Highlight: Thickets of California sagebrush support large populations of small mammals which eliminate grassland vegetation from the vicinity of the shrubs. The effect of the shrubs is density dependent, with greatest effect at more than 50% canopy coverage and virtually no. effect at 25% cover and less. The amount of grassland exclusion diminishes rapidly with distance from the shrub stands, but extends beyond the welldefined border zone as rabbit trails. Although scattered shrubs do not exclude grassland vegetation, they apparently protect the grass under their canopies from grazing by cattle. The extent of the bare areas fluctuates greatly over periods of years. The areas denuded by small mammals are populated by diminutive species which do not live in the unbroken grassland, and show a greater species diversity than unbroken grassland.


Malaria causes a half a million deaths annually. The parasite intraerythrocytic lifecycle in the human bloodstream is the major cause of morbidity and mortality. Apical organelles of merozoite stage parasites are involved in the invasion of erythrocytes. A limited number of apical organellar proteins have been identified and characterized for their roles during erythrocyte invasion or subsequent intraerythrocytic parasite development. To expand the repertoire of identified apical organellar proteins we generated a panel of monoclonal antibodies against Plasmodium falciparum schizont-rich parasites and screened the antibodies using immunofluorescence assays. Out of 164 hybridoma lines, 12 clones produced monoclonal antibodies yielding punctate immunofluorescence staining patterns in individual merozoites in late schizonts, suggesting recognition of merozoite apical organelles. Five of the monoclonal antibodies were used to immuno-affinity purify their target antigens and these antigens were identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Two known apical organelle protein complexes were identified, the high-molecular mass rhoptry protein complex (PfRhopH1/Clags, PfRhopH2, and PfRhopH3) and the low-molecular mass rhoptry protein complex (rhoptry-associated proteins complex, PfRAP1, and PfRAP2). A novel complex was additionally identified by immunoprecipitation, composed of rhoptry-associated membrane antigen (PfRAMA) and rhoptry neck protein 3 (PfRON3) of P. falciparum. We further identified a region spanning amino acids Q221-E481 within the PfRAMA that may associate with PfRON3 in immature schizonts. Further investigation will be required as to whether PfRAMA and PfRON3 interact directly or indirectly.


Time-resolved Kerr rotation spectroscopy is used to determine the sign of the g factor of carriers in a semiconductor material, with the help of a rotatable magnetic field in the plane of the sample. The spin precession signal of carriers at a fixed time delay is measured as a function of the orientation of the magnetic field with a fixed strength B. The signal has a sine-like form and its phase determines the sign of the g factor of carriers. As a natural extension of previous methods to measure the (time-resolved) photoluminescence or time-resolved Kerr rotation signal as a function of the magnetic field strength with a fixed orientation, such a method gives the correct sign of the g factor of electrons in GaAs. Furthermore, the sign of carriers in a (Ga, Mn)As magnetic semiconductor is also found to be negative.


Background For gastric cancer (GC) patients with pylorus outlet obstruction (POO), whether laparoscopic surgery has advantages over open surgery remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the differences between patients with and without POO in open and laparoscopic groups and to determine the differences between laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) and open distal gastrectomy (ODG) in GC patients with POO. Methods A total of 241 GC patients with POO who underwent distal gastrectomy at the Department of Gastric Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between 2016 and 2021 were included in this study. A total of 1,121 non-POO patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery and 948 non-POO patients who underwent open surgery from 2016 to 2021 were also enrolled in the study. We compared complication rates and hospital stays between open and laparoscopic groups. Results There was no significant difference for LDG between GC patients with and without POO regarding the overall complication rates (P = 0.063), the Grade III–V complication rate (P = 0.673), and the anastomotic complication rate (P = 0.497) from 2016 to 2021. The patients with POO had longer preoperative hospital stay (P = 0.001) and postoperative hospital stay (P=0.007) compared to patients without POO. No significant difference was observed for open patients between POO and non-POO patients regarding the overall complication rate (P = 0.357), grade III–V complication rate (P = 1.000), and anastomosis-related complication rate (P = 0.766). Compared with open surgery in GC patients with POO (n = 111), the total complication rate of the LDG group was 16.2%, which was significantly lower than that of the open group (26.1%, P = 0.041). No significant differences in the Grade III–V complication rate (P = 0.574) and anastomotic complication rate (P = 0.587) were observed between laparoscopic and open groups. Patients receiving laparoscopic surgery had shorter postoperative hospital stay than open surgery (P = 0.001). More resected lymph nodes (LNs) were also observed in the laparoscopic group (P = 0.0145). Conclusion The comorbidity of GC with POO does not increase the complication rate after laparoscopic or open distal gastrectomy. In GC patients with POO, laparoscopic surgery shows advantages over open surgery with a lower overall complication rate, shorter postoperative hospital stay, and more harvested lymph nodes. Laparoscopic surgery is a safe, feasible, and effective treatment for GC with POO.


BACKGROUND
The HPTN 083 trial demonstrated that long-acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA) was superior to tenofovir-disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) resistance-associated mutations (RAMs) were detected in some participants with HIV infection. We used a low viral load INSTI genotyping assay to evaluate the timing of emergence of INSTI RAMs and assessed whether HIV screening with a sensitive RNA assay would have detected HIV infection before INSTI resistance emerged.

METHODS
Single-genome sequencing to detect INSTI RAMs was performed for samples with viral loads <500 copies/mL from five participants with previously-identified INSTI RAMs and two with no prior genotyping results.

RESULTS
Major INSTI RAMs were detected in all seven cases. HIV RNA testing identified infection before major INSTI RAMs emerged in four cases and before additional major INSTI RAMs accumulated in one case. Most INSTI RAMs were detected early when the viral load was low and CAB concentration was high.

CONCLUSIONS
When using CAB-LA PrEP, earlier detection of HIV infection with a sensitive RNA assay may allow for earlier treatment initiation with the potential to reduce INSTI resistance risk. Further studies are needed to evaluate the value and feasibility of HIV RNA testing with CAB-LA PrEP.


Restricted Access. Synthesis imaging in radio astronomy, A collection of Lectures from the Third NRAO Synthesis Imaging Summer School, Eds. Richard A. Perley, Frederic R. Schwab, and Alan H. Bridle. Published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, vol. 6, San Francisco, 1989.


Outstanding consequences of transport land-use integration under the label of transit-oriented development (TOD) approach in pioneer countries have spurred several newcomers to apply such a policy. Of which, Iran with a centralized planning system has recently provided a TOD national guideline with the purpose of curbing traffic-caused challenges. This study attempts to describe the process applied for the guideline preparation and discover operational challenges and future prospects for TOD successful implementation offering a local edition in Iran. The research has a qualitative approach, based on the case study. Critical analysis of Iranian existing situation together with review of five-year process which ends up with final approval of the guideline, are basic tools applied to investigate the situation. The results demonstrated that although the guideline as a turning point pinpointed the policy of the integration in Iranian policymaking efforts, there are still several barriers to realize TOD policies in Iran including inconsistent urban policies, profit making from TOD potentials, no practical experience, lacking public support and weak local authorities. This study also offers some lessons for such countries with a similar system of urban planning and/or policy challenges, which are planning transport and land use integration.


Southern Royal Villa served as an accommodation for the prince in early Joseon Dynasty, and as an official residence and banquet room for Chinese diplomats in the later period. It was facing south and was located at the southern part of the old town of Seoul and to the north of the Southern Gate. The place was divided into four parts: the outmost, the middle, the inner-middle and the inner part beginning from the south and with important buildings placed in the inner part. The residence for the first and the second highest diplomats was situated at the northernmost location. The residence for the highest diplomat was a two-story building. On the west side of the residence was the large scale Western Banquet Room. It consisted of a single wide hall suited for a grand ceremony, and had the greatest formality and solemnity. On the southwestern side of the diplomatic residence was a building which was called Momchae before the early 17th century and Namru(南樓) after the 19th century. Namru in the inner-middle part is the half-sized remnant of Momchae, which used to be the largest building in the Southern Royal Villa. The title 'Momchae (meaning Main Buildling)' signifies that the building represented the entire Villa when it was built as an accommodation for princes. The layout of the Villa in early Joseon Dynasty, which was centered around Momchae, is highly likely to have been a common structure of royal villa for princes during the period.


Extractive industries (oil, gas, and mining) have the potential to generate significant wealth for developing countries and to serve as important catalysts for growth. They generate large revenues-through royalties, taxation, and exports-and create employment. In some cases, however, resource wealth is associated with political turmoil, deteriorating standards of living, civil conflict, and elite capture. The management's response to the Extractive Industries Review (EIR) and accompanying evaluations signaled a critical turning point in the World Bank Group's (WBG's) engagement in the sector, which had hitherto focused primarily on exploration and development activities, sector policy reform, and commercialization of state-owned enterprises. This publication presents four of the finalist case studies, selected on the basis of project: 1) scalability; 2) replicability; 3) innovation; and 4) level of multi-stakeholder collaboration. In an effort to better document and showcase the variety of ways in which country teams are working with different actors on the often sensitive topic of good governance in the oil, gas, and mining sectors, the World Bank Institute and the World Bank Oil, Gas and Mining Unit (SEGOM) initiated an internal case story competition in 2011.


Technological advancements in wireless communications and embedded systems have led to the proliferation of wireless sensor network (WSN) applications, each with varying application requirements (i.e., lifetime, throughput, reliability, etc.). Sensor node tunable parameters enable WSN designers to specialize/tune a sensor node to meet application requirements, but however, parameter tuning is a challenging process that requires designer expertise to consider sensor node complexities and changing environmental stimuli. In this paper, we develop lightweight, online optimization algorithms for sensor node parameter tuning, which enables dynamic optimizations to meet application requirements and adapt to changing environmental stimuli. Results reveal that our online optimizations quickly converge to a near optimal solution using minimal computational and storage resources, and are thus amenable for implementation on resource and energy-constrained sensor nodes.


