Epilepsy is an unavoidable major persistent and critical neurological disorder that influences the human brain. Moreover, this is apparently distinguished via its recurrent malicious seizures. A seizure is a phase of synchronous, abnormal innervations of a neuron's population which might last from seconds to a few minutes. In addition, epileptic seizures are transient occurrences of complete or partial irregular unintentional body movements that combine with consciousness loss. As epileptic seizures rarely occurred in each patient, their effects based on physical communications, social interactions, and patients' emotions are considered, and treatment and diagnosis are undergone with crucial implications. Therefore, this survey reviews 65 research papers and states an important analysis on various machine-learning approaches adopted in each paper. The analysis of different features considered in each work is also done. This survey offers a comprehensive study on performance attainment in each contribution. Furthermore, the maximum performance attained by the works and the datasets used in each work is also examined. The analysis on features and the simulation tools used in each contribution is examined. At the end, the survey expanded with different research gaps and their problem which is beneficial to the researchers for promoting advanced future works on epileptic seizure detection.


In this paper we present a multi-step laser tailoring process in order to narrow the size distribution of self-assembled supported metal nanoparticles. The method exploits the shape and size dependent optical absorption coefficients of metal particles. Silver nanoparticles were prepared by deposition of atoms on dielectric substrates followed by diffusion and nucleation. This results in ensembles of oblate nanoparticles with broad size and shape distributions. Post-growth irradiation allows tailoring the average size of the nanoparticles by laser-induced surface diffusion and evaporation of surface atoms of the nanoparticles. This makes it possible to shrink large particles to the desired size and remove all nanoparticles that are too small. We demonstrate here that the size distribution of silver nanoparticles can be narrowed significantly by subsequently applying different laser wavelengths.


AdaBoost has received considerable attention in the vision and multimedia research community in recent years. It is originally designed for two-class classification problems. To handle multiple classes, many AdaBoost extensions have been developed primarily based on various schemes for reducing multiclass classification to multiple two-class problems. From a statistical prospective, AdaBoost can be viewed as a forward stepwise additive model using an exponential loss function. In this paper, we derive a generalized form of AdaBoost for multiclass classification based on a multiclass exponential loss function. To prove its effectiveness, we benchmarked a number of multimedia problems of different nature. Experimental results show that the new boosting algorithm outperforms other multiclass alternatives. In addition, the generalized boosting algorithm can be used to either boost a multiclass classifier, or build a multiclass classifier from a binary one.


Although an increasing number of children are becoming obese, the psychological comorbidities associated with obesity are not well established. This research was aimed at determining if there is association between body image dissatisfaction with anthropometrics parameters, weight status and self-esteem in children from public schools. The sample comprised 712 schoolchildren age 11.94 ± 1.16 years (351 girls and 361 boys). Self-esteem, body image dissatisfaction, body fat (BF), body mass index (BMI), Waist circumference (WC) and waist to height ratio (WHtR) were evaluated. 372 children (52.2%) presented normal weight, 201 (28.2%) children presented overweight and 139 children (19.5%) presented obesity. There were no differences in proportions between boys and girls (p = 0.778). Girls presented a higher proportion of body image dissatisfaction (p = 0.0045). The children with obesity presented the highest proportion with low or very low self-esteem (p < 0.001) and presented a higher proportion of body image dissatisfaction (p<0.001). The body image dissatisfaction was associated with overweight/obesity status (OR = 4.12, p < 0.001), WtHR (OR = 3.53, p < 0.001) and self-esteem (OR = 2.91, p = 0.03). In conclusion the body image dissatisfaction in the sample of study was associated with antropometric parameters and self- esteem.


The viscoelastic and textural properties of freshly prepared and freeze-thawed sago starch–sugar gels were studied in comparison with other native starches from corn, wheat, tapioca, and potato. The gelatinisation and retrogradation properties of starches were studied using a DSC while the pasting properties of starch–sugar mixtures during the cooking period were studied using a starch pasting cell. The freeze-thaw stability of gels was evaluated by gravimetric measurements of the water of syneresis. The different starches gave properties which varied following to their botanical sources. High-amylose cereal starches (wheat and corn) produced harder gels, while low-amylose root starch (tapioca) produced softer gels. Sago and potato gels showed close similarities in their viscoelastic and textural characteristics. Although the freeze-thaw cycle greatly increased the viscoelasticity and hardness of these two gels, reheating at high temperature significantly reduced these negative effects and resulted in partial recovery of the gel structures. Sago starch produced gels with very low syneresis and high cohesiveness, implying its potential use as a gelling agent in the frozen food industries.


The paper deals with the existence and localization of positive
 radial solutions for stationary partial differential equations involving a
 general
 ϕ

-Laplace operator in the annulus. Three sets of boundary
 conditions are considered: Dirichlet–Neumann, Neumann–Dirichlet and
 Dirichlet–Dirichlet. The results are based on the homotopy version of
 Krasnosel'skii's fixed point theorem and Harnack type inequalities, first
 established for each one of the boundary conditions. As a consequence, the
 problem of multiple solutions is solved in a natural way. Numerical
 experiments confirming the theory, one for each of the three sets of
 boundary conditions, are performed by using the MATLAB object-oriented
 package Chebfun.


The development an early activities of the Milton Helpern Library of Legal Medicine is narrated by Dr. Milton Helpern. The offshoots of the Library are discussed, including the International Microform Journal of Legal Medicine, which was the first journal of its type in medicine. This has been continued after the death of Dr. Helpern by the new editor, Dr. William G. Eckert of Wichita, Kansas, and the Director of the Milton Helpern International Center of Forensic Sciences at Wichita State University. Its new name is the International Microform Journal of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences.


The ways in which DNA can be used to identify unknown offenders in criminal investigations is constantly evolving. This article takes a developmental approach, exploring the use of DNA profiling, familial searching, and investigative genetic genealogy ('IGG'), and considers whether Australia could, and should, expand its application of DNA analysis to identify offenders. Part II examines DNA profiling and familial searching which is now the status quo in Australia. However, it is then argued that familial searching is flawed, presenting unique issues of privacy and consent, and producing substantial biases. Part III then posits IGG as an emerging solution to the limitations of familial searching. Its development in the United States is explored, before explaining how the limitations of familial searching can be directly redressed by IGG. The article concludes by calling for IGG to be implemented in Australia, and offering some initial recommendations on how this might best be achieved.


Speed management has been a challenge, particularly in places where high-speed highways pass through. Due to high rate of fatalities and low budgets available, it is therefore necessary to identify low-cost effective approaches in reducing speeds. Optical Speed Bar (OSB) treatment is one such technique. This research makes an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of OSBs in reducing approach speeds on two-lane, rural highways approaching small communities. Speed data were collected and analyzed "before" and "after" periods at five sites. Effectiveness of OSBs was evaluated using changes in mean and 85 th percentile speeds under different categories by considering all vehicles, vehicle classification (two axles vs. more than two axles), day of the week (weekdays vs. weekends), and time of day (daytime vs. nighttime), as well as proportions exceeding posted speed limit, using t-test mean speeds, F-test for analysis of variance, and Z-test for proportions of vehicles exceeding posted speed limit between "before" and "after" datasets. Even though motorists were found to slow down on the approaches, in response to speed zones, speeding was noted. "Before" speed data indicated higher speeds than desired at the sites. The 85 th percentile speeds were between 50 and 63 mph while the posted speed limits on the approaches were 45 mph at four sites, and the 85 th percentile speed was about 42 mph at one site with an approach posted speed limit of 30 mph. The "before" degrees of noncompliance were up to 90 % of free-flowing vehicles at the sites. Speed data analysis showed significant reductions in speeds at ends of OSBs at four test sites. Mean and 85 th percentile speeds and standard deviations were found reduced in the after periods. Percent reductions in mean speeds were between 1.2 and 8.2 %, with 85 th percentile reductions between 3.2 and 8.9 %. At one site, no notable change in mean and 85 th percentile speeds occurred at the end of OSBs, but significant increases in standard deviations were noted. Speed reductions were higher for twoaxle vehicles, during the daytime and on weekdays with few exceptions. Results of the study showed, as other previous studies did, OSBs may have some minor effects on vehicle speeds. The study provides an indication that it may be possible to create safety improvements as result of using OSBs on the approach to a rural community. However, magnitude of speed reductions was generally small, though the reductions were statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Because of the non-consistence of the magnitude of speed reductions at the test sites, no conclusion can be drawn as to how much OSB treatment reduced speeds. These results were based on "after" periods up to five months. Therefore, further study would be required to determine whether these safety improvements are sustained over an even longer time period. Even though minor speed reductions occurred, speeds observed at the sites were still higher than the posted speed limits, indicating OSBs were not effective enough in providing the desired speed limit compliance. Additional studies would be helpful to identify combinations of countermeasures, for instance OSBs and other techniques, effective in providing speed limit compliance.


Background: Data for the global burden of laryngeal cancer (LC) are limited. Methods: We reported the incidence of, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and deaths due to LC by age, sex and by social-demographic index (SDI) in all countries and territories during 2007 to 2017, based on data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 study. We also assessed the risk factors for LC-associated DALYs and deaths through a comparative risk assessment framework. Results: Globally, from 2007 to 2017, the age-standardized incidence rate increased by 0.95%, the age-standardized DALY rate decreased by 8.75%, and the age-standardized death rate decreased by 7.66%. The age-standardized incidence, DALY, and death rates in 2017 were all the highest in the low SDI quintile. The middle SDI quintile witnessed the highest percentage changes in age-standardized incidence, DALY, and death rates during 2007-2017. At the GBD regional level, the highest age-standardized incidence, DALY, and death rates in 2017 occurred in the Caribbean, followed by South Asia. East Asia showed the largest increases in age-standardized incidence, DALY, and death rates from 2007 to 2017. At the national level, China and Jamaica reported the largest percentage increases in the age-standardized incidence, DALY, and death rates over the study period. Conclusion: The global age-standardized incidence of LC remain stable. However, the age-standardized DALY and death rates decreased significantly over the study period. Impact: Our findings will be beneficial for developing policies to reduce the disease burden of LC in particular regions or countries.


