ABSTRACT (S)-1-[3-hydroxy-2-(phosphonomethoxy)propyl]cytosine (HPMPC [cidofovir]) and (S)-9-[3-hydroxy-2-(phosphonomethoxy)propyl]adenine (HPMPA) are potent inhibitors of a variety of DNA viruses. These drugs possess a 3′-hydroxyl equivalent which could support chain extension from an incorporated drug molecule. HPMPC and HPMPA were initially reported to lack activity against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1); more recent results have shown that the octadecyloxyethyl (ODE) and hexadecyloxypropyl (HDP) esters of HPMPA are potent inhibitors of the virus. We have synthesized the ODE esters of a series of (S)-[3-hydroxy-2-(phosphonomethoxy)propyl] (HPMP) nucleosides, including HPMPC, HPMP-guanine (HPMPG), HPMP-thymine (HPMPT), and HPMP-diaminopurine (HPMPDAP), as well as the ODE ester of the obligate chain terminator (S)-9-[3-methoxy-2-(phosphonomethoxy)-propyl]adenine (MPMPA). All compounds except ODE-HPMPT were inhibitors of HIV-1 replication at low nanomolar concentrations. These compounds were also inhibitors of the replication of HIV-1 variants that are resistant to various nucleoside reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors at concentrations several times lower than would be expected to be achieved in vivo. To investigate the mechanism of the antiviral activity, the active metabolites of HPMPC and HPMPA were studied for their effects on reactions catalyzed by HIV-1 RT. Incorporation of HPMPC and HPMPA into a DNA primer strand resulted in multiple inhibitory effects exerted on the enzyme and showed that neither compound acts as an absolute chain terminator. Further, inhibition of HIV-1 RT also occurred when these drugs were located in the template strand. These results indicate that HPMPC and HPMPA inhibit HIV-1 by a complex mechanism and suggest that this class of drugs has a broader spectrum of activity than previously shown.


The present article comprises a multidisciplinary archaeometric approach for the study of Hellenistic and Early Roman kilns in Greece. A collection of previously published and new archaeomagnetic data are combined with new results from mineralogical analytical experiments. The sampled material came from four areas, covering different geological contexts: Katerini, Olympiada, and Polymylos in mainland Greece, and the island of Paros. Extensive rock-magnetic experiments, including identification of the dominant ferromagnetic minerals present, their domain state, and mineralogical alterations during laboratory treatments, have been carried out in order to examine the magnetic properties of the studied materials and prove their suitability for reliable archaeomagnetic determinations. Magnetic cleaning provided well-defined archaeomagnetic directions, and archaeointensity measurements were carried out using both the Thellier-Thellier and Triaxe protocols. Information from both magnetic and mineralogical properties referring to firing conditions is further discussed along with archaeological information. Finally, a new dating of the four sites together with other structures of similar age was carried out using the Pavón-Carrasco model.


An application of wavelet analysis to power system transient generated signals is presented in this paper. With the time-frequency localisation characteristics embedded in wavelets, the time and frequency information of a waveform can be presented as a visualised scheme. This feature is very important for non-stationary signals analysis such as the ones generated from power system disturbances. Unlike the Fourier transform, the wavelet transform approach is more efficient in monitoring fault signals as time varies. For time intervals where the function changes rapidly, this method can zoom in on the area of interest for better visualisation of signal characteristics.


Despite the preservation of traditional political institutions, the mechanisms for including eros in the logic of power are undergoing serious changes in contemporary society in comparison with their classical forms. Specificity of these changes is caused by a number of reasons of historical, political and socio-cultural nature. First of all, THEY include various processes rooted in bourgeois revolutions, the secularization and democratization of society, the crisis of the basic metanarratives in the 20th century and, finally, the phenomenon of sexual revolution. One of the most heuristic theoretical attempts to comprehend the relationship between power and eroticism in nowadays society is, in the author's opinion, the model of discoursive and disciplinary control proposed by M. Foucault, and subsequently developed by a number of thinkers, including J. Butler. This research primarily relies on methodology of social criticism, philosophical comparativism and history of philosophy. Our analysis of the theories of diffusive and discoursive control, first of all, focuses on the following questions: how does the power participate in the formation of the subject of desire or, in other words, produce it, what is a disciplinary society, where the origin of disciplinary and normalizing control should be sought, what are the most ambiguous points of the studied approach to the subject, power and sexuality, and, finally, what alternative to the existing social order is offered by these theories.


In 2018 the United States surpassed Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the largest world oil producer. The article focuses on the mechanisms through which the American shale revolution increasingly impacts functioning of the world oil market. The authors show that this impact is translated to the world oil market mainly through the trade and price channels. Lifting the ban on crude oil exports in December 2015 allowed the United States to increase rapidly supply of crude oil to the world oil market, the country's share in the world crude oil exports reached 4,4% in 2018 and continues to rise. The U.S. share in the world petroleum products exports, on which the American oil sector places the main stake, reached 18%. In parallel with increasing oil production the U.S. considerably shrank crude oil import that forced many oil exporters to reorient to other markets. Due to high elasticity of tight oil production to the oil price increases oil from the U.S. has started to constrain the world oil price from above. According to the majority of authoritative forecasts, oil production in the U.S. will continue to increase at least until 2025. Since 2017 the tendency to the increasing expansion of supermajors into American unconventional oil sector has become noticeable, what will contribute to further strengthening of the U.S. position in the world oil market and accelerate its restructuring.


Soda is said to have "empty calories." Thus, a healthier carbonated beverage was produced using guyabano, which is rich in vitamins, minerals, and flavonoids. Guyabano syrup was prepared with sugar, water, guyabano juice, and calamansi juice. To optimize the final product, guyabano syrup was mixed with carbonated water in three ratios, namely, 2:17, 3:17, and 4:17. From a preference ranking test, formulations with 3:17 and 4:17 ratio were not significantly different, but the latter was chosen for the succeeding tests based on its low rank sum. A consumer acceptability test showed that panelists "moderately liked" the appearance, taste, and sweetness of the product. On the other hand, aroma, carbonation, and the overall acceptability were "liked very much." Physicochemical properties of guyabano juice, guyabano syrup, and carbonated guyabano juice were determined. The pure guyabano juice had 4.21 pH, 0.94% malic acid, and 15 °Bx while the guyabano syrup had a pH of 3.97, 0.69% malic acid, and 46.26 °Bx. The pH, TTA (total titratable acidity), and TSS (total soluble solids) of the finished product were 3.80, 0.21%, and 10.37 °Bx, respectively. An antioxidant capacity assay showed that the carbonated guyabano juice had 0.131 mg ascorbic acid equivalent-mL-1. There was no significant change in pH and TTA after one week storage at ambient temperature. However, yeast and mold count significantly increased and TSS significantly decreased. Thus, it is recommended that the developed carbonated guyabano juice be stored at refrigerated temperature or added with a suitable preservative.


This review article provides an overview of the contemporary research based on a tailor-made technique to understand the paramagnetic behavior of different polymer classes. The ubiquity of free radicals, including biradicals, triplet states, and point defects in polymer systems, has made EPR spectroscopy an indispensable tool in polymer science among other mainstream analytical techniques. The scope of EPR spectroscopy has broadened particularly due to the growing impulse to produce polymers with enhanced stability, to follow the charge transfer process in conducting polymers, to decipher the complex nanoscale dynamics of polymers, to fathom out the reaction mechanisms and kinetics of complex polymer reactions in a more facile way, and to carry out comprehensive structural and conformational analyses. Recent studies have hinted at the effectiveness of EPR spectroscopy in collecting data with sub-nanometer spatial resolution to decipher intrinsic intricacies, while keeping the pristine geometry unperturbed, a task yet not achievable with other conventional techniques. EPR spectroscopy is being applied in polymer science in multifarious ways, including, but not limited to, exploring the structure, conformation, and dynamics of polymer chain segments, degradation or defect studies, charge transfer properties, kinetics and reaction mechanisms especially of free radical polymerization reactions, and EPR imaging of the polymer matrix. A recent surge in its applications indicates that EPR spectroscopy is going to make a profound impact in the field of polymer science in upcoming years.


: Reliable hydrologic models are essential for planning, designing, and management of water resources. However, predictions by hydrological models are prone to errors due to a variety of sources of uncertainty. More accurate quantification of these uncertainties using a large number of ensembles and model runs is hampered by the high computational burden. In this study, we developed a highly efficient surrogate model constructed by sparse polynomial chaos expansion (SPCE) coupled with the least angle regression method, which enables efficient uncertainty quantifications. Polynomial chaos expansion was employed to surrogate a storage function-based hydrological model (SFM) for nine streamflow events in the Hongcheon watershed of South Korea. The efficiency of SPCE is investigated by comparing it with another surrogate model, full polynomial chaos expansion (FPCE) built by a well-known, ordinary least square regression (OLS) method. This study confirms that (1) the performance of SPCE is superior to that of FPCE because SPCE can build a more accurate surrogate model (i.e., smaller leave-one-out cross-validation error) with one-quarter the size (i.e., 500 versus 2000). (2) SPCE can sufficiently capture the uncertainty of the streamflow, which is comparable to that of SFM. (3) Sensitivity analysis attained through visual inspection and mathematical computation of the Sobol' index has been of great success for SPCE to capture the parameter sensitivity of SFM, identifying four parameters, α , K bas , P bas , and P chn , that are most sensitive to the likelihood function, Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency. (4) The computational power of SPCE is about 200 times faster than that of SFM and about four times faster than that of FPCE. The SPCE approach builds a surrogate model quickly and robustly with a more compact experimental design compared to FPCE. Ultimately, it will benefit ensemble streamflow forecasting studies, which must provide information and alerts in real time.


