This study explored the effects of perceived racism and social support (quantity and quality) on blood pressure reactivity. In a college sample of 64 Blacks (M age = 22.69 years, SD = 6.60), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were assessed before and during a standardized serial subtraction task. Perceptions of racism and the quantity and quality of social support were measured by self- report. Separate multiple regression analyses revealed that perceived racism and social support (neither quantity nor quality) were not independent predictors of SBP or DBP changes (ps > .05). These analyses did indicate that perceived racism interacted with the quantity of social support (p < .002, partial R2 = .175) and with the quality of social support (p < .0007, partial R2 = .195) to predict DBP changes. Perceived racism also interacted with the quantity of social support to predict changes in SBP (p < .02, partial R2 = .11). In general, whereas high social support was related to less marked blood pressure changes under conditions of low perceived racism, high social support was associated with exaggerated blood pressure changes under conditions of high perceived racism. These significant interaction effects persisted after statistically controlling for potential confounders. The findings highlight the importance of examining the joint contribution of real- world experiences and coping resources to blood pressure reactivity in Blacks.


This paper presents a three-dimensional coupled approach for transient simulation of electromagnetic devices. The approach is based on the A-V-A formulation, in which the eddy current field and the electric circuit equations are solved simultaneously. The Newton-Raphson procedure has been used to take the magnetic non-linearity into account. The transient short-circuit state of a 240000 kVA power transformer is simulated by the coupled approach.


The energy efficiency of dividing wall column (DWC) can be improved by the vapor recompression (VRC) technology, but large temperature difference between the overhead and bottom of the DWC limits the application of VRC. To fully recover the heat generated by the VRC under large compression ratio, new intensified heat integrations of the VRC assisted DWC are provided in this paper. In the intensified configurations, the reboiler condensed liquid is used to vaporize the side liquid stream in an intermediate reboiler (IR), the overhead vapor is preheated by the subcooled liquid. The best IR position can be gotten by the aid of the column grand composite curves (CGCC) of the DWC. Three separation cases with different ESI values are simulated to validity the energy capacity of the intensified configurations, the results show that the intensified heat integration technolgy can significantly improve the energy efficiency of the DWC with large temperature difference between the overhead and the bottom.


Total shoulder replacements should, as far as possible, be designed after normal anatomy. A small mismatch in curvature between the humeral head and glenoid surfaces may reduce edge loading when the humerus translates on the glenoid, but may increase contact stresses caused by point loading. Modularity increases sizing options but decreases head size for a given soft-tissue space and introduces the risk of component dissociation. Releases and soft-tissue balancing at surgery, and rehabilitation afterwards, are more important than the type of glenohumeral prosthesis implanted.


Finding the precise correspondence between lattice operators and the continuum elds that describe their long-distance properties is a largely open problem for strongly interacting critical points. Here we solve this problem essentially completely in the case of the three-state Potts model, which exhibits a phase transition described by a strongly interacting 'parafermion' conformal eld theory. Using symmetry arguments, insights from integrability, and extensive simulations, we construct lattice analogues of nearly all the relevant and marginal physical elds governing this transition. This construction includes chiral elds such as the parafermion. Along the way we also clarify the structure of operator product expansions between order and disorder elds, which we conrm numerically. Our results both suggest a systematic methodology for attacking non-free eld theories on the lattice and nd broader applications in the pursuit of exotic topologically ordered phases of matter.


BACKGROUND
The prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity is increasing worldwide. Reports suggest that elevated body mass index (BMI) is associated with larger craniofacial dimensions and advanced dental and skeletal development. Such an association is important for timing orthodontic treatment relative to pubertal growth and dental eruption.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
To evaluate associations between BMI, craniofacial morphology, dental age, and cervical vertebrae maturation staging (CVMS), 400 participants were consecutively selected (8-15 years, n = 200 overweight and obese BMI >85%, 200 normal weight) from the University of North Carolina database. Records were analysed for cephalometric measures, Demirjian index values, and CVMS. Bivariate statistics and linear regression analysis evaluated whether CVMS, dental age, and cephalometric dimensions varied with BMI.

RESULTS
Overweight/obese children and adolescents had a proportionally larger bimaxillary prognathic skeletal pattern compared to those of normal weight. These cephalometric measurements [articulare-gnathion (Ar-Gn), condylion-anterior nasal spine (Co-ANS), sella-gonion (S-Go), nasion-menton (N-Me), anterior nasal spine-menton (ANS-Me), sella-nasion-A point (SNA), sella-nasion-B point (SNB), and sella-nasion-pogonion (SNPg)] were significantly different [statistically (P < 0.05) and clinically (>2 mm or >2 degrees)] between the two study groups, with a linear relationship between BMI percentile and craniofacial dimension. The overweight/obese BMI group had a mean dental age 1.4 years advanced relative to the normal weight group (P < 0.05), with an advancement of nearly one CVM stage between the ages of 12 and 14 (P < 0.05).

LIMITATIONS
The study is retrospective.

CONCLUSIONS
Obese/overweight children and adolescents have proportionally larger antero-posterior and vertical dimensions and are more likely to experience advanced dental and skeletal maturation. Obese/overweight subjects may enter their growth spurt at a younger age and have earlier eruption of teeth, affecting treatment timing. BMI percentile should be a consideration for orthodontic treatment in growing patients.


The Finnish educational system is well known for its excellent learning results, highly trained teachers and egalitarian values. However, when the political leanings of the government change, its policies are usually altered as well. In this policy report we give an account of the recent changes and current trends in Finnish education policy. We analyse the characteristics of the Sipilä Government's current education policy since 2015 and compare it to the Nordic welfare-state ideals of universalism, equality and social justice which have traditionally been the key building blocks of the Finnish education system. The Government's policy appears to be narrow-minded and ignorant of issues related to educational equality, stressing instead the importance of a flexible workforce and national competitiveness. We will reflect on the characteristics of Finnish education policy in light of the debate regarding academic capitalism and as part of an overarching trend of social inequality in Europe.


A Logical Form (LF) is a syntactic structure that is interpreted by the semantic component. For a particular structure to be a possible LF it has to be possible for syntax to generate it and for semantics to interpret it. The study of LF must therefore take into account both assumptions about syntax and about semantics, and since there is much disagreement in both areas, disagreements on LF have been plentiful. This makes the task of writing a survey article in the field fairly difficult, a difficulty that is amplified by the amount of material that needs to be covered if the result is going to be in any way representative. My response to this difficulty is to limit my objectives. As a start, I will confine myself to issues relating to the syntactic positions of Quantificational Noun Phrases (QNPs) at LF and to various interpretive consequences. But even within these relatively narrow confines, I will not attempt anything close to a comprehensive survey. Instead my goal will be restricted to the presentation of one leading idea and to the discussion of some evidence that might bear on it. Much research on the nature of LF has consisted in attempts to account for the meaning of sentences containing QNPs:


The efficiency of tuberculosis control programs is largely determined by methods for rapid diagnosis of the agent. In comparison with the traditional methods, new molecular technologies for characterization of mycobacteria appear to be more promising, because the result can be obtained in almost no time. Sixty-five strains of M. tuberculosis isolated in various regions of Russia were investigated. Drug resistance and strain appurtenance of this sample were determined by classical (absolute concentrations method, IS6110-RFLP) and modern molecular genetic methods (detection of mutations in rpo B gene, DRE-PCR). The spectrum of mutations of the rpoB gene associated with rifampicin resistance was evaluated by direct sequencing. Mutations involving codons 531 (62.7%), 526 (18.6%), and 516 (10.2%) of rpoB gene predominated in the studied sample. The studied strains were discriminated into 52 individual strains by IS6110-RFLP and DRE-PCR typing. Analysis of the resultant genetic variants showed the predominance of M. tuberculosis family W. The efficiency of combined approach to screening for M. tuberculosis is discussed.


Artificial neural networks are applied for modeling the input and output circuits of the digital part of the digital–analog and analog–digital interface, respectively, in CMOS mixed-mode circuits. The generalization property of the neural networks is exploited to apply the models in a set of previously unknown situations, the most important being loading the model generated from the unloaded circuit. The models developed are applicable in mixed-signal behavioral simulations.


Software tools can improve the quality and maintainability of software, but are expensive to acquire, deploy and maintain, especially in large organizations. We explore how to quantify the effects of a software tool once it has been deployed in a development environment. We present a simple methodology for tool evaluation that correlates tool usage statistics with estimates of developer effort, as derived from a project's change history (version control system). Our work complements controlled experiments on software tools, which usually take place outside the industrial setting, and tool assessment studies that predict the impact of software tools before deployment. Our analysis is inexpensive, non-intrusive and can be applied to an entire software project in its actual setting. A key part of our analysis is how to control confounding variables such as developer work-style and experience in order accurately to quantify the impact of a tool on developer effort. We demonstrate our method in a case study of a software tool called VE, a version-sensitive editor used in BellLabs. VE aids software developers in coping with the rampant use of preprocessor directives (such as if/ endif) in C source files. Our analysis found that developers were approximately 36% more productive when using VE than when using standard text editors.


Technology has boosted the existence of humankind the quality of life they live. Every day we are planning to create something new and different. We have a solution for every other problem we have machines to support our lives and make us somewhat complete in the banking sector candidate gets proofs/ backup before approval of the loan amount. The application approved or not approved depends upon the historical data of the candidate by the system. Every day lots of people applying for the loan in the banking sector but Bank would have limited funds. In this case, the right prediction would be very beneficial using some classes-function algorithm. An example the logistic regression, random forest classifier, support vector machine classifier, etc. A Bank's profit and loss depend on the amount of the loans that is whether the Client or customer is paying back the loan. Recovery of loans is the most important for the banking sector. The improvement process plays an important role in the banking sector. The historical data of candidates was used to build a machine learning model using different classification algorithms. The main objective of this paper is to predict whether a new applicant granted the loan or not using machine learning models trained on the historical data set.


