Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO) is one of the most public endocrine disorders affecting women. Metanephrines are O-methylated metabolites of catecholamines. Measurements of plasma, normetanephrine and metanephrine, provide a sensitive test for diagnosis of pheochromocytoma in adults but have not been evaluated in women with PCOS.This study was carried out at Karbala hospital for gynecology and obstetrics,the Kamal AL-SamaraiHospital. Fortyfivewomen fulfilling the clinical and biochemical criteria for polycystic ovary syndrome and hyperinsulinemia were enrolled before using any drugs. In additionBodyMass Index (BMI), fasting insulin, fasting blood sugar and HOMAlevelswere performed. FSH, LH, prolactin, insulin, free metanephrines and epinephrine were measured by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay, fasting blood glucose were measured by colorimetric methods. There was a significant increase (p<0.001) in PCOS patients when compared to the control group in fasting serumprolactin, insulin, free metanephrines and Epinephrine. In conclusion,there was a significant an increase in freemetanephrine and Epinephrine inwomenwith PCOS before using any treatments. These results in the present study are shown the first time as our knowledge, these factors may be useful in following developments in insulin resistance in subjects with polycystic ovary syndrome. Further studies are needed to certify these factors in other populations with metformin treatment or with other insulin sensitizers or when treated with diet and exercise.


Approximation of high-order and time-varying linear continuous-time Gaussian models by low-order and time-invariant models is considered. The recent work of Baram and Be'eri pertaining to the discrete-time systems is extended to continuous-time system models. The model simplification is carried out by maximizing the probabilistic ambiguity between the actual system and the approximate model. Differences between the continuous-time and the discrete-time model simplification problems are examined. The case when the observation noise covariance of the approximate model differs from that of the actual system presents technical difficulties not present in the discrete-time version.


Summary Psychiatric disorder was studied in 62 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (study group) and 70 patients with grand mal epilepsy (control group), both diagnosed electroencephalographically. The two groups were similar as regards age, sex, socio-economic status, duration and frequency of fits, family history and premorbid personality. A significantly greater number of temporal lobe epileptics had emotional disturbances in childhood and psychiatric abnormalities at the time of study. Neuroses, schizophrenia and behaviour disorder occurred more commonly in the study group, while epileptic personality and confusional psychosis were seen more frequently in the controls. The findings of the study are discussed in the light of relevant literature.


The reduced effective mass of cadmium sulphide nanoparticles formed by Successful Ion Layered Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) has been studied. It is found that the value of the reduced effective mass of the charge carriers in CdS nanoparticles is greater than that in bulk crystals. The results of this investigation show that in some cases the band gap of the nanoparticles is less than in bulk crystals. This is explained by the changing lattice parameters in nanoparticles from the centre to the surface.


Craniofacial surgical techniques have yielded better methods of treating severe craniofacial trauma. In this paper surgical techniques are discussed in principle and specifically presented through case reports. We conclude that the most important factors for successful reconstruction after craniofacial trauma are to do as much as possible the first time, to obtain wide exposure, to ensure rigid fixation of bone pieces and grafts, and to make use of a workbench procedure where bone fragments are assembled on a side table for subsequent reattachment to the head.


Our paper addresses the relationship between exchange rates changes and interest rate differentials in the UIP framework, by taking into account capital market and foreign exchange market volatility. We use eight currencies, of which five are Central and Eastern European and three are developed markets currencies, and their relationship to the US dollar. We use OLS regressions to capture the influence of volatility on UIP testing. We find that UIP is not validated, overall and in times of high volatility, but the direction in the exchange rate change indicated by the interest rate differential follows the UIP framework. The relationship between interest rate differentials and exchange rates changes is weak and taking into account market volatility does not significantly alter our results.


This work aims to establish an HPLC specific chromatogram and determine six components of Vernonia anthelmintica with chlorogenic acid, isochlorogenic acid B, isochlorogenic acid A, isochlorogenic acid C, scutellarein and luteolin as index components. HPLC analysis was performed on a Waters Xbridge C_(18) column(4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm) with gradient elution of acetonitrile-0.05% trifluoroacetic acid solution at a flow rate of 1.0 mL·min~(-1). The detection wave length was 360 nm and the column temperature was 30 ℃. Chemometrics software Chempattern was employed to analyze the data. HPLC specific chromatogram of V. anthelmintica was established and six characteristic peaks were marked. Six characteristic peaks were simultaneously determined by HPLC within 50 min. The contents of the six components in 13 batch samples of V. anthelmintica were 0.14%-0.68%, 0.44%-0.74%, 0.63%-1.01%, 0.14%-0.71%, 0.15%-0.26% and 0.010%-0.030%, respectively. The HPLC specific chromatogram of V. anthelmintica, together with determination of six components showed strong specificity, and it can be used for the quality control of the crude drug.


As part of the European energy policy goals of sustainability, security of supply and improved competitiveness, the share of Renewable Energy Sources for Electricity (RES-E) is rapidly increasing. The Belgian national renewable energy action plan to comply with the EC renewable energy directive (2009/28/EC) estimates the installed capacity of wind power at 4320 MW towards 2020. This is expected to account for a yearly generation of 10.5 TWh, being 9% of the reference electricity demand scenario for 2020. The general objective of this project is to study the potential for massive wind integration in Belgium. Technical, economic and regulatory boundaries for a reliable and efficient integration in the power system are identified, together with necessary measures to transcend them.


Objectives This study aimed to compare the mid-term clinical outcomes of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-calcified nodules between percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with and without rotational atherectomy (RA). Background There has been a debate whether to use RA for the revascularization of calcified nodule. Although RA can ablate the calcified structure within calcified nodule and may facilitate adequate stent expansion, RA may provoke severe coronary perforation, because calcified nodule typically shows eccentric calcification. Methods We included 204 lesions with IVUS-calcified nodule, and divided into 73 lesions treated with RA (RA group) and 131 lesions without RA (non-RA group). After propensity-score matching, 42 lesions with RA (matched RA group) and 42 lesions without RA (matched non-RA group) were selected. We compared the clinical characteristics and outcomes between the 2 groups before and after propensity-score matching. The primary endpoint was ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization (TVR) within 1 year. Results Acute lumen area gain on IVUS was comparable between the matched RA group and matched non-RA group (3.9 ± 2.1 mm2 vs. 3.4 ± 1.6 mm2, p = 0.18). The stent malapposition at calcified nodules was frequently observed in both groups. The ischemia-driven TVR was not different between the 2 groups before (p = 0.82) and after propensity score-matching (p = 0.87). Conclusions The use of RA could not reduce the incidence of ischemia-driven TVR in lesions with IVUS-calcified nodule. Our results do not support the routine use of RA for lesions with IVUS-calcified nodule.


The present paper demonstrates that certain early monetary developments observed in the West since the Peloponnesian War about 400 B.C., but also in China can only e explained with the help of three economic theories called "Gresham's Law", "Thiers' Law" and "The Monetary Approach to the Balance of Payments". By doing so it is shown that "economic laws" have not only been working for hundreds of years, but also that several observed phenomena can only be explained by applying them. Gresham's Law states that, given fixed exchange rates among two kinds of money, bad money will drive out good money. By contrast, Thiers' Law (a name coined by me, in the literature it is also called the Anti-Gresham Law) states that with flexible exchange rates and sufficiently significant differences in the rates of inflation of two currencies good money will drive out the bad one. Because of this an undervaluation of the more inflating currency develops, its purchasing power is lower abroad than at home. Finally the Monetary Approach to the Balance of Payments starts by looking at the balance of payments - and for Antiquity we should rather restrict this to the balance of trade - by taking into account that surpluses or deficits of the balance of payment have to be financed by extending credit or monetary flows, for otherwise they cannot occur. Since international credits can be neglected in classical times, this means that deficits of the balance of trade have to be financed by an outflow of coins or sometimes gold, silver or copper. The empirical evidence for the working of these laws quoted stretches from antiquity to modern times.


Introduction: The chest is a photoexposed area that shows e ects of photodamage. Microneedling is a safe option for the rejuvenation of this area, also leading to improvement in dyschromias. Objective: To evaluate histologic cutaneous response after three monthly sessions of microneedling for the treatment of dyschromias on the chest. Methods: Three monthly sessions of microneedling, with 1.5mm length needles were performed, as well as skin biopsies before and 90 days after commencement of the study. Histologic samples were evaluated with H&E and Fontana-Masson stains. Melanin content was measured based on dermal clusters. Results: Six patients between 38 and 67 years of age, phototypes II-III, Glogau scale II-IV were included. A positive correlation was observed between the time and dermal content of melanin (p= 0.029): three sessions of microneedling reduced this content on D90 compared to the beginning (6.4 ± 1.7 MC on D0 versus 3.1 ± 0.4 on D90, p = 0.05). Three patients reported global skin im provement on D90. Conclusions: The proposed mechanism of microneedling to promote lightening includes fibroblast proliferation and neocollagenesis in the upper dermis. This is the first study to evaluate the histology of the findings associated to lightening of the chest due to microneedling.


Edge computing applications leverage advances in edge computing along with the latest trends of convolutional neural networks in order to achieve ultra-low latency, high-speed processing, low-power consumptions scenarios, which are necessary for deploying real-time Internet of Things deployments efficiently. As the importance of such scenarios is growing by the day, we propose to undertake two different kind of models, such as an algebraic models, with a process algebra called ACP and a coding model with a modeling language called Promela. Both approaches have been used to build models considering an edge infrastructure with a cloud backup, which has been further extended with the addition of extra fog nodes, and after having applied the proper verification techniques, they have all been duly verified. Specifically, a generic edge computing design has been specified in an algebraic manner with ACP, being followed by its corresponding algebraic verification, whereas it has also been specified by means of Promela code, which has been verified by means of the model checker Spin.


