Understanding the dispersal of weed species is important for the development of effective control strategies. In this study, a series of experiments was conducted to clarify the role that meat ants ( Iridomyrmex spadius) play in dispersing bellyache bush ( Jatropha gossypiifolia), an exotic shrub currently invading the rangelands of northern Australia. The nutrient composition of food [ lipids ( fatty acids), fat and soluble carbohydrates] provided by bellyache bush seed components [ caruncle, exotegmen and seed ( without caruncle and exotegmen)] was identified. Seed components were rich in lipids, particularly palmitic, oleic, stearic, linoleic and eicosenic acids. Oleic and palmitic were most abundant in the caruncle ( 30% each), linoleic in the seed ( 61%) and palmitic in the exotegmen ( 36%). Over all seed components, fat concentration was relatively high ( 6.3%) compared with soluble carbohydrates ( 2.3%). The impact of feeding was then determined by comparing germination and viability of intact, non- carunculate ( caruncle manually removed) and ant- discarded bellyache bush seeds. Feeding by meat ants significantly increased seed germinability, whilst having no adverse affects on viability. The quantity of seeds dispersed and the seasonal pattern of dispersal was recorded by collecting seed from the middens of randomly selected meat ant nests on a monthly basis. On average, 12330 +/- 603 seeds were retrieved from the middens of individual meat ant nests over 12 months, with highest numbers recorded between February and June (> 1200 seeds/ ant nest). The effect of this dispersal was determined through comparisons of plant densities within core infestations of bellyache bush, meat ant nest middens and pastures located directly adjacent to core infestations and that were being invaded primarily through localised ballistic dispersal. The density of bellyache bush plants growing from the seed reserves within middens averaged 79 plants/ m(2), just 18% less than that within core infestations. Seedling survival ( 1 year) and growth within core infestation and meat ant sites was also quantified. The middens of meat ant nests provided an environment conducive to higher seedling survival and faster growth rates than occurred within core infestations. Mutualistic interaction between bellyache bush and meat ants is likely to build local ' infestation pressure' that may be conducive to range extension in years of exceptionally wet seasons. Management of seed dispersal by meat ants may reduce that risk.


This letter proposes a novel electrode structure for thin-GaN LED applications. The structure enhances light extraction and wall-plug efficiency in thin-GaN LEDs. To enhance light extraction in thin-GaN LEDs and solve current crowding effects caused by electrodes composed of metal, conventional n-GaN electrodes were replaced with ITO conductive films because of their high optical transparency. Simulation results show that the thin-GaN LEDs that use ITO as the nonshielded electrode have a more uniform current density distribution on the n-GaN surface and a higher average internal quantum efficiency than conventional metal electrodes. Furthermore, when a current of 200 mA was applied, the thin-GaN LEDs using the proposed electrode had a 40% increase in light-output power and a significant decrease in chip temperature compared to the use of conventional electrodes. The results indicate that the nonshielded ITO electrode design enhances the light extraction efficiency and avoids the accumulation of heat because of its uniform current density distribution.


BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE
Inactivation of tumor suppressor gene plays an important role in tumorigenesis and tumor development. Functional inactivation of the tumor suppressor gene p27 in human cancer occurs either through the loss of expression or through phosphorylation-dependent cytoplasmic mislocalization. AKT, known as protein kinase B, represents a subfamily of serine/threonine protein kinases. Activated AKT (phosphorylated AKT, p-AKT) could promote cell cycle progression by modulating many effectors in cell cycle, including the expression and localization of P27. This study was to investigate the expression and localization of P27 protein in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and further to explore its correlation to p-AKT.

METHODS
The expression and subcellular localization of P27 and the expression of p-AKT in 80 cases of NSCLC and 35 cases of non-cancerous lung disease were detected by immunohistochemistry, and their correlations to clinicopathologic factors were statistically analyzed.

RESULTS
The total and nuclear positive rates of p27 were significantly lower in NSCLC than in non-cancerous lung disease (72.5% vs. 94.3%, 46.3% vs. 94.3%, P<0.01). There were 21 cases of NSCLC with only cytoplasmic expression of P27, while no cytoplasmic expression alone was found in 35 cases of non-cancerous lung disease (P<0.01). The nuclear positive rate of P27 was significantly higher in NSCLC without lymph node metastasis than in NSCLC with lymph node metastasis (P<0.05), and higher in well-and moderately-differentiated NSCLC than in poorly-differentiated NSCLC (P<0.05). The nuclear and cytoplasmic expression of P27 has no correlation to clinicopathologic factors of NSCLC (P>0.05). The positive rate of p-AKT was significantly higher in NSCLC than in non-cancerous lung disease (78.8% vs. 0, P<0.05); it was significantly higher in well-and moderately-differentiated adenocarcinoma than in poorly-differentiated adenocarcinoma (95.0% vs. 50.0%, P<0.05). In NSCLC, the expression of p-AKT was positively correlated to the cytoplasmic expression of P27 (r=0.437, P<0.01), but had no correlation to the nuclear expression of P27 (r=0.175, P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
Reduced nuclear expression or loss of expression of P27 may be associated to the development of NSCLC. The localization of P27 only in cytoplasm may be one of the characteristics of lung cancer cells. P-AKT might play a role in the cytoplasmic localization of P27, but has no correlation to its nuclear expression.


The Elwha River estuary supports one of the most diverse coastal wetland complexes yet described in the Salish Sea region, in terms of vegetation types and plant species richness. Using a combination of aerial imagery and vegetation plot sampling, we identified 6 primary vegetation types and 121 plant species in a 39.7 ha area. Most of the estuary is dominated by woody vegetation types, with mixed riparian forest being the most abundant (20 ha), followed by riparian shrub (6.3 ha) and willowalder forest (3.9 ha). The shrub-emergent marsh transition vegetation type was fourth most abundant (2.2 ha), followed by minor amounts of dunegrass (1.75 ha) and emergent marsh (0.2 ha). This chapter documents the abundance, distribution, and floristics of these six vegetation types, including plant species richness, life form, species origin (native or introduced), and species wetland indicator status. These data will serve as a baseline to which future changes can be compared, following the impending removal of Glines Canyon and Elwha Dams upstream on the Elwha River. Dam removals may alter many of the processes, materials, and biotic interactions that influence the estuary plant communities, including hydrology, salinity, sediment and wood transport, nutrients, and plant-microbe


Whereas wine sector is permanently restructuring to be more competitive, this research proposes to analyse the new forms of vertical and horizontal co-operation that are emerging in the French wine industry thanks to the Vinadéis case study. Focusing on strategy and governance, our theoretical framework points out that partnership is rarely precisely defined. Between strategic alliances and mergers, strategic partnerships are new forms of inter-firms co-operation that can be vertical or horizontal. Regarding co-ops governance, it appears to be complex and multi dimensionnal with a great partnership facet. Involving stakehoders in the decision making process is a specificity of certain types of co-ops. This research highlights three key elements regarding the strategic partnerships that are emerging in the French wine industry: the usefulness of analysing strategy and governance from a resource and a path dependence sides, the key role of "opened governance" in managing the inter-firms relationships and a realistic understanding of the intricacies and dynamics of partnering in practice.


FIG Working Week 2011 was successfully held at the exotic city of Marrakech in Morocco under the patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco. About 1,500 participants from more than ninety countries attended the event. Participants were welcomed by FIG president CheeHai Teo and Aziz Hilali, chair of the Moroccan Association of Surveyors. Aida Opuku-Mensah of the UN Economic Commission for Africa talked about concrete leverage of Information and Communication Technology. The exhibition accompanying Working Week boasted 54 stands, twelve of which graced the Chinese Pavilion. FIG and Working Week platinum sponsors Esri and Trimble organized a pre-conference workshop with a presentation of latest developments. The technical program focused a good deal on ongoing developments in Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa, with many representatives from the continent presenting papers and joining in discussions, and the FIG Africa taskforce organized two round table sessions in Marrakech.


We describe a new species of gekkonid gecko in the genus Gehyra from West Papua, Indonesia. Gehyra serraticauda sp. nov. keys to Gehyra, but is distinct from all known species; most notably, it is characterised by a continuous fringe of prominent acuminate lateral scales running the length of the tail, a feature shared with none of its congeners. Its robust body, intermediate size, numerous internasals, partially divided digital scansors, and the presence of well-developed popliteal folds further distinguish it from other Papuan Gehyra. The holotype of Gehyra serraticauda sp. nov. is of uncertain provenance, with the type locality listed as Fakfak, Onin Peninsula. However, the recent observation of a potential conspecific from Kaimana, Triton Bay supports the presence of this species in the region.


The effects of inhaling three essential oils (lavender [Lavendular angustifolia], silver fir [Abies alba], and grapefruit [Citrus paradise]) against restraint stress were investigated in mice. Serum cortisol levels were significantly increased in the 1h-restraint group. Also, silver fir and grapefruit oils prevented the elevation of cortisol levels under experimental conditions. Inhalation of 10% lavender oil for 30 min before inducing stress significantly inhibited restraint-induced hypothermia. We also investigated the effects of restraint stress on triglycerides, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. It was found that the concentration of triglycerides in the serum samples increased after restraint stress. Silver fir essential oil inhibited elevation of triglyceride levels. Taken all together, the correlation of herb essential oil inhalation against restraint stress in animals can partly be explained.


A rapid procedure was developed for purifying ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase from barley leaves. After (NH(4))(2)SO(4) fractionation, the unique sedimentation properties of the enzyme were exploited to effect a single step purification to 90% homogeneity. High speed centrifugation pelleted the enzyme with complete recovery of activity. Residual impurities were then removed by diethylaminoethyl cellulose chromatography and density gradient centrifugation. The purified protein exhibited size heterogeneity due to polymerization. The polymerization products were enzymatically active aggregates of ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase and were precipitated by an antibody specific for the enzyme.


