The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is evaluating rules that will not permit the storage of coal combustion residuals (CCRs) in surface impoundments, and require CCRs to be stored in Subtitle C or Subtitle D landfills. In addition, the EPA is evaluating more stringent effluent guidelines for water discharges which may impact NPDES permits in the future. To support these changes, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is evaluating the elimination of wet CCR handling and surface impoundments at their coal fired facilities. If CCR conveyance is converted to dry methods and the surface impoundments are closed, the other wastewater streams that utilize these impoundments as a point of discharge will also be affected. Therefore, TVA is investigating options to handle the miscellaneous wastewater streams that currently discharge to the impoundments, and meet more stringent effluent limits that may be implemented in the future.This investigation includes characterization of the existing wastewater streams, determining the effects on wastewater streams associated with future plant modifications and anticipated regulatory changes, developing methods to reduce and reuse wastewater streams to avoid discharge, and developing methods to treat the remaining wastewater streams that may be discharged in accordance with potential future effluent limits.TVA is in the forefront of addressing the pending EPA rules that may affect CCR handling and storage, and water discharges. This paper discusses and presents the process being used by TVA to address these changes, the results obtained to date, and how this may be applicable to others potentially impacted by these changes.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


This paper argues that there is no such thing as academic freedom. A person who speak out on issues, whether within their institution or in public, risk retaliation by others more powerful than they. And there are many forms of retaliation. Even tenure can't guarantee protection from powerful colleagues. Tenure and academic freedom were originally conceived as a way to provide scholars the freedom to explore and express, without fear of retaliation, unconventional ideas that might challenge existing or preconceived social or scientific philosophies or practices


Summary Aphanitic and fragmental alnöitic rocks from Malaita contain ultrabasic xenoliths and discrete nodules (megacrysts) of pyroxenes and garnets. Primary minerals in the alnöites are olivine (Fo85), clinopyroxene (diopside-sahlite), natro-melilite (1/3 melilite-2/3 åkermanite), phlogopite (1–9% TiO2), perovskite, spinel (ulvö spinel-magnetite series) and accessory nepheline, melanite, and apatite. Alnöite olivines and clinopyroxenes are compositionally different from those phases in the xenoliths and megacrysts. Rare earth element distribution patterns are linear and indicate strong enrichment in the light rare earths (La/Yb = 42−49). The alnöites are possible primary melts of a pyrolite-type mantle formed by approximately 4% partial melting at depths greater than 120 km, under high carbon dioxide pressures. Despite containing a mantle xenolith assemblage similar to that found in kimberlites, the host Malaita rocks are minera-logically and geochemically different from kimberlite.


