Introduction: Chronic otitis media is chronic inflammation of middle ear cleft followed by permanent abnormality of tympanic membrane. As mastoid a part of temporal bone is in close relation to middle ear; its pneumatization plays an important role in pathogenesis and prognosis of chronic otitis media.
Aims: To study the pneumatization pattern of mastoid in unilateral chronic otitis media and its relationship with contralateral mastoid, diseased side tympanic membrane and ossicular status.
Methods: Forty patients of 10-65 year of age diagnosed as unilateral chronic otitis media squamous type were selected. They were otoscopically evaluated for retraction and perforation of tympanic membrane and were subjected to high-resolution computed tomography of temporal bone. High resolution computed tomographies were analyzed for mastoid status of bilateral ear and ossicular involvement. During mastoidectomy ossicular status was noted and correlated with high resolution computed tomography.
Results: Forty cases were enrolled in the study. Age ranged from10-65 years. On radiological analysis of temporal bones, 21(52.5%) mastoids were sclerotic, 15(37.5 %) mastoid diploic and 4(10%) were pneumatized in the diseased sides. Contralateral side showed pneumatization in 23(57.5%), diploic in 11(27.5%) and sclerotic in 6(15%) Amongst 21 sclerotic mastoid, 11(52.3%) patient had retraction in pars tensa and 9(42.8 %) had retraction of pars flaccida. In total 15 diploic mastoids retraction of pars tensa was in 8(53.3%) and pars flaccid retraction in 8(53.3%) All three ossicles were involved in 8(38%), Malleus and incus were eroded in 3(14%), incus were eroded in 7(33.3%), malleus were eroded in 3(14%) and ossicles were intact in 3(14%)of 21 sclerosed mastoids on high resolution computed tomography. In remaining 19 non sclerotic mastoids all 3 ossicles were eroded in 4 (21%), malleus plus incus eroded in 8 (16%), incus were eroded in 5(26.3%) andossicular chain was intact  in 2(10%).
Conclusion: Mastoid pneumatization pattern not only effect to the pressure of middle ear leading to chronic otitis media but also alter the pathogenesis and outcome of chronicotitismedia. Contralateral mastoid pneumatization is not altered in unilateral Chronic otitis media.


On the condition that the population of Youth Football declined,football level in China continued to decline and the relevant policy wasn't carried out effectively. The authors conducted a comprehensive analysis from various factors of adolescent physical health policy by adopting the methods of literature reviewand so on,and analyzed the evolution of youth football policy by adopting the perform system model of Meter – Horn policy implementation system. It found that the lack of coherence,the lack of standards,policies and legal effect of the low,unclear policy target positioning,the poor policy execution resources,single policy execution means,insufficient interaction of policy enforcement agencies,less identity of executive policy,execute esteemed underpowered and unfavorable factors such as policy environment,inadequate executive power and various disadvantage factors along with the interaction between them bring the policy implementation in trouble. So optimization path of policy effective execution is proposed. Ways to optimize the development of youth football include promoting policy goal level,perfecting the policy system,broadening the policy resources,integrating the policy execution organization,enriching policy implementation means,improving the execution mechanism and supervision mechanism,optimizing the policy environment,and enhancing the execution policy identity of the subject.


Research on correlates of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among older patients with schizophrenia has been very limited. This study evaluated the relative impact of positive, negative, and depressive symptoms, movement disorders, and cognitive impairment on HRQOL among middle-aged and older patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Participants were 199 patients aged 45 to 85 years. The study was cross-sectional. The primary outcome measure was the Quality of Well-Being scale, and correlates were measures of positive and negative symptoms, depression, abnormal movements, and cognitive performance. Severity of depressive symptoms and of cognitive impairment correlated significantly with HRQOL and independently affected HRQOL scores. The initiation/perseveration subscale of the Dementia Rating Scale had the largest impact. These findings suggest that depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning should be part of the routine assessment of older people with schizophrenia and may be targets for psychopharmacological and psychosocial interventions to improve HRQOL.


In Japan, zucchini culture has yet to get underway, and the current costs of zucchini can be attributed to damage from soil-borne disease and the unstable yields due to seasonal change of female flowers. Eradication of these problems will lead to stable supply and a consequent price reduction of zucchini fruits. We previously clarified the efficacy of potted culture as a new culture method for zucchini, but potted culture can be burdensome as the weak water and nutrient retention capacity of the medium warrants its regular replacement. To solve this problem, in this study, we investigated the blend ratio for mixing rice husk charcoal with peat and the amount of fertilizer required for potted culture of zucchini. Results revealed no significant differences in the length of the largest leaf, total number of flowers, number of female flowers, and the ratio of female flowers to total flowers with different blend ratios of rice husk charcoal to peat. However, the number of harvested fruits increased with higher ratios of rice husk charcoal to peat and was highest at 80:20. The length of the largest leaf increased with increased amounts of fertilizer, with the best response was at 200 g. No significant differences were noted between the ratio of female flowers to total flowers in any treatments. In addition, the number of harvested fruits was highest with 160 g and 200 g of fertilizer. Taken together, the optimal blend ratio of rice husk charcoal to peat is 80:20, and the optimal amount of fertilizer with this ratio is 160 g.


Crack sensitive Inconel 718 was laser pulse welded using a 3.0 kW CO2 laser. Weld shape, structure and porosity were recorded as a function of the pulse duty cycle. Within the matrix studied, the welds were found to be optimized at a high (17 ms on, 7 ms off) duty cycle. These welds were superior in appearance and lack of porosity to both low duty cycle and CW welds.Crack sensitive Inconel 718 was laser pulse welded using a 3.0 kW CO2 laser. Weld shape, structure and porosity were recorded as a function of the pulse duty cycle. Within the matrix studied, the welds were found to be optimized at a high (17 ms on, 7 ms off) duty cycle. These welds were superior in appearance and lack of porosity to both low duty cycle and CW welds.


Local control of disintegrating advanced breast cancer is often difficult because of the exudate, bleeding, and the foul odor. The current author encountered a case of large breast cancer with ulceration in which drug therapy and local control with Mohs' paste allowed disease control. The patient was a 61-year-old woman. There was a large ulcerated lump in her right breast, and exudate, bleeding, and a foul odor were present. The woman was diagnosed with hormone-sensitive mucinous carcinoma based on a biopsy, and diagnostic imaging revealed axillary lymph node metastasis and multiple metastases in both lungs. Mohs' paste was used locally, and local control was achieved after 1 month. A year and a half after the start of systemic drug therapy, the breast lump disappeared, and lung metastases and lymph node metastasis had almost disappeared. A CR has been maintained 3 years and 5 months later. Mohs' paste was extremely useful in achieving local control of exudation and bleeding from exposed unresected cancer. This was an excellent treatment in the patient's terminal stages and as part of local treatment in combination with systemic drug therapy.


Cloud computing is combination of various computing entities, globally separated, but electronically connected. As the geography of computation is moving towards corporate server rooms, it bring more issues including security, such as virtualization security, distributed computing, application security, identity management, access control and authentication. However, strong user authentication is the paramount requirement for cloud computing that restrict illegal access of cloud server. In this regard, this paper proposes a strong user authentication framework for cloud computing, where user legitimacy is strongly verified before enter into the cloud. The proposed framework provides identity management, mutual authentication, session key establishment between the users and the cloud server. A user can change his/her password, whenever demanded. Furthermore, security analysis realizes the feasibility of the proposed framework for cloud computing and achieves efficiency.


Purpose: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the commonest cause of cancer death in HK and most patients present in advanced stages thereby missing the opportunity of curative surgical treatment. Coriolus versicolor cov-1 PSP has been anecdotally assumed to have anti-cancer effects, and is consider as capable of alleviating symptoms in cancer patients. These high desirable claims have not been investigated in a controlled fashion. Methods: We have performed a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized study to evaluate the effects of 3-day administration of PSP (3 capsules TDS) on patients with advanced NSCLC, who have completed standard treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Results: 34 patients were recruited into each of the PSP (n=34; 11F; age 61.3 ± 11.3 yr; and TNM II 1, IIB 1, IIIA 1, IIIB 10, IV 18) and placebo (PG; n=34; 11F; age 55.3 ± 10.7 yr; and IIIA 1, IIIB 12, IV 18)) arms. The two arms did not differ in their previous treatment with chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery (0>0.05). No adverse reaction attributable to the trial medications, was reported by either treatment groups. Altogether 10 patients could not complete the study due to clinical deterioration. Of these, 2 cases were from PSP and 8 from PG (p=0.03). There was no significant difference in the body mass index (p=0.78), total calorific intake (0.58), Global Health Status (0.77), quality of life parameters of EORTC-C13 (>0.05), although PSP treatment was associated with improvement in total leucocyte count in blood (0.003) and body fat content (0.02) after treatment. Conclusion: Our preliminary data show that PSP treatment could be associated with slower deterioration in the clinical course of patients with advanced NSCLC, and have no adverse reactions. Our results not only suggest that further clinical trials should be conducted on the effects of PSP on NSCLC, but also show that standard GCP trial criteria could be applicable to research in alternative medicine. Background: Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) of the lung, an Epstein-Barr virus-associated undiffer-entiated carcinoma, is a rare form of non-small cell lung cancer. It predominantly affects young non-smoking Asians and is believed to be frequently resectable. However, there has only been limited experience with the use of palliative chemotherapy and radiotherapy for the treatment of advanced LELC of the lung. Methods: We prospectively recruited cases of LELC of the lung with a standard clinical protocol in a tertiary respiratory referral center. Patients with confirmed advanced LELC of the lung were given chemoradiotherapy treatment. Results: There were 13 patients (5 males, age 47.9 ± 9.4 years, median follow-up 22 months) with advanced LELC of the lung (1, 7, and 5 patients at TNM stage IIIA, IIIB, and IV) who received systemic chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The primary chemotherapy regimens included 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin/cisplatin (FLP) [n=10], mito-mycin C/ifosphamide/cisplatin (MIP) [n=1], paclitaxel/carboplatin (TC) [n=1], and gemcitabine/cisplatin (GC) [n=1]. The response rates to FLP were 60% partial response, 10% stable disease, and 30%