The aim of this work was to optimize a protocol for the cryopreservation of embryogenic cultures of olive (Olea europaea L.). Exposure time to loading solution and PVS2 significantly influenced the regrowth rate of both organized and non-organized tissues. Organized tissues were more sensitive to prolonged treatments with vitrification solutions compared to non-organized tissues. Three cryopreservation protocols were compared using non-organized tissues: the "classical" vitrification protocol, an ultra-fast freezing method using droplet vitrification on aluminium foil strips and a "classical" slow freezing method (1 degree C per min). The best results were obtained using the droplet vitrification method after a 60 min dehydration period with PVS2. Under these conditions, all cryopreserved cultures showed renewed embryogenesis six weeks after thawing. A long-term (7-8 weeks) sucrose preculture had a significant effect on the initial response of the cultures, allowing particularly to protect cells against the toxic effects of the vitrification solution.


Dengue is an increasingly common mosquito-borne, flaviviral disease of significant pub lic health concern. The disease is endemic throughout tropical and subtropical regions, placing almost half of the world's population at risk, and each year approaching 100 million people in around 130 countries are infected. There is acknowledged to be four antigenically distinct serotypes of the virus, and arguably a fifth, each of which elicits a full spectrum of clinical disease. This ranges from asymptomatic self-limiting infec tion to life-threatening severe manifestations characterized by plasma leakage, bleeding, and/or organ failure. Recovery from primary infection by one serotype provides life-long immunity against reinfection by that particular serotype, whereas with subsequent infections by other serotypes, the risk of developing severe dengue is increased. Rising mortality and morbidity rates caused by infection in recent years are attributable partly to a lack of availability of effective antiviral therapies and vaccines. In this context, early detection of infection with sensitive and specific laboratory tools and the prompt clinical management of this disease is a health care priority. Although a variety of techniques are currently used for laboratory diagnosis of dengue, no single methodology satisfies the ideal requirement for both sensitivity and specificity, while also being rapid and inex - pensive. Newer detection tools that can fill this acknowledged gap in dengue diagnosis are urgently required.


Service compositions have recently been in the spotlight. Although they are not something new, as the complexity of service based systems grows, we observe an ever increasing interest in these approaches. Choreographies are one specific kind of service composition in which the responsibilities for the execution of the system are shared by its service components without any central point of coordination. Choreography clients expect a minimum level of Quality of Services (QoS), however, due to the distributed nature of these systems, a manual approach to resource usage monitoring and allocation is not only inefficient but also does not scale. In this paper we present an open source choreography enactment engine that is capable of automatically deploying and executing a given composition. Additionally, it also monitors a composition execution to perform automatic resource provisioning and dynamic service reconfiguration based on pre-defined Service Level Agreements (SLA) constraints. We evaluated our system on Amazon EC2 and preliminary results demonstrate that it is able maintain the QoS of a composition, even when faced with varying levels of load, while at the same time reducing costs by using as little computational resources as possible.


BACKGROUND
: A 4-year retrospective review of injury to the intracranial internal carotid artery at the skull base was undertaken to assess the impact of the injuries and their consequence in both the adult and the pediatric population.

METHODS
: The trauma registry followed by confirmatory chart reviews provided the total number of admissions, the mode of injury, demographics, and subdivided the trauma patients into the different groupings used in this study.

RESULTS
: In our series, traumatic damage to the intracranial internal carotid artery represented 1.495% of all facial trauma seen during a 4-year period at a Level I Trauma Center. Of the 10 patients seen with injury to the intracranial internal carotid artery at the siphon, 3 were pediatric patents, and all of these ended with permanent neurologic deficits. Adults fared better, exhibiting either no neurologic symptoms or transient neurologic symptoms that resolved over time. The exception was a patient who expired in the Emergency Center from a clival fracture involving transaction of both intracranial internal carotid arteries.

CONCLUSIONS
: Traumatic damage to the intracranial internal carotid artery is a rare event fraught with the difficulty of early diagnosis in the midst of major life-threatening multiorgan trauma. Within the different age groups, adults fared better than children.


Malignant cells build up a protective scaffold in form of fibrin meshwork surrounding the tumor cells and provide an extracellular matrix (ECM) consisting of proteoglycans, collagens, glycoproteins, and glycosaminoglycans. Simultaneously, they produce stem cells in an early cancer stadium, which gain the energy and oxygen for their metabolism from the anaerobic glycolysis and are therefore independent of arterial supply. Many publications show that heparins have a wide variety of efficiencies to tumor metabolism because they have the highest negative charge density of any known biological molecules. Therefore, they should be exogenously added in high dosages. In an ambulant trial with daily exogenously added heparins, methadone and a combined clopidogrel/aspirin therapy the survival probability over 12 months was significantly higher than without (p<0,001). Additionally, zoledronic acid was given as infusion every 2 months. This auxiliary treatment has the potential to support established therapies. With methadone, heparins, zoledronic acid and clopidogrel/aspirin we present as supplement to the oncological therapy a model in treatment of malignant cells. Key words: malignant cells, methadone, heparin, zoledronic acid, anticoagulants.


The future, generation of satellite multimedia personal communications requires dynamical control and stringent quality of service (QoS) guarantee. It is known, that the MAC protocols developments have a dominant effect on the ensuring ability of the QoS and other breakthrough wireless technologies 4G. This paper proposes a novel QoS-oriented long-delay multifunctional MAC technology fundamentals, which ensure a perspective basis for creating a cost-effective completely distributed (neural-like) all-MPLS/ATM-MFMAC architecture for satellite multimedia personal systems 4G with dynamical control of QoS provisioning of the integrated services corresponding up to each terminal, each service or function, each kind information or connection, each time interval. The proposed architecture develops another alternative of all-MPLS/ATM integration suitable for completely distributed traffic structures, which creates on the effective technique of ATM selecting, rather than ATM switching.


The results of the study opening up new possibilities for differential diagnostics of vestibular and psychogenic dizziness are presented. A specially developed combined approach was used including a set of highly informative stabilometric tests for the verification of pathological changes in the vestibular analyzer, such as Romberg test with both open and closed eyes, tandem test, head turn and tilt tests. The groups of the subjected enrolled in the study were shown to possess statistically different stabilometric characteristics.


Abstract On 5 November 1977 a weak downburst associated with a multicell storm passed over an instrumented tower at Bald Hills, a suburb of Brisbane, Australia. Associated with the thunderstorm was a dome of cold air estimated to be 1200 to 1800 m deep. Two downdrafts, at least one of which was large enough to be called a downburst, penetrated to the ground near the front edge of this dome. The downburst substantially maintained its vertical velocity down to 100 m above the ground, with one parcel of air having a high vertical velocity and a lateral extent of about 180 m penetrating down to the 58 m level. About 1 km ahead of the downburst, and within the density current outflow from the storm, was a second gust front which may have been the low level manifestation of the toroidal vortex that initially surrounds a downburst, and is responsible for the severe horizontal outward flow. Just ahead of this second gust front and cantered at a height of about 50 m, was an indication of a counter-rotating vortex,...


"To celebrate twenty years in operation he [Andy Brown] asked one author or artist for each year of the press who had a book out that year to contribute something new, something that represented Conundrum. For some it would have been the first book he or she had ever made. So in the end twenty Conundrumites represent twenty years, hence 20×20. There will be digging deep into the archives, there will be memoirs, there will be comics, drawings, and photographs. There will be laughter and tears of joy." -- Publisher's website.


This Research aims to identify and empirically examine (1) the effect of quality of work life on the work engagement. (2) the effect of self determination on work engagement. (3) the impact of job performance on work engagement. (4) the effect of Quality of Worklife, Self Determintion, and Job Performance simultaneously on the work engagement. Variables that used in this study were Quality of Worklife, Self Determintion, Job Performanceas independent variables andwork engagementas adependent variable.
The sample of this research was 100 employees of PT. Pamor Sinning Mill'sas respondents by random sampling techniques. Methods of data collection by using questionnaires. Data analysis techniques is multiple regression analysis, F test, andt test. The t test showed that all independents variable has partial effect on the dependent variable, while Ftest analysis data finds that there are
2
simultaneously effect of variables quality of work life, self determination, and job performance on the work Engagement.


The term sustainability has multidisciplinary use and meaning. Sustainability is typically described by many sources as development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable construction projects are those that ensure the consideration of economic, environmental and social impacts that are created by their activities. It includes all the construction related tasks and the company's management. This research focuses mainly on the criteria of social and environmental sustainability. Social sustainability, whose criteria is based on the classification of company's stakeholders and the project's, and environmental sustainability, also called physical dimensions of sustainability, whose criteria are those related to resources and the environment. This paper aims to recognize the most known sustainability certification systems, how they classify their criteria and rate their metrics. After the research, we can conclude that the certification systems incorporate more metrics for criteria of environmental sustainability than for social sustainability.