We report a modulation of the in-plane magnetotransport in artificial manganite superlattice [(NdMnO3)n/(SrMnO3)n/(LaMnO3)n]m by varying the layer thickness n while keeping the total thickness of the structure constant. Charge transport in these heterostructures is confined to the interfaces and occurs via variable range hopping. Upon increasing n, the interfacial separation rises, leading to a suppression of the electrostatic screening between carriers of neighboring interfaces and the opening of a Coulomb gap at the Fermi level (EF). The high-field magnetoresistance (MR) is universally negative due to progressive spin alignment. However, at a critical thickness of n = 5 unit cells (u.c.), an exchange field coupling between ferromagnetically ordered interfaces results in positive MR at low magnetic field (H). Our results demonstrate the ability to geometrically tune the electrical transport between regimes dominated by either charge or spin correlations.


A series of six titanium dioxide and two cerium oxide engineered nanomaterials were assessed for their ability to induce cytotoxicity, reactive oxygen species (ROS), various types of DNA damage, and transcriptional changes in human respiratory BEAS-2B cells exposed in vitro at several concentrations for 72 hours. Only limited cytotoxicity was observed at concentrations up to 300 μg/ml for all of the nanomaterials. Small increases in 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine were induced by some of the nanomaterials, but did not achieve statistical significance. No increases in ethenoadenosine or ethenocytidine were detected by ELISA assays for any of the tested nanomaterials. Several of the nanomaterials exhibited concentration related increases in levels of apurinic/apyrimidinic sites, endogenous DNA adducts measured by 32 P-postlabeling, lipid peroxidation, and ROS. Consistent with these findings, several of the nanomaterials also affected expression of genes involved in p53, ATM, and mismatch repair pathways. Integrin signaling pathways were also altered by a majority of the nanomaterials tested. There was general agreement between activity in DNA damage assays and extent of pathway transcriptional alteration. One out of the cerium oxide nanomaterials tested did not induce a high enough incidence of differentially expressed genes relative to controls to allow analysis at the pathway level, and also elicited the lowest response in multiple DNA damage assays. Taken together, these data are consistent with the contribution of DNA damage induced by reactive oxygen species as mediators of potentially adverse biological effects following exposure to engineered titanium and cerium oxide nanomaterials, and suggests the utility of short term in vitro tests to predict relative potencies of these particles. This is an abstract of a proposed presentation and does not necessarily reflect EPA policy. Citation Format: Garret B. Nelson, Sheau-Fung Y. Thai, Carlton P. Jones, Audrey Barbee, Micaela Killius, Jeffrey A. Ross. Comparative DNA damage and transcriptomic effects of engineered nanoparticles in human lung cells in vitro. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2814.


As an effective technique for combating multipath fading and for high data rate transmission over wireless channels, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is extensively used in wireless local area network (WLAN) systems to support high performance bandwidth-efficient multimedia services. In this paper, novel synchronization and channel estimation schemes are proposed for the OFDM-based WLAN systems. Analyses and simulation results show that the proposed schemes exhibit good performances and are robust in harsh fading channel environments and low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions.


Foreign language learners' choice of collocations is traditionally considered to be one of the main markers of foreignlanguageness (KorosadowitzStruzynska 1980: 115), hence relevant in achieving a high degree of competence in the target language. In this study we analyse the Croatian Corpus of English Learner Essays (CELE), which consists of 298 argumentative essays written as part of the state school-leaving exam. The corpus, consisting of over 74k tokens was collected in 10 different counties, and the essays were produced in 2010 and 2011. The learner's use of adjective-noun collocations is compared against both findings from a native speaker corpus (BNC) and a corpus of learner English (ICLE). Instead of viewing learner usage of collocations as deficient, the claims about the overuse and the underuse of statistically significant collocations are made on the basis of joint findings from the BNC and the ICLE. This approach demonstrates how native speaker data can be used for comparison, without being the norm against which the learner data should be measured, and, on the other hand, how other learner data can help distinguish between general characteristics of learner language and L1transfer.


ABSTRACT The Republic of Korea's civil service pension (KCSP) was established in 1960 and has been changed several times to overcome the serious financial burdens it has placed on the country. Major problems related to the KCSP include its structure (low contribution and high benefit) and the country's rapidly aging population. The authors examine the 2015 KCSP reform, reviewing the reasons for the reform, its process, and its fiscal and policy implications. Reforms in other countries are briefly compared. The paper provides important lessons for researchers and practitioners involved in public sector pension reforms. IMPACT The Republic of Korea's civil service pension reform was urgently needed to reduce the financial burden on the nation. Accordingly, in December 2014, a 'Special Committee for the Civil Service Pension Reform' was established, composed of members from ruling and opposition parties and a 'Body for a Societal Grand Compromise on Civil Service Pension Reform', with the aim of resolving conflicts through discussion between the main stakeholders, including public officials, experts, civil society, and civil service unions. The Korean government found it very difficult to reach an agreement on the pension reform plan, because contributors would be paying more, receiving less, and receiving later. Nevertheless, following lengthy discussion involving intensive dialogue with social partners, policy actors arrived at a social consensus through a deliberative process.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the standardized construction of critical care departments in different cities and counties of Guizhou province to promote the homogenization development of critical care medicine in Guizhou Province.

METHODS
Using research methods such as field investigation and data collection, the public hospitals of 88 counties and urban areas in 9 prefectures and cities of Guizhou province were divided into five routes: southeast, northeast, northwest, southwest, and Guiyang. To design the survey form for the standardized construction of ICU, the e-form was sent to the director of ICU or his/her designated personnel by email or wechat 2-3 days in advance. Check the authenticity of data item by item on site, and leave the hospital after checking the receipt form.

RESULTS
From April to July 2021, the survey and research data collection was completed for 146 public hospitals (excluding provincial hospitals) with intensive care departments in 88 counties and cities of 9 dizhou cities in Guizhou Province, including 24 Grade-III Level A hospitals. 122 Grade-II and above hospitals (including 8 Grade-III Level B hospitals, 11 Grade-III comprehensive hospitals, 97 Level-II A hospitals, 3 Level-II B hospitals, and 3 Level-II comprehensive hospitals). 146 public hospitals have a total of 80 983 beds and 104 017 open beds. The department of Critical Care has 2 035 beds. The ratio of actual beds in ICU to total beds in hospital was 2.51%. From 1999 to 2010, 18 (12.33%) established departments, and from 2011 to 2021, 128 (87.67%) established departments. The total area of the discipline is 113 355.48 m2, with an average bed area of 55.70 m2. There were 97 hospitals with 1.5-2.0 m bed spacing, accounting for 66.44%, and 49 hospitals with 2.1- > 2.5 m spacing, accounting for 33.56%. The number of negative pressure wards: 1 in each of 43 hospitals, accounting for 29.45%; 103 hospitals did not have, accounting for 70.55%. The number of single rooms: 288 in 140 hospitals, accounting for 95.89%; 6 hospitals did not have, accounting for 4.11%. Central oxygen supply: 138 hospitals have (94.52%); 8 hospitals did not have, accounting for 5.48%. Natural ventilation: in 129 hospitals with 88.36%; 17 hospitals did not have, accounting for 11.64%. Specialized ICU construction: 66 hospitals, accounting for 45.21%; none in 80 hospitals, accounting for 54.79%. There are 3 712 doctors and nurses in 146 public hospitals. The total number of doctors was 1 041, and the ratio of doctors to beds was 0.51:1. The total number of nurses was 2 675, and the ratio of nurses to beds was 1.31:1.

CONCLUSIONS
All 88 counties and districts in 9 prefectures and cities of Guizhou province have established intensive care medicine departments. The standardization of the discipline construction has been significantly improved. Lack of talents is still an important factor restricting the rapid development of the discipline.


Power loss modelling of magnetic components becomes increasingly important in the design of modern power electronic converters, especially in the case of higher switching frequencies enabled by emerging wide-bandgap devices. While the modelling of the active power electronic devices is relatively mature and straightforward, the estimation of the passive magnetic component loss remains challenging, including both the core loss and winding (copper) loss. As indicated by recent studies, the accurate prediction of the core loss in power converters relies on rectangular-voltage-excited measurements. To characterize the core loss with high-frequency rectangular excitations and dc-biases, a Triple Pulse Test (TPT) has been proposed and is further extended in this paper. The TPT involves a discontinuous procedure and a bidirectional, half-bridge excitation circuit that supplies transitional high rectangular voltage and high current. The importance and practical considerations of achieving closed dynamic BH loops are discussed. The proposed TPT is analogous to the common Double Pulse Test (DPT) for power electronics devices in terms of the testing circuit, the measurement instruments, and the discontinuous procedure. Moreover, the winding loss characterization can also be achieved by the TPT, given the winding loss can be very difficult to predict especially for randomly wound components where analytical equations cannot be applied accurately. Eventually, a complete loss dataset for one magnetic component design (i.e. same core material, shape and winding arrangement) can be built from TPT, which can be utilized to accurately model the inductor loss in power converter applications.


In this case report a 42-year-old woman presented with a long history of hidrosadenitis suppurativa (HS). Due to recurrent abscesses and post-operative complications, she underwent 69 operations in general anaesthesia as well as numerous incisions in local anaesthesia in 2013-2017. The abscesses were repeatedly treated with simple incisions, although a Danish guideline from 2016 does not recommend this procedure as treatment of patients with HS, since there is a high rate of recurrence. This illustrates the necessity of increasing knowledge of the treatment of HS. We recommend an interdisciplinary cooperation in a dermatological setting to avoid acute surgery.


Fashion industry has been condemned as the world's second most polluting industry after the oil industry. Some argue that this is mainly attributable to the economic system it has been adopting—a linear economy's (LE's) take, make, dispose system. take, make, use, reuse again and again system has recently emerged as an innovative alternative. Fashion companies' take-back programs—an initiative to collect used clothing from consumers to recycle and put them back into the supply chain—are one of the key CE initiatives that we can see today. Despite the industry efforts to make circular fashion (CF), we identified three shortcomings in the current literature. First, it is not easy to make fashion truly circular because fashion supply chain is extremely fragmented. Second, given that CF stands for reusing materials again, a true circularity cannot be achieved without consumers' engagement, e.g., to return their used clothes for firms' reuse. Yet, less is understood about whether consumers even care for CF. Third, the literature lacks of indicating whether and how fashion firms can achieve true circularity by sharing their CF philosophy with consumers. This study addresses the aforementioned shortcomings by building on moral responsibility theory of corporate sustainability. This study investigates whether and how morally grounded traits—consumers' (H1) perceived corporate moral responsibility, (H2) perceived consumer moral responsibility, (H3) their interaction effect, and (H4) perceived corporate hypocrisy—influence their attitudes, and ultimately their (H5) engagement intention toward fashion companies' take-back programs.


