Novel metamaterial platforms exhibiting time-dependent electromagnetic properties enable the investigation of previously unexplored light-matter interactions [1] - [2] . A variation in the dielectric function on a timescale shorter than the electric field period is perceived as an ultrafast temporal boundary [3] , thus resulting in a time-dependent "Snell's law" which connects the polarisation field frequency before and after the transition [4] , [5] . The onset of a frequency shift therefore enables the engineering of exotic nonlinear phenomena such as time refraction and photon acceleration [5] - [7] , with key fundamental and practical implications [8] . In one scheme, a temporal boundary is induced via photoexcitation of semiconducting metamaterials excited by ultrashort optical pulses. Above-bandgap photons drive an ultrafast transition from a dielectric to a metallic state. Temporal-boundaries-mediated nonlinearities become relevant for transition times shorter than the wave-period timescale, a challenging regime in optics. This condition is achieved in a hybrid approach, exploiting the interaction of terahertz (THz) fields and ultrafast photo-excited transients. The peculiar advantage of THz Time-Domain-Spectroscopy techniques is that they allow the agile reconstruction of full-field dynamics with sub-wave-period resolution. In addition, in all the considered schemes, terahertz waves impinge from vacuum onto a positionally static transient, in other words a large velocity mismatch always exists. An unexplored physical scenario is then when the transient is applied directly to a source where the transient exists in the same positional reference as the THz wave.


A new analysis clears some of the remaining hurdles to a completely rigorous density-functional theory for calculating the properties of materials at finite temperature.


by NANCY J. POLLOCK Department of Anthropology, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. 26 Ix 84 Easter Island was the meeting place for some 180 scientists and observers at the International Congress on Easter Island and Eastern Polynesia, September 6-12, 1984. The congress was organized by the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanization of the University of Chile and the associated Institute for Easter Island Studies, which has a base on the island itself. Key speakers at the congress included Thor Heyerdahl, who led off discussion of the various interpretations of the rongo rongo signs and what they indicate about connections between Easter Island and populations that made similar signs. Roger Green (Auckland) discussed Easter Island's connections to the west, particularly with Lapita culture and its many manifest forms. Thus "Dr. Tiki" and "Dr. Lapita" presented alternative views to spark debate. Yoshi Sinoto (Bishop Museum) added his comprehensive survey of archeological work in the eastern Pacific, and John Phenley (Hull) presented pollen analysis of material taken from the swamps in the craters on Easter Island to show that the island had probably been wooded up to about


SummaryAccumulating data implicate mycoplasma contamination as the single biggest problem in the culture of continuous cell lines. Mycoplasma infection can affect virtually every parameter and functional activity of the eukaryotic cells. A successfull alternative to discarding infected cultures is to attempt to eliminate the contaminants by treatment with specific and efficient antimycoplasma antibiotics. The addition of antibiotics to the culture medium during a limited period of time (1–3 wk) is a simple, inexpensive, and very practical approch for decontaminating continuous cell lines. Here, we examined the effectiveness of several antibiotic treatment protocols that we have employed routinely in our cell lines bank. On an aggregate, 673 cultures from 236 chronically mycoplasma-positive cell lines were exposed to one of the following five antibiotic regimens: mycoplasma removal agent (quinolone; a 1-wk treatment), enrofloxacin (quinolone; 1 wk), sparfloxacin (quinolone; 1 wk), ciprofloxacin (quinolone; 2 wk), and BM-Cyclin (alternating tiamulin and minocycline; 3 wk). The mycoplasma infection was permanently (as determined by three solid mycoplasma detection assays) eliminated by the various antibiotics in 66–85% of the cultures treated. Mycoplasma resistance was seen in 7–21%, and loss of the culture as a result of cytotoxically caused cell death occurred in 3–11% of the cultures treated. Overall, 223 of the 236 mycoplasma-positive cell lines could be cured in a first round of antibiotic treatment with at least one regimen. Taken together, 95% of the mycoplasma-infected cell lines were permanently cleased of the contaminants by antibiotic treatment, which validates this approach as an efficient and technically simple mycoplasma eradication method.


Abstract This paper approaches the study of conflict through an examination of Spanish metapragmatic labels and comments of impoliteness on Twitter. The aim is twofold. It first aims to confirm the attributed importance of the label maleducado /ill-mannered in the specific context of Twitter and of digital discourse more generally, on quantitative and comparative grounds; then, it investigates this label, and the metapragmatic comments where it occurred, in a contextualized corpus of tweets compiled during the political campaign of Spain's General Elections of April 28, 2019. The study draws from five ad hoc corpora specifically compiled from Twitter, and a general corpus of Spanish digital discourse provided by Sketch Engine. The analysis adopts a corpus-based metapragmatic approach, which combines quantitative and qualitative methods. Findings revealed that maleducado was the most frequent metapragmatic label under scrutiny in the Twitter corpora and motivated the subsequent study of lay conceptualizations of this term.


This paper presents a new approach to shortterm wind speed prediction. The chaotic time series analysis method is used to capture the characteristic of complex wind behavior in which a correlation dimension method is employed to calculate embedding dimension of the time series, then a mutual information method is used to determine the time delay. Based on the embedding dimension and time delay, support vector regression (SVR) is trained to perform the prediction. The proposed method is evaluated using the real-world data collected from a wind farm. The results have demonstrated the accuracy of the proposed wind speed prediction method in comparison with that offered by an artificial neural network (ANN).


Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease in which genetic factors play a role in the susceptibility to develop it. Genes related to the synthesis of interferons such as TLR7 and genetics factors such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or copies number variation (CNV) in the gene have been involved with the development of the disease. The genetic differences between the populations contribute to the complexity of LES. Mexico has a mestizo population with a genetic load of at least three origins: Amerindian, Caucasian, and African. The mestizo of Yucatán is the only group whose contribution Amerindian is mainly Mayan, geographically distant from other Mexican Amerindians. We analyzed the CNV and the frequency of SNP rs179008 of the TLR7 as genetic risk factors in developing the disease in patients from Yucatán and Central Mexico. Results show that 14% of the cases of the Yucatecan population showed significantly >2 CNV and a higher risk of developing the disease (OR: 34.364), concerning 4% of those coming from Central Mexico (OR: 10.855). T allele and the A/T and T/T risk genotypes of rs179008 were more frequent in patients of Central Mexico than in those of Yucatán (50% vs. 30%, 93% vs. 30%, 4% vs. 1%), and association with susceptibility to develop SLE was observed (OR: 1.5 vs. 0.58, 9.54 vs. 0.66, 12 vs. 0.14). Data support the genetic differences between and within Mexican mestizo populations and the role of the TLR7 in the pathogenesis of SLE.


This article investigates the possible nonlinearities in the response of bank lending to monetary policy shocks in the euro area. The credit market is modelled over the period 1985 to 2005 by means of an Asymmetric Vector Error Correction Model (AVECM) involving four endogenous variables (loans to the private sector, real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), lending rate and consumer price index) and one exogenous variable (money market rate). The main features of the model are the existence of two cointegrating equations representing the long-run credit demand and supply and the possibility for loading and lagged term coefficients to assume different values depending on the monetary policy regime (easing or tightening). The main result of this article is that the effect on credit, GDP and prices of a monetary policy tightening is larger than the effect of a monetary policy easing. This finding supports the existence of an asymmetric broad credit channel in the euro area.


Non-zero inner product encryption (NIPE) allows a user to encrypt a message with an attribute vector and a receiver holding a secret-key associated to a predicate vector can recover the message from the ciphertext if the inner product between the attribute and predicate vectors is non-zero. The main focus is to hide messages in most of the existing NIPEs and the associated attribute is trivially included in the ciphertext. In this work, we investigate the design of NIPEs that are capable of hiding attributes along with messages and secure against active adversaries. In particular, we describe a generic transformation of an attribute-hiding chosen-ciphertext attack (CCA) secure NIPE from an inner product functional encryption (IPFE) and a quasi-adaptive non-interactive zero-knowledge (QANIZK) proof system. This leads us to a set of attribute-hiding NIPEs (AHNIPE) with security based on several assumptions such as plain Decisional Diffie-Hellman (DDH), Learning With Errors (LWE) and Decision Composite Reciprocity (DCR). Furthermore, we build a more efficient and concrete construction of a CCA secure AHNIPE the security of which can be based on DDH and Kernel Matrix Diffie-Hellman (KerMDH) assumptions. As DDH implies the computational KerMDH assumption, the latter construction achieves a CCA secure AHNIPE from minimal assumption to date. We explore a few applications of AHNIPE. More specifically, we show that AHNIPE directly implies an anonymous identity-based revocation (IBR) scheme. Consequently, we get the first CCA secure IBR solely based on plain DDH assumption in the standard model, improving the security of any previous anonymous CCA secure IBR scheme which is proven secure relying on pairing-based assumptions in the random oracle model. Moreover, we add a tracing algorithm to our anonymous IBR scheme to convert it into an efficient anonymous trace and revoked scheme with CCA security.


Abstract We present material and instructions to teach the construction of phylogenetic trees using specifically designed images of dragons. Using fictional creatures, we can control the number and properties of characteristics, as well as present students with a context they might consider interesting. Besides creating evolutionary trees from data, students can learn that trees based on morphological characteristics might contradict and trees based on genetic analysis are a more reliable tool in classification. The material used in this learning environment is freely available, so educators can use and customize it freely. Students working with this material declared a high motivation to work with the fictional animals and engaged in very active discussions about different classifications of the dragons.