After the recognition of the various phase of the physiologic differentiation and transformation of lymphocytes (from the stem cells over T-prolymphoblasts and lymphoblasts to the effector-T-cells and over the B-lymphoblasts, B1-lymphocytes to the lymphatic plasma cells and, respectively, over centroblasts, centrocytes, B2-lymphocytes to the Marschalko plasma cells) it became clear that the non-Hodgkin-lymphomas correspond to the individual, apparently blocked phases of the differentiation and transformation. The classification after Kiel distinguishes non-Hodgkin-lymphomas of a malignity of low degree (CLL, centrocytoma, centroblastic-centrocytic lymphoma, immunocytomas) and of high degree (T-lymphoblastoma, centroblastoma, immunoblastoma). An essential part of these tumours may be diagnosed with the help of the usual light-microscopic methods. When several supplementing cytochemical and immunocytological methods are used, nearly all non-Hodgkin-lymphomas are to be characterized, though border-line cases and non-classifiable non-Hodgkin-lymphomas rarely appear, but they appear.


ABSTRACT The aim of this case–control study was to determine if there is an association between vehicle panel damage and AIS3+ thoracic injuries. NASS CDS data from 2001 to 2012 was examined for single vehicle rollover crashes with occupants receiving serious thoracic injuries (cases) and those without thoracic injuries (controls). Vehicle panel damage for cases and controls were coded and logistic regression performed to determine if there is an association between serious thoracic injury and vehicle panel damage. Furthermore, an investigation into the differences in injury sources and injury outcomes between front-seated near- and far-side occupants was performed with the data. There were two main findings from this study. First, there is an association between the rear left segment, front left upper-half door, and front right upper-half door damage and serious thoracic injury. Second, the sources of thoracic injuries and the thoracic viscera injured are different for near-side and far-side occupants.


Accessibility is a key element of an effective primary care system. Literature has outlined that primary care practices have successfully employed an advanced access scheduler to improve accessibility to booked appointments and consequently enhance patient experience and outcomes. In 2015, a Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) primary care facility in Ottawa trialed an advanced access scheduler. Based on the unique characteristics of a CAF medical clinic and the patient population, this trial produced six critical lessons, which include maintenance of a stable base of clinicians, correcting rostering mismatches, eliminating appointment backlogs, acquiring required information systems, improved understanding of patient demand and communicating changes effectively. These lessons may be utilized by similar organizations to successfully integrate an advanced access scheduler within their primary care facilities.


Adsorption is one of the commonly used methods in wastewater treatment, but it has the problem of high cost and a complicated production process. In this paper, a low-cost and efficient decolorizing adsorbent was successfully prepared based on waste polyacrylonitrile fiber (PANF). The waste PANF was ammoniated by propylene diamine derivates (PANAMF), and benzylamine (PANABMF) and quaternary ammonium ions (PANQMF) were introduced for PANAMF to regulate hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity. With acidic red 249 as the model anionic dye, influences of the adsorption center structure, the degree of modification, the concentration of acid, the dye structure, and the auxiliary agent in the solution on the dye adsorption performance were studied. Isothermal models, kinetic models, reusability, and continuous application ability of the fiber adsorbent were discussed. PANAMF, PANABMF, and PANAQF exhibit excellent adsorption performance compared to the common adsorbent. After protonation, the saturation adsorption value can reach 2051.3 mg/g for PANAMF. PANAMF also exhibited excellent reusability, and the adsorption capacity after being reused eight times still can keep 72.7% of that for the first time. The adsorption of the anionic dye for PANAMF is a chemisorption process, and the rate-determining step is changed from the diffuse step to the adsorption on the surface with the adsorption time. PANAMF can also be used in the continuous flow process, and the absorption amount is similar to that in the batch adsorption, which shows excellent commercial application potential.


In this paper, we define the two dimensional topological map, a model which represents both topological and geometrical information of a two dimensional labeled image. Since this model is minimal, complete and unique, we can use it to define efficient image processing algorithms. The topological map is the last level of a map hierarchy. Each level represents the region boundaries of the image and is defined from the previous one in the hierarchy, thus giving a simple constructive definition. This model is similar to two existing structures but the main innovation of our approach is the progressive definition based on the successive map levels. These different maps can easily be extended in order to define the topological map in any dimension. Furthermore we provide an optimal extraction algorithm which extracts the different maps of the hierarchy in a single image scan. This algorithm is based on local configurations called precodes. Due to our constructive definition, different configurations are factorized which simplifies the implementation.


The work cuptures the rise of terrorist movements involving families. The studies of family involvement in acts of terrorism in Indonesia have not much been done. The work is based on research conducted in Kampung Beting of Pontianak City, which is stigmatized as a drug trafficking village. It explores family parenting patterns and family responses to live problems especially on community literacy about religious radicalism. The findings include, first, the pattern of instilling religious values in families is relatively vulnerable. Family parentings have shown physical resilience, social resilience and psychological resilience. The work finds the important roles of parents in instilling religious values and building communication with their children and the ability of families to solve problems they face. Education has been found very important within the community. Second, with regard to the existing conditions, people choose to "make peace" with the reality. The attitude of the people is split from pessimistic, pragmatic and optimistic. Third, public literacy about religious radicalism is quite good among ordinary people and religious and community leaders. Being radical in society's point of view is an act of violence, while adhering to religious principles is considered not being radical. Defending the honor of religion is a matter of principle, thus encouraging them to fight. Fourth, four factors fortifying the community include the open and straightforward attitude of the community, the community involvement into the city security network, the high community mechanical solidarity and the effective role of religious leaders in fostering society.


Exact synthesis of unequal power division filtering rat-race ring couplers is proposed. The power division property results from the half-symmetric core ring structure of the proposed couplers. The proposed core ring was modified from the equal power division rat-race ring in 2015 where the core ring in that circuit is fully symmetric. Due to the half-symmetry of ring and unequal power division characteristics, the signal excitation and circuit partition methods in 2015 cannot be applied. In this paper, the modified signal-excitation method and the source-division technique are proposed to reduce the original four-port rat-race ring couplers into the corresponding two-port networks. These two-port networks can be exactly synthesized by the S-domain filter synthesis method. Alternatively, the simplified design equations are proposed. Using these equations, the rat-race ring hybrid in 2015 can be transformed into the arbitrary power division rat-race ring couplers. Therefore, the final rat-race ring couplers are provided with some user-defined specifications, such as the unequal power division, the input/output impedance transformation, the center frequency, the fractional bandwidth, and the return loss level. Two fifth-order filtering rat-race ring couplers with 3- and 10-dB power division are implemented as examples; in addition, these couplers are with a center frequency of 2 GHz, a fractional bandwidth of 100%, a return loss level of 20 dB, and the input/output impedance transformation of 50/70  $\Omega $ . The measured and simulated results indicate good agreement.


Gaussian beam migration is a depth migration method whose accuracy rivals that of migration by wavefield extrapolation — so-called "wave-equation migration" — and whose efficiency rivals that of Kirchhoff migration. This migration method can image complicated geologic structures, including very steep dips, in areas where the seismic velocity varies rapidly. However, applications of prestack Gaussian beam migration either have been limited to common-offset common-azimuth data volumes, and thus are inflexible, or suffer from multiarrival inaccuracies in a common-shot implementation. In order to optimize both the flexibility and accuracy of Gaussian beam migration, I present a common-shot implementation that handles multipathing in a natural way. This allows the migration of data sets that can include a variety of azimuths, and it allows a simplified treatment of near-surface issues. Application of this method to model data typical of Canadian Foothills structures and to model data that includes a complicate...


The problem of Bloch electrons in infinite crystals under the influence of an electric field is investigated with the interband coupling being taken into account. Of special interest is the case of the two-band approximation. Exact solutions for the energy spectrum and the wave functions are obtained by using perturbation theory for the case of weak interband coupling, and it is shown that the energy spectrum is that of two interspaced Stark ladders. Since the spectrum contains, in addition to a linear term of the applied electric field, the reciprocal of the applied electric field to all orders, it implies that the Stark regime will appear sharp for greater values of the external field. For the zero-order case of the perturbation theory, the exact Wannier-Stark localization holds.


Integral calculus on the space A/G of gauge equivalent connections is developed. By carring out a non-linear generalization of the theory of cylindrical measures on topological vector spaces, a faithfull, diffeomorphism invariant measure is introduced on a suitable completion of A/G. The strip (i.e. momentum) operators are densely-defined in the resulting Hilbert space and interact with the measure correctly


Attempts were made to cultivate Cryptocaryon irritans in vitro at 23-25°C. Attachment of theronts and subsequent enlargement into trophonts were achieved in two experiments using strips of trypticase soy agar (TSA, supplemented with 3% NaCl) as an attachment substrate in filtered seawater. In the third experiment, transformation of theronts into trophonts was achieved in an enriched liquid medium composed of 50% filtered seawater, 30% Leibovitz L-15 and 20% fetal calf serum without attachment onto the TSA. Sizes (mean pSD) of the trophonts, 114.6 p 57.9 μm to 295.9 p 130 μm, were from a recorded size range (50 to 700μm) of the parasite in vivo. Although only limited numbers of theronts (0.28-1.71%) transformed into trophonts, these results showed that the in vitro culture of C. irritans is potentially feasible as evidenced by the enlargement of the trophonts within the in vivo size range using either a solid medium as an attachment substrate or a liquid medium without attachment. There is a need, however, to determine essential factors that influence the transformation of the trophonts into viable tomonts capable of producing theronts.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

Purpose: KML001 (sodium metaarsenite) is an orally available arsenic compound that has entered phase II clinical trials in solid tumors. The aim of this study is to assess vascular-disrupting properties of KML001 and to investigate whether KML001 as VDA (vascular-disrupting agent) augments anti-tumor effects of irinotecan in a murine model of colon cancer.

Experimental Design: Female BALBc mice bearing subcutaneos CT26 colon carcinoma cells were injected intraperitoneally with KML001(10 mg/kg) or irinotecan alone, or coadministered weekly for 4 weeks. Moreover, we assessed cytoskeletal changes of HUVEC cells when treated with KML001.