We have studied the quasi-binary phase diagrams along the line connecting NdBa2Cu3Oy and BaCuO2+w in reduced oxygen atmospheres: p(O2) = 10-3 and 10-2 atm. The nucleation and melt of NdBa2Cu3Oy (Nd123) in Ba-rich solvent were observed in situ using a laser scanning microscope in 1% O2 + Ar and 0.1% O2 + Ar. The liquidus and solidus lines of nearly stoichiometric Nd123 have been constructed. We have found that phase relations are quite different between 1% O2 + Ar and 0.1% O2 + Ar. In a 0.1% O2 + Ar environment BaCuO2+w undergoes incongruent melting (BaCuO2+w→Ba2CuO3+z + L→BaO + L) and Nd422 decomposes into the Nd2O3 phase.


It is often assumed that the input voltage source of a switch-mode power supply is constant or shows negligible small variations. However, the last assumption is no longer valid when a fuel-cell stack is used as input source. A fuel-cell stack is characterised by low and unregulated DC output voltage, in addition, this voltage decreases in a non-linear fashion when the demanded current increases; henceforth, a suitable controller is required to cope the aforementioned issues. In this study, an average current-mode controller is designed using a combined model for a fuel-cell stack and a boost converter; moreover, a selection procedure for the controller gains ensuring system stability and output voltage regulation is developed. The proposed energy system uses a fuel-cell power module (polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells) and a boost converter delivering a power of 900 W. Experimental results confirm the proposed controller performance for output voltage regulation via closed-loop gain measurements and step load changes. In addition, a comparison between open- and closed-loop measurements is made, where the controller robustness is tested for large load variations and fuel-cell stack output voltage changes as well.


An argon dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ) is designed and employed for surface modification of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The plasma diagnostics and dielectric surface analysis are coupled together to investigate the mechanisms of plasma modification. The discharge power is obtained by Lissajous figure, and electron excitation temperature (EET) is measured through an optical emission spectrum and calculated by a Boltzmann diagrammatic method. The surface properties of modified PTFE samples are characterized by the static contact angle, surface resistivity, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results show that the discharge power, EET, and surface wettability increase with the Ar flowing rate, and a slight decrease of surface resistivity is revealed after plasma treatment. The surface roughness of PTFE is enhanced, and the oxygen-containing hydrophilic groups are incorporated by the impacts of APPJ radical species. Moreover, the hydrophilicity of PTFE can be improved by a surface presanding process, particularly after APPJ treatment. Finally, the surface modification mechanisms of APPJ on PTFE are discussed.


Serum creatine kinase activity is the most useful test for Duchenne muscular dystrophy carrier detection, but only in 50-80% the carriers do have increased serum creatine kinase activity. To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of post-exercise serum creatine kinase activity in identifying Duchenne muscular dystrophy carriers we did determine it in normal and possible Duchenne muscular distrophy carrier women. Creatine kinase activity was determined in basal conditions and at predetermined time intervals up to 10 hours after a constant exercise on a cycloergometer. Statistical analysis included: Fisher test on basal values; percent increase, difference between maximum and minimum values, absolute value after 8 hours and b coefficient of linear regression. Accuracy and sensitivity were evaluated for some of the data. Our results suggest that the activity of serum creatine kinase 8 hours after a quantified exercise can be useful to detect Duchenne muscular dystrophy carriers when basal activity is normal.


Cu-12%Al alloy wires with a diameter of 6 mm were prepared by vacuum melting and argon shield vertical continuous unidirectional solidification process. The effects of melt temperature, crystallizer length and drawing velocity on the surface quality, microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloy wires were investigated. The results show that single-crystalline or columnar-crystalline wires can be fabricated at a crystallizer length of 20 to 40 mm, a melt temperature of 1100 to 1250 ℃ and a drawing velocity of 10 to 70 mm·min~(-1). Shortening the crystallizer length, raising the melt temperature and/or increasing the drawing velocity are in favor of improvements in the surface quality, but the continuous columnar-crystalline wires can be obtained at a lower melt temperature, a longer crystallizer length and/or a higher drawing velocity. With the increase of drawing velocity, the cross-sectional grain size of the wires decreases firstly and then increases in the parameter regions of the crystallizer length of 30 mm, the melt temperature of 1 100 to 1 150 ℃ and the drawing velocity of 10 to 70 mm·min~(-1). The continuous columnar-crystalline wires manufactured at the crystallizer length of 30 mm, the melt temperature of 1 150 ℃ and the drawing velocity of 30 mm·min-1 have a good elongation percentage of 25.7%.


In an IEEE 802.11 based wireless LAN, when a mobile station (MS) changes its point of attachment to the Internet, it may experience an interruption in service from when it disconnects from one access point (AP) until it registers with a new one. Such an interruption is unacceptable for a real-time service like voice-over-IP; further optimization of mobility management is needed. Several protocols have been proposed to enhance route optimization for intra-domain traffic in a wireless access IP network addressing the handoff issue; Cellular IP has shown good performance and is considered to be a solution for micro-mobility management in 802.11 WLAN. Two handoff schemes in Cellular IP, indirect handoff scheme (IHS) and hard handoff scheme (HHS), can be used in 802.11 WLAN. IHS can provide better performance than HHS on the premise that the MS can obtain the IP address of the new AP before it starts a handoff process. In the current 802.11 based WLAN, the MS cannot acquire this IP address until it has registered with the new AP. We propose an enhanced hard handoff scheme (EHHS) in Cellular IP for supporting VoIP in 802.11 WLAN. In this EHHS, a buffer is deployed in the current AP to achieve zero packet loss during the handoff process. The estimated packet delay introduced by the use of the buffers is analyzed mathematically. Optimization of the EHHS is discussed further. Simulation results show that the EHHS for Cellular IP can not only guarantee the zero packet loss but also provide a tolerable packet delay during the hard handoff procedure. After optimization, it can further reduce 35% of the packet delay.


Background: Black women in the United States experience maternal mortality three to four times more often than white women (1, 2). States vary in degree of disparity, partially due to programs and policies available to pregnant people. In Massachusetts, Black women were approximately twice as likely as white women to experience pregnancy-associated mortality, with a large percentage of these deaths reported to be preventable (3). Methods: Using Massachusetts as a state-level comparison to national policies, we searched the US Congress and Massachusetts legislative databases for maternal health policies from 2010 to 2020. We screened 1,421 national and 360 Massachusetts bills, following set inclusion/exclusion criteria. Data analysis included (1) assessment of bill characteristics, (2) thematic analysis, and a (3) quality appraisal following an adapted model of the analytical framework for evaluating public health policy proposed by the National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy. Additionally, our data analysis identified the level of racism (internalized, interpersonal or institutional) that each policy addressed. Results: From 2010 to 2020, 31 national and 16 state-level policies were proposed that address maternal health and racial disparities. The majority of policies addressed racism at the institutional level alone (National: N = 19, 61.3%, Massachusetts: N = 14, 87.5%). Two national and two Massachusetts-level policies became law, while two national policies passed only the House of Representatives. Our critical appraisal revealed that the majority of unintended effects would be neutral or positive, however, some potential negative unintended effects were identified. The appraisal also identified 54.8% (n = 17) of national policies and 68.8% (n = 11) of Massachusetts with positive impact on health equity. Conclusions: There has been an increase in policies proposed addressing racial disparities and health equity in maternal health over the last 10 years. Although half of national policies proposed showed positive impact on health equity, shedding light on the work the U.S. is doing on a federal level to confront the Black maternal health crisis, only two policies made it to law, only one of which addressed racial disparities directly and had a positive impact on health equity.


Loewald believes that psychoanalytic concepts can be redefined and reinterpreted, seen anew in the face of new data and ways of seeing, thus becoming transformed and transformative. Although he anticipated much of what is new in psychoanalysis in the last thirty years, he also anticipated a more recent integrative trend and a return to classical theory--a return to Freud. This paper summarizes and discusses Loewald's major writings, and argues that his work demonstrates the authentic meaning of psychoanalytic metapsychology.


In most turbocharger compressors, diffusers a re designed with contractions along the passage mainly for delaying surge. The width ratio parameter, B, which defines the diffuser inlet width to diameter ratio significantly affects the losses in the diffuser. Changes to tip clearance, for example, due to the impeller rubbing the shroud casing changes the fluid flow angle at the impeller exit. The sensitivity of the absolute flow angle to the width ratio parameter has a significant influence on diffuser effectiveness and stage performance. This paper reports an investigation of tip clearance sensitivity to vaneless diffuser and stage performance of a turbocharger compressor. To assess the correlation between performance parameters and the tip clearance, Design of Experiments (DoE) was used to sample 40 design cases by changing the clearance at the leading (LE) and trailing edges (TE) of the impeller. Parameters correlation was subsequently used to determine their relationship. The key findings were that stage efficiency and pressure ratio increased linearly with decreasing LE and TE clearances having a maximum sensitivity value R = 0.7. Diffuser Cp showed a strong positive correlation for TE and a weak negative correlation for LE. Similarly, work input and diffuser loss coefficient showed an inverse relation to diffuser Cp with a maximum R value of 0.9. It was concluded that increasing the tip clearance at TE improves the diffuser effectiveness. The main source of low diffuser Cp for small tip clearances was due to higher diffusion losses as a result of flow non-uniformity when the width ratio and absolute flow angle were large. As the width ratio decreases along the passage appreciable frictional losses occur in larger tip clearance further increasing the losses. The absolute flow angle and width ratio were observed to be key to diffuser and stage performance.