The explosive growth of the Web contents has led to increasing attention on two major challenges: scalability and high availability of network file system. We introduced the concept of intermediate file handling to improve the availability of the NFS-based file system and proposed a new data consistency scheme to improve our design of a reliable file system, which had been implemented as an example of the software replication approach. By using a minor sequence in token getting, the total number of getting-token requests is reduced along with the data-requested size for each write operation. We also proposed a simple load-sharing mechanism for the NFS client to switch to a lightly-load server based on the number of NFS client's RPC requests for a period of time. Such an approach is easy to derive the load information, which each client generated. Finally, we analysed the proposed data consistency scheme. It shows truly that the scheme is able to reduce the overhead of write requests of our network file system.


Abstract Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), as a multisystemic disease, is the most prevalent chronic liver disease characterized by extremely complex pathogenic mechanisms and multifactorial etiology, which often develops as a consequence of obesity, metabolic syndrome. Pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the development of NAFLD include diet, obesity, insulin resistance (IR), genetic and epigenetic determinants, intestinal dysbiosis, oxidative/nitrosative stress, autophagy dysregulation, hepatic inflammation, gut-liver axis, gut microbes, impaired mitochondrial metabolism and regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism. Some of the new drugs for the treatment of NAFLD are introduced here. All of them achieve therapeutic objectives by interfering with certain pathophysiological pathways of NAFLD, including fibroblast growth factors (FGF) analogues, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) agonists, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i), farnesoid X receptor (FXR), fatty acid synthase inhibitor (FASNi), antioxidants, etc. This review describes some pathophysiological mechanisms of NAFLD and established targets and drugs.


This research guide was designed to introduce you to the field of mathematics. You'll find books, article databases, and other resources you need to start your research.


OBJECTIVES Analyze the decision to enact or to refrain from chemoprophylaxis (CP) with isoniazide (INH) in patients who are intravenous drug users (IVDU) in Spain infected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), either classified or not with hypersensitive skin tests. METHODS With the bibliographic information available and the help of decision tree, an analysis of the effectiveness and of the consequences of drug costs of CP with INH in those patients is performed. RESULTS Overall, the HIV+ IVDU benefit from CP is an increase in survival of 80 days, with a savings of 7,252 pesetas per patient. The intradermal reaction with PPD and the retarded hypersensitivity tests (HCR) allow us to classify them in three subgroups: a) PPD+ where CP is universally admitted and thus corroborates our study; b) PPD-/HCR- where CP increases survival 201 days and saves 20,616 pesetas per patient; and c) PPD-/HCR+ where survival is increased 33 days and the pharmacological costs increase 1,536 pesetas per patient under CP. CONCLUSIONS For the present situation in Spain, CP with INH is effective in HIV+ IVDU patients, independent of the results of the intradermal reaction skin tests.


Background. The expansion of the range of clinical and physiological methods, also the development of ideas related with operational stress caused the increase in the number of indicators used to judge the adequacy level of anaesthetic protection.
Objective. The research aim was clinical evaluation of the informational content of homeostasis parameters in determining the adequacy of anaesthesia.
Materials and methods. The research was conducted on 92 patients, aged 21-79, who underwent large-scale surgical operations in abdominal cavity. Continuous monitoring was conducted to identify hemodynamic indicators: systolic, diastolic, medium and pulse arterial pressure, central venous pressure and heart rate. In the course of the anaesthesia the level of anaesthesia and consciousness of the patient were defined with the aid of BIS (Bispectral Index) monitor and the state of myorelaxation was evaluated according to the indicators of frontal muscle electromyography. Cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and prolactin levels were defined in three stages: I – preoperative, II – at the peak of surgical aggression, III – 30 min after the end of the surgery. In addition to continuous monitoring of other indicators of anesthesia adequacy, comparisons were also made with the data obtained during these stages.
Results. At the peak of surgical aggression, which means during the II stage, the level of stress hormones (ACTH, cortisol) were considerably above their upper norm limit despite the fact that the hemodynamics, BIS monitor and electromyography indicators corresponded with the adequate anaesthesia state. At this stage of the operation the attempts to normalize stress hormones values require high doses of analgesics and anaesthetics which can contribute to an increase in anaesthetic risk.
Conclusions. Of all the criteria for assessing the adequacy of the anesthesia, the indicators of hemodynamics and gas exchange together with BIS monitoring data are sufficiently informative and easy to provide in the operating period, which is also very important. These indicators respond fairly quickly to the body stress impact.


Smart Cities draw a nice picture of a connected city where useful services and data are ubiquitous, energy is properly used and urban infrastructures are well orchestrated. Fulfilling this vision in our cities implies unveiling citizens data and assets. Thus, security and data privacy appear as crucial issues to consider. In this paper, we study a way of offering a secured energy management service for diagnosis and classification of buildings in a district upon their energy consumption. Our remote service can be beneficial both for local authorities and householders without revealing private data. Our framework is designed such that the private data is permanently encrypted and that the server performing the classification algorithm has no information about the sensitive data and no capability to decrypt it. The underlying cryptographic technology used is homomorphic encryption, allowing to perform calculations directly on encrypted data. We present here the prototype of a crypto-classification service for energy consumption profiles involving different actors of a smart city community, as well as the associated performances results. We assess our proposal atop of real data taken from an Irish residential district and we show that our service can achieve acceptable performances in terms of security, execution times and memory requirements.


NTHL1‐associated tumor syndrome (NATS) is an autosomal recessive condition characterized by an increased risk for colorectal polyposis and colorectal cancer (CRC). Only 46 case reports have been previously published. In a retrospective review, we analyzed the clinical histories of six patients found to have NATS after genetic counseling and testing. NATS appears to be associated with an increased risk for colorectal polyposis, CRC, female breast cancer, meningiomas, and endometrial cancer. Although research is limited, prior publications have reported a multi‐tumor predisposition for individuals with biallelic pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in NTHL1. Additional data are necessary to further define the cancer risks so affected individuals can be appropriately managed.


Two heresies are offered here for practical rather than provocative value: 'depression' and 'happiness' don't exist. Jeffrey K Zeig highlights the limitations for clinical work when we give complex processes such as depression and happiness a title. The very process of giving a complex process a title makes it seem like a thing, which subsequently can evolve into the static belief that it is a thing. An explicit or implicit belief that depression is tangible is not helpful. How a clinician 'maps' the problem defines the treatment approach to be used. A single map restricts choices. Given the complexities of the terrain of depression, and in order to negotiate the territory effectively, it is best to have multiple maps. This article is an appeal to clinicians to add new maps to their practice that can lead to quick, effective treatment. The emphasis here is to consider 'depression' as a social construction, and models of phenomenological assessment are outlined opening up many sites for treatment intervention. (editor abstract)


We have previously reported an unexpected relationship between retinoic acid-induced inhibition of cell growth and the ability of various cell lines to metabolize the retinoid. Here, we report that stable expression of the truncated retinole acid receptor RARa403, transduced in NIH-3T3 cells by a retroviral vector, rendered the cells resistant to retinole acid for growth inhibition and reduced their ability to metabolize the retinoid at the same time as it blunted the induction of the target gene transglutaminase II. The data suggest that retinole acid receptors mediate the growthinhibitory action of retinole acid as well as its metabolism and the induc tion of transglutaminase II.


This compilation of essays by specialists in a number of disciplines highlights the fatal near-sightedness on the part of Enron's directors, auditors, bankers, lawyers, and analysts. The editors provide a great service to those trying to absorb some lesson from that tragedy, and they put out a call for a holistic approach by corporate gatekeepers.


The Prevention of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is placed in the more general context of prevention of major chronic Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs): cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic lung diseases and tumors that are the main problem for public health worldwide. Any health policy strategy aimed to the prevention of NCDs has to provide knowledge of health and socioeconomic status of the population, to reduce the level of exposure to risk factors and to adapt health services to the request for assistance. To this purpose, population monitoring systems have been implemented in the last years. The NCDs share some risk factors that are related, in large part, to unhealthy individual behaviours: smoking, alcohol abuse, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity. NCDs prevention has to be understood as the set of all actions, sanitary and not, aiming to prevent or delay the onset of diseases or their complications. Preventive measures should, therefore, involve not only the health sector but also all the actors that can help to prevent that disease. As for the Prevention of CKD, the Ministry of Health has established a working table, which handled the Drafting of the "Position paper for the CKD", approved in the State-Regions Conference on august 8th 2014. The document draws a national strategy to combat this disease through primary prevention, early diagnosis and the establishment of diagnostic - therapeutic pathways (DTP).


In this research, an iPhone application has been developed using the latest IOS 5 operating system with the new feature storyboards, object-c, JSON, and Hpple parser using Xcode. The app will launch a splash screen for a web site where a list of icons will take the user to different screens. Some added features on the app are Map view, link to Sakai and feedback icons. The rich user interface in this app makes it more interesting with different gestures like swipe, tap and pinch. This app will be of a great use to the University students with the smart phones. It provides users easy access to the web site and the online materials who can view them anywhere with a handhold device.