Results: We observed massive necrosis in the central part of the tumor by 24 h after treated with KML001 alone and the regrowth was seen from the periphery of the tumor after 2 days. Otherwise, we observed the significant tumor growth delay when KML001 was administered either 24 hr or 72hr after irinotecan. In addition, we found that KML001 degraded tubulin in HUVEC cells, which might be related with vascular disrupting properties of KML001. Evidence of proteosome-mediated degradation was obtained by demonstrating that adding a proteosome inhibitor.

Conclusions: These results suggest that KML001 is a novel VDA, which can increase anti-tumor activities of irinotecan.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2595. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2595


nterest from academics in the humanities and social sciences in studying the cultural dimensions of computing can be traced back at least as far as the early 1980s. As personal computers became increasingly common in homes, offices, schools, and universities, scholars like Jay David Bolter, Lucy Suchmann, and Sherry Turkle began the work of adapting the research methodologies of their respective disciplines to study computing in these new contexts. Personal computing devices and the myriad of cultural activities we juggle through them have since become more and more complicated; however, at the same time user-friendly approaches to design encourage us to take this complexity for granted. Indeed, as Eszter Hargittai and Christian Sandvig note in their introduction to Digital Research Confidential: The Secrets of Studying Behavior Online, there is now often little institutional reward for writing about how the broad integration of computing affects academic research about culture and behavior. In this respect, their collection serves as an effective argument for the value of sustaining in-depth conversations on the effects that constantly changing technological conditions have on research methods. It is also an engaging introduction to the wide range of research in these fields being conducted digitally. Not to be confused with the "digital humanities" — a field largely devoted to studying and preserving pre-twentieth century texts due to the copyright's influence over digitization efforts — the "digital media studies" represented in Hargittai and Sandvig's collection focuses on contemporary and often digitally created cultural activities. This interdisciplinary research area involves scholars from a variety of disciplines including, but not limited to, literature and language, writing studies, history, anthropology, sociology, communications, information science, and computer science. Representing every methodological approach in this incredibly diverse field in a single volume would be an impossible task. Hargittai and Sandvig have wisely chosen to limit their collection by focusing primarily on scholars whose work involves Web 2.0 technologies. This decision gives each of the essays in the book some common ground while still allowing the collection to highlight the breadth of subjects covered by digital media studies. The collection discusses projects involving the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, YouTube, Twitter, computer-aided drafting software, Amazon's Mechanical Turk system, Wikipedia, Flickr, homemade webcrawlers, and Second Life. Hargittai and Sandvig's excellent introduction is able to synthesize the wide-ranging research trends in this field around a tension between digital media as instrumentation and digital media as object of study. Digital research in the humanities and social sciences is often framed in one of two ways: either online platforms that offer "a new kind of microscope" allowing us to understand an area of offline behavior we are already familiar with in a new way, or online social activity sharing enough similarities to offline behavior that we can comfortably transfer our existing assumptions about how humans relate to one another into these new contexts. Both of these approaches assume that theory and method can be discussed separately. Most research leveraging these approaches, in other words, assumes either that digital tools add to — but don't disrupt our — core understandings of cultural and behavior or that online activities function as relatively seamless extensions of offline behavior. Yet as Megan Sapnar Ankerson concludes in her essay, each project in the collection involves a moment when a researcher "could not help but notice the ways [their] entire engagement with [their] project was thoroughly organized through software" (p. 47). While the widespread acceptance of particular methods in the humanities and social sciences allows for basic assumptions about culture and society shaping them to be taken for granted, digital tools are often designed with other needs in mind. Conducting social research Digital Research Confidential


This paper investigates the sources of teacher stress for special educators working in an inclusive education setting. The study focused on one school using a case study design. All special educators working in the secondary special education unit were administered the Stress in the Teacher Profession Questionnaire developed by Travers and Cooper (1996). The major sources of the special education teachers' stress related to: (1) the constant pressure of dealing with aggressive and unpredictable students; (2) poor working conditions and facilities; (3) role ambiguity, communication and support difficulties; and (4) administration and paperwork. These concerns were aggravated by poorly designed teaching spaces that exacerbated students' behaviour management problems. The pattern of concerns identified in this research is different from that identified by mainstream teachers. Issues associated with the inclusion of students into regular schools are discussed and how special educators' stress can be better managed.


Mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episode (MELAS) and myoclonic epilepsy and ragged-red fibers (MERRF) are rare disorders caused by point mutation of the tRNA gene of the mitochondrial genome. To understand the pathogenetic mechanism of MELAS and MERRF, we studied four patients. Serially sectioned frozen muscle specimens with a battery of histochemical stains were reviewed under light microscope and ultrastructural changes were observed under electron microscope. The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis was performed and the tRNA genes were sequenced to confirm mutations. In two patients with MELAS, strongly succinyl dehydrogenase positive blood vessels (SSVs) and many cytochrome oxidase (COX) positive ragged-red fibers (RRFs) were observed, and A3243G mutations were found from the muscle samples. In two patients with MERRF, neither SSV nor COX positive RRFs were seen and A8344G mutations were found from both muscle and blood samples. In the two MERRF families, the identical mutation was observed among family members. The failure to detect the mutation in blood samples of the MELAS suggests a low mutant load in blood cells. The histochemical methods including COX stain are useful for the confirmation and differentiation of mitochondrial diseases. Also, molecular biological study using muscle sample seems essential for the confirmation of the mtDNA mutation.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

A major barrier to cancer treatment is the inability to deliver sufficient concentrations of drug to the interior of tumors without incurring systemic toxicities. Nanomaterials are appealing because they can carry a large drug payload, however, tumor delivery is limited by modest leakage and retention in most tumors. Photoimmunotherapy (PIT) is a newly developed therapy involving the injection of a conjugate composed of an armed monoclonal antibody (mAb) and a near infrared phthalocyanine dye, IR700 [Mitsunaga M. Nature Med 2011;17:1685]. When exposed to NIR light, the conjugate induces a highly-selective necrotic cell death only in mAb-IR700 bound cancer cells. This target-specific necrotic cell death occurs within 10 minutes of exposure to NIR light and results in rapid morphologic changes including cellular swelling, bleb formation, and rupture of vesicles and cell death. Meanwhile, immediately adjacent receptor-negative cells are unharmed. Because PIT initially damages antigen bearing tumor cells immediately adjacent to the vasculature, it causes marked increases in vascular permeability leading to 20-fold enhanced nano-particle delivery into cancer tissue compared with untreated tumor bed. This effect has been termed "super-enhanced permeability and retention (SUPR)" to differentiate it from enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) which is common in tumors. In this study, we used a mixed tumor model containing 99% (EGFR)-positive A431 cells mixed with 1% EGFR-negative Balb3T3/DsRed cells in order to simulate tumor heterogeneity. Mixed tumors were treated with PIT alone or PIT combined with liposomes containing daunorubicin (Daunoxome), utilizing the SUPR effect. PIT completely treated EGFR+ cells, however, EGFR- cells quickly became the dominant cell type leading to death in mice. However, co-injection of Daunoxome could cure tumors following PIT. Therefore, although PIT alone does not eliminate all cancer cells due to heterogeneity of tumor, SUPR allows the delivery of extremely high concentrations of nano-sized anti-cancer reagents (e.g. Daunoxome), resulting in synergistic therapeutic effects of PIT and nano-sized agents. In conclusion, target-selective PIT can induce a SUPR effect leading to the accumulation of dramatically higher concentrations of nano-sized reagents within tumors thus improving the effectiveness of PIT in heterogeneous tumors.

Citation Format: Hisataka Kobayashi, Kohei Sano, Takahito Nakajima, Kazuhide Sato, Peter L. Choyke. Photoimmunotherapy (PIT) combined with a nanosized cancer agent successfully treated heterogenous antigen-expressing tumors based on super-enhanced permeability and retention (SUPR) effect. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5400. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5400


As the number wavelengths in WDM systems continue to increase, the switching fabric of optical cross connects (OXCs.) becomes increasingly complex. This complexity can be reduced by introducing multi-granular OXCs (MG-OXC) into the network. An MG-OXCs is capable of switching an entire group of wavelengths through a single switch port, thereby reducing the number of switching ports and reducing the complexity of the switch fabric. In this paper, we consider the problem of establishing active and backup paths for connections in networks with MG-OXCs. The problem of establishing protected connections for a given traffic demand in MG networks differs from the protection problem in standard wavelength-routed networks in that the primary objective in MG networks is to minimize the number of switch ports in the network. The mode of protection (dedicated or shared) affects the ability to aggregate and route traffic together. We propose a graph-based heuristic that attempts to solve the problem of routing and waveband assignment in an integrated manner. The heuristic reduces the total number of ports in the MG network. We also study the effect of shared protection on the port count.


Multilevel inverters (MLI) are popular in high-power applications. MLIs are generally configured to have switches reduced by switching techniques that eliminate low-order harmonics. The selective harmonic elimination (SHE) method, which significantly reduces the number of switching, determines the optimal switching moments to obtain the desired output voltage and eliminates the desired harmonic components. To solve the SHE problem, classical methods are primarily employed. The disadvantages of such methods are the high probability of trapping in locally optimal solutions and their dependence on initial controlling parameters. One solution to overcome this problem is the use of metaheuristic algorithms. In this study, firstly, 22 metaheuristic algorithms with different sources of inspiration were used to solve the SHE problem at different levels of MLIs, and their performances were extensively analyzed. To reveal the method that offers the best solution, these algorithms were first applied to an 11-level MLI circuit, and six methods were determined as a result of the performance analysis. As a result of the evaluation, the outstanding methods were SPBO, BMO, GA, GWO, MFO, and SPSA. As a result of the application of superior methods to 7-, 11-, 15-, and 19-level MLIs according to the IEEE 519—2014 standard, it has been shown that BMO outperforms in 7-level MLI, GA in 11-level MLI, and SPBO in 15- and 19-level MLIs in terms of THD, while in terms of output voltage quality, GA in 7-level MLI, BMO in 11-level MLI, GA and SPSA in 15-level MLI, and SPSA in 19-level MLI come forward.