Echinochloa colona (L.) Link is one of the most troublesome weed species in rice (Oryza sativa L.) crops. Despite numerous cases of herbicide resistance in E. colona worldwide, in Colombia the reports are scarce and most of them dating from over two decades ago. To screen the resistance of E. colona to bispyribac-sodium, cyhalofop-butyl and quinclorac, in the Saldaña and Purificación counties, a survey was carried out in 23 rice fields, through a grid of 26 squares of 2.56 km2 each. Seedlings from 23 populations were treated with commercial formulations from these respective herbicides at their recommended (1x) dose and twice the dose (2x) under controlled conditions. Relative fresh weight and percent control were evaluated. Populations with relative fresh weight greater than 20% and control below 80%, were categorized as resistant. For statistical analysis, a mixed model was used with populations as a random effect. The distribution of resistance was evaluated by a spatial autocorrelation analysis. It was established that 91% of populations were resistant to bispyribac-sodium, 48% to cyhalofop-butyl and 43% to quinclorac. Sixty-five percent had multiple resistance to two herbicides and 22% to three herbicides. Resistance was randomly distributed, according to the results obtained from the mixed model that showed a homogeneous response of populations within fields and heterogeneous among fields. This indicates that management strategies at field level generate a local selection pressure that determines the evolution of the resistance independently in each field.


The aim of this study was to compare two different cardiac output (CO) monitoring systems based on thermodilution principle (Thermo-CO) and indirect calorimetry (Fick mixed-CO) in critically ill patients victims of septic shock. Nineteen patients were enrolled in the study (14 males and 5 females), aging 45.4±21.5 years, APACHE II=22.4 ± 6.8 with calculated odds ratio for mortality of 46.1±26.8% and the Sepsis Score=21.1±8.6. Four measurements series to access cardiac output were carried out using both Thermo-CO and Fick mixed-CO. Samples of atrial blood were also collected from eight patients. No statistical difference were observed between Thermo-CO and Fick mixed-CO with values of 7.0±1.8 L.min-1 and 6.4±1.7 L.min-1, respectively. Despite of data from T4 (p=0.0090), no significant differences were observed for Thermo-CO and Fick mixed-CO obtained from consecutive measurements series (T1: p=0.0874, T2: p=0.0577 e T3: p = 0.4171). Parallel analysis of Fick mixed-CO and Fick atrial-CO was performed introducing a correction factor for the eight atrial samples in order to adjust the values of oxygen saturation obtained from atrial blood (Fick corrected atrial-CO) to those obtained from mixed venous blood. Our data demonstrated that no significant differences could be detected between Fick mixed-CO and Fick corrected atrial-CO in all consecutive measurements (T1: p=0.4609, T2: p=0.4688, T3: p=0.3125 e T4: p=0.5469). The mean values of Fick mixed-CO was 6.0±1.2 L.min-1 and for Fick corrected atrial-CO was 5.9±1.4 L.min-1. The coefficients of correlation for comparative analysis of Thermo-CO/Fick mixed-CO and the analysis of Fick mixedCO/Fick corrected atrial-CO was 0.84 and 0.94, respectively. We can conclude that the indirect calorimetry might be useful to perform a less-invasive measurement of cardiac output in patients with septic shock, mainly to manage those cases where invasive hemodynamic support is neither available nor indicated.


In response to epidermal injury, Parasilurus asotus, a catfish, secreted a strong antimicrobial peptide into the epithelial mucosal layer. The molecular mass of the antimicrobial peptide, named parasin I, was 2000.4 Da, as determined by matrixassociated laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry. The complete amino acid sequence of parasin I, which was determined by automated Edman degradation, was Lys-Gly-Arg-Gly-LysGln-Gly-Gly-Lys-Val-Arg-Ala-Lys-Ala-Lys-Thr-Arg-Ser-Ser. Eighteen of the 19 residues in parasin I were identical to the Nterminal of buforin I, a 39-residue antimicrobial peptide derived from the N-terminal of toad histone H2A [Kim et al. (1996) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 229, 381^387], which implies that parasin I was cleaved off from the N-terminal of catfish histone H2A. Parasin I showed strong antimicrobial activity, about 12^100 times more potent than magainin 2, against a wide spectrum of microorganisms, without any hemolytic activity. Circular dichroism spectra of parasin I indicated a structural content of 11% K-helix, 33% L-sheet, and 56% random coils. The L-sheet axial projection diagram of parasin I showed an amphipathic structure. Our results indicate that the catfish may produce parasin I from its histone H2A by a specific protease upon injury to protect against invasion by microorganisms. z 1998 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Deployment away from regular clinical practice is necessary for Army family physicians, but no current information identifies specific procedures or clinical encounters where they feel less comfortable after deployment. This study identifies specific clinical areas and amount of perceived degradation in skills after deployment to combat zones.

METHODS
Active duty Army family physicians were invited to participate in a web-based and anonymous survey rating comfort level performing clinical encounters or procedures prior to and after military deployment. Participants rated their comfort level using a 5-point Likert scale. The analysis included descriptive statistics about each physician's deployment history. The composite data for each clinical encounter or procedure were analyzed with McNemar's Chi-Square test.

RESULTS
A total of 179 eligible Army family physicians (54% of total) fully completed the instrument, with 39% deploying once and 10% deploying more than five times in their career. Deployments ranged from 1 to >24 months, with 42% having a last deployment of 12 months duration. With statistical significance, providers reported being less comfortable post-deployment with managing first-trimester bleeding, ACLS codes, acute abdominal pain, asthma exacerbations, central line placement, chest pain, COPD exacerbations, CVA/hypertensive emergency, lumbar puncture, neonatal fevers, pediatric codes, sepsis/septic shock, and vaginal delivery. These physicians reported statistically significant increased comfort with the care of major trauma after deployment.

CONCLUSIONS
Family physicians deploying to support combat operations feel less comfortable with critical clinical skills across the spectrum of care. Refresher training could be provided with standardized approach to these needs with a goal of maintaining full scope primary care providers.


The article deals with the philosophical history of Pyotr Yakovlevich Chaadaev from the point of view of ethics. The purpose of the work is to present Chaadaev's philosophy of history as part of his philosophical system, to consider the religious and moral motives of the philosopher. Conclusion: the understanding of Chaadaev's philosophy of history as a critique of Russia is incorrect.


A new method for moving target detection, localization, and velocity estimation using SAR raw data is presented which allows the determination of the target's complete velocity vector. The method is applicable if the target has either a tangential velocity (/spl mu//sub T//spl ne/0) or a radial acceleration (/spl nu//spl dot//sub R//spl ne/0), or both. It is based on the analysis of the Doppler rate map which is obtained from the range compressed raw data, applying the reflectivity displacement method (RDM). The tangential velocity of each moving target is obtained from its own Doppler rate and the radial velocity from its own linear range migration. A velocity accuracy better than 3 m/s can be achieved for the airborne case. The method is validated experimentally by the use of real SAR data obtained by DLR's E-SAR. The paper gives a short description of the state of the art of moving target velocity measurements, introduces the RDM for stationary targets and its extension to the application for moving targets. It furthermore shows experimental results. >


Numerous organizations coordinate and certify their information security systems according to the Information Security Management System (ISMS) standard. Available Cloud Computing Services (CCSs) include new types of vulnerability (management, virtualization, sprawl, etc.) and differ in management requirements from other computational systems. Establishing a consistent security management framework (SMF) and information security management system (ISMS) in CC environment is a complicated, demanding and time-consuming process. Every experience from applying ISMS standard solutions is certainly useful, but not enough to entirely cover all security requirements of the customers and Cloud Service Provider (CSP). Attempts of establishing an integrated and consistent SMF and ISMS in CC environment have not been researched in-depth in recent available literature. In this paper, authors suggested a framework for an establishing quality management system (QMS) of CCSs, including CC SMF and CC ISMS, proactive digital forensic (DF), proactive and predictive security controls and corporate DF investigation process up to the level specified in Service Level Agreement (SLA).


In the article the mechanism of co-operation of the airline with the subjects of external environment is substantiated and it is defined that exactly on the basis of corporate relations at combination of three managing subjects and determination of their unique economic interests the process of intercommunication on providing of effectiveness of air transport service is provided.


Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has been extensively applied for determination of volatile, nonpolar, compounds in many applied fields like food safety, environment, or toxicology. The wide majority of methods reported use electron ionization (EI), which may result in extensive fragmentation of analytes compromising selectivity and sensitivity. This might also complicate the application of tandem MS due to lack of specific/abundant precursor ions. Pyrethroids are examples of compounds with this behavior. In this work, the potential of atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), a softer form of ionization, combined with GC and a triple quadrupole mass analyzer was investigated, taking pyrethroids as a case study and their determination in fruit and vegetables as example application. Ionization and fragmentation behavior of eight pyrethroids (bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, permethrin, λ-cyhalothrin, fluvalinate, fenvalerate, and deltamethrin) by APCI were studied. The formation of a highly abundant (quasi) molecular ion was the main goal because of the enhanced selectivity when used as precursor ion in tandem MS. The addition of water as a modifier was tested to promote the generation of protonated molecules, resulting in notable improvement of sensitivity and selectivity for most compounds. The excellent detectability (low detection limits (LODs) <20 fg achieved) when using APCI combined with state-of-the-art tandem MS was demonstrated for real samples. Additionally, matrix effects were evaluated in terms of signal enhancement/suppression. Depending on the matrix, different degrees of suppression were observed, on average reducing the signal in matrix to 55% of that in solvent. The results presented in this paper demonstrate the potential of APCI as new source for GC/MS that could be applied to other analytical problems apart from those illustrated in this work.


