. Finally Hyperion B34 (691.37 nm), B37 (721.90 nm) and B50 (854.18 nm) were selected to establish a three-band model. The results show that strong linear relationship is found between analytically measured Chla and the three-band model (r = 0.934), which accounts for 87.2% of variation in Chla and allows estimation of Chla with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 13.93 microg x L(-1), whereas the traditional two-band models accounts for lower accuracies of Chla estimation (spectral ratio, R2 = 0.844, RMSE = 15.41 microg x L(-1), and reflectance first-derivative, R2 = 0.831, RMSE = 16.00 microg x L(-1)). The findings prove that the three-band model is applicable for Chla retrieval in turbid, productive inland waters and by using Hyperion hyperspectral data.


There are 300 million patients diagnosed with diabetes worldwide. The unbelievable fact is that India is making the world diabetes capital; every sixth diabetic in the world is Indian. Self-care management is that where the individuals initiate and perform on behalf of themselves in maintaining life, health and well-being. Self-care in diabetes is crucial. It has been claimed that as much as 98% of diabetes care is self-care. So, the study was carried out to determine the effectiveness of video assisted teaching on knowledge, attitude, and practice on self-care management among patients with diabetes mellitus. This study was a true experimental study conducted among the patients with diabetes mellitus who are attending outpatient department. A total of 60 samples were selected by using simple random sampling technique, out of which 30 for experimental group and 30 for control group. Data was collected by using structured knowledge questionnaire, attitude, scale and a practice check list. The mean post test score of knowledge (77.3), attitude (67.25) and practice (78.89) of experimental group is higher than mean post test score of knowledge (46.27), attitude (44.73) and practice (53.33) of control group. This study indicates that video assisted teaching had been effective in improving the knowledge, attitude, and practice on self-care management among patients with diabetes mellitus. So further video assisted teaching can be done on diabetic patients to prevent complications of diabetes mellitus.


Spectral electromagnetic Gaussian Schell-model (SEGSM) beam is a generalization of Gaussian Schell model beam having parameters with spectral dependence, which offers a basic classical model for random electromagnetic wide-sense statistically stationary beam-like fields. We study degree of polarization (DOP) of a SEGSM beam passing through 2-f and 4-f lens systems. It is observed that for a 2-f lens system, the spectral DOP at the back focal plane of the lens changes with respect to the transverse position from the optic axis, and the spectral parameters of the beam. For a 4-f lens system, the spectral DOP at the back focal plane is independent of the transverse position of the beam, whereas it depends on the beam parameters such as mean value of rms beam-width, rms width of correlation function, and size of aperture placed at the Fourier plane of the lens system.


This article describes the concept of self-management and how it is being promoted. This is followed by a consideration of why dementia has been largely set aside. Illustrations of how people with early dementia might be enabled to participate are given and the requirements that will help to make this a reality are postulated. These include early disclosure of the diagnosis, support with the consequences of disclosure, a focus upon the needs of the person with dementia, identification of specific interventions that might facilitate self-management, meeting needs for professional education and support and a whole systems approach towards treatment and care. The results of a scoping review of the evidence is given, with an extra factor of meeting needs for lay and patient education being identified in addition to those elements originally postulated. The implications of policy neglect combined with a patchy evidence base and unrecognized service innovations are discussed.


Humin is a natural ingredient that is widely available in Indonesia, especially Borneo.  Humin is interact and absorb eosin compound that can cause environmental pollution. The interaction between eosin and humin was set on optimum time dan pH so that the humin adsorption would be optimum. This research measured the adsorption capacity and energy required to adsorp eosin on humin by performing various concentration of eosin. The amount of humin adsorption energy against eosin was 34.136 kJ/mol while the adsorption capacity was1, 611 x 10-6mol/g. This indicated that the type of interaction between humin and eosin was chemical interaction.


Magnetic characteristics of a Bi-2223 bulk rotor that was used for the HTS motor was investigated at 77.3 K. Spatial distribution of the magnetic flux density in the air-gap of axial-type HTS motor was measured in a rotating magnetic field at 60 Hz frequency. Numerical simulation based on 3D finite element method was also performed. It was shown that the pinning property of the bulk rotor influences the harmonic components of the air-gap flux density as well as motor characteristics.


Purpose
To develop a clinically applicable transplantation device and surgical procedure for extracellular matrix-scaffold-supported human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium (hiPSC-RPE) cell sheet transplantation for clinical use.

Methods
The developed surgical device consisted of a custom-designed hand piece and a cannula. The subretinal transplantation of hiPSC-RPE cell sheets was performed in 12 rabbits. The results evaluated were the graft condition (damage or fold), side (front or back), position (center, near, far), and direction (anterior, posterior, right, left) immediately after surgery and the graft condition (shrinking or fold) 2 weeks after surgery. These results were evaluated by fundus photography and optical coherence tomography, followed by immersion-fixed histology.