Background and aims In clinical practice, colonoscopy is widely used for the workup of chronic unexplained diarrhea. The aim of this study was to determine the yield of colonic biopsy in such an endeavor. Methods In a computerized database of 130 204 patients evaluated for chronic diarrhea, we tested the influence of biopsy site, number of tissue fragments, patient symptoms, and indication on the outcome of histopathologic evaluation. Results The population comprised 69% women and 31% men aged (mean±SD) 52.8±17.4 years. In 19% of patients, histopathological analysis revealed various types of mucosal lesion, the most common being microscopic colitis (8.6%), ulcerative colitis (2.2%), Crohn's disease (0.6%), active colitis (5.0%), diverticulitis (0.1%), and colonic ischemia (0.5%). In 29% of patients, the colonoscopy also revealed the presence of colon polyps. Endoscopists tended to take significantly more tissue samples from endoscopically visible lesions than for random biopsies of macroscopically normal-appearing mucosa. Conclusion Overall, these associations suggest that specific diagnoses lead to more biopsies, rather than more biopsies leading to more diagnoses. Colonoscopy is a successful tool in the workup of chronic diarrhea, yielding a definitive diagnosis in almost one-fifth of all patients. As an added benefit, it also contributes to cancer prevention through the incidental findings of colonic neoplasm.


This paper is a review of articles published in Brazilian scientific periodicals in recent years. Its main purpose is to bring to the attention of the readership of Acta Ortopedica Brasileira original contributions to the field published in non-specialized journals. We hope that this will serve as a general scientific update for readers. The review includes works published in six ISI indexed non-orthopedic journals, following a literature search conducted in fourteen such journals.


This paper uses merger simulations to predict postmerger prices for five airline mergers from the 1980s and compares these predictions with observed postmerger prices. I find that standard simulation methods, which measure the effect of the change in ownership on unilateral pricing incentives, do not generally provide an accurate forecast. By incorporating postmerger information into the model, I measure the relative importance of other factors that also contributed to the observed price changes. The results indicate that the unexplained component of the price change is largely accounted for by supply‐side effects. I conclude that deviations from the assumed model of firm conduct play an important role in accounting for the differences between the predicted and observed price changes. This conclusion suggests that the predictive performance of merger simulation would benefit if more flexible models of firm conduct were incorporated into the methodology.


Biocompatible gold nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by hibiscus plant leaf extract as a bioreactor. The prepared nanoparticles were evaluated using UV/Vis spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray Diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) . The study also investigated the effect of the different gamma irradiation doses on the size and dispersion of the produced nanoparticles. In UV- Vis spectra, the peak of Au NPs' surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was detected as a single peak at 543 nm. The gamma irradiation induced a blue shift in the SPR peak, which indicates that it might be applied as affective factor for size control.  Physical as well as chemical compound of gold with extract was discovered using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) analysis. SEM results indicated that the nanoparticles size was in the range from (25.61 - 48.36) nm and most of particles appeared within the nanoscale with spherical and semi-spherical shapes, moreover, the irradiation process led to development in the shape and size of synthesized nanoparticles"


In this paper we link the discrete-time periodic eigenvalue problem with two point boundary value problems over the same interval. This gives a new formulation of periodic eigenvalue problems which also leads to a new and more economical scheme for computing periodic eigenvalues.


To exploit the LoRaWAN (Long-Range Wide Area Network), it is essential to design suitable allocation schemes for the wireless resources. To this aim, strategies for a fair allocation of Spreading Factors (SF) among the network devices have been presented. These strategies greatly outperform the basic Adaptive Data Rate (ADR) scheme. Within these techniques, EXPLoRa-AT yields so far the best results exploiting an "ordered water-filling" approach which aims to equalize the Air-Time channel usage for each group of devices using the same SF. This paper proposes two innovative schemes based on the former one, named EXPLoRa-KM (K-means) and EXPLoRa-TS (Time Symbol). Both schemes exploit the "ordered water-filling" approach, and apply further heuristics based on network traffic knowledge. EXPLoRa-KM aims to relieve critical regions, characterized by a significant number of collisions, computing suitable adjustments on the SF allocation using K-means. Conversely, and with incremented complexity, EXPLoRa-TS performs an equalization of the traffic load (measured in symbol times) among the SF channels. The latter takes into account the fact that each device, according to its application, transmits a variable amount of data at a different sending rate. Thus, different traffic types (more or less aggressive) can be recognized. Simulation results show how both heuristics give significant performance improvements when different traffic loads are generated around a LoRaWAN Gateway. Taking into account the traffic behavior, the techniques provided in this paper contribute as promising kick-off strategies for enhancing the network performance in order to come up with the ultimate goal of scalability on a LoRaWAN network for heterogeneous IoT scenarios.


. Agrarian society is considered in terms of the functional role of law in ensuring the adaptation of individuals and social strata (estates) to the transformations that occur in its transition to an industrial (modern) state. The universal functionalism of law is described as the most important integrating factor of agrarian society in the transition era. The special importance of civil law in realization of adaptation function of law is revealed. The dualism of positive and customary law, the reasons of its formation in agrarian society and its stabilizing influence on social and class structure and its stability are analyzed. The peculiarities of civil-legal dualism in Russian agrarian society are determined. The ways of possible transformation of legal dualism in the course of system transformation of Russian society in the second part of XIX - beginning of XX centuries are analysed in details. It proves that the insoluble dual structure of Russian civil law at legislative and law-enforcement levels has created significant limitations in the implementation of the adaptive function of law in the Russian transitional era.


Diabetes Group Medical Visits and Biophysical Outcomes of Care in Uninsured Persons with Diabetes Jennifer A Mallow Background: Rural populations with low socioeconomic status are at higher risk of late diabetes diagnosis, poor diabetes control, decreased self-management, and development of complications. Diabetes Group Medical Visits (DGMVs) have been used to improve outcomes for persons with diabetes. A gap in the literature exists related to the effectiveness of DGMVs for uninsured persons with diabetes. Aims: The aims of the study were to describe the characteristics of uninsured persons with diabetes cared for in a free clinic, describe the biophysical outcomes of care, explore the differences in biophysical outcomes of care before and after attending DGMVs versus receiving usual care, and explore the impact of dose of DGMVs on biophysical outcomes of care. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at a free clinic in West Virginia, using chart review of a convenience sample of patients following approval of the WVU IRB. The inclusion criteria were: 1) age > 18 years, 2) diagnosis of diabetes, 3) uninsured and received care at a free clinic between May 2007 and August 18, 2009. A total of 111 patients were studied. There were 53 participants who attended DGMVs and 58 participants who received usual care. Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS), version 18 was used for analysis of the data. Results: The majority of the patients were female, white, severely obese, had a high-school education or less, were age 50 or younger, had a mean of 5 co-morbid conditions other than diabetes, and drove long distances to receive care. The patients who attended DGMVs had a higher HgA1C, reported more pain, had increased depression levels and were more obese at baseline than those who received usual care. There was a statistically significant decrease in systolic blood pressure from time one to time two in patients who attended DGMVs. There was no significant impact on biophysical outcomes of care in patients who received usual care from time one to time two. Dose of DGMVs did not impact biophysical outcomes of care. Conclusion: DGMV as an intervention is not enough to improve biophysical outcomes in this population. Interventions targeted to the unique characteristics of this population are needed to prevent devastating complications.


The report presents a set of recommended specifications for the collection and storage of crash test data. The data specifications presented in the report provide guidelines for the format of the processed data, for assembling data from various crash tests conducted by different testing agencies, and transmitting the data to the Federal Highway Administration for archiving. Current procedures for collecting and storing crash test data by six leading testing agencies in the Nation were reviewed. Testing personnel from these agencies were then consulted for their views on additional data requirements, and collection and storage methodologies for three distinct test classifications: acceptance, developmental, and research. Finally, a state-of-the-art study was conducted on various data acquisition systems and storage media. The results of the investigation were compiled in the form of a set of recommended specifications and a standard data disk. The latter contains a test information header file consisting of 65 data fields in five categories: header, appurtenance, vehicle, test conditions and test evaluation. To facilitate the creation of the information header file, a data base application program named HEADER was developed in the dBase IV environment. Further, a second application program named Test Data Header Generator (TDHG) was developed in Quick BASIC for appending the header segment of the information file to the appropriate data channel files. This is volume I of a two-volume report.


We study the effect of state ownership on the market-to-book ratios of publicly traded European utilities observed from 1994 to 2005. We find that when the company is subject to independent regulation, state ownership is positively associated with firm value. This effect is strong and significant in countries where weak checks and balances and political fragmentation do not constrain the power of the executive. We conclude that where political institutions are weak, politicians imperfectly delegate powers to regulatory agencies in order to benefit state-owned firms.


A hypergraph is a data structure composed of nodes and hyperedges, where each hyperedge is an any-sized subset of nodes. Due to the flexibility in hyperedge size, hypergraphs represent group interactions (e.g., co-authorship by more than two authors) more naturally and accurately than ordinary graphs. Interestingly, many real-world systems modeled as hypergraphs contain edge-dependent node labels, i.e., node labels that vary depending on hyperedges. For example, on co-authorship datasets, the same author (i.e., a node) can be the primary author in a paper (i.e., a hyperedge) but the corresponding author in another paper (i.e., another hyperedge). In this work, we introduce a classification of edge-dependent node labels as a new problem. This problem can be used as a benchmark task for hypergraph neural networks, which recently have attracted great attention, and also the usefulness of edge-dependent node labels has been verified in various applications. To tackle this problem, we propose WHATsNet, a novel hypergraph neural network that represents the same node differently depending on the hyperedges it participates in by reflecting its varying importance in the hyperedges. To this end, WHATsNet models the relations between nodes within each hyperedge, using their relative centrality as positional encodings. In our experiments, we demonstrate that WHATsNet significantly and consistently outperforms ten competitors on six real-world hypergraphs, and we also show successful applications of WHATsNet to (a) ranking aggregation, (b) node clustering, and (c) product return prediction.