Dynamic and adaptive processing of speech in the human auditory cortex Bahar Khalighinejad Communicating through speech is an important part of everyday life, and losing that ability can be devastating. Millions of patients around the globe have lost the ability to hear or speak due to auditory cortex deficits. Doctor's ability to help these patients has been hindered by a lack of understanding of the speech processing mechanisms in the human auditory cortex. This dissertation focuses on enhancing our understanding of the mechanisms of speech encoding in human primary and secondary auditory cortices using two methods of electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocorticography (ECoG). Phonemes are the smallest linguistic elements that can change a word's meaning. I characterize EEG responses to continuous speech by obtaining the time-locked responses to phoneme instances (phoneme-related potential). I show that responses to different phoneme categories are organized by phonetic features, and each instance of a phoneme in continuous speech produces multiple distinguishable neural responses occurring as early as 50 ms and as late as 400 ms after the phoneme onset. Comparing the patterns of phoneme similarity in the neural responses and the acoustic signals confirms a repetitive appearance of acoustic distinctions of phonemes in the neural data. Analysis of the phonetic and speaker information in neural activations reveals that different time intervals jointly encode the acoustic similarity of both phonetic and speaker categories. These findings provide evidence for a dynamic neural transformation of lowlevel speech features as they propagate along the auditory pathway, and form an empirical framework to study the representational changes in learning, attention, and speech disorders. Later in this dissertation, I use ECoG neural recordings to explore mechanisms of speech communication in real-world environments that require adaptation to changing acoustic conditions. I explore how the human auditory cortex adapts as a new noise source appears in or disappears from the acoustic scene. To investigate the mechanisms of adaptation, neural activity in the auditory cortex of six human subjects were measured as they listened to speech with abruptly changing background noises. Rapid and selective suppression of acoustic features of noise in the neural responses are observed. This suppression results in enhanced representation and perception of speech acoustic features. The degree of adaptation to different background noises varies across neural sites and is predictable from the tuning properties and speech specificity of the sites. Moreover, adaptation to background noise is unaffected by the attentional focus of the listener. The convergence of these neural and perceptual effects reveals the intrinsic dynamic mechanisms that enable a listener to filter out irrelevant sound sources in a changing acoustic scene. Finally, in the last chapter, I introduce the Neural Acoustic Processing Library (NAPLib). NAPLib contains a suite of tools that characterize various properties of the neural representation of speech, which can be used for characterizing electrode tuning properties, and their response to phonemes. The library is applicable to both invasive and non-invasive recordings, including electroencephalography (EEG), electrocorticography (ECoG) and magnetoecnephalography (MEG). Together, this dissertation shows new evidence for dynamic and adaptive processing of speech sounds in the auditory pathway, and provides computational tools to study the dynamics of speech encoding in the human brain.


Simultaneous subcutaneous applications of metal salts (CuSO4X 5H2O and CoC12 X 6 H2O respectively) have no influence on the percentage of the tumor yield after long-term subcutaneous applications of diethylnitrosamine (DENA). In accordance with results in syrian golden hamsters a high percentage of tumors of the nasal cavity (predominantly esthesioneuroepitheliomas) occur after subcutaneous injection of DENA into rats, too.


In a recent volume, the author has proposed a revival of Jung's notion of the archaic, and this chapter seeks to extend this argumentation in close relation to the problem of time. Opening with an examination of such localized depictions of the archaic as Ovid's and Seneca's description of caves, Porphyry's analysis of Homer's cave of the nymphs, & the 1930s German film Ewiger Wald (Enchanted Forest), this article suggests that what these evocations of the archaic have in common is their emphasis on a particular dimension of time. This dimension, perhaps best described as an Eternal Now, is analysed with references to Plato's definition of time as an image of eternity in the Timaeus and Nietzsche's evocation, in his Thus Spoke Zarathustra, of the 'midday vision' in which the Now is revealed as eternal.
According to Jung, what Nietzsche had experienced, along with analogous experiences from various cultures, constituted a primordial affirmation of humankind, an instance of what Jung defined as asn 'archetype'. Jung distinguished between two kinds of archetypal rebirth experience: one of the transcendence of life in general (subdivided into ritual-induced and immediate experiences), the other of one's own subjective transformation (divided into a further eight sub-categories). For Jung, the noontide vision in 'At Noontide' belongs in the former category of the transcendence of life, and constitutes a classic example of the spontaneous, ecstatic, or visionary experience. Indeed, Jung considered its details to be so accurate that he wrote 'it is just as if Nietzsche had been present' at a performance of the mysteries of Eleusis. In a sense, Jung is entirely correct to associate Nietzsche with the great Mysteries: as Socrates remarks in the Phaedo, 'many bear the emblems, but the devotees are few', and 'these devotees are simply those who have lived the philosophical life in the right way'.
Later in Zarathustra the eponymous prophet cries out: 'O happiness! O pain! Oh break, heart!' (§11) ― for 'midnight is also midday' (§10). But how can this be?
One answer is that the identity of midday and midnight recalls the initiatory moment into the Eleusinian Mysteries as described by Apuleius in his Metamorphoses, or The Golden Ass. Moreover, the midnight sun or black sun (soler nigus) is a motif in alchemy, belonging to the first stage of the alchemical opus. In conclusion, it is argued that Jung's notion of the archaic offers a way to discuss the 'inner nature' of humankind.