Results
All grafts could be transplanted without obvious damage. The transplanted grafts included 2 of 12 folded grafts, 12 of 12 front side, 12 of 12 center position, 10 of 12 anterior direction, and 2 of 12 right direction immediately after surgery, whereas transplantation with a distance between an inlet and an outlet greater than graft and the coaxial direction of the flow paths and the insertion device posed the correct condition and direction. Two weeks after the surgery, the transplanted grafts included two folded grafts and four shrunken grafts; however, complete drainage of subretinal fluid for adhesion between the graft and the host prevented shrunken grafts.

Conclusions
A developed surgical device and procedure allow grafts to be transplanted into the targeted transplantation site safely and reproducibly. This surgical method will provide additional information on the advancement of future RPE transplantation therapies.


The explicit finite-difference scheme is popular for solving the wave equation in the field of seismic exploration due to its simplicity in numerical implementation. However, its maximum time step is strictly restricted by the Courant-Friedrichs-Lewy (CFL) stability limit, which leads to a heavy computational burden in the presence of small-scale structures and high-velocity targets. We remove the CFL stability limit of the explicit finite-difference scheme using the eigenvalue perturbation, which allows us to use a much larger time step beyond the CFL stability limit. For a given time step that is within the CFL stability limit, the eigenvalues of the update matrix would be distributed along the unit circle; otherwise, some eigenvalues would be distributed outside of the unit circle, which introduces unstable phenomena. The eigenvalue perturbation can normalize the unstable eigenvalues and guarantee the stability of the update matrix by using an arbitrary time step. The update matrix can be preprocessed before the numerical simulation, thus retaining the computational efficiency well. We further incorporate the forward time-dispersion transform (FTDT) and the inverse time-dispersion transform (ITDT) to reduce the time-dispersion error caused by using an unusually large time step. Our numerical experiments indicate that the combination of the eigenvalue perturbation, the FTDT method, and the ITDT method can simulate highly accurate waveforms when applying a time step beyond the CFL stability limit. The time step can be extended even toward the Nyquist limit. This means that we could save many iteration steps without suffering from time-dispersion error and stability problems.


When Gina Oliva first went to school in 1955, she didn t know that she was different. If the kindergarten teacher played a tune on the piano to signal the next exercise, Oliva didn t react because she couldn t hear the music. So began her journey as a solitary, her term for being the only deaf child in the entire school. Gina felt alone because she couldn t communicate easily with her classmates, but also because none of them had a hearing loss like hers. It wasn t until years later at Gallaudet University that she discovered that she wasn t alone and that her experience was common among mainstreamed deaf students. "Alone in the Mainstream" recounts Oliva s story, as well as those of many other solitaries. In writing this important book, Oliva combined her personal experiences with responses from the Solitary Mainstream Project, a survey that she conducted of deaf and hard of hearing adults who attended public school. Oliva matched her findings with current research on deaf students in public schools and confirmed that hearing teachers are ill-prepared to teach deaf pupils, they don t know much about hearing loss, and they frequently underestimate deaf children. The collected memories in "Alone in the Mainstream" add emotional weight to the conviction that students need to be able to communicate freely, and they also need peers to know they are not alone."


As patients approach the end of life, their disease process may create an immediate life-threatening emergency, yet invasive interventions may be less likely to provide benefit while carrying the same or greater risks. Knowing when it is time to shift from life-prolonging to more palliative approaches, focused on quality of life and comfort, is emotionally and clinically challenging for patients, families, and physicians. Key factors in the decision process include prognosis, risk-benefit analysis of the proposed intervention, current symptom burden, temporal pattern of the illness, patient's age and life stage, and the patient's goals of care. A structured approach to decision making includes assessing the patient's physical, psychological, and spiritual needs; assessing the patient's support system; discussing prognosis; and assessing patient-specific goals. Physicians can best help patients decide which treatments are appropriate by taking the necessary time to explore all curative and palliative care options, providing honest and timely prognostic information, making clear recommendations, facilitating patient-family discussions, and affirming patient choices.


AIM To assess the validity and reliability of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Colorectal Cancer 29 (EORTC QLQ-CR29) in Chinese patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS From March 2014 to January 2015, 356 patients with CRC from four different hospitals in China were enrolled in the study, and all patients self-administered the EORTC QLQ-CR29 and the quality of life core questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). Evaluation of the scores was based on the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS). The reliability and validity of the questionnaires were assessed by Cronbach's α coefficient, the Spearman correlation test and Wilcoxon rank sum test. RESULTS The EORTC QLQ-CR29 showed satisfactory reliability (α > 0.7), although the urinary frequency and blood and mucus in stool dimensions had only moderate reliability (α = 0.608). The multitrait scaling analyses showed good convergent (r > 0.4) and discriminant validity. Significant differences were obtained for each item in the different KPS subgroups (KPS ≤ 80; KPS > 80). Body image and most single-item dimensions showed statistically significant differences in patients with a stoma compared with the rest of the patients. CONCLUSION The EORTC QLQ-CR29 exhibits high validity and reliability in Chinese patients with CRC, and can therefore be recommended as a valuable tool for the assessment of quality of life in these patients.