Regularization and Bayesian methods for system identification have been repopularized in the recent years, and proved to be competitive w.r.t. classical parametric approaches. In this paper we shall make an attempt to illustrate how the use of regularization in system identification has evolved over the years, starting from the early contributions both in the Automatic Control as well as Econometrics and Statistics literature. In particular we shall discuss some fundamental issues such as compound estimation problems and exchangeability which play and important role in regularization and Bayesian approaches, as also illustrated in early publications in Statistics. The historical and foundational issues will be given more emphasis (and space), at the expense of the more recent developments which are only briefly discussed. The main reason for such a choice is that, while the recent literature is readily available, and surveys have already been published on the subject, in the author's opinion a clear link with past work had not been completely clarified.


To address the issues of presence of self-incompatibility and extent of self and cross-pollination in cashew, studies were carried out employing eight cultivars and four types of pollinations viz ., self-pollination, geitonogamy, hand self-pollination, hand cross-pollination. Observations on percentages of initial fruit set, final fruit set, fruit shed as well as total fruit set were recorded. The cultivars differed significantly for all the traits studied. In hand self-pollination, initial fruit set varied from 7.97 to 17.03 per cent. The final fruit set ranged from 10.47 to 3.13 per cent. The fruit shed varied from 9.53 to 1.85 per cent. The total final fruit set varied from 12.50 per cent (NRCC Sel-2) to 41.88 per cent (Ullal-3). In hand cross-pollination, the initial fruit set varied from 9.30 to 18.83 per cent. The final fruit set ranged from 3.77 to 7.90 per cent and the fruit shed varied from 4.12 to 15.06 per cent. The total final fruit set ranged from 15.06 per cent (Priyanka) to 31.58 per cent (NRCC Sel-2). Cultivar, Ullal-3 showed more fruit set in self-pollination and geitonogamy. All the varieties were found to be self- compatible and hence self-incompatibility does not seem to operate in cashew. Six varieties were cross-compatible and two were partially cross-compatible as female parents. The study indicated that self as well as cross-pollination play significant roles in fruit set in cashew. The estimates of heritability in broad sense and genetic advance for final fruit set were high in self- pollination and geitonogamy, high and moderate in hand self and cross-pollinations.


Anecdotal reports from individuals with autism suggest a loss of awareness to stimuli from one modality in the presence of stimuli from another. Here we document such a case in a detailed study of A.M., a 13-year-old boy with autism in whom significant autistic behaviours are combined with an uneven IQ profile of superior verbal and low performance abilities. Although A.M.'s speech is often unintelligible, and his behaviour is dominated by motor stereotypies and impulsivity, he can communicate by typing or pointing independently within a letter board. A series of experiments using simple and highly salient visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli demonstrated a hierarchy of cross-modal extinction, in which auditory information extinguished other modalities at various levels of processing. A.M. also showed deficits in shifting and sustaining attention. These results provide evidence for monochannel perception in autism and suggest a general pattern of winner-takes-all processing in which a stronger stimulus-driven representation dominates behaviour, extinguishing weaker representations.


Wireless sensor networks have been used for a variety of purposes such as habitat monitoring, malicious target detection, and climate observation. Conventionally, stationary sensors are used to carry out sensing tasks in a region of interest. However, if the region is much larger than the sensing range of a single sensor, stationary sensor networks could incur many problems such as the complicated reciprocal effects between coverage and communication ranges. This paper proposes a method to collect sensing data by mobile sensors. The method first selects critical sensing locations using detection performance as a metric. The sensing tasks are assigned to a number of mobile sensors. These mobile sensors are arranged to collect sensing data through routes as short as possible. In particular, to balance the load, the routes should be planed in approximately equal in length. An approach, namely Balanced Route Planning (BRP), is developed to arrange mobile sensors' patrolling paths. The load balance condition of BRP is evaluated by simulations. The results show that BRP is a fair and effective scheme for allotting sensing tasks for mobile sensors.


Objective: Mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) plays an important role in maintaining proper cellular functions in gastric cancer (GC). Previous studies demonstrated genetic variants within mTORC1 genes were associated with GC risk. However, no studies reported the associations between genetic variants within mTORC1 genes and GC prognosis. Herein, we firstly assessed the associations of genetic variants of mTORC1 genes with overall survival (OS) of GC in Chinese populations. Methods: We genotyped eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in mTORC1 genes (i.e., rs2536 T>C and rs1883965 G>A for mTOR, rs3160 T>C and rs26865 A>G for MLST8, rs3751934 C>A, rs1062935 T>C, rs3751932 T>C and rs12602885 G>A for RPTOR) by the TaqMan method in 197 Chinese GC patients who had surgical resection in Xinhua Hospital. We conducted Kaplan-Meier survival plots and Cox hazards regression analysis to explore the associations of these SNPs with OS. Results: The single-locus analysis indicated that RPTOR rs1062935 T>C was associated with an increased risk of poor GC prognosis (CC vs. TT/TC: adjusted Hazard ratio (HR) = 1.71, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04-2.82). The combined analysis of all eight SNPs showed that patients with more than three risk genotypes significantly increased risk of death (adjusted HR = 2.44, 95% CI = 1.30-4.58), when compared to those with three or less risk genotypes. Conclusions: Our findings indicated that genetic variants within mTORC1 genes may predict GC prognosis in Chinese populations. The results need to be validated in future studies with larger sample sizes.


This is the first study on the quantitative assessment of thymidine phosphorylase (TP) activity in patients with nonsmall lung carcinoma. TP is identical to the platelet‐derived endothelial cell growth factor with its angiogenic activity. Thus, it is believed that TP activity in tumor tissues plays an important role in disease progression.


: A comparative antifungal efficacy study of argan kernels was performed using different solvent fractions obtained by the two extraction methods: cold extraction by maceration at room temperature (1) and hot extraction by Soxhlet apparatus (2). Results demonstrated that the two extraction methods induce different yields among each solvent used. Maceration promoted the maximum contents of crude extract in hexane (42.15%), diethyl ether (2.59%), dichloromethane (4.22%), and ethyl acetate (2.52%). Whereas the hot extraction yielded higher extractives in the case of methanol (22.97%) and water (5.88%) compared to cold extraction. The MIC values of the fractionated extracts obtained by maceration were in the range of 0.051 ± 0.002 and 0.223 ± 0.005 g/ml, whilst they were in the range of 0.101 ± 0.002 and 0.286 ± 0.005 g/ml for the Soxhlet extracts. According to total activity (TA) interpretation, dichloromethane was the most effective solvent to extract active antifungal components, revealing the strongest ability to suppress the growth of fungi at much lower MIC values (0.051 ± 0.002 to 0.156 ± 0.005 g/ml) than the rest of fractions. The effect of heating resulted in an increase of the MICs values of the Soxhlet extracts from 10 to 25 times higher than macerated ones resulting in lower antifungal activity.


The present invention addresses the problem of reducing oil absorption in a frying step during the production of doughnuts and thus providing doughnuts that retain the original taste and flavor of doughnuts, have a soft and waxy texture imparted thereto, and show a reduced content of the absorbed oil and an excellent palatability with favorable taste and texture. To solve this problem, doughnuts, which show reduced oil absorption and a waxy texture imparted thereto, are produced by, in the production of doughnuts comprising wheat flour and starch, using 5-90 parts by weight inclusive of a starch and/or a processed starch having a gelatinization starting temperature of 30-63 ° C inclusive relative to 100 parts by weight of the total amount of the wheat flour and starch.


Spontaneous pneumomediastinum in the term newborn is relatively rare. We aim to emphasize the significance of Radiographic and CT features of spontaneous pneumomediastinum. We present an otherwise healthy 4-hour-old male, born by a caesarean section, presenting with sudden bulging of the left hemithorax and moderate respiratory distress. Chest radiography revealed an atypical unilateral lobular lucency distorting the mediastinum. CT scan showed an air collection with a multilobular upper border, containing thin straight and curvilinear septa. All segmental bronchi were identifiable. Limited scanning in decubitus position confirmed displacement of thymus and mediastinal air. Following conservative treatment, radiographic findings and symptoms resolved. Pneumomediastinum in neonates, unlike adults, loculates and does not dissect around broncho-vascular structures. Internal septa represent fascia surrounding the thymus. Thymic elevation and absence of lung abnormality constitute helpful imaging findings in support of spontaneous pneumomediastinum so that unnecessary and potentially harmful thoracotomy or chest tube placement are confidently avoided.


Routing is a design way to pass the data packet. User is assigns the path in a routing configuration. A significant role played by the router for providing the dynamic routing in the network. Structure and Configuration are different for each routing protocols. Next generation internet protocol IPv6 which provides large address space, simple header format. It is mainly effective and efficient routing. It is also ensure good quality of service and also provide security. Routing protocol (OSPFv3) in IPv6 network has been studied and implemented using 'cisco packet tracer'. 'Ping' the ping command is used to check the results. The small virtual network created in Cisco platform .It is also used to test the OSPFv3 protocol in the IPv6 network. This paper also contains step by step configuration and explanation in assigning of IPv6 address in routers and end devices. The receiving and sending the packet of data in a network is the responsibility of the internet protocol layer. It also contains the data analysis of packet forwarding through IPv6 on OSPFv3 in simulation mode of cisco packet virtual environment to make the decision eventually secure and faster protocol in IPv6 environment.