Microbes are an integral component of the soil ecosystem but degraded soil has few native beneficial microbes. This necessitates the characterization of phytobeneficial bacteria having numerous features. The study was initiated to evaluate rhizobacteria enhancing Acacia (Acacia abyssinica) seed germination. Isolates were selected based primarily on phosphate solubilization activity and other traits hydrogen cyanide (hcn), phytohormone, hydrolytic enzyme, siderophore, ammonia. Among isolates, 45% each was categorized as high and medium phosphate solubilizers and the amount was found to range from 195 to 373 µg/mL. The highest solubilization index (SI) 7 was recorded for Acinetobacter BS-27 and 6 for Pantoea BS-38. The maximum P and iaa were produced by Pseudomonas FB-49 (373 and 659.07µg/mL), respectively. Isolates with multiple traits were chosen for seed germination. Accordingly, Agrobacterium RS-79 and Pseudomonas BS-26 showed 100% activity. A 100% seed germination and vigor index (343.33 and 306.67) were observed in Pseudomonas BS-26 and FB-49. Degraded soil is considered a source for phosphate solubilizing and other beneficial bacteria with many traits to be used for seed germination assay.


Zircon U‐Pb dating of three orthogneiss samples from the North Dabie terrane (NDT) is undertaken in order to reconstruct their formation and evolutionary histories, and also the crustal architecture of the Dabie orogen after Triassic subduction and exhumation. SHRIMP zircon U‐Pb dating, in combination with back scattered electron (BSE) imaging and Laser Raman spectrometry, provides accurate identification of the core, mantle and rim structure for zircon growth during protolith formation and overgrowth during subduction/exhumation and post‐collisional metamorphism. Concordant U‐Pb ages of 760–730 Ma and high Th/U ratios of >0.4 are obtained for relict oscillatory zoning fields of inherited cores that were not metamictized. These features suggest that these ages represent the time of magmatic protolith formation during the breakup of Rodinia. The overgrown mantle domains around the metamictized cores are clean with few mineral inclusions (e.g. quartz, garnet and apatite). Mantle domains have low Th/U ratios of <0.1 and yielded U‐Pb ages of 215–205 Ma, which are slightly younger than the known ages of peak ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) metamorphism, suggesting that overgrowth took place during initial exhumation. The ages are similar to the time of retrograde metamorphism of the UHP orthogneisses in the Central Dabie terrane (CDT). Overgrown rims are also clean, with a few mineral inclusions of apatite and quartz. They yield two groups of U‐Pb ages, 138–137 Ma and 124–120 Ma. The former is considered to be the time of onset of orogenic extension and tectonic collapse, whereas the latter falls into the age range of widespread magmatism in the Dabie orogen, and is regarded as the time of extension climax that resulted in intensive anatexis of the crust. Whole‐rock Sr‐Nd isotope analyses of four orthogneisses show εNd(t) values of −1.2 to −15 and ISr values >0.719, similar to the values obtained from UHP orthogneisses in the CDT. It is concluded that, as with the CDT, the orthogneisses with episodic zircon growths from the NDT should also be a part of the exhumed slice following the continental deep subduction. However, the orthogneisses in this study were buried at a lower level in the orogenic crust compared with those of the CDT prior to the Cretaceous magmatism. Therefore, the orthogneisses from the NDT were affected by the Cretaceous magmatism whereas the CDT orthogneisses were not affected.


Abstract:A collaboration between actors and musicians of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and Almaty, Kazakhstan, and local electronic musician and community activist Brother El of Chicago highlights the difficulties of translating embodied performances of race and ethnicity in a transnational post–Cold War context. In a comparative reading taking up a play by the Ilkhom Theatre of Tashkent alongside its citation in the Chicago collaboration, the framework of "embodied philology" exposes the limits of post–Cold War international political alignment.


In recent years, carbon and carbon-based nanomaterials have received increasing attention for applications in life sciences. Nanodiamond (ND) stands out as a unique new substance in these applications because it holds several momentous properties such as good biocompatibility, excellent photostability and facile surface functionalizability. A number of experiments have shown that ND has the highest biocompatibility of all carbon-based nanomaterials including carbon blacks, multiwalled nanotubes, single-walled nanotubes and fullerenes. Additionally, the surface of ND can be readily derivatized with various functional groups for either covalent or noncovalent conjugation with biomolecules. Furthermore, some radiation-damaged NDs can emit strong and stable photoluminescence (red or green) from nitrogen-vacancy defect centers embedded in the crystal lattice. These properties together make ND a highly promising nanomaterial for both in vitro and in vivo applications.


Ozlab has been developed to cater for testing which is in part manual and where test users are not aware that the system they seem to interact with is faked. In this way developers can use their human capacity for interactive communication to find suitable human-computer dialogue structures. The chapter argues that the tool itself allows other groups to become interaction designers, since little expertise in programming is needed, while an understanding of every application area as well as an understanding of the need of every user group is always needed


Background Nailfold capillaroscopy (NCP) is a useful tool for the diagnosis and follow-up of systemic rheumatic diseases and represents one of the best methods to evaluate microvascular abnormalities. Objectives To characterize NCP findings of patients with Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), and understand how NCP associates with the presence of digital ulcers, gastrointestinal involvement, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and interstitial lung disease (ILD). Methods NCP findings of adult patients with SSc followed-up in our center were reviewed. Demographic and clinical features were collected. Nonparametric tests were used to determine potential associations between capillaroscopy findings/patterns and the presence of digital ulcers, gastrointestinal involvement, PAH and ILD. Results In total, 52 out of 103 patients with SSc had at least one NCP result available. Forty five were female (86.5%) and seven male (13.5%), the age was 56.6 ±13.2 years and disease duration 10.9 ±10.5 years. Thirty one (59.6%) had limited cutaneous SSc, seven (13.5%) diffuse cutaneous SSc, ten (19,2%) VEDOSS, three (5.8%) overlap syndromes and one (1.9%) SSc sine scleroderma. (table 1). The most frequent NCP findings were hemorrhages (54.7%) megacapillaries (54.7%), and capillary dilatations (52.8%). We found that digital ulcers were significantly associated with the existence of avascular areas (p=0.02), and with neoangiogenesis (p=0.03) in univariate analysis, but were not associated with any capillaroscopy pattern. Looking to interstitial lung disease, there is a trend for association with the presence of avascular areas (p=0.056). Only one patient had PAH confirmed by right heart catheterization. In this case NCP showed giant capillaries, neoangiogenesis and avascular areas. There was also a trend for association between avascular areas and higher values of NT pro BNP (p=0.078). Gastrointestinal involvement was not significantly associated with NCP findings (table 2).Table 1. Distribution of patients according to NCP and disease subtypes Diffuse cutaneous Limited cutaneous Overlap syndrome VEDOSS Sine scleroderma (n=7) (n=31) (n=3) (n=10) (n=1) Early pattern n (%) 0 (0) 9 (29) 1 (33) 6 (60) 0 (0) Active pattern n (%) 1 (14.2) 5 (16.1) 1 (33) 2 (20) 0 (0) Late pattern n (%) 3 (42.9) 7 (22.6) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) Nonspecific n (%) 3 (42.9) 8 (25.8) 1 (33) 1 (10) 1 (100) Normal NCP n (%) 0 (0) 2 (6.5) 0 (0) 1 (11) 0 (0) Conclusions In our study the presence of avascular areas and neoangiogenesis in NCP was significantly associated with the existence of digital ulcers. Also, ILD and higher values of NT-proBNP were more common in patients who present avascular areas. These results suggest that abnormalities detected in the NCP might help predict organ involvement, although long term follow up and greater numbers of patients are needed in order to confirm the prognostic value of NCP findings. References Mannarino E, Pasqualini L, Fedeli F, Scricciolo V, Innocente S. Nailfold capillaroscopy in the screening and diagnosis of Raynaud's phenomenon. Angiology 1994; 45: 37–42 Disclosure of Interest None declared


Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is a severe form of peripheral artery disease (PAD). It is featured by degenerated skeletal muscle and poor vascularization. During the development of CLI, the upregulated matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) degrades muscle extracellular matrix to initiate the degeneration. Meanwhile, MMP-2 is necessary for blood vessel formation. It is thus hypothesized that appropriate MMP-2 bioactivity in ischemic limbs will not only attenuate muscle degeneration but also promote blood vessel formation. Herein, we developed ischemia-targeting poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-based nanogels to specifically deliver an MMP-2 inhibitor CTTHWGFTLC (CTT) into ischemic limbs to tailor MMP-2 bioactivity. Besides acting as an MMP-2 inhibitor, CTT promoted endothelial cell migration under conditions mimicking the ischemic limbs. The nanogels were sensitive to the pH of ischemic tissues, allowing them to largely aggregate in the injured area. To help reduce nanogel uptake by macrophages and increase circulation time, the nanogels were cloaked with a platelet membrane. An ischemia-targeting peptide CSTSMLKA (CST) was further conjugated on the platelet membrane for targeted delivery of nanogels into the ischemic area. CTT gradually released from the nanogels for 4 weeks. The nanogels mostly accumulated in the ischemic area for 28 days. The released CTT preserved collagen in the muscle and promoted its regeneration. In addition, CTT stimulated angiogenesis. Four weeks after CLI, the blood flow and vessel density of the ischemic limbs treated with the nanogels were remarkably higher than the control groups without CTT release. These results demonstrate that the developed nanogel-based CTT release system has the potential to stimulate ischemic limb regeneration.