Histamine is perhaps the most important mediator released during the first stage of the allergic reaction. But this principle can be questioned, since, using the microdialysis technique, Petersen et al. (1) recently found that after skin testing with allergen, histamine was found only just under the center of the wheal, not in the periphery. Therefore, after allergen challenge of the skin/mucosa, the mediators released by the challenged mast cell, which also stimulate closely related c-fibers, induce an axon reflex, and in turn induce release of neurogenic peptides and mastcell mediators from ''the next'' mast cell, are probably the major players in the immediate wheal and flare reaction. However, histamine has its immediate effects and induces a visible reaction, similar, but not identical, to the allergen-induced wheal and flare reaction, and that is why it will probably have a place in clinical work even in the future. In this issue of Allergy, Ronchetti et al. (2) report on the change in histamine reactivity over 13 years in cohorts of Italian children. They performed their study to investigate whether the cause of the increase in skin reactions during the 1980s and 1990s depends on an increase in skin response to histamine rather than a real increase in the number of sensitized patients. To me, this hypothesis does not sound plausible, since it would indicate either a change in the genetics of Italian children or an increase in the nonspecific reactivity of the skin of most children similar to that in the bronchi of asthmatics.


We propose a computationally feasible method for planning teams of robots based on linear temporal logic specifications. The approach is based on constructing a coarser description for each robot, and then using existing algorithms for solving the problem. Unlike the existing computationally intensive framework dedicated to similar problems, our solution is suboptimal, but it can be applied for large teams of robots evolving in complex environments. The small computation time makes our approach suitable for planning teams of robots even in the case of non-static environments, where the position of regions of interest may change during team deployment.


A special kind of associating polyelectrolytes, telechelic polyelectrolytes, composed of a flexible linear polyelectrolyte and short hydrophobic blocks at both ends, is investigated by means of Monte Carlo simulations in aqueous media. It is found that the interplay between hydrophobic attraction and the long-range electrostatic interaction as well as the counterion distribution exerts a major influence on the chain conformations (two basic conformations: loop and nonloop), association behavior (loop association contributes to loop conformation; free, dangling, and bridge chains contribute to nonloop conformations), and the forming of clusters. At a concentration close to the overlapping concentration phi*, the clusters are found to be further connected by bridge chains under strong hydrophobic interaction, forming a 3D network. In addition, increasing Coulombic interaction strength is in favor of the formation of a gel network. With increasing Coulombic interaction strength, first chains tend to extend and then tend to collapse due to the screening originating from the counterion condensation layer.


Electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) is a tomographic imaging technique for monitoring and studying dielectric processes. Image reconstruction in ECT is a nonlinear and typical inverse problem and has been widely investigated. In this paper, we investigate the ECT sensor data pattern and its impact on image reconstruction. By analyzing the capacitance data of certain typical permittivity distributions, the non-linearity with ECT image reconstruction is characterized. A modified linear model for ECT image reconstruction is presented, in which the contributions to image reconstruction due to the capacitance between different electrode pairs are considered. Additionally, the error associated with ECT sensor sensitivity distribution is taken into account. Based on the presented model, a total least squares and total variation based regularization method is used to reconstruct the permittivity distribution. The results based on both simulation and experimental data show that the presented model together with the total least squares and total variation based regularization method can produce fairly high quality reconstructions with clear edges and high precision.


BACKGROUND
Demand for England's accident and emergency (A&E) services is increasing and is particularly concentrated in areas of high deprivation. The extent to which primary care services, relative to population characteristics, can impact on A&E is not fully understood.

AIM
To conduct a detailed analysis to identify population and primary care characteristics associated with A&E attendance rates, particularly those that may be amenable to change by primary care services.

DESIGN AND SETTING
This study used a cross-sectional population-based design. The setting was general practices in England, in the year 2011-2012.

METHOD
Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to create a model to explain the variability in practice A&E attendance rates. Predictor variables included population demographics, practice characteristics, and measures of patient experiences of primary care.

RESULTS
The strongest predictor of general practice A&E attendance rates was social deprivation: the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD-2010) (β = 0.3. B = 1.4 [95% CI =1.3 to 1.6]), followed by population morbidity (GPPS responders reporting a long-standing health condition) (β = 0.2, B = 231.5 [95% CI = 202.1 to 260.8]), and knowledge of how to contact an out-of-hours GP (GPPS question 36) (β = -0.2, B = -128.7 [95% CI =149.3 to -108.2]). Other significant predictors included the practice list size (β = -0.1, B = -0.002 [95% CI = -0.003 to -0.002]) and the proportion of patients aged 0-4 years (β = 0.1, B = 547.3 [95% CI = 418.6 to 676.0]). The final model explained 34.4% of the variation in A&E attendance rates, mostly due to factors that could not be modified by primary care services.

CONCLUSION
Demographic characteristics were the strongest predictors of A&E attendance rates. Primary care variables that may be amenable to change only made a small contribution to higher A&E attendance rates.


We examine how a bidder's failure to consummate a deal affects its subsequent M&As. After experiencing unconsummated M&As, firms choose smaller targets than before, more likely hire advisors, hire more advisors, and more likely make cash bids. Effects are strongest for bids directly succeeding unconsummated deals, but tend to linger over time and with CEOs. Deal failure exogenous to the acquirer, used for identification, is not associated with the aforementioned effects. Results suggest that firms reduce risks of deal problems and failure to protect their reputation for assessing and consummating investments. Consistent with this interpretation, we find negative abnormal announcement returns when deal failure repeats.


. We study the computational complexity of deciding whether a given set of term equalities and inequalities has a solution in an ω -categorical algebra A . There are ω categorical groups where this problem is undecidable. We show that if A is an ω -categorical semilattice or an abelian group, then the problem is in P or NP-hard. The hard cases are precisely those where Pol( A , (cid:54) =) has a uniformly continuous minor-preserving map to the clone of projections on a two-element set. The results provide information about algebras A such that Pol( A , (cid:54) =) does not satisfy this condition, and they are of independent interest in universal algebra. In our proofs we rely on the Barto-Pinsker theorem about the existence of pseudo-Siggers polymorphisms. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the pseudo-Siggers identity has been used to prove a complexity dichotomy.


Sports and physical activity constitute major lifestyle measures in arterial hypertension, and their blood pressure-lowering effects are well documented. The latest investigations have shown that, correctly performed, strength training on the part of hypertensives is no longer contraindicated. Alone the overall cardiovascular risk should be determinant when deciding whether, and how long, only general measures and subsequently medication are first indicated. This article provides an overview of current recommendations on the nature and extent of physical activity. Also discussed are as yet unresolved questions such as lack of patient compliance with recommendations regarding lifestyle measures.


LYDIE BOULLE, M.D. GRMEK, CATHERINE LUPOVICI, and JANINE SAMIONCONTET, Laennec. Catalogue des manuscrits scientifiques, Paris, Masson, 1982, 4to, pp. vi, 316, Fr. 200.00. The scientific manuscripts of Laennec, among them such important unpublished items as his course in the College de France embracing all of medicine, or a book on pathological anatomy, are now distributed in five libraries in three French cities. By far the most important holdings are those in the Nantes University Library, described by Mme L. Boulle. They form twothirds of the catalogue. The second largest holding is found in the Paris Bibliotheque intermediaire de Medecine (Mme J. Samion-Contet), which represents one-sixth of the catalogue. Every document is listed, localized, and its contents are shortly described. There can be not the slightest doubt about the great importance and usefulness of this catalogue to all those interested in Laennec and the medical history of the period. All the more as it contains three excellent indices (names, subjects, chronology). The catalogue lists also a few manuscripts of his uncle and teacher Guillaume Laennec and his cousins and disciples Meriadec and Ambroise Laennec. It is introduced by Dr M. D. Grmek, whose 1967 catalogue of the Claude Bernard manuscripts served as the model for this catalogue. Erwin H. Ackerknecht Zurich


This article introduces the NFL7 (Nuclear Family List 7), a list of the 2,887 most frequent "nuclear" word families, that is, families that include just the most frequent family members and exclude those that constitute less than 7% of family occurrences. The NFL7 was developed by using a dedicated computer program, the Nuclear List Builder (freely available to users). To construct the list, we used that tool to reduce the complete BNC/COCA lists of the 3,000 most frequent word families from 19,062 to 7,293 word types and from 9,132 to 5,610 lemmas. Despite this reduction, the NFL7 compares favorably with other lists in terms of text coverage, and it includes a small number of the most frequent derivational affixes. We argue that the nuclearization of the list makes it suitable for nonadvanced learners, for teaching and testing both receptive and productive knowledge, and for instruction in basic morphology.