This paper discusses perspectives in Africana feminist thought. While, not an exhaustive review of the entire diaspora, three regions are discussed: Africa, North America, and the Caribbean. Despite great cultural diversity between and within these geographies, there are, too, great commonalities in Africana women's lived experience under colonialism and slavery. It is these shared experiences that helped shaped and develop this distinct brand of feminism, which is universally concerned with the ways women manage and challenge multiple oppressions. Additionally, the feminism that emerged out these experiences is fundamentally commissioned with the task of breaking down and deconstructing racist and sexist ideologies that devalue their humanity. This brand of feminism is, likewise, charged with the duty of transforming societies through both intellectual and pragmatic approaches. Across Africa and her diaspora, Africana women share a rich and powerful history of resistance, despite attempts to silence and make them invisible.


When children undergo surgery, the parents waiting for them outside the room feel extreme anxiety. SNUH was a full EMR hospital. But nurses had to manually operate an electronic display board which provided information regarding the progresses of the operations. The parents had to be located in front of the board. It was a unilateral and passive system. Therefore, we were about to improve the system to provide efficient information satisfying both parents and nurses. This service, which connected to the EMR system to provide real time location of patients undergoing operations, provide information through an electronic display board outside the operating room and SMS messages. We could reduce uneasiness of patients' families, increase satisfactions, and further, not only contribute to establishing the improved service of SNUH but also lessening unnecessary duties of nurses.


The Sierra station, near Browns Valley in northern California, will be 30 years old
 this June:As can be seen from the air, the station's terrain is typical of much of
 California's foothill rangelands. Wooded, partially wooded, and cleared hills surround
 the headquarters and slope down to the Timbuctoo Bend of the Yuba River. The following
 eight reports indicate the variety of subjects covered by the research program at
 this center. (Cover photo by Charles Raguse)


Adult rats subjected to a number of treatments which cause liver damage and/or growth (administration of hepatotoxic agents, partial hepatectomy, or protein depletion-repletion) and young growing rats excreted in the urine a greater percentage of a test dose of 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) as the carcinogenic N -hydroxy metabolite than did normal adult rats. Alterations in the urinary excretion of the noncarcinogenic ring-hydroxy derivatives of AAF under these conditions were much smaller and, in most cases, negligible.

Rats fed certain thermally oxidized derivatives of corn oil excreted 1½–2 times as much N -hydroxy-AAF in the urine after a test dose of AAF as rats fed fresh corn oil. These effects are correlated with the increased carcinogenicity of AAF when fed with the thermally oxidized products (Sugai et al. ).


In the last few years there has been a rapid increase in government and donor attention to delivering successful adaptation to climate change impacts, particularly to enhance productivity and food security, as well as reduce poverty. However, the assumptions and impacts of strategies have not always been well assessed. For example, recent research by Osbahr et al (2011) and Abongu (2013) found differences between narratives of climate risk as communicated to farmers, actual patterns of climate change and variability, and local perceptions of risk, which directly impact on farmer investment choices and differentiated strategies. The paper presents analyses of two empirical studies: the first from the extreme North Region of Cameroon, which is experiencing increased temperature, declining rainfall and droughts, and the second from south west Uganda, which is experiencing increased temperatures and continued variability. Similar methodologies and analyses were employed for both locations, drawing on a semi-structured questionnaire conducted with 100 households in Cameroon and 90 households in Uganda. We report on farmers' coping and adaptive responses to a range of specific climate characteristics, explore perceptions of impact and compare the responses undertaken with livelihood analysis to understand differentiated adaptive capacity and willingness to adapt. This involves consideration of a number of factors, including local perception, interpretation and experience, access to resources (such as microfinance, inputs, labour, land and information), cost, household dynamics, cultural identity and the nature of gendered roles. Farmers are also exposed to challenges resulting from the land tenure system, limited extension services and environmental degradation. We refer to adaptive capacity as the combination of skills, assets, networks, institutions and policies that enable communities to continually assess their situation against the current and emerging context and make appropriate changes to their livelihoods. We also explore the role of access to inputs, microfinance and advice for new technology, as well as challenges inherent to the land tenure system. Farmers in both locations could be characterised in similar ways, undertaking coping adjustments such as changes in technology and practice, timing and planting density but also more significant adaptations to practice, including innovations in new technology, introduction of new crops, increased livestock integration, and livelihood diversification and commercialisation. The research provides valuable insights from empirical evidence which help to understand farmer decision making, aspirations and judgements about choices or investment in future strategies. The findings have implications for policy and practice seeking


Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have attracted great interests in the development of sustainable energies and intelligent society. However, a big challenge for TENGs in practical applications is the unavoidable external mechanical abrasion and/or contaminant adsorption on the triboelectric materials, which leads to the significant decrease of the durability of TENGs and is urgently needed to be addressed. There are already a series of interesting progresses on the topic of the TENGs' durability. In this study, reviewing the durability of TENGs via both the advanced materials/structure designing and the novel surface/interface engineering is focused upon, which includes choosing basic TENG materials, improving composites performance, optimizing structures, and designing triboelectric surfaces and interfaces. To get a better understanding of the durability of TENGs in published studies, the quantifiable levels of service life are also summarized including operation cycles, time, friction coefficient, and wear loss of triboelectric materials, where the boosting mechanisms are also discussed and summarized. Finally, the challenges as well as key strategies toward high durable TENGs are presented.


Anaphylaxis prevalence has increased within the last few years. This may be due to a marked increase in allergic sensitization to foods especially in the pediatric population, as well as to an increase in outdoor recreational habits and the availability of new biologic medications. Furthermore, guidelines for the diagnosis of anaphylaxis have been published, thus facilitating the recognition of this disorder. Diagnosis of anaphylaxis is mainly based on history and clinical criteria of organ system involvement. The serum tryptase assay is now commercially available and may be a helpful diagnostic tool in certain clinical situations involving hypotension, but not in the context of food-induced anaphylaxis. Treatment of anaphylaxis mainly involves the use of epinephrine as a first line medication for severe manifestations followed by symptomatic management of specific symptoms, such as antihistamines for urticaria and albuterol for wheezing. Although commonly practiced, treatment with systemic corticosteroids is not supported by evidence-based literature. Observation in a medical facility for 4-6 hours is recommended to monitor for late phase reactions, although these rarely occur. Education is an essential component of management of a patient with a previous history of anaphylaxis, emphasizing early use of epinephrine and providing a written action plan. Referral to a board-certified allergist/immunologist is recommended to determine the cause of the anaphylaxis as well as to rule out other potential conditions. In this review, our main focus will be on the treatment and prevention of anaphylaxis while providing our readers with a brief introduction to the diagnosis of anaphylaxis, its prevalence and its most common causes.


Background An e-contraceptive advice line (firstname.lastname@example.com) was set up by our unit to support contraceptive provision in primary care. This advice line was for general practitioners (GPs) initially and was then extended to certain pharmacists. All queries were to be answered within 24 hours. A similar e-advice line on emergency contraception for patients seeking advice had been successful in the USA and South Africa. Methods Our aim was to evaluate the contraceptive advice line using standards developed at its inception. A retrospective audit of the queries received by the contraceptive advice line between January and September 2009 was conducted. Results Sixty-seven queries were received from 30 GPs, nine from practice nurses and none from pharmacists. Some 61% of the queries were answered within 24 hours and 85% were answered within 72 hours; 90% were within the advice line guidelines. Conclusions The e-mail advice line is a useful, low-cost, well-received support service for GPs. This model could be adopted by other areas wishing to increase contraceptive access in primary care.


Abstract 2864 Background: Rituximab (R) maintenance in first remission of follicular lymphoma (FL) has recently been shown to improve remission duration as compared to observation only (Salles et al., ASCO 2010). During the nineties of the last century, maintenance using interferon alpha (IFN) had been shown to be effective in indolent lymphoma (Solal-Celigny et al., NEJM 1993, Hagenbeek et al., JCO 1998). Therefore IFN-maintenance became a standard in GLSG trials after 1995. However, data on the impact of IFN after R-containing chemotherapy are rare. We performed a retrospective analysis of GLSG trials in which we compared the outcome of patients who received IFN-maintenance and patients who did not start any form of consolidation or maintenance therapy after achieving a partial or complete remission. We adjusted the analysis for potential confounders that might have influenced the decision not to start IFN-maintenance. Methods: In the GLSG first-line trials "CHOP vs. MCP" and "CHOP vs. R-CHOP" patients younger than 60 years had been randomized between consolidating high-dose radiochemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and IFN-maintenance. For all responding patients older than 60 years, IFN-maintenance was intended. All patients with FL achieving a partial or complete remission after MCP, CHOP, or R-CHOP who did not start ASCT were included in the current analysis. Patients intended for IFN who did not start IFN-maintenance were compared to patients who started IFN-maintenance. We compared patient and treatment characteristics between these groups in order to detect possible reasons why IFN-maintenance was not started. Remission duration (RD) was calculated from the end of induction to relapse or death. RD was censored at the latest follow-up date in patients without event, but also when a new antilymphoma therapy was initiated without any sign of progression. No censoring was done for any form of dose reduction or stopping of IFN, which was recommended in the trials if inacceptable side effects were observed. We compared RD with IFN-maintenance to observation only by Kaplan-Meier-curves and log rank test and we adjusted for the potential confounders FLIPI, performance status, R-containing induction and remission status in multiple Cox-Regression. In order to assess the impact of IFN-maintenance after R-containing induction, we performed a subgroup analysis of R-CHOP treated patients. Results: Of 1306 FL patients with clinical remission, ASCT was started in 306 patients and documentation concerning postremission therapy was missing in 21 patients. In 719 (73%) of the remaining 979 patients IFN-maintenance was started, whereas 260 patients did not receive IFN-maintenance. Patients in which IFN-maintenance was started were not more frequently younger than 60 years (59% vs. 55%, p=0.24), and not more frequently in a better performance status (ECOG 0–1: 93% vs. 91%, p=0.33). There was only a trend to better FLIPI (LR/IR/HR 13%/41%/46% vs. 15%/34%/52%, p=0.10) as compared to patients with observation only. Patients with IFN-maintenance had not more frequently achieved a CR (19% vs. 21%, p=0.65), but more patients had been treated without Rituximab during induction (57% vs. 37%, p Conclusions: Although this is not a randomized comparison, our analysis shows that the impact of IFN, which was observed before using R-containing therapy may still be valid in the era of immunochemotherapy. Since R-maintenance seems more effective and has less side effects, IFN-maintenance will no longer be the first choice for maintenance therapy in FL. However, it seems relevant to keep in mind that IFN is still an active substance in lymphoma therapy and may be a therapeutic option when rituximab maintenance is not possible. It may also be relevant for future investigations in lymphoma therapy. Disclosures: Dreyling: Johnson & Johnson:. Hiddemann: Roche: Honoraria, Research Funding.