I have a deep appreciation for the unusual an unexpected chain of events that has brought me the Nobel Award. It is my good fortune to be a spokesman for a considerable number of outstanding researchers in the field of bioenergetics whose efforts have revealed an unusual and novel mechanism for one of nature's most important enzymes. Over 50 years ago a vital cellular process called oxidative phosphorylation was demonstrated. The process was recognized as the major way that our bodies capture energy from foods to be used for a myriad of essential cellular functions, but how it occurred was largely unknown. The intervening years have seen much progress. Today I will tell you how contributions of my research group in the 1970's led to new hypotheses that helped overcome the limitations of old paradigms, which were no longer applicable. We gained further support of the hypotheses and clarified other aspects of the process in the 1980's and early 1990's. Then as John Walker, my co-recipient will relate, the X-ray structural data from his group became available. The structural information, about the catalytic portion of the enzyme for the phosphorylation, supported the most novel and least accepted aspect of our hypotheses. Now on this occasion, John and I can tell you how a truly remarkable molecular machine accomplishes the oxidative phosphorylation that was left unexplained for over half a century. A key player in the process is called ATP, the abbreviation for adenosine triphosphate. At the time I was a graduate student, Fritz Lipmann [1] recognized the broad role ATP played in biological energy capture and use. The adenosine portion for our purposes can be regarded as a convenient handle to bind the ATP to


Effects of electrical stimulation of the subiculum (SB) and posterior limbic cortex (PLC) were studied extracellularly in the anteroventral (AV) and anterodorsal (AD) limbic thalamic nuclei of awake chronic rabbits. Stimulation of SB and PLC evoked in some AV neurones discharges of 1-2 spikes. Gradual potentiation and low frequency of following (up to 10-15 Hz) were characteristic of these responses. Activity of the majority of AV cells was suppressed by stimulation with appearance of inactivation bursts, "neuronal spindles" and modulation on delta-frequencies. Spike responses were evoked by SB and (rarely) by PLC stimulation only in a certain class of AD neurones which tentatively are regarded as relay cells. The neurones with high-frequency, low-amplitude discharges (putative inhibitory interneurones) reacted to stimulation of PLC and to a lesser extent of SB by prolonged series of spikes (150 ms--2s). Stimulation of PLC exerted prolonged influence upon neuronal responses to sensory stimuli.


In the context of the national debate on the extension of health insurance to farming households in Senegal, information on 504 households and 18 public Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities was collected in order to analyse health care utilization in an area where people live on 1.17 USD per day and where only 6% have health insurance coverage. Despite the high level of poverty, 84% of the individuals sought treatment from a qualified health provider during their last illness. The high rate of utilization in the area is found to be attributable to the characteristics of the PHC facilities. Indeed, PHC facilities are highly accessible and offer good medical services at a low price. The low price of medical services in the sample explains why the demand for curative care is found to be price-inelastic. This latter result suggests that policies that will reduce the price of medical services to increase the health care use are not likely to be effective.


The present business network infrastructure isquickly varying with latest servers, services, connections, and ports added often,at times day by day, and with a uncontrollably inflow of laptops, storage media and wireless networks. With the increasing amount of vulnerabilities and exploits coupled with the recurrent evolution of IT infrastructure, organizationsat present require more numerous vulnerability assessments. In this paper new approach the Unified process for Ne twork vulnerability Assessments hereafter called as a unified NVA is proposed for network vulnerability assessment derived from Unified Software Development Process or Unified Process, it is a popular iterative and incremental software development process framework.


Goldfish, Carassius auratus (L.), mobilized an acute, non-specific cellular inflammatory response against experimental infection with metacercariae of the digenean Ribeiroia marini in lateral line scale canals. The host cellular response to primary infection consisted of a rapid infiltration of neutrophilic granulocytes and macrophages that adhered to the metacercial cyst wall. Granulocytes released cytoplasmic granules, forming a necrotic zone around the cyst. Outside the necrotic zone, a fibrocytic zone and epithelioid cells formed a matrix upon which reactive leucocytes were attached in a progressive granulomatous encapsulation. Interdigitating epitheliod cells formed a syncytial border separating the necrotic zone from the outer fibrocytic region of the granuloma. Acute inflammatory response preceded the expulsion of most metacercariae from the scale canals. Few cysts remained encapsulated in epidermal tissue. Cellular response to challenge infections was more intense, but no major differences in leucocyte composition between primary and challenge infections suggested a continuum of inflammation and cell-mediated responses. In late primary and challenge infections, the predominant eosinophilic granular cell released cytoplasmic granules. We propose that the eosinophilic granular cell of the goldfish has an antiparasitic function, releasing bioactive granules that alter the environment of the scale canal and cause the expulsion of parasites.


Sustaining a reliable and contaminant-free drinking water is becoming an increasing challenge worldwide due to human activity, industrial waste, and agricultural overuse. Surface water is the main source of drinking water around the world. However, groundwater is also becoming increasingly popular, due to its clarity and minimal need for processing to reduce turbidity. Over the years, the demand and growth in the agricultural industry has also been the means of groundwater contamination. Due to the health burden that raw water can pose, water must be processed and purified prior to consumption. Raw water quality can be compromised by physical, chemical (heavy metals and disinfection by-products), and biological contaminants. Biological contaminants can significantly impact immunocompromised populations, while chemical contaminants can impact the growth and development of young children. Although obtaining a steady and high-quality water flow to the general population is an increasing challenge, developed countries have utilized state-of-the-art technologies and techniques to provide contaminant-free water to their citizens. This research aims to provide information about the regulatory parameters, characteristics, and sources of safe drinking water in the world as a model for future use in the developing world. In this, secondary data was used to compare and contrast drinking water quality among countries in the European Union, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The data indicates that Ireland and the United Kingdom have relatively lower amounts of contaminants in their drinking water. Upon completing this research, it is recommended that countries desiring clean drinking water systems should initiate and invest in programs that control and protect treatment plants, water distribution systems, water sources, and catchments.


We introduce a top-down compilation algorithm for constructing structured DNNF for any Boolean function. With appropriate restrictions, the algorithm can produce various subsets of DNNF such as deterministic DNNF and OBDD. We derive a size upper bound for structured DNNF based on this algorithm and use the result to generalize similar upper bounds known for several Boolean functions in the case of OBDD. We then discuss two realizations of the algorithm that work on CNF formulas. We show that these algorithms have time and space complexities that are exponential in the treewidth and the dual treewidth of the input.


The neuro-fuzzy network applying Takagi-Sugeno-Kang (TSK) fuzzy reasoning for the calibration of the semiconductor sensor array is developed in this paper. The structure, as well as the learning algorithm of the neuro-fuzzy network, is presented and tested on the example of estimation of the concentration of gas components in the gaseous mixture (so-called artificial nose problem). The results of numerical experiments are presented and discussed.


The revolutionary adoption of computer technology to the means and methods of armed conflict, along with the rapid pace of information technology development, has raised great concerns about how best to deal legally with this new phenomenon. One of the most fundamental concerns is how to characterise cyber armed conflict within the context of international law. Therefore, this thesis aims to discuss how to characterise conflicts occurring in and through cyberspace in terms of jus in bello in order to legally regulate these events. The thesis addresses three separate types of categorisation: 'actors' and 'intensity', which are based on the existing definition of kinetic armed conflict, and 'geography', which is a particularly difficult issue within characterisation.
After examining the legal nature of armed conflict, chapter 3 addresses international cyber armed conflict from the angle of 'actors' in classification. Drawing examples from the cyber armed forces established in several states, the chapter looks at how to identify irregular armed forces in cyberspace in terms of international humanitarian law (IHL).
Chapter 4 deals with non-international cyber armed conflict which consists of 'organised armed group' as one party to the conflict in terms of 'actors' and the 'intensity' criterion. While the concept of organised armed group is comparatively well-established, the meaning of 'organisation' and 'armed' in the cyber context should be reconsidered. Bearing in mind that the assessment standards for intensity have not yet been definitively established even in kinetic armed conflicts, the process of assessing the intensity of cyber armed conflict is also examined.
Chapter 5 addresses the geographical issues surrounding cyber armed conflict. Given the physically borderless nature of cyberspace, current IHL rules are not a good fit for characterising cyber armed conflict. To respond to these issues, the chapter analyses whether the existing bifurcated structure of characterisation (IAC and NIAC) can be sustained or a new third type of transnational armed conflict is required. Criticising the relevant theory of 'zone of hostilities', the author concludes that characterisation of cyber armed conflict should be approached on a non-geographical basis.


The sphere of aesthetics has come to play an increasingly crucial role in today's world, shaping every aspect of our contemporary culture and everyday life, from our practices of consumption, to the way we use the internet and our whole lifestyles. In this regard, it is especially interesting to examine to what extent and to what effect this phenomenon has also spread to socio-political areas which have traditionally little to do with art and beauty. With this article, I will explore the phenomenon of contemporary aestheticisation, from the perspective of the feminist movement. More specifically, I will focus on the impact of the digitalisation of contemporary culture and everyday life on the relationship between aesthetics and feminism, paying particular attention to practices linked to the sphere of fashion and art. I will begin to investigate the contemporary phenomenon of aestheticisation while addressing the following questions: What role does the digital realm play in the aestheticisation of feminism? How can we define today's intertwined connection between feminism and the creative and cultural industries? And, to what extent can digital feminist aesthetics remain radical while engaging with mainstream creative scenes? In order to keep a well-defined focus, I will concentrate on the case of feminist aesthetics on Instagram and the phenomenon of Instagram feminism.