This study was performed to know and compare the community structures of macrobenthic invertebrates of five fishing grounds in the coastal waters of Jeju Island from 2013 to 2015. A total of 629 species was identified. Molluscans comprised 282 species (44.8%), Arthropods 88 (14.0%), Poriferans 61 (9.7%), Bryozoans 52 (8.3%) and the others including Cnidarians 51 (8.1%). Density and biomass were estimated to be 71,007 ind./m and 599,208.0 gwwt/m, respectively. Gastropods was the most dominant taxon in terms of abundance (24,625 ind./m) and number of species as well, and Gastropods was predominant in biomass (190,789.0 gwwt/m). The dominant species were Omphalius pfeifferi, Astralium haematragum, Musculus viridulus, Halosydna brevisetosa, Phascolosoma scolops, Herdmania monus in 5-20 m. Based on the cluster analysis, the study area could be divided into five station groups. The biodiversity, evenness and richness index appeared as follows: H' = 4.28-4.64, E' = 0.74-0.79, R = 33.17-35.45. The dominance index were highest in Sagye and lowest in Sinhung.


Abstract Observations on post-breeding movements of radio-implanted green frogs (Rana clamitans) revealed that frogs made repetitive forays away from and back to breeding ponds before final migrations to overwintering sites away from the pond. We used a drift fence and radio-transmitters to test the hypothesis that these movements were related to preoverwintering foraging and not overwintering site selection. Movements were oriented directly to habitats away from the pond, the terrestrial habitats had more food than those closer to the pond edge, and frog mass increased during forays away from the pond but declined at the pond. Foray directions were not correlated with migration direction and were considerably shorter than migration distances to overwintering sites. An intense, late season, foraging period is probably necessary for the green frog to rebuild lipid reserves following breeding and to prepare for overwintering.


Hand washing for hand hygiene is the art of cleaning the hands with or without the use of water or another liquid, or with the use of soap, for the purpose of removing soil, dirt, and/or microorganisms. The main medical purpose of washing hands is to cleanse the hands from pathogens (including bacteria or viruses) and chemicals which can cause personal harm or disease. This is especially important for people who handle food or work in the medical field, but it is also an important practice for the general public. In response to this concern, we formulated the antibacterial Liquid soap. Experiment was performed by selecting the herbs which were reported to have antibacterial activity. They are Ocimum sanctum and Eugena caryophyllus. Formulated liquid soaps were evaluated for physical parameters like colour, fragrance and chemical parameters like pH, % Free alkali, Test for chlorides, Foam height, Foam retention, Alcohol insoluble matter, Microbial count etc. and the obtained results were in the acceptable limits except foam height and foam retention as we are not using SLS.


ldquoCloudrdquo computing - a relatively recent term, builds on decades of research in virtualization, distributed computing, utility computing, and more recently networking, web and software services. It implies a service oriented architecture, reduced information technology overhead for the end-user, great flexibility, reduced total cost of ownership, on-demand services and many other things. This paper discusses the concept of ldquocloudrdquo computing, issues it tries to address, related research topics, and a ldquocloudrdquo implementation available today.


Some effects hindering the construction of knowledge-based potentials of atom-atom interactions in problems of biopolymer modeling have been considered. It was shown that some limitations are overcome by considering the distribution of distances between noninteracting probes in the protein structure space. It was shown that knowledge-based potentials thus constructed can be effectively used to analyze the hydration of protein atoms. Using this approach, it is possible to predict the structure water location in a protein globule and recognize the correctly folded protein structure among decoys.


We have analyzed the incidence and risk factors of developing a secondary malignancy after total body irradiation (TBI) and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). From March 1986 to December 2002, 205 patients received TBI as a part of the HSCT conditioning regimen. TBI was administered in 6 fractions, twice a day, up to a total dose of 12 Gy, with a median dose rate of 11.44 cGy/min. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) was performed in 119 patients and the other 86 patients received an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT). Median age was 30 years (5–63). We have calculated the cumulative incidence of solid tumors and secondary hematologic malignancies among these patients. Death due to noncancerous causes and patients lost to follow-up were entered as a competitive risk. With a median follow-up of 32 months (0.2–229)- including patients deceased in the first three months- 13 (6.3%) developed a secondary malignancy, 7 of them (3.4%) developed a solid tumor and 6 (2.9%) developed a secondary hematologic malignancy. The 7 patients who developed a solid tumor-1 glioblastoma, 2 head and neck carcinoma, 2 basocelular carcinoma, 1 osteosarcoma and 1 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia- had received an allo-HSCT. The 6 patients that developed a secondary hematologic malignancy- 5 therapy-related leukemia/myelodisplasia (t-AML/MDS) and 1 B cell non Hodgkin's lymphoma- had received an AHSCT. The overall probability of developing a secondary malignancy after HSCT is 2.5% at 3 years (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1– 6); 5% at 10 years (95% CI 2.6–9.3), and 9% at 15 years (95% CI 5–16.5). The probability of developing a solid tumor after HSCT is 0.5% at 3 years (95% CI 0.1–3.6), 1.8 % at 10 years (95% CI 0.6–5.5), and 6 % at 15 years (95% CI 2.6–13.7) and the probability of developing a secondary hematologic malignancy is 2 % at 3 years (95% CI 0.8–5.3), and 3,1 % at 10 and 15 years (95% CI 1.4–6.9). Median time to develop a solid tumor was 134 months (29–229). Median time to develop a secondary hematologic malignancy was 31 (3–60) months. Multivariate analysis proved that allo-HSCT was the only risk factor of developing a solid tumor, and that AHSCT and advanced age were risk factors of developing secondary hematologic malignancy (mean age 30 vs. 50 years ). To conclude, the probability of developing a solid tumor after HSCT is higher if an allo-HSCT has been performed and increases with time. AHSCT and advanced age are risk factors for the development of a secondary hematologic malignancy, a risk that decreases 5 years after AHSCT.


The Japanese medaka, Oryzias latipes, is a vertebrate teleost model with a long history of genetic research. A number of unique features and established resources distinguish medaka from other vertebrate model systems. A large number of laboratory strains from different locations are available. Due to a high tolerance to inbreeding, many highly inbred strains have been established, thus providing a rich resource for genetic studies. Furthermore, closely related species native to different habitats in Southeast Asia permit comparative evolutionary studies. The transparency of embryos, larvae, and juveniles allows a detailed in vivo analysis of development. New tools to study diverse aspects of medaka biology are constantly being generated. Thus, medaka has become an important vertebrate model organism to study development, behavior, and physiology. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of established genetic and molecular-genetic tools that render medaka fish a full-fledged vertebrate system.


Abstract Global surveys of stratospheric and upper tropospheric aerosols have been made using balloon-borne photoelectric particle counters. The natural variability observed at each flight station was small enough so that typical profiles could be identified. Data are presented in the form of latitude cross sections showing lines of constant aerosol mixing ratio. The stratospheric aerosol layer is clearly delineated as well as small transient layers in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. At high and low latitudes the aerosol mixing ratio profile apparently experiences a simple shift in altitude corresponding to the change in local tropopause height.


The development of an optical pulse of finite axial extent is studied by means of an axisymmetric, time-dependent, particle simulation code for different rates of tapering of the wiggler field. The results illustrate a number of the physical phenomena underlying the free-electron laser mechanism. These include: suppression of the sideband instability; the role of gain focusing versus that of refractive guiding; efficiency enhancement; and pulse slippage. It is found that a significant reduction in the sideband modulation of the optical field can be achieved with a faster tapering of the wiggler parameters. Increasing the tapering rate also reduces refractive guiding, causing the optical wavefronts to become more convex, thus spreading the optical field into a large cross-section. The corresponding enhancement of the peak output power is associated with an increased lateral extent of the optical field rather than an increase in the field amplitude. (Author)


In a systematic study of the mutagenic effect of chemical compounds used as pesticides, we found that D. D. soil fumigant and Telone are mutagenic. The test was performed using the bacterial tester strains following the procedure developed by Ames. The active principle of D. D. soil fumigant and Telone is a mixture of the cis and trans isomers of 1,3-dichloropropene. Both isomers are mutagenic in Salmonella strains TA 1535 and TA 100. 2,3-Dichloro-1-propene, a minor component (5%) of the commercial preparation Telone, was also found to be mutagenic in strains TA 1535 and TA 100. Mutagenesis of these tester strains is an indication of a base-pair substitution event causing a missense mutation. 1,3-Dichloropropene is widely used in agriculture all over the world. In Italy 2,187,100 kg were produced in 1972. In California over 1,000,000 kg of 1,3-dichloropropene-containing pesticides were used in 1971.


Detecting activities from video taken with a single camera is an active research area for ML-based machine vision. In this paper, we examine the next research frontier: near real-time detection of complex activities spanning multiple (possibly wireless) cameras, a capability applicable to surveillance tasks. We argue that a system for such complex activity detection must employ a hybrid design: one in which rule-based activity detection must complement neural network based detection. Moreover, to be practical, such a system must scale well to multiple cameras and have low end-to-end latency. Caesar, our edge computing based system for complex activity detection, provides an extensible vocabulary of activities to allow users to specify complex actions in terms of spatial and temporal relationships between actors, objects, and activities. Caesar converts these specifications to graphs, efficiently monitors camera feeds, partitions processing between cameras and the edge cluster, retrieves minimal information from cameras, carefully schedules neural network invocation, and efficiently matches specification graphs to the underlying data in order to detect complex activities. Our evaluations show that Caesar can reduce wireless bandwidth, on-board camera memory, and detection latency by an order of magnitude while achieving good precision and recall for all complex activities on a public multi-camera dataset.


The experience of many countries shows that the presence of high innovative potential is a necessary factor of economic growth in the modern world. The establishment of special economic zones at the early stage of the policy of reform and opening up helped to reduce its cost. If the establishment of special economic zones reflects the Chinese characteristics (road of socialism with Chinese characteristics), the establishment of free trade zones reflects its universality.