Recently published pro-atheist books by Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens have reignited the age-old debate about the existence of God. Many pro-faith books have been written in response. The deliberations between theists and atheists have moved beyond the written word and onto the public debate platform. The present paper observes three such 'God debates' through the theoretical lens of rhetoric. Using a modified Grounded theory approach, and borrowing from literature concerning public debates and religious rhetoric, a number of rhetorical strategies are identified. Thomas Kuhn's incommensurability theory (1962) is then applied to the results in an effort to locate evidence of compatibility and incompatibility between the speakers championing the opposing paradigms. Findings suggest that the speakers are able to achieve meaningful communication when appealing to a shared means of persuasion (secular, scientific language) and recognizing the diversity in their opponents' position. onversely, the Speakers are unable to achieve meaningful communication when engaging in one- side attack-based rhetoric and disagreeing on the constitution of evidence. Such findings are useful for communications professionals tasked with supporting meaningful communication between divergent perspectives.


Formal and computational aspects are discussed for a self-consistent treatment of spin-orbit coupling within the two-component generalization of the Hartree-Fock theory. A molecular implementation into the CRYSTAL program is illustrated, where the standard one-component code (typical of Hartree-Fock and Kohn-Sham spin-unrestricted methodologies) is extended to work in terms of two-component spinors. When passing from a one- to a two-component description, the Fock and density matrices become complex. Furthermore, apart from the αα and ββ diagonal spin blocks, one has also to deal with the αβ and βα off-diagonal spin blocks. These latter blocks require special care as, for open-shell electronic configurations, certain constraints of the one-component code have to be relaxed. This formalism intrinsically allows us to treat local magnetic torque as well as noncollinear magnetization and orbital current-density. An original scheme to impose a specified noncollinear magnetization on each atomic center as a starting guess to the self-consistent procedure is presented. This approach turns out to be essential to surpass local minima in the rugged energy landscape and allows possible convergence to the ground-state solution in all of the discussed test cases.


UiO-66/TiO2 composites were fabricated via self-assembly using a solvothermal method. The composites exhibits high efficiency and stability for removing rhodamine B and methyl blue under strongly acidic conditions via a simple regeneration process. The participation of the UiO-66 structure in TiO2 was found to reduce the electron–hole recombination but did not change its adsorption ability on dyes, which leads to its enhanced photocatalytic properties under visible light radiation. In addition, the introduced TiO2 in MOFs was firstly found to increase the number of active sites, which is beneficial for CO2 capture. Therefore, it can be suggested that porous MOFs combined with photoactive semiconductors may introduce a new class of dual-functional materials for use in water treatment and CO2 capture.


This study aims to determine the nomophobia levels of pre-service teachers, the variables affecting their nomophobia levels, and the relationship between the levels of nomophobia and cyberloafing. The study, which was designed as a correlational study, was conducted with the voluntary participation of 666 pre-service teachers. The data of the study were collected using a personal information form, the Nomophobia Scale (NMP-Q), and the Cyberloafing Scale. The results showed that 528 students (79.3%) had a moderate and high level of nomophobia while 138 students (20.7%) had a low level of nomophobia. As a result of the analyses conducted to determine whether the nomophobia levels of teacher trainees differed depending on gender, it was seen that the nomophobia level of women was statistically higher than that of men. It was concluded that the nomophobia levels of the pre-service teachers did not vary depending on the level of education and their experience of using smartphones. Although, the results gathered from the first analysis results indicated that the nomophobia levels of the pre-service teachers depicted difference concerning the departments at which they studied, this difference proved insignificant as indicated by the anteceding detailed analyses carried out. It was concluded that the nomophobia levels of the pre-service teachers differed significantly depending upon the amount of time they spend on social media. The last finding of the study concluded that cyberloafing significantly predicted nomophobia levels of pre-service teachers. Based on this result, it can be said that the pre-service teachers' cyberloafing behaviors will increase their tendency to exhibit nomophobic behaviors. For further research, mixed studies in which qualitative methods will also be used to obtain more in-depth data can be designed. It was also found out that the nomophobia levels of the pre-service teachers differed significantly based on their daily social media usage time.


The aging and deterioration of water pipelines in cities worldwide result in more frequent water main breaks, water service disruptions, and flooding damage. Therefore, there is an urgent need for undertaking proper maintenance procedures to avoid breaks and disastrous failures. However, due to budget limitations, the maintenance of water pipeline networks needs to be prioritized through efficient deterioration assessment models. Previous studies focused on the development of structural or physical deterioration assessment models, which require expensive inspection data. But, this paper aims at developing deterioration assessment models for water pipelines using statistical techniques. Several deterioration models were developed based on pipeline size, material type, and soil type using linear regression analysis. The categorical nature of some variables affecting pipeline deterioration was considered through developing several categorical models. The developed models were validated with an average validity percentage greater than 95%. Moreover, sensitivity analysis was carried out against different classifications and it displayed higher importance of age of pipes compared to other factors. The developed models will be helpful for the water municipalities and asset managers to assess the condition of their pipes and prioritize them for maintenance and inspection purposes. Keywords—Water pipelines, deterioration assessment models, regression analysis.


Cognitive impairments or dysfunctions are one of the major issues of aging population and medical conditions like brain damage, stroke etc. Assessment of cognitive functioning is usually done by medical practitioners using various standard psychological tests which require expert interventions. In the present study we have tried to use eye tracking as a possible option for assessment of cognitive functions while executing a digitized digit symbol substitution task. The standard task has been modified so that more detail insights of one's cognitive state can be obtained without any manual intervention. Results show that it is possible to get more information like attention, perception etc. It also gives insight about the performance of an individual and can be used for analyzing the executive functions like processing speed, memory etc.


A morphological study was undertaken to assess the role of cell deletion by apoptosis in experimental hydronephrosis. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (200 +/- 20 gm) were used. The left ureter was ligated or a sham operation was carried out. Animals were killed from 4 days to 12 weeks after operation. Two parallel studies were undertaken: one to demonstrate and quantitate specific morphological changes in the affected kidney using light and electron microscopy, and the other to measure changes in dry kidney weights. Renal tubular atrophy is an inevitable consequence of chronic occlusion of the ureter. As expected, the present study showed a progressive loss of tissue mass in the hydronephrotic kidney. This occurred from 1 week after permanent ureteric ligation, and was most rapid between 2 and 4 weeks. The tubular epithelium contained cells undergoing a distinct form of cell death termed apoptosis, characterized ultrastructurally in its early stage by the presence of rounded cells with condensed cytoplasm and condensed and marginated nuclear chromatin, and later by the presence of discrete membrane-bounded intact cellular fragments (apoptotic bodies), which were phagocytosed and digested by adjacent viable cells, or were shed into the tubular lumens. Numbers of apoptotic cells or clusters of apoptotic bodies were increased significantly in all animals with ureteric obstruction in comparison with controls. The greatest increases occurred at 2 and 4 weeks, when loss of renal mass was occurring rapidly. Diminished blood flow in hydronephrosis has been well-documented by others, and therefore our results are consistent with studies which have shown mild ischemia to be the cause of tissue atrophy involving apoptosis. We conclude that cell deletion by apoptosis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of renal tubular atrophy associated with hydronephrosis.


The study mainly focuses on resource allocation optimization for industrial product-service systems (IPS2). The development of IPS2 leads to sustainable economy by introducing cooperative mechanisms apart from commodity transaction. The randomness and fluctuation of service requests from customers lead to the volatility of IPS2 resource utilization ratio. Three basic rules for resource allocation optimization are put forward to improve system operation efficiency and cut unnecessary costs. An approach based on fuzzy multiple linear regression (FMLR) is developed, which integrates the strength and concision of multiple linear regression in data fitting and factor analysis and the merit of fuzzy theory in dealing with uncertain or vague problems, which helps reduce those costs caused by unnecessary resource transfer. The iteration mechanism is introduced in the FMLR algorithm to improve forecasting accuracy. A case study of human resource allocation optimization in construction machinery industry is implemented to test and verify the proposed model.


Background. A 76-year-old male patient who suffered small bowel anastomotic dehiscence believed to be a complication provoked by Clostridioides difficile enteritis. Case Presentation. The patient was a 76-year-old male who underwent small bowel resection with primary anastomosis for a small bowel obstruction. On postoperative day #7, he rapidly decompensated and upon return to the operating room was found to have complete anastomotic dehiscence with copious enteric spillage. The presentation appeared as if the staple line had burst open. Enteric contents confirmed the diagnosis of Clostridioides difficile enteritis. Subsequent hospital course was complicated by ventilatory-dependent respiratory failure, hemodynamic instability, and persistent anemia secondary to gastric ulcer requiring endoscopic cauterization. After a prolonged hospital course, he eventually progressed and was transferred to a skilled nursing facility on hospital day #42. Discussion. Clostridioides difficile causes inflammation and copious large volume secretions that would theoretically increase intraluminal pressures creating an internal tension. This tension along with other factors from the infection itself would likely be inhibitory of anastomotic healing. Although it is rare, Clostridioides difficile enteritis is being reported with increasing frequency, and in the setting of recent small bowel anastomosis, it should be considered a possible risk factor for anastomotic leak.