Gut microflora dysbiosis affects the majority of individuals after COVID-19, contributing to both gastro-intestinal (GI) and non-GI symptoms. Natural phytochemicals have reported anti-viral properties and favourable effects on inflammatory and oxidative pathways, both important for tissue damage post-viral pneumonia. This study involved 147 participants with symptomatic COVID-19, randomised to receive a placebo (P) or a phytochemical-rich concentrated food capsule (PC) in addition to a pre/probiotic lactobacillus capsule. Participants taking the PC had an almost two-fold reduction in mean fatigue scores compared to P [p = 0.02], a three-fold reduction in cough score and more than a double improvement in overall well-being scores [p = 0.02]. Two (1.5%) participants reported mild, increased bloating which they felt was attributable to the capsules, although GI symptoms improved in 25 of 31 participants (82%) who reported them at baseline. Sedentary, older, previously hospitalised men with GI symptoms had a statistically significantly improvement among those given the probiotic. Although some participants with early disease would have improved spontaneously, such a rapid improvement observed in the majority of participants, who had been suffering for an average of 108 days, was clinically relevant and welcomed, especially among those more likely to have pre-existing gut dysbiosis. We are now evaluating whether this blend could also enhance antibody titres post-COVID-19 vaccination.


The machine for removing and fitting tyres and wheel rims for vehicles comprises a supporting structure (2) of clamping and rotating means (3) for clamping and rotating the rim (A) of a vehicle wheel around a rotation axis (C), at least one operating unit (4) which is associated moving with the supporting structure (2) and which comprises at least one operating head (5) for fitting and removing atyre (B) onto/from the rim provided with a pushing body (12) for pushing at least one portion of the side surface of the tyre (B) and with a grip tool (14) for gripping at least one section of the tyre bead, an actuator element (6) for operating the sideways movement of the operating head (5) with respect to the structure (2) and guide means (9;10) of such sideways movement along a substantially curvilinear direction between a first configuration, in which the operating head (5) is substantially close to the clamping and rotating means (3) and a second configuration, in which the operating head (5) is substantially moved away from the clamping and rotating means (3).


Changes in viticulture, especially in changing position of vineyards and introducing new grape varieties, are becoming a reality. Vine is highly sensitive to climate, particularly temperature changes, which can be reflected in shifts of phenological stages and differences of wine characteristics, which clearly show recent impact of climate change in viticulture. Moreover, recent climate change developments have affected irrigation and water management in viticulture worldwide, which will have to adapt in order to maintain yield quality and quantity in the future. The spatial-variability of climate conditions has been observed in viticulture areas all over the world in order to gain more data about historical and future climate conditions. Numerous analyses were conducted concerning climate change in viticulture in regional scales. However, only a few were made addressing the impact of climate change on viticulture in local scale, such as this thesis. Using the local scale is crucial for the assessment of viticultural potential that is determined by relief, soil, climate and lithology. Analysis of viticultural potential in viticulture is essential for the purpose to collect the necessary data for viticultural zoning. Using this data, we can achieve greater yield quality, which is the most important criteria in viticulture. The purpose of this research is to provide the spatial-temporal assessment of climate change during the last five decades and future scenarios, along with its impact on viticulture in two viticultural regions: Valencia DO (39° 37'10" N, 0° 36'2" W) is located in the eastern Spain and Goriska Brda in western Slovenia (46° 0' 19" N, 13° 32' 42" E). Both study sites are located less within 70 km from the Mediterranean coast and share similar topographic characteristics. We used the meteorological and soil parameters retrieved from selected weather stations, with the future climate models, under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, using Worldclim and Euro-Cordex datasets. Spatial-temporal study was conducted by using bioclimatic indices Huglin, Winkler and Dryness index, suggesting the most conducive grape varieties in terms of production and quality according to the local climate conditions. Moreover, we assessed the future water requirements (WR) for Tempranillo, Bobal and Moscatel in Valencia DO by using evapotranspiration method by Blaney-Criddle. In Goriska Brda, were chosen fourteen environmental factors, which represent relief, climate and soil of the viticulture area, which were used to determinate homogeneous viticultural zones. Each homogeneous viticultural zone was described in terms of its viticultural potential, which expresses the types of wine that can be produced according to its ecological suitability. The spatial distributions of the environmental parameters were achieved by using GIS-based multicriteria methodology. The temperature, evapotranspiration and bioclimatic indices trends sites have been growing during observation period in both study sites and are estimated to rise in the future, according to elaborated climate models. The climatic parameters indicated high spatial-temporal variability: the rise of temperature was higher in the areas further away from the Mediterranean Sea, with less sea influence. Nevertheless, higher temperature increase is expected in Valencia DO. The average temperature under projected period 2071-2100 compared to the reference period 1985-2014 indicated the increase of 1.58°C (RCP4.5) and 3.43°C (RCP8.5) in Goriska Brda and 1.67°C (RCP4.5) and 3.61°C (RCP8.5) in Valencia DO. The precipitation trend demonstrated almost no difference by 2100 in Goriska Brda site in contrast to Valencia DO site, showing negative trend: up to 83.5mm under RCP8.5 scenario. According to the viticultural potential in Goriska Brda, there were defined three zones with different viticultural potential, indicating the wine types which can be produced: a zone suitable for quality white wines and


A fuzzy clustering algorithm is used for the image tree structure vector quantization (TSVQ). First, a digital image is divided into subblocks of fixed size, which consists of 4/spl times/4 blocks of pixels. By performing a 2-D discrete cosine transform (DCT), we select six DCT coefficients to form the feature vector, and use the fuzzy c-means algorithm in constructing the TSVQ codebook. By doing so, the algorithm can preserve the edge of image, make good image quality, and reduce the processing time while constructing the tree structured codebook, and reduce coding and decoding time.


Ion acceleration using a laser pulse irradiating a thin disk target is examined using three-dimensional and two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. A laser pulse of $620$ TW, with an intensity of $5\times 10^{21}$ W/cm$^{2}$ and a duration time of $27$ fs is irradiated on a double-layer target. Simulations are performed by varying the ion density, i.e., electron density, of the first layer. It is shown that the obtained proton energy jumps at a certain density of the first layer, which is made of a "light" material such as carbon; that is, Coulomb explosion of the target and radiation pressure acceleration act effectively above a certain density. Moreover, even at the same electron density, the reflection of the laser pulse from the first layer is small for a "light" material.


The redissolution of water-insoluble polyion-surfactant ion complexes by added excess of surfactant has systematically been investigated in experimental and theoretical phase equilibrium studies. A number of stoichiometric polyion-surfactant ion "complex salts" were synthesized and they consisted of akyltrimethylammonium surfactant ions of two different alkyl chain lengths (C(12)TA(+) and C(16)TA(+)) combined with homopolyions of polyacrylate of two different lengths (PA(-)(25) and PA(-)(6000)) or copolyions of acrylate and the slightly hydrophobic nonionic comonomers N-isopropylacrylamide (PA(-)-co-NIPAM) or N,N-dimethylacrylamide (PA(-)-co-DAM). The complex salts were mixed with water and excess alkyltrimethylammonium surfactant with either bromide or acetate counterions (C(n)TABr or C(n)TAAc). Factors promoting efficient redissolution were (i) very short polyions, (ii) a large fraction of NIPAM or DAM comonomers, and (iii) acetate, rather than bromide, as the surfactant counterion. Added C(12)TAAc gave an efficient redissolution of C(12)TAPA(25) but virtually no redissolution of C(12)TAPA(6000). A very efficient redissolution by added C(12)TAAc was obtained for PA(-)-co-NIPAM with 82 mol % of NIPAM. The C(12)TAPA-co-NIPAM/C(12)TAAc/H(2)O ternary phase diagram closely resembled the corresponding diagram for the much-studied pair cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose-(sodium) dodecyl sulfate. The simple Flory-Huggins theory adopted for polyelectrolyte systems successfully reproduced the main features of the experimental phase diagrams for the homopolyion systems, including the effect of the surfactant counterion. The efficient redissolution found for certain copolyion systems was explained by the formation of soluble polyion-surfactant ion complexes carrying an excess of surfactant ions through an additional hydrophobic attraction.


Marketing strategy is an integrated set of choices about how we can create and capture value over long periods of time. In other words, a strategy that determines how an organization can reach its marketing objectives; for example, it should focus on which markets and products and how much it should spend on marketing activities. The present study aimed to determine a framework for selecting the best marketing strategy. For determining this framework the decision making techniques of MCDM were used to specify the level of dependency between the factors and the ANP technique was applied to determine the weight of criteria and then TOPSIS technique was used for rankings. The present study that has been conducted at the Emdad Khodro Company of Iran tried to examine the marketing strategies of this company in order to increase the market share of services, develop the network of services and create new business. The findings show that among the strategies of the company, the strategy of creating new business is most important and then the strategies of developing the network of services are in priority. Therefore, the mentioned company should enter new business because the company has partially progressed in the field of developing the network of services and also enjoys a good market share. Also, according to the results of the analysis of network process, it can be said that the most important factors for selecting the best marketing strategy include the innovation capability, managerial capability and quality of services of the discussed company and in order to gain a competitive edge the company can capitalize on them effectively.