Lambda and P22 are members of 2 families of tailed phages and have limited genomic relationships. Both form hybrids with many phages. P22 appears as a hybrid of mixed ancestry. Despite their similarities, lambda and P22 and their relatives form 2 distinct lineages and must be classified separately.


This document presents a part of the wide research carried out on modern timber buildings by the timber research group of the University of Trento. In the last five years several experimental and numerical analysis have been performed on crucial structural topics about multistorey timber construction. The efforts have been focused on the traditional light timber framed system (LTF) and on the log-house system (LH). Concerning the LTF, different aspects of the structural behaviour to the lateral load bearing structure such as walls and connection devices were investigated through experimental tests from the single component up to the full-scale building tested on shake table. The goals of these capstone tests, carried out on three-storey buildings, were the investigation of peculiar aspects which especially for the European constructive tradition were not sufficiently discussed.
The same layout was follow for the traditional log-house system. In a first step of the research campaign the behaviour of single components (joints, reinforce elements) was tested and analysed in order to form the basis of the second part that was dedicated to the full scale shear walls tests and analysis. The thesis is organized in two main parts. In the opening chapters, after a brief introduction to the constructive system, the seismic behaviour of light timber framed constructions is analysed. The validation of the predictive models and the mechanical characterization of the gypsum fibreboard sheathing material are presented. Different steps of the S.E.R.I.E.S. project are summarized (tests on connection and real scale walls - shake table tests). The aim of the discussion is the deeper understanding of the boundary condition and the reliability of the tests on the single component on the real scale model. In the second part, the mechanical characterization of modern timber log-house building through experimental tests is presented. The strong cooperation among Rubner Haus Company and the timber research group of the University of Trento made possible a detailed experimental campaign organized on two steps. The first is focused on the evaluation of the corner joints proprieties by means of analysis of small portion of walls. The second part deals with the behaviour of full-scale walls with vertical loads in different geometries (corner joints types, length and presence of openings). The two innovative test setup were designed to reproduce the boundary condition of the structural elements of the building, and to minimize the effects of the test pparatus on the results. The outcomes of the tests show a complex interaction between contributions provided by different mechanisms. In the last chapters, a simplified model suitable to predict the overall load displacement curves of the wall is introduced.


The past several decades have seen tremendous advances in ESP translation.In the field of medicine,the perpetual expansion of science and technology necessitates unprecedented worldwide academic cooperation and communication.By combining the features of medical English and Eugene Nida's translation theory of functional equivalence,the author proposed specific criteria for medical translation to help teachers of medical English to improve their teaching and translators to produce high quality translation.


Abstract Disability attitudes are major barriers in improving life conditions of physically challenged people in developing countries. Studies have shown that people, in general, harbour negative and paternalistic attitudes towards persons with disabilities. Myths, legends, scriptures and folklores are all part of the cultural belief system that shape such attitudes. The physically challenged frequently suffer more due to societal prejudices than due to their disabling physical conditions. The social and physical environment in which these physically challenged live is often designed without much consideration of their special needs. In this article, some social interventions aimed at changing disability attitudes of rural people in India are discussed. As part of a community-based rehabilitation programme, the main thrust of these interventions was to shift attention of local communities from disabilities to abilities of the physically challenged. The efficacy of these social interventions is discussed.


To support the development of a society that is attuned to the challenges presented by sustainable development, it is vital that higher education business students understand the value of sustainability, and act in a way that is consistent with these values. This paper explores a sustainability-focused experiential learning activity through investigating the utility of an emerging form of service learning in the digital space for developing global citizens. The paper presents an international case study of educators who employed digital service learning in various business education contexts. The research reports on the perceptions of higher education students in relation to their awareness, critical thinking and action for sustainability. The paper has practical contributions in identifying an opportunity for implementing sustainability curriculum into higher education for business.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the expression of the tau protein and microtubule-associated proteins in the testis interstitium of aged and young rats.

METHODS
Sprague-Dawley male rats were divided into a young group(6 months, n = 10) and an aged group(28 months, n = 10). The two steps immunohistochemistry method with the antibody against tau protein and MAP alpha was performed on the testis tissues of the rats.

RESULTS
The results showed that the immunoreactive cells of tau protein of the testis interstilial of the aged rats obviously increased(P < 0.001) than those of the young, while the immunoreactive cells of the microtubule-associated proteins decreased(P < 0.01) in the aged.