The rising costs of fossil fuel have sparked interest in crop residues as an alternate, renewable energy source. The costs of crop residue for direct combustion in power plants are estimated in 1975 prices in order to evaluate the economic feasibility of this source of energy. The costs are estimated for the following three stages in the crop residue production process: farm level production costs, transportation costs, and processing and handling costs at the energy recovery level. These costs are then incorporated into an Iowa agricultural linear programming model. The programming model, for Iowa agriculture, includes costs and demands of an electric utility sector. The model, including Iowa crop production activities, is used to make solutions for several alternative scenarios. One is a base solution for comparison of the other alternatives. Energy prices are increased in another solution. Finally, one solution constrains sulfur. Under each of these scenarios crop residue replaces coal at the levels of 20, 40, and 60 percent of the 1975 BTU's consumed. Comparison of the various scenarios with the Base Run allows comparison of agricultural production costs, energy use, and net income. Estimated, also, are the direct and indirect costs of crop residues for each of the forementioned scenarios. Finally, net benefit of using crops residues is derived.


As one of the methods that determine position using GPS carrier phase without the resolution of integer ambiguity, the characteristics of the time difference is analyzed in this paper. When determining position by the needed accuracy, the difference time gap becomes an important factor. It is said that accuracy is improved as the difference time gap is getting large, and finally the centimeter level accuracy is achieved after a certain difference time gap. In this paper, the characteristics of the time difference is analyzed using real data and a new parameter is proposed to predict the resulting position accuracy. The difference time gap when position error is converged to the centimeter level is estimated with the proposed parameter.ヨ⨀ጊ츀Ѐ㔹〻Ԁ䭃䑎䷙᜕ಢ5㤰⸵㬅K䍄乍


We are creating a wetland database based on a geographic information system (GIS) and using a Global Position System (GPS) for orientation information to monitor the dynamic changes in wetlands. We can monitor the current conditions, compare them to the historical background of the wetland, and then control the dynamic change where possible. Using this technology, we have a management tool that can guide the protection plan for the wetland, wildlife preservation, and reasonable development of other wetlands.


Background: Oligohydramnios is defined as a condition with low volume of amniotic fluid relative to gestational age. Long-term oligohydramnios can result in pulmonary hypoplasia, intra uterine growth retardation, Potter's syndrome, club hand & foot and dislocation of hip. This study was conducted to assess feto-maternal outcome in isolated oligohydramnios and factors associated with poor outcome.
Methodology: This case-control study was conducted from January to December 2020 in the Gynecology & Obstetrics and Radiology departments of HBS General Hospital, Islamabad. Total 300 patients with isolated oligohydramnios fulfilling the criterion were included. For cases, patients with singleton intrauterine pregnancy with AFI <5, of any age or parity with gestational age of more than 34 weeks were included. 300 controls were also taken. Patients with increased amount of amniotic fluid, diabetics, hypertensive and cardiac patients were excluded. Patient were followed up till delivery. Mode of delivery was checked out. Fetal APGAR score at 1 minute and at 5 minutes were observed. New born weight and  NICU admissions were recorded. Data was  analyzed via SPSS v26.
Results: Forty six percent (n=138) patients underwent caesarean section while fifty four percent (n=162) had normal vaginal delivery. Significant association (OR=1.85, P<0.001) was found between caesarean section in mothers with oligohydramnios compared to controls. Thirty eight percent (n=114) of neonates among cases had low APGAR score. Significant association (OR=3.29, P<0.001) was found between low APGAR score and mothers with oligohydramnios compare3d to controls. Thirty percent (n=90) required NICU  admission. There were 6 still births. Mother's with oligohydramnios have double risk of still birth and NICU admission compared to women with normal fluid levels.
Conclusion: Neonate born with mothers having oligohydramnios have low birth weight, lower APGAR scores and high rate of NICU admissions. Delivery at 37-39 weeks in oligohydramnios is associated with higher rate of still births.