Budgeting plays an important role in organizations as it is the cornerstone of the majority of management control systems. It refers to both the budget as a set of numbers and the budgeting process, which refers to an interactive process in which future activities and deliverables are translated into quantitative, financial terms. Given its central role in organizations, much research effort has been devoted to budgeting in general and its functioning as a motivation and performance evaluation tool in particular. Despite the vast amount of research, some loose ends remain. How budgeting can exactly motivate employees is still a black box.
This dissertation aims to open this black box by clarifying the psychological mechanisms underlying the budgeting process and its outcomes. In particular, we focus on budget participation and budgetary slack. After all, organizations spend large amounts of money in attempts to 'make their budgeting process work' and manage the amount of slack created within this process. A better understanding of budget participation's motivational effects and budgetary slack's antecedents will be useful for efficient resource allocation.
The first study explores how and when budget participation motivates managers to work toward budget attainment. The findings of prior research regarding the relationship between budget participation and budget motivation are inconsistent. We untangle these mixed effects by providing evidence of diverse forms of budget participation and multiple types of budget motivation. We also shed light on the role of basic psychological need satisfaction as the underlying mechanism in the participation-motivation relationship. Moreover, we identify three boundary conditions that add to the complexity of budget participation for motivational purposes: true participation, participation congruence, and strategic alignment. As such, we enrich prior budgeting studies that implicitly ignored the existence of multiple forms of budget participation and types of budget motivation.
Given our focus on budgeting as a motivation-tool, it is also important to examine budgetary slack. Inspired by the results from the first study that illustrated the importance of strategy in a budgeting context, we examine in our second study the relationship between participation in strategic planning and budgetary slack. Building on self-determination and organizational commitment theory, we develop a model and gather data through a survey. This study reveals that a higher degree of participation in strategic planning decreases budgetary slack through the full mediation effect of affective organizational commitment. Moreover, budget participation also decreases budgetary slack through the mediating effect of autonomous budget motivation. Taken together, this study illustrates the importance of studying the broader internal organizational planning process when examining budgetary slack.
The third study goes another step further and looks at the impact of the external organizational context. In particular, we examine the relationship between perceived environmental uncertainty and budgetary slack. We combine insights from psychology-based (i.e., role theory) and economics-based (i.e., agency theory and information-processing framework) theories to develop our model and gather data through a survey. Our results indicate that managers create budgetary slack as a response to role ambiguity and job-related tension, caused by environmental uncertainty. The psychological variables role ambiguity and job-related tension explain a significantly larger proportion of the variance in budgetary slack than the economics-based explanation which builds on the number of exceptions a manager is confronted with. This study illustrates the importance of individual psychological variables for understanding the budgetary slack process.
The three studies in this dissertation show that budgeting, its characteristics, and outcomes are no uniform processes but are deeply embedded in human complexities.


Species differences have been reported for the nighttime regulation of arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AA-NAT), the melatonin rhythm-generating enzyme. In particular, de novo synthesis of stimulatory transcription factors is required for Aa-nat transcription in the Syrian hamster but not in the rat pineal gland. The present work investigated the contribution of phosphorylated cAMP-responsive element-binding protein, c-FOS, c-JUN, and JUN-B in the regulation of Aa-nat transcription in Syrian hamsters compared with rats. The nighttime pattern of cAMP-responsive element-binding protein phosphorylation and regulation by norepinephrine observed in the Syrian hamster was similar to those reported in the rat. On the contrary, strong divergences in c-FOS, c-JUN, and JUN-B expression were observed between both species. In Syrian hamster, predominant expression of c-FOS and c-JUN was observed at the beginning of night, whereas a predominant expression of c-JUN and JUN-B was observed in the late night in rat. The early peak of c-FOS and c-JUN, known to form a stimulatory transcription dimer, suggests that they are involved in the nighttime stimulation of Aa-nat transcription. Indeed, early-night administration of a protein synthesis inhibitor (cycloheximide) markedly decreased AA-NAT mRNA levels in Syrian hamster. In the rat, high levels of JUN-B and c-JUN, constituting an inhibitory transcription dimer, are probably involved in the late-night inhibition of Aa-nat transcription. Early-night administration of cycloheximide actually increased AA-NAT mRNA levels toward the late night. Therefore, composition and timing of the pineal activator protein-1 complexes differ between rat and Syrian hamster and may be an activator (Syrian hamster) or an inhibitor (rat) of Aa-nat transcription.


The difficulties experienced by nurses working in a service for domiciliary assistance have been studied through a series of three observations performed at the occasion of the weekly team meetings, at the first visit, the second week of treatment, the week preceding interruption of therapy. Pain problems pose far less difficulties than those linked to the overall physical and psychological management of the patients, which worsen as the time goes on. Specific attention is given to the familiar setting and to the motives which lead to the interruption of the nursing relationships.


This study examines attitudes toward people with AIDS (PWAs) of a group of 853 7th, 8th, and 9th graders living in high-risk communities in the suburbs of a large Midwestern city. Females appear to be more tolerant than males, and whites appear to be more tolerant than other racial/ethnic groups with respect to attitudes toward PWAs. Although knowledge about actual modes of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission is not correlated with attitudes toward PWAs, students with greater knowledge about HIV transmission through casual contact, transmission of HIV through blood products, ways of preventing HIV infection, and myths about HIV prevention have more tolerant attitudes toward PWAs. Students who have ever had sexual intercourse are significantly less tolerant of PWAs. Implications of these findings for youth AIDS education are presented.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare professional self-concept, clinical nursing competence, and practicum satisfaction between nursing students with and without pediatric nursing clinical preceptorship. Methods: This study used a comparative research design. A total of 85 junior nursing students participated in the study, and data from 76 students were analyzed using SPSS WIN 20.0. Among them, 44 students experienced pediatric nursing clinical preceptorship. Results: The students with clinical preceptorship showed a significantly higher score in nursing skill related items of professional self-concept and the confidence in knowledge of injection preparation and administration compared to the counterpart students. Practicum satisfaction was also significantly higher in the students with clinical preceptorship than in the other students. There were significant positive correlations among professional self-concept, performance confidence, and practicum satisfaction. Conclusion: The study findings suggest that clinical preceptorship is an effective educational method to teach clinical practicum of pediatric nursing. The use of clinical preceptorship needs to be considered to motivate nursing students actively involved into the clinical practicum. The roles of clinical preceptors should be clearly identified in clinical education.


In her "true" stories Buried Alive and Asylum Granted Liza Marklund, Swedish journalist and crime writer, acts as a ghost writer for Maria Eriksson's presumed life story of abuse, hiding and flight to the USA where she, according to Marklund's novel, was granted asylum. In 2008 the journalist Monica Antonsson published Mia – The Truth About Buried Alive. In the book she questions the factual background of Buried Alive. Marklund argued that although some changes were made to make identification of the characters more difficult, the bulk of the story was factually correct. Antonsson's book initiated a heated debate in webloggs in 2009. When faced with Antonsson's critique, former fans of Marklund accused her of being a liar, protected by politicians as well as the so called media elite. In this article, the debate about Buried Alive and Marklund's position as a popular and influential feminist, is analyzed as a manifestation of a mediatized logic consisting of the ongoing intimization, feminization and commercialization of the public sphere, which ultimately deprofessionalizes the traditional role of the writer as well as the journalist. The users of social media precipitate this development. It is argued that this intimization process is part of a desire for a new realism, elaborated in "true stories" in both literature, film, reality shows and the art world. Buried Alive and Asylum Granted are a mixture of fact and fiction – faction – which has its roots in contemporary reality culture as well as tabloid journalism. When negotiating about truth and lies in these books, thus reconstructing a traditional discourse of accusation, the bloggers forced Marklund to defend herself. This shows that Marklund's Buried Alive not only creates a naive emotive reader craving for the truth, but also a new "fourth estate" public position for amateur users of social media.


The author considers the questions of the legal regulation of social relations that arise in the sphere of the placement of orders for goods, works and services for state (municipal) needs in the Russian Federation and the CIS countries, analyzes the tendencies of legislation improvement in this sphere, as well as in the part of the legal regulation of procurements informational support, and emphasizes the main problems of the legal regulation of procurements informatization.


Primary small cell carcinoma of the liver is a rare tumor with few cases reported worldwide. We report a case of primary small cell carcinoma of the liver in a HIV/Hepatitis B co-infected patient on Tenofovir based virologically suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART). Patient presented with fatigue and vomiting, two years after starting ART. CT abdomen showed hepatomegaly with diffuse infiltration. Liver biopsy established a diagnosis of small cell cancer of liver. Immunohistochemistry results were positive for synaptophysin and CD56 while they were negative for Hep par antibody stain 1. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan suggested a diagnosis of malignant neoplasm in the liver. Chemotherapy was started which led to hyperacute liver failure. Patient recovered from liver failure and received 3 cycles of chemotherapy. PET scan done at 3 months showed complete regression of neoplasm but prior to start of 4th cycle, neoplasm relapsed, and patient died 15 days later. Here we discuss the clinical course and treatment of a case of primary small cell carcinoma (SCC) of the liver and review the literature regarding this rare cancer


A simple approximation for predicting the concrete erosion rate and depth is derived based on heat balance integral method for conduction with the time de pendent boundary conditions. The problem is considered a four-region model in cluding separate, moving heat sinks at the boundaries due to endothermic decom position reactions. Polynomial temperature profiles are assumed and the results are compared to previous experimental data and other analytical solutions. Since the technique provides an approximate temperature distribution on the average, it does not give the real temperature evaluation but provides a simple prediction of the erosion rates in terms of the parameters that are important during the physical phenomena. Because of its simplicity and reliability, the model might be useful for the larger molten core/concrete interaction models.


Despite the recent success of artificial neural networks, more biologically plausible learning methods may be needed to resolve the weaknesses of backpropagation trained models such as catastrophic forgetting and adversarial attacks. Although these weaknesses are not specifically addressed, a novel local learning rule is presented that performs online clustering with an upper limit on the number of clusters to be found rather than a fixed cluster count. Instead of using orthogonal weight or output activation constraints, activation sparsity is achieved by mutual repulsion of lateral Gaussian neurons ensuring that multiple neuron centers cannot occupy the same location in the input domain. An update method is also presented for adjusting the widths of the Gaussian neurons in cases where the data samples can be represented by means and variances. The algorithms were applied on the MNIST and CIFAR-10 datasets to create filters capturing the input patterns of pixel patches of various sizes. The experimental results demonstrate stability in the learned parameters across a large number of training samples.


Software projects are regularly updated with new functionality and bug fixes through so-called releases. In recent years, many software projects have been shifting to shorter release cycles and this can affect the bug handling activity. Past research has focused on the impact of switching from traditional to rapid release cycles with respect to bug handling activity, but the effect of the rapid release cycle duration has not yet been studied. We empirically investigate releases of 420 open source projects with rapid release cycles to understand the effect of variable and rapid release cycle durations on bug handling activity. We group the releases of these projects into five categories of release cycle durations. For each project, we investigate how the sequence of releases is related to bug handling activity metrics and we study the effect of the variability of cycle durations on bug fixing. Our results did not reveal any statistically significant difference for the studied bug handling activity metrics in the presence of variable rapid release cycle durations. This suggests that the duration of fast release cycles does not seem to impact bug handling activity.


