Stachys lavandulifolia Vahl is an herbaceous wild plant native to Iran which is traditionally used in Iranian folk medicine as a mild sedative tea for reducing anxiety and for treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. Our previous study on ethyl acetate extract of S. lavandulifolia proved anti-anxiolytic activity and so the present study was designed to determine chemical components of this biologically active fraction. The extract was prepared using maceration method. Column chromatography and medium pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC) was used respectively to separate the fractions. Finally, some evaluated fractions were used for high pressure liquid (HPLC) and peak shaving recycle technique to achieve more purification. Separated compounds were determined using NMR analysis and mass spectroscopy. Six compounds have been isolated from ethylacetate extract of aerial parts of S. lavandulifolia including four flavonoids (apigenin, kumatakenin, penduletin and 4', 7-dihyroxy- 3, 5, 6-trimethoxy flavon), a labdan diterpenoid (labda-13-en-8, 15-diol), and an iridoid.


Metastasis is a process by which cancer cells escape from the location of the primary tumor invading normal tissues at distant organs. Chromosomal instability (CIN) is a hallmark of human cancer, associated with metastasis and therapeutic resistance. The centrosome plays a major role in organizing the microtubule cytoskeleton in animal cells regulating cellular architecture and cell division. Loss of centrosome integrity activates the p38-p53-p21 pathway, which results in cell-cycle arrest or senescence and acts as a cell-cycle checkpoint pathway. Structural and numerical centrosome abnormalities can lead to aneuploidy and CIN. New findings derived from studies on cancer and rare genetic disorders suggest that centrosome dysfunction alters the cellular microenvironment through Rho GTPases, p38, and JNK (c-Jun N-terminal Kinase)-dependent signaling in a way that is favorable for pro-invasive secretory phenotypes and aneuploidy tolerance. We here review recent data on how centrosomes act as complex molecular platforms for Rho GTPases and p38 MAPK (Mitogen activated kinase) signaling at the crossroads of CIN, cytoskeleton remodeling, and immune evasion via both cell-autonomous and non-autonomous mechanisms.


Cosmogenic radionuclides (e.g., 10Be) from ice cores are a powerful tool for solar reconstructions back in time. However, superimposed on the solar signal, other factors like weather/climate and volcanic influences on 10Be can complicate the interpretation of 10Be data. A comprehensive study of 10Be records over the recent period, when atmospheric 10Be production and meteorological conditions are relatively well‐known, can improve our interpretation of 10Be records. Here we conduct a systematic study of the production and climate/volcanic signals in Antarctica and Greenland 10Be records, including a new 10Be record from the East GReenland Ice‐core Project site. Greenland and Antarctica records show significant decreasing trends (5%–6.5%/decade) for 1900–1950, which is comparable with the expected production rate inferred from sunspot observations. By comparing 10Be records with reanalysis data and atmospheric circulation patterns, 10Be records from Southern/Southeastern Greenland are significantly correlated with the Scandinavia pattern. Stacking 10Be records from different locations can enhance the production signal. However, this approach is not always straightforward as uncertainties in some records can lead to a weaker solar signal. A strategy can be employed to select records for the bipolar stack by comparing Greenland records with Antarctica records, assuming the shared signal is a production signal. Finally, we observe significant increases (36%–64%) in 10Be depositions in Greenland related to the Agung eruption. This large increase in Greenland 10Be records after the Agung eruption, could be partly explained by the enhanced air mass transport from mid‐latitudes coinciding with the decreased precipitation en‐route.


Chitosan is the non-acetylated derivative from chitin, a polymer of N-acetyl-glucosamine that is extracted from crustacean exoskeleton. Both polymers as well as their oligomers protect several species of plants against fungal diseases by means of the induction of histological and biochemical defensive mechanisms that stop pathogen advance in the plant. In our work a chitosan preparation was carried out by means of basic desacetylation of chitin of pharmaceutical quality. Afterwards, chitosan was exhaustively hydrolyzed with a commercial enzymatic preparation (celluclast) to obtain small-sized oligomers. Chitosan polymer and its hydrolysate were studied regarding their potentialities to in- duce systemic resistance in tobacco plants by means of assays under controlled conditions where the capacity of both elicitors was determined for the induction of resistance markers (chitinase, glucanase and PAL activities) and in the hydrolysate case, its capacity to induce tobacco plantlet protection against the invasion of pathogen Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae was also tested. Results demonstrated an induction of chitinase and glucanase activities by chitosan at the concentrations of 50 and 500 mg.L -1 , much higher in the case of the topmost concentration of the elicitor. Tobacco plantlet protection against Ppn was also observed when plants were treated through the roots with the enzymatic hydrolysate at the concentrations between 5 and 500 mg.L -1 with an induction of differentiated PAL and β 1-3 glucanase response during plant exposition to the pathogen.


In this paper we use the superpotential Wq for the flag variety GLn/B and particular coordinate systems that we call 'ideal coordinates for i', to construct polytopes P i λ inside R+ , associated to highest weight representations Vλ of GLn(C). Here i is a reduced expression of the longest element of the Weyl group and R+ is the set of positive roots of GLn. The lattice points of P i λ can be used to encode a basis of the representation Vλ. In particular, for a specific choice of i, the polytope P i λ is unimodularly equivalent to a Gelfand-Tsetlin polytope. The construction of the polytopes involves tropicalisation of the superpotential, namely P i λ is { Trop ( W i tλ ) ≥ 0 } written in a tropical version of the ideal coordinates for i. Using work of Judd ([13]) we have that there is a unique 'positive' critical point of Wtλ over the field of Puiseux series. Its coordinates, in terms of the ideal coordinates for i, are positive in the sense of having positive leading term. The remarkable property of our new polytopes relates to the tropical version of this critical point, which, for every choice of i, gives a point in R+ that lies in the interior of the polytope P i λ. We prove that this tropical critical point is independent of the reduced expression i, and that it is given by a pattern called the 'ideal filling' for λ that was introduced by Judd. Finally, combining these results with work of Rietsch ([22]) relating critical points of the superpotential with Toeplitz matrices, we show that for a totally positive lower-triangular Toeplitz matrix over the field of Puiseux series factorised into simple root subgroups, the valuations of the factors give an ideal filling.


Silver selenide thin films of thickness between 80 nm and 160 nm were prepared by thermal evaporation technique at a high vacuum better than 2x10mbar on well cleaned glass substrates at a deposition rate of 0.2 nm/sec. Silver selenide thin films were polycrystalline with orthorhombic structure. Ellipsometric spectra of silver selenide thin films have been recorded in the wavelength range between 300 nm and 700 nm. Optical constants like refractive index, extinction coefficient, absorption coefficient, and optical band gap of silver selenide thin film have been calculated from the recorded spectra. The refractive index of silver selenide has been found to vary between 1.9 and 3.2 and the extinction coefficient varies from 0.5 to 1.6 with respect to their corresponding thickness of the films. Transmittance spectra of these films have been recorded in the wavelength range between 300 nm and 900 nm and its spectral data are analysed. The photoluminescence studies have been carried out on silver selenide thin films and the strong emission peak is found around 1.7 eV. The calculated optical band of thermally evaporated silver selenide thin films is found to be around 1.7 eV from their Ellipsometric, UV-Visible and Photoluminescence spectroscopic studies.


Cone penetration testing has been widely used since the 1950s for determining the subsurface geotechnical conditions of unconsolidated sediments. This paper highlights the potential value of cone penetration testing as an aid to define the stratigraphic structure of Holocene sedimentary deposits. By calibrating cone penetration test logs with adjacent borehole logs and by utilizing all the available information produced during geotechnical surveying, stratigraphic models that accurately describe the vertical and lateral boundaries, as well as the stacking pattern, of Late Quaternary systems can be constructed. The widespread application and technical simplicity of cone penetration testing, combined with simple data interpretation via correlation with adjacent borehole logs, yield a useful and inexpensive tool for sedimentological investigations. This methodology is illustrated using data from 36 cone penetration tests and 11 boreholes on the Holocene deltaic plain of the Aliakmon River, Greece. Sedimentological and stratigraphic information from core log correlations, the spatial distribution of cone penetration test parameters, sediment grain size and per cent concentration of organic matter are utilized. The results suggest, that in sequence stratigraphic terms, the delta is divided into a lowstand systems tract composed by fluvial gravels and sands (U0) of Late Pleistocene age, as well as from red oxidized clays, and a transgressive systems tract represented by fluvial channel sands (U1), overlain by a thin transgressive sand sheet of coastal origin (U2), characterized by fining upward trends. The highstand systems tract is constituted by a variety of stratigraphic units (U3 to U7) and depositional environments, characterized by coarsening upward sequences, representing both aggradational and progradational facies, and dominated by the presence of three prograding wedges. Detailed definition of the thickness, vertical boundaries and stacking pattern of the resolved stratigraphic units, presented as a two‐dimensional stratigraphic model, demonstrates the applicability of the proposed method.


Abstract : As part of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the International Monitoring System (IMS) has been established for monitoring xenon radioisotopes in the atmosphere to detect atmospheric or underground nuclear explosions. Experimental results from the Automated Radioxenon Sampler/Analyzer (ARSA) system, developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, show that the system is capable of detecting very low concentrations of the fission product radioxenon isotopes (133)Xe, (133m)Xe, (131m)Xe and (135)Xe. To build a more practical radioxenon detection system as sensitive as the ARSA system but with reduced cost, size, power consumption and complexity, several detection systems have been developed or are currently under development. It has been shown (McIntyre et al. 2004) that triple coincidence measurements of beta, conversion electons (CE) and x-ray from the radioxenon gas provides a significant reduction of Compton scatter interference in the 30-keV line and therefore much lower (2-3 orders of magnitude) concentrations of (133)Xe can be detected even with a high radon background. The triple coincidence measurement eliminates the need for additional separation columns and traps (required for removing the background radon) and allows for reduced passive shielding as well, thus reducing the size and power consumption of the system. In this paper, a two-channel phoswich detector is introduced and studied. The detector consists of a thin hollow disk (with 2 mm thickness and 76.2 mm diameter) as the xenon gas cell, surrounded by two identical planar triple-layer phoswich detectors. This design provides a solid angle of about 3.4 pi for the gas cell, close to that of the ARSA system (tilde 3.5 pi). The planar shape of the detectors has several important advantages, among which are the reduced cost due to its simplicity, and because it has a minimum non-uniformity in light collection efficiency, will not unreasonably degrade the beta or gamma energy resolution.