In the study described in this article a questionnaire was employed that can be used to assess students' and teachers' perceptions of science teachers' interpersonal communication behaviors in their classroom learning environments. The Teacher Communication Behavior Questionnaire (TCBQ) has five scales: Challenging, Encouragement and Praise, Non-Verbal Support, Understanding and Friendly, and Controlling. The TCBQ was used with a large sample of secondary science students in Taiwan, which provided additional validation data for the TCBQ for use in Taiwan and cross-validation data for its use in English-speaking countries. Girls perceived their teachers as more understanding and friendly than did boys, and teachers in biological science classrooms exhibited more favorable behavior toward their students than did those in physical science classrooms. Differences were also noted between the perceptions of the students and their teachers. Positive relationships were found between students' perceptions of their teachers' communication behaviors and their attitudes toward science. Students' cognitive achievement scores were higher when students perceived their teacher as using more challenging questions, as giving more nonverbal support, and as being more understanding and friendly. The development of both teacher and student versions of the TCBQ enhances the possibility of the use of the instrument by teachers. fl 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 39: 63-78, 2002


Experiments were conducted to determine the effectiveness of urea in deactivating tannin in high tannin milo. High tannin milo (Pioneer B 815, 3.4 +/- .3% tannin) was reconstituted with aqueous urea solutions to give combinations of 26, 30, and 34% moisture with 2, 3, and 4% urea (percentage of urea per dry weight of milo). All treatments were maintained at 25 degrees C and were effective in deactivating tannin with no differences among moisture or urea content. The average rate of tannin deactivation was 68 +/- 2% d-1. Temperature affected rate of tannin deactivation in milo reconstituted to 30% moisture and 3% urea when stored at 25 or 60 degrees C. Rate of tannin deactivation was 44 +/- 5 and 89 +/- 18% d-1 at 25 and 60 degrees C, respectively. Tannin in high tannin milo can be deactivated rapidly and completely by reconstitution with aqueous urea. These studies demonstrate that tannin is deactivated completely under conditions where urea is an effective preservative of high moisture milo.


The extracellular matrix is a dynamic and active component of the mesenchymal stem cell niche, which controls their differentiation and self-renewal. Traditional in vitro culture systems are not able to mimic matrix-cell interactions due to the small amount of extracellular matrix present. Macromolecular crowding, a biophysical phenomenon based on the excluded-volume effect, dramatically accelerates and increases tissue-specific extracellular matrix deposition during in vitro culture. Herein, the influence of macromolecular crowding in pre-condition and tri-lineage differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells was investigated. Carrageenan, a sulphated polysaccharide, enhanced chondrogenesis, as evidenced by increased collagen type II and chondroitin sulphate deposition and unaffected Sox-9 expression. Osteogenesis was also enhanced when carrageenan was used only in the differentiation phase, as evidenced by increased mineralisation, collagen type I deposition and osteopontin expression. Adipogenesis was not enhanced in the presence of carrageenan, suggesting that the chemistry of the crowder may affect stem-cell-lineage commitment. In conclusion, carrageenan, a sulphated polysaccharide, enhanced extracellular matrix deposition and promoted chondrogenesis and osteogenesis but not adipogenesis in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell cultures.


In the last decade, over a million stars were monitored to detect transiting planets. Manual interpretation of potential exoplanet candidates is labor intensive and subject to human error, the results of which are difficult to quantify. Here we present a new method of detecting exoplanet candidates in large planetary search projects which, unlike current methods uses a neural network. Neural networks, also called "deep learning" or "deep nets" are designed to give a computer perception into a specific problem by training it to recognize patterns. Unlike past transit detection algorithms deep nets learn to recognize planet features instead of relying on hand-coded metrics that humans perceive as the most representative. Our convolutional neural network is capable of detecting Earth-like exoplanets in noisy time-series data with a greater accuracy than a least-squares method. Deep nets are highly generalizable allowing data to be evaluated from different time series after interpolation without compromising performance. As validated by our deep net analysis of Kepler light curves, we detect periodic transits consistent with the true period without any model fitting. Our study indicates that machine learning will facilitate the characterization of exoplanets in future analysis of large astronomy data sets.


This paper is a critical review of the National Museum's current archaeological data management system. It explored the use of a Geographic Information System, specifically ArcView 3.3, for archaeological data management. This is a pressing concern due to the continuous growth in the number of materials and information on Philippine archaeology. The study took advantage of the current site list database of the National Museum which runs in Microsoft Access. These records were used to create a GIS-based site distribution map and an analysis of sites in Cagayan Valley. GIS proved to be better equipped to handle archaeological data. A site distribution map enables spatial analysis and reveals patterns that may lead to a deeper understanding of a community or system which is impossible to detect if information is displayed only in tabular form, just like in the case of the National Museum's database. The assessment also revealed gaps and inconsistencies in the data logged by researchers. The model opened new avenues and opportunities for further research utilising spatial patterning and analysis. Recommendations on additional site information that must be recorded by researchers were made to improve the number and quality of analysis that may be done.


The monetary policy of the Central Bank of Russia is an integral part of the economic policy of the state, that is, the Bank of Russia, together with the government, determines the main parameters of the monetary system. However, the role of monetary policy in the socio-economic development of the state has not been sufficiently disclosed. The use of methods of monetary regulation can be effective only in combination with sound economic measures implemented by the government. The relevance of this topic lies in the fact that it is necessary to determine what methods of monetary regulation can ensure sustainable economic growth, as well as how monetary policy should be combined with national economic policy. For the purpose of research, various scientific methods and approaches were used, in particular, methods of theoretical analysis, economic and statistical methods, methods of comparison, analogy, historical analysis. As a result of the research, it was found that monetary policy is not consistent with the economic policy of the state. The use of the formed budget funds is not always expedient, which leads to such negative consequences as inflation, excessive polarization of the population's income, and low rates of GDP development. The studies carried out made it possible to determine the main directions of monetary policy and a set of economic measures that can stop the fall of the national currency (devaluation), ensure financial stability and a gradual growth of GDP.


Only the deproteinized DNA preparations of the simian adenovirus of the type 7 (SA 7) exhibited transforming and tumorigenic activity. The complex of the SA7 DNA with terminal protein (TP) did not exhibit either transforming or tumorigenic activity in cell cultures. In contrast to the transforming potential the infectious titers of the DNA - TP complex for the monkey kidney cells were 30-50 times higher than those of pure DNA. Cleavage of the SA7 DNA by specific endonucleases enhanced the tumorigenic potential of pure DNA, suppressed its infectivity and did not affect the lack of transformation capacity of the DNA - TP complex. The onc-gene was localized in the left terminal fragment with the minimal size 4,3x10(6)D in the case of R.Sal I. The tumorigenic activity was found to decrease with an increase in the size of the DNA fragment containing the onc-gene.


The contrast between individual psychology and social or group psychology, which at a first glance may seem to be full of significance, loses a great deal of its sharpness when it is examined more closely. It is true that individual psychology is concerned with the individual man and explores the paths by which he seeks to find satisfaction for his instinctual impulses; but only rarely and under certain exceptional conditions is individual psychology in a position to disregard the relations of this individual to others. In the individual's mental life someone else is invariably involved, as a model, as an object, as a helper, as an opponent; and so from the very first individual psychology, in this extended but entirely justifiable sense of the words, is at the same time social psychology as well. (Freud, 1921, p. 68)


Many publishing houses are moving to online manuscript submissions and processing systems to handle the work of receiving, reviewing, and publishing scholarly documents. Separate digital archives, integrated library systems, and gateways or portals of various sorts store, organize, maintain, and deliver documents to users. NIST Integrated Knowledge EditorialNet (NIKE), a project designed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Information Services Division, combines all of these elements. NIKE streamlines NIST's complex manuscript submissions workflow and put scientific documents within the public grasp. A comprehensive digital knowledge management system, the NIKE infrastructure integrates a Web interface; a publications database of bibliographic and process information; a server of full text, video, audio, and database documents; and an integrated library system that provides access both to bibliographic data and digital documents.


Restructuring and deregulation of the electricity sector have altered the behavior of market players, shifting the objective from cost minimization to profit maximization. Development of distributed generation units, along with concerns raised over the security of supply has prompted many customers to consider the installation of their own local capacity for generating electricity (and heat). This paper proposes a methodology for optimizing the operation of a portfolio of distributed units, based on profit maximization using genetic algorithms. Genetic algorithms are an optimization method based on the analogy with biological evolution, where the so-called population of solutions evolves through generations as a result of recombination, mutation and selection processes. Optimization is carried out based on the day-ahead forecast of hourly market prices of electricity. The method is tested on a set of distributed units, demonstrating the ability to find good solutions in an acceptable time period.


Analysis by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and silver staining of heavy full, light full, and empty bovine papillomavirus particles has shown that the major capsid protein L1 is highly modified. Besides exhibiting at least 13 isoelectric point variants of approximately the same molecular mass (54 kilodaltons), it is suggested that an additional heavier protein chain (69 kilodaltons) is also derived from L1 by glycosylation. These modifications may stabilize the particle structure. Treatment with neuraminidase reduces the number of modification products detectable, with a concomitant increase in the more basic forms of L1. Although it was not possible to detect histones in any of the preparations, proteins of similar molecular mass were detected. Therefore, it is suggested that the basic tails of L1 bind to the DNA in a manner similar to that of histone. Calculation of the theoretical mobilities of the papillomavirus proteins shows good agreement with the actual position of L1 and its isoelectric point variants and suggests that two of the proteins with molecular masses similar to those of the histones may actually be coded by the bovine papillomavirus E7 and E5 open reading frames.