A Large Language Model (LLM) is an artificial intelligence system that has been trained on vast amounts of natural language data, enabling it to generate human-like responses to written or spoken language input. GPT-3.5 is an example of an LLM that supports a conversational agent called ChatGPT. In this work, we used a series of novel prompts to determine whether ChatGPT shows heuristics, biases, and other decision effects. We also tested the same prompts on human participants. Across four studies, we found that ChatGPT was influenced by random anchors in making estimates (Anchoring Heuristic, Study 1); it judged the likelihood of two events occurring together to be higher than the likelihood of either event occurring alone, and it was erroneously influenced by salient anecdotal information (Representativeness and Availability Heuristic, Study 2); it found an item to be more efficacious when its features were presented positively rather than negatively - even though both presentations contained identical information (Framing Effect, Study 3); and it valued an owned item more than a newly found item even though the two items were identical (Endowment Effect, Study 4). In each study, human participants showed similar effects. Heuristics and related decision effects in humans are thought to be driven by cognitive and affective processes such as loss aversion and effort reduction. The fact that an LLM - which lacks these processes - also shows such effects invites consideration of the possibility that language may play a role in generating these effects in humans.


Binary-state dynamics (such as the susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) model of disease spread, or Glauber spin dynamics) on random networks are accurately approximated using master equations. Standard mean-field and pairwise theories are shown to result from seeking approximate solutions of the master equations. Applications to the calculation of SIS epidemic thresholds and critical points of nonequilibrium spin models are also demonstrated.


To assess the potential of ytterbium chloride (Yb) as an indicator of fecal output, we dosed 13 mature beef cows with Yb and chromic oxide (Cr2O3) either once (0800) or twice (0800 and 1600 hr) daily. Fecal output and digestible dry matter were estimated from fecal marker concentration determined in grab samples collected at 0800, 1600 or 0800 and 1600 hr, and compared with values obtained by total fecal collection. With single daily dosings, fecal outputs estimated from Yb at all collection times did not differ from values obtained by total collection, whereas Cr2O3 underestimated (P greater than .05) fecal production at 0800 hr and in the composited (0800 and 1600 hr) collections. With twice-daily dosing, fecal outputs estimated from Yb differed to a greater extent from the total collection values for the 1600 hr collection; however, the Cr2O3 values more closely approximated those estimated by total fecal collection at 0800 hours. Relative marker concentration in the feces collected from grab samples at 4.hr intervals indicated that twice-daily dosing appeared to reduce diurnal variation. Diurnal fecal excretion patterns of Yb and Cr2O3 differed (P greater than .05); however, the variation observed for both markers within dosing schedule appeared to be as great for Yb as it was for Cr2O3. Although fecal output was accurately estimated from Yb with one simultaneous collection and dosing period, the response appeared to be due to time of collection rather than to an actual reduction in diurnal variation.


This paper presents the effects of heat dissipation performance of pin fins with different heat sink structures. The heat dissipation performance of two types of pin fin arrays heat sink are compared through measuring their heat resistance and the average Nusselt number in different cooling water flow. The temperature of cpu chip is monitored to determine the temperature is in the normal range of working temperature. The cooling water flow is in the range of 0.02L/s to 0.15L/s. It's found that the increase of pin fins in the corner region effectively reduce the temperature of heat sink and cpu chip. The new type of pin fin arrays increase convection heat transfer coefficient and reduce heat resistance of heat sink.Copyright © 2016 by ASME


A sequence stratigraphic framework is established for the Jurassic of the Danish Central Graben based primarily on petrophysical log data, core sedimentology and biostratigraphic data from about 50 wells. Regional seismic lines are used to assist in the correlation of some wells and in the construction of isochore maps. In the Lower Jurassic (Hettangian‐Pliensbachian) succession, five sequences have been identified. The Middle Jurassic is subdivided into four sequences that together span the uppermost Aalenian/lowermost Bajocian to the Callovian. In the Upper Jurassic, better well coverage permits greater stratigraphic resolution, and 11 sequences are identified and mapped. On the basis of the sequence stratigraphic correlation and the construction of isochore maps for individual sequences, the Jurassic basin history of the Danish Central Graben can be subdivided into seven discrete phases: (1) Shallow marine and offshore sediments deposited in a prerift basin extending from the North Sea to the Fennoscandian Border Zone (Hettangian‐Pliensbachian). (2) Uplift and erosion in association with a Toarcian‐Aalenian North Sea doming event. A major hiatus represents this phase in the study area. (3) Terrestrial and marginal marine sedimentation during initial rifting (latest Aalenian/earliest Bajocian ‐ Late Callovian). (4) Early Oxfordian ‐ Early Kimmeridgian transgression during and after a rift pulse. The sedimentary environment changed from coastal plain and marginal marine to fully marine. (5) Regression associated with a cessation or slowing of subsidence during a structural rearrangement that took place in the Late Kimmeridgian during a break in the main rift climax. Shallow to marginal marine sandstones were deposited above an erosion surface of regional extent. (6) Deep-water mudstones deposited in a composite graben with high subsidence rates related to rift pulses (latest Late Kimmeridgian ‐ middle Middle Volgian). (7) Deposition of organic-rich mudstones and turbidite sandstones during the late Middle Volgian ‐ Early Ryazanian. The main basin shallowed, became more symmetrical and experienced a decreasing rate of subsidence, recording the onset of the post-rift stage. A relative sea-level curve is constructed for the Middle‐Late Jurassic. It shows close similarity to published eustatic (global) and relative (North Atlantic area) sea-level curves in the latest Bathonian ‐ late Early Kimmeridgian, but differs in the Late Kimmeridgian ‐ Middle Volgian interval, probably due to the high rate of subsidence in the study area.


The ability of rats using their whiskers to perform fine tactile discrimination rivals that of humans using their fingertips. Rats must perform these discriminations rapidly and accurately while palpating the environment with their whiskers. This suggests that whisker-derived inputs produce a robust and reliable code, capable of capturing complex, high-frequency information. The first neural representation of whisker-derived stimulus information is in primary afferent neurons of the trigeminal ganglion. Here we demonstrate that there is a continuum of direction-dependent response profiles in trigeminal neurons and provide the first quantitative analysis of the encoding of complex stimuli by these neurons. We show that all classes of trigeminal ganglion neurons respond with highly reproducible temporal spike patterns to transient stimuli. Such a robust coding mechanism may allow rapid perception of complex tactile features.


SUMMAry The naming, introduction and classification of citrus crops and their allies is outlined. Traditional medicinal use and 'Western' applications in the treatment of scurvy and obesity, the prevention of AIDS, and in contraception is reviewed. Names for the commercially significant citrangequat (Citrus × georgiana) and the 'sunrise lime' or 'faustrimedin' (C. × oliveri) are provided.


With increasing life expectancy in developed countries, there is a corresponding increase in the frequency of diseases typically associated with old age, in particular dementia. In recent research, multivariate analysis of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) datasets has shown potential for classification between Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and asymptomatic controls. In this work, the feasibility of multivariate analysis using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Fisher Discriminant Analysis (FDA) of Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) data is investigated. In order to obtain robust and reliable results, bootstrap resampling is applied and the robustness and classification accuracy of PCA/FDA are investigated. The robustness of the analysis is assessed by estimating the distribution of the angle between PCA/FDA discriminative vectors generated by bootstrap resampling, and the classification predictive accuracy is assessed using the 632 bootstrap estimator. The results indicate that PCA/FDA on SPECT data enables a robust differentiation between AD patients and asymptomatic controls based on three principal components, with a classification accuracy of 89%.


The grey wolf Canis lupus has the largest geographical range of large mammalian carnivores in west Asia. However, it is one of the least studied species, particularly in Iran. Feeding ecology is a critical aspect of predator ecology and has important implications when formulating species and ecosystem management strategies. Also, predation on livestock is a crucial cause of wolf–human conflicts throughout the wolf's global range. Accordingly, we investigated the diet of the grey wolf in Ghamishlou, an area with high population densities of wild and domestic ungulates in central Iran, between July 2007 and April 2009. Scat analysis indicated that livestock was the single most important prey species for wolves with 47.1% of total biomass consumed, whereas Persian gazelle comprised 27.0% and wild sheep 15.9%. Wild kills were significantly skewed towards males relative to their proportion in the population, and were mainly preyed on during post-rutting months. Based on interview surveys, less than 1% of mean herd size was lost to wolf depredation; however, almost six times more died from non-depredation causes during each winter. We concluded that the high occurrence of livestock in the wolves' diet is mainly because of scavenging rather than depredation; however, owing to high pressure of wolves on local herds during non-winter seasons in other areas with depleted prey populations, local people dislike wolves and try to eradicate them. Finally, management implications are discussed and solutions are recommended.