The formation of titanium nanoparticles from plasmas in mixtures of titanium tetrachloride, argon and hydrogen is examined using three approaches: chemical equilibrium calculations, chemical kinetic calculations and a nucleation-coupled model of particle formation coupled to chemical kinetic equations. The results indicate that production of solid titanium particles requires a non-equilibrium process, such as is obtained using a rapid quench of the plasma. It is calculated that titanium yields approaching 100% are possible for sufficiently large residence times at a high temperature, and sufficiently rapid quench rates. The residence time and quench rate conditions are less stringent for high ratios of argon to titanium tetrachloride in the initial gas mixture. Adding hydrogen to the gas mixture leads to less stringent residence time, but more stringent quench rate conditions.


additional phases of weed control. Therefore, while solar ization required more time to implement, the need for repeated treatments using the other methods may increase their time requirement. Ours is the first study to demonstrate effective weed control using solarization in a cool coastal region. A recent study in warmer southern California demonstrated that solarization with black plastic was effective for controlling weeds; Marushia and Allen (2009) hypothesized that solarization could also be effective in cool coastal regions, given adequate soil moisture. In the Central Coast region where we conducted our study, cool temperatures are likely more limiting, because frequent dense fog provides moisture throughout the summer. We found that clear solarization plastic could be effective here if placed during the warmest time of year. We also left our plastic in place for a month longer than average to maximize efficacy; we did not test for the minimum length of time for solarization effectiveness in this region. The temperatures we observed were lower than the hypothesized minimum for effective solarization weed control (Stapleton et al. 2005). But the temperatures required to inactivate weed seeds varies among species (Stapleton et al. 2005), and our invasive species were different than those examined in previous studies in a warmer region (e.g., Moyes et al. 2005). Solarization can be used to create openings for native plants. While no native species were present in this site, the significant amount of bare ground created by solarization provides a suitable environment into which native plants may be restored. We have demonstrated that solarization can be used effectively over a broader geographic range than previously thought and may be particularly useful to pretreat heavily invaded areas where intensive native planting is planned as part of restoration efforts.


ABSTRACT Background: Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RSTS) is a multiple congenital anomaly syndrome characterised by several typical somatic characteristics and by developmental disabilities with various degrees of severity. Focusing on children with RSTS, the aim of this study was to describe their psychomotor, cognitive, and socio-emotional developmental profiles. Method: Twenty-three children with RSTS (12 boys; 11 girls; mean chronological age: 4 years and 10 months) with severe intellectual disability (mean developmental quotient = 32.39) were recruited from an Expert Department of Medical Genetics. Developmental assessments were carried out with the Brunet-Lézine-Revised scale and the Social Cognitive Evaluation Battery. Results: The participants' developmental profiles were characterised by heterogeneous psychomotor development, homogeneous cognitive and socio-emotional development, by more severe delays in expressive language, vocal imitation, and symbolic play skills, and by better developmental levels in socio-emotional abilities. Conclusions: Based on these atypical developmental profiles, early interventions should target the three most delayed abilities.


This paper investigates the sources of terms of trade volatility, specifically addressing the relative importance of goods-price effects vs. country-price effects. For fuel exporters, most of the terms of trade variation stems from goods-price effects, as one would have expected, a priori. For commodity exporters, there is great dispersion in the importance of goods price effects vs. country price effects, and no overall generalization is possible. Exporters of manufactured goods face terms of trade variation that appears to be about equally due to goods-price effects and country-price effects.


A novel charge-pumping (CP) technique is demonstrated to extract border-trap distribution for high- kappa gated MOSFETs. The varying-frequency CP method is shown to be more effective than the varying-amplitude one for probing border traps and extending the tunneling depth. A linear relationship of the Qcp versus ln(T rTf)1/2 plot can only be maintained at the CP frequency of 1 MHz, while not below 1 MHz, due to the influence of border traps near HfOxNy/Si interface. The proposed technique, which takes into consideration the effect of carrier tunneling in slow oxide traps, is used successfully to obtain the spatial and energy dependence of bulk trap density in high-kappa bulk


This paper describes a new method to implement frequency offset estimation (FOE) in cell search of the TD-SCDMA system. The received SYNC-DL data is used to calculate frequency offset (FO) before the scrambling code and the Midamble ID is identified. The received Midamble data can be used to calculate FO before Multi-frame synchronization. The FOE with two stages can be used in the same 64chip calculation structure and the hardware resources can be conserved. The simulation results show that the method can control the residual FO within 0.05PPM by smoothing of sub-frame or IIR filtering, which meets the TD-SCDMA system requirements for residual frequency, even though a certain sample bias exist.


While the color of metallic gold is a prominent and well-investigated example for the impact of relativistic effects, much less is known regarding the influence on its melting and boiling point (MP/BP). To remedy this situation, this work takes on the challenging task of exploring the phase transitions of the Group 11 coinage metals Cu, Ag, and Au through nonrelativistic (NR) and scalar/spin-orbit relativistic (SR/SOR) Gibbs energy calculations with λ-scaled density-functional theory (λDFT). At the SOR level, the calculations provide BPs in excellent agreement with experimental values (1%), while MPs exhibit more significant deviations (2-10%). Comparing SOR calculations to those conducted in the NR limit reveals some remarkably large and, at the same time, some surprisingly small relativistic shifts. Most notably, the BP of Au increases by about 800 K due to relativity, which is in line with the strong relativistic increase of the cohesive energy, whereas the MP of Au is very similar at the SOR and NR levels, defying the typically robust correlation between MP and cohesive energy. Eventually, an inspection of thermodynamic quantities traces the trend-breaking behavior of Au back to phase-specific effects in liquid Au, which render NR Au more similar to SOR Ag, in line with a half-a-century-old hypothesis of Pyykkö.


BACKGROUND
Nitric oxide (NO) plays a relevant role in various events during atherogenesis. In vitro data suggest that NO may modulate homocysteine (Hcy) concentrations. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) -786T>C, 894G>T, and 4a4b polymorphisms in influencing Hcy concentrations.

METHODS
Blood samples were obtained from 1287 unrelated persons. Plasma Hcy was measured by fluorescence polarization immunoassay, folate and vitamin B(12) by RIA, vitamin B(6) by HPLC, and eNOS and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphisms by PCR with restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.

RESULTS
MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism significantly influenced Hcy concentrations after adjustment for all confounding variables (P <0.0001 for trend). Univariate analysis showed that the eNOS -786T>C polymorphism, but not 894G>T and 4a4b, was significantly associated with the risk of having Hcy in the third tertile [>13.4 micromol/L; odds ratio (OR) = 1.2; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02-1.5; P = 0.03]. After adjustment for all variables known to influence Hcy, the -786T>C polymorphism still influenced Hcy concentrations (OR = 1.9; 95% CI, 1.1-3.2; P = 0.01). By analyzing the influence of eNOS polymorphisms on plasma Hcy concentrations according to vitamin concentrations (folate, vitamin B(6), and vitamin B(12)), age, and smoking habits, we found a significant association between the eNOS -786T>C polymorphism and Hcy in nonsmokers, in persons with normal vitamin status, and in persons <60 years.

CONCLUSION
The eNOS -786T>C polymorphism, but not 894G>T and 4a4b, influences plasma Hcy concentrations mildly but significantly and independently.


Summary Pro-urokinase represents an important addition to the array of thrombolytic drugs currently available for clinical use because of its high clot specificity but distinctly different mechanism compared with that of t-PA. Recombinant pro-urokinase (r-proUK) is a single-chain precursor of high molecular weight urokinase which has been expressed in a mouse myeloma cell line. The present study was conducted to determine the dosing regimen which would produce optimal clot lysis and restoration of blood flow 2 h after treatment with r-proUK, using a dog model of arterial thrombosis. Efficacy was indicated by lysis of a radiolabelled clot which was formed in the heat-damaged femoral arteries of 39 male beagle dogs. The animals were divided into six heparinized treatment groups, each receiving one of five dosing regimens or the vehicle for r-proUK. The total dose (80,000 U/kg) was divided into an initial loading bolus, followed by either a second bolus or by infusions for various time periods, as shown below: It was concluded that optimal clot lysis and restoration of femoral flow was accomplished using a regimen in which 50% of the dose was given as a bolus, followed immediately by the remaining 50% given as a 30 min intravenous infusion (Group 5). At the dose used in this study, r-proUK did not produce degradation of fibrinolytic or hemostatic plasma proteins.


The surviving will of William Gefferey (1503), a successful haberdasher with roots in the lordship of Gower, casts rare light on the world of a well-travelled merchant who established himself in the Barnstaple area of north Devon and in the city of London, while remaining conscious
 of his south Wales heriage to his dying day. It reflects his social attitudes and charitable instincts, while his gifts of printed books to churches in Swansea and north Devon suggest a cultivated person. He is to be numbered among the Welsh diaspora that gathered momentum in post-conquest
 Wales.