In this article, we start from the consideration that manga X, created by the collective CLAMP between 1994 and 2003, and published in Mexico by Editorial Vid between 2002 and 2005, is a story whose overarching principle corresponds to the various elements of the New Age. We base this on the following assumptions: first in this manga, the sephirotic tree, the B.O.T.A. tarot and the aspects of Enochian magic, typical of western esoterism, are present iconographically. Second, Kamui, the subject of the story, represents God, so that his actions determine the entire narrative; besides, it has a twin star (Fuma), which fulfills the function of being its complementary opposite. Finally, the apocalypse is detonated by the well-being of the Earth, which arises as an organism with its own life and is intended to survive the destruction of humanity. We carry out this analysis taking up the notion of an overarching principle, as well as the importance of the source, present in the historical method. In addition to the above, we use the paradigm of indicial inferences proposed by Carlo Ginzburg, the elements of structural analysis of Helena Beristain's story and the notion of postmodernity introduced by Fredrick Jameson. The primary sources would be the 18 volumes of X published in Mexico.


The effect of synthetic thyrotrophin releasing factor (TRF) on serum prolactin and LH concentrations was determined by radioimmunoassay in male, cyclic and pseudopregnant female rats. A solution of TRF (0-1, 0-25, 0-5 and 1 mug/rat) was injected i.v. at 17.00 h into rats pretreated with sodium pentobarbitone at 13.00 h. A group of male rats was also treated with TRF at 11.00 h after pretreatment with sodium pentobarbitone at 07.00 h. Fifteen minutes after TRF administration, blood samples were obtained by heart puncture. Doses of 0-25, 0-5 and 1 mug TRF significantly increased the serum prolactin concentration in pro-oestrous rats. The mean serum prolactin level after the injection of 0-5 and 1 mug into oestrous rats and 0-5 mug TRF into dioestrous day 2 rats, was significantly greater than the control values. Injection of TRF on day 1 of dioestrus had no effect. Serum LH concentration was not significantly modified by the various doses of TRF administered. On day 3 of pseudopregnancy a significant increase of serum prolactin values was obtained with 0-5 and 1 mug TRF. On day 7 of pseudopregnancy a dose of 0-5 mug produced the same effect, but on day 10 of pseudopregnancy only 1 mug TRF significantly increased serum prolactin levels when compared with the control rats. In male rats serum prolactin concentration was significantly greater than the control values after TRF treatment either in the morning or the afternoon. The response was similar to that obtained in pro-oestrous rats. The results suggest that the ability of synthetic TRF to stimulate prolactin release exists in both female and male rats and that TRF does not affect LH secretion.


This paper describes a clinical case of secondary syphilis, which was manifested exclusively by syphilitic alopecia.We describe the details of the clinical picture, as well as a differential diagnosis of syphilitic alopecia and alopecia areata on the basis of trichoscopy data.For a patient with scalp lesions typical of syphilis (focal form of alopecia), the trichoscopic picture was represented by hairs broken at different heights from 1 to 5 mm, "empty" follicles ("yellow" dots), anisotrichosis due to the loss of terminal hair. The eyebrow trichoscopy showed "yellow dots", vellus hairs, hair thinning due to the loss of bristly hair. A comparison of the trichoscopic pictures for alopecia areata and syphilitic areata have revealed the absence in the latter of a number of signs typical of the former, such as pencil-point, ex clamation-point, zigzag, monilethrix and tulip hairs.Patients with a clinical picture of focal, diffuse or mix ed alopecia should be tested for syphilis using serological methods.


The concept of high temperature superconducting (HTSC) mini power plant model is presented. An HTSC fault current limiter (FCL) for the protection of a generator unit was designed. The simulation and test results of a one phase overload case are shown. Duration tests to reveal the dependency of the limited current and the FCL voltage on the activation number were performed. A new representation of the sudden short circuit current and voltage are proposed.


PRODUCTION OF IMMUNORADIOMETRICASSA Y (IRMA) CA 15.3 KIT COMPONENT FOR DETECTION OF BREAST CANCER. YKI has ranked that breast cancer as a second deseas in causing death of Indonesian women (, 2007). This phenomenon has been caused by the low level of public awareness in early detection of cancers. As a consequences this kind of cancer has generally been diagnosed in advanced stadium which is difficult to be treated  In spite of this, the disease actually can be detected early by measuring level of CA 15.3, a tumor marker for breast cancer. One of such in vitro method is immunoradiometricassay (IRMA) for CA 15.3. The CA 15.3 itself is a glycoprotein of heterogen compound capable of reacting with monoclonal antibody CA 15.3. Production of the IRMA CA 15.3 kit has been performed in the Center for Radioisotope and Radiopharmac.eutical, National Nuclear Energy Agency of Indonesia. Optimization of the kit component has been carried out using several parameter including type of monoclonal antibody for tracer and buffer coating type. The results showed that monoclonal anti CA M37901M type is better than M37552M type for tracer production. The M3790lM gave yield about 79.51%, with specific activity 29.12 ~Ci/~g, radiochemical purity 94.21% and %B/T about 11.94%. Several buffers have been evaluated and 0.05 M pH 9.6 carbonate bicarbonate buffer showed the highest specific binding when it was used as coating buffer. Preparation of IRMA CA 15.3 standard solution gave a linier relation between CA 15.3 concentration and the maximum binding (%B/T) Y=0.227X+0.5177 and correlation coefficient R 0.9840 Keywords: Radioimmunoassay, Immunoradiometricassay, tumor marker, CA-15.3


The use of cryogenic coolants such as liquid nitrogen or liquid carbon dioxide has emerged as a sustainable alternative to conventional cutting fluids during machining operations, with the potential to increase tool life, leading to productivity gains, as well as to improve the surface integrity of the machined components. In addition, the machined surfaces are left residue-free after the process and there are no used cutting fluids to dispose of. This work aims to increase the understanding of the effects of cryogenic cooling when machining titanium alloy Ti‑6Al‑4V. Turning experiments on Ti-6Al-4V revealed that using the same setup (same tool holder and nozzle configuration, comparable coolant pressure) gives very similar results in terms of surface integrity when using cryogenic cooling with liquid nitrogen compared to flood-cooling with emulsion. The choice of coolant did not have a significant impact on surface roughness, microstructure in the near-surface layer or residual stresses. The residual stresses were compressive in all cases, but increased tool wear shifted the residual stress depth profiles towards more compressive stresses. Due to the relatively small nozzle size used, however, the flow of cryogenic coolant was insufficient to match the tool life obtained with emulsion cooling. In face milling of Ti-6Al-4V with liquid carbon dioxide and emulsion, it was shown that notch wear and chipping were the main wear mechanisms determining the tool life, rather than abrasive wear, i.e. flank wear. Comb cracks were formed in both cooling conditions. However, cryogenic cooling with liquid carbon dioxide greatly delayed the lateral propagation of the comb cracks, thereby delaying the chipping of the cutting edge. Tool life was shown to improve with higher flow rates of coolant, the effect being stronger when using liquid carbon dioxide compared to flood-cooling with emulsion. Moreover, the difference in terms of tool life between cryogenic cooling and flood-cooling with emulsion decreased at higher cutting data.


AT a meeting of the Royal Anthropological Institute on Tuesday, May 18, Sir Everard im Thurn, president, in the chair, Sir Henry Howorth read a paper on "Buddhism in the Pacific." The paper discussed the disintegrated distribution of the Polynesian race, and the occurrence, especially in the Hawaian archipelago and that of New Zealand, of two of its factors which are separated by the whole length of the Pacific Ocean, one occurring in the extreme north and the other in the extreme south, and separated by an intervening area occupied largely by Melanesians. The two factors in question agree very closely in language, while they differ materially in the art and form of the objects which they use. Inasmuch as the Maoris almost certainly migrated to their present quarters at the beginning of the fifteenth century, this is the only way to account for the virtual identity of their speech with that of the Hawaians, and the general character of their ornamental work with that of the Melanesians. The Hawraians, on the other hand, present us with a series of objects, i.e. helmets and cloaks, made of feathers which, in their form and colour, differ entirely from those made by other members of the Polynesian race. They agree in an extraordinary way in colour and form with those of the Reformed Lamaists of Tibet, who, like other Buddhists, were great travellers and evangelists at a time when Chinese and Japanese vessels, as has been so completely proved in recent years, were traversing the Indian Ocean and visiting the whole of the eastern archipelago at least as far as New Guinea, and apparently even reaching New Zealand, where many vears ago a very interesting bronze figure was found.


We construct degenerate quadratic models for the Euler equations which distinguish the stabilizing effect of an antisymmetry in the Lie structure of the Euler equations when this antisymmetry is accounted for versus when it is not. We derive a matrix, depending only on the mesh size, N , and the 2-wave strengths, whose powers propagate the 1and 3-waves up to time t. We give sharp estimates for the magnitude of the largest eigenvalue of this matrix and conclude that the solution will decay for initial data of arbitrarily large total variation, of order the 4-th root of N in the limit N approaches infinity, when the antisymmetry is accounted for, and only for sufficiently small total variation when it is not.


Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular risk factors and mortality. However, little is known on the UPF effect on renal function. The aim of this study is to assess prospectively the association between consumption of UPF and renal function decline. This is a prospective cohort study of 1312 community-dwelling individuals aged 60 and older recruited during 2008–2010 and followed up to December 2015. At baseline, a validated dietary history was obtained. UPF was identified according to NOVA classification. At baseline and at follow-up, serum creatinine (SCr) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) levels were ascertained and changes were calculated. A combined end-point of renal decline was considered: SCr increase or eGFR decreased beyond that expected for age. Logistic regression with adjustment for potential confounders was performed. During follow-up, 183 cases of renal function decline occurred. The fully adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) of renal function decline across terciles of percentage of total energy intake from UPF were 1.56 (1.02–2.38) for the second tercile, and 1.74 (1.14–2.66) for the highest tercile; p-trend was 0.026. High UPF consumption is independently associated with an increase higher than 50% in the risk of renal function decline in Spanish older adults.


Citizen Science projects ask their participants to contribute work to pre-defined topics, thereby typically rendering the participants as mere consumers of often narrowly defined tasks. In this work-in-progress paper, we present our work on an interactive experimentation platform that allows anybody - researchers as well as members of the crowd - to run experiments and test scientific hypotheses with a local crowd of volunteers. The platform also enforces a lightweight review process for teaching its users how to formulate valid scientific hypotheses and experimental designs.


Purpose: The present study was aimed to evaluate the effect of the opioid receptors genes and dopamine system genes polymorphisms on the treatment outcomes of opioid dependence with implantable and oral naltrexone in randomized double blinded double dummy placebo controlled clinical trial. Methods: 306 patients with opioid dependence were randomized in 3 treatment groups (102 ss in each). The first group received implantation of 1000 mg naltrexone every 2 months during the 6 months period + oral naltrexone placebo; the second group — placebo implant every 2 months + oral naltrexone (50mg/day), and the third group — placebo implant + oral naltrexone placebo. All enrolled participants provided blood sample at baseline for genetic analysis of polymorphisms in following genes: mu-opioid receptor (OPRM1), kappa-opioid receptor (OPRK1), catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), dopamine receptors types 2 (DRD2) and 4 (DRD4), dopamine-beta-hydroxylase, and dopamine transporter (DAT1). Results: Regardless of provided treatment several polymorphisms of tested genes were associated with high risk of relapse: allele L (2R) DRD4 120bp (p=0.05; OR(95% CI)=3.3(1.1-10.1) ); allele С DRD2 NcoI (р=0,051 OR(95% CI) = 2,86 (1,09 — 7,52); genotype 9.9 DAT VNTR40bp (р=0,04; RR(95% CI) = 1,4(1,3 — 1,5)); on the contrary variants of polymorphisms (СС+СТ)-(ТТ)) of genes (OPRK1- DRD2Ncol) increased the chance to complete the treatment program (р=0,004; OR(95% CI) = 7.4 (1.8 — 30.4)), Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, р=0,016). The probability of completing treatment program by carriers of all these above mentioned variants of polymorphisms (OPRK1DRD2Ncol) was higher for oral naltrexone group (p=0.016), lower for double placebo group (p=0.015), but did not influence treatment outcomes in naltrexone-implant group. Conclusion: Naltrexone-implant is an effective medication for treatment of opioid dependence and its effectiveness exceeds oral naltrexone and placebo. The study showed joint influence of opioid receptor genes and genes of dopaminergic system on the treatment outcomes of opioid dependence. Genetic analysis is useful for determining potential responders to naltrexone treatment of opioid dependence.


Oviposition Deterrence of Bean Weevil, Callosobruchus chinensis L.(Coleoptera: Bruchidae) Treated with Ten Plant Extracts . Pest and Diseases attack agricultural products not only in the field but also in storehouse. Their attack causes decreasing both quantity and quality of stored materials. One of important stored product insect pests is Callosobruchus chinensis L. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). Till now the effective strategy to control this insect pest is chemical control by using synthetic insecticides. The improper use synthetic insecticides causes some undesirable effects, so alternative strategist should be searched to controls insect pests in storehouse. One of the alternatives is by using plant materials as insect pests control agent. The aim of this study was to find out the oviposition deterrence of C. chinensis treated with ten plant which were extracted with methanol, hexane and ether. Oviposition deterrence was evaluated by choice and no-choice methods at 1,3 and 5% of extract concentration. Extract of Acorus calamus (methanol), A.calamus (hexane), A. calamus (ether), Illicium verum (ether), Pogostemon calbin (hexane), P. cablin (ether), Vetiveria zizanioides (hexane), and V. zizanioides (ether) were able to deter ovipostion activity of C. chinensis by more than 90% of deterrence. Further study should be conducted to isolate and identify the active compound and to make botanical insecticide formulation for practical use as a commercial product.


This experimental activity is part of a large research program aimed at developing a passive control method for viscous drag reduction of aerodynamic bodies. The drag reduction, accomplished by delaying the laminar-turbulent transition of the boundary layer, is obtained by generating stable laminar streamwise streaks inside the boundary layer, which are known to stabilize the growth of Tollmien-Schlichting waves as well as localized disturbances. A first series of experiments have shown that by means of suitable roughness elements it is possible to generate stable steady streaks of amplitudes up to 12% of the free stream velocity. In this paper we explore the possibility to generate streaks of much larger amplitude by using a row of Miniature Vortex Generators (MVGs). Experiments have been performed showing that amplitudes up to 30% can be obtained without having any secondary instability acting on the streaks. The induced drag due to the streaky base flow is quantified and it is demonstrated that the streaks can be reinforced by placing a second array of MVGs downstream of the first one.


CONTEXT
Although minimally invasive (microinvasive) carcinoma (< or =0.1 cm) of the breast is a well-known and well-characterized entity in excision specimens, the significance of small foci of invasion in breast core needle biopsies has not been well described.

OBJECTIVE
To define the significance of minimally invasive carcinoma in breast core needle biopsies.

DESIGN
Review of a large series of core needle biopsies for invasive carcinomas measuring 0.1 cm or less and correlation of the results with those of subsequent excision.

SETTING
Large community hospital.

RESULTS
From approximately 8500 biopsies, a total of 18 cases of minimally invasive carcinoma from 16 women aged 42 to 80 years were identified. All were present on only 1 of 8 slides made from the block. Overall, the incidence was approximately 0.1% of all biopsies and 1% of all invasive carcinomas. Six cases were invasive lobular carcinomas, 1 was tubulolobular carcinoma, 3 were tubular carcinomas, and the remaining 8 were ductal carcinomas. Eight cases were associated with high-grade comedo ductal carcinomas, 2 with low-grade ductal carcinoma in situ, 3 with atypical ductal hyperplasia, 3 with atypical ductal hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ, and 2 with no other lesion. From a total of 8 sections done entirely through the block, the lesion was present on the first level in 4 cases and the fifth level in 5 cases. No cases were identified in the last 3 levels. Subsequent pathology was available for 16 of the 18 cases. Invasive carcinomas measuring more than 1 cm were present in 9 cases (64%; along with 2 positive lymph nodes), invasive carcinomas less than 1 cm in 2 cases (14%), ductal carcinoma alone in 4 cases (29%), and no carcinoma in 1 case (7%). No pathologic or radiologic features were associated with the finding of invasive carcinoma at excision.

CONCLUSION
Invasive carcinoma measuring 0.1 cm or less is a rare finding in breast core needle biopsies, is commonly associated with in situ carcinomas and atypical hyperplasias, and is often associated with larger invasive foci at excision. However, invasive carcinomas smaller than 0.1 cm can occur without any other significant findings and may require relatively extensive sampling to identify.


Hokkaido University and Hitachi Ltd. have started joint development of the Gated Spot Scanning Proton Therapy with Real-Time Tumor-Tracking System by integrating real-time tumor tracking technology (RTRT) and the proton therapy system dedicated to discrete spot scanning techniques under the "Funding Program for World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology (FIRST Program)". In this development, we have designed the synchrotron-based accelerator system by using the advantages of the spot scanning technique in order to realize a more compact and lower cost proton therapy system than the conventional system. In the gated irradiation, we have focused on the issues to maximize irradiation efficiency and minimize the dose errors caused by organ motion. In order to understand the interplay effect between scanning beam delivery and target motion, we conducted a simulation study. The newly designed system consists of the synchrotron, beam transport system, one compact rotating gantry treatment room with robotic couch, and one experimental room for future research. To improve the irradiation efficiency, the new control function which enables multiple gated irradiations per synchrotron cycle has been applied and its efficacy was confirmed by the irradiation time estimation. As for the interplay effect, we confirmed that the selection of a strict gating width and scan direction enables formation of the uniform dose distribution.


By introducing the concept of weights in NURBS curve into a blending technique,the paper extends the representation of the T-Bezier curve.The generalized T-Bezier curve is denoted as α Extension T-Bezier curve,whose shape-control capability is shown to be much better than that of T-Bezier curve.The representation and properties of the extension curve is studied.The curve is easy and intuitive to reshape by varying the parameters;so it is useful in some applications of CAD/CAM .


Past research has revealed that individuals' job mobility is affected by factors such as job satisfaction, specific career enhancing attributes and job availability. This study examined personality factors predicting voluntary internal and external job mobility. Three types of voluntary job mobility measures were studied: dissatisfaction changes, job improvement changes and job rotations within companies. These mobility measures were related to the Big Five personality factors, sensation seeking and adult attachment. Results showed that demographic variables and sensation seeking contributed to the variance in external job changes. Internal job rotations were not related to any of the demographic and personality variables.