The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) mediates toxic effects of dioxin and xenobiotic metabolism. AHR has an emerging role in the immune system, but its physiological ligands and functional role in immunocytes remain poorly understood. Mast cells are immunocytes that are central to inflammatory responses and release a spectrum of pro-inflammatory mediators including histamine, mast cell proteases, and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 upon stimulation. The aim was to investigate the AHR in model mast cells and examine how both putative and known AHR ligands, e.g., kynurenine, kynurenic acid (KA), Resveratrol, indolmycin, and violacein, affect mast cell activation and signaling. These ligands were tested on calcium signaling, degranulation, and gene expression. The data show that AHR is present in three model mast cell lines, and that various known and putative AHR ligands regulate gene expression of Cyp1a1, a gene down-stream of AHR. Furthermore, it was found that calcium influxes and mast cell secretory responses were enhanced or suppressed after chronic treatment with AHR agonists or antagonists, and that AHR ligands modified RBL2H3 cell degranulation. AHR ligands can chronically change cytokine gene expression in activated mast cells, as exemplified by IL-6. The antagonist Resveratrol repressed expression of induced IL-6 gene expression. Although KA and kynurenine are both AHR agonists, these ligands behaved differently in regards to degranulation and IL-6 expression, indicating that they may function outside of AHR pathways. These data suggest considerable complexity in RBL2H3 responses to AHR ligands, with implications for understanding of both dioxin pathology and the immunological effects of endogenous AHR ligands.


A novel bi-signature optical spectroscopy for fault detection in electrical machines is presented. The combined use of long period grating (LPG) and two fibre Bragg gratings (FBG1 and FBG2) is implemented to discriminate between vibration and temperature sensitivity in the detection of machine faults. With LPG having higher sensitivity to temperature compared to both FBGs, machine faults are detected through spectral analysis of both signatures; and the optimal detection signature for each fault is consequently analysed. This novel technique utilises the principle of a shift in the wavelengths of the gratings to determine the kind of fault present in an electrical machine as the signature spectroscopy reveals varying amount of Bragg wavelength shifts for various fault types. The use of FBG sensing for fault detection in electrical machines has the potential of revolutionising non-intrusive real-time condition monitoring of future industrial machines with high reliability due to zero electromagnetic interference (EMI) as well as significant low cost of fibre-optic sensors.


our blue planet, the oceans dominate the earth in a variety of ways. With an average depth of almost 4 km, they provide over 99 percent of the habitable space for life on earth (Woodard 2000:31). As human populations have grown exponentially over the past century, and with 60 percent of the world's population living within 100 km of the coast, many have looked to the oceans as a source of hope and protein to feed the masses. Once thought to be nearly inexhaustible, many global fisheries have collapsed or are severely depleted (Jackson et al. 2001; Pauly et al. 2002; Roberts 2002; Worm et al. 2006). Pollution, habitat loss, global warming, and the introduction of exotic species also take an increasing toll on coastal and pelagic ecosystems (see Carlton et al. 1999; Earle 1995; Ellis 2003; Vitousek et al. 1997:495; Woodard 2000). We are only beginning to understand the larger ecological consequences of such impacts, including the wholesale collapse of many coral reef, kelp forest, estuarine, arctic, benthic, and other ecosystems—foundations of marine productivity that have nurtured human societies for thousands of years. These impacts are now global in scale, but humans have had the heaviest impact on nearshore and coastal areas (0–50 m in depth), substantial impacts on deeper continental shelf habitats (50–200 m), and comparatively less impact on the deeper oceans (Steele 1998). In the last few years, two national commissions have issued reports concluding that the world's oceans and fisheries are in a state of crisis (Pew Oceans Commission 2003; U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy 2004). The management of fisheries and our understanding of the broader ocean crisis have been hampered by the shallow historical focus of policy makers and resource managers, who have based many decisions on ecological observations that span 10, 20, or 30 years, or on historic catch records that rarely span more than a few additional decades. Just over a decade ago, Daniel Pauly (1995) referred to this problem as the "shifting baselines syndrome," where fisheries managers use recent historical baselines to manage fisheries that are depleted or collapsed. Such recent historical baselines are often fundamentally flawed because they fail to account for the abundance of key species prior to heavy fishing or hunting by indigenous peoples or early commercial harvests (Dayton et al. 1998; Jackson


Hydrothermal alteration and fluid chemistry data of the early Cretaceous Endako porphyry molybdenum deposit, British Columbia, provide new information on the hydrothermal fluids associated with low-fluorine molybdenite mineralization. Molybdenite mineralization and hydrothermal alteration occur as early quartz ± molydenite stockwork veins with K feldspar-bearing selvages and paragenetically later quartz-molybdenite ribbon veins with sericite-bearing selvages. Late hydrothermal alteration is associated with the development of kaolinite and postore (Tertiary age) calcite veins.

Fluid inclusions in early-formed quartz ± molybdenite stockwork veins with K feldspar-bearing alteration assemblages are dominated by moderate-salinity (5 to 15 wt % NaCl equiv), liquid-rich (type 1) and rare high-salinity (30 to 45 wt % NaCl equiv), halite-bearing (type 3) fluid inclusions. Type 1 and type 3 fluid inclusions in early veins homogenize between 390° and 430°C and 375° and 420°C, respectively. Secondary fluid inclusions (type 2) of low salinity (1 to 5 wt % NaCl equiv) in these early veins are minor, and homogenize between 130° and 285°C. Fluid inclusions in quartz-molybdenite ribbon veins with sericite-bearing alteration assemblages are dominated by moderate-salinity, liquid-rich (type 1) inclusions, with minor type 2 fluid inclusions. Type 1 fluid inclusions of ribbon veins homogenize between 360° and 400°C. Fluid inclusions in postore calcite veins are of only type 2 fluid inclusions, which homogenize at 209°C. Hydrothermal fluids recorded by type 1 and type 3 fluid inclusions in early veins were trapped under lithostatic to hydrostatic conditions between 0.3 and less than or equal to 2.0 kbar, and 360° and 560°C. Postore fluids recorded by type 2 fluid inclusions were trapped under conditions less than or equal to 0.5 kbar, and between 190° and 300°C.

Quartz stockwork and ribbon veins possess δ 18O values of 8.4 ± 0.2 ( n = 9) and 8.4 ± 0.6 ( n = 13), respectively. Hydrothermal K feldspar and biotite from K feldspar alteration assemblages possess δ 18O values of 6.8 ± 0.4 ( n = 7) and 3.5 ± 0.8 ( n = 8), respectively. Oxygen isotope geothermometry of quartz-biotite and quartz-K feldspar pairs from K feldspar alteration assemblages yield temperatures between 200° and 490°C, which is similar to the trapping temperatures of hydrothermal fluids determined from fluid inclusion studies associated with molybdenite mineralization, the development of kaolinite, and calcite veins. The oxygen isotope temperatures of the quartz-biotite and quartz-K feldspar pairs suggest that K feldspar and biotite either record the approximate 18O composition of hydrothermal fluids associated with K feldspar alteration or have undergone 18O exchange with late-stage hydrothermal fluids. Hydrogen isotope composition of quartz stockwork and ribbon veins fluid inclusion waters range between –105 and –173 per mil.

Solute chemistry studies of fluid inclusion waters indicate that ore-forming fluids from Endako have low Br/Cl and Br/Na ratios, and high I/Cl and I/Br ratios in comparison to Porgera (epithermal), Babine Lake (porphyry Cu), and St. Austell, Capitan Pluton (vein) deposits associated with magmatic processes. Na/K ratios of fluid inclusion waters yield temperatures (308° to 429°C) similar to those determined from type 1 and type 3 fluid inclusions and stable isotope thermometry.

Results from fluid inclusion and solute chemistry studies indicate the involvement of hydrothermal fluids exsolved from a crystallizing melt in the formation of the Endako molybdenum deposit. However, oxygen and hydrogen isotope values deviate from the generally accepted magmatic compositions, which suggests the early involvement of meteoric water in the ore-forming fluids and ore genesis.


Research has demonstrated a striking role for recent experience in visual search. For instance, search for a singleton target is substantially speeded when either its defining feature or its location repeats on successive trials (Priming of Pop-out and Priming of Location, Maljkovic & Nakayama, 1994; 1996, respectively). Here, we investigated the role of conscious perception in inter-trial priming. Subjects searched for a shape singleton and reported its color. In each trial pair, we used backward pattern masking to induce liminal processing of the first search display while the second search display in the pair was clearly visible. Repetition of the target shape speeded search performance only when the target in the priming trial had been consciously perceived. Yet, search performance was above chance when the participants' failed to subjectively perceive the display, suggesting that some unconscious processing occurred. There was no location priming effect in any of the awareness conditions.


We consider new queueing model describing the operation of cyclic polling systems in very hight throughput wireless mesh-networks. Queues are cyclically polled by two servers. Some of queues are served by both servers, the rest are served just by one of them. To investigate the model, we apply the mean value analysis [1], [2] to derive the mean waiting times in queues and provide the numerical examples.


Many brand manufacturers are facing increasing competition from competitors entering the market with extremely aggressive prices. To face this new competition the branded manufacturers traditionally lower their own prices or do not react to such attacks at all. Both strategies are not optimal. A third alternative is the two‐product strategy which can be successful in many cases. This strategy foresees a second, lower positioned product to be added to the existing higher positioned brand product, which is targeted directly against the low‐priced competitors. The most important aspect for such a strategy is that the two products are differentiated strongly enough to minimize cannibalization. This can be achieved by differentiating brand, quality, price and/or distribution. A two‐product strategy has proven successful in many countries and markets, but can also help in a less competitive environment by opening new distribution channels or offering more customized products for specific market segments.


St. Augustine and his Influence through the Ages. By Henri Marrou, translated by Patrick Hepburne-Scott; texts of St. Augustine translated by Edmund Hill. (Men of Wisdom Books). Pp. 192 including illustrations. London: Longmans, Green; New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1957. 6s. It is somewhat disconcerting to one accustomed to the solid and sober tomes which contain St. Augustine's works to be presented with a little book suggesting superficially a modern horror comic! The name of the author, an outstanding Augustinian scholar, should induce us to put aside fastidiousness and we shall be amply rewarded, for this is a brilliant piece of writing. In 192 pages we are given an account of Augustine's life and works, and a sensitive estimate of the man; about 60 pages of selections from his works, judiciously chosen, mostly, from those not commonly read; and finally 34 pages tracing his influence on men and movements down to our own time. Every chapter is copiously documented. Tables of useful dates are provided; and the whole, as the cover says, is lavishly illustrated. Four of the illustrations help to convey some idea of Augustine's episcopal city, Hippo Regius. Most useful bibliographical guidance is also provided. This little book is remarkable alike for its abundant and exact scholarship, its penetrating interpretation, not without rapier-like thrusts of criticism—for even Augustine can err!—and its fascinating literary presentation. The translation seems not in the least to dim the sparkle of the original, and it is easy to forgive the occasional inaccuracy in reproducing place names in English.