This paper summarises the design, data and results of our research on the emergence and consolidation of forms of institutionalisation based on innovative entrepreneurial action in rural European territorial contexts. The investigation was conducted between the years 2006 and 2010. We present data obtained in two territorial references, the regions of Los Pedroches in Andalusia, Spain and Mühldorf in Bavaria, Germany. The paper explores the contributions of social anthropology to prevailing economic entrepreneurship theory by focusing on intangible, cultural variables that influence the implementation of local entrepreneurial initiatives. Presenting data from a case study of two European rural areas of different levels of economic development, the text argues that entrepreneurial research needs to incorporate qualitative data on the sociocultural preconditions of emerging innovative institutions. The research emphasises the need for a broader concept of entrepreneurial behaviour that is able to overcome the reductionist idea of firm creation, and presents a theoretical model for actor-based territorial development studies founded on the combined social theories of Niklas Luhmann and Pierre Bourdieu.


We investigate, from a spacetime perspective, some aspects of Horowitz's recent conjecture that black strings may catalyze the decay of Kaluza-Klein spacetimes into a bubble of nothing. We identify classical configurations that interpolate between flat space and the bubble, and discuss the energetics of the transition. We investigate the effects of winding tachyons on the size and shape of the barrier and find no evidence at large compactification radius that tachyons enhance the tunneling rate. For the interesting radii, of order the string scale, the question is difficult to answer due to the failure of the α' expansion.


Abstract In EPR studies on Fe(III) ions in CdGa2S4 crystals, in accordance with the two different Ga sites two paramagnetic centers could be detected which differ widely in their axial parameter D. An investigation of the crystal field allowed a unique site assignment. A comparison with the Fe(III) resonances in CuGaS2 and AgGaS2 does show that the superposition model of Newman and Urban cannot be applied to CdGa2S4 with similar parameters as in the chalcopyrite structures. - A characteristic twinning could be revealed, similar to the "reversed cubic structure" in sphalerite.


Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC

Treatment of B-lymphomas with rituximab, alone or in combination with chemotherapy, resulted in significant clinical responses and prolongation of survival. However, a significant subset relapses or does not respond to initial treatments. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new targets and develop therapies to reverse resistance. CD80 is expressed on APCs and normal B cells and most B-lymphomas express CD80 on the surface. A primatized anti-CD80 mAb, galiximab, was developed and shown to inhibit tumor cell proliferation and mediates ADCC. A phase I/II clinical study with galiximab in patients with refractory B lymphomas demonstrated its safety TRAIL is a death-inducing ligand that is not toxic to normal cells but selectively cytotoxic to sensitive tumor cells and is currently in clinical trails in patients with a variety of cancers. The objective of this study was to investigate whether galiximab can sensitize TRAIL-resistant B lymphoma to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. We hypothesized that galiximab-induced inhibition of cell proliferation must have triggered the cells and inhibited constitutively activated survival pathways, such as NF-κB, and downstream anti-apoptotic gene products, thus, reducing the threshold of resistance and facilitating TRAIL to mediate apoptosis. This hypothesis was tested in vitro using CD80+ Raji cells as model and recombinant TRAIL. Galiximab was obtained from Biogen Idec. Treatment of Raji with galiximab (5-40 μg/ml) for 18h and followed by treatment with TRAIL (2.5-10 ng/ml) resulted in significant apoptosis as assessed by activation of Caspase 3. Galiximab treatment of Raji inhibited the NF-κB pathway and its DNA-binding activity as assessed by western and EMSA, respectively. The direct role of NF-κB-induced inhibition by galiximab in sensitization was corroborated by the use of the NF-κB inhibitor DHMEQ. We have reported that the TRAIL receptor DR5 transcription repressor YY1 regulates tumor-cell sensitivity to TRAIL. We have found that galiximab inhibits YY1 expression and DNA-binding activity in Raji in parallel with upregulation of DR5. The direct role of YY1-induced inhibition by galiximab in TRAIL sensitization was corroborated in cells transfected with siRNA YY1 and which were sensitive to TRAIL apoptosis. Sensitization by galiximab was due, in part; to activation of the type II mitochondrial pathway for apoptosis. Galiximab-induced inhibition of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family, such as Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL, in sensitization was verified by the use of the specific Bcl-2 inhibitor, 2 MAM-A3. Altogether, these findings established that galiximab is capable to sensitize TRAIL-resistant B lymphomas to TRAIL apoptosis. The findings also suggest the potential therapeutic application of the combination of galiximab and TRAIL or agonist DR4/DR5 antibodies in the treatment of resistant B lymphomas.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 664.


Where's that line over which lies inhumanity? The technology is us, man. White magic or black, it doesn't make a difference. Natural and artificial? Obsolete distinctions.-David Porush1It's not easy to see things in the middle, rather than looking down on them from above or up at them from below, or from right to left: try it, you'll see that everything changes.-Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari2Couldn't reach flesh in his switch-and zero time to the sick tracks-A long time between suns I held the stale overcoat-sliding between light and shadow-muttering in the dogs of unfamiliar score-cross the wounded galaxies we intersect, poison of dead sun in your brain slowly fading.-William S. Burroughs3Jacques Derrida explicitly poses the question implicit throughout William S. Burroughs' experimental works, asking: "Why would one mourn for the center? Is not the center, the absence of play and difference, another name for death? The death which reassures and appeases, but also, with its hole, creates anguish and puts at stake?".4 As Derrida indicates, the loss of the center actually amounts to the loss of the absolutist or fundamentalist thought that drives acts of ideological violence and oppression. For Burroughs, then, the loss of the center should not only be embraced rather than mourned, but the center and the absence of difference that it entails should be actively opposed and subverted. His revolutionary themes and stylistic experiments represent strategies for such opposition and subversion, exposing the potential dangers of conventional narrative forms even while disintegrating his own narratives. The novels serve as training exercises for Burroughs' insurrection against the center. The various techniques and devices he develops toward the disruption of conventional narrative radically alter the way in which his readers engage narratives.As has been demonstrated in the preceding chapters, the narrative effects of Burroughs' mosaic of juxtaposition method are extensive, challenging the stability of language and meaning, the fixity of material context, and the integrity of the subject. But perhaps the most significant implication of his method lies in its refiguring of the narrative's relation to the reader. The decentralization of the narrative subjectivity allows it to disperse not only throughout the intratext comprised by the novels, but also to extend beyond these texts to intermingle with and to include the subjectivities of readers. Derrida notes that, confronted with such an inclusive narrative strategy:There is at any rate no tenable place for [the reader] opposite the text, outside the text, no spot where he might get away with not writing what, in reading, would seem to him to be given, past; no spot, in other words, where he would stand before an already written text.5The binary opposition of reader and text can no longer be maintained as "the self and the non-self, outside and inside, no longer have any meaning whatsoever".6 The relationship between the reader and the text profoundly alters, as readers must engage Burroughs' novels in the role of collaborators rather than interpreters.For Roland Barthes, these sorts of inclusive texts, which he names "writerly texts", require more of readers than immersion in the world of the text or the interpretation of that world from outside. Barthes insists that readers must interact with the text, imagining and re-imagining the world of the text at each reading. As a reader, he writes, "I am not hidden within the text, I am simply irrecoverable from it: my task is to move, to shift systems whose perspective ends neither at the text nor at the T'".7 Burroughs places the same responsibility on his readers, calling on them to "Cut word lines- Shift linguals", 8 and elsewhere, to "take the board books and rewrite all message".9 Such reader interactivity requires a reassessment of the interprettation of texts. …


In the present paper, a novel biomass flame retardant based on alginic acid was synthesized through chemical combination with a reactive P–Si compound. Compared with alginates, the modified alginate showed obviously increased thermal stability and water resisting property, as well as better compatibility with epoxy resin, which can satisfy the requirements of a flame-retardant additive in the polymer. The flame-retardant properties were evaluated by vertical burning tests, limiting oxygen index, and microscale combustion calorimetry. Due to the self-charring capacity of alginate combined with the charring catalyst from P and the charring reinforcer from Si, the modified alginate exhibited much better flame retardancy, taking advantage of the formation of a more continuous, denser, and strengthened char layer than either individual alginate or P–Si flame retardant. The corresponding flame-retardant mechanisms were investigated and discussed. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45552.


The problem of joint sequential detection and isolation is considered in the context of multiple, not necessarily independent, data streams. A multiple testing framework is proposed, where each hypothesis corresponds to a different subset of data streams, the sample size is a stopping time of the observations, and the probabilities of four kinds of error are controlled below distinct, user-specified levels. Two of these errors reflect the detection component of the formulation, whereas the other two the isolation component. The optimal expected sample size is characterized to a first-order asymptotic approximation as the error probabilities go to 0. Different asymptotic regimes, expressing different prioritizations of the detection and isolation tasks, are considered. A novel, versatile family of testing procedures is proposed, in which two distinct, in general, statistics are computed for each hypothesis, one addressing the detection task and the other the isolation task. Tests in this family, of various computational complexities, are shown to be asymptotically optimal under different setups. The general theory is applied to the detection and isolation of anomalous, not necessarily independent, data streams, as well as to the detection and isolation of an unknown dependence structure.


This work addresses decentralized online optimization in nonstationary environments. A network of agents aim to track the minimizer of a global, time-varying, and convex function. The minimizer follows a known linear dynamics corrupted by unknown unstructured noise. At each time, the global function (which could be a tracking error) can be cast as a sum of a finite number of local functions, each of which is assigned to one agent in the network. Moreover, the local functions become available to agents sequentially, and agents do not have prior knowledge of the future cost functions. Therefore, agents must communicate with each other to build an online approximation of the global function. We propose a decentralized variation of the celebrated mirror descent algorithm, according to which agents perform a consensus step to follow the global function and take into account the dynamics of the global minimizer. In order to measure the performance of the proposed online algorithm, we compare it to its offline counterpart, where the global functions are available a priori. The gap between the two losses is defined as dynamic regret. We establish a regret bound that scales inversely in the spectral gap of the network and represents the deviation of minimizer sequence with respect to the given dynamics. We show that our framework subsumes a number of results in distributed optimization.