This study seeks to focus on the methodological concerns found in intergenerational transmission of criminal behavior studies of children of incarcerated parents. In reviewing the literature it is evident that parental incarceration has a significant impact on children but unfortunately many of the studies suffer from methodological concerns that limit the generalizability of the findings and the ability to extend the origins of the antisocial behavior across generations. The concerns include 1) the lack of reliable data available 2) small sample sizes and lack of control groups 3) lack of variation in reporters of data 4) very little information about subjects before incarceration 5) the need for data related to high risk urban populations 6) the use of retrospective data, and 7) few studies the meet the criteria outlined by Thornberry.


An image coding algorithm based on human visual system is proposed. SPIHT algorithm is analyzed and Enhanced in this paper. According to the different sensitivity of human visual system on edge, smooth and texture regions of the image, different perceptual weights are given to the corresponding wavelet coefficients for the image information in these three different areas. The experiment results show that the algorithm has better subjective quality of the reconstitution image and higher peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR).


An effort has been underway to develop a system for de novo sequencing of single DNA molecules with very long reads. The system operates by optically detecting the passage of fluorescently tagged DNA bases through a detection zone. A successful system would be revolutionary with respect to speed, read length, cost and minimized laboratory infrastructure. An important part of system development is modeling of the detection process. In particular, predicting the expected error from a set of sequencing parameters is helpful in system design. This paper describes variations on the Smith-Waterman algorithm for subsequence alignment used in a single-molecule detection model. The alignment algorithm is used to check the modeled output sequence generated from a known input sequence. Variations based on reasonable assumptions led to over an order of magnitude improvement in alignment speed


The Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) provide authentication of DNS responses using digital signatures. DNS operates primarily over UDP, which leads to several constraints: notably, packets should be at most 1232 bytes long to avoid problems during transmission. Larger DNS responses either need to be fragmented into several UDP responses or the request would need to be repeated over TCP, neither of which is sufficiently reliable in today's DNS ecosystem. While RSA or elliptic curve digital signatures are sufficiently small to avoid this problem, even for DNSSEC packets containing both a public key and a signature, this problem is unavoidable when considering the larger sizes of post-quantum schemes. We propose ARRF, a method of fragmenting DNS resource records at the application layer (rather than the transport layer) that is request-based, meaning the initial response contains a truncated fragment and then the requester sends follow-up requests for the remaining fragments. Using request-based fragmentation avoids problems identified for several previously proposed (and rejected) application-level DNS fragmentation techniques. We implement our approach and evaluate its performance in a simulated network when used for the three post-quantum digital signature schemes selected by NIST for standardization (Falcon, Dilithium, and SPHINCS+) at the 128-bit security level. Our experiments show that our request-based fragmentation approach provides substantially lower resolution times compared to standard DNS over UDP with TCP fallback, for all the tested post-quantum algorithms, and with less data transmitted in the case of both Falcon and Dilithium. Furthermore, our request-based fragmentation design can be implemented relatively easily: our implementation is in fact a small daemon that can sit in front of a DNS name server or resolver to fragment/reassemble transparently.


ng/ml. Bone scan and chest CT scan were negative for metastatic disease. Transarterial chemoembolization was initiated while transplantation evaluation proceeded. Transthoracic echocardiogram revealed a large undulating mass in the hepatic vein and extending 3.5 cm into the right atrium consistent with tumor extension and thrombus. Further chemoembolization were canceled. More aggressive treatment such as intracardiac resection was deemed unfeasible due to his other medical problems. The patient entered hospice care. Discussion: Spread of HCC to the heart is unusual but well documented in the literature. When it occurs it is most often by extension through the hepatic veins to create a right atrial, intracavitary mass as in our case. However, left atrial, right ventricle and intra-myocardial involvement of the left ventricle have been reported. Spread to the left chambers may be by pulmonary metastasis or patent foramen ovale. Clinical manifestations are varied. Patients may have no symptoms, dyspnea, syncope or heart failure. Physical findings include edema, pansystolic murmur, diastolic rumble over the tricuspid valve and improved symptoms with left lateral decubitus position. Successful surgical resections are reported, but our patient's comorbities precluded such aggressive therapy. Most cases in the literature are reported from Asia. However, the incidence of HCC is rising in the United States, and transplantation, particularly living donor liver transplantation, is increasingly employed as curative treatment. Pre-transplant transthoracic echocardiography obtained to assess cardiac status will uncover additional cases like ours, and some suggest using it to screen for inferior vena cava and cardiac extension in all HCC patients considered for surgery. Moreover, transesophageal echocardiography may be a more sensitive screening tool than transthoracic. Conclusion: As the incidence and screening for HCC increases in the United States, we will see more unusual HCC clinical manifestations previously reported in traditionally high incidence areas of the world.


Local inflammatory and osteolytic foreign-body reactions to bioabsorbable implants made of polyglycolic acid have been well documented in the literature4,5,8,12. Rapid degradation of the polyglycolic acid polymer causes these adverse reactions to occur within two to four months after implantation, when the disintegration of the polymer has reached its final phase6,19.

Polylactic acid is another synthetic biodegradable polymer used in fracture-fixation implants. In contrast to polyglycolic acid, the degradation time of the stereo-isomeric form of polylactic acid that is used most commonly, poly-L-lactic acid, is several years. Consequently, the possible foreign-body reactions to devices made of poly-L-lactic acid can be expected to emerge much later than the reactions to devices made of polyglycolic acid. Because implants made of poly-L-lactic acid have been used clinically on a widespread basis for less than ten years, knowledge of the long-term biocompatibility of this polymer in human tissues is limited. We report the case of a patient in whom a local inflammatory reaction to a poly-L-lactic acid screw occurred more than four years after the fixation of an ankle fracture.

A twenty-eight-year-old woman sustained a closed, displaced bimalleolar fracture of the left ankle when she slipped on ice in January 1991 (Fig. 1). She had insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus but was otherwise healthy at the time of injury. On the day of admission, the fracture fragments were anatomically reduced and fixed with bioabsorbable poly-L-lactic acid screws (Bioscience, Tampere, Finland). The fracture was exposed, under tourniquet control, through longitudinal incisions over the malleoli. The lateral malleolus was fixed with one 4.5 by fifty-millimeter interfragmentary screw, and the medial malleolus was fixed with one 4.5 by forty-millimeter interfragmentary screw. The screw that was used for the lateral malleolus was inserted diagonally in an anteroposterior direction …


AIMS
Diabetes is associated with nitrosative stress in multiple tissues. Overactivation of the Wnt pathway has been shown to play a pathogenic role in diabetic retinopathy (DR). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether nitrosative stress contributes to aberrant activation of Wnt signaling in diabetes.

RESULTS
Nitrosative stress induced by peroxynitrite (PN), 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE), or high glucose (HG) in retinal cells was assessed by a dichlorofluorescein fluorescence assay or by Western blot analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT). These nitrosative stress inducers activated the canonical Wnt pathway, as shown by Western blot analysis of phosphorylated low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (pLRP6), total and nuclear β-catenin levels, Luciferase reporter assay, and expression of the Wnt target genes intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Uric acid (UA), a PN scavenger, and 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis (4-sulfonatophenyl) porphyrinato Iron III Chloride (FeTPPS), a PN decomposition catalyst, suppressed Wnt signaling and ICAM-1 and VEGF overexpression induced by PN, HNE, and HG. Furthermore, UA and FeTPPS also inhibited Wnt signaling induced by the Wnt ligand. In streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, retinal levels of 3-NT, β-catenin, nuclear β-catenin, pLRP6, VEGF, and ICAM-1 were markedly increased. UA treatment for 6 weeks ameliorated diabetes-induced Wnt signaling in the diabetic rat retina. The UA treatment also decreased inflammatory cell infiltration and extraverted serum albumin in the perfused retina of diabetic rats, suggesting decreased retinal inflammation and vascular leakage.

INNOVATION AND CONCLUSION
Nitrosative stress in diabetes contributes to Wnt pathway activation in the retina, and Wnt signaling may mediate the pathogenic effects of nitrosative stress in DR.


SUMMARY Mice given an intraperitoneal injection of 0.5 mg. Corynebacterium parvum (dry weight) before vaccination with heat-killed (HK) or acetone-killed (AK) Salmonella typhimurium vaccine and later challenged intraperitoneally with S. typhimurium strain 1566, showed a statistically significant increase in mortality when compared with mice that had received only C. parvum but no vaccine. They also showed a higher mortality rate than mice receiving only HK or AK vaccine or mice that had received no vaccine before challenge. Prior administration of C. parvum to mice that are vaccinated with HK or AK vaccine appears to make them more susceptible to an intraperitoneal challenge with S. typhimurium. This was more apparent with HK vaccine than with AK vaccine.


Traffic signal control is important for intersection safety and efficiency. However, most traffic signal control methods are designed for individual intersections or corridors. Although some adaptive control systems have been developed, the methods used are often proprietary and not published, making it difficult to evaluate their effectiveness. This study proposes an adaptive multi-input and multi-output traffic signal control method that not only can improve network-wide traffic operations in terms of reduced traffic delay and energy consumption, but also is more computationally feasible than existing centralized signal control methods. Considering intersection interactions, a linear dynamic traffic system model was built and adaptively updated to reflect how the signal control input of each intersection affects network-wide vehicle travel delay. Based on the system model, an adaptive linear-quadratic regulator (LQR) was designed to minimize both traffic delay and incremental changes in the control input. The proposed control method was evaluated in a microscopic traffic simulation environment with a 35-intersection network of Bellevue City, Washington. Simulation results show that the proposed method had shorter average traffic delays in the network when compared with the traffic delays controlled by the state-of-the-art max-pressure, self-organizing traffic lights, and independent deep Q network methods.