The etiologic relationship of infestation with Oxyuris vermicularis to acute appendicitis in children has been shown frequently, though there is no ready agreement as to whether the parasite is to be considered the direct agent or concomitant and coincidental. Dean Lewis, 1 in discussing this problem, finds that the parasite is found in apparently normal appendixes, in the submucosa as well as between. He suggests the possibility that the parasites often penetrate the mucosa and that this may be the starting point of an acute attack. While infestation of entire families and institutional groups is not uncommon and while a so-called family tendency to acute appendicitis is known, the combination of the two in one family over a short period of time bears reporting. The family is of Italian descent and lives in poor circumstances. The mother, Mrs. V. T., aged 34, was first known to be infested at the


Mutational processes shape the genomes of cancer patients and their understanding has important applications in diagnosis and treatment. Current modeling of mutational processes by identifying their characteristic signatures views each base substitution in a limited context of a single flanking base on each side. This context definition gives rise to 96 categories of mutations that have become the standard in the field, even though wider contexts have been shown to be informative in specific cases. Here we propose a data-driven approach for constructing a mutation categorization for mutational signature analysis. Our approach is based on the assumption that tumor cells that are exposed to similar mutational processes, show similar expression levels of DNA damage repair genes that are involved in these processes. We attempt to find a categorization that maximizes the agreement between mutation and gene expression data, and show that it outperforms the standard categorization over multiple quality measures. Moreover, we show that the categorization we identify generalizes to unseen data from different cancer types, suggesting that mutation context patterns extend beyond the immediate flanking bases.


Because of rarity and clinical challenges arising from different anatomic location, our understanding of optimal management of mucosal melanoma remains limited. The most common sites for primary mucosal melanoma are head and neck followed by anorectal, and vulvovaginal regions. Data are limited but improved understanding has led to change in management from more radical excision to conservative surgery with negative margins. We try to summarize available evidences for management this uncommonly described entity.


Chain businesses have been dominating the market in many parts of the world. It is important to identify the optimal locations for a new chain store. Recently, numerous studies have been done on chain store location recommendation. These studies typically learn a model based on the features of existing chain stores in the city and then predict what other sites are suitable for running a new one. However, these models do not work when a chain enterprise wants to open business in a new city where there is not enough data about this chain store. To solve the cold-start problem, we propose CityTransfer, which transfers chain store knowledge from semantically-relevant domains (e.g., other cities with rich knowledge, similar chain enterprises in the target city) for chain store placement recommendation in a new city. In particular, CityTransfer is a two-fold knowledge transfer framework based on collaborative filtering, which consists of the transfer rating prediction model, the inter-city knowledge association method and the intra-city semantic extraction method. Experiments using data of chain hotels from four different cities crawled from Ctrip (a popular travel reservation website in China) and the urban characters extracted from several other data sources validate the effectiveness of our approach on store site recommendation.


Cavities with a large quality factor to modal volume ratio (Q/V-ratio) facilitate strong light-matter interaction via the Purcell effect [1], which is key for a wide range of photonic and optoelectronic applications, e.g., nonlinear optics [2] and cavity quantum electrodynamics [3]. Previously, many studies have been devoted to designing cavities with enhanced Q/V-ratio by changing locations and radii of air holes in conventional Ln or Hn photonic crystal (PhC) cavities. These cavities increased Q-factors by reducing in-plane loss while keeping diffraction-limited V-values (V − 0.3 (λ/n)3) [4]. Recently, bow-tie shaped PhC cavities consisting of two tip-to-tip components were demonstrated to confine light beyond diffraction limit into a deep sub-wavelength V-value [5]. However the low V-value in these cavities is highly dependent on the feature size and shape, e.g. the width of the bow-tie tip connection. Hence, such cavities are extremely sensitive to manufacturing variations and therefore the attainable fabrication resolution (FR) puts a hard limit on the attainable sub-wavelength V-value in bow-tie shaped PhC cavities. A recent study showed that the bow-tie tip connection could be controlled to 12 nm with an error region of ±5 nm [5].


This chapter examines how the Korean labor market has evolved in recent times, and how it has both influenced and been shaped by Korea's employment and industrial relations. Restrictions on job opportunities for youth, non-regular and low-wage workers, SME workers, and women have been exacerbated by a slowdown in economic growth and tertiary degree inflation. Labor market dualism persists, while the gaps in wages and benefits along firm size and working status faultlines are widening. Reform has failed because of a lack of negotiating skill and mutual-interest acknowledgment demanded for coordination. At the same time, Korean labor market regulations lag behind those of other industrialized nations by being unfriendly to global and IT-heavy workplaces, by impeding job opportunities, and by reducing job quality. Social partners must let go of the legacies that have led to the current labor market conditions, and adopt a new cooperative approach.


Mobile agent formation control is an important issue for the collective of robots . Especially when they move independently without human oversight, controlling the movement and forming a collective of agents is a critical and challenging task. In this work, we propose a method for applying the training algorithm to assist the formation of groups of agents in a leader scenario. To exercise control through supportive learning, we present the problem of formation as a Markov decision-making process. This allows us to use deep reinforcement learning to obtain the law of leadership of the successor leader. The feasibility and effectiveness of this control approach is tested in simulation.


ABSTRACT Anomalous origin of one of the pulmonary arteries from the aorta is unusual. The reported morbidity and mortality is mostly due to early onset vascular disease. Early surgical intervention has significantly improved outcomes. The diagnosis of this abnormality is challenging. The nomenclature used is inconsistent. Familiarity with this abnormality and consistent use of definitions and classifications is mandatory. An attempt is made to clarify misleading inconsistencies. An older ontogenetic theory is revisited.


Background and Objectives: Patients with urinary tract obstruction (UTO) and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) are at risk of developing urosepsis, whose evolution involves increased morbidity, mortality and cost. The aim of this study is to evaluate the ability of already existing scores and biomarkers to diagnose, describe the clinical status, and predict the evolution of patients with complicated urinary tract infection (UTI) and their risk of progressing to urosepsis. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study including patients diagnosed with UTI hospitalized in the urology department of" Sfântul Apostol Andrei" County Emergency Clinical Hospital (GCH) in Galati, Romania, from September 2019 to May 2022. The inclusion criteria were: UTI proven by urine culture or diagnosed clinically complicated with UTO, fever or shaking chills, and purulent collections, such as psoas abscess, Fournier Syndrome, renal abscess, and paraurethral abscess, showing SIRS. The exclusion criteria were: patients age < 18 years, pregnancy, history of kidney transplantation, hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis, and patients with missing data. We used the Sequential (Sepsis-Related) Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and qSOFA (quick SOFA) scores, and procalcitonin (PCT) to describe the clinical status of the patients. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was used to assesses pre-existing morbidities. The hospitalization days and costs and the days of intensive care were considered. Depending on the diagnosis at admission, we divided the patients into three groups: SIRS, sepsis and septic shock. The fourth group was represented by patients who died during hospitalization. Results: A total of 174 patients with complicated UTIs were enrolled in this study. From this total, 46 were enrolled in the SIRS group, 88 in the urosepsis group, and 40 in the septic shock group. A total of 23 patients died during hospitalization and were enrolled in the deceased group. An upward trend of age along with worsening symptoms was highlighted with an average of 56.86 years in the case of SIRS, 60.37 years in the sepsis group, 69.03 years in the septic shock, and 71.04 years in the case of deceased patients (p < 0.04). A statistically significant association between PCT and complex scores (SOFA, CCI and qSOFA) with the evolution of urosepsis was highlighted. Increased hospitalization costs can be observed in the case of deceased patients and those with septic shock and statistically significantly lower in the case of those with SIRS. The predictability of discriminating urosepsis stages was assessed by using the area under the ROC curve (AUC) and very good specificity and sensitivity was identified in predicting the risk of death for PCT (69.57%, 77.33%), the SOFA (91.33%, 76.82%), qSOFA (91.30%, 74.17%) scores, and CCI (65.22%, 88.74%). The AUC value was best for qSOFA (90.3%). For the SIRS group, the PCT (specificity 91.30%, sensitivity 85.71%) and SOFA (specificity 84.78%, sensitivity 78.74%), qSOFA scores (specificity 84.78%, sensitivity 76, 34%) proved to be relevant in establishing the diagnosis. In the case of the septic shock group, the qSOFA (specificity 92.5%, sensitivity 82.71%) and SOFA (specificity 97.5%, sensitivity 77.44%) as well as PCT (specificity 80%, sensitivity 85.61%) are statistically significant disease-defining variables. An important deficit in the tools needed to classify patients into the sepsis group is obvious. All the variables have an increased specificity but a low sensitivity. This translates into a risk of a false negative diagnosis. Conclusions: Although SOFA and qSOFA scores adequately describe patients with septic shock and they are independent prognostic predictors of mortality, they fail to be accurate in diagnosing sepsis. These scores should not replace the conventional triage protocol. In our study, PCT proved to be a disease-defining marker and an independent prognostic predictor of mortality. Patients with important comorbidities, CCI greater than 10, should be treated more aggressively because of increased mortality.