The adverse relationship between viral hepatitis and pregnancy in developing countries had been interpreted as a reflection of retrospectively biased hospital-based data collection by the West. However, the discovery of hepatitis E virus (HEV) as the etiological agent of an epidemic of non-A, non-B hepatitis in Kashmir, and the documenting of the increased incidence and severity of hepatitis E in pregnancy via a house-to-house survey, unmasked this unholy alliance. In the Hepeviridae family, HEV-genotype (gt)1 from genus Orthohepevirus A has a unique open reading frame (ORF)4-encoded protein which enhances viral polymerase activity and viral replication. The epidemics caused by HEV-gt1, but not any other Orthohepevirus A genotype, show an adverse relationship with pregnancy in humans. The pathogenesis of the association is complex and at present not well understood. Possibly multiple factors play a role in causing severe liver disease in the pregnant women including infection and damage to the maternal-fetal interface by HEV-gt1; vertical transmission of HEV to fetus causing severe fetal/neonatal hepatitis; and combined viral and hormone related immune dysfunction of diverse nature in the pregnant women, promoting viral replication. Management is multidisciplinary and needs a close watch for the development and management of acute liver failure. (ALF). Preliminary data suggest beneficial maternal outcomes by early termination of pregnancy in patients with lower grades of encephalopathy.


provides scholarly publishing to and delivers a dynamic research platform to Abstract: The Portuguese road network had an extension of 11408 in 1998, corresponding to a density of 1.1 Km/Km2. In 1999, a new National Road Plan (PRN2000) was approved, establishing a 16% road network increase over the previous 1985 plan. Several of these new major roads actually cross Natural Parks, Birds Directive and Nature 2000 sites. Habitat loss and fragmentation due to transport infrastructure is clearly a problem in Portugal. Portuguese major road projects are subjected to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. The approaches used in the Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) of these road projects are mainly focused in small-scaled effects. Research, involving over 40 portuguese road EIAs at different project stages, showed that no consistent ecological criteria was presented to establish the EcIA area of study; further, the methodologies utilized for prediction and evaluation of ecological impacts of transport infrastructures did not translate the effects of habitat fragmentation as they did not address the problems of: • infrastructure as a barrier to the free movement of animals and its implications to population and metapopulation dynamics of the most important species; a cause of significative edge effect. These impair the EcIA process effectiveness, mitigation of potential green corridors and existing linear transport infrastructures; the characterization of the landscape structure for the area directly affected by the infrastructure and for several buffer areas, using soil occupation maps (1:25000). The landscape indices calculated are based in edge, shape, core area and contagion metrics. The analysis can be carried out on three levels, corresponding to three different project stages: corridor selection; alternative selection and project implementation. The results obtained in each stage can be used to establish priorities for field sampling / monitoring in the following phase. We describe the results obtained from the application of FRAGMet3 to the highway IC5 - Mondim / Vila pouca de Aguiar (North Portugal) proposed corridors and alternatives. Fragmentation indices showed clear differences between corredors as well as between alternatives. The practical value of this methodology as a base for decision support in the process of EIA and its following stages analysed. Abstract The Portuguese road network had an extension of 11408 Km in 1998, corresponding to a density of 1.1 Km/Km 2 . In 1999, a new National Road Plan (PRN2000) was approved, establishing a 16% road network increase over the previous 1985 plan. Several of these new major roads actually cross Natural Parks, Birds Directive and Nature 2000 sites. Habitat loss and fragmentation due to transport infrastructure is clearly a problem in Portugal. Portuguese major road projects are subjected to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. The approaches used in the Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) of these road projects are mainly focused in small-scaled effects. Research, involving over 40 portuguese road EIAs at different project stages, showed that no consistent ecological criteria was presented to establish the EcIA area of study; further, the methodologies utilized for prediction and evaluation of ecological impacts of transport infrastructures did not translate the effects of habitat fragmentation as they did not address the problems of: These are aspects that can impair the EcIA process effectiveness, namely by incorrectly identify the areas for the placement of wildlife crossing structures, planned as part of the mitigation measures associated to the transport infrastructure. The following study presents the application of a methodology (FRAGMet3) that analyses the aspects of habitat fragmentation and deterioration at different scales. This methodology, GIS based, involves: the identification of important natural areas; the delimitation of the area under study; the analysis of potential green corridors and existing linear transport infrastructures; the characterization of the landscape structure for the area directly affected by the infrastructure and for several buffer areas, using soil occupation maps (1:25000). The landscape indices calculated are based in


Deforestation represents one of the greatest threats to tropical forest mammals, and the situation is greatly exacerbated by bushmeat hunting. To construct informed conservation plans, information must be gathered about responses to habitat degradation, regeneration, and hunting over a sufficiently long period to allow demographic responses. We quantified changes in the abundance of three commonly occurring ungulate species (i.e., bushbuck, Tragelaphus scriptus; red duiker, Cephalophus sp.; blue duiker, Cephalophus monticola) at eight sites in Kibale National Park, Uganda (old growth=3; logged=3; regenerating=2) for 23 years. Changes in abundance (363 surveys totaling 1 450 km) were considered in regard to the park's management strategy, regional economic indicators, and estimates of illegal hunting. Bushbuck abundance increased in old-growth and logged forests from 1996 to 2009, and then oscillated around this level or declined. Duiker abundance demonstrated a similar pattern, but abundance in the old-growth forests showed a general increase from 1996 to present day. Duiker abundance in the logged forests exhibited an early increase, but subsequent oscillation. Poaching signs per patrol have remained stable over the last decade, despite increases in the size of the surrounding population, cost of living, and cost of schooling, thus reflecting successful efforts in conservation education and enforcement. Our study highlights the positive impact of park establishment, patrol, and conservation efforts on ungulate populations and shows the adaptability of forest mammal populations to different management schemes.


This study aimed to find out how community participation in the Village Fund program in Kemang Manis Village in the Four Lawang District in 2016 and the factors that supported and blocked community participation in the village fund program in Kemang Manis Village. The method used was qualitative so that the data obtained through interviews, observation and study of documentation and qualitative descriptive analysis techniques. The results showed that at the decision making stage, the participation of the Kemang Manis village community in the Village Fund Program in 2016 was still low because the data synchronization activities were not carried out, only the village elite community and workers as well as grant providers, were invited, attended, gave opinions, and approve the results of the meeting's decision. At the implementation stage (community participation) was quite good, it appeared in the crowded community who registered themselves as candidates for village infrastructure activities, following the work briefing and direction from the village government. At the time of implementation the community brought their own carpentry equipment, donated food and drinks, and received wages or daily work incentives, and participants of community empowerment activities received transport money. The stages of the utilization of benefits (benefits) the community felt the benefits of the results of village development. Roads could be passed by 4-wheeled vehicles, making it easier to transport agricultural produce, residents began to build houses because roads were available and land values had also increased. The community had not yet been involved in the monitoring, supervision and evaluation stages, because in the planning stages of the Village RPJM and Village RKP documents the community involvement is still low. At the stage of implementation of village development the community was involved as an implementer, but the procurement and financial management and administration activities were carried out by the village government. There were no complaints from the public and information disclosure regarding the new Village Fund in the form of a Village Infrastructure development project board.


Abstract Objective To investigate factors associated with the nutritional status in institutionalized Mexican older adults. Material and methods In this cross-sectional study of residents in three long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in Monterrey, Mexico, a medical history, Mini-Mental State Examination, Barthel index, and geriatric depression scale, and Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) were performed. Risk of malnutrition and malnutrition status were defined as MNA 17–23.5 and <17, respectively. Results Residents (n = 280) had a median age of 85 years and 72.1% were female. A total of 116 (41.4%) were at risk of malnutrition and 35 (12.5%) were malnourished. Having malnutrition or being at risk of malnutrition was associated with age (OR = 1.048), functional dependence (OR = 8.376), body mass index (BMI) <22 (OR = 7.518), cognitive impairment (OR = 2.210), urinary incontinence (OR = 2.397), previous stroke (OR = 2.870), Parkinson's disease (OR = 5.193), use of calcium channel blockers (OR = 3.706), and use of atypical antipsychotics (OR = 2.277). Having benign prostatic hyperplasia (OR = 0.067) or the use of angiotensin II receptor blockers (OR = 0.038) were related to being well-nourished. Conclusions In a population of residents of three LTCFs in Mexico, we found a high prevalence of malnutrition or being at risk of malnutrition. This underscores the need to implement guidelines for the prompt identification of this condition and further explanation of the factors identified as possibly related to malnutrition.


Throughout the debate over gay/lesbian rights and religious liberty, prominent scholars and commentators have called for moderation and compromise. A way must be found, they have urged, for these two fundamental American values – the equal rights and dignity of all persons, and the freedom of religious exercise and conscience – to coexist. This Essay seeks to contextualize and advance this conversation about coexistence. This is not an article about doctrine. Nor is it a prescription for how one side or the other can "win" this particular culture war. There is, of course, a vast literature on social movement organizations and their relationship to law, but nor is this an article about theory or retrospective assessment of strategies and accomplishments. Rather, my suggestions are forward-looking and normative. I simply offer a few observations about what moderation and reasonableness might look like in the context of the struggle between LGBT rights and religious liberty. I identity some of the excesses to which both sides are prone, and I suggest that the ways in which the combatants in this particular culture war conduct themselves – specifically, the decisions they make about how and when to use law to advance their respective causes through litigation – will be the most important factor in determining whether or not it is possible to attain some measure of balance, if not peaceful coexistence, between LGBT rights and religious liberty. The rest of us should judge their conduct accordingly, and if Americans do so, it likely will help determine the long-term fates of both movements.