This paper describes the process carried out to validate the application of one of the most robust and influential video quality metrics, Video Multimethod Assessment Fusion (VMAF), to 360VR contents. VMAF is a full reference metric initially designed to work with traditional 2D contents. Hence, at first, it cannot be assumed to be compatible with the particularities of the scenario where omnidirectional content is visualized using commercial head-mounted displays (HMDs). In this article, we prove that this metric can be successfully used to measure the quality of 360VR sequences without any specific training or adjustments, which evidences its usefulness and flexibility, and entails significant time and resource savings. Thus, it can be straightforwardly included in consumer appliances, namely content generators, servers and clients, as part of the embedded software or hardware as a reliable means to monitor the quality of the 360VR content consumed by users.


The earliest laser application in medicine has occurred in ophthalmology. In 1965,the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Academia Sinica, suy developed the first laser retina photocoagulator in China. It was an experimental prototype. Then the laser ophthalmic experiment for animal and for clinical demonstration were carried out at the Shanghai No. 6 People's Hospital. Since 1970 ,further effort has been made to improve the performances of this experimental system, and the ruby laser retina photocoagulator has been produced for clinic application. In 1972 ,a ruby laser photodisruptor was developed ,and was used for clinic peripheral iridectomy one year later. Since 1970,in addition to Shanghai,mo.st of the large cities of China,such as Beijing ,Shenyang,Guangzhou ,Hefei ,Chengdu and Xumou etc. successively started laser ophthalmology. Now the laser ophthalmology has become widespread medical application in China. The municipal hospitals of all provinces except Tibet and the suburban county hospitals have set up their laser ophthalmic clinics. As a regular medical technology ,laser has provided effective treatment for over thousand of the eye diseases patients every year. Among all cities of China , Shanghai is the leading and mo.st developed city in ophthalmology. 220 hospitals in Shanghai set up their laser clinics,and most of them has laser ophthalmic treatment divisions. Recently ,the Shanghai Research Center for Laser Medicine has been established in the Shanghai Second Medical University. The Center has assembled many famous laser medical experts and laser engineering experts. The ophthalmic laser application is its major effort.


Protolytic equilibria of midazolam in the pH range 0–12 were investigated. Acidity, hydrolysis, equilibrium constants in the heterogeneous system and the solubility of midazolam were determined [I= 0.1 mol l–1(NaCl), 25 °C]. A spectrophotometric method was developed for the investigation of the mechanism of hydrolysis and the determination of the corresponding equilibrium constants. In addition, buffer characteristics of the two-phase and single-phase midazolam buffers were investigated.


In this work the design method and comparative results of sub-THz tunable voltage sources are reported. Different architectures are considered showing the best performance architectures and more reliable approaches for the realization of voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) with integrated technology. The considered scenario is the realization of a signal source for THz camera and imaging applications. The preferred technology adopted in this work has been the 130 nm SiGe heterojunction-bipolar-transistor process provided by IHP foundry. The SG13G2 has a cut-off frequency (fT) of 300 GHz and a maximum oscillation frequency (fmax) of 450 GHz. The solutions here proposed achieve high output power levels, very good Phase Noise performance, wide tunability and compact dimensions.


Engaging community members in research can help cultivate effective partnerships while providing experiential training and continuing education opportunities. Several studies have involved communities in this way, though many have been small in the scale of community involvement or have included little detail of the institutional review board process by which community members became approved researchers in the study. This article presents findings on an evaluation of the training procedures and experiences of 703 first-time community-based volunteer researchers who were recruited in their communities and trained on-site to enroll research participants, collect data, and provide individualized consultation of results at travelling health education and research fairs. Open-ended registration prompts and postfair surveys assessed volunteers' reasons for participating, comfort with their volunteer experiences, and attitudes toward the biomedical research process. An open-ended survey assessed two key community partners' perspectives about their organizations' involvement with supporting the research throughout the process. Volunteers reported their experience to be a unique training opportunity, citing its ability to help them engage with their community, advance research, and obtain additional experience in their health field of interest, particularly nursing, allied health, and medicine-related careers. Community partners cited that their community's participation as volunteer researchers served as a tool to educate the larger community about research, which enabled other research projects to gain acceptance. Together, these results demonstrate that using volunteer researchers can strengthen community research partnerships while providing valuable training experience in public health research for current and aspiring health personnel.


The interacting dark energy model with interaction term Q = λmHρm+λdHρd is considered. By studying the model near the transition time, in which the system crosses the ω = −1 phantom-divide-line, the conditions needed to overcome the coincidence problem is investigated. The phantom model, as a candidate for dark energy, is considered, and for two specific examples, the quadratic and exponential phantom potentials, it is shown that it is possible the system crosses the ω = −1 line, meanwhile the coincidence problem is alleviated, the two facts that have root in observations.


Conventional and regulatory T cells develop in the thymus where they are exposed to samples of self-peptide MHC (pMHC) ligands. This probabilistic process selects for cells within a range of responsiveness that allows the detection of foreign antigen without excessive responses to self. Regulatory T cells are thought to lie at the higher end of the spectrum of acceptable self-reactivity and play a crucial role in the control of autoimmunity and tolerance to innocuous antigens. While many studies have elucidated key elements influencing lineage commitment, we still lack a full understanding of how thymocytes integrate signals obtained by sampling self-peptides to make fate decisions. To address this problem, we apply stochastic models of signal integration by T cells to data from a study quantifying the development of the two lineages using controllable levels of agonist peptide in the thymus. We find two models are able to explain the observations; one in which T cells continually re-assess fate decisions on the basis of multiple summed proximal signals from TCR-pMHC interactions; and another in which TCR sensitivity is modulated over time, such that contact with the same pMHC ligand may lead to divergent outcomes at different stages of development. Neither model requires that T and T are differentially susceptible to deletion or that the two lineages need qualitatively different signals for development, as have been proposed. We find additional support for the variable-sensitivity model, which is able to explain apparently paradoxical observations regarding the effect of partial and strong agonists on T and T development.


We address the problem of information brokerage, where information consumers search for the data acquired by information producers. To the best of our knowledge, there exists no retrieval-guaranteed location-aware information brokerage scheme with a bounded data retrieval path length and bounded replication and retrieval message overhead costs available for use in 3D wireless ad hoc networks to date. In this paper, we propose a novel location-aware information brokerage scheme, termed LAIB, where the network area is divided into cube grids, and data are replicated and retrieved in the hashed geographic location in each grid designated by the producer and the consumer, respectively. In LAIB, a polylogarithmic number of grids are designated by the producer and by the consumer, and at least one grid, whose distance from the grid of the consumer is smaller than the distance from the grid of the consumer to the grid of the producer, is designated by both the producer and the consumer. Simulations show that, as the network area is divided into a moderate number of grids, LAIB has good performance in term of retrieval latency stretch while ensuring moderate replication memory, replication message, and retrieval message overhead costs.


As technology improves, virtual reality interfaces based on body actions and expressions are becoming more and more important. In the domain of games, an evident application is the control of the hero by body actions. The robotics domain is another area where such an interface presents an attractive issue, especially in the tele-presence field. In this paper we discuss an action model along with a real-time recognition system and show how it may be used in virtual environments.


Our previous work has demonstrated that the NSvc4 protein of Rice stripe virus (RSV) functions as a cell-to-cell movement protein. However, the mechanisms whereby RSV traffics through plasmodesmata (PD) are unknown. Here we provide evidence that the NSvc4 moves on the actin filament and endoplasmic reticulum network, but not microtubules, to reach cell wall PD. Disruption of cytoskeleton using different inhibitors altered NSvc4 localization to PD, thus impeding RSV infection of Nicotiana benthamiana. Sequence analyses and deletion mutagenesis experiment revealed that the N-terminal 125 amino acids (AAs) of the NSvc4 determine PD targeting and that a transmembrane domain spanning AAs 106–125 is critical for PD localization. We also found that the NSvc4 protein can localize to chloroplasts in infected cells. Analyses using deletion mutants revealed that the N-terminal 73 AAs are essential for chloroplast localization. Furthermore, expression of NSvc4 from a Potato virus X (PVX) vector resulted in more severe disease symptoms than PVX alone in systemically infected N. benthamiana leaves. Expression of NSvc4 in Spodoptera frugiperda 9 cells did not elicit tubule formation, but instead resulted in punctate foci at the plasma membrane. These findings shed new light on our understanding of the movement mechanisms whereby RSV infects host plants.