Introduction Non-invasive brain stimulation such as repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is used to manipulate excitability in the swallowing motor cortex. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling this excitability remain unknown. Swallowing neurophysiology and impairments might be in part driven by genes. The aim of this study was to determine whether the variability in excitability after 1 Hz and 5 Hz rTMS within the pharyngeal motor cortex might be affected by putative selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Methods 11 SNPs from 7 genes (BDNF, COMT, TRKB, APOE, DRD2, GRIN2B and GRIN1) were selected a priori to explore possible link between neurophysiological outcomes after rTMS intervention with high (5 Hz) and low (1 Hz) frequencies. A total of 41 healthy young (mean age 25.4 ± 4.6 years) volunteers were investigated. All subjects were assessed for corticobulbar excitability after single-pulse TMS. Repeated measurements of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) from the pharynx were recorded before and for up to one hour after the interventions of 1 Hz and 5 Hz rTMS. Salivary DNA was collected and process post-hoc and SNPs correlated with pharyngeal MEPs and interventions (1 vs. 5 Hz rTMS). Results Non-carriers of the minor G allele from SNP rs6269 from COMT gene are more likely to be non-responders (P-value =0.026), while those carrying G allele are more likely have inhibitory and excitatory outcomes after delivering 1 Hz and 5 Hz rTMS. Cross-tabulation analysis with chi square indicated there was a significant difference between 5 Hz rTMS outcome and one SNP - DRD2 rs1800497: specifically carriers of minor allele A from this DRD2 gene were more strongly inhibited (P-value =0.03) while non-carriers were more likely to represent non-responders. Conclusion We now report possible evidence for genetic associations with the neuromuscular control of swallowing influenced by rTMS paradigms. Two SNPs from COMT and DRD2 genes appear to play a role in pharyngeal cortex excitability depending on the stimulation applied. Further research is needed to establish more detailed information which might be used in developing more stratified approach in the field of dysphagia therapy with non-invasive brain stimulation. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


To be effective, physics teachers need both content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, which includes knowledge of student conceptions and effective teaching strategies. Although much information is available on student conceptual and reasoning difficulties in physics, much less information is available on how to remedy such difficulties. In this paper I describe a teaching strategy, concept substitution, which is useful when student difficulties arise from a failure to distinguish distinct but related physics concepts. By using the topic of electric circuits as the context, I show how this strategy enables the teacher to identify and build on students' correct intuition, while enabling students to distinguish among related concepts. I also illustrate the complexity of the conceptual change process, including the presence of intermediate conceptions while the process is taking place.


When the constituent spins have an energetic preference to lie along an easy axis, triangular and kagome lattice antiferromagnets often develop long-range order that distinguishes the three sublattices of the underlying triangular Bravais lattice. In zero magnetic field, this three-sublattice order melts either in a two-step manner, i.e., via an intermediate phase with power-law three-sublattice order controlled by a temperature-dependent exponent η(T)∈(1/9,1/4), or via a transition in the three-state Potts universality class. Here, I predict that the uniform susceptibility to a small easy-axis field B diverges as χ(B)∼|B|^{-[(4-18η)/(4-9η)]} in a large part of the intermediate power-law ordered phase [corresponding to η(T)∈(1/9,2/9)], providing an easy-to-measure thermodynamic signature of two-step melting. I also show that these two melting scenarios can be generically connected via an intervening multicritical point and obtain numerical estimates of multicritical exponents.


Much work in automatic verification considers families of similar finite-state systems. But an often overlooked property is that sometimes a single finite-state system can be used to describe a parameterized, infinite family of systems. Thus verification of unbounded state spaces can take place by reduction to finite ones. The purpose of this article is to introduce Monadic Second-order Logic as a practical means of carrying out such reductions. The logic is a highly succinct alternative to the use of regular expressions. We have built a tool that acts as a decision procedure and translator to DFAs. The potential applications are numerous. We discuss text processing, Boolean circuits, and distributed systems. Our main example is an automatic proof of properties for the ``Dining Philosophers with Encyclopedia'' example by Kurshan and MacMillan. We establish these properties for the parameterized case without the use of induction.


This study aims to explain how the significance of differences in financial performance of domestic company and multinational corporations of manufacturing sector listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2013 - 2015. The financial performance is measured by the five financial ratios derived from the annual financial statements of the company which is liquidity ratio, activity ratio, solvency ratio, profitability ratio and market value ratio. This research sample as many as 50 domestic companies and 50 multinational companies obtained through multistage purposive sampling method. This study uses Independent Sample T-Test as its analysis technique. The results showed that there is no significant difference in financial performance of domestic companies and multinational corporations. It can be seen that the average for each ratio in the domestic and multinational company from year to year is not much different.


In this paper, chip-on-glass(COG) interconnection with anisotropic conductive film(ACF) using lateral thermosonic bonding technology is considered. In general, thermo-compression bonding which is used in practice for flip-chip bonding suffers from the low productivity due to the long bonding time. It will be shown that the bonding time can be improved by using lateral thermosonic bonding in which lateral ultrasonic vibration together with thermo-compression is utilized. By measuring the internal temperature of ACF, the fast curing of ACF thanks to lateral ultrasonic vibration will be verified. Moreover, to prove the reliability of the lateral thermosonic bonding, observation of pressured mark by conductive particles, shear test, and water absorption test will be conducted.


The involvement of dual specificity phosphatases (DSPs) in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling has been mostly limited to the inactivation of MAPKs by the direct dephosphorylation of the TXY motif within their activation loop. We report the cloning and characterization of a murine DSP, called JNK pathway-associated phosphatase (JKAP), which lacks the regulatory region present in most other MAP kinase phosphatases (MKPs) and is preferentially expressed in murine Lin−Sca-1+ stem cells. Overexpression of JKAP in human embryonic kidney 293T cells specifically activated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) but not p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2. Overexpression of a mutant JKAP, JKAP-C88S, blocked tumor necrosis factor-α-induced JNK activation. Targeted gene disruption in murine embryonic stem cells abolished JNK activation by tumor necrosis factor-α and transforming growth factor-β, but not by ultraviolet-C irradiation, indicating that JKAP is necessary for optimal JNK activation. JKAP associated with JNK and MKK7, but not SEK1, in vivo. However, JKAP did not interact with JNK in vitro, suggesting that JKAP exerts its effect on JNK in an indirect manner. Taken together, these studies identify a positive regulator for the JNK pathway and suggest a novel role for DSP in mitogen-activated protein kinase regulation.


Single-gate boxcar-integrator time-domain photothermal radiometry (PTR) is proposed as a noncontact remote technique with a high signal-to-noise ratio that can evaluate the optical quality of the surface in a solid-state laser-gain medium such as Ti:sapphire. It was found that immediately after the boxcar-averaged laser-pulse cutoff, the PTR signal is dominated by the laser metastable-level transition lifetime. A PTR theoretical model was formulated to account for this effect and to deconvolute its contribution to the signal from surface absorption of the laser radiation. With the theoretical model, the surface contribution to experimental boxcar PTR signals was deconvoluted and the surface quality was quantified in terms of the surface nonradiative energy generation rate, as the percentage of the input optical power that is converted to heat.


Rechargeable batteries paired with sodium (Na)-metal anodes are considered as one of the most promising high energy and low-cost energy storage systems. However, the use of highly reactive Na metal and the formation of Na dendrites during battery operation have caused significant safety concerns, especially when highly flammable liquid electrolytes are used. Herein, we design and develop a solvent-free solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) based on a perfluoropolyether (PFPE) terminated polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based block copolymer for safe and stable all-solid-state Na-metal batteries. Compared with traditional poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) or PEG SPEs, our results suggest that block copolymer design allows for the formation of self-assembled microstructures leading to high storage modulus at elevated temperatures with the PEG domains providing transport channels even at high salt concentration (EO/Na+ = 8:2). Moreover, it is demonstrated that the incorporation of PFPE segments enhances the Na+ transference number of the electrolyte to 0.46 at 80 oC. Finally, the proposed SPE exhibits highly stable symmetric cell cycling performance with high current density (0.5 mA cm-2 and 1.0 mAh cm-2, up to 1300 hours). The assembled all-solid-state Na-metal batteries with Na3V2(PO4)3 cathode demonstrate outstanding rate performance, high capacity retention and long-term charge/discharge stability (CE = 99.91%) after more than 900 cycles.


Abstract.
 Nest site choice and construction by ground-nesting shorebirds can have important repercussions for survival and reproductive success, potentially impacting predation risk, mate retention and hatching success. One such decision, lining nests with shell fragments, was investigated in the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus). Data were collected describing the placement, construction and fate of 34 nests on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA in 2003. Model selection criteria were used to determine the habitat variables that most strongly influence nest lining. The best model included variables related to both the immediate surrounding (proportion of the substrate made up of shell and rock, and sand granularity), as well as nest location (distance from the dune). Plovers used more shell fragments in nests that are on shelly, rocky, or coarse-sanded beaches, and when nesting closer to dunes. There was a negative correlation between fledging success and the amount of shell surrounding the nest. These results and related conservation implications are explored for this threatened shorebird.