Introduction and Objectives: Molecular imaging could transform cancer diagnosis by coupling existing imaging modalities with labeled tumor-specific antibodies or peptides. Current diagnosis of bladder cancer is by white light cystoscopy, which has suboptimal specificity for differentiating non-papillary cancer from inflammation. To identify bladder cancer-specific peptides, we applied phage display, an unbiased, combinatorial strategy in which up to 10⁁9 foreign peptides or proteins are individually expressed on bacteriophage to screen against cellular targets (biopanning). We report our effort to identify bladder cancer-specific peptides via biopanning with cystectomy specimens. Methods: An M13 phage library displaying random linear heptapeptides was instilled into fresh cystectomy specimens (n=2). Non-specific phage were washed away and tumor was excised to extract tumor-bound phage, which were validated by bladder cancer cell line-based ELISA, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence. Results: Both bladders had high-grade urothelial carcinoma on pathology. 148 phage were obtained after 2 rounds of selection. 77 of these showed preferential binding to 2 bladder cancer cell lines (HT-1376, T24) by ELISA compared to negative control (insertless phage). 7 phage with >10-fold signals over the negative control were further validated with flow cytometry and immunofluorescence. By detecting cell-bound phage with fluorescently labeled M13 phage antibody, increased staining of T24 cells by all candidate phage compared to negative control was demonstrated by both flow cytometry (2-3-fold) and immunofluorescence. Peptides were sequenced for additional validation of tumor specificity with primary normal human urothelial and bladder tumor cells. Conclusions: We have developed a technique for efficient biopanning of bladder cancer-specific peptides using whole cystectomy specimens. These peptides could serve as molecular contrast agents for targeted imaging with confocal laser endomicroscopy or fluorescent cystocsopy, and could potentially be utilized for targeted therapy. Compared to prior reports, which utilized cell lines and xenografts as biopanning targets, our approach offers a more clinically-relevant, efficient approach to identify peptides for cancer-specific imaging and therapy. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2233. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2233


Wireless sensor networks are becoming the technology of choice for sensing applications mostly due to their ease of installation and associated lower costs. This paper proposes a novel conceptual design for an application of wireless sensor technology for assessing the structural health of transmission lines and their implementation to improve the observability and reliability of power systems. A two-layer sensor network model is presented for overcoming the communication range limitations of smart sensors, and two operational modes for enhanced energy efficiency are introduced. Simulations integrating the output of the sensor network with an energy-management system were conducted, obtaining improvement in the security of the power system


Practical stabilities for linear fractional impulsive hybrid systems are investigated in detail.The transformation from a linear fractional differential system to a fractional impulsive hybrid system is interpreted.With the help of the Mittag-Leffler functions for matrix-type,several practical stability criteria for fractional impulsive hybrid systems are derived.Finally,a numerical example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the results.


Background and o bjective: In observation of a human testicular section slide for teaching preparation of male reproductive system for medical students, it was found a unique duct that has never been documented previously in any basic histological text book. Therefore, researcher aimed to observe all histological slides of human tissues to additionally confirm the presence of this unique duct.   Methods: Of 50 slides from 15 boxes, all human testicular tissue section slides (stained by hematoxylin and eosin dyes) purchased from a commercial company for teaching and learning of medical students, faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen university, were  observed under light microscope using objective lens of 4X, 10X, 20X, and 40X respectively. Then the unique duct found in the testicular section was recorded and photographed. Results: From all testicular section slides, only one crossed section of human testicular tissue shows the unique duct containing the psudostratified or simple columnar epithelium with abundant glycocalyxes on apical surface. In addition, the ductal wall is composed of simple smooth muscle cells. Interestingly, there is a cluster of cells located in the lumen which is similar to the histology of Sertoli cells. Therefore, it is primarily named as the cluster of Sertoli-like cells. Conclusion: This study reports a very unique duct present in the human testicular tissue for the firs time. However, the reconstruction and functional tests of the unique testis need to be further study to elucidate its roles.


In this paper, we deal with the descriptor combination problem in image classification tasks. This problem refers to the definition of an appropriate combination of image content descriptors that characterize different visual properties, such as color, shape and texture. In this paper, we propose to model the descriptor combination as a swarm-based optimization problem, which finds out the set of parameters that maximizes the classification accuracy of the Optimum-Path Forest (OPF) classifier. In our model,  a descriptor is seen as a pair composed of a feature extraction algorithm and a suitable distance function. Our strategy here is to combine distance scores defined by different descriptors, as well as to employ them to weight OPF edges, which connect samples in the feature space. An extensive evaluation of several swarm-based optimization techniques was performed. Experimental results have demonstrated the robustness of the proposed combination approach.


The feasibility of sequential sodium hypochlorite decolorisation and anaerobic biological treatment, as a low-cost process for decolorisation of extraction-stage bleach plant effluent, was studied. Treatment of E-stage effluent with chlorine can reduce colour by 50-90%, depending on the reaction pH. At pH 10, where the hypochlorite ion is the reactive species, the highest levels of colour removal were observed and, compared with pHs 4 and 7, the effluent produced was less inhibitory to anaerobic bacteria. A chlorine dosage of 0.1 kg active Cl/kg colour was sufficient to achieve about 90% colour removal, although the AOX concentration of the wastewater increased by about 50%. Subsequent anaerobic treatment of the decolorised wastewater was able to reduce the AOX concentration to close to its original level. Only a small amount of colour reversion was observed and an overall colour removal of about 80% was achieved. The hypochlorite treatment caused a substantial increase in the concentration of low molecular mass AOX, which was amenable to anaerobic dechlorination. Anaerobic treatment of untreated ?-stage effluent had no effect on the concentrations of AOX or colour. These results suggest that this treatment method may have potential as a low cost technology for providing a short-term solution to bleach plant colour problems.


Since a few years, in France, the development and construction of offshore wind farms in different sites of the country is investigated. The wind turbines will be installed in soft carbonate rock formations (calcarenite, limestone), the mechanical properties of which can vary in a significant way according to the location of the site. Once installed, the bored piles will be sealed with grout in the hosting rock. It is well known that the mechanical behaviour of piles is mainly governed by the behaviour of the interface at the contact between the structure and the hosting rock. The study of the mechanical behaviour of these interfaces, being the weakest points in terms of mechanical resistance, is of great importance for the improvement of the design methods of such infrastructures. The shear response of the rock/grout interface is studied with laboratory experiments in the 3SR lab (Grenoble). The interface's mechanical properties are characterised by a series of shear tests under Constant Normal Stiffness (CNS), these conditions being the most representative of the in-situ conditions. Interface samples of a roughness representative of the in-situ drilling traces, are tested under different levels of applied normal stiffness. The shear response is studied for both monotonic and cyclic shear paths, while all tests are performed under wet conditions. The failure mechanisms are explored, taking into account the contrasting mechanical properties of the two materials composing the interface, as well as, the evolution of the geometrical profile of the interface. The correlation between roughness and the mechanical response of the interface is investigated and the importance of an existing roughness is discussed.


The immunotype distribution of 493 Chlamydia trachomatis isolates from 467 adults and 26 infants in the Seattle area from 1965 to 1982 is presented. All except one of the isolates from adults were from the genitourinary tract, rectum, or bubo. The proportions of each immunotype were ED, 46.5%; GF, 24.6%; H, I, J/CJ, and K, 5 to 7% each; B, 3.5%; and L2, 1%.


This study assessed pediatric oncology professionals' attitudes and attendance at patient funerals. Many professionals endorsed some level of agreement that funeral attendance respects professional boundaries. Nearly all pediatric oncology professionals (89.2%) reported attending a patient funeral at least once, a rate significantly higher than estimates in other specialties (p <.001). Attitudes and rates of attendance were slightly higher in older physicians. While periodic funeral attendance may have been somewhat normative in this sample, further reflection and research is needed to ensure the risks and benefits of involvement in funerals and other family rituals and practices are better understood.


Allograft rejection is dependent on T cell activation, which requires both the engagement of the T cell receptor by antigen in the context of the MHC molecules and costimulatory signals delivered by cell surface molecules such as B7-CD28/CTLA4 pathway. CTLA4-Ig is a fusion protein that blocks this pathway and has previously been shown to prolong both allograft and xenograft survival. The current study demonstrates markedly prolonged murine cardiac allograft survival and specific prolongation of secondary skin grafts using a combination of CTLA4-Ig plus donor bone marrow. A role for hematopoietic chimerism in the establishment of CTLA4-Ig-induced transplantation tolerance was investigated using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis of recipient tissues. Expression of donor-specific MHC class II transcripts in both peripheral and lymphoid tissues was demonstrated at greater than 200 days after transplant. To investigate the functional significance of this observation, heart donors, and donor bone marrow were irradiated before transplantation in CTLA4-Ig-treated recipients. A reduction in allograft survival was associated with irradiation of both the donor heart and the bone marrow. These results suggest that there may be a donor-derived radiosensitive element that enhances allograft survival in this model. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis of allografts of tolerant and control animals at days 5, 8, and 12 after transplantation failed to demonstrate a dramatic difference in the expression of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-10, and interferon-gamma message. Cytotoxicity effector transcripts were largely intact in CTLA4-Ig + bone marrow-treated recipients as they showed no decrease in intragraft granzyme, perforin, Fas, or Fas ligand transcripts during thr first 8 days after transplant. These results imply that complex mechanisms may be important for the induction and maintenance of transplantation tolerance in the CTLA4-Ig plus bone marrow murine cardiac allograft model.


The combination of electric impedance and Raman spectroscopies at the analysis of the supercooled water phase transition enables the detection of adsorbed water clusters in garnet minerals of leucogranite samples. This transition is revealed by a change in the parameters measured by both techniques at low temperatures, Tc ∼ 220 K, and it is attributed to adsorbed water clusters in the walls of garnet cracks. The study of this transition gives important insights into thewater-rockinteraction, one ofthe most important points in the study of rock alteration. The dielectric spectra were fitted to the Havriliak-Negami model of dielectric relaxation and enabled the estimation of the activation energy of the dielectric relaxation process as Ea ∼ 76 � 3k Jmol −1 , which is higher than the energy attributed to water molecule reorientation in bulk ice. We determined that this energy should be related with the interaction forces between the adsorbed water clusters and the crack walls that hinder the reorientation of those molecules. The logarithmic frequency dependence of the critical transition temperature was also verified. Raman spectra allowed the identification of thewater cluster vibration band, ∼3680 cm −1 , in the garnet minerals. The band disappears for temperatures around 423 K where the joint action of the laser beam and the temperature evaporates the adsorbed water clusters. This excludes the possibility that the observed supercooled phase transition could be related with structural water in chlorite minerals. The samples had low apparent porosity ∼1.29%, specific surface area, and adsorption average crack width (using the BrunauerEmmett-Teller method) of ∼0.18 m 2 g −1 and ∼7.92 nm, respectively.