Aims in heterantherous plants, 'division of labor' among structurally different stamens, i.e. pollinating and feeding functions, has been thought to reduce the evolutionary conflict of relying on pollen both as the carrier of male gametes and as the food for pollinators. The key to successful division of labor among different sets of stamens is the size match between stamens and legitimate pollinators, which results in the precise deposition of pollen onto specific locations on pollinator's body and facilitates cross pollination. However, the potential impact of small illegitimate insects that are ubiquitous during the pollination process on the plant reproduction in heterantherous species has been largely neglected in previous studies and never been demonstrated experimentally. Methods Here, we investigated the functions of three different types of stamens in Commelina communis . The pollinator visitation, pollen removal and deposition were compared among flowers with different types of anthers emasculated at two natural populations. moreover, the mating systems of C. communis in wild populations were estimated using microsatellite markers. our data showed that the main floral visitors for C. communis at the two studied populations were small illegitimate bees rather than legitimate pollinators, accounting for 77.5 and 92.2% of total flower visits, respectively. Flower manipulations in C. communis demonstrated that the two types of brightly yellow stamens separately functioned as 'deceptive attraction' and 'feeding' functions. although the brown inconspicuous stamens of C. communis with the largest amount of fertile pollen had the potential function in offering pollen for cross pollination, the high ratio of illegitimate visitation by small bees significantly affected the dispersal and deposition of pollen from the pollinating anthers, and subsequently decreased the levels of outcrossing ( t m = 0.23–0.32) in wild populations. our work further confirmed that the size match between pollinators and the floral morphology is the prerequisite to successfully fulfill the functional differentiation among different sets of stamens in heterantherous plants. local high ratio of illegitimate visitation by size unmatched insects could significantly weaken the potential functions of heteranthery, affecting the dispersal and deposition of functional pollen in heterantherous plants and further the whole mating systems.


Various sizes of hydrazine monopropellant thruster have been used on satellite and space launcher vehicle. The test and handling procedure of hydrazine monopropellant thruster are usually difficult because of the toxicity of hydrazine and its decomposition product gases. Therefore, the numerical analysis can help understand the effects of various design para meters and can reduce the time as well as expenses. In this study, the numerical analysis is performed by modelling the catalyst bed as one dimensional porous medium. Thereby, resulting physical phenomena are examined by considering the variation of catalyst bed characteristics incurred by catalyst granule failure.


Gender quotas have been adopted around the world in an effort to expand the political representation of women. Though a large amount of research has focused on the design, implementation, and descriptive outcomes of quotas, too little is known about whether they also increase the number of women in political leadership positions, and if so, via which mechanisms and under which conditions. I exploit a quasi-natural experiment on the regional level in Italy, where constitutional reforms and court decisions in 2001 and 2003 opened the door for regions to individually adopt electoral gender quotas. Utilizing a new and unique data set, I employ a difference-in-differences design to investigate whether gender quotas increase women's political leadership, or whether women continue to be heavily underrepresented in political leadership positions on the regional level in Italy. This paper has important implications for the study of gender quotas, in particular their broader ramifications beyond descriptive representation in legislatures and the question of whether they can help bring women into positions of political power.


I provide an explanation for the well-established paradox that mutual funds that close to new investors fail to maintain their pre-closure positive abnormal performance after closing. Using a large sample of active US equity mutual funds, I find that the within-style performance ranks of closed funds revert to the mean as strongly as those of a control group of open funds. Furthermore, I show that funds that are closed do not drastically alter their investment allocations and hold portfolios that are indistinguishable from their portfolios prior to closing in terms of risk-adjusted performance. Therefore, mean reverting stock returns explain the deterioration in fund performance after closing to new investors. I also document that funds are not capable of better preserving their assets when anticipating a decline in performance by closing to new investors and thus adding exclusivity. Furthermore, the control group of open funds does not suffer from excessive flows. Closing to new investors is at best unnecessary from the stand-alone perspective of the fund.