CONCLUSION
The changes in the expression of the tau protein and microtubule-associated proteins may be related to the aging process of the testis.


Objectives: A rich plant diversity is being supported by Himalayan mountain ecosystems including many endemic and endangered species that which has been used by the indigenous populations for traditional health care remedies for many years. These communities also depend on mountain resources for their livelihood in terms of collection and sale of medicinal plants and other basic requirements. A study on the important plant communities of scrub ecosystems was carried out with special aim of phytosociological evaluation, preparation of ethnobotanical, ethnomedicinal, ethnoveterinay and ethnocosmetic inventory and evaluation of conservation status of important medicinal plants. Materials and methods: Data was collected by semi structured, structured interviews and questionnaire methods coupled with group meetings, field discussions on different topics with the people especially local vaids, households, herbal healers and pastoralists. Results and discussion: Data collected from the present investigation indicate that 80 plants belonging to 38 families with Rosaceae the dominant family were exclusively used in traditional healthcare system. The knowledge on medicinal plant distribution, habitat, uses, part used and mode of preparation for use is like a prized ancient wisdom preserved within elders and women folk of the ethnic groups. Different degrees of threats were observed to different valuable medicinal plants during the period of investigation. Conclusion: The people of the area are exclusively dependent on medicinal plants using traditional knowledge that provide them the best therapeutic and economic benefits. Such traditional knowledge could be valuable for developing local and regional conservation strategies for these fragile ecosystems. There is an urgent need to thoroughly analyze the secondary metabolite properties of such plants in order to validate their authenticity in the local health care systems. Recommendations are also given for monitoring and sustainable collection of medicinal plant resources so as to avoid their overexploitation and to preserve such dwindling plant wealth along with unique ecosystems.


We treated a patient with a traumatic carotid-cavernous fistula (CCF) by embolization using a Tracker catheter and platinum coils by transarterial and transvenous approaches. A 65-year-old female sustained an injury in the right frontal region of the head in April, 1989. After 1 month, she was admitted to our hospital due to exophthalmos, congestion of the palpebral conjunctiva, ptosis, and a bruise in the right frontal region of the head. Right carotid angiography showed a CCF between the anterior ascending segment and the horizontal segment that drains into the superior ophthalmic vein, superior petrosal sinus and inferior petrosal sinus. To occlude the fistula, embolization was performed twice using platinum coils. In the first embolization, the cavernous sinus was approached transarterially and transvenously using a Tracker catheter system, and a total of 7 platinum coils were used for the embolization. The bruise disappeared immediately after embolization but recurred 3 days after the operation. Angiography demonstrated re-communication of the CCF. The second embolization was initially performed using a detachable balloon, but the balloon could not be passed through the fistula. Therefore, a Tracker catheter was advanced to the fistula transarterially and embolization was performed using 3 platinum coils. The fistula was occluded. Follow-up angiography after 1 year in August, 1990 showed complete occlusion of the fistula. The detachable balloon system was recently introduced in neurological and radiological departments, as a new surgical method for CCF. At present, this method is the first choice for CCF. However, the detachable balloon system presents some technical problems.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Drugs can be classified as hydrophilic or lipophilic depending on their ability to dissolve in water or in lipid-containing media. The predominantly lipophilic statins (simvastatin, fluvastatin, pitavastatin, lovastatin and atorvastatin) can easily enter cells, whereas hydrophilic statins (rosuvastatin and pravastatin) present greater hepatoselectivity. Although the beneficial role of statins in primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention has been unequivocally confirmed, the possible superiority of one statin or other regarding their solubility profile is still not well-established. In this respect, although some previously published observational studies and clinical trials observed a superiority of lipophilic statins in cardiovascular outcomes, these results could also be explained by a greater low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction with this statin type. On the other hand, previous studies reported conflicting results as to the possible superiority of one statin type over the other regarding heart failure outcomes. Furthermore, adverse events with statin therapy may also be related to their solubility profile. Thus, the aim of the present review was to collect clinical evidence on possible differences in cardiovascular outcomes among statins when their solubility profile is considered, and how this may also be related to the occurrence of statin-related adverse effects.


This is the third libguide that highlights exhibits at the Undergraduate Library. The other two are for years 2009-2011 and 2012-2013


Opioid use is common among Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries who account for a disproportionate share of opioid-related hospitalizations and mortality. However, little is known about the prevalence of opioid use prior to SSDI enrollment. Understanding when opioid use is established and how it correlates with individual characteristics and community prescribing practices would inform policy approaches to reducing opioid-related harms among SSDI beneficiaries. We estimated the prevalence of opioid use among SSDI applicants by applying a natural language processing algorithm to SSDI application data. We find the prevalence of opioid use among SSDI applicants declined from 33% in 2013 to 24% in 2018. In contrast, the share of applicants with musculoskeletal impairments, which are commonly associated with pain, was unchanged. The share of applications reporting opioid use declined across both sexes, all age groups and education levels, and all regions. There was substantial variation, however, in the magnitude of decline by geography, with the smallest declines in parts of the Midwest and Southeastern United States. SSDI application rates and applications reporting opioid use were more likely to come from communities with higher opioid prescribing rates. Our estimates suggest most SSDI beneficiaries began opioid use prior to entering the SSDI program.