The soil microbiome is crucial for improving the services and functioning of agroecosystems. Numerous studies have demonstrated the potential of soil physical–chemical properties in driving the belowground microbial assemblages in different agroecosystems. However, not much is known about the assemblage of bacteria and fungi in response to soil physical–chemical properties and the surrounding landscape composition in different vegetable fields of a highly intensive agricultural system. Here, we investigated the effects of soil physical–chemical properties and landscape composition on the community trends of bacteria and fungi in two different soil compartments (bulk and rhizospheric soils) of two different brassica crop types (Chinese cabbage and flower cabbage). The results revealed that bulk soil had a higher alpha diversity of both bacteria and fungi than rhizospheric soil. Each of the soil physical–chemical properties and landscape compositions contributed differently to driving the community structure of distinct bacterial and fungal taxa in both soil compartments and crop types. The higher proportions of forest, grassland, and cultivated land, along with the higher amount of soil calcium in flower cabbage fields, promote the assemblage of Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Oxyophotobacteria, Agaricomycetes, and Eurotiomycetes. On the other hand, in Chinese cabbage fields, the increased amounts of iron, zinc, and manganese in the soil together with higher proportions of non-brassica crops in the surrounding landscape strongly support the assemblage of Deltaproteobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Bacilli, Clostridia, Alphaproteobacteria, an unknown bacterial species Subgroup-6, Mortierellomycetes, Rhizophlyctidomycetes, and Chytridiomycetes. The findings of this study provide the most comprehensive, comparative, and novel insights related to the bacterial and fungal responses in a highly intensive vegetable growing system for the improvement of the soil fertility and structure. These are important clues for the identification of key bacteria and fungi contributing to the plant–environment interactions and are of a practical significance for landscape-based ecological pest management.


Climate change is a global issue posing threats to the human population and water systems. As Malaysia experiences a tropical climate with intense rainfall occurring throughout the year, accurate rainfall simulations are particularly important to provide information for climate change assessment and hydrological modelling. An artificial intelligence-based hybrid model, the bootstrap aggregated classification tree–artificial neural network (BACT-ANN) model, was proposed for simulating rainfall occurrences and amounts over the Langat River Basin, Malaysia. The performance of this proposed BACT-ANN model was evaluated and compared with the stochastic non-homogeneous hidden Markov model (NHMM). The observed daily rainfall series for the years 1975–2012 at four rainfall stations have been selected. It was found that the BACT-ANN model performed better however, with slight underproductions of the wet spell lengths. The BACT-ANN model scored better for the probability of detection (POD), false alarm rate (FAR) and the Heidke skill score (HSS). The NHMM model tended to overpredict the rainfall occurrence while being less capable with the statistical measures such as distribution, equality, variance and statistical correlations of rainfall amount. Overall, the BACT-ANN model was considered the more effective tool for the purpose of simulating the rainfall characteristics in Langat River Basin.


The work examines preand postbuckling behavior of a thin, elastic and shallow dome, which is clamped at own boundary and is under uniform external pressure. It is supposed, that before pressure application the dome has small axisymmetric initial imperfections. Solving of this boundary problem is based on Marguerre's equations and obtained by means Rayleigh-Ritz method and arch-length incremental method. Search of different forms of initial imperfections of a dome from spherical at the maximal deviation up to 30% of its thickness enables receiving of a range of its critical loadings which completely comprised all experimental values.


The aim of this thesis was to evaluate patients with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome with regard to early diagnosis and prognosis by the use of high sensitive cardiac troponin T and a risk score: In paper I, the early diagnostic value of high sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) was compared with conventional cardiac troponin assays in 233 patients with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). When acute myocardial infarction (MI) was defined according to conventional cardiac troponins and the lowest level with a coefficient of variation (CV) ≤ 10% for each method was used as decision limit, hs-cTnT had a higher sensitivity than the conventional cardiac troponins. When acute MI was defined according to hs-cTnT, hs-cTnT performed better than the conventional cardiac troponins at different decision limits and had the largest Area Under Curve (AUC) in ROC analysis. In paper II, the prognostic value of hs-cTnT was compared with conventional cardiac troponin assays in 231 patients with symptoms suggestive of ACS. When the lowest level with a CV ≤ 10% for each method was used as decision limit, hs-cTnT identified more high-risk patients. After adjusting for differences in clinical baseline characteristics, hs-cTnT and N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were independently associated with outcome. By combining hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP, patients could be divided into low-, intermediateand high-risk groups. In paper III, HEART score was validated in 410 consecutive patients with chest pain. Of 247 (60.2 %) patients in HEART score 0-3, one patient (0.4%) had a combined endpoint. Of 144 (35.1 %) patients in heart score 4-6, 19 (13.2 %) patients had a combined endpoint. Of 19 (4.6%) patients in HEART score 7-10, 10 (52.6 %) patients had a combined endpoint. Of all admitted patients, 34.3 % had a HEART score 0-3. In paper IV: 48,594 patients admitted because of symptoms suggestive of ACS were included to examine the effects of introducing hs-cTnT into clinical practice. 25 % had hs-cTnT < 14 ng/L (group 1), 22 % had hs-cTnT 14-49 ng/L (group 2) and 53 % had hs-cTnT ≥ 50 ng/L (group 3). From group 1 to 3, there was a stepwise increase with regard to proportion of patients with significant coronary stenoses, left ventricular systolic dysfunction and death during follow-up. Thus, the introduction of hs-cTnT has led to a large proportion of patients with minor cardiac troponin elevation (14-49 ng/L). The majority with minor elevation do not have myocardial infarction but are still at high risk. When dividing patients into 20 groups according to hs-cTnT level, the adjusted mortality started to increase at hs-cTnT level of 14 ng/L. Conclusion: hs-cTnT improves early diagnosis and risk stratification compared with conventional cardiac troponin assays. An excellent risk prediction can be achieved by combining hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP in an easily used algorithm. The introduction of hs-cTnT has resulted in identification of a large population with only minor elevation of hs-cTnT (14-49 ng/L) but are still at high risk. HEART score may be a useful tool for evaluation of chest pain patients and identify a low-risk group in which admission and further investigations may not be necessary.


The nosocomial infection causes 1,4 million mortality every day in the world. International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) data shows that 84,4% nosocomial infection is caused by S. aureus that can cause skin infection. Avocado (P. americana) seed has been reported as an antibacterial agent and used for dermatological applications. This research was aimed to know the potential of antibacterial activity of ethanolic extract of avocado seed in silico study. The in silico test used molecular docking method with PyRx software between PBP2a as receptor and phytochemical compounds in avocado seed as a ligand. The result showed that rutin compound had the best potential to bind PBP2a (binding affinity: -18,2 kcal/mol). Thus, phytochemical active compounds in avocado seed can be recommended as an antibacterial drug and can increase the number of fibroblast cells caused by S. aureus.


The backfill cycle in the pressure swing adsorption (PSA) separation of air to produce an enriched oxygen product using a zeolite 5A molecular sieve was studied theoretically and experimentally. The effects of the backfill cycle, cycle configuration, backfill rate, pressurisation rate, and product rate were studied. The theory agreed well with the experimental results in predicting the product oxygen concentration over a wide range of backfill pressures, thus giving a basic understanding of the bed dynamics of the backfill cycle. The theory showed that the backfill rate and adsorption capacity of the adsorbent were the most important parameters governing the efficiency of the PSA process. We showed that, given an adequate backfill pressure, a separate pressurization step could be omitted by incorporating it with the product release step with no detrimental effect on the product oxygen concentrations while increasing adsorbent productivity.


The aim of this research is to investigate student science teachers' opinions about the causes of degradation of ecosystems and the effects of such degradations on the environment. This research focuses on the following questions: What kind of descriptions do student science teachers ascribe to the reasons of degradation in ecosystems? What are the effects of ecosystem degradations on the environment? What are the misconceptions in relation to degradations in ecosystems? A total of 130 participating students, who were studying to become science teachers at Faculty of Education of Necmettin Erbakan University in Turkey, participated in this study. To reveal the participating students' opinions about the reasons for degradations in ecosystems and their effects on the environment, they were asked to answer two open questions: (1) What are the reasons for degradations in ecosystems? (2) What are the effects of degradations in ecosystems on the environment? The participants were asked to answer these two questions. Data obtained from the questions were analyzed and the frequencies of the answers were classified in different categories. Moreover, these included some misconceptions such as 'the greenhouse effect can lead to skin cancer' and 'ozone layer depletion leads to global warming'. The findings are compared with related literature and suggestions are presented.


As hydrocarbon formation continues, owing to its natural sourcing, technologies have continually emerged on how these hydrocarbons can be effectively produced at a commercial benchmark. Asides its natural drive system, the enhanced oil recovery methods have been one key approach that has been effected towards increasing hydrocarbon's production rate, from its reservoirs. The natural reservoir energy has allowed for about 10% production of original oil in place. And, extending a field's productive life by employing the secondary recovery has further improved production to 20 to 40%, with EOR amounting to about 30 to 60% production.
 This however, would tell of the impending need towards further developments on increasing upon this production rate. Hence, the approach on using a pneumatic operated assembly with considerations made on onshore wells. This paper seeks to depict a focal on "Pneumatic IOR (Improved Oil Recovery)" as a method to be effected for onshore wells towards improving its productivity.
 The pneumatic system uses compressed air, contained in a cylinder - through specialized tubing, alongside pressure control systems, that helps regulate the flow and amount of the compressed air; to propel a metallic bar that will act on the reservoir surface. A force of impact, which will induce vibrations inwards, is generated. The mechanical motion of the metal bars for which this compressed air acts upon will provide the travel force, which when it acts on the reservoir surface of interest, will induce geologic stresses. This stresses and vibrations are important constituents in increasing pressure, downhole. Thereby, enabling fluid flow upwards through the wellbore to the surface.
 And, this will proffer the necessary physics, needed for pressure development downhole, which will be of importance in improving Oil Recovery.


Sahiyo Stories brought together women from across the United States to create personalized digital stories narrating the experience of undergoing female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). FGM/C continues because people believe that if a girl does not undergo it, she will not grow up to be a "good woman." For centuries, then, women have been afraid to speak about FGM/C for fear of ostracization from their communities, getting loved ones in trouble, and other reasons. Sahiyo Stories shatters this silence and the digital stories collection is woven together by a united sentiment to protect future generations of girls from this harm.