China's global economic footprint is large and growing. In recent years, China has contributed a third or more to the growth of the global economy following its meteoric rise starting in the 1980s and gathering momentum in the 1990s. China has convincingly demonstrated the efficacy of investment and export-led growth as a model of development and has achieved economic stardom using a mix of industrial, trade and exchange rate policies within the framework of a gradually reforming socialist market economy. The chapters in this volume written by prominent China scholars and economists as well as an original introduction by a world-leading expert, explore China's economy. This collection will be an invaluable resource for China watchers and to researchers, students and policymakers interested in learning from East Asia's development, understanding how China transformed its economy and wondering as to how China might come to grips with the challenges ahead.


Appraisal theory explains the elicitation of emotional reactions as a consequence of subjective evaluations based on personal needs, goals, desires, abilities, and beliefs. According to the appraisal approach, each emotion is caused by a characteristic pattern of appraisals, and different emotions are associated with different appraisals. This paper presents the DEBECO architecture, a computational framework for modeling the appraisal process. DEBECO is based upon three core coherence principles: belief coherence, desire coherence and belief-desire coherence. These three coherence mechanisms allow two elementary types of goals to be represented: approach and avoidance goals. By way of concrete simulation examples, it is shown how discrete emotions such as anger, pride, sadness, shame, surprise, relief and disappointment emerge out of these principles. The framework allows the integration of a variety of empirical findings about cognitive emotional congruence effects and shows how phenomena as diverse as reasoning, belief updating, or eliciting of emotional reactions can be subsumed under the same basic underlying processes.


We examine how peers form talent appraisals of team members, reframing talent identification as a status-organizing social process. Using decision trees, we modeled configurations of characteristics and behaviors that predicted dominant vs. parallel routes to achieving the status of most talented team member. Across 44 multidisciplinary teams, talent status was most often granted to peers perceived as having both leadership and analytic talent; a STEM degree served a dominant signaling function. Where previous studies assumed that degree operates as a specific status characteristic, we show that a STEM degree operates as a diffuse status characteristic, which predicts status in general. We thus discovered that status hierarchies in teams are also based on the type of talent—and not just the level of talent—members are perceived to possess. In so doing, we offer a proof of concept of what we call 'talent hierarchies' in teams, for future research to build on.


1996. Large numbers of Pacific yew (TaxusbrevifoliaNutt.) trees have been cut to supply bark for taxol production, and replacement of those trees may depend on their ability to sprout from the stump. Stump characteristics were related to the initiation and survival of epicormic branches (sprouts) on 100 yew stumps in each of 11 recently harvested stands during 1992. Half of the stumps were artificially shaded, and all were remeasured in 1993. The number of living stumps in each stand was positively correlated with average stump height and average percentage of bark retained. Postharvest sprouting was most abundant on stumps with established sprouts or live branches. For individual stumps, the number and length of preharvest sprouts were the only variables consistently related to number of postharvest sprouts. Artificial shading did not promote sprouting.


In meta‐analysis, hypothesis testing is one of the commonly used approaches for assessing whether heterogeneity exists in effects between studies. The literature concluded that the Q‐statistic is clearly the best choice and criticized the performance of the likelihood ratio test in terms of the type I error control and power. However, all the criticism for the likelihood ratio test is based on the use of a mixture of two chi‐square distributions with 0 and 1 degrees of freedom, which is justified only asymptotically. In this study, we develop a novel method to derive the finite sample distribution of the likelihood ratio test and restricted likelihood ratio test statistics for testing the zero variance component in the random effects model for meta‐analysis. We also extend this result to the heterogeneity test when metaregression is applied. A numerical study shows that the proposed statistics have superior performance to the Q‐statistic, especially when the number of studies collected for meta‐analysis is small to moderate.


A fully digital, self-adjusting, and high-efficiency power supply system has been developed based on a finite-state machine (FSM) control scheme. The system dynamically monitors circuit performance with a delay line and provides a substantially constant minimum supply voltage for digital processors to properly operate at a given frequency. In addition, the system adjusts the supply voltage to the required minimum under different process, voltage, and temperature and load conditions. The design issues of the fully digital power delivery system are discussed and addressed. This digital FSM scheme significantly reduces the complexity of control-loop implementation (<1800 gates) and power consumption (< 100 /spl mu/W at 1.2 V) compared to other approaches based on proportional-integral-differential control. The power delivery control system is fabricated in a 0.13-/spl mu/m CMOS process and its core die size is 160 /spl times/ 110 /spl mu/m/sup 2/.


A spectrum- and energy-efficient system is essential for millimeter wave communication systems that require large antenna arrays with power-demanding ADCs. We propose an ADC bit allocation (BA) algorithm that solves a minimum mean squared quantization error problem under a power constraint. Unlike existing BA methods that only consider an ADC power constraint, the proposed algorithm regards total receiver power constraint for a hybrid analog-digital beamforming architecture. The major challenge is the non-linearities in the minimization problem. To address this issue, we first convert the problem into a convex optimization problem through real number relaxation and substitution of ADC resolution switching power with constant average switching power. Then, we derive a closed-form solution by fixing the number of activated radio frequency (RF) chains M. Leveraging the solution, the binary search finds the optimal M and its corresponding optimal solution. We also provide an off-line training and modeling approach to estimate the average switching power. Simulation results validate the spectral and energy efficiency of the proposed algorithm. In particular, existing state-of-the-art digital beamformers can be used in the system in conjunction with the BA algorithm as it makes the quantization error negligible in the low-resolution regime.


Hidayat, S890907012. 2007.  The Effectiveness of Student Teams Achievement Divisions   (STAD)
Method to Teach Reading Viewed from Students Motivation (An Experimental Study in the First
Year Students of SMK1 Kota Bima NTB in Academic Year 2008/2009). Thesis. English Education
Department, Graduate School, Sebelas Maret University of Surakarta. 2009.
This research is aimed at finding out: (1) which one is more effective, STAD or
Conventional method to teach reading; (2) which one has better competence in reading, the students
having high or low motivations;  and  (3)  whether there  is  an  interaction between methods  and
students' motivation in teaching reading.
This research was carried out  at  SMK1 Kota Bima NTB from April to May 2009. The
subject of the research is the first year students. The samples are 1Ak1 students for an experimental
group and 1Sec1  for  a control  group.  Cluster random sampling  is used  to get the sample. In
collecting the data, the researcher used questionnaire to know the students' motivation and reading
test to know their competence in reading. Descriptive and inferential analyses are used to analyze
the data. Descriptive analysis is used to describe the mean, median, mode, and standard deviation.
The normality and homogeneity tests are conducted before inferential analysis is used. To test the
hypothesis, ANOVA 2 x 2 is used. H
0
 is rejected, if F
o
 is higher than F
t
.
The research findings are: (1) STAD  is  more effective than  Conventional  method for
teaching reading;  (2) The students having high motivation have better reading competence  than
students  having  low motivation; and  (3)  There  is an  interaction  effect  between methods and
students' motivation for teaching reading
STAD is suitable for students having high motivation and Conventional method is suitable
for students having low motivation.  It is important for English teacher to select the method which is
suitable for high and low motivation students.
 This thesis has been approved by the first consultant and the second
consultant of English Education Department Graduate School of Sebelas
Maret Univerity, Surakarta.


The very young and the elderly remain two of the more regular users of general practitioner services. Opportunistic screening such as immunisation surveillance, blood pressure recording and smoking cessation advice during routine surgery attendances are examples of simple, low-cost, good quality health promotion practices that are acceptable to those screened and are known to provide positive health benefits if properly dealt with. Elderly women, however, remain an at risk group for cervical cancer due to their poor screening rates. This study shows it is possible to substantially raise the screening rate by specifically targeting this age group. Two out of every three women advised to have a Pap smear agreed to the procedure. This resulted in a 73 per cent screening rate at the conclusion of the study. The modern general practitioner should seek to move away from the old shopkeeper role of general practice and instead use every consultation as an opportunity to improve the health standards of patients. This 'pro-active' role sets a greater emphasis on promoting better health through each and every doctor-patient encounter. Much of the workload of general practice has never been fully documented with the result that many of the preventive health measures promoted go unheralded. There is an ongoing need for quality general practice research by general practitioners if we are to maximise our potential in the health care we deliver.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


T ransesophageal echocardiography is a relatively new ultrasonic imaging technique that has been recently introduced, and despite its infancy, it has already become an established technique. The recent development of a transesophageal transducer with the capabilities of color flow Doppler is a major advance in the assessment of many patients in whom standard transthoracic twodimensional or Doppler echocardiography has significant limitations.


BACKGROUND
We have recently shown that hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) results in rolling and adherence of leukocytes in terminal hepatic venules (THV) followed by hepatic enzyme elevation and tissue destruction. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of ischemic preconditioning on the recruitment of leukocytes in THV after liver I/R.

METHODS
Left hepatic lobe ischemia was induced for 5 min (preconditioning) in anesthetized C57B1/6 mice followed by reperfusion for 10 min and then prolonged ischemia for 30 min. The number of rolling, saltating, and adherent leukocytes in THV was measured at 0.5, 2, 5, 12, and 24 h after reperfusion using intravital video microscopy. Matching sham groups were evaluated after 30 min of ischemia.

RESULTS
Hepatic I/R elicited significant increases in the number of rolling, saltating, and adherent leukocytes, with peak values observed at 30 min and 5 h after reperfusion. All of these responses were significantly attenuated in mice undergoing ischemic preconditioning. Rolling leukocytes in THV following I/R without preconditioning reached peak levels of 25.2 +/- 1.4 leuk/2 min (leukocytes/2 min) at 30 min reperfusion and 31.4 +/- 1.5 leuk/2 min at 5 h reperfusion. With ischemic preconditioning these values fell to 12.3 +/- 0.9 leuk/2 min and 14.4 +/- 1.0 leuk/2 min, respectively (P < 0.001). Similarly, adherent leukocytes in nonpreconditioned mice reached peak values of 4.8 +/- 1.3 leuk/2 min at 30 min reperfusion and 8.3 +/- 1.2 leuk/2 min at 5 h reperfusion compared with 2.0 +/- 1.5 leuk/2 min and 1.6 +/- 1.1 leuk/2 min in preconditioned mice, respectively (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION
Ischemic preconditioning attenuates the initial events leading to leukocyte-mediated hepatic destruction following I/R injury. Delineating these mechanisms may play an important role in hepatic transplantation, resection, shock, and sepsis.