We have studied by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) the linen fibers loaded on the surface of a small sticky tape triangle corresponding to the Face area of the Turin Shroud (TS). Five linen fibers (FL1-5) were found. They are linen fiber portions (maximal length : 50 ), broken at the basis and thinned at the extremities, and wrenched from flax threads constituting the TS. Some of them present evidence of white painting, by lime or by mineral deposit of calcite particles.


We derive the gravitational Hamiltonian starting from the Gauss–Bonnet action, keeping track of all surface terms. This is done using the language of orthonormal frames and forms to keep things as tidy as possible. The surface terms in the Hamiltonian give a remarkably simple expression for the total energy of a spacetime. This expression is consistent with energy expressions found in Preprint hep-th/0212292. However, we can apply our results whatever the choice of background and whatever the symmetries of the spacetime.


Porous ceramics were fabricated by firing ceramic-polymer composites prepared by casting dispersions containing cellulose acetate, water and colloidal ceramic particles (alumina and silica). Composite microstructures were determined by polymer phase separation. Polymer adsorption on the ceramic particles was necessary for the formation of controlled porosity in the composite and fired ceramic. Cellulose acetate adsorbed on alumina, but not silica particles. The microstructure of alumina-cellulose acetate composites was characterized by unagglomerated alumina particles in a polymer matrix; relatively large pores (pore diameter ∼ 15 μm) formed when the alumina concentration was low ( < 50 vol. % relative to the polymer in the dried composite), and smaller pores (pore diameter ∼ 2 μm) developed at higher alumina contents. By contrast, silica-cellulose acetate composites contained agglomerated silica particles and a large pore structure invariant to silica content. Firing of alumina-cellulose acetate composites with ceramic contents greater than 40 vol. % resulted in crack-free porous ceramics with pore structures comparable to the original composites.


Planning of labour is activity of determination of amount and labours types required by an organizations for aperiod of which will come. Therefore planning of labour is with refer to activity related to forecasting of requirement oflabour in a period of to come at one particular organization, cover new labour preparation and utilization which haveis available. Or equally determine the labour movement from position in this time towards position which wanted in aperiod of to come. In this research done by analysis and enumeration concerning planning of labour at company ofredrying tobacco which will make a change is internal that is doing installation of new machine by paying attention tosome policies and purpose of specified by companies. Method which applied is programming linear, while processingwhich implemented is determine and define decision variable then expressed in mathematical symbol, develop(buildaimed at mathematical model is programming linear formulation then calculate objective function for each purpose ofthat is minimizing redundancy and minimize expense where in this enumeration applied by computer software aid QMor windows version 2.2, software for quantitative method, management science or operational research. From resultcalculation and analysis seen that planning of labour with policy for minimizing redundancy and policy for minimizingexpense yield difference of result calculation enough signifikan. Keyword: Planning of labour ( manpower planning), programming linear


Exposure of laboratory rats to Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), an environmental contaminant with its high lipophilicify which is widely dispersed in the environment and can easily cross the blood brain barrier presenting in the central nervous system, is associated with impaired learning and memory. The purpose of the research was to examine whether subchronic exposure to BaP affects spatial learning and memory, and how it alters normal gene expression in hippocampus, as well as selection of candidate genes involving neurotransmitter receptor attributed to learning and memory. Morris water maze (MWM) was used to evaluate behavioral differences between BaP-treated and vehicle-treated groups. To gain a better insight into the mechanism of BaP-induced neurotoxicity on learning and memory, we used whole genome oligo microarrays as well as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to assess the global impact of gene expression. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were intraperitoneally injected with 6.25 mg/kg of BaP or vehicle for 14 weeks. The results from the Morris water maze (MWM) test showed that rats treated with BaP exhibited significantly higher mean latencies as compared to vehicle controls. BaP exposure significantly decreased the number of crossing the platform and the time spent in the target area. After the hippocampus was collected from each rat, total RNA was isolated. Microarray and PCR revealed that exposure to BaP affected mRNA expression of neurotransmitter receptors. The web tool DAVID was used to analyze the significantly enriched gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathways in the differentially expressed genes. Analysis showed that the most significantly affected gene ontology category was behavior. Furthermore, the fourth highest significantly affected gene ontology category was learning and memory. KEGG molecular pathway analysis showed that "neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction" was affected by BaP with highest statistical significance, and 9 candidate neurotransmitter receptor genes involving learning and memory were selected out. Our results revealed a close link between behavioral changes and altered neurotransmitter receptor gene expression in BaP-treated rats.