Communication modes are considered important in the effective delivery of Multi-Hazard Early Warnings (MHEW) to the downstream community level. More significantly, in the global context, the lack of having proper communication modes and resistance of the community to adapt to novel technologically based communication modes have identified. Indian Ocean Tsunami which hit in 2004 is a crucial disaster incident where the lack of having effective communication modes for the warning dissemination emerged in many of the affected countries. To identify the community level perception on the existing communication modes in Sri Lanka, a field questionnaire survey was developed and conducted among 10 Grama Niladari divisions in the country and overall 323 community responses were obtained. As per the results obtained under the response analysis, traditional modes of communication were highlighted as the most effective communication mode both in urban and rural levels, among both males and females, and among each of the age category distribution. Further, the community perception level was indicated based on the mean perception score and sentimental perception score on the mobile-based communication platforms. This denoted that the community perception level is at a lower level over the warning dissemination through mobile-based platforms.


This research was carried out with the objective of studying the performance of some morphophysiological indicators after grazing P. purpureum cv. Cuba CT-115 used as biomass bank. A completely randomized sampling was used and a total of 15 tufts were collected (experimental unit) immediately after grazing and every 15 days until to complete each growth cycle. The treatments consisted on the age of the grass regrowth from the moment the animals exit the paddock (zero time) and according to the biomass bank technology. During the first year and for each resting cycle the regrowth age influenced (P<0.001) on the plant height. For more of the cycles the length and width of leaves, and the leaf area increased (P<0.001) with the age and the higher values were in the cycles with more favorable climatic conditions for growth and leaf expansion, reaching the leaf area values of 246 cm2 for the fourth cycle of the first year and 204 cm2 for the fifth cycle of the second year. It was also determined the total yield performance with the regrowth age and growth indexes as Culture Growth Rate (CGR) and Net Assimilation Rate (NAR).The results showed that the growth cycles of the studied crop have an specific response pattern in function of the regrowth age and climatic characteristics. The CGR and the NAR have specific response for each cycle and are appropriate indicators for the analysis and characterization of grass growth. It was also proven that the increase of dry matter yield is done with low efficiency (NAR) from the high Culture Growth Rate is reached. It is recommended to incorporate the growth indexes studied in this research as novel tool for the management of other grasses and forage species.

Key words: P. purpureum cv. Cuba CT-115, morphophysiological indicators, biomass bank


From the late Middle Ages, when it embodied spirituality, through the end of the eighteenth century, when it offered pleasurable surroundings for banquets, poetry readings, and amorous pursuits, the garden figured prominently in everyday Roman life. In this lavishly illustrated history, David Coffin provides a wealth of information on how Italian gardeners worked with the elements of color, fragrance, sound, shade, architecture, sculpture, and wildlife to achieve a wide variety of sensual effects. In so doing he presents the stages of evolution in classic Italian gardening, which was replaced in the late eighteenth century by the more naturalistic English style. Coffin first considers the role of cloistered gardens in the Middle Ages and shows how they were later incorporated as private spaces within the larger Renaissance gardens. Describing the introduction of sculptural collections and waterworks into gardens during the sixteenth century, he explores some of the rich, often complicated, iconographical programs that emerged. The extension of garden parks in the seventeenth century marks the diminishment of architecture in landscaping and the advent of landscape design as a dominant factor. Throughout this book Coffin concentrates on the garden as a site for entertainment and on the development of design components that eventually permitted gardens to be freely open to the public.


Summary This essay is an intertextual approach to J.M. Coetzee's Foe through five French texts in the wake of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. A discussion of the departures from Defoe's text in the dating and location of the island adventure as a topos establishes that the French narrative texts eliminate polemic relations. These texts however fail to extricate themselves from the hypotext through the figure of Robinson Crusoe who remains a fiction of the self developing as a subject within the topos of the desert isle. Emancipation from and subversion of the hypotext is rather achieved through the figure of Friday who emerges as an equal or a desirable alternative to be copied, but remains an object in a white man's discourse. An analysis of the treatment of the black man's language by Defoe and J.M. Coetzee establishes that, in the fiction of Robinson Crusoe, Friday can only be a parrot or a mute. The third (female) figure of Susan Barton in Foe allows the South African writer to introduce a "middle voi...


The reseatch is starting from obsevation, where researcher found when realize observation. Researcher found an autis child get obstacle in take hold of pencil. This research have as aim to increase child ability in hold pencil with good and right by means of pry up flestisin technique.  This research use experiment approach in from Single Subject Research (SSR), with use A-B desian. Subject is this research is an autis child . The yield of the research shawed, if talent, if talent of autis child hold a pencil is rise although stages. In this baseline condition (A) the child can do one talent that is write distance between book and eye 25-30cm. at baseline condition in the frist day till 5 th days, talented of child across that is 30%. At intervensi condition (B) straight rise from 35% till 65%. Suggestion for teacher can use pry up technique to increase how to hold pencil for autis child.


The purpose of this research (PhD) was to explore Aboriginal understandings of suicide from a Social and Emotional Wellbeing (holistic) Framework through the establishment of traditional yarning style approaches to interviews and focus groups. Culturally this framework fits well with an Indigenous holistic view of health, connection to land, culture, spirituality, family, and community. These are important to Aboriginal people and can impact on their wellbeing. This research was undertaken in consultation with up to 55 Aboriginal residents across Toowoomba Darling Downs and South West regions of Queensland classified as rural, remote, semi-urban and urban Aboriginal communities.

There is a need for additional research into understandings and definitions of suicidal behaviour for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their communities (Suicide Prevention Australia, 2009a; 2014b). The loss of a life from suicide impacts considerably on the family and the wider community, which in turn disrupts social and emotional wellbeing - mental health (De Leo et al., 2011) of Aboriginal people. As the social and emotional well-being (SEWB) and mental health problems are not completely recognised or understood from an Aboriginal perspective within the broader health care system.

It is evident that suicides among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are much more frequent in comparison to other Queenslanders, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders suicide rates are 50 percent higher (Kolves, Potts & De Leo, 2015). Not only are these high rates characteristic of the interplay of both risk and protective factors but broader social, economic and historic factors affecting social and emotional wellbeing and mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are also important. Evidence suggests improving social and emotional wellbeing of people results in a reduction in suicides for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (Queensland Mental Health Commission, 2015).

This research set out to attain a comprehensive understanding of suicides from an Aboriginal perspective. This incorporated undertaking a historical and contemporary analysis of the literature on suicide across the broader population – internationally and nationally to determine when suicides primarily occurred in Australian Aboriginal populations. In addition further historical understanding of suicides in each Aboriginal community was also important in appreciating the historical and cultural context of communities where Aboriginal people currently resided. Aboriginal participants including females and males, young people (18 years and over), middle-aged people and elders residing within each of the communities participated in pre-arranged face to face semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Thematic analysis of the data achieved a number of themes (Italics) and subthemes: Suicide, Community – underlying issues and substance misuse, Young people – relationships and help-seeking, mental health – services and awareness and Culture – cultural perspectives, social, lifestyle and leadership.

In conclusion suicide in Aboriginal communities is on the rise accompanied by intergenerational trauma, substance misuse, poverty, disempowerment, disengagement and disadvantage within the larger social and health context. Historically suicide and self-harm did not appear to exist prior to the 1960s; and there is a difference in understandings and shifts in attitudes towards suicides today. The negative effects from emotional distress, violence, self-harm, substance abuse, anti-social behaviour, behavioural and disciplinary problems are all compounded by the ongoing experiences of social and economic disadvantages further impacting on the risk of social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal people and their communities.


Purpose: Array-CGH is the technique for detecting multiple chromosomal abnormalities in the genomic DNA with using a single procedure. Compared with conventional CGH, there are many advantages for array-CGH such as high resolution, simplified image analysis and high throughput, and its oligo-strategy allows a genome based design. We analyzed the gene aberrations in breast cancer patient to discover the other genomic aberrations that are associated with c-erbB-2 amplification. Methods: 10 cases of breast cancer patients, considering its c-erbB-2 status of the paraffin embedded tissues, were analyzed with performing array-CGH. Results: The repeated aberrations in whole cases were found in 78 loci, of which repeatedly gained in 1p36.33, 19p13.13, and lost in 14q32.33, 4q32.3, 10p15.3, 14q21.1. The unsupervised dendrogram couldn t show significant classifier for its limited case number. Each tissue from one bilateral breast cancer patient showed a different aberration pattern. There were no BRCA1, 2 aberrations in this study. The concordance was 100% between the IHC and the a-CGH. By the supervised clustering on the c-erbB-2 factor, 18 aberrations (gained in 17q12-21.1, 17q12, 17q21.1, 17q11.2 and lost in 22q11.1, 15q11.2) were found in c-erbB-2 (+) group with the permutation t-test. The repeated aberrations of c-erbB-2 (+) group were found in 170 loci, of which repeatedly gained in 17q12, 17q21.1 and lost in 14q32.33, 22q11.1. Conclusion: Although the number of cases was small, performing a-CGH with paraffin embedded breast cancer tissue was a useful technique for rapidly identifying DNA aberrations with high throughput, and this technique showed significant aberrations for some clinical variables. (J Korean Surg Soc 2006;70:265-274)


This dissertation is concerned with topology optimization of vehicle body structures.The first part of this thesis gives a summary of the research project. A design process for complex mechanical structures is presented. This design process includes an optimization step where simplified models are optimized. These simplified models are frame structures consisting of beams and joints. Joints are modelled as a collection of sub-elements to support for a topological change during optimization. Parameterization of beams and joint is also presented and design variables are introduced.An application of this frame topology optimization method, concerning a vehicle body structure, is presented.Two extensions to the theory are also presented. First, the possibility to penalize joints to support for easily realizable results is presented. This is followed by a two-material interpolation that introduces the possibility of using a mixed material structure.This introductory part is followed by five appended papers produced within the framework of this research.