Objective: To determine the feasibility of prenatal diagnosis of fetal cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Methods: Fifty‐two pregnant women were investigated in our unit between October 1985 and July 1992. The diagnostic procedures included ultrasound examination, amniocentesis, and fetal blood sampling. Specific tests for CMV infection included specific immunoglobulin (Ig) M antibodies, viral culture, and amplification of CMV DNA by polymerase chain reaction. Nonspecific tests included white blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelets, and gamma‐glutamyl transferase determination. Results: The combination of tests allowed an antenatal diagnosis of CMV in 13 of the 16 infected fetuses (sensitivity 81%). Amniocentesis allowed the diagnosis in 12 of the 13 antenatally diagnosed cases. The sensitivity of CMV IgM antibody detection in fetal blood was 69%. The culture of fetal blood was never positive. Thrombocytopenia was present in six cases, and ultrasound was abnormal in five. Conclusions: Amniotic fluid is the best sample to diagnose CMV infection, and fetal blood sampling and sonography are important to assess the fetal condition. Our experience underscores the importance of repetitive sampling. (Obstet Gynecol 1993;82:481‐6)


The transportation sector accounts for about 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, an improvement of energy efficiency in the traffic sector is crucial to reduce the carbon footprint. Efficiency is typically measured in terms of energy use per traveled distance, e.g., liters of fuel per kilometer. Leading factors that impact the energy efficiency are the type of vehicle, environment, driver behavior, and weather conditions. These varying factors introduce uncertainty in estimating vehicles' energy efficiency. We propose in this article an ensemble learning approach based on deep neural networks that is designed to reduce the predictive uncertainty and to output measures of such uncertainty. We evaluated it using the publicly available Vehicle Energy Dataset and compared it with several baselines per vehicle and energy type. The results showed a high predictive performance, and they allowed us to output a measure of predictive uncertainty.


Many complex forces are at work during adolescence which can contribute to the occurrence of anemia. Careful consideration of the entire patient should enable a physician to identify the unusual as well as the more common causes of anemia in this age group. Anemia in teenage girls is primarily due to menstrual iron loss. In boys, borderline diets and the demands of rapid growth predominate as causative factors. Hemoglobinopathies (thalassemia, sickle cell disease), G6PD deficiency, infectious mononucleosis, and illicit drug use account for small proportions of cases.


A time pick-off circuit for use with large high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors and its performance are described. It uses two discriminators to extrapolate the time origin of the input pulse thereby reducing the walk due to variation in amplitude and risetime. In a commonly used constant fraction discriminator (CFD), the cable decay used for shaping, arming discriminator bias and other circuit parameters are to be critically adjusted to achieve a compensation for the walk. In the circuit described cable delay and arming discriminator are not required and the adjustment of the discriminator biases is simple. The performance of this simple circuit has been found to be comparable to that of a commercially available complex CFD unit (EG&G ORTEC model 473A). A typical delayed coincidence curve pertaining to the 122 keV level of 152Sm is also presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the circuit in measuring short half-life (1.4 ns) using a 127 cm3 HPGe detector and a BaF2 scintillator combination. This circuit is thus a low-cost and simple alternative to a CFD unit.


Background: Source-based morphometry (SBM) was recently used for non-random "patterns" of gray matter (GM) atrophy or white matter (WM) microstructural damage. Objective: To assess whether and to what extent such patterns may be inter-related in MS. Methods: SBM was applied to images of GM concentration and fractional anisotropy (FA) in MS patients (n = 41, median EDSS = 1) and normal controls (NC, n = 28). The same procedure was repeated on an independent and similar data set (39 MS patients and 13 NC). Results: We found in MS patterns of GM atrophy and reduced FA (p < 0.05, corrected). Deep GM atrophy was mostly (70%) explained by lesion load in projection tracts and lower FA in posterior corona radiata and thalamic radiation. By contrast, sensorimotor and posterior cortex atrophy was less (50%) dependent from WM damage. All patterns correlated with EDSS (r from −0.33 to −0.56, p < 0.03) while the only cognition-related correlation was between posterior GM atrophy pattern and processing speed (r = 0.45, p = 0.014). Reliability analysis showed similar results. Conclusion: In relatively early MS, we found a close link between deep GM atrophy pattern and WM damage while sensorimotor and posterior cortex patterns were partially independent from WM damage and perhaps related to primary mechanisms. Patterns were clinically relevant.


We measured breeding performance of little penguins Eudyptula minor at Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia, during a 21-year period. All birds considered in this paper (n=307) were of known age (2–22 y) and sex, and most were of known, or closely-estimated, pair-bond status (1–8 mates per bird; pair-bond durations 1–13 y). Breeding dates and breeding performance varied markedly from year to year; measures of annual performance were not associated with early breeding. Measures of individual breeding performance (clutch-size, hatching success, chick masses and productivity) were related to early laying, parental age, and duration of pair-bond. Dependence of breeding performance on parental age was curvilinear, levelling off at about 8 y of age. Productivity declined significantly among birds older than 8 y; this decline was not due to events in the last year of breeding ("terminal illness"). Breeding performance increased with duration of pair-bond at least through y 5. Early breeding was significantly related to age and duration of pair-bond. Most of these relationships were stronger among males than among females, and many of them were not significant when females were considered alone. After controlling for other factors, breeding performance varied significantly among birds, but autocorrelations were low and limited to intervals of one year. Parental quality (defined for birds studied in six or more years as the individual bird term in a GLM for productivity controlling for other factors) was not correlated with lifespan or other demographic parameters, but high-quality birds were less prone to change mates and burrows than low-quality birds. We know of no previous study in which simultaneous effects of laying date, age and pair-bond duration on breeding performance were measured, while controlling for year, individual quality and terminal illness.


Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technology has been elaborated for obtaining diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings of a wide range of properties. Alternative and direct bias voltages have been applied on the substrate, and refractive index dependencies upon various deposition technological parameters have been investigated. The frequency of the bias voltage has been varied in the region of 150-450 kHz. The maximum refractive index range that has been achieved is 1.46-3.2. Thin DLC films have been prepared on crystalline silicon substrates. Because of the wide range of physical, optical, and mechanical properties of the obtained films, they can successfully be applied in different fields of nano-optics.


This paper is aimed at studying the acoustic emission signatures of dominant failure mechanisms encountered during fracture cutting of bovine cortical bone. This is achieved through an orthogonal cutting study performed in a sensor-rich environment comprising of a cutting force sensor, acoustic emission sensor and a high-speed camera. The synchronization of these three sensing modalities allows for the visual identification of the dominant failure modes, while also mapping them to their corresponding acoustic and cutting force metrics. Given their distinctly different underlying microstructures, the haversian and plexiform components of the bovine cortical bone are investigated separately. A total of six dominant failure mechanisms have been confirmed across the haversian and plexiform bone types. Osteon fracture and trans-lamellar fracture have been identified as the mechanisms expending the maximum energy during the fracture cutting of haversian and plexiform bone, respectively. Overall, the acoustic emission and the cutting force metrics are seen to be complementary in characterizing the six failure mechanisms. The findings of this work have implications for tool-mounted sensing modalities that could be used to detect 'in-process' failure mechanisms during bone surgical procedures.


The severity of Parkinson's disease (PD) and PD's motor subtypes influence the components of physical capacity. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of both PD severity and motor subtype in the performance of these components. Thirty-six PD patients were assigned into four groups: Tremor (TD) initial and TD mild, akinetic-rigid (AR) initial, and AR mild. Patients' strength, balance, coordination, mobility and aerobic capacity were evaluated and groups were compared using a two-way ANOVA (severity and subtype as factors). AR presents a poorer performance than TD in almost all tests. Also this performance was worsened with the advance of the disease in AR, contrary to TD. We conclude that AR and TD subgroups are different about their performance on physical capacity components, moreover, this performance worsens with the advance of the disease of the AR group, but not for TD.


The intensification of investment dynamics is a determining factor in the new growth model of the Russian economy The Covid crisis has greatly limited the opportunities to use this factor and made restoring growth dynamics an urgent task The aim of the study is to determine the investment function of the Russian economy before the Covid crisis in order to identify the main instruments of the investment policy of growth in the post-crisis period The research methods are macroeconomic and regression analysis based on software Gretl 2020b, which helped to choose the investment function according to the instrument-factors Solving the problem of collinearity of multiple regression factors makes it possible to select the best models for GDP and investment in fixed assets of the Russian economy The research result is selected multivariate models of gross product and investment that allow considering the impact of the following instruments on the goal's function: monetization level, key interest rate, exchange rate, risk, profitability, oil prices, financial investments, inflation The author concludes that an increase in the monetization of the economy, a decrease in the key interest rate, and a controlled devaluation generally had a positive effect on the amount of investment in fixed assets The investment growth increased the risk of economic activity;the decrease in profitability relatively decreased investment and increased Russia's GDP with an increased risk over the considered time interval When implementing investment policy, one should consider these features along with the specified macro-aggregates, the structure of investment distribution between sectors and types of investments, for example, in financial and non-financial assets The paper shows the significance of this condition, which affects the effectiveness of the investment policy, when the shift in investment towards financial assets accompanies the slowdown in economic growth The prospect of further research is an assessment of the equalization of sectoral risks affecting the distribution of investments and investment dynamics © Sukharev O S , 2021


Far-infrared photometry with the Herschel Space Observatory has found many examples of ultra-luminous dust emission at around 40 K in the host galaxies of high-redshift, radio-loud 3C Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). The dust heating could have its origin in the central black hole activity or extreme circumnuclear starbursts, or both. We have used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Cycle 3 to study the dust morphology on the kiloparsec scale in a sample of these AGN, and present the results for three well-known distant quasars: 3C298, 3C318, and 3C454. After correction for the non-thermal radiation at 1 mm, the observations imply a starburst origin for the cool thermal dust emission, and a symbiotic physical relationship with the AGN-driven radio source.