The tautomeric.O=C-C=N-NH triplebond --> <-- HO-C=C-N=N triplebond ketohydrazone-azoenol system may form strong N-H triplebond O/O-H triplebond N intramolecular resonance-assisted H-bonds (RAHBs) which are sometimes of the low-barrier H-bond type (LBHB) with dynamic exchange of the proton in the solid state. The problem of the N-H triplebond O/O-H triplebond N competition in these compounds is studied here through variable-temperature (100, 150, 200, and 295 K) crystal-structure determination of pF = 1-(4-F-phenylazo)2-naphthol and oF = 1-(2-F-phenylazo)2-naphthol, two molecules that, on the ground of previous studies (Gilli, P; Bertolasi, V.; Ferretti, V.; Gilli, G. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 10405), were expected to represent an almost perfect balance of the two tautomers. According to predictions, the two molecules form remarkably strong bonds (d(N triplebond O) = 2.53-2.55 A) of double-minimum or LBHB type with dynamic N-H triplebond O/ O-H triplebond N exchange in the solid state. The enthalpy differences between the two minima, as measured by van't Hoff methods from the X-ray-determined proton populations, are very small and amount to DeltaH degrees = -0.120 and DeltaH degrees = -0.156 kcal mol(-)(1) in favor of the N-H triplebond O form for pF and oF, respectively. Successive emulation of pF by DFT methods at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p)//B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level has shown that both energetic and geometric experimental aspects can be almost perfectly reproduced. Generalization of these results was sought by performing DFT calculations at the same level of theory along the complete proton-transfer (PT) pathway for five test molecules designed in such a way that the RAHB formed changes smoothly from weak N-H triplebond O to strong O-H.N through very strong N-H triplebond O/O-H triplebond N bond of LBHB type. A systematic correlation analysis of H-bond energies, H-bond and pi-conjugated fragment geometries, and H-bond Bader's AIM topological properties performed along the PT-pathways leads to the following conclusions: (a) any X-H triplebond Y H-bonded system is fully characterized by its intrinsic PT-barrier, that is, the symmetric barrier occurring when the proton affinities of X and Y are identical; (b) the intrinsic X-H triplebond Y bond associated with the symmetric barrier is the strongest possible bond in that system and will be single-minimum (single-well, no-barrier) or double-minimum (double-well, low-barrier) according to whether the intrinsic PT-barrier is lower or slightly higher than the zero-point vibrational level of the proton; (c) with reference to the intrinsic H-bond, the effect of chemical substitution can only be that of making more and more dissymmetric the PT-barrier, while the two H-bonds split in a higher-energy bond which is stronger because closer to the transition-state structure and in a lower-energy one (the stable form) which is weaker because farther from it; (d) complete dissymmetrization of the PT-barrier will increasingly weaken the more stable H-bond until the formation of an extreme dissymmetric single-minimum or dissymmetric single-well H-bond.


Restriction site analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was carried out on 607 isofemale lines, correspond- ing to monthly samples obtained over a two-year period, from a single geographic population of Drosophila subobscura to evaluate the possible changes in the action of the evolutionary forces with respect to the variation of the seasonal envi- romental conditions. The haplotype distribution pattern was: (1) two highly frequent haplotypes and (2) sporadic haplo- types that were almost never found again after a population bottleneck; similar to that observed for the entire range of this species on the European continent. We detected significant negative D-values for the entire population, reflecting an ex- cess of rare haplotypes. The results confirm that the coexistence of the main haplotypes in nature, and the rare ones, could be mainly caused by seasonal population expansions. However, the fact that the frequencies of the two major haplotypes are exchanged in some months, could indicate that the action of selection cannot be discarded, possibly acting upon gene arrangement associated with mtDNA haplotypes.


Some String or Another: Fiction and Nonfiction Stories of Connection, a creative thesis, explores patterns of change in stories from the perspective of connection and disconnection. The preface examines the effects of temporal disconnection, the relationship of conflict and connection to narrative rhythm, and the webs of connection formed during the process of creation. Included in the body of the work are six fiction stories, one metafiction story, and two nonfiction essays.