Abstract Making schools accountable through state testing was the pre-eminent educational reform of the 1990s. Thirty-nine states now administer some form of performance-based assessment, 24 states attach stakes to their tests, and 40 states use test scores for school accountability purposes (Stecher and Barron, 1999). Proponents argue that using student scores on curriculum-based tests as a measure of school effectiveness encourages teachers to teach the curriculum. The test results set a minimum standard by which schools can be judged; they quantify school quality in a way that parents and politicians can easily understand. By setting student improvement goals for schools, states can motivate school personnel to reach continuously higher, while also identifying those schools that are unwilling or unable to meet the prescribed goals. Indeed, some analyses of national test results suggest that those states, such as North Carolina and Texas, that implemented standards and testing to standards in the early 1990s, showed large, positive gains in mathematics between 1992 and 1996 (Grissmer and Flanagan, 1998). Other analyses show that low-performing schools made significantly larger gains than higherperforming schools in states with strong accountability systems, although it is difficult to attribute causal effects. (For a summary of recent studies, see Carnoy, 2001). However, many disagree with these positive analyses of the new accountability systems. Critics argue that such testing does not promote real improvement in student learning.


Forewords. Introduction. Part I: Covering Your Assets: Intellectual Property Basics. Chapter 1: Examining the Tools in Your IP Box. Chapter 2: Protecting Your Intellectual Property. Chapter 3: Dealing with Professionals and Picking Up the Tab. Part II: Patenting Your Product. Chapter 4: Understanding Patents and How They Work. Chapter 5: Testing the Water Before You Apply for a Patent. Chapter 6: Conducting a Patent Search. Chapter 7: Preparing Your Patent Application. Chapter 8: Filing Your Patent Application. Chapter 9: Prosecuting Your Patent Application. Chapter 10: Entering the Home Stretch: Getting Your Patent Granted. Part III: Knowing Your Copyright. Chapter 11: Protecting Your Designs. Chapter 12: Entering the Whimsical World of Copyright. Chapter 13: Untangling Ownership Issues. Part IV: Making Your Mark: Protecting Your Brand Identity. Chapter 14: Solving Your Identity Crisis. Chapter 15: Creating the Next Household Name. Chapter 16: Conducting an Availability Search. Chapter 17: Establishing and Registering Your Trade Marks. Part V: Exploiting and Enforcing Your IP Rights. Chapter 18: All Abroad: Protecting Your IP Rights in Other Countries. Chapter 19: Making 'em Pay: Licensing Your IP Rights. Chapter 20: Nailing the Bad Guys (The Infringers). Part VI: The Part of Tens. Chapter 21: Ten Patent Application Pitfalls. Chapter 22: Ten Common Copyright Questions. Chapter 23: Ten Naming Blunders to Avoid. Chapter 24: Ten Great IP Resources. Appendix: Sample Patent Applications. Index.


Background: Half of the UN climate target for 2030 has been achieved and further progress requires swiftly implementable solutions. In this context, the fermentation of cereal straw is a promising option. Returning the digestate to the farmland can close agricultural cycles while simultaneously producing biomethane for the transport sector. The world's first large-scale, mono-digestion plant for straw is operational since 2014. The temporal and spatial biomass availability is a key issue when replicating this concept. No detailed calculations on this subject are available, and the strategic relevance of biomethane from straw in the transport sector cannot be sufficiently evaluated.Methods: To assess the balance of straw supply and use, a total of 30 data sets are combined, taking into account the cultivation of the five most important cereal types and the straw required for ten animal species, two special crops and twelve industrial uses. The data are managed at district level and presented for the years 2010 to 2018. In combination with high-resolution geodata, the results are linked to actual arable fields, and the availability of straw throughout the country is evaluated using a GIS.Results: During the analysis period, the mobilisable potential for future biomethane production is between 13.9–21.5 Tg fm a-1; this is up to 62 % higher than the previously known level. The annual potential fluctuates considerably due to weather anomalies. The all-time maximum in 2014 and the minimum for the last 26 years in 2018 are separated by just four years and a difference of 7.6 Tg fm. However, large parts of the potential are concentrated only in a few regions and liquefied biomethane could fully cover the fuel required for vessels, and up to a quarter of that for heavy goods vehicles. Up to 11.3 Tg CO2-eq. could be saved, reducing the difference to achieve the UN climate target by 3.7 %.Conclusion: Despite the strong fluctuations, the potential is sufficient to supply numerous plants and to produce relevant quantities of liquefied biomethane even in weak years. To unlock the potential, the outcomes should be discussed further with stakeholders in the identified priority regions.


We study an accretion disc with a hot continuous corona. We assume that the corona itself accretes and therefore it is powered directly by the release of the gravitational energy and cooled by radiative interaction with the disc. We consider the vertical structure of such a corona and show that the radial infall is accompanied by strong vertical outflow. Such a model has two important consequences: (i) at a given radius the corona forms only for accretion rate larger than a limiting value and the fraction of energy dissipated in the corona decreases with increasing accretion rate, and (ii) the disc spectra are significantly softer in the optical/UV band in comparison with the predictions of standard accretion discs due to the mass loss and the decrease of internal dissipation in the disc. Both trends correspond well to the mean spectra of radio quiet AGN and observed luminosity states in galactic black hole candidates.


Carnation is an important cut flower commercially traded in Kathmandu Valley. It has high demand in the Kathmandu Valley's floriculture market due to its physical characteristics and its suitability to be used singly or in combination with other flowers. This examines the economics of carnation cut flower production in Kathmandu Valley. The data for the study was collected from a sample of 15 carnation cut flower producers in Kathmandu Valley. Simple random sampling technique was employed to select the respondents. Information from the respondents collected through semi-structured interview schedule. Data collected through personal interview and secondary sources was analyzed by applying descriptive statistical tools. Data analysis focused mainly on the costs and returns from the carnation production, trends in production and prices, present problems in production and future prospects of carnation production in Kathmandu Valley. The findings revealed that the profits from carnation cut flower were satisfactory to the producers. However, there were ample areas of improvements in the production system. Given the high degree of demand and increasing trend of imports, concerted efforts must be made to reverse the situation and become self-reliant in fulfilling the demand for carnation cut flowers alongside exporting to other countries in the future.


Objective: To investigate the curative effect of Kangai injection combined with chemotherapy on advanced cervical cancer. Methods: 58 cases of advanced cervical cancer were randomly divided into two groups, observation group and control group, with 29 cases in each group. The control group was treated by conventional radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The observation group was given intravenous Kang'ai injection on the basis of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and the treatment time was last for 4 weeks. According to the solid tumor evaluation criteria after the end of treatment to evaluate the short-term efficacy of patients, according to the Karnofskys performance scoring of patients with quality of life, and compared the two groups of patients treated by side effects. Results the effective rate of the observation group was 75.9%, while that of the control group was 44.8%. There was significant difference between the two groups (P <0.05), and the quality of life in the observation group was significantly better than that of the control group (P <0.01). The incidence of nausea and vomiting, leukopenia and abdominal pain in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P <0.05).Conclusions Kang'ai injection combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced cervical cancer has obvious effect and little side-effect, which is a better choice for the treatment of advanced cervical cancer. It is worthy of clinical promotion.


Background Increased lipid levels are one of the major risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of short-term (8 weeks) aerobic exercise of moderate to vigorous intensity on lipid profile in young healthy females. Methods 27 female students (mean age 20.5 ± 1 year) completed 8 weeks of aerobic training that included two exercise sessions of continuous aerobic activity of moderate intensity (running 35-60 min) and one exercise session with interval training of vigorous intensity. Intervention aerobic capacity and lipid profile were examined before and after the exercise. Results Exercise intervention has caused a decrease of low density lipoprotein levels per 9.8% (from 2.52 ± 0.47 to 2.27 ± 0.53 mmol/L; p < 0.001) and significant improvement of high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels per 22.7% (from 1.29 ± 0.24 to 1.59 ± 0.24 mmol/L; p < 0.001), total cholesterol/HDL ratio per 17.2 % and aerobic capacity (VO2max) per 3.8 % (43.9 ± 3.7 to 45.56 ± 3.63 mLO2/kg/min). Conclusions The results support the hypothesis that a short-term aerobic exercise intervention of moderate to vigorous intensity may have significant effects on blood lipid profile in young healthy females.


Tumor-necrosis factor receptor associated factors (TRAFs) are widely regarded as cytoplasmic adaptor proteins, that are important for the assembly of signaling complexes necessary for cell-receptor mediated immunological response. Among the TRAFs, TRAF6 is uniquely able to couple TLR/IL-1 and TNFR activation of NF-κB. Insomuch, the regulation of TRAF6 is critical for normal cellular physiology and responses to activation events. Accumulated evidence suggests that TRAF6 is regulated by both 1) interactions with other molecules as well as 2) an intramolecular interaction with itself. We have previously reported autoinhibition by the intramolecular interaction of TRAF6's N-terminal Ring-zinc (RZ) and C-terminal MATH domains in trans. We now provide evidence that IRAK1, which contains a TRAF-Interaction Motif (TIM), can counteract TRAF6 autoinhibition. Further, we newly identify that the transcription factor Sox4 interacts with TRAF6 and that overexpression of either Sox4 or Syntenin, a dual PDZ domain containing protein, alters TRAF6 activation of NF-κB and translocates the normally cytoplasmic TRAF6 into the nucleus. While many studies have focused on cytoplasmic TRAF6 and its activation, there are few reports on the inhibition of TRAF6 and none have provided a mechanism by which it enters the nucleus.