A considerable percentage of dental implant patients experience biofilm-mediated peri-implant disease following transmucosal abutment application. Bacterial adhesion is an early step in biofilm development. Our purpose was to assess adhesion of specific bacterial species to titanium over short exposure periods. Eight bacterial species were selected for this analysis: Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus mitis, Gemella haemolysans, Streptococcus gordonii, Streptococcus sanguinis, Neisseria flavescens, Streptococcus salivarius, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We cultured each species with appropriate media and exposed titanium foil discs to the bacteria for 60, 15, 5, 1, or 0.25 minutes. Optical density at 600-nm wavelength (OD600) was assessed for the baseline inoculum and each species/exposure combination. The proportion of bacteria adherent to titanium was determined for each experimental condition. Striking titanium adhesion was noted for all evaluated species even when exposure time was limited to 15 seconds. Strategies to limit bacterial adhesion at dental implant surfaces may offer potential for improved treatment outcomes and preservation of peri-implant health.


SuperCDMS SNOLAB is a low-background experiment that will use semiconductor germanium and silicon detectors to search for galactic dark matter. In addition the experiment has potential to measure the coherent scattering of solar 8B neutrinos. This process will dominate some parts of the spectrum between 1 and 10 keV in the detectors with full background rejection capabilities. However the total number of events from coherent neutrino scattering is expected to be ∼1 if the experiment is assumed to operate five years with an 80% live time, and therefore not sufficient to provide a significant observation of this process. Upgrades to the experiment are planned to extend the sensitivity down to the limit set by the coherent neutrino scattering.


This paper proposes a new method to infer keypoints from arbitrary object categories in practical scenarios where point cloud data (PCD) are noisy, down-sampled and arbitrarily rotated. Our proposed model adheres to the following principles: i) keypoints inference is fully unsupervised (no annotation given), ii) keypoints position error should be low and resilient to PCD perturbations (robustness), iii) keypoints should not change their indexes for the intra-class objects (semantic coherence), iv) keypoints should be close to or proximal to PCD surface (compactness). We achieve these desiderata by proposing a new self-supervised training strategy for keypoints estimation that does not assume any a priori knowledge of the object class, and a model architecture with coupled auxiliary losses that promotes the desired keypoints properties. We compare the keypoints estimated by the proposed approach with those of the state-of-the-art unsupervised approaches. The experiments show that our approach outperforms by estimating keypoints with improved coverage (+9.41%) while being semantically consistent (+4.66%) that best characterizes the object's 3D shape for downstream tasks. Code and data are available at: https://github.com/IITPAVIS/SC3K


Paleodietary research is becoming an increasingly important and socially relevant topic thanks to a renovated focus of evolutionary medicine on a ?healthy primitive nutrition?. Most authors agree that meat eating was one of the main factors to have triggered the emergence of physiological and behavioural traits defined as the ?human package?. Yet, we know little about Paleolithic diets. Most of our information comes from isotope analysis, which reflects only the protein sources. Supporting information comes from the recurrent occurrence of butchered bones in archaeological sites, which together with isotope analysis have awarded a leading role to meat eating in our evolution and diet. Meanwhile, plant intake is only known from scattered evidence of plant remains, phytoliths analysis and dental calculus. The polarity of the record has conveyed an image of Paleolithic diets as largely based on large game hunting. Nevertheless, to date we are not substantially closer to an understanding of our ancestors' regular meals and how we became capable of sustaining such a largely carnivorous diet.
The main goal of this dissertation is to propose a new method capable of providing visibility to plant and animal tissue intake in Paleolithic diets. We believe that faecal biomarkers, because they are uniquely formed in the intestinal tract of most mammals and given their relationship with dietary habits, are useful to approach the relative proportions of animal and plant tissues in our ancestors? diets. In order to reach this aim, our objectives are: I) to verify faecal biomarker preservation in Pleistocene archaeosedimentary contexts; II) to implement the faecal biomarker approach in soil samples containing faecal matter and shed some light on the composition of the Neanderthal diet; and III) to provide a referential framework of non-human primate faecal samples that helps us to understand the adaptations that early human meat-eaters might have undergone in their way to becoming persistent meat eaters.
We carried three case studies: two Paleolithic archaeological sites, Paisley Cave (Oregon) and El Salt (Spain), and modern wild chimapanzee and Gorilla from KIbale National Park and Bwindi Imprenetrable National Park.
 Our GC-MS analysis of 5s-stanols of Paisley Cave coprolites and of the Middle Paleolithic site of El Salt showed that faecal biomarkers are a valuable analytical tool in the sourcing of faecal matter. Moreover, preservation is assessed through the oldest record of sterols and stanols in a Pleistocene archaeological setting.
 With the application of the faecal biomarker approach to the Middle Paleolithic site of El Salt we have corroborated the reliability of the approach, which has provided the first evidence of omnivory among hominins and challenged the previous picture of Neanderthals as top predators. Finally, we have also accomplished our third objective through the analysis of faecal biomarkers in wild chimpanzee and gorilla samples, which yielded important clues to meat ingestion-related problems that the earliest persistent carnivores possibly had to overcome.
This work is a stepping-stone to a new field of research, since for the first time we are able to exploit the organic content of Pleistocene archaeosedimentary deposits, which will open a new window to the secrets entrapped in Paleolithic soils.


Learning functions over Boolean variables is a fun-damental problem in machine learning. But not much is known about learning such functions using neural networks. Here we focus on learning read-once disjunctive normal forms (DNFs) under the uniform distribution with a convex neural network and gradient methods. We first observe empirically that gradient methods converge to compact solutions with neurons that are aligned with the terms of the DNF. This is despite the fact that there are many zero training error networks that do not have this property. Thus, the learning pro-cess has a clear inductive bias towards such logical formulas. Following recent results which con-nect the inductive bias of gradient flow (GF) to Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) points of minimum norm problems, we study these KKT points in our setting. We prove that zero training error solutions that memorize training points are not KKT points and therefore GF cannot converge to them. On the other hand, we prove that globally optimal KKT points correspond exactly to networks that are aligned with the DNF terms. These results suggest a strong connection between the inductive bias of GF and solutions that align with the DNF. We conclude with extensive experiments which verify our findings.


The X-ray spectrometer is one of the satellite payloads on the Chang'E-2 satellite. The soft X-ray detector is one of the devices on the X-ray spectrometer, designed to detect the major rock-forming elements within the 0.5–10 keV range on the lunar surface. In this paper, energy linearity and energy resolution calibration is done using a weak 55Fe source. Temperature and time effects are found not to give a large error. The total uncertainty of calibration is estimated to be within 5% after correction.


Radiomics based feature value analysis and feature maps especially for first order and texture based features are being thoroughly investigated for diagnostic usability and relevance. Radiomics based feature map generation using 2D and 3D modes on different tumor sub-regions of glioblastoma were performed. 2D-based feature maps depicted accurately the texture variation with respect to other images from the slice of interest, whereas in 3D based maps anatomy and pathology of the neighboring slices induced influence resulting in over depiction of pathology.


The aim of this paper is to conduct the first study of the surface effects on the voltage output of bent gallium nitride (GaN) nanowires (NWs), which are promising for nanogenerators. To reach this goal, a 3-D composite beam model was developed and the corresponding theoretical framework was established for the structural responses of piezoelectric NWs. In this study molecular dynamics simulations (MDS) were first carried out to determine the exact material properties for several small NW samples. The MDS-derived size-dependence of parameters provide fitting points for the 3-D composite beam with a core-shell geometry. With the aid of the finite element techniques the equivalent material properties obtained from above fitting procedure enable the use of the core-shell model for larger structures where MDS were not feasible. The obtained results showed that the influence of the surface layer greatly modifies the potential distribution on the cross section and raises the voltage output of bent GaN NWs by up to 120%. In particular, the contribution from the surface piezoelectricity to the surface effect is found to be predominant over that of the surface elasticity and surface stresses.


We propose an auxiliary strategy, calledper-user forwarding, for locating users who move from place to place while using Personal Communications Services (PCS). The forwarding strategy augments the basic location strategy proposed in existing standards such as GSM and IS-41, with the objective of reducing network signalling and database loads in exchange for increased CPU processing and memory costs. The key observation behind forwarding is that if users change PCS registration areas frequently but receive calls relatively infrequently, it should be possible to avoid registrations at the Home Location Register (HLR) database, by simply setting up a forwarding pointer from the previous Visitor Location Register (VLR). Calls to a given user will first query the user's HLR to determine the first VLR which the user was registered at, and then follow a chain of forwarding pointers to the user's current VLR. We use a reference PCS architecture and the notion of a user'scall-to-mobility ratio (CMR) to quantify the costs and benefits of using forwarding and classes of users for whom it would be beneficial. We show that under a variety of assumptions forwarding is likely to yield significant net benefits in terms of reduced signalling network traffic and database loads for certain classes of users. For instance, under certain cost assumptions, for users withCMR<0.5, forwarding can result in 20–60% savins over the basic strategy. This net benefit is due to the significant saving in location update compared to a penalty of moderately increased call setup times for the infrequent occasions when these users do receive calls.


Distance-balanced graphs are introduced as graphs in which every edge uv has the following property: the number of vertices closer to u than to v is equal to the number of vertices closer to v than to u. Basic properties of these graphs are obtained. In this paper, we study the conditions under which some graph operations produce a distance-balanced graph.


Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) hybrid networks have been prepared by the reaction of PDMS(OH)2, average molecular weight 26 × 103, 43.6 × 103 and 58 × 103, and methyltriethoxysilane (MeTEOS, 10–60 wt%) using a dibutyltin dilaurate or dibutyltin diacetate catalyst. By hydrolysis and homo- and co-condensation, MeTEOS forms a siliceous domain (MeSD) and acts as a crosslinker for the PDMS domain. Kinetic studies showed that high MeTEOS and catalyst concentrations and reduction of free surface area favor fast gelation and efficiency in converting MeTEOS to the MeSD. Under the water-sparse conditions utilized, cure was slow and substantial evaporative loss of MeTEOS occurred. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This guide introduces students to Family, Nutrition & Exercise Sciences resources in order to help them complete their research projects.