CD43 is a large transmembrane protein involved in T cell activation. Previous studies of CD43-/- mice in viral models have demonstrated a role for CD43 in Th1/Th2 skewing, activation of Foxp3+ Treg, and T cell apoptosis. However, the role of CD43 during sepsis has never been tested. Thus, we interrogated the role of CD43 during sepsis using a murine cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model, and found that CD43-/- mice demonstrated significantly worsened mortality compared to B6 mice following CLP. Phenotypic analysis of splenocytes isolated 24 h after septic insult revealed significantly increased apoptosis of central memory cells in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell compartments in CD43-/- septic mice compared to WT septic mice. Furthermore, CD43-/-septic mice exhibited a prominent Th2 skewing following sepsis relative to WT septic mice, as evidenced by a significant decrease in the frequency of IL-2+ CXCR3+ TH1 cells as a significant increase in the frequency of IL-4+ CCR4+ TH2 cells. Finally, septic CD43-/- animals contained significantly fewer CD25+ Foxp3+ TReg cells as compared to WT septic animals. Importantly, depleting CD25+ Treg eliminated the increased mortality observed in CD43-/- mice. Taken together, these data demonstrate an important role of CD43 in modulating immune dysregulation and mortality following sepsis.


This article addresses the legal framework, the benefits and the difficulties of cross-border development plans. They will be presented by examining the advantages and disadvantages of two possible models with respect to a range of relevant criteria. The most important criteria are elements of procedural law, especially public participation; the preparation of planning regulations; the structure of the planning entity; and the implementation of templates into national legal systems. This analysis will point out, that the greatest obstacle to be overcome is assimilating the legal systems of the states involved—irrespective of which model is taken into account.


Background Similar to other countries, in New Zealand (NZ) a case of non-fatal injury is captured if the principal diagnosis (PDx) on the hospital discharge record is coded to the injury chapter of International Classification of Diseases (ICD). There has been recent debate in NZ about whether this operational definition captures all cases that are of interest to injury prevention practitioners and policy makers. Research question: Does the case definition of serious non-fatal injury, used in the specifications of the NZ serious injury indicators, miss a material number of serious injury cases of interest? Methods Empirical methods were used to investigate an alternative definition of serious non-fatal injury. The alternative definition involved relaxing the criteria for PDx to be within the ICD injury chapter, provided there exists an injury diagnosis on the hospital discharge record, and the severity of the injuries recorded on the record exceed a pre-existing agreed threshold. Results, including case scenarios, were presented to a stakeholder group, where agreement on the most appropriate case definition was sought. Results Relaxing the requirement for the PDx to be an injury resulted in 7% more serious non-fatal injury cases. The largest percentage increase in cases was found for self-harm, which showed a 17% increase. Conclusion The current NZ case definition potentially misses a material number of serious non-fatal injury cases of interest to the stakeholder community. There is evidence, and agreement with stakeholders, to support the adoption of the more inclusive case definition.


Consider two forms of sampling from a population: (i) drawing $s$ samples of $n$ elements with replacement and (ii) drawing a single sample of $ns$ elements. In this paper, under the setting where the descending order population frequency follows the Poisson--Dirichlet distribution with parameter $\theta$, we report that the magnitude relation of the Fisher information, which sample partitions converted from samples (i) and (ii) possess, can change depending on the parameters, $n$, $s$, and $\theta$. Roughly speaking, if $\theta$ is small relative to $n$ and $s$, the Fisher information of (i) is larger than that of (ii); on the contrary, if $\theta$ is large relative to $n$ and $s$, the Fisher information of (ii) is larger than that of (i). The result represents one aspect of random distributions.


Dielectric Barrier Discharges operating in CO and CO2 form solid products at atmospheric pressure. The main differences between both plasmas and their deposits were analyzed, at similar energy input. GC measurements revealed a mixture of CO2, CO, and O2 in the CO2 DBD exhaust, while no O2 was found in the CO plasma. A coating of nanoparticles composed of Fe, O, and C was produced by the CO2 discharge, whereas, a microscopic dendrite-like carbon structure was formed in the CO plasma. Fe3O4 and Fe crystalline phases were found in the CO2 sample. The CO deposition was characterized as an amorphous structure, close to polymeric CO (p-CO). Interestingly, p-CO is not formed in the CO2 plasma, in spite of the significant amounts of CO produced (up to 30% in the reactor exhaust).


Abstract:The issues of banjir—flooding—have increasingly received attention in a variety of fields, and Jakarta has been a primary case study. Existing studies have significantly contributed to an understanding of the inadequate institutional, organizational, and individual capacities for flood management in a city that is expanding rapidly. They also point to universal forces that exacerbate flooding, such as urbanization and climate change. This essay explores the multifaceted dimensions of banjir, such as how it is culturally perceived, understood, and managed; how it is implicated in knowledge and power; and how it becomes a form of "governmentality" that nevertheless produces critical consciousness among the public about environmental crisis. It emphasizes the productive failure of technology that shapes a particular form of government that is at once uncontrolled and yet responsible for structuring people's lives and influencing state priorities. In the uncoordinated "absent presence" of infrastructure, banjir allows for the possibility of exchange among people, power, and money.


Mineralogical impurities of the used magnesia and spinel raw materials are kinds of most important factors which strongly effect on different properties of magnesia-spinel refractories such as melt/slag resistance, physical and thermo mechanical behavior. In this research, two types of commercially available fused/sintered magnesia and spinel raw materials were investigated in terms of microstructure and phase composition with emphasis on the impurities characterization. The phase analysis was studied via X-ray diffraction and the microstructure was investigated using scanning electron microscopy and electron back scattered diffraction techniques. X-ray patterns showed that the main phase in both spinels is MA spinel and any other impurity phases are not detected. The EBSD results revealed that the major phase of sintered magnesia is periclase and the grain boundaries were characterized as merwinite and monticellite. In contrast, for fused one, it is found that the phase composition of grains and boundaries are very similar and were characterized as periclase, merwenite and dispersed monticellite.


The paper is concerned with performance analysis of the parallel packet switch (PPS) with sliding window (SW) scheme. The PPS is composed of multiple packet switches operating independently and in parallel. The traditional PPS dispatch algorithm uses round-robin (RR) (Iyer, S., IEEE Trans. Networking, vol.11, no.2, p.314-24, 2003; Aslam, A. and Christensen, K., LCN 2002, p.270-7, 2002). The class of PPS is characterized by the deployment of parallel center-stage switches such that all memory buffers run slower than the external line rate. We propose a new SW packet switching scheme for the PPS, called SW-PPS. The SW-PPS can operate in a pipeline fashion to achieve the overall switching operation. Under Bernoulli data traffic, the SW-PPS provides significantly higher performance when compared with RR-PPS. The paper presents a mathematical analytical model for RR-PPS and SW-PPS.


Abstract:  Recent labor economics studies in the United States and Canada have demonstrated that occupational injuries and illnesses often lead to substantial lost earnings for workers and their families. Other studies have shown substantial long‐term lost earnings attributable to large‐scale layoffs, where no health impairment has taken place. This article uses evidence from these and other studies of apparently different situations to draw inferences about how managers' actions and public policy choices can affect the costs of occupational injuries and illnesses. Although primary prevention remains the policy of choice, reduction in the impact of workplace injuries and illnesses can decrease the costs of these events and can provide substantial benefits. This article proposes two hypotheses and discusses the evidence for each: (a) Loss of the job held at the onset of illness or injury increases time off work and exacerbates workers' lost earnings. (b) Workers' losses may be substantially reduced by policies that encourage employers to rehire people recovering from or disabled by workplace injuries and illnesses.


Biophysical properties and microstructural changes of swelling cornea which caused by endothelial cells damage will be evaluated. Swelling cornea models were established by endothelial cells damage in 114 Sprague Dawley rats. Relative gray value, swelling rate and light transmittance were measured to evaluated the biophysical properties and microstructure changes were observed by transmission electron microscopy. Relative gray value decreased while swelling rate rose along with time and both of them reached relative stability after 7 days. Light transmittance showed a decline trend with time even after coreal thickness had reached stable stage. Observed by transmission electron microscopy, interfibrillar distance increased, fewer proteoglycans coating appeared and remnants proteoglycan branches became thinner and longer in 7 days. Diameter of fibrils didn't change obviously with time. In cornea edema models caused by endothelial cells damage, the changes of biophysical property and the microstructure can help us evaluate corneal edema accurately and objectively.


RATIONALE
Mummification is one of the defining customs of Ancient Egypt. The nuances of the embalming procedure and the composition of the embalming mixtures have attracted the attention of scientists and laypeople for a long time. Modern analytical tools make mummy studies more efficient.

METHODS
Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography - high resolution mass spectrometry with complementary ionization methods (electron ionization, positive chemical ionization, electron capture negative ionization) with a Pegasus GC-HRT+ 4D instrument was used to identify embalming components in the mummy from the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts acquired in 1913 in London at the de Rustafjaell sale. The mummy dates back to the late Predynastic period (direct AMS-dating 3356-3098 BC), being one of the oldest in the world.

RESULTS
The results demonstrated the complexity of the embalming mixtures that were already in use 5000 years ago. Several hundred organic compounds were identified in the mummy samples. Various types of hydrocarbons (triterpanes, steranes, isoprenoid and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) prove the presence of petroleum products. Iodinated compounds detected using electron capture negative ionization define oils of marine origin, while esters of palmitic acid indicate the use of beeswax. The nature of the discovered components of conifer tar proves that the preliminary processing of conifer resins involved heating. GCxGC/HRMS also allowed a number of modern contaminants (phthalates, organophosphates, and even DDT) to be identified.