Acute choledocholithiasis results when stones form in the gallbladder and then pass into the common bile duct, where they may become lodged and cause obstruction. To our knowledge, very few cases are reported in which multiple imaging techniques had failed to detect the presence of gallstones, as per current literature review. We report a case of a 73-year-old woman with nausea, vomiting, and jaundice who was found to have choledocholithiasis with negative imaging on abdominal ultrasound (US), CT, and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP).


The importance of sub-floor ventilation as long been appreciated to prevent the deterioration of the timber structure of suspended floors. In mid-1999 the Building Code introduced amendment 5 to include uniform ventilation requirements of sub-floor spaces of Class 1 and 10 buildings based on climatic conditions. This amendment was based on work by Cole (1997) at CSIRO. Here ventilation areas are calculated based on a scientific method, given certain wind and humidity conditions, so that the underfloor humidity does not exceed a critical value that was assumed will lead to the deterioration of timber. The vent requirements vary according to three humidity zones defined to cover Australia. Recent concerns to improve the thermal resistance (R-value) of the building fabric have lead to a critical examination of ventilation requirements. This paper will present a re-evaluation of the Cole work and applying a "first principles" ventilation model to investigate the performance of sub-floor conditions to prevent deterioration of timber and possible health hazards due to mould growth. The implications for the present BCA requirements are discussed. Conference theme: Construction and materials


Winter wheat is a plant commonly used in agronomic systems. Potential for adaptation of this species has lead to connecting its roots with mycorrhizal symbiotic fungi. Mineral inputs, especially phosphorous, produces oscillation in the functioning of mycorrhizal mechanism. Autumn fertilization is beneficial for the arbuscular circuit, stimulating the plant to enter into symbiosis. The degree of colonization increases due to fertilization applied in the spring, but has low values when the supplement is missing. The maximum intensity of colonization is less than 66% and is achieved only under 27-13,5-0 NPK fertilization.


During epidermal chemical carcinogenesis benign papillomas convert to squamous cell carcinomas, some of which undergo epithelial-mesenchymal conversion to highly malignant spindle cell tumors. TGFbeta inhibits early stages of carcinogenesis but promotes the spindle cell phenotype in later stages. One hallmark of spindle cell tumors is upregulation of the alpha 5 beta 1 integrin fibronectin receptor. To examine the significance of altered alpha 5 beta1 integrin expression, we induced tumors in transgenic mice expressing alpha 5 beta1 in the suprabasal epidermal layers. Invalpha 5 beta1 mice developed threefold more papillomas and squamous cell carcinomas than wild-type (Wt) littermates; however, no spindle cell tumors or increased metastases were observed. Suprabasal expression of the alpha 6 beta 4 integrin increases squamous cell carcinoma formation and decreases TGFbeta sensitivity while alpha 3 beta1 may have the opposite effect. In contrast, nuclear phosphoSmad2 labeling in Invalpha 5 beta1 epidermis and tumors was indistinguishable from Wt, and suprabasal alpha 5 beta1 did not block TGFbeta-induced Smad2/3 translocation or growth inhibition in cultured keratinocytes. We conclude that upregulation of alpha 5 beta1 does not predispose the epidermis to undergo conversion to spindle cell tumors and that the mechanism by which alpha 5 beta1 influences susceptibility to carcinogenesis is independent of perturbed TGFbeta signaling.


Central pattern generators (CPGs), specialized oscillatory neuronal networks controlling rhythmic motor behaviors such as breathing and locomotion, must adjust their patterns of activity to a variable environment and changing behavioral goals. Neuromodulation adjusts these patterns by orchestrating changes in multiple ionic currents. In the medicinal leech, the endogenous neuromodulator myomodulin speeds up the heartbeat CPG by reducing the electrogenic Na+/K+ pump current and increasing h-current in pairs of mutually inhibitory leech heart interneurons (HNs), which form half-center oscillators (HN HCOs). Here we investigate whether the comodulation of two currents could have advantages over a single current in the control of functional bursting patterns of a CPG. We use a conductance-based biophysical model of an HN HCO to explain the experimental effects of myomodulin. We demonstrate that, in the model, comodulation of the Na+/K+ pump current and h-current expands the range of functional bursting activity by avoiding transitions into nonfunctional regimes, such as asymmetric bursting and plateau-containing seizure-like activity. We validate the model by finding parameters that reproduce temporal bursting characteristics matching experimental recordings from HN HCOs under control, three different myomodulin concentrations, and Cs+ treated conditions. The matching cases are located along the border of an asymmetric regime away from the border with more dangerous seizure-like activity. We found a simple comodulation mechanism with an inverse relation between the pump and h-currents makes a good fit of the matching cases and comprises a general mechanism for the robust and flexible control of oscillatory neuronal networks. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Rhythm-generating neuronal circuits adjust their oscillatory patterns to accommodate a changing environment through neuromodulation. In different species, chemical messengers participating in such processes may target two or more membrane currents. In medicinal leeches, the neuromodulator myomodulin speeds up the heartbeat central pattern generator by reducing Na+/K+ pump current and increasing h-current. In a computational model, we show that this comodulation expands the range of central pattern generator's functional activity by navigating the circuit between dysfunctional regimes resulting in a much wider range of cycle period. This control would not be attainable by modulating only one current, emphasizing the synergy of combined effects. Given the prevalence of h-current and Na+/K+ pump current in neurons, similar comodulation mechanisms may exist across species.


The intraseasonal Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) involves a slow eastward-propagating signal in the tropical atmosphere which significantly influences climate yet is not well understood despite significant theoretical and observational progress.
We study the atmosphere's response to nonlinear "Wind Induced Surface Heat Exchange" (WISHE) forcing in the tropics using a simple shallow water atmospheric model. The model produces an interestingly rich interannual behavior including a slow, eastward propagating equatorial westerly multiscale signal, not consistent with any free linear waves, and with MJO-like characteristics. It is shown that the slow signal is due to a Kelvin wave forced by WISHE due to the meridional wind induced by a Yanai wave group. The forced Kelvin wave has a velocity similar to the group velocity of the Yanai waves, allowing the two to interact nonlinearly via the WISHE term while slowly propagating eastward. These results may have implications for observed tropical WISHE-related atmospheric intraseasonal phenomena.


Celiac disease is a common immune-mediated disease, that may present, after gluten ingestion, with various and heterogeneous symptoms that can vary according to patients' age. The diagnostic screening test is serum anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA level. In doubt cases, antiendomysium IgA and the antideamidated gliadin peptides IgG could be useful to confirm the suspicion, before a biopsy will be perform. Since 2012, guidelines have made it possible to avoid the biopsy in symptomatic pediatric patients with high levels of antitransglutaminase IgA, positivity to antiendomysium IgA, and with HLA DQ2 or DQ8. In all other cases duodenal biopsy is still mandatory to confirm the diagnosis. The therapy of celiac disease is a lifelong gluten free diet. In children prognosis of celiac disease is good, without complications. Here we review and discuss the present literature about celiac disease in childhood.


ABSTRACT Symbiotic microorganisms have been found in the hemolymph (blood) of many aquatic invertebrates, such as crabs, shrimp, and oysters. Hemolymph is a critical site in the host immune response. Currently, studies on hemolymph microorganisms are mostly performed with culture-dependent strategies using selective media (e.g., thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose [TCBS], 2216E, and LB) for enumerating and isolating microbial cells. However, doubts remain about the "true" representation of the microbial abundance and diversity of symbiotic microorganisms in hemolymph, particularly for uncultivable microorganisms, which are believed to be more abundant than the cultured microorganisms. To explore this, we developed a culture-independent cell extraction method for separating microbial cells from the hemolymph of three aquatic invertebrates (Scylla paramamosain [mud crab], Litopenaeus vannamei [whiteleg shrimp], and Crassostrea angulata [Portuguese oysters]) involving filtration through a 5-μm-pore-size mesh filter membrane (the filtration method). A combination of the filtration method with fluorescence microscopy and high-throughput sequencing technique provides insight into the abundances and diversity of the total microbiota in the hemolymph of these three invertebrates. More than 2.6 × 104 cells/ml of microbial cells dominated by Escherichia-Shigella and Halomonas, Photobacterium and Escherichia-Shigella, and Pseudoalteromonas and Arcobacter were detected in the hemolymph of Scylla paramamosain, Litopenaeus vannamei, and Crassostrea angulata, respectively. A parallel study for investigating the hemolymph microbiomes by comparing the filtration method and a culture-dependent method (the plate count method) showed significantly higher microbial abundances (between 26- and 369-fold difference; P < 0.05) and less biased community structures of the filtration method than those of the plate count method. Furthermore, hemolymph of the three invertebrates harbored many potential pathogens, including Photobacterium, Arcobacter, and Vibrio species. Finally, the filtration method provides a solution that improves the understanding of the metabolic functions of uncultivable hemolymph microorganisms (e.g., metagenomics) devoid of host hemocyte contamination. IMPORTANCE Microorganisms are found in the hemolymph of invertebrates, a critical site in the host immune response. Currently, studies on hemolymph microorganisms are mostly performed with culture-dependent strategies. However, doubts remain about the "true" representation of the hemolymph microbiome. This study developed a culture-independent cell extraction method that could separate microbial cells from the hemolymph of three aquatic invertebrates (S. paramamosain, L. vannamei, and C. angulata) based on filtration through a 5-μm-pore-size mesh filter membrane (the filtration method). A combination of the filtration method with fluorescence microscopy and a high-throughput sequencing technique provides insight into the abundances and diversity of the total microbiota in the hemolymph of these three invertebrates. Our results demonstrate that the hemolymph of aquatic invertebrates harbors a much higher microbial abundance and more distinct microbial community composition than previously estimated. Furthermore, this work provides a less biased solution for studying the metabolic functions of uncultivable hemolymph microbiota devoid of host hemocyte contamination.