Ultrasound exams need skilled examiners, and simulation-based training could provide standardized and safe skill training. This study aims to give an overview of different types of virtual-reality simulators for use in abdominal diagnostic ultrasound training in radiology. Fifteen specialized radiologists and radiological residents were presented with two similar cases on four different simulators for abdominal ultrasound training. A feedback sheet for each individual simulator and for an overall comparison was filled out by all participants. All means of scores were compared, and simulators were ranked from least to most favorable. One simulator was ranked most favorable in seven out of nine questions, but none of the mean scores had statistically significant differences. All simulators were recommended for training radiologists, and all simulators were perceived to benefit trainees more than experienced ultra-sonographers.


Introduction T-cells are thought to be key players in the initiation and progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Earlier we showed that already at the seropositive at-risk stage uninflamed synovial tissue contains T-cell infiltrates.1 In another study we showed that inflamed synovium harbours expanded T-cell clones.2 Objectives Following up on these observations, we longitudinally investigated whether the expanded T-cell clones found in the inflamed synovial tissue at onset of RA are already present in the at-risk stage. Methods Next-Generation Sequencing of the TCRβ repertoire was performed on 20 randomly selected individuals with elevated IgM-RF and/or ACPA levels. Ten individuals did not develop RA during at least 3 years of follow-up, and 10 individuals did. Peripheral blood and synovial tissue samples were analysed during the at-risk phase and, for individuals that developed RA, again after RA onset. T-cell clones were identified by their unique TCRβ sequence.3 For each sample 3,570 TCRβ sequences were analysed. Results During the at-risk phase the TCRβ repertoire in the synovium is characterised by expanded clones. This is observed both in at-risk individuals that did and did not develop RA. Interestingly, a higher impact of expanded clones inversely correlated with a longer disease-free follow-up time (p=0.02). During progression to RA, the at-risk TCRβ repertoire is largely maintained in the tissue. Further characterisation of the synovial CDR3 sequences showed no significant differences between clones that were maintained in the tissue during progression to clinical disease and clones that were uniquely present in the at-risk phase or at RA onset. Conclusions Expanded T-cell clones are present in the synovial tissue in the at-risk phase regardless of future development of RA, and are maintained after onset of clinical disease. The resemblance in TCRβ repertoires indicates that the process leading to disease – at least at the T-cell level – constitutes a smooth development. Elucidating the role of these synovial T cells (resident memory, regulatory or autoreactive) might help understanding the earliest pathogenic events in RA. References . de Hair MJ, et al. Arthritis Rheum2014. . Klarenbeek PL, et al. Ann Rheum Dis2012. . Klarenbeek PL, et al. Immunol Lett2010. Acknowledgements MED, NdV, DMG and PPT received support from BTCURE, a research project from the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking (grant no 115142–2), NdV from the Dutch Arthritis Foundation, and from ZonMw, the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development, in the program 2Treat (Grant 436001001). Disclosure of interest None declared


Zirconium nitride powders with rock salt structure (γ-ZrNx) are prepared by mechanical milling of a mixture of Zirconium and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) powders. The products are analysed by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy (RS). The formation mechanism of γ-ZrNx by ball milling technique is investigated in detail. N atoms diffuse from amorphous BN (α-BN) into Zr to form Zr(N) solid solution alloy then the Zr(N) solid solution alloy decomposes into γ-ZrNx. No ZrB2 is observed in the as-milled samples or the samples annealed at 1050° C for 2h.


In the present world of communication and information interchange where more and more users are bound to use the same services and data with different access levels, the need for providing protection against potential breach of secured data has gained profound importance. Some of the common services are Virtual Private Network (VPN), Remote Access Server (RAS), Web Server, Mail Server etc. In the following paper we present the technique of providing customized user level access and security through the use of LDAP for above mentioned services. The profiles of all users are maintained under LDAP directory Information Tree (DIT) from which information about any particular user, willing to login or retrieve data, can be used to provide successful authentication.


Improved stopband attenuation is achieved by thick strips, by reduced waveguide sidewall dimensions, and by double planar integrated circuits. In contrast to thick strips which may cause high passband insertion losses and filters with reduced waveguide dimensions which require additional tapers, double planar E-plane integrated circuit filters combine the advantages of low costs, high stopband, and low passband insertion losses. Computer-aided design of a four-resonator Ka -band double metal insert filter achieves a calculated stopband attenuation between 40 and 60 GHz of more than 50 dB, the calculated minimum passband insertion loss is 0.43 dB (measured 1.8 dB). Higher order mode excitation and finite thicknesses of the inserts are included in the calculations.


For about fifty years, from the turn of the twentieth century until the 1950s, farmers in the region of the Orbigo River in northwestern Spain lifted groundwater for irrigation. Two quite different forms of property rights emerged during this period. In the Orbigo valley, small groups of farmers held the majority of water-lifting devices and groundwater as common property. Water was divided into timeshares and shares were taken in rotation. On a high plain above, farmers held waterlifting devices and groundwater as private property. Why did two different forms of property rights emerge in this place at this time? In addressing this question, a new approach to understanding institutional change is proposed, based on a synthesis of schema theory and the economics of institutions, [institutional change, property rights, schema theory, transaction costs, Spain]


Epitaxial growth of Fe on a stepped Cu(111) surface leads to the formation of fee Fe stripes along the step edges for coverages lower than 1.5 monolayer (ML). Using the sensitivity of the x-ray magnetic circular dichroism and sum-rule analysis, the changes in the magnetic properties in the low thickness range from similar to 5% of a monolayer to 4 ML, covering the one-dimensional (1D) coalescence (similar to 0.8 ML) and the 2D percolation limit (similar to 1.5 ML), have been determined. The determination of the spin moment (m(spin)) indicates significant features which can be correlated to the morphological transition. In particular, the m(spin) decreases at the 1D coalescence limit, but increases as the film reaches the 2D percolation limit and starts to transform into the bcc phase. This behavior is tentatively ascribed to the decrease in the Fe atomic volume, as it is well known that such changes can dramatically modify the magnetic properties of gamma-Fe.


Flexible sensors play an increasing role in printed electronics and are of interest for optoelectronic applications in flexible robotics and industrial automation. Thus, we have investigated the hybrid inorganic-organic junction between ZnO and PEDOT:PSS (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate). A thin ITO (indium tin oxide) layer on PET (polyethylene terephthalate) foils was used as substrate electrode. ZnO was deposited from a nanoparticle (NP) suspension by electrophoretic deposition. For comparison, we have used three different methods for the deposition of PEDOT:PSS, namely (i) drop casting, (ii) dip-coating, (iii) inkjet printing. For the resulting ZnO-PEDOT:PSS junctions, current-voltage characteristics were recorded using miBot micromanipulators, and analysed applying adapted models of thermionic emission, according to Cheung and Cheung, as well as Norde. For dip-coated samples we obtained barrier heights of (0.78±0.01) eV and (0.73±0.02) eV, respectively, while inkjet printed and drop casted structures show smaller values (0.53 eV to 0.66 eV, respectively). Thus, dip-coating can be used for a rapid upper estimation of the ZnO-PEDOT:PSS barrier heights for developing inkjet printable optoelectronic sensors. When using low concentrated PEDOT:PSS suspensions, we observed negative photoresponse of the junction; this is consistent with the formation of a ZnO-NPs and PEDOT:PSS nanocomposite which we obtained on porous semi-transparent ZnO-NP films.


Unsupervised approaches for learning representations invariant to common transformations are used quite often for object recognition. Learning invariances makes models more robust and practical to use in real-world scenarios. Since data transformations that do not change the intrinsic properties of the object cause the majority of the complexity in recognition tasks, models that are invariant to these transformations help reduce the amount of training data required. This further increases the model's efficiency and simplifies training. In this paper, we investigate the generalization of invariant representations on out-of-distribution data and try to answer the question: Do model representations invariant to some transformations in a particular seen domain also remain invariant in previously unseen domains? Through extensive experiments, we demonstrate that the invariant model learns unstructured latent representations that are robust to distribution shifts, thus making invariance a desirable property for training in resource-constrained settings.


Among all brominated flame retardants in use, the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been identified as being of particular environmental concern due to their global distribution and bioaccumulating properties, as observed in humans and wildlife worldwide. Still there is a need for more data on the basic characteristics of PBDEs to better understand and describe their environmental fate. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the photochemical degradation of PBDEs with different degrees of bromination. The photochemical degradation of 15 individual PBDEs substituted with 4-10 bromine atoms was studied in methanol/water (8:2) by UV light in the sunlight region. Nine of these were also studied in pure methanol, and four of the nine PBDEs were studied in tetrahydrofuran. The photochemical reaction rate decreased with decreasing number of bromine substituents in the molecule but also in some cases influenced by the PBDE substitution pattern. The reaction rate was dependent on the solvent in such a way that the reaction rate in a methanol/water solution was consistently around 1.7 times lower than in pure methanol and 2-3 times lower than in THF. The UV degradation half-life of decaBDE (T1/2 = 0.5 h) was more than 500 times shorter than the environmentally abundant congener 2,2',4,4'-tetraBDE (T1/2 = 12 d) in methanol/water. The quantum yields in the methanol/water solution ranged from 0.1 to 0.3. The photochemical reaction of decaBDE is a consecutive debromination from ten- down to six-bromine-substituted PBDEs. Products with less than six bromines were tentatively identified as brominated dibenzofurans and traces of what was indicated as methoxylated brominated dibenzofurans.