This Article develops a methodological basis for elaborating an idea of global constitutionalism. It applies this broader understanding of the idea of global constitutionalism to an examination of the specific role played by human rights within the evolving framework of global legal governance. The methodological basis from which the idea of global constitutionalism is developed derives from work in historical sociology that emphasizes the role played by underlying symbolic forms in the structure of social reality. The approach adopted here lays particular emphasis, following Claude Lefort and Marcel Gauchet, on the role of political theology as the principal mode in which symbolic form is constituted. From this perspective, the notion of the global human rights model is scrutinized as central to the symbolic form of global constitutionalism. Developed in critical engagement with the work of Samuel Moyn, human rights can be seen as central to global constitutionalism viewed as the latest political constellation of a distinctively secular understanding of the symbolic form and limits of political authority.


The incubation of Y. pestis, the causative agent of plague, in hemolyzed human red blood cells at 37 degrees C for 3 hours enhanced the virulence of vaccine strain EV76 in white mice and guinea pigs and decreased the LD50 of attenuated strains. The phenomenon of increased virulence has been observed only in case of the combined injection of bacteria with the incubation medium. The virulence of Y. pestis cells, introduced alone after such treatment, has proved to remain at the same level.


INTRODUCTION: Following the Institute of Medicine report "To Err is Human," the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality identified proper central venous catheter (CVC) insertion techniques and wide sterile barriers (WSB) as 2 major quality indicators for patients safety. However, no standard currently exists to teach proper procedural techniques to physicians. AIM: To determine whether our nonhuman tissue model is an effective tool for teaching physicians proper wide sterile barrier technique, ultrasound guidance for CVC placement, and sharps safety. PARTICIPANTS: Educational sessions were organized for physicians at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Participants had a hands-on opportunity to practice procedural skills using a nonhuman tissue model, under the direct supervision of experienced proceduralists. PROGRAM EVALUATION: An anonymous survey was distributed to participants both before and after training, measuring their reactions to all aspects of the educational sessions relative to their prior experience level. DISCUSSION: The sessions were rated highly worthwhile, and statistically significant improvements were seen in comfort levels with ultra-sound-guided vascular access and WSB (P<.001). Given the revitalized importance of patient safety and the emphasis on reducing medical errors, further studies on the utility of nonhuman tissue models for procedural training should be enthusiastically pursued.


Rensch's rule suggests that sexual size dimorphism (SSD) increases with species size when males are the larger sex, whereas it decreases when females are the larger sex. However, the process responsible for this pattern remains obscure. SSD can result from sexual selection, such as intrasexual competition for access to mates, or from natural selection, due to resource partitioning or fecundity selection. We studied SSD in Caribbean Eleutherodactylus frogs using phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate the influence of microhabitat, fecundity, and parental care. Our results show that in Caribbean Eleutherodactylus females tend to be larger and, contrary to Rensch's rule, dimorphism increases with species size. SSD was not related to microhabitat use. However, SSD was positively correlated with fecundity, mediated by a greater increase in female size. SSD was also influenced by parental care, suggesting that male care promotes larger male size and reduces the female bias in SSD. As suggested for other anurans, female‐biased SSD in Caribbean Eleutherodactylus results from fecundity selection, although the magnitude is countered by increased male size in species with paternal care. Our results highlight the importance of considering various selective forces that may act in concert to influence the evolution of SSD.


We present X-ray, radio, and infrared observations of the 68 ms pulsar PSR J1420-6048 and its surrounding nebula, a possible counterpart of the γ-ray source GeV J1417-6100/3EG J1420-6038. Pulsed X-ray emission at the radio period is marginally detected by ASCA from a source embedded in the hard-spectrum X-ray nebula AX J1420.1-6049. At radio wavelengths, the pulsar is found to be strongly linearly and circularly polarized, and the polarization sweep is measured. A comparison of high-resolution Australia Telescope Compact Array radio imaging of the Kookaburra's upper wing (G313.6+0.3), which contains the pulsar and the X-ray nebula, with infrared images suggests the radio emission is partly nonthermal.


PURPOSE
To evaluate a modified experimental model for medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) through the upper right central incisor extraction followed by intravenous bisphosphonate administration.

METHODS
Forty five rats underwent the upper right central incisor tooth extraction were divided in 2 groups: Group I - experimental group, 30 rats received an intravenous administration protocol of zoledronic acid 35μg/kg into the tail vein every two weeks, totalizing four administrations, during eight weeks of administration, previously the extraction, and Group II - control group, 15 rats didn't received any medication before extraction. The groups were subdivided in postoperative periods: 14/28/42 days. Clinical analysis and microtomography were performed to verify the presence of osteonecrosis. In addition, descritive histological analysis of hematoxylin-eosin stained sections was performed to evaluate the presence of osteonecrosis or necrotic foci.

RESULTS
Twelve (40%) rats, from experimental group, showed clinical signs of MRONJ (p=0.005), however, all samples showed imaginologic findings like osteolysis and loss of integrity of the cellular walls (p≤0.001). Microscopic evaluation revealed osteonecrosis areas with microbial colonies and inflammatory infiltrate (p≤0.001). In the control group, all animals presented the chronology of a normal wound healing.

CONCLUSIONS
The presence of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw after maxillary central incisor extraction in rats. This new experimental model may be considered an option for the study of MRONJ.


Asparaginases are a cornerstone in the treatment of ALL, but their utility is limited by toxicities including hypersensitivity. ERY001 improves pharmacokinetics and tolerability, while maintaining circulating asparaginase (ASPA) activity due to the protective barrier of the erythrocyte membrane. This phase III study enrolled pts with primary relapsed/refractory Ph- ALL. The co-primary endpoints were the duration of ASPA activity equal or greater than 100IU/L and the incidence of ASPA hypersensitivity during induction. Patients, aged 1-55 years, without prior ASPA hypersensitivity were randomized to ERY001 (150 IU/kg) or L-ASP(10.000IU/m2) in combination with COOPRALL. The patients with prior ASPA hypersensitivity received ERY001. ERY001 significantly reduced the incidence of ASPA hypersensitivity (0% vs 43%; p100IU/l significantly longer than L-ASP (20.5±5.2 vs 9.2±7.5 days; p\textless0.001). CR and clotting parameters were also significantly improved in the ERY001 arm. Other adverse events were generally similar in. One-year OS was 77% in the ERY001 arm vs 68% in L-ASP arm. ASPA activity was not reduced in hypersensitive patients. These highly encouraging results show that ERY001 is a suitable option for patients with relapsed ALL maintaining ASPA efficacy with improved tolerability. Citation Format: Yves Bertrand, Andre Baruchel, Xavier Thomas, Nicolas Blin, Emmanuelle Tavernier, Yves Perel, Norbert Vey, Virginie Gandemer, Iman ElHariry, Yann Godfrin. A phase III, multicenter, randomized study evaluating the efficacy and safety and efficacy of erythrocyte encapsulated l-asparaginase (Ery001) versus native l-asparaginase (L-asp) in combination with COOPRALL regimen in patients with first relapse of acut [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr CT113. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-CT113


The digitization of the economy in the modern world has become an inevitable process that objectively affects all areas of society and determines the direction of its development. The importance of the study is evidenced by the high degree of modern development combined with the constant transformation. In the process of informing the economy, the implementation of the principles of digitizing the economy by an organization is impossible without the use of tools that can ensure the continuous work on making changes to the current economic system. These tools are (acting) projects. Which called for classifying projects (representation) into the five groups. The numerical procedures for project risk (representation) are defined from three scenarios in which each scenario and its risks are identified. The evaluation of the assessed factors of the digital (representation) project was developed on a scale of 3 weight points for each risk, as well as calculating the importance of risks regarding the not optimal level for a fraction of the cost of the project and Implementing (feasibility) the project in decision-making of choose the project (representation) or Non-continuity of the project (representation) during implementation. Which indicates the importance and importance of this risk to the project and to the financial stability of the company as a whole.


Mechanism design provides a framework to solve distributed optimization problems in systems of self-interested agents. The combinatorial auction is one such problem, in which there is a set of discrete items to allocate to agents. Unfortunately, recent results suggest that it is impossible to implement reasonable approximations without losing robustness to manipulation. Furthermore, the Vickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) mechanism is known to be vulnerable to manipulation when agents can bid under multiple false names. In this paper we relax incentive constraints and require only that useful manipulation be NP-hard. We prove that any tractable approximation algorithm can be made to produce a hard-to-manipulate (VCG-based) mechanism, providing a useful counterpoint to these negative results. We also show that falsename bid manipulation in the VCG is NP-hard. ∗Harvard College, firstname.lastname@example.com †Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, firstname.lastname@example.com


This final rule amends the Anesthesia Services Condition of Participation (CoP) for hospitals, the Surgical Services Condition of Participation for Critical Access Hospitals (CAH), and the Surgical Services Condition of Coverage for Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs), and, with its publication, withdraws the January 18, 2001 final rule (66 FR 4674).This final rule maintains the current physician supervision requirement for certified registered nurse anesthetists(CRNAs), unless the Governor of a State, in consultation with the State's Boards of Medicine and Nursing, exercises the option of exemption from this requirement consistent with State law.