A possibility of low temperature measurement using fluorescence material was examined. Temperature dependence of fluorescence lifetime applied to low temperature measurement. Inorganic fluorescence material is known as a suitable sensor material for temperature measurement. Ruby was used as a sensor material because of bright fluorescence and long fluorescence lifetime. Fluorescence thermometer using the ruby which is modified for temperature measurement has been fabricated. From this research, ruby crystal is found to be useful as the sensor head for fluorescence thermometer. In addition, the ruby crystal is potentially useful material for the sensor head crystals to measure low temperature below 273K.


s 107 long-term medical costs. RESULTS: Using 30-day mortality data from the Global Utilization of Streptokinase and Tissue Plasminogen Activator for Occluded Coronary Arteries (GUSTO) trial, the baseline analysis yielded an ICER for t-PA of $24,882/QALY compared to SK. The ICER was sensitive to the difference in reinfarction rate (baseline 3.83%: 3% ICER $19,326: 6% ICER $120,767) and mortality rate (baseline 6.3%: 6.7% ICER $46,688: 7.2% ICER $197,850) of t-PA. CONCLUSION: t-PA is a cost-effective therapy for MI compared to SK. In addition, despite using costs and utilities from varied sources, and employing a simpler model the findings support previously published results.


In this paper, the "three-step model" of photoemission mechanism for gallium nitride (GaN) photocathode is discussed. The first step is the absorption of incidence light. The incidence photon energy is absorbed by the electrons in the valence band, and this establishes the foundation that the electrons in the valence band are stimulated to the conduction band. The second step is the transportation of photoelectron, the excitated electrons in the conduction band will move from bulk to surface by diffusing or drifting.The third step of cathode photoemission is that the photoelectron passes through the surface potential.


To anticipate the potential use of anti-integrase drugs in Indonesia for treatment of HIV-1 infection, the development of a drug resistance genotyping assay for anti-integrase is crucial in identifying the genetic drug resistance profile of Indonesian HIV-1 strains. This experiment aimed to amplify a target region in the integrase gene of Indonesian HIV-1 subtypes CRF01_AE and B that contain genetic mutations known to confer resistance to anti-integrase drug. Eleven archived plasma samples from individuals living with HIV-1 were obtained from the Virology and Cancer Pathobiology Research Center for Health Service (VCPRC FKUI-RSCM) laboratory. One of the plasma samples contained HIV-1 subtype B, and the remaining plasma samples contained subtype CRF01_AE. The target regions for all samples were amplified through RT-PCR, with an annealing temperature of 55 °C, using the primer pair AE_POL 4086F and AE_POL 5232R that were designed by VCPRC FKUI-RSCM. The results of this experiment show that 18.2% (2/11) of the samples were successfully amplified using the one-step RT-PCR. While the primer pair was effective in amplifying the target region in the integrase gene sequence for subtype B (100%; 1/1), it had a low efficacy (10%, 1/10) for subtype CRF01_AE. In conclusion, the primer pair can be used to amplify the target region in Indonesian HIV-1 strain subtypes CRF01_AE and B. However, optimization of the PCR condition and an increased number of samples would help to determine an accurate representation of the efficacy of the primer pair.


Quantum tunneling between two potential wells in a magnetic field can be strongly increased when the potential barrier varies in the direction perpendicular to the line connecting the two wells and remains constant along this line. A periodic structure of the wave function is formed in the direction joining the wells. The resulting motion can be coherent like motion in a conventional narrow band periodic structure. A particle penetrates the barrier over a long distance which strongly contrasts to WKB-like tunneling. The whole problem is stationary. The coherent process can be influenced by dissipation.


Background & Objectives: Breast carcinoma is the most common malignancy in women worldwide and extensive researches have been made with development of many prognostic, predictive and theranostic markers. One of the powerful prognostic predictor in histology is Modified ScarffRichardson and Bloom grading system[MSBR] also known as Nottingham grading system by which tumours are classified as grade 1, 2 and 3. Transferrin is a potential marker for identification of dividing cells detected by routine immunohistochemistry. Its expression correlates with the cellular proliferation, being highest in rapidly dividing cells and much lower in resting and terminally differentiated cells. The aim of the study was to assess the proliferative status of the breast carcinomas with transferrin immunostaining and to compare and analyze the association with MSBR grading system for the assessment of prognosis. Materials & Methods: A total number of 40 randomly selected patients undergoing mastectomy were investigated. The tumours were categorized as Grade 1, 2 & 3 according to the MSBR grading system. The sections were also immunostained with monoclonal antibodies against transferrin and its intensity of expression was studied. The obtained results were statistically analyzed. Results & Interpretation: A strong statistically significant correlation was found between MSBR grading and transferrin expression. Conclusion: Staining pattern of transferrin is more of prognostic significance in breast tumors than diagnostic value and may facilitate the decision making process in the treatment of individual cases of carcinoma breast.


Transport of proteins above 60 kDa into the nuclei involves the nuclear localization signal. The nuclear localization signal of some proteins is considered. Transport of proteins into the nuclei proceeds with the help of the nuclear pore complex. Data on some proteins which possibly fulfill the function of receptors are discussed. Regulation of protein import into the cell nuclei is analyzed by the example of Tetrahymena histone H1, snRNP proteins, etc.


The energy and exergy of low-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants were investigated experimentally and theoretically. Refrigerants with a modest GWP100 of  ≤ 150 can be sufficient for bringing down emissions which were concerned for the automotive air-conditioning system. Three types of low-GWP refrigerants, R152a, R1234yf, and R1234ze(E), were examined with particular reference to the current high-GWP of R134a. The effect of different evaporating and condensing temperatures in addition to compressor speed was considered. The purpose was to bring a clear view of the performance characteristics of possible environment friendly alternatives of R134a. The analysis was carried out with compressor power, cooling capacity, coefficient of performance, exergy destruction, and exergy efficiency. It was noted that the total exergy destruction of R1234yf was reduced by 15% compared to that of R134a. The refrigerant R1234ze(E) has the highest energetic and exergetic performance compared with the other investigated refrigerants.


Heart wall tissue plays a crucial role in living organisms by generating the mechanical force for blood flow. This tissue has a complex internal structure comprised mostly of muscle cells, in which biochemical energy is transformed into mechanical active stress under rhythmical electrical excitation. The overall heart functioning depends, among other physiological conditions, on the mechanical properties of the tissue. Over the past centuries, experimental and theoretical investigations have been conducted in order to establish the constitutive laws governing wall tissue behavior. Regarding computational modeling, many material models have been introduced, from simple elastic anisotropic to more sophisticated ones, based on various formulations of strain potentials. We here present a novel computational model that directly employs experimental constitutive relationships. Therefore, we avoid any fitting of material parameters for a selected analytical form of the constitutive law. Hysteretic characteristics of the tissue are included, as well as either incompressibility or compressibility according to experimentally determined curves. Deformation is split into deviatoric and volumetric parts in order to handle compressibility. The correctness and accuracy of the model is demonstrated through simple cases for loading and unloading conditions. Furthermore, the model was implemented for left ventricle (LV) deformation, where the FE mesh was generated from echocardiography recordings. Here, a specific algorithm, which accounts for LV torsion, was introduced to determine trajectories of material points on the internal LV surface. Hysteresis of the constitutive curves was used to calculate mechanical energy of LV wall tissue deformation. For completeness, the fluid flow within the LV was computed as well.


Memory is increasingly often the bottleneck when training neural network models. Despite this, techniques to lower the overall memory requirements of training have been less widely studied compared to the extensive literature on reducing the memory requirements of inference. In this paper we study a fundamental question: How much memory is actually needed to train a neural network? To answer this question, we profile the overall memory usage of training on two representative deep learning benchmarks -- the WideResNet model for image classification and the DynamicConv Transformer model for machine translation -- and comprehensively evaluate four standard techniques for reducing the training memory requirements: (1) imposing sparsity on the model, (2) using low precision, (3) microbatching, and (4) gradient checkpointing. We explore how each of these techniques in isolation affects both the peak memory usage of training and the quality of the end model, and explore the memory, accuracy, and computation tradeoffs incurred when combining these techniques. Using appropriate combinations of these techniques, we show that it is possible to the reduce the memory required to train a WideResNet-28-2 on CIFAR-10 by up to 60.7x with a 0.4% loss in accuracy, and reduce the memory required to train a DynamicConv model on IWSLT'14 German to English translation by up to 8.7x with a BLEU score drop of 0.15.


It seems so strange that certain platinum stocks are being hammered in the midst of a commodity boom...presenting potential investment opportunities


The study includes a detailed introduction which includes many subjects starting from the etymology passing through the location which the historians, then the beginning of the Islamic expansion in Jebel and their descending there, and lastly how that fort has fallen.Through the study, we found many state names like Farshkhaneet, Fransium, Fraxine forest and Gloria. While it witnessed the feigning of the Muslim expansion in the territory before many. Then, we tackled their struggle against the franks Jebel Al-Qalal which resulted with the attack Province and their struggle with the  Christian Aimon. The study showed that the Muslims of Jebel Al-Qalal managed to prove their control over Jebel Al-Qalal  through their economical, religious, and cultural represented in the spread of the intellectual social status. In spite of the prosperity of the state of Jebel Al-Qalal  through the period of (80) years, there were many weakness point which form the beginning of the fall of Conard plot, which for the demise of Muslims


Abstract There has been considerable recent emphasis on valid assessment of learning in engineering education. When new teaching pedagogies are introduced, it can be very challenging to demonstrate increases in learning of course concepts. While there are a number of accepted concept inventories available for some engineering topics (statics and dynamics, heat and energy, signals and systems, and statistics), reliable and valid tools for assessing learning are not readily available for many curriculum areas, including engineering economy. This paper discusses the reliability and validity of the Engineering Economy Concept Inventory (EECI) that can be used to assess learning in any introductory engineering economy course. Development of the EECI began in 2009 for use in assessing the effectiveness of model-eliciting activities in the classroom and has since been revised and reformulated a number of times. In the fall of 2018, the EECI was administered at multiple institutions for further evaluation of its validity and results from these groups of students are presented. The paper concludes with remarks regarding the reliability and validity of the instrument and recommendations for its use as a tool to assess knowledge in engineering economy.