Vacuum polarization in QED in a background gravitational field induces interactions which effectively modify the classical picture of light rays, as the null geodesics of spacetime. These interactions violate the strong equivalence principle and affect the propagation of light leading to superluminal photon velocities. Taking into account the QED vacuum polarization, we study the propagation of a bundle of rays in a background gravitational field. To do so we study the perturbative deformation of the Raychaudhuri equation through the influence of vacuum polarization on photon propagation. We analyze the contribution of the above interactions to the optical scalars, namely, shear, vorticity, and expansion using the Newman-Penrose formalism.


Pathologic cardiovascular symptoms and signs were assessed preoperatively in 72 consecutive patients scheduled for vascular surgery. All postoperative cardiovascular complications were monitored and statistical relation to the preoperative pathology was tested using the X2-method. The following preoperative cardiovascular symptoms are associated with a significant incidence of postoperative complications: Angina pectoris (p < 0.05); congestive heart failure (p < 0.025); ventricular and/or supraventricular arrhythmias (p < 0.01); pathologic ECG (p < 0.01); ejection fraction < 50% in echocardiography (p < 0.05); myocardial hypokinesias in echocardiography (p < 0.025). The use of preoperative echocardiography as a reliable and accurate method is emphasized.


Five sites (i.e., Sung-Shan, Wen-Lin, Gu-Ting, Wan-Hwa, and Yen- Ping) located in Taipei City were selected for simultaneously collecting PM2.5 using honeycomb denuders (Koutrakis, et al., 1993). The collected filters were subsequently analyzed with a Computer Controlled Scanning Electron Microscope (CCSEM) (RJ Lee Group, Inc., PA, USA) to obtain aerosol elemental compositions. Multivariate statistics such as Cluster Analysis and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were applied to the resolved elemental compositions for souree apportionment. Additionally, aerosol morphology from selected aerosols was quantitatively analyzed using fractal geometry to reveal differences among source types. The measurement results display that predominant particles are either pure carbon or contain a high proportion of carbon. For particles associated with a high percentage of carbon, 63.7% of 9,592 particles were found for the first season (fall), 71.3% of 5,987 for the second season (winter), and an even higher 82.9% of 9,000 for the third season (spring). Cluster analysis for the total amount of aerosols collected reveals 27 source types. Among the resolved source types, 73.3% of 24,579 particles were from motor vehicles, 12.4% were from soil dusts, and the remainders were from industrial process, secondary reactions, and sea spraying. In contrast, only 9 source categories were resolved using PCA method, compared to the 27 identified from cluster analysis. Although the apportioned source types of aerosols identified using the cluster method can be 1umped together for comparison with PCA, cluster analysis indicates a higher resolution in the source apportionment procedure. A discriminant function is formulated from the resolved aerosol source types of the first two seasons to verify the source apportionment using the cluster procedure. The discriminant function analysis demonstrated that 123 out of 1,535 particles were misjudged (excluding high percentage carbon particles). The calculation of fractal dimension on the morphology of 15 selected particles illustrates that particles are differentiated from each other based on kinky periphery and compact surface.


Leaf burning due to nitrofenapplication was characterized as brown color spot appearing on the leaf sheath and blade. The spots predominantly appeared around 5-7 cm high above soil surface regardless of different particle size, formulation, application method, or water level. Magnitude and frequency of burn spots increased somewhat as the granular size gets finer, by higher water level, or in transplanted rice compared to directly sown rice when applied at 7 leaf-stage, but there was no indication of increase in leaf burning due to clinging of floating dust to rice plant. When collections from local distributor's stock of TOK 7G, a granular formulation of nitrofen, were analyzed for particle size composition, 98.9% by weight ranged between 9 to 35 meshes, and only about 0.08% by weight was of particles finer than 100 mesh.


The profiles of the face and upper central incisor tooth surface are known to be similar. This study evaluated the accuracy of an image-analysis device, which was then used for quantitative analysis of facial and tooth profiles.The device consisted of a CCD TV camera, a shade corrector, a video recorder, an image-analyzer (PIAS Co., Model LA-500) and a microcomputer (NEC Co., Model PC-9801 VX 2).Squares (150mm×150mm and 10mm×10mm) and a metal coin (diameter 20 mm) were used for evaluation of the system's ability. The measurement procedures were as follows : 1) The squares and the coin were measured to obtain values of area and perimeter length, and 2) study models of 6 volunteers, 1 female and 5 males, between the ages of 25 and 30 years, were assessed by measurement of individual face and tooth profiles.The average error rate was less than 5% for the squares and the coin. The average ratio of the long axis of the face to that of the tooth was 1/19, and that of the short axes 1/16.


Immunohistochemical studies revealed the dependence of cell regeneration parameters at sites of intestinal metaplasia (IM) in gastric mucosa (GM) on the character of the background events, such as atrophy and erosive-ulcerative defect. Mucin profile was determined in various types of IM. The intestinal type of mucin was found only in type I IM while types II and III were characterized by the mixed gastrointestinal phenotype with expression MUCSAC and MUC2. It was shown that at sites of incomplete IM (types II and III) and atrophic changes of GM cells proliferation activity of epithelium is considerably increased; this increase may be associated with the risk of developing gastric cancer of the intestinal type.


The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is responsible for worldwide economic damage and nearly one million deaths. Potent drugs for the treatment of severe SARS-CoV-2 infections are not yet available. To identify host factors that support coronavirus infection, we performed genome-wide functional genetic screens with SARS-CoV-2 and the common cold virus HCoV-229E in non-transgenic human cells. These screens identified PI3K type 3 as a potential drug target against multiple coronaviruses. We discovered that the lysosomal protein TMEM106B is an important host factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Furthermore, we show that TMEM106B is required for replication in multiple human cell lines derived from liver and lung and is expressed in relevant cell types in the human airways. Our results identify new coronavirus host factors that may potentially serve as drug targets against SARS-CoV-2 or to quickly combat future zoonotic coronavirus outbreaks.


This is an open access article & it is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) Present study aimed to explore the differences of marital adjustment among educated women in Bangladesh, especially career or dual career married women and non-career or housewives. The study has focused on both qualitative and quantitative approach or mixed method to address the aforesaid issue. Field survey and face to face interview technique was used for data collection. A sample of fifty educated women (twenty-five career and twenty-five non-career women) was selected based on purposive sampling technique and a detailed interview schedule was constructed in this regard. This study revealed that higher educational qualification of husband and wife, increased marital cohesions and harmonies, dissolution and duration of marriage are very important for marital adjustment. Marital adjustment is an important area of research as it promotes emotional stability, intellectual efficiency, and social effectiveness.


Recently, two important issues concerning atherogensis have been raised: first - the role of hemostasis in the progression of atherosclerosis, and second - how the results of experimental animal studies can be translated into humans. There is no direct clinical evidence for the role of the coagulation system in the progression of atherosclerosis, but ample experimental data indicate that platelets and coagulation factors have an important role in the progression of both atherosclerosis and thromboembolism. A new scientific approach is thus needed to assess the actual effect of the hemostatic system on molecular and cellular responses in the vasculature. Although experimental studies helped to unravel numerous factors underlying the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, there is still a significant gap in the translation of the experimental results to the clinic, and this gap needs to bridged to achieve reliable data from scientific research. Direct translation of the results from mouse studies to human is problematic. Clinical trials should be used more often as an early scientific probe, not just as a pathway to the commercialization of pharmaceuticals or for evaluating comparative efficacy of the agents in clinical use.


Poetry slams have recently received critical attention in relation with troubadour tradition, beat generation and Harlem Renaissance. A few studies have analyzed some poems of poetry slams and most of them have set apart script from performance. However we have to pay attention to the performance which is mainly paralinguistic expressions to understand a slam poem comprehensively. A performed poem is distributed not as a written text but as a movie clip that contains the performer's paralanguage expressions as well as linguistic contents of the poem. The key questions in this respect are: 1) what kind of factors do we consider here and 2) how are multi-sensory poetic words organizedand how can we analyze these works academically. To amplify on the first question, the theater semiotics of Anne Ubersfeld will be partially applied. For the second question, this paper will discuss Andrea Gibson's "I do" performances based on an analysis of details selected according to the answers of the first question.


Empirical networks often exhibit different meso-scale structures, such as community and core–periphery structures. Core–periphery structure typically consists of a well-connected core and a periphery that is well connected to the core but sparsely connected internally. Most core–periphery studies focus on undirected networks. We propose a generalization of core–periphery structure to directed networks. Our approach yields a family of core–periphery block model formulations in which, contrary to many existing approaches, core and periphery sets are edge-direction dependent. We focus on a particular structure consisting of two core sets and two periphery sets, which we motivate empirically. We propose two measures to assess the statistical significance and quality of our novel structure in empirical data, where one often has no ground truth. To detect core–periphery structure in directed networks, we propose three methods adapted from two approaches in the literature, each with a different trade-off between computational complexity and accuracy. We assess the methods on benchmark networks where our methods match or outperform standard methods from the literature, with a likelihood approach achieving the highest accuracy. Applying our methods to three empirical networks—faculty hiring, a world trade dataset and political blogs—illustrates that our proposed structure provides novel insights in empirical networks.


PURPOSE
Photosensitivity, a reaction of the brain to external photic stimulation, can be graded from 1 to 4, and is most frequently seen in the first decades of life. This study investigated photosensitivity in children with epilepsy.

METHODS
A retrospective study performed in the neuropaediatric department of the largest paediatric hospital in Kiel, treating patients at all medical care levels. The clinical data and EEG records of 566 patients with the most common epileptic syndromes were analyzed, in particular regarding photosensitivity. Their EEGs included application of intermittent light stimulation using standard techniques at twice the minimum.