The conception of an annular induction plasma is elaborated. A simplified 1D model is introduced to determine the geometry of a prototype. A 3D model based on AV formulation is then used to modify the values obtained by a 1D model. The finite element method is applied to the electromagnetic and thermal equation, in order to obtain the field and temperature distribution inside the plasma. The possibility of reducing the problem to an axisymmetric one is then studied.


This paper presents practical studies of the TCP performance problems caused by the asymmetric nature of ADSL connections. Previously, it has been shown through simulation, wireless and satellite links that TCP throughput may be reduced by asymmetric links due to ack compression and that ack filtering and prioritizing acks can increase TCP throughput. The uplink capacity of ADSL products in general does not result in ack compression unless the uplink is congested. For a single user ADSL installation this is manageable but for larger networks connected to the Internet by ADSL the rise of peer-to-peer file sharing applications may result in a permanently congested uplink. We document the TCP throughput problem both through artificial and real world traffic from a network with approximately 200 users. We report on experiences with reducing this problem using the packet scheduler of a Linux based middle-box between the network and the ADSL link. We show how prioritizing acks improves throughput but hurts interactive traffic and that using hierarchical link-sharing and classifying the traffic into interactive, acknowledgments, well-known services and peer-to-peer traffic provides a reasonable solution. However, in order to reliably control latency, it is important to account for the variable ATM/AAL5 overhead when scheduling packets on the uplink. Finally, we show that the ack traffic on the uplink can be significant implying that ack filtering is interesting for ADSL. We are currently refining the ack filtering, implementing methods for detecting peer-to-peer traffic, and implementing more accurate overhead estimations in the packet schedulers. Keywords— Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), asymmetric links, ADSL, link-sharing


The complexes between copper(I) halides and N,N 0 -diphenylthiourea have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry to compare their structure and behaviour in solid state with those in solution. The halides under investigation include chloride, bromide, and iodide. Chloride and bromide complexes did not show the redox reaction, suggesting that they formed the strongest bond with the metal and hence the oxidation was inhibited. In contrast, iodide behaved differently because of the two peaks of halide and trihalide oxidations. One peak disappeared, leaving the other halide-oxidized peak shifted to a more positive voltage due to the bonding with the metal. In solution, all complexes of N,N 0 -diphenylthiourea were derived from the oxidation process and exhibited oxidation potentials shifted to positive values.


Cellulase is one of the most required industrial enzymes and it is the costliest process in bio fuel production. The present research work is based on the production of cellulase enzyme from agricultural waste like rice straw. Sea water was used as a media with the help of Fusarium subglutinans. The fungal strain was isolated from harvested rice straw and cellulose was produced by DNS method. The pre-treatment of rice straw was done using alkali treatment and minced well to make the cellulose structure to be simple. The morphology of the pre-treated rice straw was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The sea water was characterized using atomic adsorption spectroscopy to find the presence of metal ions like iron, cobalt, zinc which is essential for the growth of fungus. The enzyme production was carried out by submerged fermentation in a shaker incubator at 37¢aC for 21 days. The production was estimated at regular interval of time by reducing sugar analysis of cellulose to glucose. The enzyme produced was characterized using filter paper assay and analysed for its activity in different environments like pH, temperature and metal ions (copper, zinc, cobalt, magnesium, manganese, iron). The produced enzyme was then purified using anion exchange chromatography and checked for its activity. The production and activity of the enzyme was found to be better when compared to normal strains. When 5 mM metal ions like iron and manganese was added, the activity was even more than normal strain. The purified enzyme can be used for the hydrolysis of cellulose in juice production, as animal feed and the unprocessed enzyme can be used for bio fuel production and paper pulp industry.


An immunosuppressive microenvironment causes poor tumour T-cell infiltration and is associated with reduced patient overall survival in colorectal cancer. How to improve treatment responses in these tumours is still a challenge. Using an integrated screening approach to identify cancer-specific vulnerabilities, we identified complement receptor C5aR1 as a druggable target which when inhibited improved radiotherapy even in tumours displaying immunosuppressive features and poor CD8+ T-cell infiltration. While C5aR1 is well-known for its role in the immune compartment, we found that C5aR1 is also robustly expressed on malignant epithelial cells, highlighting potential tumour-cell specific functions. C5aR1 targeting resulted in increased NF-kB-dependent apoptosis specifically in tumours and not normal tissues; indicating that in malignant cells, C5aR1 primarily regulated cell fate. Collectively, these data revealed that increased complement gene expression is part of the stress response mounted by irradiated tumours and that targeting C5aR1 could improve radiotherapy even in tumours displaying immunosuppressive features.


The cytoarchitecture of the brain of a patient with developmental dyslexia was analyzed. The cortical abnormalities, consisting of micropolygyria encompassing most of posterior temporoparietal area and ectopic cell collections elsewhere have been described previously. In this study, the posterior thalamus was likewise analyzed, and a bilateral disruption of cytoarchitecture was noted in the medial geniculate nucleus and the lateralis posterior nucleus, a nuclear group of probable relevance to language found to be asymmetric.


Dyadic data is often encountered when quantities of interest are associated with the edges of a network. As such it plays an important role in statistics, econometrics and many other data science disciplines. We consider the problem of uniformly estimating a dyadic Lebesgue density function, focusing on nonparametric kernel-based estimators taking the form of dyadic empirical processes. Our main contributions include the minimax-optimal uniform convergence rate of the dyadic kernel density estimator, along with strong approximation results for the associated standardized and Studentized $t$-processes. A consistent variance estimator enables the construction of valid and feasible uniform confidence bands for the unknown density function. We showcase the broad applicability of our results by developing novel counterfactual density estimation and inference methodology for dyadic data, which can be used for causal inference and program evaluation. A crucial feature of dyadic distributions is that they may be"degenerate"at certain points in the support of the data, a property making our analysis somewhat delicate. Nonetheless our methods for uniform inference remain robust to the potential presence of such points. For implementation purposes, we discuss inference procedures based on positive semi-definite covariance estimators, mean squared error optimal bandwidth selectors and robust bias correction techniques. We illustrate the empirical finite-sample performance of our methods both in simulations and with real-world trade data, for which we make comparisons between observed and counterfactual trade distributions in different years. Our technical results concerning strong approximations and maximal inequalities are of potential independent interest.


Purpose: Computational fluid dynamics has enabled the evaluation of coronary flow reserve. The purpose of this study was to clarify the hemodynamic variation and reserve potential of the left internal thoracic artery (LITA). Methods: Four patients were selected on the basis of various native coronary stenosis patterns and graft design. The wall shear stress and oscillatory shear index were measured, and one patient was selected. Next, we created three hypothetical lesions with 75%, 90%, and 99% stenosis in front of the graft anastomosis, and compared the changes in LITA blood flow and coronary flow distribution. Results: In the 75% to 90% stenosis model, blood flow was significantly higher in the native coronary flow proximal to the coronary artery bypass anastomosis regardless of time phase. In the 99% stenosis model, blood flow from the LITA was significantly dominant compared to native coronary flow at the proximal site of anastomosis. The range of LITA flow variability was the largest at 99% stenosis, with a difference of 70 ml/min. Conclusion: The 99% stenosis model showed the highest LITA flow. The range of LITA flow variability is large, suggesting that it may vary according to the rate of native coronary stenosis.


An alternative simple matrix form of generalised equilibrium equations for an active linear network is formulated from a network graph by considering ideal sources, as well as RLC elements, as branches. No source transformation is required in the formulation. Solutions obtained give element currents and element voltages for the network.


Many young democracies make strenuous efforts, embodied in successive changes of their electoral laws, aimed at achieving a representative electoral system that does not hinder governability. Poland represents an illustrative example of such changes, with the implementation of a total of four electoral laws since 1991 to the present day. This paper serves to (a) explore the electoral changes implemented in Poland during recent years to detect the distortions produced, and to (b) present a proposal of amendment of the Polish electoral system based on biproportionality that corrects the previously identified deficiencies in representation. The results reveal that the proposed modification does not only maintain the positive levels of governability already achieved in Poland, but it also yields a more proportional system that is more equitable to small and medium parties.


Cambial activity is a prerequisite for secondary growth in plants; however, regulatory factors controlling the activity of the secondary meristem in radial growth remain elusive. Here, we identified INCREASED CAMBIAL ACTIVITY (ICA), a gene encoding a putative pectin methyltransferase, which could function as a modulator for the meristematic activity of fascicular and interfascicular cambium in Arabidopsis. An overexpressing transgenic line, 35S::ICA, showed accelerated stem elongation and radial thickening, resulting in increased accumulation of biomass, and increased levels of cytokinins (CKs) and gibberellins (GAs). Expression of genes encoding pectin methylesterases involved in pectin modification together with pectin methyltransferases was highly induced in 35S::ICA, which might contribute to an increase of methanol emission as a byproduct in 35S::ICA. Methanol treatment induced the expression of GA- or CK-responsive genes and stimulated plant growth. Overall, we propose that ectopic expression of ICA increases cambial activity by regulating CK and GA homeostasis, and methanol emission, eventually leading to stem elongation and radial growth in the inflorescence stem.


We review recent theoretical efforts to explain observed similarities between electron-atom and positronium(Ps)-atom scattering which also extends to molecular targets. In the range of the projectile velocities above the threshold for Ps ionization (break-up) this similarity can be explained in terms of quasi-free electron scattering and impulse approximation. However, for lower Ps velocities more sophisticated methods should be developed. Our calculations of Ps scattering by heavy noble-gas atoms agree well with experiments at Ps velocities above the Ps ionization threshold. However, in contrast to electron scattering cross sections, at lower velocities they exhibit maxima whereas the experimental cross sections tend to decrease toward lower velocities indicating the same similarity with electron scattering cross section observed above the threshold. Our preliminary results for Ps-N2 scattering confirm experimental observation of a resonance similar to the ∏g resonance in electron-N2 scattering.