Rationale: Patients who were clinically highly suspected asthma occasionally showed negative results in methacholine challenge test (MCT), but showed higher bronchodilator responsiveness (BDR) after methacholine induced bronchoconstriction. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of BDR following methacholine-induced bronchoconstriction as a tool for the therapeutic plan in clinically suspected asthmatic patients with negative results in MCT. Methods: MCT was performed in 530 children for evaluation of asthma. Immediately after MCT, patients were asked to inhale short-acting beta2 agonists to evaluate BDR. BDR was measured as the percent increase in FEV1 after treatment. Total serum IgE levels, total eosinophil counts, and specific IgE levels were measured in most children. Schedule visits at 1-month to 6-month intervals were done for 3months to 4 years. Results: Among 530 children, 219 patients showed negative results (PC20 >25mg/mL) in MCT. Out of children with negative MCT, 37 patients expressed over 12% increase (high BDR) and 182 patients expressed under 12% increase (low BDR) in FEV1 after bronchodilator following methacholine induced bronchoconstriction. Among patients with high BDR and negative MCT, 37.8% patients were required inhaled corticosteroid therapy for control of their symptoms. But, among patients with low BDR and negative MCT, only 10.8% patients were required inhaled corticosteroid. Conclusion: In clinically highly suspected asthmatic children with negative MCT, BDR following methacholine-induced bronchoconstriction seems to play a considerable role for the decision of treatment with inhaled corticosteroid.


The filtration of liquid sulfur is a key operation in the production of sulfuric acid that is used for phosphate fertilizer production in Morocco and elsewhere. The purpose of the filtration process is to remove solid impurities from liquid sulfur, which could clog the sulfur burner spray nozzles, leading to the reduction of the lifetime of the sulfuric acid production unit. The standard life cycle operation for sulfuric acid units is 24 months, while due to clogging, this lifetime can be reduced to less than 18 months, which is obviously a tremendous economic disadvantage. In the liquid sulfur filtration process, a precoat made of diatomaceous earth is usually used. In this work, the performance of a standard diatomaceous earth filter aid was compared to the performance of two commercial, inexpensive, cellulose-based filter aids, namely, FILTER-900 and FILTER-1100, which are distinguished by their respective Dalton numbers (900 Da and 1100 Da). The experiments were realized using an industrial sulfur filtration device, and the results indicated that all three of the filter aids yielded similar performance in terms of the impurity content in the filtered liquid sulfur. The cellulose-based filter aids did, however, show a lower specific filter-aid consumption, accompanied by an increase in operating cycle times from 24 to 72 h. In addition, the use of the cellulose-based filters allowed for the relatively easy removal of the filter cake without damaging the filter cloths (which is often an issue with the diatomaceous earth filter aids). It was further noticed that the filtered liquid sulfur obtained using the cellulose-based filter aids remained uncontaminated by silicate, which is one of the main elements that can result in clogging of the sulfur spray nozzles. The first experimental data presented here are therefore promising, and further industrial tests as well as economic analysis for using cellulose-based filter aids in industrial sulfuric acid production are encouraged.


BACKGROUND
Patients with acute ischemic stroke and large artery occlusive disease (LAOD) have an increased risk for early neurologic deterioration (END) due to progressive stroke, early recurrent ischemic stroke(ERIS), or symptomatic intracranial cerebral hemorrhage(SICH). Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH)has been widely advocated to prevent venous thromboembolism,but its risks and benefits in early ischemic stroke are inadequately defined.

OBJECTIVE
To determine the efficacy and safety of LMWH in treating END in patients with acute ischemic stroke and LAOD.

DESIGN
Post hoc analysis of randomized, controlled trial.

SETTING
Academic research.

PATIENTS
Among 603 patients recruited, 353 patients(180 treated with LMWH, 173 with aspirin) had acute ischemic stroke and LAOD.

INTERVENTIONS
Patients were randomly assigned to receive either subcutaneous LMWH or oral aspirin within 48 hours after stroke onset for 10 days, then all received aspirin once daily for 6 months.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
We assessed whether LMWH was superior to aspirin for the prevention of END within the first 10 days after index stroke. Early neurologic deterioration was defined as a composite end point of progressive stroke, ERIS, and SICH.

RESULTS
Among 353 patients included in the study, END within the first 10 days occurred in 6.7% of LMWH allocated patients (12 of 180 patients) compared with 13.9% of aspirin-allocated patients (24 of 173). Low molecular-weight heparin was significantly associated with the reduction of END(absolute risk reduction, 7.2%; odds ratio [OR], 0.44; 95% CI, 0.21-0.92). When individual components of END were examined, LMWH was significantly associated with a lower frequency of stroke progression within the first 10 days compared with aspirin(5.0% [9 of 180] vs 12.7% [22 of 173]; OR, 0.36; 95%CI, 0.16-0.81). Meanwhile, among those taking LMWH vs aspirin, the frequency rates of ERIS were 1.1% (2 of 180) vs 0 (0); 0.6% (1 of 180) vs 1.2% (2 of 173) for SICH;and 2.2% (4 of 180) vs 2.9% (5 of 173) for symptomatic and asymptomatic cerebral hemorrhage, respectively; they showed nonsignificant trends. Early neurologic deterioration was significantly associated with 6-month disability with both LMWH(OR, 12.75; 95% CI, 3.27-49.79 on Barthel Index and OR, 18.15; 95% CI, 2.09-157.93 on modified Rankin Scale) and aspirin (OR, 6.09; 95% CI,2.44-15.20 on Barthel Index and OR, 7.50; 95% CI, 2.08-27.04 on modified Rankin Scale) groups.

CONCLUSIONS
For patients with acute ischemic stroke and LAOD, treatment with LMWH within 48 hours of stroke may reduce END during the first 10 days, mainly by preventing stroke progression. The similar rate of cerebral hemorrhage between LMWH and aspirin demonstrated that LMWH may be safely used in acute ischemic stroke.

TRIAL REGISTRATION
stroke center.org/trials Identifier: FISS -tris


Objective Reconfiguration of trauma services, with direct transport of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) to specialist neuroscience centres (SNCs)—bypassing non-specialist acute hospitals (NSAHs), could improve outcomes. However, delays in stabilisation of airway, breathing and circulation (ABC) may worsen outcomes when compared with selective secondary transfer from nearest NSAH to SNC. We conducted a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial to determine the feasibility and plausibility of bypassing suspected patients with TBI —directly into SNCs—producing a measurable effect. Setting Two English Ambulance Services. Participants 74 clusters (ambulance stations) were randomised within pairs after matching for important characteristics. Clusters enrolled head-injured adults—injured nearest to an NSAH—with internationally accepted TBI risk factors and stable ABC. We excluded participants attended by Helicopter Emergency Medical Services or who were injured more than 1 hour by road from nearest SNC. Interventions Intervention cluster participants were transported directly to an SNC bypassing nearest NSAH; control cluster participants were transported to nearest NSAH with selective secondary transfer to SNC. Outcomes Trial recruitment rate (target n=700 per annum) and percentage with TBI on CT scan (target 80%) were the primary feasibility outcomes. 30-day mortality, 6-month Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale and quality of life were secondary outcomes. Results 56 ambulance station clusters recruited 293 patients in 12 months. The trial arms were similar in terms of age, conscious level and injury severity. Less than 25% of recruited patients had TBI on CT (n=70) with 7% (n=20) requiring neurosurgery. Complete case analysis showed similar 30-day mortality in the two trial arms (control=8.8 (2.7–14.0)% vs intervention=9.4(2.3–14.0)%). Conclusion Bypassing patients with suspected TBI to SNCs gives an overtriage (false positive) ratio of 13:1 for neurosurgical intervention and 4:1 for TBI. A measurable effect from a full trial of early neuroscience care following bypass is therefore unlikely. Trial registration number ISRCTN68087745.


The purpose of the work was to investigate and compare how two different theater-techniques can function in the preparatory work before two concerts. I chose to do two short concerts as the artistic part of the study, each with three songs. The first concert was prepared with Michael Chekhov's technique and the second one with Konstantin Stanislavski's Method.In the description of the musical and theatrical material I have explained the parts of Chekhov's and Stanislavski's techniques that I have been working wih - exercises and ways of thinking - as well as the six songs included in the study. I the process description I have outlined how I worked with the songs and what the outcome was, which exercises that turned out to work well and which didn't, and also reflected upon what the reasons for this might be.The conclusion is that one can gain a lot from working with both Chekhov and Stanislavski and that what works best is dependent on the situation and character of the song.


Ocean Drilling Program Site 906 was drilled through a 5-km-wide, buried slope canyon to learn when and how this feature formed, was maintained, and subsequently filled. Seismic profiles show that it is the oldest Neogene canyon in the region, and that it marks the beginning of major slope bypass that continued intermittently to Pleistocene time. Sampling the oldest material within the canyon (pre-reflector m2) to determine the minimum canyon age, and tracing the youngest surface cut by the canyon to a nearby site (reflector m3) to determine the maximum age, shows the canyon formed between 13.5 ± 0.5, and 12.4 ± 0.5 m.y. The first sediment that accumulated within the canyon is a 57-m breccia deposit shed from the adjacent walls; matrix-supported debris flows of similar age and lithology were sampled at Site 905, 52 km southeast at 2800-m water depth on the continental rise. At both sites this material lacks shallow-water sand, and together with the flat (not V-shaped) canyon cross-section cutting into reflector m3 suggests that the canyon formed sometime after 13.5 ± 0.5 m.y. as a result of sediment failure that widened and lengthened the scar during headward erosion. By this process the canyon connected with a sediment source on the adjacent shelf, probably in less than ~0.5 Ma, and 60 m of mostly quartz sand turbidites accumulated above the Site 906 breccia; no equivalent turbidites have been found outside the canyon. Reflector m2 (12.4 ± 0.5 m.y.) is the oldest seismic reflector draping both the canyon and the adjacent slope, and it matches the top of an 82-m unit of laminated siltstone at Site 906. Seismic mapping beneath the upper slope shows this laminated unit completely filled the canyon 5 km landward of Site 906; furthermore, this unit lapped out against the basal breccias and turbidites just 7 km seaward of Site 906, demonstrating the head of the canyon filled first. This left a 250-m high, headless canyon on the middle and lower slope that has subsequently been utilized and completely filled by overlying canyon systems. Younger Miocene canyons seen in nearby profiles reveal a similar history. This evidence emphasizes that sediment failure and headward erosion are important precursors to shelf-edge sands finding a ready conduit to the deep sea. Sea-level fall can thus be a secondary process in slope canyon formation. Because canyons are buried on the upper slope before those on the lower slope, canyon piracy is more common in the latter setting. Consequently, the stratigraphic record of lower slope canyons can be especially complex.