The advantages of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) are its friendly route of administration and less frequent occurrence of severe side-effects. The most frequently reported events were irritation of the throat and oral itching. According to the recent data, the number of side effects seems to be dose-dependent. We report on one case of anaphylaxis after the first dose of SLIT with house dust mite drop. A 10-year-old girl suffered from severe allergic rhinitis with perennial symptoms and asthma for which a low dose inhaled corticosteroid was used. Her allergy workup disclosed a positive skin prick test to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, birch, hazel tree, alder, dog, cat, platane, and acacia pollens. We started SLIT (Pangramin SLIT, ALKAbello, Madrid, Spain) with D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae. Fifteen minutes after the first dose taken at home, she experienced local irritation, lip swelling, facial rash, rhinorrhea and cough. Provocation test was performed in the clinic with the same drug (0.00015 µg/drop, 1.6 STU/mL of D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae, respectively). After twenty minutes, she reported lip swelling, perioral wheals, rash and cough. Wheezing was aggravated, and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) dropped by 13% compared to prechallenge PEFR. We stress to have the first dose of SLIT taken in the clinic with an observation period. [Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis(Korea) 2011;21:238-241]


Conventional street lighting systems do not allow controlling the light intensity depending on the traffic of pedestrians or vehicles, only operate in two automatic modes (on/off) according to the availability of daylight and consume enormous amounts of electric energy. In this article, we describe the design, development and implementation of a new intelligent street lighting system that is based on LED technology, an energy-efficient embedded wireless control device (hardware) designed from scratch, and photovoltaic solar energy. The embedded device includes specialized firmware and an energy-efficient wireless communication protocol, that allows to form a network of infrared sensors to detect pedestrians and vehicles, so as to control and dim the LED luminaires. We implemented a pilot system in a back road of the campus of Universidad Privada Boliviana, in the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia, where energy consumption measurements confirm energy savings of 72.8% thanks to the developed intelligent control system.


This article aims to develop the entrepreneurial imaginativeness model (creative imaginativeness, social imaginativeness, practical imaginativeness) towards new product development performance with the antecedent of experience intensity. The respondents of this study are the 220 leaders of the Batik Micro Small and Medium Enterprises. The analysis technique in this study uses Structural Equation Modeling using AMOS software. The finding of this study is the main priority of entrepreneurial imaginativeness model development towards new product development performance by increasing creative imaginativeness, with indicators as follows: (1) I consider myself to be inventive; (2) I consider myself to be innovative; (3) I demonstrate originality in my work; and (4) I like to create original work. Creative imaginativeness is developed by experience intensity with the indicators as follows: (1) Business management; (2) Handling consumer complaints; (3) Good relations with outside parties; and (4) Handling dynamics.


The aim of this study was to elucidate whether oligodendrocytes die in fiber tracts that are spared by a spinal cord injury but are in close vicinity of inflammatory cells. Adult rat spinal cords were studied histologically 1 day to 2 weeks after a contusion lesion that left the ventral white matter largely intact. Massive oligodendrocyte death occurred in the lesion center, along with the death of neurons, microglia, and astrocytes. Oligodendrocytes, specifically positive for proteolipid protein (PLP) mRNA, were counted in the ventral white matter where axons at the rostral and caudal edges of the lesion were histologically intact. Although these regions contained many macrophages and neutrophils hypothesized to contribute to secondary tissue loss, there was no significant loss of oligodendrocytes. In the ventral funiculus, 3 and 6 mm rostral and caudal to the lesion, oligodendrocyte numbers were also unchanged, in spite of the presence of many activated microglial cells. From day 7 on, oligodendrocytes in close vicinity to the lesion increased their expression of PLP mRNA. We conclude that, at least within the first 2 weeks after a spinal cord contusion lesion, there is no major devastating influence of inflammatory cells or their mediators on oligodendrocytes. When death occurs, it may be due to mechanical trauma, ischemia, or excitotoxicity within the lesion or it may occur as a result of axonal degeneration.


Much has been written on the important contribution of iron deficiency toward anemia and epoetin resistance among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, but there are few studies of iron status among chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) subjects not yet requiring dialysis. The National Kidney Foundation-Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (NKF-K/DOQI) Practice Guidelines recommend maintaining ferritin > or =100 ng/ml and transferrin saturation (TSAT) > or =20% to ensure adequate iron supply for erythropoiesis among patients with chronic kidney disease, whether or not they are dialysis-dependent. Analysis of the nationally representative data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III 1988-1994) revealed that only a minority of anemic CRI subjects in the United States met these K/DOQI targets. For example, in the range of creatinine clearance (CrCl) 30 to 50 ml/min, less than one third of men with hemoglobin <12 g/dl and women with hemoglobin <11 g/dl had ferritin > or =100 ng/ml and TSAT > or =20%. In addition, TSAT levels above 20% were independently associated with higher hemoglobin levels. Such data raise the question whether the K/DOQI targets should be reevaluated. It is concluded that ferritin and TSAT targets derived from ESRD studies may not be applicable to subjects with CRI. Further studies are needed to guide optimization of iron status and hemoglobin level in the much larger CRI population.


A whole-cell based method was developed for the regioselective synthesis of arabinocytosine laurate. Among the seven kinds of bacteria strains tested in the acylation reaction, Pseudomonas fluorescens gave the highest productivity and a higher 5′-regioselectivity than 99%. Compared with pure organic solvents, the use of organic solvent mixtures greatly promoted the yield of the whole-cell catalyzed reaction, but showed little influence on the 5′-regioselectivity. Of all the tested solvent mixtures, the best reaction result was found in isopropyl ether/pyridine followed by isopentanol/pyridine. However, the whole-cells showed much lower thermostability in isopropyl ether/pyridine than in THF-pyridine. To better understand the toxic effects of the organic solvents on P. fluorescens whole-cells and growing cells were further examined. Significant influences of organic solvents on the biomass of the cells were found, which differed depending on the type of solvents used. SEM analysis visually revealed the changes in the surface morphology of whole-cells and growing cells cultured in media containing various organic solvents, in terms of surface smoothness, bulges and changed cell sizes. Results demonstrated that organic toxicity to cell structure played an important role in whole-cell mediated catalysis.


Objectives To determine the level of empathy in medical students and to determine the difference in empathy levels between the two genders in a single center. Materials & methods This qualitative study was conducted at a medical college in Peshawar from March 2021 to July 2021. Institutional ethical committee approval was taken (RMI/RMI-REC/Approval/83) before commencing the study. All students admitted into the medical college in the current academic year 2020 to 2021 were included in the study. Any students that did not fill out the questionnaire completely were excluded. The Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) was used in this study. The questionnaire was uploaded on google forms for data collection. All the resulting scores were entered into IBM SPSS version 23.0. The mean TEQ score was calculated. Box and whisker plots were made for respective years. An Independent sample t-test was used to determine the association between mean TEQ scores and gender. Results Of 367 students, 347 (94.6%) participated in this study, with a slight female predominance (53%). The mean age of the students was 21.44 (SD = 1.751) years. The participation rate was ≥70% from each class. Most participants across the years have an above-average empathy score (49.9%). Among the participants, the year I (67.6%) showed most participants with high empathy. Year IV (40.6%) has the highest proportion of below-average empathy scores. The mean empathy score of female students was 49.08 (S.D = 7.588), while the empathy score for male students was 44.59 (S.D = 7.58). Conclusion Empathy levels decline as medical education is progressed through the years. Females show a greater sense of empathy than their male counterparts. A slight increase in empathy levels is seen in the final year of medical school after a decline over the initial years.


A collection of Bacillus subtilis chromosomal DNA fragments inserted in yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) is represented in this chapter. YACs were obtained by random cloning of B. subtilis DNA, partially digested with EcoRI, in the pYAC4 vector. To order the YACs, we first used 66 previously cloned B. subtilis genes as hybridization probes. Next, the ends of the inserts carrying these genes were isolated. The ends were used as probes to identify clones with overlapping inserts. Iteration of the procedure resulted in the ordered collection. The identity of several segments was ascertained by transformation of B. subtilis mutants. Despite the relatively high redundancy of the random collection, four gaps remain in the ordered collection. Maximum gap size was estimated by hybridizing B. subtilis DNA cleaved with several restriction enzymes with the ends of segments bordering the gaps. The ordered collection should be useful for genetic studies in B. subtilis.


This paper analyses the expression of number; more precisely, it investigates on which parts of speech and by which linguistic means number is grammatically encoded in Kambaata (Cushitic, Ethiopia). Number is marked, to different degrees, on common nouns, proper nouns and pronouns. Traces of number agreement are found on modifiers and verbs. The core of this paper deals with number marking on common nouns, especially the interaction of number marking with the lexical semantics of certain noun classes. A comparison with the grammatical categories of case and gender shows that number is a grammatical category between inflection and derivation.


Since the 90ies a bunch of problems and flaws in the old Internet Protocol version four has occurred.The biggest problem is the extinction of addresses which will come soon, soon in the matter of theclassic "wolf is coming" matter, but as in the fairy tale the wolf will finally come. When this will happenis unknown, but not many believes it won't. Carl-Henrik Swanberg CEO for Ericsson once said that year2020 there will be 50 billion mobile units connected to internet. Considering there is maximum 4 billionaddresses in IPv4 the needs for more addresses will be significant. The solution of this is the version sixof Internet Protocol released in middle of the 90ies. This thesis mentions a lot of the problems with theold version and tries to make a good explanation of the benefits and possibilities that lies within thenew. It also contains a larger amount of information on the protocols that lies within this, like newversion of OSPF, the extensions of BGPv4 called multiprotocol BGP (MP-BGP) and new things likenetwork discovery protocol (NDP). The later chapter is about the planning of an implementation atMalarenergi City Network and the implementation at the internet service provider MDFnet whichnowadays runs IPv6 in their core and office network.