RESULTS
The proportion of photosensitive patients was significantly higher in the paediatric cohort than in adult patients, as published in the literature: 46% of patients with generalized epilepsies showed photosensitivity as compared to 20% with focal epilepsies. Photosensitivity was more common in idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE), (epilepsy with grand mal on awakening, 74%; juvenile absence epilepsy, 56%; juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, 50%; childhood absence epilepsy, 44%) than in focal types (idiopathic partial - Rolandic epilepsy, 23%; symptomatic/cryptogenic type of epilepsy, 16%), while in patients who experienced occasional seizures (neonatal/febrile seizures), this ranged between 40% and 23%, respectively. The generalized photoparoxysmal response, (PPR), grades 3 and 4 were found significantly more often in patients with IGE (92%) than in patients with focal epilepsies. Finally, the female preponderance was confirmed (37% to 27% of all epilepsies).

CONCLUSIONS
Photosensitivity can be detected both in patients with IGE, with idiopathic and symptomatic/cryptogenic types of focal epilepsies, and with epileptic (occasional) seizures. PPR grades 3 and 4 are the most common in IGE.


The quasi-one-dimensional transport of Abelian and non-Abelian anyons is studied in the presence of a random topological background. In particular, we consider the quantum walk of an anyon that braids around islands of randomly filled static anyons of the same type. Two distinct behaviors are identified. We analytically demonstrate that all types of Abelian anyons localize purely due to the statistical phases induced by their random anyonic environment. In contrast, we numerically show that non-Abelian Ising anyons do not localize. This is due to their entanglement with the anyonic environment, which effectively induces dephasing. Our study demonstrates that localization properties strongly depend on nonlocal topological interactions, and it provides a clear distinction in the transport properties of Abelian and non-Abelian anyons.


The integration of a cache memory into a connectionist language model is proposed in this paper. The model captures long term dependencies of both words and concepts and is particularly useful for Spoken Language Understanding tasks. Experiments conducted on a human-machine telephone dialog corpus are reported, and an increase in performance is observed when features of previous turns are taken into account for predicting the concepts expressed in a user turn. In terms of Concept Error Rate we obtained a statistically significant improvement of 3.2 points over our baseline (10% relative improvement) on the French Media corpus.


Over five years, 188 adult female green iguanas were captured one or more times, permanently marked, and measured at a nesting aggregation in Panama. Growth in these adult iguanas was very slow (averaging 6.8 mm/year) and appeared to be asymptotic, but there was substantial variability in the nesting female sizes observed (295 to 425 mm). This variation is biologically important because of the close relationship of female size to fecundity but little of this variation is explainable by differences in female ages (as estimated by skeletochronology) or in adult growth rates. Smaller females grew faster than larger ones but, controlling for size, younger iguanas did not grow faster than older ones. There is no evidence of alternative strategies with a trade-off between nesting sooner but smaller and nesting later but larger. Differences in adult sizes probably result from differences in juvenile growth rates, perhaps influenced by local differences in food quality and/or differences in the adult sizes at which growth trajectories asymptote. Energetic resources probably are not limiting for adult growth or reproduction. The high disappearance rate of iguanas from year to year (ca 60% per year) probably resulted mostly from mortality.


Non-covalent binding of cholesterol to the transmembrane region of proteins affect their functionalities, but methods to prove such an interaction are rare. We describe our protocol to label the hemagglutinin (HA) of Influenza virus with a cholesterol derivative in living cells or with immunoprecipitated protein. We synthesized a "clickable" photocholesterol compound, which closely mimics authentic cholesterol. It contains a reactive diazirine group that can be activated by UV-illumination to form a covalent bond with amino acids in its vicinity. Incorporation of photocholesterol into HA is then visualized by "clicking" it to a fluorophore, which can be detected in an SDS-gel by fluorescence scanning. This method provides a convenient and practical way to demonstrate cholesterol-binding to other proteins and probably to identify the binding site.


We present a detailed investigation of magnetic properties of colossal magnetoresistance material HgCr2Se4. While spontaneous magnetization and zero-field magnetic susceptibility are found to follow asymptotic scaling laws for a narrow range of temperatures near the critical point, two methods with connections to the renormalization group theory provide analytical descriptions of the magnetic properties for much wider temperature ranges. Based on this, an analytical formula is obtained for the temperature dependence of the low field magnetoresistance in the paramagnetic phase.


Abstract A participatory vegetation inventory and research was conducted in Mashuuru Division. Kajiado District of Kenya. with an overall objective of capturing the indigenous knowledge of the Maasai pastoralist community on vegetation resources. Data collection was done through questionnaires, community workshops and meetings whereby the pastoralist. administration and extension personnel. and prominent leaders were invited. Representative pasloralists were engaged during the actual field data collection to assist in naming of vegetation types and uses of plant species encountered. The pasloralists gave detailed information on the status of vegetation degradation, which they considered as a major threat to their sources of livelihood. The information included indicators of vegetation degradation. the possible approaches, and benefits of reversing the degradation trend. The pasloralists also named and categorized plants into those that provide fodder and food for livestock and humans respectively; medicinal value to livestock and humans; woodfuel; construction. poisonous to livestock and humans; and as environmental quality indicators. Finally. they named five plant species which they considered threatened with extinction due to over-harvesting for medicinal and other uses. The study showed that both indigenous knowledge held by farmers and technical knowledge held by researchers are complimentary and they need each other for more responsive research activities. The data collected from such participatory involvement of pastoralists is demand driven and therefore guides the researchers on the type of research interventions for enhanced natural resource management.


In the years since the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Peace Agreement in Northern Ireland, there has been a structural realignment of the Irish republican activist milieu. The agreement delivered the end of armed struggle for the largest republican militant group, the Provisional IRA, and provided the opportunity for the electoral growth of its formerly subordinate political wing, Sinn Fein. The latter has become the dominant gatekeeper of republican identity, defining ideologically important performative rituals, like commemorations. During the period of the Peace Process, these rituals self-consciously eschewed armed and uniformed displays of military force that were central to the propaganda war of the Troubles, such as those of the Hunger Strikes in 1981. New performative rituals of commemoration symbolized the political transformation in Provisional republicanism's strategy. In terms of typology, rituals such as graveside orations on important commemorative dates, were reimagined to signify not military strength, but political and cultural development, with street theatre taking the place of parading and drilling. However, the peace agreement did not deliver the reunification of Ireland and the end of British rule, which had been the central aims of republican resistance. Dissident groups, who split from the Provisionals as a result of opposition to the Peace Process, have grown in support. Militant groups like the Real IRA (RIRA) have contested the internal cultural hegemony of Sinn Fein by emphasizing paramilitarist traditions at their own commemorations and funerals. By utilizing masked volunteers to deliver graveside orations and employing armed guards to fire gunshots over the coffins of dead members, they have sought to reclaim the ideologically potent performative rituals of the recent past to establish their claims to being the true keepers of republicanism's ideological soul.


Abstract : Distributed system are becoming increasingly important in day to day computing tasks. This paper describes the difficulties inherent in measuring distributed systems, and enumerates four goals for such measurement: longevity, flexibility, fault-tolerance, and unintrusiveness. It then describes the Coda File System, a research system that has been deployed in a moderately-sized user community for four years, and actively measured for three and a half year The architecture of this measurement framework is described in detail, with an eye toward examining how well it meets the four goals. The paper concludes with the lessons to be taken from this experience, both those that were foreseen as well as those that were learned along the way. In an effort to help teach these lessons, we have made the Coda source code, along with the measurement framework, freely available.


The heart is an organ frequently affected in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. But there is little information as to whether the coronary artery calcification can identify asymptomatic individuals at high risk for having cardiac morphological and functional abnormalities and cardiac risk factors in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons. Accordingly the purpose of this study was to determine whether coronary artery calcification was associated with cardiac morphological and functional abnormalities atherogenic lipid and C-reactive protein (CRP) changes in a black adult population with HIV-1 infection. (excerpt)


Processes with large time constants, like the level process, represent a large number of applications in industry. These systems must be treated in both steady and dynamic state and effective control solutions should be proposed. In a PI controller working under saturation, problems like windup appear. This paper presents a classical PI-controlled feedback loop, which is part of an industrial level control system. Based on the existing PI controller, antiwindup and feedback compensation schemes are proposed in order to improve the system's performances. Matlab-Simulink models are implemented to validate the control system design.


ABSTRACT The St Lucia Estuary is part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is characterised by instability and experiences ongoing anthropomorphic change, both of which have a significant impact on the biodiversity of the estuary and surrounding area. Brachyurans (true crabs) play an integral role in the functioning and maintenance of this ecosystem. They are a food source for organisms at higher trophic levels, maintain nutrient balance, regulate trophic flow and aerate dense mud through the construction of burrows. However, since the early survey of Millard and Broekhuysen (1970), no study has focussed on this taxon, the identification of which is confounded by the existence of cryptic and pseudocryptic species. This study provides a census of the brachyuran species inhabiting the St Lucia estuarine lake, highlighting the changes in diversity that have occurred in this region between 1948 and 2012. A total of thirty species were found in the area during this period, five of which have not been recorded in previous literature. The extent to which regional endemic species, such as Paratylodiplax blephariskios, have been affected by the dynamics of the system is discussed. The distribution and abundance of three key species, namely P. blephariskios, Neosarmatium africanum and Hymenosoma projectum, are outlined; and possible reasons for observed changes are discussed. Future scenarios regarding the state of the estuary mouth and the stability of physico-chemical variables are also considered. Lastly, an annotated checklist illustrated by photographs is included to aid in identification of species for research and management purposes.