Interplay between genetic and environmental factors, genotype x environment interactions (G x E), affect phenotypes of complex traits. A methodology for assessing G x E was investigated by detecting hygiene (low and high) environment-specific SNP subsets associated with broiler chicken mortality, followed by an examination of consistency between SNP subsets selected from the 2 environments. The trait was mean progeny mortality rate in 253 sire families, after adjusting records for nuisance effects affecting mortality at the individual bird level. Over 5,000 whole-genome SNP were narrowed down via a machine-learning (filter-wrapper) feature selection procedure applied to mortality rates in each of the 2 environments. For both early and late mortality, it was found that the selected SNP subsets differed across hygiene environments, in terms of either across-environment predictive ability or extent of linkage disequilibrium between the subsets. Reduction in predictive ability due to G x E was assessed by the ratio of 2 predicted residual sum of squares statistics, one associated with SNP selected from the same hygiene environment and the other associated with the SNP subset from a different environment. Reduction was 30 and 20% for early and late mortality, respectively. An extremely low level of linkage disequilibrium between SNP subsets selected under low and high hygiene also indicated G x E. Findings suggest that there may not be a universally optimal SNP subset for predicting mortality and that interactions between genome and environmental factors need to be considered in association analysis of complex traits.


Previous studies indicated that gastrin-17 (G-17) and the octapeptide of colecystokinin (CCK-8) were equally potent in their interaction with receptors for 125I-[Leu15]G-17 on isolated canine parietal cells. These findings were inconsistent with the poor efficacy of CCK-8 compared with G-17 as stimuli of acid secretion in dogs. The present study examines the effects of G-17 and CCK-8 on the release of somatostatinlike immunoreactivity (SLI) from a fraction of small canine fundic mucosal cells separated by elutriation and placed in short-term culture. CCK-8 was considerably more potent and more effective than G-17 as a stimulant of SLI release from these cultured cells. CCK-8 was slightly more potent than G-17 in inhibiting 125I-[Leu15]G-17 binding to receptors in the same elutriator fraction. Our present findings support the hypothesis that the poor efficacy of CCK compared with G-17 as a stimulant of acid secretion may reflect pronounced activation of somatostatin-mediated acid-inhibitory mechanisms by CCK-8. The present data indicate that differences in affinity between CCK-8 and G-17 at the 125I[Leu15]G-17 receptor probably do not account for the greater efficacy of CCK-8; the receptor or cell activation mechanisms underlying this greater efficacy of CCK-8 on SLI release remain to be elucidated.


The library is an academic department at York College of the City University of New York and offers one-shot classes in information literacy at the for all other academic departments at the college.  Since these library classes are taught by library faculty rather than by the subject professors, it is quite possible that they would not be aware of, and therefore not accommodate, the disabled students who attend these specific information literacy classes.  This article recommends best practices for teaching librarians who may need to make accommodations for the disabled while teaching these library classes, currently used at York's library. The policy background that caused the library to do this is not only based in law but, as discussed here, it is also based in professional library policies put forward by the American Library Association.  This article also reviews the history of services for the disabled in libraries.


Due to numerous transmission lines in power systems, it is hard to control whole of transfer power. Phase Shifter Transformer (PST) installation in transmission lines causes one degree increment in the freedom degree of system, so it's a useful device to control power of the transmission lines. In the most studies of PST allocation, some criteria such as losses reduction, annual economic saving in generation, system steady and dynamic state improvement, lines overload diminution (elimination of load congestion in the transmission lines) have been considered lonely. In this paper, a combinational criterion providing voltage profile improvement, line overload reduction and appropriate power distribution between lines in addition to lines losses reduction has been presented. Implementation results of the foregoing method on IEEE 5-Bus test system by using PSS/E (Power System Simulator for Engineers) are given.


Analysis of a novel semiconductor laser structure designed for obtaining wide tuning range along with high speed modulation response is presented. The laser consists of a composite cavity structure with two active (gain) sections. One of the sections has a grating corrugation while the other is flat. A detailed round-trip analysis is combined with the rate equations, which include sublinear gain/carrier relation, to perform steady-state and small-signal analysis. It is shown that the biasing (dc) condition of the different sections plays a critical role in the determination of the dynamic response of the device. In addition, we show that the gain-lever effect can be utilized for a considerable enhancement of the frequency modulation (FM) response. Other critical structural parameters such as the grating coupling coefficient and device geometry are discussed.


This paper presents a direct model predictive control (DMPC) for a grid-connected permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) based wind energy conversion system with an LCL filter. To design the DMPC, first, the output voltage of the grid side voltage source converter (VSC) and grid currents are modelled appropriately including the LCL filter. Second, to reg-ulate the variable switching frequency of the VSC, the switching frequency control is comprehended in the cost function while preserving the finite nature of the DMPC. A heuristic approach has been adopted to choose the proper weighting factors for the switching frequency control that prompts a fairly narrow range of switching frequencies. Finally, a modified design of the LCL filter has been proposed that incorporates filter parameters and removes the requirement of complex iterative calculations. The proposed DMPC and modified design of the LCL filter have been simulated in the MATLAB/ Simulink platform. To validate the simulation results a laboratory-scale experimental setup has been built using the dSpace MicroLabBox. The simulation and experimental results confirm the efficacy of the proposed DMPC and modified design of the LCL filter in both steady-state and dynamic operating conditions.