In this study, the authors propose a simplified maximum likelihood (ML)-based detection scheme for N t × N r M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM) spatial modulation (SM) that is computationally less complex than the conventional ML detection scheme. Instead of searching for the transmit antenna index and transmitted symbol pair among all possible N t M pairs as in the ML-based optimal detection, the proposed simplified ML-based detection scheme firstly searches for pairs of transmit antenna index and transmitted symbol in level-one subsets which the transmitted signal most probably belongs to, and secondly searches for pairs of transmit antenna index and transmitted symbol in level-two subsets among those pairs in level-one subsets. We also extend the simplified ML-based optimal detection into multistage detection. Simulation results validate that the bit error rate (BER) performance of the proposed simplified ML-based detection schemes is almost the same as that of conventional ML detection with significant complexity reduction until a BER of 10 -6 .


From the appearance of high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) thermal spray system on 1980s, WC cermet coatings have been used as an anti-wear coating in many industrial manufacturing. Recently, WC cermet spray materials were applied to new thermal spray methods such as warm spray and cold spray under research phase. In HVOF spraying, WC-Co or WC-Ni series powder are used as standard contents. Ni and Co are binder metals for WC because of good wettability and suitable melting point. On the other hand, warm spray and cold spray are lower temperature process than HVOF. It is considered that any other factors of metal material such as hardness, toughness and crystal phase should be investigated in warm spray and cold spray. In this study, WC with Co or Fe alloy powders were sprayed by cold spray and HVOF to investigate the influence of binder metal for spray efficiency and coating property. It is cleared that Ni and Fe were superior to Co in spray efficiency and coating property in cold spray. The detail of above reason was under investigation, however, plastic deformability of binder metal is expected to be an important factor for WC cermet cold spraying.


The U(l) triangle anomaly is present, as an infra-red divergence, in the six-reggeon triple-regge interaction vertex obtained from a maximally non-planar Feynman diagram in the full triple-regge limit of three-to-three quark scattering.


Natural disasters generate a variety of life events that may lead diverse mental disorders other than those trauma-related. Among such the alcohol related problem is quite important, as it may be influenced by both psychological burdens related to disasters but also people's coping and appraisal. People may seek for alcohol as a measure to reduce distress, which is not a rare after traumatic situation, but will be unintentionally subject to its pharmacological effects. Our previous study after Niigata-Chuuetsu Earthquake aimed at the prevalence of mental disorders and QOL in rural areas where the proportion of elderly adults was high. We conducted face-to-face interviews onducted with 496 community-dwelling persons aged 65 years or older in that area. During the 3-year period after the earthquake, 1.6% of men and 5.5% of women had received a diagnosis of major depression and 3.9% of men were regarded to have alcohol dependence while none of women had it. There were no cases of posttraumatic stress disorder. Suicidality was the highest mental health problems, the prevalence bigger among women than men. It would be of crucial interest whether the social outcome of alcohol dependence would differ between pre and post disasters. Language: en


The problem of synthesizing a time-domain signal with a given energy spectral density (ESD) often arises in the field of signal processing. Many solutions have been proposed and successfully used over the years. However the problem of synthesizing a time-domain signal with constraints for a given ESD has not been investigated sufficiently. We propose a solution to one such constraint where the amplitude of the complex-valued time-domain signal is required to be unity. This is equivalent to phase modulating a unit amplitude signal, such that its ESD matches a desired energy spectral density. We provide an algorithm for this solution and apply it to a real problem encountered in radars.


Chronic eosinophilic leukemia-not otherwise specified (CEL-NOS) is a rare disorder with hypereosinophilia and an increase number of blood or marrow blasts (<20%) or an evidence of eosinophilic clonality. It is an aggressive disorder with a high rate of acute transformation and resistant to conventional treatment. Its clinical and pathological picture vaguely overlap and adds to diagnostic confusion with idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome (IHES) which is characterized by sustained overproduction of eosinophils over a period of 6 months with multiple organ damage. Due to the difficulty in distinguishing CEL from IHES, the true incidence of this disease is rare. We report a case of CEL-NOS, which was preceded by IHES and terminated in acute myeloid leukemia with maturation (M2) in a 38-year-old male.


ABSTRACT Introduction: Currently, intensely developing of linear and non-linear optical methods for cancer detection provides a valuable tool to improve sensitivity and specificity. One of the main reasons for insufficient progress in cancer diagnostics is related to the fact that most cancer types are not only heterogeneous in their genetic composition but also reside in varying microenvironments and interact with different cell types. Until now, no technology has been fully proven for effective detecting of invasive cancer, which infiltrating the extracellular matrix. Areas covered: This review investigates the current status of Raman spectroscopy and Raman imaging for brain and breast cancer diagnostics. Moreover, the review provides a comprehensive overview of the applicability of atomic force microscopy (AFM), linear and non-linear optics in cancer research as a gateway to tumor cell identity. Expert commentary: A combination of linear and non-linear optics, particularly Raman-driven methods, has many additional advantages to identify alterations in cancer cells that are crucial for their proliferation and that distinguish them from normal cells.


A compact surface-mount ultra-wideband (UWB) chip antenna fabricated using multilayer low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology is presented. The antenna, suitable for mobile applications, is of a two layered metal-plate structure and occupies a compact size of 14 /spl times/ 10 /spl times/ 1.5 mm/sup 3/ only. With a very wide operating bandwidth of about 4.98 GHz, the antenna can cover the lower band of DS-UWB (3.1-4.85 GHz). The antenna radiation patterns at 4.0 GHz and the antenna gain are also measured and discussed.


Why should we researchers and university teachers carry particular societal responsibility?—The answer follows from the function of universities within our society, to educate future generations and to act as "truth-seeking" centers. Given the increasing public costs of universities, there has also been a rise in the expectations in their beneficial output for society. The current global political and economic situation places even more responsibility on the universities to be far-sighted. And why is there a relevant European context?—Fundamentally, science has no national or continental borders. On the contrary, science helps to bridge gaps that originate from political or economic developments or from ethnical traditions. Scientific results have truly universal validity. Nevertheless, scientists are citizens who are rooted in a national, continental, and cultural context. Science is supported by national authorities, and is expected to foster regional prosperity and to help solve national problems. Perhaps most importantly, an active science community is indispensable in any flourishing society that desires to remain competitive on an international scale. Whenever economic or political unbalance starts to develop between nations or continents, national or continental concerns may become relevant also in science. In such a situation, science is expected to contribute its share to strengthening the national impact on a global scale to re-establish balanced competitiveness. Today, where hegemony of the USA on the political, but also economic platform, is becoming more and more of a serious challenge, the positioning of European science and technology needs to be reconsidered. In this respect, it seems appropriate to me for European scientists to develop a specifically European opinion, keeping in mind that the major obligation of science is to remain far-sighted in all respects, also in the geographical ones, and to strengthen international and intercontinental ties rather than questioning them.


Learning for professionals is an ongoing process. They work in an era of changing laws and procedures that drive their need and desire to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. Lifelong learning can benefit professionals, the organizations in which they work, and the clients they serve. This chapter explores continuing education requirements to maintain licenses of certification, as well as the desire for lifelong learning among professionals from a variety of industries. Suggestions for developing and providing learning experiences are presented. While it is evident that professionals need to continue their learning, the content areas as well as learning options are continuously being reviewed by accrediting organizations. Various ways of obtaining continuing education credits are presented as well as trends in training modalities.


A total of 4,169 adult mosquitoes were aspirated from 3 tire disposal sites in North Carolina for virus assays. Aedes albopictus was the dominant species, with a relative abundance of approximately 99%. Potosi virus was isolated from one pool of 68 female Ae. albopictus. Priorities for future Potosi virus research and the implications of the North Carolina isolate are discussed.


The occurrence of mixed infections of Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp. is becoming a common feature in Central and South America due to overlapping endemic areas. Unfortunately, the possibilities for treating flagellated kinetoplastid infections are still very limited and most of the available drugs exhibit severe side effects. Although the development of new drugs for Leishmania has markedly improved in the last years, the tendency is still to employ antimonial compounds. On the other hand, treatment for Chagas' disease is only available for the acute phase with no effective therapeutical options for chronic stage disease. The following case report substantiates the recently discovered effect of amiodarone as a nonconventional antiparasitic drug, particularly against Leishmania, breaching a new perspective in the therapeutic management of these important infectious parasitic diseases.


Moodle also known as Learning Management System is freely available to educators. Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) encourages students and instructors to utilize the teaching and learning process. Moodle enables lecturer to create sequences and facilitate activities for their students, auto-marked online quizzes and exams, navigation tools, files download, grading, student progress tracking, online calendar, etc. This paper investigated the relationships between the constructs that may influence preservice teachers' acceptance of Learning Zone (Moodle) in their learning process and assessing the influence of variation on performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation, and the habit to the behavioral intention or intention of usage. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) is verified and found that the regression model revealed 29.5% of the variance in student's intentions with facilitating conditions and hedonic expectancy are considerable predictors of the behavioral intention. Based on this, recommendations for prospect research in the application of UTAUT2 are discussed.


Mongolian territory is rich in history and man-made heritage. Hundreds of monuments to testify were left in the vast expanse from the Altai Mountains to steppe eastern Mongolia. In nowadays, non-destructive integrated geophysical prospecting methods have been increasingly used for the investigation of archaeological sites in Mongolian territory. This paper describes the results of integrated geophysical investigation based ground penetrating radar and magnetic surveys in the ritual complex of Khaya Khudag area in Khentii province. The correlation of these non-invasive methods acquires high resolution images of the subsurface to decrease the destruction, time and cost of archaeological excavations. The aim of this work was the recognition, location and mapping of buried ritual complex structures by integrated geophysical survey. The geophysical survey includes the utilization of magnetic and GPR. These techniques are described as fast data acquisition rate, high resolution, non-destructive and cost-effective methods. The present survey was performed through these steps, first a magnetic prospecting was carried out followed by GPR survey. When the GPR profiles were compared with the magnetic data along the same paths there were good coincidence between the positives and negatives in both cases.