Background: The beef production chain has undergone wide and profound changes to meet fi nal consumer demands. Additional evaluation criteria, as well as sensorial quality, were investigated, which contemplated nutritional composition, presentation and production method. One of the most important traits in beef quality evaluation is fat level and its stability, as this is associated with product colour and acceptability. The amount of fat directly affects quality, as it infl uences lipid oxidation, and may cause rancid odours and unacceptable fl avours. Oxidative stability depends, among other factors, on the concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The study was conducted to analyze the relationship between total lipid content, texture and cooking loss of three cuts of beef (short loin, rump and rib) of fi ve brands (A, B, C, D and E), commercialized in Porto Alegre City, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Materials, Methods & Results: Samples of short loin (Longissimus), rump (Biceps femoris) and rib (Intercostal) were collected in a large supermarket chain. Laboratory tests were performed to determine total lipids, texture and cooking loss. The experimental design was completely randomized, factorial arrangement with fi ve brands: two belonged to breed Associations (A) and (B); one was Uruguyan (C); one a regional abattoir (D) and the last a regional hypermarket chain (E), all with three cuts and seven replicates. Interaction was observed between brands and cut, the rib presented signifi cant difference for the different brands for total lipids content (4.61, 2.12 and 1.98% for brands B, E and D, respectively). A signifi cant correlation was found between lipid level and texture (r = 0.41). Longissimus and Biceps femoris differed (P < 0.05) in total lipid content from Intercostal for all brands, and for shear force, Longissimus and B. femoris differed from Intercostal (1.94, 1.87 and 2.92 kgf respectively) with brand D differing from A (2.62 vs 1.76 kgf). Loss during cooking differed (P < 0.05) between the cuts evaluated (16.17 and 20.77% for short loin and rump, respectively). No signifi cant difference was found between brands. Discussion: The rib, as it shows high variability, showed highest lipid levels, and samples from British-type animals, which have high deposition of intramuscular fat (brand B), had the highest values. Marks D and E are mainly from crossbred and zebu type animals, and therefore have lower total lipid levels in the meat. The rib showed the greatest force needed to tear muscle fi bers, since it has great variation in the amount of collagen. However, in all cuts analyzed, texture can be regarded as "very tender", probably due to the high quality of the cuts and marks used. Mark A, which commercializes mainly young animals, an important factor affecting texture and tenderness, showed lower shear force while the other marks, mainly C and D, as they sell older animals, showed poorer meat quality. It is important to differentiate between muscle types for water retention as this infl uences succulence during mastication and therefore the acceptability of the meat by the consumer. The increased water retention capacity, caused by the presence of fat, refl ects positively on cooking loss. Cuts with higher and lower cooking loss were, respectively, the rump and loin. Therefore, for these parameters, there are clear differences in quality between the beef brands sold in the city of Porto Alegre.


In nanometer regime, IC designs have to consider the impact of process variations, which is often indicated by manufacturing/parametric yield. This paper investigates a yield model - the probability that the values of multiple manufacturing/circuit parameters meet certain target. This model can be applied to predict CMP (chemical-mechanical planarization) yield. We focus on the difficult cases which have large number of partially correlated variations. In order to predict the yield for these difficult cases efficiently, we propose two techniques: (1) application of orthogonal principle component analysis (OPCA); (2) hierarchical adaptive quadrisection (HAQ). Systematic variations are also included in our model. Compared to previous work, the OPCA based method can reduce the error on yield estimation from 17.1%-21.1% to 1.3%-2.8% with 4.6x speedup. The HAQ technique can reduce the error to 4.1%-5.6% with 6x-9.4x speedup.


The current study is a review of 20 patients treated by percutaneous stabilization for a floating knee. All patients were treated with a retrograde femoral intramedullary nail and a small diameter tibial intramedullary nail through a 4-cm medial parapatellar tendon incision. The average Injury Severity Score was 19. Two patients died in the early postoperative period and one patient was lost to followup. The average time to union for the 17 remaining patients with femoral shaft fractures was 14.7 weeks. One patient required dynamization. Four of the 17 patients with tibia fractures required an exchange nailing procedure, one with bone graft, to achieve union. One patient required dynamization and one patient with bone loss required only a bone graft. The average time to union for the tibia fractures was 23 weeks. One patient achieved 115° knee flexion and the remaining 15 patients had full knee motion by 12 weeks, which they were able to maintain. No patient had signs or symptoms of knee pain. This demanding surgical technique using a small incision has yielded good clinical results. Although it is an excellent treatment option for patients with ipsilateral femoral and tibial shaft fractures, the mortality and tibial fracture complication rates remain high.


We present a sensitive optical sensor design by integrating a circular-hole defect with an etched diffraction grating (EDG) spectrometer based on amorphous-silicon photonic platforms. The circular-hole defect obtained from the outdiffusion of the hydrogen in the annealing process can induce strong resonant scattering loss at some special wavelengths. The positions of resonant peaks will linearly shift with the refractive index change of the detected sample (the sensitivity is 9200 nm/RIU). In addition, the influences of the defect on the sensing characteristics are numerically analyzed based on a scalar diffraction method and a Green tensor technology.


Copyright in Canada is subject to a number of statutory defences, of which parodies and non-commercial user-generated content (UGC) are but two examples. However, the interface between these defences and the protection of moral rights is not very clearly delineated in Canada's Copyright Act. The statutory defences appear to immunise a user from liability for traditional copyright infringement but not from claims of moral rights infringement. Under this fragmentary approach, users engaging in acts of fair dealing or in the production of non-commercial UGC might still find themselves vulnerable to attack from author-claimants alleging that their moral rights have been violated. Through a comparative survey of key legislative provisions in Canada and the United Kingdom, this article explores the extent to which Canada can learn from the UK experience, and considers the viability of streamlining the scope of the statutory defences to copyright infringement, in order to clarify the interface between users' rights, moral rights and economic rights. (2018) 15:1 SCRIPTed 70 71


ABSTRACT: Moral and religion are bound up in some way, becoming different just by the fact that while moral, the duties are enacted as fundamental principles of every thinking human being, and by the fact that this one must act as a member of an ends universal system; while religion, those duties are seen as commandments of a supreme holy will, so that, the moral laws are the only ones which are in accordance with the idea of a supreme perfection. The connection between moral and religion, besides being fundamental and structural information of pure reason, it is the progressive recognition of a universal plan in which, despite all the liberty abuses by men, will reach in the end the highest possible degree of perfection of humankind.

Key words: Moral. Religion. Will. Kant.


We study some speech enhancement algorithms based on the iterative Wiener filtering method due to Lim-Oppenheim [2], where the AR spectral estimation of the speech is carried out using a second-order analysis. But in our algorithms we consider an AR estimation by means of cumulant analysis. This work extends some preceding papers due to the authors, where information of previous speech frames is taken to initiate speech AR modelling of the current frame. Two parameters are introduced to dessign Wiener filter at first iteration of this iterative algorithm. These parameters are the Interframe Factor (IF) and the Previous Frame Iteration (PFI). A detailed study of them shows they allow a very important noise suppression after processing only first iteration of this algorithm, without any appreciable increase of distortion. Finally, the simplest cumulant-based algorithm is applied to Speech Recognition and some preliminary results are presented.


In this study, the Multivariate Empirical Mode Decomposition (MEMD) is applied to multichannel EEG to obtain scale-aligned intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) as input features for emotion detection. The IMFs capture local signal variation related to emotion changes. Among the extracted IMFs, the high oscillatory ones are found to be significant for the intended task. The Marginal Hilbert spectrum (MHS) is computed from the selected IMFs. A 3D convolutional neural network (CNN) is adopted to perform emotion detection with spatial-temporal-spectral feature representations that are constructed by stacking the multi-channel MHS over consecutive signal segments. The proposed approach is evaluated on the publicly available DEAP database. On binary classification of valence and arousal level (high versus low), the attained accuracies are 89.25% and 86.23% respectively, which significantly outperform previously reported systems with 2D CNN and/or conventional temporal and spectral features.


We have constructed a consistent, reproducible experimental model for the study of skin flap survival consisting of paired flaps that are identical except for the presence or absence of innervation. While the denervated flap survived to only 70 percent of its original length, the innervated flap survived completely in all cases. We then studied the effect of adrenergic innervation on flap survival by performing a chemical sympathectomy using 6-hydroxydopamine. We observed that loss of sympathetic innervation, as measured by absence of piloerection and catecholamine fluorescent staining, resulted in flap necrosis even in the presence of intact somatic and sensory function. We have concluded that the observed differences in survival between the innervated and denervated flaps appear to be dependent at least in part of the presence or absence of noradrenergic regulation of the microcirculation within the flaps.


Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas that causes global warming. The conversion of CO 2 into methanol (CH3 0H) is an alternative to the costly geological and oceanic CO 2 sequestration. CH30H is an important feedstock in the chemical industries and known as an alternative fuel. The catalytic CO2 conversion and CH30H space time yield (STY) is however reported to be considerably low. It is therefore of importance to develop novel catalysts with improved properties for catalytic growth. Santa Barbara Amorphous 15 (SBA-1 5) with highly ordered hexagonal structure, uniform pore diameter ('-'5.5 nm) and particle morphology, thicker wall-thickness (3.0 to 5.0 nm), high surface area (585.20 M2 /g) and high thermal stability was successfully synthesized by the conventional method without hydrothermal aging process. The synthesized SBA-15
was used as catalyst support. A number of monometallic and bimetallic catalyst of copper (Cu) or/and zinc oxide (ZnO) supported on SBA-15 were synthesized by simple reflux method. The physicochemical properties of the as-prepared catalysts were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and hydrogen-temperature programmed reduction (H 2-TPR). The best amount of 5 wt.% Cu and 15 wt.% ZnO supported on SBA-1 5 designated as SCull 5ZnO/SBA-1 5 was found to effectively catalyze the hydrogenation of CO 2 to CH3 011. The best process conditions for CO2 hydrogenation to CH30H over 5Cu/15ZnO/SBA-15 were found to be the reaction pressure of 4.0 MPa, the reaction temperature of 250 °C, and the reactants total gas hour space velocity (GHSV) of 2400 h' that resulted to 22.9% and 11796.8 mmol kgcat' h' of CO2 conversion and CH30H STY, respectively. A
reaction mechanism of CH 30H synthesis route and reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction on CulZnO/SBA-15 was proposed, based on the experimental results obtained in this study. The calculated activation energies of CH 30H synthesis and carbon monoxide (CO) formation were 35.29 kJ/mol and 68.02 kJ/mol, respectively. The CO2 conversion and CH30H STY were stable during 24 h of reaction on stream and no obvious deactivation was observed. The higher catalytic activity obtained over the novel SCu/l 5ZnO/SBA-15 catalyst can be correlated to the high dispersion of Cu and ZnO on the SBA-15 surfaces, creating greater amount of Cu-ZnO active sites, which are necessary for CH30H synthesis route. The deposited ZnO migrationon the Cu surfaces was found to deactivate the RWGS reaction to form CO; and therefore increasing the CH30H selectivity.