There is mounting evidence that communication and hand-off failures are a root cause of two-thirds of sentinel events in hospitals. Several studies have shown that non-standardized hand-offs have yielded poor patient outcomes and adverse events. At Stony Brook University Hospital, there were numerous reported adverse events related to poor hand-off during the transfer of patient responsibility from one resident caregiver to the next. A resident-conducted root cause analysis identified lack of a standardized hand-off process and formal training on safe and efficient hand-off among caregivers as key contributing factors. This quality improvement project used the PDSA methodology to test the use of a standardized method, the IPASS mnemonic, and compare it to our conventional hand-off method in our internal medicine residency program. The main goals of this study were to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a standardized I- PASS hand-off and to create a robust sustainability model that includes 1) integration of I-PASS handoff in the Electronic Medical Record (EMR), 2) direct observation of the hand-off process by faculty and senior residents, and 3) surveillance and reporting of hand-off compliance scores. Compared to hand-off with a conventional method, the use of the I-PASS method resulted in significantly fewer reported adverse events (χ2=4.8, df=1, p=0.04). I-PASS was successfully integrated into our EMR system and residents were mandated to use this as the sole method of hand-off. An EMR audit conducted six months after implementation revealed poor compliance, which ultimately led to the creation of a sustainability model that improved overall compliance from 60% to 100%.


A study has been made of the oxygen uptake, glucose utilization, lactate release and cellular content of adenine nucleotides of isolated sheep ovarian follicles (4-6 min in diameter) maintained in organ culture, and of the effects on these parameters of the addition of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). The mean oxygen consumption of the entire follicles when freshly isolated and of the theca and membrana components was 0-56, 1-08 and 0-05 mumol per milligram wet weight of tissue per hour respectively. About 8 mumol of glucose was taken up and 16 mumol of lactate released per milligram wet weight of follicular tissue per hour during the first 24-h period of culture. This rate reduced by about 30% for each subsequent day of culture, but was significantly increased by the addition of hCG. The mean ATP content of theca and granulosa tissues was 4-6 and 2-8 nmol/mg wet weight of tissue respectively. There was no discernable change in tissue adenine nucleotide content or energy charge ratio during the 3-day culture period, and prolonged exposure to hCG was without effect. Untreated follicles produced both oestrogen and androgens throughout the culture period. The addition of hCG resulted in a transitory stimulation in oestrogen secretion, inhibition of androgen secretion, and a marked and sustained rise in progestin secretion. It is proposed that the increase in glycolytic activity following exposure to hCG may relate to the activation of the granulosa cells coincident with a transference of steroid synthetic capacity from theca interna to membrana granulosa.


Some of us have suggested that what fiction makers do is offer us things to imagine, that this is what is distinctive of fiction and what distinguishes it from narrative-based but assertive activities such as journalism or history. Some of us hold, further, that it is the maker's intention which confers fictional status. Many, I think, feel the intuitive appeal of this idea at the same time as they sense looming problems for any proposal about fiction's nature based straightforwardly on the identification of fiction with the to-be-imagined. I formulate a very weak version of the proposal which is not vulnerable to some objections recently presented. My formulation is in terms of supervenience. But while this version is weak, it is also quite precise, and its precision brings into view certain other problems which have not so far been attended to. To the extent that these problems are serious, the prospects for an intentional theory of fiction look, I am sorry to say, poor; the version susceptible to the objections is weak, and anything weaker still but not so susceptible could hardly be thought of as a theory of fiction, though it might supplement such a theory.


Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to investigate patterns of health care utilization leading up to diagnosis of necrotizing soft tissue infections of the genitalia and to identify risk factors associated with potential diagnostic delay. Materials and Methods: IBM MarketScan Research Databases (2001-2020) were used to identify index cases of necrotizing soft tissue infections of the genitalia. We identified health care visits for symptomatically similar diagnoses (eg, penile swelling, cellulitis) that occurred prior to necrotizing soft tissue infections of the genitalia diagnosis. A change-point analysis identified the window before diagnosis where diagnostic opportunities first appeared. A simulation model estimated the likelihood symptomatically similar diagnosis visits represented a missed opportunity for earlier diagnosis. Patient and provider characteristics were evaluated for their associations with delay. Results: We identified 8,098 patients with necrotizing soft tissue infections of the genitalia, in which 4,032 (50%) had a symptomatically similar diagnosis visit in the 21-day diagnostic window, most commonly for "non-infectious urologic abnormalities" (eg, genital swelling; 64%): 46% received antibiotics; 16% saw a urologist. Models estimated that 5,096 of the symptomatically similar diagnosis visits (63%) represented diagnostic delay (mean duration 6.2 days; mean missed opportunities 1.8). Risk factors for delay included urinary tract infection history (OR 2.1) and morbid obesity (OR 1.6). Visits to more than 1 health care provider/location in a 24-hour period significantly decreased delay risk. Conclusions: Nearly 50% of insured patients who undergo debridement for, or die from, necrotizing soft tissue infections of the genitalia will present to a medical provider with a symptomatically similar diagnosis suggestive of early disease development. Many of these visits likely represent diagnostic delay. Efforts to minimize logistic and cognitive biases in this rare condition may lead to improved outcomes if they lead to earlier interventions.


Inorganic phosphate (Pi) uptake systems across the plasma membrane of plant cells have been extensively investigated. Physiological studies have established that Pi is transported into plant cells via co-transport with H+ , and in some plants with Na + , using the driving force provided by the electrogenic H + pump in the plasma membrane. Molecular studies have identified many genes for Pi transporters and are providing insights into the mechanisms of genetic control of Pi transport. There still remain, however, questions as to how Pi uptake systems are regulated at the physiological level. We have found that Pi uptake induces cytoplasmic acidification, and, conversely, that inducing cytoplasmic acidification causes the cytoplasmic Pi concentration to decrease. Both of these responses affect the operation of the H + -pump. These phenomena are discussed in relation to a possible mechanism for the physiological control of Pi uptake by plant cells.


The third and psychoanalytical approach to culpability will be conducted through the study of Freud's and A. Hesnard's works. We will see how Freud unravels the feeling of culpability and solves the enigma of its origins; in his opinion, il is transmitted through a philogenetical agency. Thanks to this conceptualisation we will be able to measure in what way Freud's writings were influenced by occidental culture. Eventually, we will tackle the question of A. Hesnard's phenomenological approach. It will lead to an original outlook in which culpability is at the care of every ethical behaviour.


Kallmann's syndrome is a genetic disorder that includes pituitary gonadotropin deficiency associated with sexual immaturity and infertility. A successful treatment program resulted in normalization of sexual development, spermatogenesis, and conception.


PURPOSE
To evaluate the dosimetric accuracy for proton therapy patients with metal implants in CT using metal deletion technique (MDT) artifacts reduction.

METHODS
Proton dose accuracies under CT metal artifacts were first evaluated using a water phantom with cylindrical inserts of different materials (titanium and steel). Ranges and dose profiles along different beam angles were calculated using treatment planning system (Eclipse version 8.9) on uncorrected CT, MDT CT, and manually-corrected CT, where true Hounsfield units (water) were assigned to the streak artifacts. In patient studies, the treatment plans were developed on manually-corrected CTs, then recalculated on MDT and uncorrected CTs. DVH indices were compared between the dose distributions on all the CTs.

RESULTS
For water phantom study with 1/2 inch titanium insert, the proton range differences estimated by MDT CT were with 1% for all beam angles, while the range error can be up to 2.6% for uncorrected CT. For the study with 1 inch stainless steel insert, the maximum range error calculated by MDT CT was 1.09% among all the beam angles compared with maximum range error with 4.7% for uncorrected CT. The dose profiles calculated on MDT CTs for both titanium and steel inserts showed very good agreements with the ones calculated on manually-corrected CTs, while large dose discrepancies calculated using uncorrected CTs were observed in the distal end region of the proton beam. The patient study showed similar dose distribution and DVHs for organs near the metal artifacts recalculated on MDT CT compared with the ones calculated on manually-corrected CT, while the differences between uncorrected and corrected CTs were much pronounced.

CONCLUSION
In proton therapy, large dose error could occur due to metal artifact. The MDT CT can be used for proton dose calculation to achieve similar dose accuracy as the current clinical practice using manual correction.