The risk attitude of small-scale crop producers in kwara State, Nigeria was examined. The study ranked the risk preference and management strategies of small-scale crop producer in the study area. A three – stage stratified random sampling was used to draw a sample of 250 crop producers from the four agro-ecological zones in Kwara State. Well structured questionnaires were used to obtain information from selected crop producers. Descriptive analysis, Paired Comparison Method and Least Significance Difference were used to analysis the data. The results show that farming households in the study area placed different preference on the risk attitude namely risk taking, risk neutral and risk averse. The households mostly employed crop diversification and least employed insurance as their risk management strategy.  To this end, programmes and policies for small scale farmers should incorporate their risk preference for the possibility of producing the desired effect and improve the efficiency of crop management and production.

 Key words: Risk attitude, management strategy, households, rank, Kwara.


Ultrasound guidance enables visualization of the needle insertion site for thoracentesis and paracentesis. The improved accuracy of needle placement using ultrasound may reduce risk of complications and their costs associated with these procedures. Using claims data from the Premier Perspective hospital database from January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2008, we conducted an observational cohort study examining the effect of ultrasound guidance on risk of pneumothorax among patients undergoing thoracentesis and on risk of bleeding complications after paracentesis. Patients at elevated risk of these outcomes for reasons beyond the procedure of interest were excluded. Adjusted risk of events was assessed using multivariate logistic regression controlling for patient and hospitalization characteristics. Hospitalization cost and length of stay (LOS) were estimated using multivariate ordinary least squares regression of log-transformed values. We analyzed 61,261 thoracentesis and 69,859 paracentesis patient records. Approximately 45% of these procedures were ultrasound guided. Pneumothorax occurred in 2.7% (n = 1,670) of patients undergoing thoracentesis. Of patients undergoing paracentesis, 0.8% (n = 565) experienced bleeding complications. After adjustment, ultrasound guidance reduced the risk of pneumothorax after thoracentesis by 19% (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.74-0.90) and by 68% for bleeding complications after paracentesis (OR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.25-0.41). Pneumothorax increased the total cost of hospitalization by $2,801 (P < .001) and LOS by 1.5 days (P < .001). Bleeding complications increased cost by $19,066 (P < .0001) and LOS by 4.3 days (P < .0001). The data indicate that ultrasound guidance is associated with decreased risk of pneumothorax with thoracentesis and of bleeding complications with paracentesis. These complications resulted in measurable increases in hospitalization costs and LOS.


The authors present reflectance and total photoelectric yield measurements of commercially available silicon wafers. The measurements have been performed at the XUV reflectometer station at HASYLAB(DESY) in the photon energy range of between 50 and 900 eV. Fitting of the reflectance as a function of angle of incidence using Fresnel's equations yielded values for the thickness of the native oxide layer and optical constants of the Si wafer. The surface roughness of Si wafers could also be determined. The optical constants derived from angular dependent total photoelectric yield measurements are in good agreement with those obtained from reflectance measurements on the same Si wafer. Some of the Si wafers investigated were cleaned by a combination of chemical etching and in situ thermal treatment in order to reduce the oxide layer. Si wafers which were solely etched revealed an oxide layer clearly thinner than that of unetched samples as well as a drastic decrease in their surface roughness. Subsequent in situ thermal treatment resulted in oxide-free Si wafers. This treatment, however, always brought about a strong increase in surface roughness.


The critique of global health is a longstanding tradition in the global health humanities (GHH). Typically, this critique takes an expected tack: critics take a slice of global health, identify its rhetoric, expose its power, and elucidate its unanticipated consequences. Here, I subject global health critique to its own approach—conducting a 'rhetorical review' of global health critique in order to ascertain whether it has rhetoric, power and unanticipated consequences of its own. Following this review, I find that global health critique has a rhetoric, and that this rhetoric can be organised into three types: (1) 'global health as mere rhetoric', (2) 'splitting global health', and (3) 'figuring global health war.' Ultimately, I argue that the rhetoric of GHH critique, like the rhetoric of global health, is a rhetoric of consequence—and a rhetoric worth revisiting.


The haemodynamic effects of a continuous intravenous infusion of salbutamol (15 to 30 microgram/min) and nitroprusside (50 to 100 microgram/min) were compared in 9 patients after cardiac surgical operations. The mean falls in left atrial pressure and systemic vascular resistance were similar with the two drugs but salbutamol caused a greater increase in heart rate, maximum acceleration of aortic blood flow, and maximum rate of change of left ventricular power. Because these differences would cause greater myocardial oxygen consumption with salbutamol and because the infusion of salbutamol is less easily controlled, nitroprusside is the preferred drug after cardiac operations.


An ecological network is a formal representation of a specific type of interaction in a corresponding ecosystem. Such networks have traditionally been modelled as encoding exclusively pairwise interactions among the fundamental units of ecosystems and have been represented and analysed using graph-theoretic methods. However, many real-world ecosystems may entertain non-binary, polyadic relations between their units, which cannot be captured by the pairwise interaction methods, but require higher-order interaction framework, and consequently the corresponding ecological networks cannot be modelled using graph-theoretic framework. This work gives a structural definition of ecological network suitable for modelling all orders of interactions between the fundamental units of the corresponding ecological system, including and going beyond the pairwise interaction framework. Carbon mediation between units of some select ecosystems are studied by modelling the corresponding ecological networks as simplicial complexes following the definition. The concept of graph centrality measure has been extended to simplicial centrality, and some important centrality measures of these networks at various structural levels of the complexes have been calculated. The centrality measures reveal valuable structural information including information about those vertices that are more likely to participate in higher-order interactions, as well as inform whether there is a difference in the ranks of vertices for these higher-order networks based on graph centrality and simplicial centrality measures.


ABSTRACT Wang, J.; Yin, Y.; Wu, H., and Yang, T., 2020. Critical safety risks identification of bridge construction projects in the marine environment based on HHM and SNA. In: Yang, D.F. and Wang, H. (eds.), Recent Advances in Marine Geology and Environmental Oceanography. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 108, pp. 48–52. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. In order to prevent safety accidents in bridge construction projects affected by the marine environment, the hierarchical holographic modeling (HHM) and the social network analysis (SNA) were applied in an integrated manner to identify critical safety risks. Firstly, the HHM frame of safety risks were established from six dimensions, which were risk source, construction unit, control error, risk loss, safety accident, and participant. Then, the risk network topology model, which was the key to connect HHM method with SNA method, was constructed by the Delphi method. Subsequently, the SNA method was applied to study characteristics of this risk network topology model to identify the critical factors. Finally, the critical safety risks of the Tangshan Zhongshan Bridge were studied by this model. The results showed that under the dimensions of risk source and control error, critical safety risk factors were the lack of managers' safety awareness, the lack of safety skills, the low maturity of key technologies, and failing to effectively detect and respond to changes of the marine environment. The integrated use of HHM and SNA is able to fully and effectively identify the critical safety risks of bridge construction projects in the marine environment. The theoretical and case study results of this paper is helpful to prevent construction safety accidents.


Background: Gastric cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, accounting for 8.2% of cancer-related deaths. The purpose of this study was to investigate the geographic and sociodemographic disparities in gastric adenocarcinoma patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in gastric adenocarcinoma patients between 2004 and 2013. Data were obtained from the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB). Univariate and multivariable analyses were performed to evaluate overall survival (OS). Socio-demographic factors, including the location of residence [metro area (MA) or rural area (RA)], gender, race, insurance status, and marital status, were analyzed. Results: A total of 88,246 [RA, N = 12,365; MA, N = 75,881] patients were included. Univariate and multivariable analysis showed that RA had worse OS (univariate HR = 1.08, p < 0.01; multivariate HR = 1.04; p < 0.01) compared to MA. When comparing different racial backgrounds, Native American and African American populations had poorer OS when compared to the white population; however, Asian patients had a better OS (multivariable HR = 0.68, p < 0.01). From a quality of care standpoint, MA patients had fewer median days to surgery (28 vs. 33; p < 0.01) with fewer positive margins (6.3% vs. 6.9%; p < 0.01) when compared to RA patients. When comparing the extent of lymph node dissection, 19.6% of MA patients underwent an extensive dissection (more than or equal to 15 lymph nodes) in comparison to 18.7% patients in RA (p = 0.03). Discussion: This study identifies socio-demographic disparities in gastric adenocarcinoma. Future health policy initiatives should focus on equitable allocation of resources to improve the outcomes.


In the last two decades, many studies have been conducted to investigate speech act performance in general, and the speech act of refusal to suggestion in particular. This genus of research has focused on western languages (Beebe et al, 1990), (Chen, 1996), (Fe ́lix-Brasdefer, 2006). However, more recently a number of studies have been carried out in eastern languages (Geyang, 2007), with only a few in Arabic language and its varieties (Nelson, 2002), (Al-Issa, 2003), (Al-Kahtani, 2005). This study is an attempt to investigate the strategies employed by Kurdish students in refusing offers and requesting. This study is also trying to answer two questions related as to whether the participations in question follow the same English strategies classified by Beebe and others (1990) or not, as well as the impact of the gender factor on these strategies. The corpus consists of responses to a Discourse Completion Test (DCT) that consisted of six different situations. The informants were 24 Kurdish native speakers (12 males and 12 females) studying at University of Duhok, Kurdish department 4th stage. The survey was written in Kurdish language to elicit responses that approximate verbal refusals to suggestion that might be given in these situations. The participants are required to provide written data to express their refusals to these situations. The data gathered have been descriptively analyzed according to the content, frequency and order of semantic formulas used by Beebe et al. (ibid). In order to arrive at statistical results, the percentage of the most frequently used strategies was counted.