The Nurul Jadid University Library (UNUJA) currently requires valid visitor data, because the number of visitors is an indicator of library performance in terms of disciplining staff / employees. For this reason, the UNUJA library requires an automatic library door lock control system using Arduino Uno and QR-Code. In designing tools, Arduino Uno and QR-Code are integrated with the library database application. Based on testing and analysis, it can be obtained that the success rate of testing tools in reading QR-code is 100 percent. The conclusion is that the assembly of the library door lock control system based on Arduino Uno and integrated QR-Code with the database has been able to read digital input and output.


Structural changes occurring upon desensitization of the Torpedo marmorata acetylcholine receptor were monitored with tritiated p-(N,N-dimethyl)aminobenzenediazonium fluoroborate, a reversible competitive antagonist in the dark, which may serve as a photoaffinity probe of the area of the receptor molecule with which cholinergic ligands interact. Addition of meproadifen, an allosteric effector that stabilizes the high-affinity desensitized state of the receptor upon binding to a site topographically distinct from the cholinergic ligand-binding domains, caused a major increase in labeling of the alpha subunit, a smaller increase in the delta subunit, and decreased labeling in the gamma subunit, thus revealing changes in the alpha and non-alpha subunits' contribution to cholinergic ligand binding. Also, in agreement with the tighter binding of cholinergic ligands to the desensitized receptor, differential labeling of three peptide loops of the alpha subunit was detected: while Tyr-190, Cys-192, and Cys-193 were labeled in a roughly identical manner in both resting and desensitized conformations, the labeling of Tyr-93 and Trp-149 increased up to 6-fold in the desensitized state. Tyr-93 and Trp-149 belong to separate regions containing strictly conserved "canonical" amino acids, common to all nicotinic, gamma-aminobutyrate, and glycine receptor subunits. These regions are thus likely to play a critical role in the regulation of ligand-gated ion channels.


Enantiomeric excess (ee) determination is crucial in many aspects of science, from synthesis to materials. Within this subject, coupling molecular sensors with chiroptical techniques is a straightforward approach to the stereochemical analysis of chiral molecules, especially in terms of process immediacy and labor. Stereodynamic probes typically consist of racemic mixtures of rapidly interconverting enantiomeric conformers able to recognize a chiral analyte and greatly amplify its chiroptical readout. A great number of sensors have been developed, but their activity is generally restricted to one or a few classes of chemicals, and the analysis outcome relies on precise knowledge of the probe and analyte concentrations. This aspect in particular limits the potential practical applications. Here we report an oxo-vanadium(V) aminotriphenolate complex that was found to act as a concentration-independent stereodynamic sensor for a wide range of compounds. The bare complex is CD-silent, but coordination of an enantioenriched substrate immediately gives rise to intense Cotton effects in the visible region. Furthermore, a geometry change during the substrate-complex interaction leads to a marked optical response, as witnessed by a strong red-shift of the probe absorption bands, thus allowing the generation of dichroic signals in an "interference-free" area of the spectrum. This peculiarity allows for a linear correlation at high wavelengths between the ee of the analyte and anisotropy g-factor. This parameter derives from the differential circularly polarized light absorption of the sample but is independent of concentration. The newly developed sensor based on a simple coordination process has an unprecedented general character in terms of substrate scope and employment.


Thermodynamical description of the system created during high energy collision requires a proper thermodynamical framework to study the distribution of particles. In this work, we have attempted to explain the transverse momentum spectra of charged hadrons formed in pp collision at different energies using the unified statistical framework. This formalism has been proved to nicely explain the spectra of particles produced in soft processes as well hard scattering processes in a consistent manner. For this analysis, we have used the highest available range of p T published by experiments to verify the applicability of unified statistical framework at large p T .


An environmentally benign synthesis of NIR fluorescent indolenine-based symmetrical squaraines is accomplished by using choline chloride:urea as a biorenewable deep eutectic solvent (DES). This ammonium DES is biodegradable and serves a dual role as a catalyst as well as the reaction medium. Furthermore, DES has been recycled up to four consecutive cycles without significant loss in its activity. The developed method has many advantages compared to those reported in the literature including being environmentally more benign and having operational simplicity, a low reaction temperature, ease of product isolation, a low environmental factor (E-factor), and higher yield for the synthesis of symmetrical squaraine colorants in a short reaction time. In addition, the present method could be implemented on a multigram scale. Thus, it provides a good alternative route for the industrial synthesis of squaraine colorants.


The spectrum of cadmium was photographed in the 300 A-500 A region using a sliding spark and a triggered spark as light sources. Seventeen levels of the 19 of the 4d7 configuration and 106 out of the 180 levels of the 4d6 5p configuration of Cd VI have been established. 350 lines have been classified in the 4d7 -4d6 5p transition array. The least-squares-fitted (LSF) calculations and Hartree-Fock (HF) calculations support the analysis.


Obtaining protein hydrolysates with chemical and enzymatic methods The goal of our research was to work up a method of hydrolisates protein production using as raw material fresh pork meat-bone tissue after dismantling the process of half carcasses. Actually this raw material was practically all utilized as waste. The results of laboratory research and an industrial test allowed to state that is possible to produce hydrolysates containing 8 - 10% of proteins, and the most advantageous parameters of the chemical process are: the reaction time ~105 min., temperature 120°C, pressure 3.0 bars. With the use of enzymes (Protamex and Flavourzyme), it is possible to obtain a non-gelling protein hydrolysate with a high degree of clarity and light cream colour. The best results were achieved with the following parameters: the meat-bone feedstock to the water ratio from 1:1 to 1:2, the temperature of 40 - 45°C, the time of the process 3 h, pH ~6.


Media literacy education is presented as an answer to the increasing demand for active citizenship in democratic societies. Consequently, educational programmes that empower teenagers to deal with the opportunities and risks that media pose are developing fast. Against this background, a number of secondary schools in The Netherlands started specific media literacy programmes, but it is unexplored to what extent these programmes are effective in promoting news media literacy among teenagers. To investigate this, a survey was conducted to measure news media literacy levels among more than 1,300 students that did or did not participate in a media literacy programme. Results show that media literacy programmes promote teenagers' news media literacy to a certain extent. However, the contribution of media literacy programmes to news literacy is small. Moreover, findings show that the level of news media literacy was moderate, and that educational level and age were stronger predictors of the student's level of news media literacy than media literacy education itself. There is thus room for improvement with regard to delivering (news) media literacy education across school levels in the Netherlands.


The midline forehead island flap exemplifies pedicled island flaps based on random circulation. The use of this flap for medial canthal reconstruction is set forth by photographs, diagrams, and appropriate commentary.


Background: Staff who are employed in residential aged care settings face a unique set of challenges and stressors in their workplaces which intensify their risks of occupational stress and burnout. Staff also experience low job satisfaction, increased sick time and absenteeism and high job turnover rates as a result of occupational burnout. As the population ages, there is an increased need for residential aged care (RAC) staff in Australia. It is both urgent and necessary to explore interventions that can prevent the likelihood of occupational burnout on RAC staff. A systematic review will be conducted on the effectiveness of interventions for preventing occupational burnout in RAC staff, with a view to determine the most effective type or types of intervention for such staff.Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions compared to inactive control intervention (usual care or practice) for preventing occupational burnout in RAC staff. Methods: This protocol was developed in accordance to the reporting standards of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P). Included studies that meet the eligibility criteria will be identified by systematic searches of electronic databases. The PRISMA flowchart will also be utilised to record the selection process. Two reviewers will extract data and assess the quality of each study independently. The Standardised Mean Differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) will be utilised in order to combine different burnout measures or scales. Extracted studies which are sufficiently similar will be included for meta-analyses. The Cochrane risk of bias (RoB 2) tool will also be utilised in order to assess the methodological quality of randomised controlled trials.Results: Systematic searches will begin at the end of 2021. Data extraction will commence in early to mid-2022. Data analyses and writing will start in late 2022.Conclusions: Intervention studies from systematic searches of databases will be identified and recommendations will be made regarding the effectiveness of interventions for RAC staff.


This longitudinal research examined the relationship direction between burnout components (exhaustion and disengagement) within the context of personal resources measured by self-efficacy and social support. In line with the conservation of resources theory we hypothesized that exhaustion may trigger a spiral loss of personal resources where self-efficacy declines and subsequently, social support also declines and in turn predict disengagement. Participants in Study 1 were mental healthcare providers (N = 135) working with U.S. military personnel suffering from trauma. Participants in Study 2 were healthcare providers, social workers, and other human services professionals (N = 193) providing various types of services for civilian trauma survivors in Poland. Baseline and 6-month follow-up measurements included burnout components, burnout self-efficacy and perceived social support. The path analysis showed consistent results for both longitudinal studies; exhaustion measured at Time 1 led to disengagement at Time 2, after controlling for baseline disengagement levels. Across Study 1 and Study 2 these associations were mediated by self-efficacy change: Higher exhaustion led to greater decline in self-efficacy which in turn explained higher disengagement at the follow-up. Social support, however, did not mediate between self-efficacy and disengagement. These mediating effects were invariant across Studies 1 and 2, although the mean levels of burnout and personal resources differed significantly. The results contribute to a discussion on the internal structure of job burnout and a broader understanding of the associations between exhaustion and disengagement that may be explained by the underlying mechanism of change in self-efficacy.