CONCLUSIONS
Application of a powerful GCxGC/HRMS technique with complementary ionization methods allowed significant widening of the range of organic compounds used for mummification that could be identified. The complexity of the embalming mixtures supports the hypothesis of the high social status of the child made on the basis of the preliminary study of the mummy.


Archaeological 3D digitization of skeletal elements is an essential aspect of the discipline. Objectives are various: archiving of data (especially before destructive sampling for biomolecular studies for example), study or for pedagogical purposes to allow their manipulation. As techniques are rapidly evolving, the question that arises is the use of appropriate methods to answer the different questions and guarantee sufficient quality of information. The combined use of different 3D technologies for the study of a single Mesolithic bone fragment from Brittany (France) is here an opportunity to compare different 3D digitization methods. This oldest human bone of Brittany, a clavicle constituted of two pieces, was dug up from the mesolithic shell midden of Beg-er-Vil in Quiberon and dated from ca. 8200 to 8000 years BP. They are bound to post-mortem processing, realized on fresh bone in order to remove the integuments, which it is necessary to better qualify. The clavicle was studied through a process that combines advanced 3D image acquisition, 3D processing, and 3D printing with the goal to provide relevant support for the experts involved in the work. The bones were first studied with a metallographic microscopy, scanned with a CT scan, and digitized with photogrammetry in order to get a high quality textured model. The CT scan appeared to be insufficient for a detailed analysis; the study was thus completed with a µ-CT providing a very accurate 3D model of the bone. Several 3D-printed copies of the collarbone were produced in order to support knowledge sharing between the experts involved in the study. The 3D models generated from µCT and photogrammetry were combined to provide an accurate and detailed 3D model. This model was used to study desquamation and the different cut marks, including their angle of attack. These cut marks were also studied with traditional binoculars and digital microscopy. This last technique allowed characterizing their type, revealing a probable meat cutting process with a flint tool. This work of crossed analyses allows us to document a fundamental patrimonial piece, and to ensure its preservation. Copies are also available for the regional museums.


Obesity is an important nutritional deviation that is exponentially increasing in Brazil and in the world, becoming a public health problem. The World Health Organization verified
in 2005 that 1.6 billion people above 15 years old were overweight and 400 million were obese. Among children, 20 million were overweight. Amongst the different treatments for
the obesity the bariatric surgery has been used very often nowadays, for being effective against weight excess and associated co-morbidities, both for the adult and youngster
populations. The surgical techniques are divided in restrictive, disabsorptive and mixed procedures. Each technique promotes digestive and absorptive distinct alterations, needing,
therefore, an exclusive multidisciplinary educational program, directed both to pre and postsurgery periods, emphasizing the habits of physical activity and the necessity to adhere to
the restricted dietary recommendations. The surgeries promote a severe reduction in the consumption, which induces to the ingestion of diets that are hypocaloric and deficient in
micronutrients, with consequent nutritional complications.


Directorate of Academy Operations (DAO) of XYZ University functions to support the ongoing academic process. DAO activities supported by information technology (IT) include: manage student data, manage teaching data, and manage lecturer data. Activities conducted in this research study was to assess the current alignment between IT and business strategy of DAO using the COBIT 4.1. The result shows we can conduct an analysis using the COBIT 4.1 framework to formulate strategic recommendations related to the use of IS/IT by DAO. The purpose of this research is to know the alignment strategic between business strategic of DAO and information technology. Organizations use information technology as a tool to achieve purpose. Often information technology is not participated as strategic tool to achieve organization purpose. Or in other words, organization has different purpose from information technology.


Background Studies of blood glucose (BG) control during Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) admission have demonstrated worse outcomes with hyper- and hypoglycemia. The majority of these studies have used intermittent blood sampling protocols, which are inherently prone to sampling frequency bias [1]. Admission BG is a single value, and is therefore immune to sampling frequency bias. The relationship between clinical outcomes and admission BG has been described in critically ill adults [2], but this relationship has not been previously investigated in critically ill children. Aims In a cohort of PICU patients to describe: The relationship between admission BG and PICU mortality. The prevalence of admission hypoglycaemia. Setting Mixed medical and surgical PICU in a tertiary children's hospital. Methods Retrospective, analytical, cohort study. BG values obtained from blood gas electronic database. Admission glucose defined as first BG within one hour of admission. Readmissions were excluded. Mortality rate was calculated for each decile of admission BG. Proportion of hypoglycaemia was calculated for whole cohort, and by age and surgical status. The definitions of hypoglycaemia: severe <=2.2 mmol/L; moderate <4.0 mmol/L. Results 3129 consecutive patients were included. PICU mortality by decile of BG demonstrated a U-shaped curve: higher mortality risk at low and high values (Figure 1). Abstract G461(P) Figure 1 Overall prevalence of admission hypoglycemia: Moderate: 7.6%. Severe: 1.3% Prevalence of admission hypoglycemia was inversely related to age, with highest prevalence in neonates. Admission hypoglycemia was more common in non-surgical patients, compared with surgical patients in all age groups. Highest prevalence of hypoglycaemia was in non-surgical neonates: 23.5%, 2.9% – moderate and severe hypoglycemia, respectively. Conclusions Previous studies have focused on the clinical associations of hyperglycaemia. This study shows that admission hypoglycemia is equally important as hyperglycaemia, in terms of PICU mortality. The higher prevalence of hypoglycaemia in non-surgical neonatal patients may reflect reduced or exhausted glycogen stores. Clinicians should be aware of this marker of raised mortality risk when admitting patients to PICU. References Plunkett et al. Observational Studies of Glucose Homeostasis are Susceptible to Sampling Frequency Bias. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine 2013 Evans et al. Assessing the relationship between admission glucose levels, subsequent length of hospital stay, readmission and mortality. Clinical Medicine 2012


Horaeomorphus Schaufuss is an easily identifiable genus of Stenichnini, predominantly distributed in the Australasian realm. Many scydmaenines occurring in other regions, however, have been misplaced in Horaeomorphus, and therefore the true distribution of this genus remains unclear. In previous studies several new genera were established for Australian species misplaced in Horaeomorphus, and a few species misplaced in Euconnus Thomson, Stenichnus Thomson, and Syndicus Motschulsky were transferred to Horaeomorphus. Three species that inhabit New Caledonia were placed in this genus: Horaeomorphus australis Franz, H. baloghi Franz, and H. novaecaledoniae Franz. Examination of these taxa revealed that none of them was conspecific with the SE Asian type species of Horaeomorphus. Three new combinations are proposed: Heterotetramelus (s. str.) australis (Franz) comb. n., Heterotetramelus (s. str.) baloghi (Franz) comb. n., and Heterotetramelus (s. str.) novaecaledoniae (Franz) comb. n.; each species is redescribed.


Degraded communities often contain a subset of the species that comprised the predisturbance community. These represent an important legacy of the predisturbance state, yet restoration treatments may be detrimental to them. This study examined the potential of leaf traits and life form to predict whether restoration treatments can maintain legacy swards of Austrostipa bigeniculata (hereafter Austrostipa) while controlling exotic annuals in temperate eucalypt woodlands. Treatments included carbon addition to reduce soil nitrate, both with and without burning or pulse grazing to deplete exotic seed pools. We compared leaf traits of Austrostipa with a native grass (Themeda triandra) known to be advantaged, and 8 exotic annual species known to be disadvantaged by these treatments. Leaf traits indicated potentially greater negative impacts of carbon addition on exotic annuals compared to Austrostipa, and on Austrostipa compared to Themeda, suggesting a net restoration benefit. Similarly, burning or pulse grazing is expected to have little negative impact on perennial resprouting grasses (hemicryptophytes; Austrostipa and Themeda) compared with annual exotics (therophytes) with short‐lived seed banks. Treatment responses were largely consistent with predictions: treatments that significantly reduced exotic annuals had no net disadvantage to Austrostipa swards despite significant reductions in Austrostipa seedling growth with carbon addition. Indeed by Year 3, Austrostipa mortality in untreated plots led to 46% lower Austrostipa abundance than in treated plots at one site, potentially due to litter build‐up or other mechanisms. We conclude that plant traits provide a useful framework for designing restoration transitions that retain native legacy species while controlling exotics.


Prior to the 2002 electoral reform, political parties in Russia's regional legislative elections showed poor performance. Since December 2003, however, all regions have been obliged to elect no less than half of the members of their assemblies by proportional representation. As a result, party competition at the sub-national level became unavoidable. This study tests three kinds of hypotheses dealing with the institutional, sociological, and political factors in the fragmentation of party systems within Russia's regions. The analysis demonstrates that political factors, especially the activity of the Kremlin and the heads of regional executives, have played the primary role in shaping regional party systems.


Association rule is one of the data mining techniques to find associative combinations of items. There are several algorithms including Apriori, FP Growth, and CT-Pro. One of the advantages of the Apriori algorithm is that it produces many rules. To improve its result, one of the methods is by using the semantic web technology. This work proposes how the hierarchical type of ontology can be utilized by the Apriori algorithm to improve the results. The Apriori with ontology implements the Interestingness Rule (IR) which is a parameter to determine the degree of association between combinations of items in a dataset. The series of experiments show that the proposed idea can improve the results compare to the default Apriori algorithm. Keywords—Association Rule, Apriori, Ontology, Interestingness


Vehicular communications are emerging as a promising technology to enable communications using vehicles as network nodes. VDTNs appear as a novel approach to enable services and applications where it is not possible to define an end-to-end path. To allow communications in such challenging environments, VDTNs rely for their operation on cooperation between network nodes, which contributes to increasing network connectivity and improving overall network performance. To accomplish such a task, nodes may be asked to share their constrained storage, bandwidth, and energy resources with one another. However, nodes may be unwilling to cooperate in order to save resources or due to selfish behavior. This kind of node severely affects the network functionality. This article gives an overview of the field, providing motivations, challenges, and an evaluation of the impact of cooperative measures on the performance of VDTN networks.


ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to compare circulating lipid docosahexaenoic acid [22:6(n-3), DHA] levels in term infants fed a powdered (CORN oil) or liquid (SOY oil) infant formula or human milk (HM). Infants whose mothers chose not to breast feed were randomly assigned to the CORN or SOY formula group. The formula fat differed in linolenic acid [18:3(n-3)] content: it was 0.8% for the CORN and 4.8% for the SOY. Linoleic acid (18:2(n-6)] was 31.5 and 34.2% fatty acids in the CORN and SOY formula, respectively. The formulas or HM were fed from birth through 8 wk of age, and growth and the plasma and red blood cell (RBC) phospholipid fatty acid composition was determined at 3 d, 4 wk, and 8 wk of age. Growth did not differ among groups. The plasma phospholipid and RBC phosphatidylethanolamine DHA was similar in the CORN and SOY formula groups at all ages. Plasma and RBC phosphatidylethanolamine levels of DHA were significantly lower in infants fed the CORN or SOY formula than in infants fed HM during wk 4 and 8. Plasma and RBC 22:5(n-6) was not increased in the formula groups at any age. The formula content of linolenic acid had no effect on the RBC or plasma DHA levels of the infants. The biologic or functional significance of the lower plasma and RBC DHA in infants fed formula rather than HM is unknown. The need for a dietary source of DHA and specificity of plasma or RBC phospholipid DHA as a measure of desaturation and elongation of linolenic acid in developing organs remains uncertain.


The phenomenon of slums in Algeria dates back to the 1930s following the deterioration of the rural economy and the mass exodus to the big cities. After independence, this phenomenon was accentuated and generalized to several towns. State efforts to eradicate informal settlements and relocate their inhabitants have not succeeded in solving this problem; on the contrary, slums have evolved into permanent settlements. The Chouf Lekdad district in Sétif illustrates this evolution and this change in status, hence the need to take a different look at this type of district. The objective of this work is to explore the spatial configuration of the Chouf Lekdad district through the study of its network of streets and the distribution of houses in space. To achieve this, we opted for the theory of space syntax using the axial map, all-line analysis and the Visibility graph analysis (VGA). The results revealed a hierarchy of streets and spaces as well as the importance, of certain areas such as mechanical access and the center of the slum.


This report describes the case of a 24-year-old female heroin addict with large tricuspid valve vegetation, recurrent septic pulmonary emboli, and renal failure, due to immune-complex nephritis. The clinical course was initially complicated by acute hepatitis A. Because of recurrent emboli and persistent fever despite adequate antibiotic therapy she underwent excision of the vegetation ("vegetectomy") and tricuspid valvuloplasty. She was well at follow-up 12 months later with trivial tricuspid regurgitation shown by doppler-echocardiography. Kidney and liver function were normal. Right-heart endocarditis in drug addiction and therapeutic approaches are discussed. In selected cases "vegetectomy" and valvuloplasty offer a promising therapeutic alternative.


Septic bursitis (SB) mainly affects the olecranon and patellar bursae. Subcutaneous localisation predisposes to trauma and may subsequently lead to infection. Most cases of SB are related to the subject's occupation (roofing, gardening, plumbing), but surgical interventions (aspiration, intrabursal injection) are among other probable causes.1 Bacteria account for most cases, Staphylococcus aureus being the most commonly found (80%).1,2 Fungal isolation is quite rare and always associated with immunosuppresion or debilitating conditions,3 but some species of Candida, Cryptococcus, Penicillium , and Sporothrix schenckii have been described.1 These atypical organisms usually develop in a late indolent pattern, and a delay in diagnosis and treatment may lead to considerable difficulties in eradication of infection. We report a case of SB caused by Candida parapsilosis in a previously healthy man, with no underlying disease or any risk factors, including HIV infection, who probably acquired joint infection at the hospital secondary to local steroid injection.

A 32 year old man with a one month history of mild inflammation of the right elbow presented to our hospital on 19 May 2000. He had an unremarkable past medical history, which did not include any toxic habits or recent trauma. Bursal aspiration showed that the synovial fluid had inflammatory characteristics (leucocyte count 4.9×109 cells/l (54% neutrophils), and a glucose level …


Conventional water quality monitoring has been done for decades in Lake Tanganyika, under different national and international programs. However, these projects utilized monitoring approaches, which were temporally limited, labour intensive and costly. This study examines the use of citizen science to monitor the dynamics of coliform concentrations in Lake Tanganyika as a complementary method to statutory and project-focused measurements. Persons in five coastal communities (Kibirizi, Ilagala, Karago, Ujiji and Gombe) were trained and monitored total coliforms, faecal coliforms and turbidity for one year on a monthly basis, in parallel with professional scientists. A standardized and calibrated Secchi tube was used at the same time to determine turbidity. Results indicate that total and faecal coliform concentrations determined by citizen scientists correlated well to those determined by professional scientists. Furthermore, citizen scientist-based turbidity values were shown to provide a potential indicator for high FC and TC concentrations. As a simple tiered approach to identify increased coliform loads, trained local citizen scientists could use low-cost turbidity measurements with follow up sampling and analysis for coliforms, to inform their communities and regulatory bodies of high risk conditions, as well as to validate local mitigation actions. By comparing the spatial and temporal dynamics of coliform concentrations to local conditions of infrastructure, population, precipitation and hydrology in the 15 sites (3 sites per community) over 12 months, potential drivers of coliform pollution in these communities were identified, largely related to precipitation dynamics and the land use.


Background Pulmonary microvascular occlusions can aggravate SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia and result in a variable decrease in capillary blood volume (Vc). Dyspnoea may persist for several weeks after hospital discharge in many patients who have "radiologically recovered" from COVID-19 pneumonia. Dyspnoea is frequently "unexplained" in these cases because abnormalities in lung vasculature are understudied. Furthermore, even when they are identified, therapeutic options are still lacking in clinical practice, with nitric oxide (NO) supplementation being used only for severe respiratory failure in the hospital setting. Nebivolol is the only selective β1 adrenoceptor antagonist capable of inducing nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation by stimulating endothelial NO synthase via β3 agonism. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of nebivolol versus placebo in patients who had low Vc and complained of dyspnoea for several weeks after COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods Patients of both genders, aged ≥18 years, non-smokers, who had a CT scan that revealed no COVID-related parenchymal lesions but still complaining of dyspnoea 12-16 weeks after hospital discharge, were recruited. Spirometrical volumes, blood haemoglobin, SpO2, simultaneous diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (CO) and NO (DLCO and DLNO, respectively), DLNO/DLCO ratio, Vc and exhaled NO (eNO) were measured together with their dyspnoea score (DS), heart frequency (HF), and blood arterial pressure (BAP). Data were collected before and one week after both placebo (P) and nebivolol (N) (2.5 mg od) double-blind cross-over administered at a two-week interval. Data were statistically compared, and p<0.05 assumed as statistically significant. Results Eight patients (3 males) were investigated. In baseline, their mean DS was 2.5±0.6 SD, despite the normality of lung volumes. DLCO and DLNO mean values were lower than predicted, while mean DLNO/DLCO ratio was higher. Mean Vc proved substantially reduced. Placebo did not modify any variable (all p=ns) while N improved DLco and Vc significantly (+8.5%, p<0.04 and +17.7%, p<0.003, respectively). eNO also was significantly increased (+17.6%, p<0.002). Only N lowered the dyspnoea score (-76%, p<0.001). Systolic and diastolic BAP were slightly lowered (-7.5%, p<0.02 and -5.1%, p<0.04, respectively), together with HF (-16.8%, p<0.03). Conclusions The simultaneous assessment of DLNO, DLCO, DLNO/DLCO ratio, and Vc confirmed that long-lasting dyspnoea is related to hidden abnormalities in the lung capillary vasculature. These abnormalities can persist even after the complete resolution of parenchymal lesions regardless of the normality of lung volumes. Nebivolol, but not placebo, improves DS and Vc significantly. The mechanism suggested is the NO-mediated vasodilation via the β3 adrenoceptor stimulation of endothelial NO synthase. This hypothesis is supported by the substantial increase of eNO only assessed after nebivolol. As the nebivolol tolerability in these post-COVID normotensive patients was very good, the therapeutic use of nebivolol against residual and symptomatic signs of long-COVID can be suggested in out-patients.


BACKGROUND
Value-based healthcare (VBHC) is a conceptual framework to improve the value of healthcare by health, care-process and economic outcomes. Benchmarking should provide useful information to identify best practices and therefore a good instrument to improve quality across healthcare organizations. This paper aims to provide a proof-of-concept of the feasibility of an international VBHC benchmarking in breast cancer, with the ultimate aim of being used to share best practices with a data-driven approach among healthcare organizations from different health systems.

METHODS
In the VOICE community-a European healthcare centre cluster intending to address VBHC from theory to practice-information on patient-reported, clinical-related, care-process-related and economic-related outcomes were collected. Patient archetypes were identified using clustering techniques and an indicator set following a modified Delphi was defined. Benchmarking was performed using regression models controlling for patient archetypes and socio-demographic characteristics.

RESULTS
Six hundred and ninety patients from six healthcare centres were included. A set of 50 health, care-process and economic indicators was distilled for benchmarking. Statistically significant differences across sites have been found in most health outcomes, half of the care-process indicators, and all economic indicators, allowing for identifying the best and worst performers.

CONCLUSIONS
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first international experience providing evidence to be used with VBHC benchmarking intention. Differences in indicators across healthcare centres should be used to identify best practices and improve healthcare quality following further research. Applied methods might help to move forward with VBHC benchmarking in other medical conditions.