Health information exchange is expected of all electronic health records (EHRs) in order to ensure safe, quality care coordination. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has a long history of information exchange across VA facilities and with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). However, since a majority of VA and DoD patients receive a portion of their health care from the private sector, it is essential that both agencies enable health information exchange with private sector providers. This has been made possible by the use of the specifications and trust agreement developed by the Nationwide Health Information Network (NwHIN) initiative. Currently, VA has 12 medical centers exchanging information with the private sector and is evaluating the value of the exchange. The authors report on the success of these pilots as well as on the challenges, which include stricter technical specifications and a more efficient approach to patient identification (ID) matching and consent management.


Abstract Cross-cultural exchanges between India and China during the first millennium are often understood through a Buddhist lens; by investigating the impact of Indian Buddhist sources, be they literary, doctrinal, or artistic, to receiving Chinese communities. In these cultural transactions, instigated by traveling pilgrim-monks and enacted by imperial power players in China, India emerges as a remote, idealized, and perhaps "hollow" center. Imagined or real, the importance of images of India in medieval Chinese Buddhist landscape has been established beyond doubt. What seems to be missing in this unidirectional looking is the impact of these cultural communications in India. What were the Indian responses to Chinese Buddhists' demands and their physical presence? How was China imagined and translated in medieval India? This essay proposes to locate the activities of Chinese monks in India and the iconographies of China-inspired Indian Buddhist images within the larger historical context of shifting cultural and political geography of the medieval Buddhist world. By exploring different types of evidence from borderlands, vis-à-vis the monolithic concepts of China and India, the essay also complicates the China–India studies' comparative model.


Climate change is not the new phenomenon. The palaeo-climatic studies reveal that during the Pleistocene and Holocene periods several warm and cold periods occurred, resulted change of sea level and change in climatic processes like rise and fall of global average temperature and rainfall. The last medieval warm period was observed from 950 to 1350 AD, followed by the little Ice Age from 1400 to 1900 AD. Occurrence of these climatic changes and their impacts are considered due to natural processes that are geological and astronomical. In 1970s environmentalists and some climate scientists pointed that earth's average temperature is rising linked with the anthropogenic causes of global warming and emission of carbon dioxide through fossil fuels. In late 1980s the problem was discussed in politics and media. To examine and monitor the global rise of temperature and its impacts due to the emission of carbon dioxide an organization of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was created in 1988 by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The IPCC released several reports based upon anthropogenic causes of climate change and their impacts. According to IPCC, 2007 report on climate change during the last 100 years the earth's average temperature has increased up to 0.6 degree Celsius and if emission of greenhouse gases particularly carbon dioxide continues to rise, global temperature will rise up to 5.8 degrees Celsius by the end of 2100 AD. Similarly as a result of this threat of global warming, glaciers will disappear even from Antarctica and Arctic sea will open for navigation throughout the year. Many islands and coastal cities will submerge as a result of sea level rise. In 2004 Canadian Broadcasting T.V presented a documentary with the name " The doomsday called off" in which leading climate scientists, astrophysicist and geophysicist presented evidences that science of global warming presented by IPCC scientists is incomplete and incorrect based upon computer models and stimulations which are deliberately exaggerated. Many climate scientists have shown disassociation with the IPCC views and speculations on the basis of its doubtful manipulated and exaggerated figures of global warming and some consider it a climate scam. Since then debate between UN pro man-made global warming scientists and anti-man-made global warming climate scientists continue.


Use of antithrombotic aids (ATA)  significantly  impact  the prevention of life-threatening cardiovascular complications. ATA applications, however, are associated with a wide range of adverse digestive system responses. Due to, continuously growing clinical use of ATA this problem has become a current challenge of contemporary medicine.Purpose of the study was to evaluate the patterns of digestive system damage in patients receiving ATA.Materials and Methods. 672 patients were examined, 91.0% males, 46.7±17.4 years of age, who had digestive system changes that  occurred  due to ATA intake. 71 patients were admitted for treatment after gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding; other  patients were hospitalized  because of disorders  of the digestive  system or erosive and ulcerous changes of the digestive  system detected by endoscopy.  The following parameters were  evaluated:  GI bleeding sources, character of complaints,  the endoscopic patterns due to intake of different ATAs (low doses of aspirin, warfarin, clopidogrel,  dabigatran, rivaroxaban, low-molecular  heparin,  combined  therapy), and of risk factors for GI complications.Results. The sources of GI bleeding (n=71) included  gastric ulcers and/or erosions (39.4%), duodenum ulcers and/or erosions (21.1%), colon ulcers and/or erosions (28.2%), unknown  (11.3%). The majority of 672 patients noticed  various  complaints:  sensation  of heaviness  in epigastrium (62.8%),  gastralgia  (46.7%),  burning  sensation (34.3%). Endoscopy found erosive esophagitis (13.2%), ulcers in stomach and/or duodenum (11.6%), multiple (  10) erosions of stomach or duodenum (17.1%), sporadic erosions of stomach or duodenum (24.4%). In 32.3% cases no erosive or ulcerous alterations were found. H. pylori was identified in 57.9% of patients. There was no significant difference in character of alterations in the upper digestive system between patients who received different ATA treatment, except of frequent erosive esophagitis in those patients who received dabigatran (16.8%). The elderly age (  65 years), ulcer history, concomitant intake of NSAIDS, H. pylori presence, and smoking habit were associated with a higher occurrence of pathological alterations of digestive system. Presence  of gastralgia  did not correlate with the development of erosive and ulcerous alterations.Conclusion. In majority of patients who received ATA, the commonly observed erosive and ulcerous alterations in the digestive system might become a source of bleeding.


The advent of massive open online courses (MOOCs) poses new learning opportunities for learners as well as challenges for researchers and designers. MOOC students approach MOOCs in a range of fashions, based on their learning goals and preferred approaches, which creates new opportunities for learners but makes it difficult for researchers to figure out what a student's behavior means, and makes it difficult for designers to develop MOOCs appropriate for all of their learners. Towards better understanding the learners who take MOOCs, we conduct a survey of MOOC learners' motivations and correlate it to which students complete the course according to the pace set by the instructor/platform (which necessitates having the goal of completing the course, as well as succeeding in that goal). The results showed that course completers tend to be more interested in the course content, whereas non-completers tend to be more interested in MOOCs as a type of learning experience. Contrary to initial hypotheses, however, no substantial differences in mastery-goal orientation or general academic efficacy were observed between completers and non-completers. However, students who complete the course tend to have more self-efficacy for their ability to complete the course, from the beginning.


Aimed at overcoming the deficiency of methods applied to existing evaluation of enterprise managers' performance, this paper introduces an evaluation method based on unascertained measurement. In the evaluating process, for the second-rate indicators we use information entropy to determine their weights, and for the first-rate indicators we use the Analytic Hierarchy Process to determine their weights, realizing the combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis, achieving the unascertained comprehensive evaluation results of performance of enterprise managers. Then we take an example to analyze and explain the model. This result proves that unascertained measure model with a more simple calculation process and a higher recognition accuracy is applicable to the performance evaluation of enterprise managers.


0.9BaTiO3–0.1Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-based (0.9BT–0.1BNT) ceramics with Tc = 180°C were prepared using a novel chemical coating method. The relationships among compositions, microstructures, and properties were investigated. TEM morphologies displayed the Nb-coated powders, which were confirmed by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Temperature-dependence of permittivity for Nb-modified 0.9BT–0.1BNT ceramics measured at different frequencies showed no relaxor characteristic at high temperature, but frequency dispersion at low temperature. The microstructures were characterized by two types of grains: Nb-rich grains and Nb-free grains, which were responsible for temperature-stable dielectric properties. The sample with 5 mol% Nb addition satisfied the X9R specification. The permittivity was 1934 and the dissipation factor was 1.53% at room temperature.


Purpose To investigate the impact of the cytidine deaminase (CDA) A79C polymorphism on both the response to gemcitabine in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and the risk of hematologic toxicities in patients bearing any kind of cancer taking gemcitabine. Methods The PubMed and Embase databases were searched from the first available article to January 2013. Eligible studies included clinical trials that contained the keywords "gemcitabine" or "cytidine deaminase" and information about response rate of NSCLC patients or hematologic toxicities in patients with any kind of cancer. Relative risk (RR) of different genotypes and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Results A total of 7 articles (623 patients from 6 studies) were included. The results showed that patients with wild type CDA (AA and AC) had a significantly lower rate of severe anemia than the homozygote mutant type CC (RR=0.308; 95%CI, 0.113-0.021, p=0.021). However, the rate of severe neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and the response rate were identical between different CDA genotypes. Conclusion The A79C CDA polymorphism did not show a significant impact on the response rate to gemcitabine in NSCLC patients, while the wild type CDA genotype was indeed correlated to a lower rate of incidence of severe anemia in patients taking gemcitabine.


Data stream management is concerned with managing large streams of data arriving from data communications or sensor networks. Interest in this area is increasing, and it will grow rapidly over the coming decade, driven by rapid growth in the pervasiveness and bandwidth of digital-communications networks and an impending explosion in sensor networks. This special issue provides a snapshot of ongoing work in this area.


Recent studies identify that Deep learning Neural Networks (DNNs) are vulnerable to subtle perturbations, which are not perceptible to human visual system but can fool the DNN models and lead to wrong outputs. A class of adversarial attack network algorithms has been proposed to generate robust physical perturbations under different circumstance. These algorithms are the first efforts to move forward secure deep learning by providing an avenue to train future defense networks, however, the intrinsic complexity of them prevents their broader usage.In this paper, we propose the first hardware accelerator for adversarial attacks based on memristor crossbar arrays. Our design significantly improves the throughput of a visual adversarial perturbation system, which can further improve the robustness and security of future deep learning systems. Based on the algorithm uniqueness, we propose four implementations for the adversarial attack accelerator (A3) to improve the throughput, energy efficiency, and computational efficiency.