Abstract This paper explores the daily, psychic journeys Indian call center agents undergo as they 'virtually migrate' between India and the US. A thin cable that runs half way around the globe bridges the 'here' and the 'there', connecting agents to faraway customers in real time. The new time-space relations generated by this virtual contact create conditions for these workers to undergo a global 'migration' from India and to America, even as their bodies remain bounded within the national homeland. To accommodate the US American workday, Indian agents often work the nightshift and sleep during the day, leaving them little time for family, friends, and cultural events. This temporal arrangement displaces them from the daily rhythms of Indian life, generating a sense of loss, longing, and nostalgia for 'India'. Further, while agents experience a sense of distance from India, they also experience a movement toward 'America'. Agents' accounts suggest a feeling of living between worlds, yet their movement is decoupled from physical migration.


At studying an opportunity of use and development of techniques of application of a preparation трекрезан for restoration of a condition of an organism at women in the shortest terms, it is established, that at application of biologically active additive trekrezan in a doze 0,5х2 once a day during 21 day two times a year leads to the highest parameters of motivation to employment, significant decrease in time of restoration after loading and to increase of parameters of physical development.


Purpose – To describe four instructional components teachers can use to help create more inclusive spaces for struggling readers: (a) language use, (b) repositioning struggling readers as primary knowers, (c) making struggling normal, and (d) creating reading partnerships.Design/methodology/approach – The chapter describes research findings from studies of middle grades students in English language arts, and theorizes work with struggling readers on the basis of identity theories, research about identifying and utilizing students' own funds of knowledge, and research about the conditions for building reading self-efficacy, motivation, and engagement.Findings – Provides detailed descriptions of how teachers' language use, reading partnerships, making struggling a normal part of reading processes, and helping struggling readers become full participants in classroom life, including models, examples, and interview data with middle grades struggling readers.Research limitations/implications – Adjusting teachers' language use in discussions of how to read, using students' knowledge of reading and other topics from outside of school, enabling collaboration through peer reading partnerships, and positioning all students to understand that struggling with reading is normal and not necessarily a sign of low ability.Practical implications – This is a valuable source for classroom teachers who are seeking successful strategies for engaging and supporting struggling readers while also creating a positive classroom environment for reading instruction in general.Originality/value of chapter – The environment a reading teacher creates, including the language that teacher uses, can have a powerful and positive impact on struggling readers' classroom identities, self-efficacy, motivation, and ability to engage successfully with reading processes in school.


S OF SOVIET MEDICINE. T'rtz Excerpta Medica Foundation was established ten years ago with the object of providing a comprehensive medical abstracting service in the English language. Their latest venture, Abstracts of Soviet Meaictne? is intended as a quarterly publication in two parts, dealing respectively with the basic medical sciences (Part A) and clinical medicine (Part B). The first number of Part A consists of abstracts of almost 250 papers arranged in five major groups: (i) anatomy, embryology and histology, (ii) physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology, (iii) endocrinology, (iv) medical microbiology, immunology and serology, (v) general pathology and pathological anatomy. Of these sections that devoted to endocrinology is the longest. Among the topics which catch the eye on a quick perusal of the publication are: a description of a 14·day-old human embryo; an account of experiments on the human heart after death from various causes (in one case the activity of atria and ventricles of the heart of a premature infant was started again 99 hours after death); the resuscitation of puppies 10 minutes after clinical death from exsanguination, without loss of conditioned reflexes established before death; a suggestion that the incidence of skin cancer, as well as being influenced by climatic factors, bears an inverse ratio to the magnesium content of the soil. The material for these abstracts is provided by a panel of members of the U.S.S.R. Academy of Medical Sciences. As would be expected, they record a substantial volume of original' research on a wide variety of topics, and this publication should be of great assistance to anyone interested in the progress of Russian research in his own particular field. 1 S''''yery, 1957, 41: 1029 (June) (see also 'V. J. McDermott et alii, Ann. Burg., September, 1956, abstracted In M. J. AusTRALIA, 1957, 1: 327). 2 Abst"acts of Boviet .Medicine, Part A, Basic Medical Sciences, Volume I, Number 1, 1957. Amsterdam and New York: Excerpta :\[edica Foundation. 9~" x 61", pp. 102. Annual subscription price: $15.00.


Three automated procedures are reported for the simulataneous determination of ammonia, nitrate plus nitrite, and phosphate in water. The ammonia determination is based on the salicylate-dichloroisocyanurate reaction in the presence of nitroprusside preceded by in-line distillation. Nitrate plus nitrite is estimated by using an in-line copperized cadmium reductor, diazotizing the nitrite with sulphanilamide, and coupling with N-1-naphthylethylenediamine. Phosphate is estimated by reaction with molybdate and reduction to molybdenum blue with ferrous ammonium sulphate. Mercury (II) chloride used as a preservative does not interfere with the methods and good precision at ppB levels can be obtained.


This paper describes an analytical procedure for free estrogens and their conjugates in domestic wastewater. The procedure demonstrated in this study is innovative in terms of levels of detection and quantification of the following substances: estrone (E1); 17beta-estradiol (E2); 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2); estriol (E3); estrone-3-sulfate (E1-S); beta-estradiol 3-sulfate (E2-S); estriol 3-sulfate (E3-S); estrone beta-D-glucuronide (E1-G); beta-estradiol 17-(beta-D)-glucuronide (E2-G); estriol 3-(beta-D)-glucuronide (E3-G); beta-estradiol 3-sulfate 17-glucuronide (E2-SandG); and estradiol 3,17-disulfate (E2-diS). The detection limits of this method ranged from 0.1 to 1.4 ng/l. The recovery efficiencies of the estrogens in the analysis from influent and effluent of the secondary settling tank in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) were higher than 94% for the free estrogens, but were less than 50% for the conjugated estrogens. The field study using this method was conducted at twenty WWTPs in Japan. The median concentrations of the estrogens ranged from ND to as high as >100 ng/l. In the influent and secondary effluent samples, the concentrations of E1, E2 and E3 were the same levels as those previously reported. We found that the conjugated estrogens exist at higher concentrations in the influent and the secondary effluent than in the other studies, and that the concentrations of the conjugated estrogens were higher than those of the free estrogens.


such a work, as a starting point. For this reason, therefore, I think that there is merit for a student on a generically-based social work course reading the book with a good chance of gaining an understanding of residential social work vis-a-vis fieldwork. For the more experienced fieldworker, however, I doubt that attitudes towards social work in institutions would be seriously challenged by this book.


Abstract: Preservation of blood through use of anticoagulants allows delayed assessment of hematologic health and is commonly employed in veterinary health assessments. The two most common anticoagulants are lithium heparin (LH) and dipotassium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and their effects can vary widely between species. The hematologic effects of these anticoagulants on blood from European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) have not been established, and these birds could serve as models for passerine species both in managed collections and in the wild. Blood was drawn from 45 European starlings and immediately divided into either LH or EDTA microtainers. For each sample, packed cell volume (PCV), total solids (TS), and complete blood counts were performed. There were no significant differences between EDTA and LH anticoagulated blood for PCV, white blood cell count (WBC) slide estimates, WBC determined by Leukopet, absolute heterophils, absolute lymphocytes, absolute monocytes, absolute eosinophils, or absolute basophils. Blood anticoagulated with EDTA had higher total solids than blood mixed with LH. For both anticoagulants, Leukopet-measured total WBC were consistently higher than blood film estimates. There were no subjective morphologic differences for WBC and no hemolysis observed in the samples. Thrombocyte clumping was prominent for LH blood samples and minimal for EDTA samples. These results reveal that LH and EDTA are both suitable anticoagulants for use in European starlings, and EDTA may be superior for diagnostic purposes or for qualitative evaluation of thrombocyte quantity.


Software based fault isolation (SFI) is a powerful approach to reduce the impact of security vulnerabilities in large C/C++ applications like Firefox and Apache. Unfortunately, practical SFI tools have not been broadly available.
Developing SFI toolchains are a significant engineering challenge. Only in recent years have browser vendors invested in building production quality SFI tools like Native Client (NaCl) to sandbox code. Further, without committed support, these tools are not viable, e.g. NaCl has been discontinued, orphaning projects that relied on it.
WebAssembly (Wasm) offers a promising solution---it can support high performance sandboxing and has been embraced by all major browser vendors---thus seems to have a viable future. However, Wasm presently only offers a solution for sandboxing mobile code. Providing SFI for native application, such as C/C++ libraries requires additional steps.
To reconcile the different worlds of Wasm on the browser and native platforms, we present Gobi. Gobi is a system of compiler changes and runtime support that can sandbox normal C/C++ libraries with Wasm---allowing them to be compiled and linked into native applications. Gobi has been tested on libjpeg, libpng, and zlib.
Based on our experience developing Gobi, we conclude with a call to arms to the Wasm community and SFI research community to make Wasm based module sandboxing a first class use case and describe how this can significantly benefit both communities.
Addendum: This short paper was originally written in January of 2019. Since then, the implementation and design of Gobi has evolved substantially as some of the issues raised in this paper have been addressed by the Wasm community. Nevertheless, several challenges still remain. We have thus left the paper largely intact and only provide a brief update on the state of Wasm tooling as of November 2019 in the last section.