Social media allows people to post widely and evaluate diverse information including ideas, news and opinions. Once such an online item is posted on a social media site, it can be appreciated and shared by many people and become popular. This kind of phenomenon can have a large influence on people's daily life and social trends. Thus, studies on modeling the arrival process of shares to an individual item have recently attracted a great deal of interest in the field of social media mining. In this paper, we propose, by combining a Dirichlet process with a Hawkes process in a novel way, a probabilistic model, called cooperative Hawkes process (CHP) model, to discover the cooperative structure among all the items involved. The proposed model takes into account all the arrival processes of shares for those items. We develop an efficient method of inferring the CHP model from the observed sequences of share-events, and present an effective framework for predicting the future popularity of each of these items. Using synthetic and real data, we demonstrate that the CHP model outperforms the Hawkes process model without interaction among items (HP model) and the multivariate Hawkes process model (MHP model) in terms of popularity prediction. Moreover, for real data from a cooking-recipe sharing site, we discover the cooperative structure among cooking-recipes in view of popularity dynamics by applying the CHP model.


Authoritarian leaders sometimes unleash mass indiscriminate violence on outgroup civilians, while simultaneously purging regime elites: why do leaders simultaneously target these completely unrelated groups? Extant scholarship explains mass indiscriminate violence as a counter-guerrilla strategy. However, almost half of these episodes occur outside guerrilla conflict and have therefore been explained by attributing high-risk ideological preferences to leaders or as unique cases only. I argue that leaders under conditions of heightened elite rivalry, adopt mass indiscriminate violence against outgroup civilians to coerce ingroup civilians and local leaders into support. This allows leaders to capture state institutions from the bottom up and consolidate their power, while undermining support for elite rivals. These rivals can ultimately be purged from the regime. Based on newly collected original data on elite purges and on the type of mass indiscriminate violence for the years 1950-2004, I show that this type of violence, which I call 'genocidal consolidation,' is intimately connected to authoritarian consolidation.


PATIENT, a female, aged 24, complains of slight nasal obstruction relieved by blowing out a piece of fibrinous exudate and accompanied by hwmorrhage every evening, together with a feeling of fullness in the nose. She gives two months' history of these symptoms. A pedunculated growth will be seen growing from the upper part of the right inferior turbinal, about the size of a pea. It bleeds very easily when touched. The case would seem to resemble a similar one shown by the writer on March 4, 1910.'


Biofidelic soft composites or tissues form the building blocks of the human body. Understanding the complex mechanics of these soft composites is the key to understanding the genesis and progression of disease. Biomechanically, soft composites exhibit anisotropic mechanical behavior and comprise of multiple fiber layers within a soft matrix. To date, there is a lack of understanding of the anisotropic mechanical behavior of soft composites, primarily due to unavailability of a robust characterization framework. In this dissertation, novel multiscale computational and experimental investigation models are developed to simulate and characterize anisotropic soft composite mechanical behavior. Soft composite surrogates were first developed to simulate various tissues in the human body namely the skin, brain, artery and vaginal tissues. Novel anisotropic soft composite models were also fabricated taking into consideration the tissue anisotropy and multifunctional properties. Hyperelastic anisotropic constitutive relationships were formulated to precisely characterize the mechanical behavior of soft composite considering varying fiber and matrix contributions, fiber-matrix interactions, fiber orientations and multiple fiber layers. Coupled with high fidelity experimental and computational models, microscopy, and Digital Image Correlation (DIC) studies, the damage and repair of soft composite surrogates are also discussed in this dissertation, with relevance to soft tissue wounds and suture. Computational modeling to understand the interaction between multiple soft composite systems and its effect on soft composite damage are also highlighted in this work. Some specific soft composite interaction systems modeled were the female pelvic system under abdominal loads, whole body impact due to blast, and ulceration in diabetic foot. This dissertation lays the foundation for micro and macro scale anisotropic soft composite modeling and characterization using high fidelity experimental and numerical techniques which will be indispensable for studying tissue mechanics and other soft composite applications in engineering and medicine.


This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of: (1)the problem-based learning (PBL) method; (2)the direct teaching method; (3)the PBL method compared with the direct teaching method, for the low prior knowledge students; (4)the PBL method compared with the direct teaching method, for the high prior knowledge students. This research is a quasi experimental with the pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group design. The independent variabel was teaching method, the score on pre-test as a covariate, and the students. achievement as the dependent variable. The research population comprised year XI students of the Light Vehicle Engineering SMK Muhammadiyah Prambanan, totaling 137 students, divided into four classes. This study used a sample of two XI classes, totaling 64 students. The instrument was an achievement test in the multiple-choice form. The validation was conducted by analyzing the validity of the test items, difficulty level, discrimination index, and the functioning of the detractors. The result was that the 40 items used were all valid and the reliability was high (a=0.921). The data were analyzed using the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). This study conclude that, in the competence of repairing the cooling system by considering the students' score on pre-test as prior knowledge: (1) on the whole, the PBL method is more effective than the direct teaching methods, (2) the students who have high prior knowledge are more effective to be taught using the PBL method than the direct teaching method, (3) the students who have low prior knowledge are not difference in effectiveness to be taught using the PBL method and the direct teaching method, and (4) there is no difference in effectiveness between low prior knowledge students and high prior knowledge students who were taught using the PBL method.


PURPOSE
To assess intraobserver repeatability and interobserver and intersession reproducibility of lower tear meniscus height (LTMH) measurements obtained using a new anterior segment swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) device. Agreement with Fourier-domain (FD) OCT (Spectralis) was also examined.

METHODS
In an observational cross-sectional study, one eye of 29 healthy subjects was randomly imaged with both devices at our center. Two examiners then randomly measured the LTMH using the software's calipers. To assess intraobserver repeatability and interobserver and intersession reproducibility, within-subject standard deviation (Sw), test-retest repeatability, coefficients of variation (CoV), and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated. Agreement between both devices was also determined in Bland-Altman plots.

RESULTS
Mean LTMHs for SS-OCT and FD-OCT were 276.6 ± 87.6 and 280.3 ± 80 μm, respectively. Using the SS-OCT device, intraobserver CoV, interobserver CoV, and intersession CoV were found to be ≥16.9%, ≤7.2%, and ≤11.5%, respectively. ICCs for these parameters were ≤88%, ≥97%, and ≥94%, respectively. Bland-Altman analysis indicated poor agreement between SS-OCT and FD-OCT, and the correlation was low (CoV 34.5%, ICC 0.36).

CONCLUSIONS
SS-OCT LTMH measurements showed excellent interobserver and intersession repeatability along with good intraobserver reproducibility. Agreement between the devices was poor.


Although Thailand's electronics industry has been considered as one of strategic sectors, the evidence in this article shows that it is dominated by midstream and downstream activities. Despite accounting for a quarter of electronics exports, semiconductors manufacturing is confined to low value added activities. The lack of industrial policy has restricted technological upgrading in the industry. Upgrading efforts made by both public and private initiatives have so far failed. The case studies show that firms in Thailand must acquire and develop technological capabilities to stimulate the industry's transformation from low to high value added activities.


With continuing developments in miniaturization and battery design, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are poised to become common technology in our daily lives. Low cost and flexibility of deployment make WSNs well suited for a wide variety of military, environmental, healthcare, and commercial applications. Some WSN applications, such as monitoring patients in hospitals or weapons targeting in battlefront require endto- end data confidentiality. However, since WSNs are made up of many resource limited sensor nodes, they are typically unable to sustain the high volumes of data transmissions. Using innetwork data aggregation, sensor data from multiple nodes can be combined before being forwarded to neighboring nodes; and thus, energy consumption can be reduced significantly. But in situations where sensor nodes privacy is non-negotiable, data aggregation cannot be implemented at the cost of security. Therefore, there is a strong need for secure data aggregation (SDA) protocols designed to fit the unique properties and considerable constraints of WSNs. Existing end-to-end solutions are either insecure or impractical. In this paper, we propose a novel solution for the secure aggregation of data in WSNs based on probabilistic homomorphic encryption. By combining with a unique encoding function, our solution guarantees the privacy of sensor data, while also greatly reducing communication costs.


Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, and hydroxybutyl methylcellulose stabilized light emission in a boronic acid-enhanced chemiluminescent assay for horseradish peroxidase. The stabilization of light emission was concentration-dependent and more effective with substituted boronic acid enhancers (e.g. 4-iodophenylboronic acid) than with substituted phenol enhancers (e.g. 4-iodophenol). Hydroxybutyl methylcellulose improved the linearity of the dose-response curve in a peroxidase-based antioxidant assay and stabilized light emission post-consumption of the antioxidant (Trolox). This polymer had no effect on the signal from a peroxidase label immobilized on a membrane (dot blot) or on the inside surface of a microwell in an enzyme immunoassay for thyrotropin.


Previous studies have shown that sensory fibers of intermediate and vagal nerve origin are present in facial nerve branches to the mimetic muscles in the cat. In the present study the central course of these fibers has been examined by transganglionic transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). In some of these experiments the facial nerve proper was transected central to the site of HRP application. In this way, the central course of the vagal fibers could be studied separately. For comparison HRP‐conjugated wheat germ agglutinin was injected into the geniculate ganglion, revealing the central course of the entire afferent component of the intermediate nerve. The results show that labeled sensory intermediate nerve fibers, at their level of entrance in the brainstem, form a tract at the dorsal margin of the spinal trigeminal tract (5T). While some fibers ascend from this level to terminate in the main sensory trigeminal nucleus, and a few fibers terminate in the rostral part of the solitary tract nucleus, the majority take a descending course. The main site of termination for these descending fibers is in the medial part of the C2 dorsal horn. Terminal labeling is also seen in the ventrolateral part of the cuneate nucleus (CUN) and in a small area of gray substance between CUN and trigeminal nucleus caudalis. After entering the brainstem some sensory vagal fibers project to the trigeminal nucleus interpolaris and to an interstitial nucleus within the 5T, but the larger part joins the descending tract of intermediate nerve fibers. These descending vagal fibers have a terminal distribution pattern similar to the intermediate nerve fibers.