ABSTRACT Frigocyclinone is a novel antibiotic with antibacterial and anticancer activities. It is produced by both Antarctica-derived Streptomyces griseus NTK 97 and marine sponge-associated Streptomyces sp. M7_15. Here, we first report the biosynthetic gene cluster of frigocyclinone in the S. griseus NTK 97. The frigocyclinone gene cluster spans a DNA region of 33-kb which consists of 30 open reading frames (ORFs), encoding minimal type II polyketide synthase, aromatase and cyclase, redox tailoring enzymes, sugar biosynthesis-related enzymes, C-glycosyltransferase, a resistance protein, and three regulatory proteins. Based on the bioinformatic analysis, a biosynthetic pathway for frigocyclinone was proposed. Second, to verify the cloned gene cluster, CRISPR-Cpf1 mediated gene disruption was conducted. Mutant with the disruption of beta-ketoacyl synthase encoding gene frig20 fully loses the ability of producing frigocyclinone, while inactivating the glycosyltransferase gene frig1 leads to the production of key intermediate of anti-MRSA anthraquinone tetrangomycin. Graphical Abstract Cloning and identification of the frigocylinone biosynthetic gene cluster provide a deep insight into the biosynthetic pathway and will contribute to development of novel antibiotics via genetic engineering.


Despite the widespread use of hydrogels in biomedical applications, little is known regarding the effect of crosslinker topology on hydrogel degradation. Dendritic and linear elastin-like peptides (ELPs) were used as crosslinkers for hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels, and their enzymatic degradation was studied using trypsin. Rheological studies revealed that hydrogels crosslinked with ELP dendrimers (HA_denELPs) degraded more slowly than those crosslinked with the otherwise equivalent linear ELPs (i.e., both molecules have the same number of pentamers and peripheral lysine residues). The origin of this phenomenon was evaluated using solution studies in which various dendritic and linear ELPs were treated with trypsin. Apart from the expected steric hindrances due to the dendritic topology, we identified the dual directionality of the peptide sequences (generated by a central branching lysine residue) and the likelihood of cleaving a productive crosslinking point as two additional contributors to the lesser degradability of HA_denELPs. Overall, these results highlight how the molecular design of crosslinker topology represents a novel strategy to tune the degradation rate of hydrogels.


This paper presents an explicit integration scheme to  compute  the stiffness matrix of twelve node and sixteen node linear convex quadrilateral   finite elements of Serendipity and Lagrange families  using an explicit integration scheme and discretisation of polygonal domain by such finite elements using a novel auto mesh generation technique, In finite element analysis, the boundary value problems governed by  second order linear partial  differential equations, the element stiffness matrices are expressed as integrals of the product of global derivatives over the linear convex quadrilateral region. These matrices can be shown to depend on the material properties matrices and the  matrix  of integrals with integrands as rational functions with polynomial numerator and the linear denominator  (4+)  in the  bivariates  over a   2-square   (-1 ) with the  nodes on the boundary and in the interior of this simple domain. The finite elements  up to cubic order have nodes only on the boundary for Serendipity family and the finite elements with boundary as well as some interior nodes belong to the Lagrange  family. The first order element is the bilinear convex quadrilateral finite element which is an exception and it belongs to both the families. We have for the present ,the  cubic order finite elements which havee 12 boundary nodes  at the nodal coordinates {(-1,-1),(1,-1),(1,1),(-1,1),(-1/3,-1), (1/3,-1),(1,-1/3),(1,1/3),(1/3,1),(-1/3,1),(-1,1/3),(-1,-1/3)} and the four  interoior nodal coordinates at the points (-1/3,-1/3),(1/3,-1/3),(1/3,1/3),(-1/3,1/3)}  in  the local parametric space ( In this paper, we have computed the integrals of  local derivative products  with linear denominator (4+)    in  exact  forms  using the symbolic mathematics capabilities of MATLAB. The proposed explicit  finite  element integration scheme can be then applied to solve boundary value problems  in continuum mechanics over convex polygonal domains. We have  also developed  a novel auto mesh  generation  technique of all 12-node and 16-node linear(straight edge) convex quadrilaterals  for a  polygonal  domain  which provides the nodal coordinates and the element connectivity. We have used  the explicit integration  scheme and this  novel auto mesh generation technique to solve the Poisson equation  u ,where u is an  unknown physical variable  and   in with  Dirichlet  boundary conditions over  the  convex  polygonal domain.


Subspace-based blind channel estimation primarily exploits the orthogonality structure of the noise and signal subspaces by applying a signal-noise space decomposition to the correlation matrix of the received signal. In practice, the correlation matrix is unknown and must be estimated through time averaging over multiple symbol blocks. To this end, the wireless channel must be time-invariant over a sufficient time interval, which may pose a problem for wideband applications. In this paper, we propose a novel subspace-based blind channel estimation algorithm with a reduced time averaging interval, as obtained by exploiting the frequency correlation among adjacent OFDM subcarriers. We present simulation results of the proposed as well as referenced subspace-based methods, including Cyclic Prefix and Virtual Carriers approaches, and show that the proposed scheme is able to obtain a desired correlation matrix by reducing the number of the OFDM blocks for time averaging up to 85 %.


A new advanced nano-particle material (NPM) has been developed by the SBIR ERS/Siloptix Co. This material has many attractive applications in micro- and opto-electronic packaging. Particularly, an effective practical technology for making NPM-based optical silica fiber coatings has been developed under grants from DARPA/Navy. The developed technology enables one to create ultra-thin, highly cost-effective, highly mechanically reliable, and highly environmentally durable coatings for silica light-guides. The obtained results have demonstrated the performance superiority of the developed technology over polymer-coated and metallized fibers, as well as a potential that the NPM has for various commercial and military applications in micro- and opto-electronics packaging and beyond.


While in multicellular organisms all cells inexorably die, there are several different ways provided for the realization of cell death. One of them, apoptosis, represents a universal energy‐dependent and tightly regulated physiologic process of cell death in both normal and pathologic tissues. The execution of apoptosis appears to be uniformly mediated through consecutive activation of the members of a caspase family. This review briefly summarizes current knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of caspase activation and the inhibitory components of caspase cascades. The suitability of caspases as a new potential therapeutic target is discussed next. Particular attention is focused on two broad categories of caspase‐directed compounds: highly specific caspase inhibitors that distinctly block the progress of apoptosis and caspase activators that selectively induce cell death in a variety of in vitro and in vivo systems. These agents promise to be useful clinically, either alone or in combination with more conventional therapeutics.


This paper presents a novel distributed control strategy for large-scale deployment of flexible demand in power systems. A game theoretical setting is adopted, modeling the loads as rational players that aim to complete an assigned task at minimum cost and compete for power consumption at the cheapest hours of the day. The main novelty is the analysis of power systems with congestion: the proposed modeling framework envisages heterogeneous groups of loads that operate at different buses, connected by transmission lines of limited capacity. The locational marginal prices of electricity, different in general for each bus, are calculated through an optimal power flow problem, accounting for the impact of the flexible devices on power demand and generation. A new iterative scheme for flexible demand coordination is analytically characterized as a multivalued mapping. Its convergence to a stable market configuration (i.e., variational Wardrop equilibrium) and global optimality are analytically demonstrated, for any penetration level of flexible demand and any grid topology. Distributed implementations of the proposed control strategy are discussed, evaluating their performance with simulations on the IEEE 24-bus system.


Background: Initiated by biological plausibility and supported by the pilot study, we observed possibility of associations between cardiovascular autonomic milieu and academic performances. As there are established cognitive ability differences among gender in literature, we designed a study to observe the differences in the basal autonomic activity as well as the manner of association between autonomic activity and academic performance between genders. Considerable lacunae in literature on this aspect also warranted for scientific introspection on this lacuna.

Aims and Objective: The aim of this study is to observe the association between resting short-term heart rate variability (HRV) indices and University marks of anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology in young male and female medical students.

Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional observational study with 102 healthy young participants in which 34 boys and 68 girls between 18 and 22 years were included by convenient sampling after assessing the inclusion and exclusion criteria. HRV is computed under standard conditions as per the task force recommendations in time and frequency domains. The academic performance is assessed by University examination marks at the end of the 1st year. The comparison of HRV parameters, academic performance, and their associations was analyzed separately by gender. Type 1 error allowance fixed at 5% but considering the high dispersion of HRV data, P values between 0.1 and 0.05 were also discussed.

Results: Mean RR intervals showed a negative correlation with academic performance in males. Time domain and geometric indices of HRV showed a negative correlation in boys but not in girls. In case of frequency domain indices, all indices of sympathetic activity showed a positive correlation with academic performance in boys and not in girls. Furthermore, sympathetic indices are more in males compared to females. All indices of parasympathetic reactivity were negatively correlated with academic performance in males.

Conclusion: High-sympathetic activity is correlated with better cognitive ability in males but the same association is not seen in females.


* To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Tel.: +82-42-821-5730 Fax: +82-42-822-2631; E-mail: email@example.com Polygonum multiflorum (Family: Polygonaceae) is a flowering plant commonly used for medicinal and ornamental purposes. The tuberous roots of P. multiflorumare used as a tonic and in many remedies in traditional Chinese medicine1,2. The plant has been used clinically for anti-allergic, anti-tumor, antibacterial, hemostatic, spasmolytic, and analgesics purposes in Korean traditional medicine3.Several classes of secondary metabolites have been isolated from Polygonum multiflorum such as phenolic compounds, flavonoids, anthraquinones, An Efficient Protocol for Shoot Organogenesis and Plant Regeneration of Polygonum multiflorum