A miniature relief representing the scene of tauroctony, i.e. Mithras killing the bull, is on display in the Archaeological Museum in Split. Despite its visibility, the relief has so far remained unpublished. It is therefore the aim of this article to provide the detailed description of the object, and to contextualize it within the broader framework of "small and miniature reproductions of the Mithraic icon". Based on this, the original provenance and dating of the miniature relief are proposed. Furthermore, the relief is taken as a fine example of interconnectedness of social, material, and religious mobility in "globalizing Roman world". The final part of the article discusses the psychological effectiveness of miniature Mithraic reliefs, suggesting their possible role as memory aids.


Summary:
 Aloe argyrostachys, a remarkable new species described in this paper, is related to A. compressa H. Perrier (s.l.) from which it differs, inter alia, by its caulescent habit and larger size and by its white perianths, with segments not recurved, held in a dense, conical raceme. The species was found in the wide expanse of quartzite mountains that constitute much of the country west of Antsirabe, in the central highlands of Madagascar.


The Yukawa interaction describes Coulomb screening in several physical systems. We investigate bound quantum states of the Yukawa potential in low-dimensional structures as a model of e.g. excitons in semiconductor nanostructures. Diagonalization, perturbation, variation, and resummation methods are all applied to the problem and their accuracy is compared. For moderate positive screening, all methods are found to be applicable and, in particular, the variational approach is highly accurate except near the threshold for bound states. In contrast, only hypergeometric resummation captures the correct behaviour in the negative (antiscreened) regime. We also determine the dimensional dependence of the critical screening, above which bound states cease to exist. As an application, the critical screening is used to compute critical doping levels for the existence of bound excitons in quantum wells.


ABSTRACT In the present study, we aimed to identify the comorbidities that would be predictive of requiring lower extremity amputation or reamputation for diabetic foot wounds. We performed a retrospective review of 132 consecutive patients who had undergone lower extremity amputations (110 patients) or reamputations (22 patients) for diabetic wounds from January 2013 to March 2016. We used multivariate logistic regression to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) for amputation and reamputation for various comorbidities. The ORs of undergoing amputation were greatest for adult males (OR 5.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.56 to 13.04; p = .05) and those with longer term diabetes (OR 4.22, 95% CI 2.01 to 12.95; p = .05), wound infection (OR 3.94, 95% CI 1.04 to 9.00; p = .05), diabetic neuropathy (OR 3.53, 95% CI 1.07 to 9.11; p = .05), and a positive history of smoking (OR 3.04, 95% CI 1.55 to 9.89; p = .05). Similarly, the ORs of undergoing reamputation were greatest for adult males (OR 4.06, 95% CI 1.02 to 12.08; p = .05) and those with longer term diabetes (OR 3.67, 95% CI 1.94 to 11.42; p = .05), wound infection (OR 3.12; 95% CI 0.9 to 8.32; p = .05), diabetic neuropathy (OR 3.01, 95% CI 0.92 to 8.54; p = .05), and a positive history of smoking (OR 2.89, 95% CI 1.09 to 9.42; p = .05). The early identification of these comorbidities could help determine which patients are most likely to require amputation or reamputation.


Connecting people is the ultimate goal of telecommunication. With advances in computing capability and ubiquitous access to various data, today's connection is focused on the blended information delivered by a converged mechanism, driven by the consumer¿s thirst for digital social interaction. Leveraging technologies like data mining, service-indication texting, and synthesized imaging, next-generation applications are incorporating more information into our daily communication. More services hence emerge from this kind of data federation. This article explores potential service augmentation by placing communication in a four-dimensional model that combines service delivery and external data augmentation. Using categorized information obtained by data mining techniques, a specially designed service indication text language could bring user interactivity to new levels. Tele-reality converges toward use of synthesized images or videos that are generated by merging and processing information about people, place, time, mode, weather, recent events and more. In addition, this article also illustrates how current standard user profiles and application programming interfaces are leveraged in order to accommodate such services.


Hydrography data from 1985 to 1993 in the vicinity of the Endicott Causeway near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, were analyzed to determine if the trend in yearly post-causeway construction temperature and salinity was toward colder and more saline conditions. No significant (p ≤ 0.05) relationship was found for temperature; however, salinity levels significantly decreased with time following construction. Intra-year variations in hydrographic conditions appeared to be due to coast-wide meteorological and oceanographic events rather than causeway-induced. We analyzed abundance indices, as loge transformed catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE), of four marine species (arctic cod, Boreogadus saida; fourhorn sculpin, Myoxocephalus quadricornis; arctic flounder, Pleuronectes glacialis; saffron cod, Eleginus gracilis); two freshwater species (round whitefish, Prosopium cylindraceum; arctic grayling, Thymallus arcticus); and the anadromous rainbow smelt, Osmerus mordax, to determine whether there were increases in the abundances of marine species and declines in anadromous and freshwater species. We developed the "best-fit" regression models, based on the criterion of maximized regression F-ratio (i.e., minimized regression p-values), using year, temperature, salinity, and all possible interactions. Results suggested that all species exhibited changes in abundance levels over the period of record. In particular, arctic flounder and rainbow smelt both showed sharp increases in abundance five years after construction. For all species, the observed changes in abundance levels appeared to be due to naturally occurring events in the species' life histories or changes in coast-wide meteorological conditions rather than to causeway-induced alterations in local hydrographic conditions.


Mindful of the changes to general practice (GP) and GP training over recent years, one vocational training scheme (VTS) decided to thoroughly evaluate its long-running half-day release scheme to decide if it remained fit for purpose, and to plan and implement changes in the light of findings. A literature review was first carried out to ascertain what is known about the contribution that day release and half-day release (HDR) programmes make to GP training. Little has been published on content or evaluation but there is varied experience of incorporating release training into hospital training. This case study reports the views of trainers and trainees on the HDR at Tees Valley Vocational Training Scheme, and the resultant changes made to this HDR programme by the participants. Trainers mostly valued their commitment to HDR small group teaching for their personal development as teachers and for the opportunity to 'keep in touch' with trainees during their hospital posts. Trainees were positive about the HDR programme, but requested more continuity. The plan that evolved is to continue weekly HDR throughout the training programme, keeping trainees in the same small group for three years. In ST1 and ST3 years one programme director per group facilitates each session, maintaining consistency over the year, and liaising with specialists around content. Trainers each teach two sessions in ST2 year. Elective sessions are planned for extended training.


Background Biologics (Bio) therapy has become a standard therapy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and long-term outcomes can be evaluated recently. Although one of the desirable treatment strategy is to stop Bio therapy after reaching targets to treat such as remission or low disease activity (Bio-free), other desirable treatment strategy is to continue Bio therapy and to sustain targets to treat. Several studies showed it difficult to continue Bio-free for a long time, so it is a practical strategy to continue Bio therapy in clinical setting. Objectives This observational cohort study investigated the treatment retention rate of Bio therapy and the predictors of its continuation in patients with RA. Methods 254 RA patients who initiated any of biologic agents (infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, tocilizumab, abatacept, golimumab) as first Bio in our institute from 2003 to 2013 were included in this study. Switching from one Bio agent to another was defined as continuation of Bio therapy in this study. Patients' characteristics and treatment retention rate were investigated. The outcomes at last observation in both the Bio-continued and the Bio-stopped were compared with each other. Bio-free due to remission and stopping Bio therapy related to pregnancy were assigned to the Bio-continued. The predictors for continuation of the Bio therapy were also investigated. Results Baseline characteristics was as follows. % female was 82.7%. Mean age was 57.8 years old. Mean RA duration was 11.3 years. % methotrexate (MTX) concomitant was 81.5% and mean used dose was 8.5mg/weeks (MTX dose was restricted up to 8mg/weeks until 2011 in Japan and 16mg/w after 2011). % prednisolone (PSL) concomitant was 56.3%. % Bio monotherapy was 13.6%. Mean baseline DAS28-CRP and SDAI was 4.74 and 25.8, respectively. % high disease activity measured using DAS28 and SDAI at baseline was 41.7% and 46.3%, respectively. Baseline disease activity were getting lower year by year. Treatment continuation rates using Kaplan-Meier method were 88.4% at 1 year, 82.1% at 3 years, 74.4% at 5 years and 70.4% at 7 years. Reasons for stopping Bio therapy were infection at first, hope of patients or absent to hospital at second and worsened comorbidities at third. Lower disease activity and more remission rates were observed in the Bio- continued compared with the Bio-stopped. Predictors of continuation of Bio therapy were shorter RA duration, fewer concomitant prednisolone, more concomitant MTX, lower disease activity, good renal function, fewer lung disease and glucose intolerance in univariate analysis. Concomitant MTX, heavy body weight and glucose tolerance (defined as patients with abnormal HbA1c or treated with drugs for diabetes mellitus) was detected as predictors of continuation of Bio therapy in multivariate analysis. Conclusions Our cohort study showed that long-term continuation rate of Bio therapy was about 60-70% in 7-8 years. Infection was the most reasons for stopping Bio therapy. Baseline characteristics of RA patients who initiated Bio therapy were one of the important predictors for continuation of Bio. Comorbidities were one of the important influencers on treatment retention rate of Bio therapy and glucose intolerance was the most important influencer in this study. Disclosure of Interest Y. Hirano Speakers bureau: Abbott Japan Co. Ltd.; Eisai Co. Ltd.; Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation; Pfizer Co. Ltd.; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.; and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. Ltd., S. Hirabara: None declared, M. Isono: None declared, Y. Oishi: None declared, T. Kojima Speakers bureau: Abbott Japan Co. Ltd.; Eisai Co. Ltd.; Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation; Pfizer Co. Ltd.; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.; and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. Ltd., N. Ishiguro Speakers bureau: Abbott Japan Co. Ltd.; Eisai Co. Ltd.; Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation; Pfizer Co. Ltd.; Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.; and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. Ltd.