The reliability issues of two-bit storage nitride flash memory cells, including low-V/sub t/ state threshold voltage instability, read-disturb, and high-V/sub t/ state charge loss are addressed. The responsible mechanisms and reliability models are discussed. Our study shows that the cell reliability is strongly dependent on operation methods and process conditions.


Although there has been reasonable progress in the epidemiology of air pollution, significant changes in international air pollution guidelines, and the emergence of more systematic approaches to air pollution control, there has been little attempt to explain the origin of the air pollution problem in the first place. How did we come to this point? It is a fact that Neoclassical Environmental Economic view, even if it is not the sole cause, is still a major influence for the theories of natural capitalism and environmental finances. Therefore, with this increasing influence, Neoclassical environmental economics have been at the very centre of public policies on environmental issues for decades. The question of whether Neoclassical Environmental Economics is the best economic approach for policy decision-making is a very controversial subject, and there are few alternative approaches to Neoclassical Environmental Economics. This study with the intention to fill the gap in this literature provides some insight into air pollution and its impacts on health, starting from the Neoclassical Economic perspective and reviewing the main alternative approaches to reach a very balanced global environmental understanding.


BACKGROUND
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has adverse effects on reproductive function and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) activity. Kisspeptin neurons play a role in mediating feedback effects of estradiol (E2 ) and progesterone (P4 ) on the HPG axis. We hypothesized that PAE will have long-term effects on the response of kisspeptin neurons to E2 and P4 .

METHODS
Adult female rats (53 to 58 days) from prenatal ad libitum-fed control (C), pair-fed (PF), and alcohol-exposed (PAE) groups were subjected to Sham ovariectomy (OVX) or OVX without or with replacement with low or high physiological levels of E2 and P4 , and terminated under basal conditions. E2 and P4 levels, and the response of kisspeptin-ir neurons in the arcuate (ARC) and anteroventral periventricular (AVPV) nuclei to these hormones, were measured. As the E2 signal is conveyed to kisspeptin neurons via estrogen receptor-α (ER-α), we investigated PAE effects on the number of kisspeptin-ir/ER-α-ir neurons. To determine whether PAE alters interactions between kisspeptin and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons, close contacts between kisspeptin-ir fibers and GnRH-ir cell bodies were examined.

RESULTS
Our data present the novel finding that kisspeptin-ir neurons in the ARC of PAE females show differential responses to E2 and to the combined treatment with E2 and P4 compared with controls: (i) OVX increased the number of kisspeptin-ir neurons in C and PF, but not PAE females compared with their Sham counterparts; (ii) E2 replacement restored kisspeptin-ir cell numbers to Sham levels in C and PF females but caused a robust down-regulation of kisspeptin-ir neurons below Sham levels in PAE females; (iii) OVX and replacement with high physiological concentrations of E2 resulted in fewer kisspeptin-ir cells in PAE than C females; (iv) OVX and replacement with high levels of both E2 and P4 markedly decreased the number of kisspeptin-ir neurons, below levels observed following E2 alone, in PF and C females, but had no significant effect in PAE females.

CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that a possible mechanism underlying adverse effects of PAE on HPG function involves actions of alcohol on the kisspeptin system.


Following the cyclic heating in oxygen and annealing, an oxygen-induced 3 × 3 reconstruction was found on the W(111) surface. The growth, crystalline structure, thermal stability, and magnetism of Co ultrathin films deposited on the O-3 × 3/W(111) surface were investigated. The Auger signal of the oxygen was always observable and nearly invariant after either Co deposition or annealing, indicating the role of the surfactant played by oxygen. Auger electron spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy measurements revealed the 2-dimensional growth of Co on O-3 × 3/W(111). Following the annealing procedures, the surfactant oxygen was always observed to float on the film surface while the Co film transformed to 3-dimensional islands with a wetting layer. In contrast to the thermodynamically stable wetting layer of 1 physical monolayer (PML) Co on clean W(111) between 700 and 1000 K, the oxygen surfactant led to a reduction of the wetting layer to ≈1/3 PML after thermal annealing. The 6 and 9.6 PML Co/O-3 × 3/W(111) revealed a stable in-plane magnetic anisotropy. A 6-fold symmetry corresponding to the crystalline structure was observed in the in-plane angle-dependent magneto-optical Kerr effect measurement.


We have measured the half-life of the {beta}{sup -} decay of {sup 198}Au to be 2.6948(9) d, with the nuclide sited in an insulating environment. Comparing this result with the half-life we measured previously with a metallic environment, we find the half-lives in both environments to be the same within 0.04%, thus contradicting a prediction that screening from a ''plasma'' of quasifree electrons in a metal increases the half-life by as much as 7%.


We investigated the spin angular momentum (SAM) and nonreciprocity of ghost surface polariton (GSP) at the surface of an antiferromagnet (AF) in the normal geometry, where the AF easy axis and external field (H0) both are normal to the AF surface. We found that the dispersion equation is invariant when the inversions of wavevector and external magnetic field, k→-k and H0→-H0, are taken. However, its polarization and SAM are nonreciprocal. The SAM is vertical to the propagation direction of GSP, and consists of two components. We analytically found that the in-plane component is locked to H0, or it is changed in sign due to the inversion of H0. The out-plane one is locked to k since it is changed in sign as the inversion of k is taken. Either component contains an electric part and a magnetic part. Above the AF surface, the two electric parts form the left-handed triplet with the wavevector k, but the two magnetic parts form the right-handed triplet with k. In the AF, the chirality of the SAM changes with the distance from the surface. The SAM is very large on or near the surface and it may be very interesting for the manipulation of micron and nano particles on the AF surface. These are obviously different from the relevant features of conventional surface polaritons. The SAM also is field-tunable.


This paper shows that tubulin may modulate excitability at dendritic spines, axon terminals and the axon initial segment (AIS). Tubulin is a highly negatively charged molecule. Its close contact with the neuronal membrane would be able to inhibit the generation of action potentials. At dendritic spines, tubulin has been demonstrated to interact with NMDA receptors (NMDARs). The collapsin response mediator protein 2 (CRMP2) interacts with both tubulin and NMDARs. Therefore, CRMP2 may enhance the tubulin-NMDAR binding, thereby modulating synaptic strength. The antibodies against CRMP2 was shown to induce amnesia, which underscores the importance of CRMP2 in memory retrieval. At the axon terminals, tubulin may cooperate with parkin and leucine rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) two proteins implicated in Parkinson's disease. Parkin is an E3 ubiquitin ligase, capable of promoting tubulin degradation. LRRK2 is a large protein, whose binding with tubulin may prevent tubulin from entering the actin/spectrin layer beneath the neuronal membrane, thus facilitating synaptic transmission. At AIS, intensive neural activity would cause Ca overload, which can induce microtubule depolymerization to produce free tubulin, consequently inhibiting neuronal firing. This could be the mechanism underlying seizure termination.


21 infants with craniosynostosis were studied with a new three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) methodology. We describe technique optimization using multiple spiral data acquisitions with low dose (85 mAs) technique. One caudal volume of 3 mm slice thickness was obtained with a further two volumes of 1 mm slice thickness at the vertex. Image reconstruction of spiral raw data allowed overlapping 3 mm sections to be generated without the dose increase that would result from conventional axial CT scanning. We illustrate common technical artefacts of 3D CT and explain their cause and solution. A dramatic dose reduction to the lens was achieved with no loss in 3D image quality. Lens dose was 8.91 mSv compared with 24.6 mSv using the standard paediatric head technique.


ABSTRACTThis research aims to find out the interests and intentions of young people in entrepreneurship in 3T areas in creating an ecology-based business by processing household organic waste into organic fertilizer as a product of the sale value in implementing sustainable development goals. The problem faced is how to foster interest and intentions of entrepreneurship among young people in border areas, household organic waste that is thrown away in vain, and high use of chemical fertilizers. The target of this research is young people in border areas with farmer family backgrounds not as entrepreneurs. This study uses participatory qualitative methods and project-based learning methods. The object of the research is purposefully selected using Focus Group Discussion (FGD) data collection techniques, unstructured open-ended interviews, participatory observation, and documentation. Factors that influence entrepreneurial interest are personality factors, sociological factors, and environmental factors as well as the processing of household waste into products of the sale value. The results of this study are that entrepreneurial interests and intentions are determined by freedom, self-efficacy, and more benefits if we are just employees, creativity. Ecologically-based business development has interesting potential to be developed, but in the production process, there is a tendency for these young people to be impatient (instant culture) in carrying it out and still lacking knowledge about how to package and market their products properly.