Austenitic stainless CrNi-steels are generally known as non-sensitive to hydrogen embrittlement. However,
this only applies to stable systems. In contrast, unstable CrNi-steels are characterized by a low
thermal stability of the austenitic matrix and convert into bcc α'-martensite by external thermally
and/or mechanically induced strain. This is accompanied by a significant increase in strength, and
high susceptibility to an early failure of the unstable CrNi-steels under H2 atmosphere. In this context,
the present work deals essentially with the effect of deformation-induced phase transformation
on the mechanical properties at room temperature (RT), both in air and under H2 compressed gas
atmosphere. In addition to the macrostructural properties, the microstructural properties with respect
to the local phase stability are considered. In particular, the influence of the chemical constitution on
the global and local stability, starting from solidification, is investigated.
The experimental investigations were carried out using commercial steels of type AISI 304L (EN
1.4307) and AISI 316L (EN 1.4435). Beyond that, modifications based on steels of the AISI grades
304, 305 and 316 were analyzed. Mechanical material testing was essentially carried out using uniaxial
tensile tests at RT in air and under H2 compressed gas atmosphere. The cyclic tensile tests in
air were used to analyze the α'-martensite generated as a function of strain, which was determined
using feritscope measurements. X-ray diffraction tests were used to identify all phases and quantify
their amounts before and after material failure. Moreover, X-ray diffraction was used to determine
experimentally the stacking fault energy (SFE) at RT. All microstructure analyses were performed
using light and scanning electron microscopy by using of the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.
The latter were also used for the microstructural investigation of the local element distribution. To
estimate the global and local austenite stability, empirical equations as well as thermodynamic calculation
approaches using Thermo-Calc software were used.
The matrix of unstable austenitic CrNi-steels with a dominant content of α'-martensite after material
failure, converts both directly and indirectly via the intermediate stage of the e-martensite to
α'-martensite. If no deformation-induced e-martensite occurs during deformation, the formed amount
of α'-martensite is significantly lower. It was therefore concluded that the existence of e-martensite
must be responsible for the significant increase in the α'-martensite amount. In addition, the existence
of e-martensite is linked to the SFE of the alloy under consideration. Unstable austenitic CrNi-steels
with an SFE ≤20 mJ/m2 tend to undergo an indirect γ→e→α' transformation under mechanical stress,
while austenitic CrNi-steels with an SFE >20 mJ/m2 tend to a undergo direct γ→α' transformation.
With increasing SFE, the propensity to α'-martensite formation decreases significantly, so that above
an SFE of about 26 mJ/m2 the martensitic phase transformation is significantly inhibited or even completely
suppressed. Under the assumption that atomically dissolved hydrogen in the fcc crystal lattice
reduces the SFE of CrNi-steels, the increase in α'-martensite under H2 atmosphere could be explained.
Accordingly, the hydrogen penetrated into the steel must reduce the SFE to values below 20 mJ/m2,
which in turn allows e-martensite to form and ultimately leads to higher α'-martensite contents due
to the γ→e→α' conversion sequence. Commercially produced CrNi-steels show local concentration
differences of the alloying elements. These microsegregations are responsible for the inhomogeneous
distribution of the local properties. This also includes the local phase stability, which significantly
influences the global properties. In this context, it could be shown that a global consideration of the
austenite stability of low-alloyed unstable austenitic CrNi-steels is not sufficient to assess the susceptibility
to hydrogen embrittlement. Regarding a thermal reduction of the concentration gradients,
it was established that microsegregations in technically relevant process times cannot be completely
eliminated by heat treatment. However, taking solidification simulations into account, it was shown
that the degree of segregation of Cr and Ni is lower the more single-phase the primary solidification
from the melt takes place. Primary ferritic solidification favors a compensation of austenite stability
between segregated areas due to the dominantly contrary segregation of alloying elements. The most
pronounced local concentration differences were observed in alloys with balanced amounts with respect
to the ferritic or austenitic phases. The decisive factor is therefore a dominant single-phase solidifying
amount of either austenite or ferrite of more then 50 Vol.-%. The key finding of this work is that a
high and homogeneously distributed austenite stability, taking into account all alloying elements, has
a beneficial effect on the resistance of austenitic CrNi steels to hydrogen-induced embrittlement.-+


This thesis examines tourist establishments – mainly hotels, holiday villages, resorts, theme parks and outlet centers – in the age of the Experience Economy, post-modernism, and branding. The purpose is to analyse tourist environments and resorts from a narrative and ideological perspective, to identify and analyse stories, tales and history as the resources in the designing of Swedish tourist establishments during the period 1985-2005 by a multiple case study. Examples of these case studies, such as Astrid Lindgren's World, Icehotel, Stora Hotellet, are discussed, as are some international objects, in view of theories of Visual Culture.One of the aims is to examine how practices like theming, storytelling, design program, branding, and place marketing are brought into the tourist industry and how they are translated into visual form. Since the 1990s, "upplevelseindustrin" (the Experience Economy) has been a frequently used term within the Swedish tourist industry. This indicates that the word "experience" has acquired a more attractive meaning. This concept also signifies an increasing belief in the effects of creative and sensuous market aesthetic solutions. Architecture, interior design, scenography, and city-planning are strategically linked to the business ventures. The term "visualised narrative" is here used to analyse these processes of economical and aesthetical symbiosis through narratives, that is, whenever visualisations, fictional creation of environments, and business-supporting activities (corporate storytelling, merchandising, branding) are braided together with a mix of myth and fiction.Two prominent features of these tourist environments can be distinguished: a striving to express "spectacularity" through architecture and design in order to draw attention and demonstrate creativity, and a postmodernist influence that may be characterised by fictional, holistic, and scenographic environments with features of escapism. It is a matter of associative and symbolically charged environments, often composed by cliches that facilitate the journey in and out of the fictional context.


Characterization and studies of proteome are challenging because biological samples are complex, with a wide dynamic range of abundance. At present the proteins are identified by digestion into peptides, with subsequent identification of the peptides by mass spectrometry (MS). MS is a powerful technique for the purpose, but it cannot identify every peptide in such complex mixtures simultaneously. For accurate analysis and quantification it is important to separate the peptides first by chro- matography into fractions of a size that MS can handle. With these less complex fractions, the probability is increased of identi- fying peptides of low abundance that would otherwise experience ion suppression effects due to the presence of peptides of high abundance. Enrichment for peptides with certain post-translational modifications helps to increase their detection rates as well. Electrostatic repulsion-hydrophilic interaction chromatography (ERLIC) is a mixed-mode chromatographic technique which combines the use of electrostatic repulsion and hydrophilic interaction. This review provides an overview of ERLIC and its var- ious proteomics applications. ERLIC has been demonstrated to have good orthogonality to reverse phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), making it useful as a first dimension in multidimensional liquid chromatography (MDLC) and fractionation of digests in general. Peptides elute in order of their isoelectric points and polarity. ERLIC has also been successfully utilized for the enrichment for phosphopeptides and glycopeptides, facilitating their identification. In addition, it is promising for the study of peptide deamidation. ERLIC performs comparably well or better than established methods for these various applications, and serves as a viable and efficient workflow alternative.


The retromolar canal is a structure rarely identified in clinical practice. The content of this canal is composed of nerves, arteries and venous plexus that give innervation and irrigation to the third molar region and the vestibular mucosa of molars and lower premolars. Thus, knowledge of the presence of this structure is important in dental procedures, due to the complications that damage to this structure can cause.

 In this report, a 19-year-old patient sought dental care at a clinic, Dentistry course at the Federal University of Santa Maria for the extraction of third molars due to hygiene difficulties. On radiographic examination, a retromolar canal was identified at the distal of the left mandibular third molar. With the identification of this structure, preventive measures were performed during the procedure to avoid complications.

 With adequate planning and prevention measures, the trans and postoperative periods occurred without any complications.

 The foramen and the retromolar canal may occasionally appear in the clinic radiographic routine of the Dentist, and the professional should be attentive to the management of these anatomical structures during surgical procedures to avoid accidents and complications.


ABSTRACT
 The reproductive biology of a citrus pest Pezothrips kellyanus (Bagnall) was studied at four constant temperatures (15, 20, 25, and 30°C) on lemon leaf discs, under laboratory conditions. Lifetime fecundity of mated P. kellyanus was twofold higher at 20 and 25°C than at 15°C. Temperature had no significant effect on fecundity but daily oviposition rate increased as temperature increased. At 15°C, a female of P. kellyanus oviposited 1.13 offspring and at 30°C 5.35 offspring in average per day. Adult longevity was inversely related to temperature. Specifically, female longevity was longest at 15°C (53.90 d) and shortest at 30°C (13.64 d). Preoviposition, oviposition, and postoviposition periods decreased inversely to temperature. Sex ratio was strongly female biased (>60%) at 15 and 25°C. The net reproductive rate (Ro was highest at 15°C and lowest at 30°C. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm) as well as the finite rate of increase (&lgr;) were related to temperature and were highest at 30°C. The mean generation time (T) and population doubling time (DT) were inversely related to temperature and were longest at the lowest studied temperature, 15°C. Almost all biological parameters (except preoviposition period) differed significantly between mated and unmated females when were tested at 25°C. The offspring sex ratio was significantly higher at mated than unmated females. Unmated females produced only a few female offspring confirming arrhenotoky in P. kellyanus.


The importance of the complication incisional hernia after laparoscopic surgery was determined by analyzing our own cases and extensive review of the literature. The data recorded give its incidence as 1 in 550 cases. The most frequent event was intestinal incarceration with a high portion of Richter's hernias. To avoid postlaparoscopic hernias the important step is suturing the fascia when the trocar diameter exceeds 5 mm. When external suturing of the fascia is impossible, the laparoscopic technique using the Reverdin needle is a sufficient procedure for fascial closure after minimally invasive surgery.


The multi-wire sawing of silicon using a steel wire coated with diamond grits (diamond wire) is an important process in the semiconductor and photovoltaic industry. The cut is performed in the industry by pushing a silicon ingot against a diamond wire web that moves in a pilgrim-mode (forwards and backwards). As the cut direction and cutting speed of the wire change multiple times during the operation, it is very difficult to perform a proper investigation of the cutting process. In order to study the multi-wire sawing of monocrystalline silicon (mono-Si), a new experimental setup has been proposed. Based on literature research and industry know-how, the main features necessary for the proposed wafering test rig have been defined as follows: i) use of a short wire looped segment; ii) cut with controllable constant wire speed and iii) permit to track specific diamond grains after each cut for wear analysis. In order to fulfill these prerequisites, the first step is to butt-weld diamond wires into looped shape in a wire outer diameter range of 200 < OD < 500 μm. The adopted solution is a resistance butt-welding device. In this device, the wire ends are clamped with tight alignment. By the application of electric current through the wire ends interface, heat is generated by Joule effect and the incandescent heated material is pressed together with controlled force, creating the joint. After the joint is formed, a lower electric current heats the joint for a tempering procedure to increase material ductility. The conceptual design of the device is presented, followed by details of the actual device. Butt-welds of diamond wires with OD = 200 μm and 350 μm were successfully done, resulting in welded joints with good alignment, and sufficient tensile strength for the endless wire sawing application. Keywords— diamond wire, endless wire saw, butt-welding, resistance welding, wafering


In adverse weather conditions, in particular, in daylight fog, the contrast of images grabbed by in-vehicle cameras in the visible light range is drastically degraded, which makes current driver assistance that relies on cameras very sensitive to weather conditions. An onboard vision system should take weather effects into account. The effects of daylight fog vary across the scene and are exponential with respect to the depth of scene points. Because it is not possible in this context to compute the road scene structure beforehand, contrary to fixed camera surveillance, a new scheme is proposed. Fog density is first estimated and then used to restore the contrast using a flat-world assumption on the segmented free space in front of a moving vehicle. A scene structure is estimated and used to refine the restoration process. Results are presented using sample road scenes under foggy weather and assessed by computing the visibility level enhancement that is gained by the method. Finally, we show applications to the enhancement in daylight fog of low-level algorithms that are used in advanced camera-based driver assistance.