Extensive studies have characterized the development and differentiation of murine B cells in secondary lymphoid organs. Antibodies secreted by B cells have been isolated and developed into well-established therapeutics. Validation of murine B cell development, in the context of autoimmune prone mice, or in mice with modified immune systems, is a crucial component of developing or testing therapeutic agents in mice and is an appropriate use of flow cytometry. Well established B cell flow cytometric parameters can be used to evaluate B cell development in the murine peritoneum, bone marrow, and spleen, but a number of best practices must be adhered to. In addition, flow cytometric analysis of B cell compartments should also complement additional readouts of B cell development. Data generated using this technique can further our understanding of wild type, autoimmune prone mouse models as well as humanized mice that can be used to generate antibody or antibody-like molecules as therapeutics.


Objective. The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the incidence of distal ejaculatory system defects with transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) among patients evaluated for azoospermia. Methods. Forty‐two patients with low‐volume ejaculate and azoospermia were evaluated by physical examination, serum follicle‐stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone level determination, karyotyping, selective screening for cystic fibrosis mutations, and TRUS. Results. On physical examination, in 29 patients (69%), either 1 (12 patients) or both (17 patients) of the vasa deferentia could not be palpated. In the group of 17 patients with bilateral involvement of the vasa deferentia, the ultrasonographic imaging universally showed bilateral absence or hypoplasia of the seminal vesicles with bilateral agenesis of the vasa deferentia and nonvisualization of both ejaculatory ducts. In the patients with a unilateral abnormality on physical examination, the ultrasonographic imaging showed absence of the ipsilateral seminal vesicle in 7 patients and the hypoplastic seminal vesicle in 5. In the group of 13 patients with normal physical examination findings, a variety of obstructive causes were diagnosed by TRUS examination. Conclusions. According to this study, TRUS appears to be a sensitive method for evaluating the anatomy of the distal ejaculatory system. Its safety and low costs make it a good alternative to the other invasive and expensive methods.


Abstract A central goal in quantum computing is the development of quantum hardware and quantum algorithms in order to analyse challenging scientific and engineering problems. Research in quantum computation involves contributions from both physics and computer science; hence this article presents a concise introduction to basic concepts from both fields that are used in annealing-based quantum computation, an alternative to the more familiar quantum gate model. We introduce some concepts from computer science required to define difficult computational problems and to realise the potential relevance of quantum algorithms to find novel solutions to those problems. We introduce the structure of quantum annealing-based algorithms as well as two examples of this kind of algorithms for solving instances of the max-SAT and Minimum Multicut problems. An overview of the quantum annealing systems manufactured by D-Wave Systems is also presented.


'Dual use research' is research with results that can potentially cause harm as well as benefits. Harm can be to people, animals or the environment. For most research, harms can be difficult to predict and quantify, so in this sense almost all research could be seen as having dual use potential. This chapter will present a framework for reviewing dual use research by justifying why the responsibility for approving and conducting research does not sit with Research Ethics Committees (RECs) alone. By mapping out the wider research landscape, it will be argued that both responsibility and accountability for dual use research sits on the shoulders of broader governance structures that reflect the philo-sophical and political aspirations of society as a whole. RECs are certainly still important for identifying potential 'dual use research of concern', and perhaps teasing out some of the details that may be hidden within research plans or projects, but in a well-functioning system should never be the sole gate keepers that determine which research should, and should not, be allowed to proceed.


Abstract We report for the first time on the contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) features of littoral cell angioma of the spleen (LCA). A patient presented with the incidental finding of splenomegaly which was investigated using modern ultrasound techniques. B-mode technique revealed heterogenous splenic parenchyma and small hypoechoic lesions up to 30 mm in size. Colour Doppler imaging revealed no specific vascularity. CEUS showed arterial hyper- and hypoenhancement with pronounced demarcation in the late phase. In an assumption of malignancy the lesions were biopsied using ultrasound guidance. Histology showed LCA. In this case report we discuss LCA in the light of new ultrasound techniques and present a review of the literature.


Three verbal item types employed in standardized aptitude tests were administered in four formats—a conventional multiple-choice format and three formats requiring the examinee to produce rather than simply to recognize correct answers. For two item types—Sentence Completion and Antonyms—the response format made no difference in the pattern of correlations among the tests. Only for a multiple-answer open-ended Analogies test were any systematic differences found; even the interpretation of these is uncertain, since they may result from the speededness of the test rather than from its response requirements. In contrast to several kinds of problem-solving tasks that have been studied, discrete verbal item types appear to measure essentially the same abilities regardless of the format in which the test is administered.