The abuse and overdose of anti-cholinergic agents such as benztropine is well reported in the psychiatric and emergency medicine journals. However, despite almost 40 years since the first modern report, physicians in general remain poorly aware of anti-cholinergic abuse. A case report of recreational overdose of benztropine in a 19 year old schizophrenic patient is presented. Delirium and anti-cholinergic manifestations persisted for five days necessitating prolonged hospitalization. The literature on benztropine abuse and overdose is reviewed.


With the ascendancy of biophysical assessment with Doppler velocimetry, and the establishment of routine scan dating in early pregnancy, there needs to be a radical re-think of the role of ultrasound biometry in the definition and assessment of fetal growth restriction (FGR). Doppler flow velocimetry of the umbilical artery has proven its value in defining the FGR fetus. It is more useful than cardiotocography (CTG) or biophysical profile scoring. However, the sensitivity of any test depends on the prevalence of the condition being looked for. While Doppler is of value in fetuses which are small-for-gestational age (SGA), it is less useful in predicting growth restriction or adverse outcome in the general population. The question is therefore, how to detect those pregnancies for which further fetal assessment is indicated.


Purpose: Nearly 2000 patients with stage IIB and III melanoma have participated in four multicenter, randomized trials, conducted by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and the Intergroup, investigating adjuvant high-dose IFN-α 2b therapy. The objectives of this study were to update the analyses of each individual trial and to analyze prognostic factors and treatment effects based on pooled data. Experimental Design: Survival and disease status were updated to April 2001. Analysis of prognostic factors using optimized statistical models was based on data from patients in E1684, E1690, E1694, and E2696. Analysis of treatment effects versus observation (Obs) was based on data from 713 patients randomized to high-dose IFN-α 2b (HDI) or Obs in Trials E1684 and E1690. Results: Updated analysis of E1684, E1690, and E1694 confirmed their original conclusions, now at median follow-up intervals of 2.1–12.6 years. Based on two-sided univariate log-rank analysis of pooled data from E1684 and E1690 (median follow-up, 7.2 years), relapse-free survival (RFS)—but not overall survival (OS)—was significantly prolonged (two-sided log-rank P value = 0.006) for patients treated with HDI versus Obs. Among all patients, prognostic factors that significantly negatively impacted RFS and OS included ulceration, recurrent disease at entry, enrollment in E1684, and age > 49 years. Multivariate statistical models adjusting for these factors confirmed the statistically significant RFS benefit of HDI versus Obs but did not demonstrate a significant OS benefit in the pooled populations. Conclusions: In patients with high-risk resected melanoma, HDI is effective adjuvant therapy with strong evidence for improved RFS and evidence for moderate improvement in OS based on two prospective randomized studies but not the pooled analysis. Analyses of predictors of relapse and response are now needed to improve the therapeutic value of this modality.


Abstract This review summarizes the scientific basis of forensic gait analysis and evaluates its use in the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Denmark, following recent critique on the admission of gait evidence in Canada. A useful forensic feature is (1) measurable, (2) consistent within and (3) different between individuals. Reviewing the academic literature, this article found that (1) forensic gait features can be quantified or observed from surveillance video, but research into accuracy, validity and reliability of these methods is needed; (2) gait is variable within individuals under differing and constant circumstances, with speed having major influence; (3) the discriminative strength of gait features needs more research, although clearly variation exists between individuals. Nevertheless, forensic gait analysis has contributed to several criminal trials in Europe in the past 15 years. The admission of gait evidence differs between courts. The methods are mainly observer-based: multiple gait analysts (independently) assess gait features on video footage of a perpetrator and suspect. Using gait feature databases, likelihood ratios of the hypotheses that the observed individuals have the same or another identity can be calculated. Automated gait recognition algorithms calculate a difference measure between video clips, which is compared with a threshold value derived from a video gait recognition database to indicate likelihood. However, only partly automated algorithms have been used in practice. We argue that the scientific basis of forensic gait analysis is limited. However, gait feature databases enable its use in court for supportive evidence with relatively low evidential value. The recommendations made in this review are (1) to expand knowledge on inter- and intra-subject gait variabilities, discriminative strength and interdependency of gait features, method accuracies, gait feature databases and likelihood ratio estimations; (2) to compare automated and observer-based gait recognition methods; to design (3) an international standard method with known validity, reliability and proficiency tests for analysts; (4) an international standard gait feature data collection method resulting in database(s); (5) (inter)national guidelines for the admission of gait evidence in court; and (6) to decrease the risk for cognitive and contextual bias in forensic gait analysis. This is expected to improve admission of gait evidence in court and judgment of its evidential value. Several ongoing research projects focus on parts of these recommendations.


Background and objective: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)-induced coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been pandemic worldwide. Several reports observed a reduction of lymphocytes among COVID-19 patients. However, clinical significance of lymphocyte reduction in COVID-19 patients remains unclear. The objective of this study was to analyze the association between lymphocyte reduction at early stage and the prognosis of COVID-19 patients. Methods: All 192 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were enrolled. Electronic medical records, including demographic data, clinical characteristics, comorbidities and exposure history, were collected. Biochemical indexes on admission and chest computed tomography (CT) were detected. Patient's prognosis was followed up. Results: On admission, 84 (43.8%) patients suffered from lymphocyte reduction among COVID-19 patients. The count and percentage of lymphocytes on admission were lower among more than seventy-year-old patients than those of younger patients. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that older age was a risk factor of lymphocyte reduction. Of interest, chest CT score, a key marker of lung injury, was increased among COVID-19 patients with lymphocyte reduction. By contrast, PaCO2, SpO2 and oxygenation index, several respiratory function markers, were decreased in COVID-19 patients with lymphocyte reduction. Moreover, TBIL and DBIL, two markers of hepatic injury, creatinine and urea nitrogen, two indices of renal function, and creatine kinase, AST and LDH, three myocardial enzymes, were elevated in COVID-19 patients with lymphocyte reduction. Among 84 COVID-19 patients with lymphocyte reduction, 32.1% died. Fatality rate was obviously higher in COVID-19 patients with lymphocyte reduction than those with normal lymphocyte (RR=5.789, P<0.001). Conclusion: Older COVID-19 patients are more susceptible to lymphocyte reduction. Lymphocyte reduction at early stage aggravates the severity of multiple organ injuries and elevates death risk of COVID-19 patients.


Coronavirus disease 2019 had caused a pandemic leading to over 6M posi-tive cases worldwide out of which 3 73 lac are demised (until when the article was written) Its first outbreak was seen in Wuhan, China In the Indian sce-nario, we have a total of 2 lac cases out of which 5,679 have been deceased (until when the article was written) Due to the high transmissibility of this disease, the entire country is under lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus The main etiology of this virus is the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2(SARS-CoV-2) This affects the respiratory system leading to cough, shortness of breath, and fever There have been cases with mild or no symptoms reported, but the cause of death is due to the virus This helps us understand the diagnosis, epidemiology, symptoms, and pathophysiology about the virus, which can help in treatment modalities An autopsy is one of the methods by which we can understand the systematic involvement other than the respiratory system Various pathological, microbiological changes can occur in the other organs Even though the person is deceased, the virus is highly infectious can cause the spread through body fluids Proper care must be taken while handling the body and performing the procedure This review article aims to focus on the autopsy findings found in various cases to study the disease pathophysiology of the SARS-CoV-2 This article also helps us understand the guidelines that have been put forward by WHO and CDC must be followed regarding the specification required in the autopsy room;PPE's to be worn, human waste and fluid disposal, body transportation Proper per-sonal hygiene must be maintained while handling the COVID-19 patients;this can lead to less susceptibility of acquiring the disease


In financial decisions, model risk has been recognized as an important source of uncertainty. The revision of the Basel II suggests that financial institutions quantify and manage their model risk. Focusing on risk forecasting literature, we identify two main approaches to quantify model risk: the worst-case and loss function. The first approach includes measures with a similar structure to deviation measures, which are applied to a set of forecasts obtained by different models. For the second approach, monetary risk measures are employed under a loss or error function, from some forecasting procedure. Based on the untapped features of model risk for both approaches we suggest new proposals, which include measures to quantify upside and downside model risk, and average costs associated with risk overestimation and underestimation. We also conduct an empirical assessment of model risk measures using Value at Risk (VaR) and Expected Shortfall (ES) forecasting. We verify, using worst-case measures, that model risk tends to increase before crisis period and, according to loss function measures, model risk values increase in the crisis period. We also conclude that a model with good performance to risk forecasting (lower realized loss) does not indicate this model has lower model risk. Furthermore, we highlight insights into future research directions regarding this topic.


Virtual organizations normally use role-based access control mechanisms to assign permissions that allow users to access resources or services. Role-based access control mechanisms, however, have three limitations. First, as only one type of trust relationship - resource trusts role - exists in the mechanisms, more trust relationships that support more types of access controls in virtual organizations can not be established. Second, as roles are created in and limited to specific collaborative work places, the permissions only take effects in the local work places, and no global permissions can be set up. Finally, the attributes of users or groups, as important resources, have no control in the mechanisms. In other words, those attributes can not be released to any other user or group. To overcome these limitations, our research provides a trust-based access control model for virtual organizations. This paper presents the model, algorithm, implementations, and experimental results


Introduction The many meanings of the Black Hole of Calcutta Orientalism or capitalism? Warren Hastings & the rhetoric of empire Piety & power: a preliminary analysis of Tipu Sultan's dreams From novice to hero: Arthur Wellesley at Assaye, September 1803 Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839): a diamond in the rough True crime: William Sleeman & the thugs 'Plunderers' & 'rebels': Rajput violence & insurgency during the Indian Revolt of 1857-58 Hybrid nationalist or Hindu nationalist? The life of Madan Mohan Malaviya (1861-1946) Bibliography.