Langerhans cell histiocytosis can cause central diabetes insipidus. Here, a case of Langerhans cell histiocytosis invading the pituitary stalk was experienced. The patient was 15 years old boy, with complaint of polydipsia and polyuria. A water deprivation test was carried out, and the urine osmolarity was increased from 165 to 469 mosm/kg following an injection of AVP to confirm the diagnosis of central diabetes insipidus. A pituitary function stimulation test gave a normal response. A sellar MRI was performed, which showed a thickened pituitary stalk mass (about 5.7 mm), with an increased size, 6.9 mm, on a second MRI 2 month later. A tissue biopsy was performed, which showed aggregates of histiocytes and inflammatory cells, with prominent eosinophils (H&E), and also revealed strong reactivity to anti-CD1a antibody on the immunohistochemistry. After confirmative tissue diagnosis, the patient received radiotherapy (900 cGy). The thickened mass of the pituitary stalk disappeared on the MRI following the radiotherapy. The patient was managed with DDAVP nasal spray, after which the polyuric symptoms were completely relieved (J Kor Soc Endocrinol 20:513~518, 2005).


Research suggests that people often engage in a process called "moral licensing," through which they point to past good deeds as a way to license their present immoral actions. Additional research demonstrates that through a process of vicarious moral licensing, people can reference their ingroup members' morality to license their own morally dubious behavior. However, these proposed moral balancing acts seem to strikingly contradict decades of research arguing that people strive to act consistently with past behavior. The present research studies the phenomenon of ingroup licensing specifically as it relates to political ingroup identity, and examines the conditions under which people license their immoral actions as opposed to behaving consistently with their past good deeds. We hypothesized that learning about their political party's moral actions would lead people to behave less morally themselves, that this effect would be heightened among people with stronger political party identification, and that it would be weakened among people with a strong moral identity concerning the behavior in question. Together, these three studies did not establish strong support for any of the three hypotheses. The implications of these findings are discussed, and directions for future research are proposed.


Reliable testing of a mechanical system requires the procedures used for the evaluation to be repeatable and reproducible. However, it is never possible to exactly repeat or reproduce the tests that are used for evaluation. To overcome this limitation, a statistical evaluation procedure can generally be used. However, most of the statistical procedures use scalar values as input without the ability to handle vectors or time-histories. To overcome these limitations, two numerical/statistical methods for determining if the impact time-history response of a mechanical system is repeatable or reproducible are evaluated and elaborated upon. Such a system could be a vehicle, a biological human surrogate, an Anthropometric Test Device (ATD or dummy), etc. The responses could be sets of time-histories of accelerations, forces, moments, etc., of a component or of the system. The example system evaluated is the BioRID II rear impact dummy. The evaluation begins by transforming the sets of time-histories into sets of relative-shapes and magnitudes of those response time histories. The two statistical procedures use the t and T2-tests. One uses a statistical comparison between the average time history of a set (Representative Curve (RC)) and the individual time histories of that set or other sets. The other procedure uses a statistical comparison of sets of time histories. Language: en


In manufacturing control, machine scheduling research has mostly dealt with problems either without maintenance or with deterministic maintenance when no failure can occur. This can be unrealistic in practical settings. In this work, an experimental model is developed to evaluate the effect of corrective and preventive maintenance schemes on scheduling performance in the presence of machine failure where the scheduling objective is to minimize schedule duration. We show that neither scheme is clearly superior, but that the applicability of each depends on several system parameters as well as the scheduling environment itself. Further, we show that parameter values can be chosen for which preventive maintenance does better than corrective maintenance. The results provided in this study can be useful to practitioners and to system or machine administrators in manufacturing and elsewhere.c (cid:13) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


The using of layer-by-layer assembly polyelectrolyte (PE) films has been suggested as a new versatile technique for surface modification aimed at tissue engineering and cell-based chips. In this study, we investigated the surface morphology of the hyaluronic acid (HA)-based PE films deposited on the amino-functionalized glass slides using atomic force microscopy. These thin films (bilayer number <9) were measured to have nanoscale roughness ranging from 10 to 100 nm. Then the primary hippocampal and cortical neural cells were cultured on the PE films, respectively. After 5 days of culturing, the cytocompatibility to neural cells was evaluated by cellular morphology, neurite outgrowth, and microtubule-associated protein 2 expressions. From the present results, the HA-based PE films were found to be able to support neural cell adhesion and neurite development, especially for the polycation-ending films. It is suggested these HA-based multilayer PE films or similar build-ups could thus be used in the future as a way to modify surfaces for nerve scaffolds and neuron-based chips.


Background: Probst et al. (Chest 126: 1102, 2004) reported that, when using a rollator, patients with COPD increased their distance walked in 6 min along with increased oxygen uptake and ventilation. It was difficult to appraise economy (mechanical work to total energy expenditure) because the main determinant of the energy demand, speed, varied between conditions; hence, the authors concluded that rollator use improved distance by increasing ventilatory capacity and/or economy.

Objective: To determine whether walking with a rollator improved the energy economy in patients with COPD. The hypothesis was that oxygen uptake, at the same speed, would be lower (improved economy) when walking with a rollator.

Methods: Subjects completed 2 walks, (with and without a rollator) at individually set and constant speeds. At least 24 h later they repeated the session for a total of 4 walks. Energy expenditure was estimated from measured oxygen uptake using a telemetric system. Since mechanical work was kept constant (speed) during each walk, differences in economy were reflected in differences in energy expenditure in metabolic equivalents (METS).

Results: Ten subjects completed the study. Attainment of a steady state was confirmed during every walk. There was no effect of day (p=0.23) on energy expenditure. There was no significant difference (0.0 [-0.4 to 0.3] METS) in energy expenditure with (3.6 [2.9 to 4.3] METS) or without (3.6 [2.9 to 4.3] METS) the rollator.

Conclusion: Rollator use does not acutely affect walking economy in patients with COPD. A better understanding of how people with COPD benefit from rollator use may facilitate their design and prescription.


In this paper, the authors reflect on data quality issues arising from a UK project that trained senior practitioners to undertake Discovery Interviews with older people and their relatives about their urgent care experiences. These reflections are used to explore the potential for qualitative research methods to inform the development of the Discovery Interview technique.


The supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular nuclei (PVN) of the human hypothalamus are production sites of vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT). Although the hypothalamus is affected in Alzheimer's disease (AD), previous work has not only shown that in these two nuclei no neurons are lost, neither during aging nor in AD, but that the number of AVP‐expressing neurons and their nucleolar size had even increased with age. These observations indicated that the peptide synthesis of the AVP neurons was activated in the oldest age‐groups. Recently published, qualitative observations, using the area of the Golgi Apparatus (GA) as a sensitive parameter for neurosecretory activity, confirmed the activation of SON and PVN neurons with age in human; however, in this report the neurons were not identified according to their neuropeptide content. In the present quantitative study we determined whether the AVP neurons were indeed activated as a result of the aging process in controls and AD patients. We applied a polyclonal antiserum directed against the medial cisternae of the GA on formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded tissue sections taken from the dorsolateral SON (dl‐SON) of 10 controls and 10 AD patients, and performed our measurements in this area that is known to be predominantly occupied (90–95%) by AVP neurons. In addition, the sparse OXT cells present in the area of study, were excluded from the measurements on the basis of alternative sections stained for OXT. In the dl‐SON, the area occupied by the GA and the cellular profile area per patient were quantified by means of image analysis. The results show a significant increase in GA area with age in controls and in AD, demonstrating an activation of the AVP neurons in the dl‐SON of the human hypothalamus in these two conditions. No changes were observed in the cellular profile areas with age, neither in the controls nor in AD, suggesting that the GA area is a much more sensitive parameter for monitoring activity changes in post‐mortem material than neuronal size. It is proposed that this activation of AVP cells with age, which has been suggested to be a compensatory response to the age‐related loss of AVP receptors in the kidney, might be the basis of the stability of these neurons in aging and AD.


Sustainable aviation practices have significantly reduced Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions over the years. However, these practices have not shaped the aviation industry in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) to its full potential. The increasing volume of air traffic and the benefits reaped in this sector has hindered sustainable airline operations. This paper brings up a small scale-literature review on several tools and methods used for sustainability assessment in the aviation industry to address this concern, covering all the socio-economic and environmental sustainability dimensions. A review of various models and techniques used in the eco-efficiency assessment for sustainable airline operations are also discussed. Decision Support Systems (DSS) using Artificial Intelligence (AI), Deep learning, and Neural Network (NN) models also formed the basis of this study. This paper's tools and models support strategic and tactical decision-making to foster sustainable operations in the aviation industry; thus, helping mitigate the current challenges.