Here, we performed the comprehensive review of the peer-reviewed literature of the effect of chronic foci of streptococcal infection on the course of skin psoriasis, as well as an assessment of the effectiveness of tonsillectomy on the course of this pathology. A PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar search were performed with the keywords 'psoriasis' AND 'tonsillectomy' OR 'tonsillitis' OR 'streptococcal infection'. The reviewers identified and evaluated 197 reports published prior to August 2018, of which 153 were excluded from further analysis after review of titles and/or abstracts including four duplicate studies from the same authors in the same patient groups. In total, 44 reports were used and included in the review (including original studies, a description of clinical cases, literature reviews). Analysis of the original studies showed that the effectiveness of tonsillectomy in patients with psoriasis is from 11.4 to 78.6%. Among clinical cases, the rate was 20-100%. We did not conduct a meta-analysis and use the statistical methods because of the heterogeneity of the data. Data were analysed using a descriptive approach. Most studies came from Russia, USA, Japan. However, multiple limitations in the studies do not allow final conclusions about the effectiveness of tonsillectomy in patients with psoriasis.


It has been a long time that interdisciplinarity is a recommended orientation and practice in various educational systems. It becomes more and more actual with some teaching objects that do not fit simply with the ordinary subjects present at school. These objects are often found in «educations to… » like education to health, to sustainability, to media, to citizenship, etc. To begin with, we examine how ambiguous can be the term of «interdisciplinarity»; we will use the more neutral term «polydisciplinarity». We also remind the reader that this latter needs disciplines to be put into practice. Then we differentiate school subjects according to their objects and their contribution to pupils' training. That leads us to distinguish on one hand an external polydisciplinarity which studies the links between all social sciences (mainly history, geography and what concerns citizenship) and other disciplines from, on the other hand, an internal polydisciplinarity within the social sciences. To conclude, we introduce the issue of knowing and understanding what a society is about, in particular knowing and understanding our society nowadays. This issue echoes the one about the common culture, about a shared world conception which is sufficient to live together in our political communities.


A method for preparing bacterial flagellar hook structures is described. The method involves isolating intact flagella from a mutant which makes thermally labile flagellar filaments and heat-treating them to disaggregate the filament preferentially. The resulting hook preparation can be separated and purified by velocity and isopycnic centrifugation. The purified hooks sediment at a relative S value of 77. On acrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate, they show one major and a number of minor protein bands. The purified hooks can be used to immunize rabbits, and the resulting antiserum is hook-specific. These results support the notion that hooks are composed of a protein that differs from flagellin.


Anaemia is a common extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) where anaemia of chronic disease (ACD) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) are the two most frequent types. The distinction between these two types of anaemia has always been challenging requiring sophisticated techniques. Serum transferrin receptor (sTfR) a truncated soluble form of the transferrin receptor is one of the parameters that is influenced by the Iron content and supply to the erythrons and is not affected by inflammatory status and therefore the use of the sTfR/log ferritin (sTfR-F) index can be a reliable indicator of functional iron deficiency.This study aims to evaluate the usefulness of sTfR and sTfR-F index in discriminating the most common types of anaemia in patients with RA.The study included 50 patients with RA and 30 healthy subjects as a control group. Complete blood picture, C-reactive protein, serum Iron, unsaturated iron binding capacity, sTfR and serum ferritin were tested.anaemia was present in 34/50 patients; 19 patients had ACD, 9 had ACD/IDA and only 6 patients had IDA. Both the sTfR and the sTfR-F index showed a significant difference between anaemia groups (P values = 0.037 and 0.001, respectively). sTfR-F index has shown to be a very useful parameter that can discriminate efficiently between IDA and ACD and between ACD and ACD/IDA in patients with RA.


Linear regression model is frequently used to describe the relationship between a dependent variable and several independent variables. Thus, regression analysis is very useful in many application areas. In a linear regression model, there are unknown parameters to be estimated. The least squares estimator is most commonly used to estimate the unknown parameters. In addition, several other estimators are also proposed as alternatives to least squares estimator. A tool to evaluate the performance of these estimators is necessary. In this paper, mean squared error is shown as a tool to compare the accuracy of two estimators. An estimator with higher accuracy would be considered as a better estimator. As an example, two parameter estimators are compared using mean squared error as comparison tool. The parameter estimators are the Liu Estimator and the special case of Liu-type estimator.


Time orientation is an unconscious yet fundamental cognitive process that provides a framework for organizing personal experiences in temporal categories of past, present, and future, reflecting the relative emphasis given to these categories. Culture lies central to individuals' time orientation, leading to cultural variations in time orientation. For example, people from future-oriented cultures tend to emphasize the future and store information relevant for the future more than those from present- or past-oriented cultures. For survey questions that ask respondents to report expected probabilities of future events, this may translate into culture-specific question difficulties, manifested through systematically varying "I don't know" item nonresponse rates. This study drew on the time orientation theory and examined culture-specific nonresponse patterns on subjective probability questions using methodologically comparable population-based surveys from multiple countries. The results supported our hypothesis. Item nonresponse rates on these questions varied significantly in the way that future orientation at the group as well as individual level was associated with lower nonresponse rates. This pattern did not apply to nonprobability questions. Our study also suggested potential nonresponse bias. Examining culture-specific constructs, such as time orientation, as a framework for measurement mechanisms may contribute to improving cross-cultural research.


Southern Cameroonian farming systems on inherently infertile Ultisols comprise fallow phases to maintain crop productivity. Cassava, the main staple food, is gaining importance as a food cash crop commercialised. However, yields are low and fields are small (0.15– 0.25 ha), due to high labour demand, inefficient manual field operations, and seasonal labour scarcity. A factorial fallow type× tillage system× intercrop on-farm trial aimed to identify technologies that minimise labour demand in small holder cassava systems, while maintaining or improving cassava productivity. Cassava yielded 20.1 t ha−1 fresh roots after Pueraria phaseoloides dominated fallow (improved fallow), compared to 17.0 t ha−1 after fallow dominated by Chromolaena odorata (natural fallow). Ridge tillage attained 21.7 t ha−1, compared to 16.5 t ha−1 after no-till treatment. Intercropping with maize had no effect on cassava performance compared to sole cassava. Maize yield was not affected by fallow type, yet ridging doubled grain yield from 0.51 to 1.0 t ha−1. To cultivate the P. phaseoloides plots, 129 labourdays ha−1 were required, 22 % less than after natural fallow. To cultivate the no-till plots, 132 labourdays ha−1 were required, 12% less than for ridge tilled plots. Intercropping with maize did not significantly increase total labour requirements, but additional maize revenue increased labour productivity from 14$ labourday−1 in sole cassava to 23$ labourday−1 in cassavamaize intercrop. Cassava planted after P. phaseoloides fallow, intercropped with maize and ridge tillage was with 34$ labourday−1 and 2600 $ ha−1 most labour efficient (p < 0.01) and most profitable (p < 0.01) compared to all other treatments. Pueraria phaseolides fallow alone significantly increased labour productivity and profitability by 64 and 63 % respectively compared to natural fallow. Largest labour-savings were achieved during the peak labour demand period of planting season. To increase adoption rates of the P. phaseoloides improved fallow rotation technology in forested areas and derived savannahs like in south-central Cameroon, farmers should be made aware of the immediate labour-saving effects and the increased profitability rather than the long-term soil fertility improvement. Higher profitability of cassava crop will subsequently improve commercial orientation of cassava growers and improve and diversify revenues.


BACKGROUND
Pelvic instability is a term describing a group of conditions causing pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy. Although a common problem in pregnancy, it is easily overlooked and sometimes dismissed as 'normal' by primary care professionals.

OBJECTIVE
This article outlines the clinical features, diagnosis and management of pelvic instability in pregnancy.

DISCUSSION
General practitioners are in an ideal position to diagnose pelvic instability, implement treatment, and refer for further care to a physiotherapist with an interest in women's health. Use of a supportive belt or taping, appropriate analgesia, core stability and pelvic floor exercises, and avoiding heavy lifting and activities that exacerbate the pain are the mainstays of treatment.


Background: Cannabis use is increasing among young adults, but its effects on cardiovascular health are poorly understood. We aimed to assess the association between recent cannabis use and history of myocardial infarction (MI) in young adults (aged 18–44 yr). Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study using pooled data from the 2017 and 2018 cohorts of the American Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey of US adults. We analyzed the association between any recent cannabis use and history of MI using a weighted logistic regression model that adjusted for demographic factors, socioeconomic factors, health-related behaviours, concomitant substance use and other comorbidities. We also assessed this association after stratifying by frequency of use and by primary method of consumption. Results: Among 33 173 young adults (18.5 million weighted), 4610 respondents (3.2 million weighted) reported recent cannabis use (17.5%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 16.8%–18.2%). A history of MI was more frequent among recent cannabis users (n = 61 of 4610, 1.3%) relative to nonusers (n = 240 of 28 563 [0.8%], adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.07, 95% CI 1.12–3.82). A history of MI was associated with cannabis use of more than 4 times per month (adjusted OR 2.31, 95% CI 1.18–4.50), and with smoking as a primary method of consumption (adjusted OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.02–3.98). Interpretation: Our study provides evidence supporting an association between recent cannabis use and history of MI in young adults. Increasing cannabis use in an at-risk population could have negative implications for cardiovascular health.