AIMS
Midlife Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is an important yet often unrecognised risk factor for the later development of dementia. We conducted a systematic review to assess the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions (namely diet, exercise and cognitive training) for T2DM on cognition.

METHODS
A search strategy was constructed and applied to four databases: EMBASE, Medline, CINAHL and Web of Science. Peer-reviewed journal articles in English were considered assessing the effect of exercise, dietary or cognitive training/stimulation-based interventions (or any combination of these) in patients with T2DM on cognition. Results were dual-screened and extracted by two independent reviewers.

RESULTS
Of 4820 results, 3782 remained after de-duplication. Forty full-texts were screened and two studies were included in the final review. The first assessed the impact of a 10-year Intensive Lifestyle Intervention (ILI) on T2DM-related complications (Look-AHEAD study) and the second was a post-hoc analysis of T2DM patients from a trial of a physical activity intervention in older non-demented adult with functional limitations (LIFE Study). Whilst the Look-AHEAD study found no impact on diagnosis of MCI or dementia, the LIFE study demonstrated beneficial effects on global cognitive function and delayed memory specifically in older adults with T2DM.

CONCLUSIONS
There is insufficient evidence to fully assess the effect of non-pharmacological interventions on cognition in T2DM. Well-constructed trials must be designed to specifically assess the effect of non-pharmacological and multi-domain interventions for cognition in patients with T2DM in midlife. All trials examining interventions in T2DM should consider cognition as at least a secondary outcome.


It has been thirty years since the publication of Leonard Pearlin's (1989) "The Sociological Study of Stress." This classic work left an indelible mark, shaping the way the field thinks about stressors, their emotional consequences, and the factors that influence the nature of the links between stressors and outcomes. In this essay, I dialogue with that paper—not with a comprehensive summary of the field but rather with a sharper focus on a few core themes that have inspired the direction and current parameters of my scholarship.Pearlin's theorizing and empirical work on social roles provides a foundation for the sociological study of stress and mental health. I describe the ways his ideas about role strains have influenced my thinking and development around themes like the Stress of Higher Status model, and I propose new directions for research on topics like distributive justice. Pearlin's ideas hold a special place in the history of social stress research—and the many intellectual puzzles that he proposed remain and provide fertile terrain for advancing knowledge. A greater integration and synthesis of theory and evidence in the sociology of mental health, sociology of emotion, social psychology, stratification and work, occupations, and organizations will help guide such innovations.


Introduction Mucinous adenocarcinoma (MA) is a specific morphological subtype of colorectal cancer (CRC). It is characterised when >50% of the tumour is composed of extracellular mucin pools. This subtype represents 5–15% of CRC. There have been several studies demonstrating poor overall survival in mucinous CRC, in our study; we aim to assess the impact of mucinous pathology in rectal cancers. Method A total of 291 patients with rectal cancer were identified and studied between 2002–2013 in a tertiary colorectal centre (Swansea Colorectal Unit, Swansea, UK). A prospectively maintained central pathology database was used to identify patients with rectal cancer. The histopathological report was used to identify the tumour as either mucinous or non-mucinous (NMA). The primary outcome measures were disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients that received surgery alone. Results There were 26 patients with MA and 265 NMA. There was no significant difference in median age and sex between both groups. The most common surgical procedure performed was an anterior resection in both groups (MA (58%) and NMA (65%). Poor differentiated tumours were found in 35 and 12% of MA and NMA, respectively (p = 0.001). There was no difference in DFS (p = 0.503) or OS (p = 0.478) in the 60 month follow-up period. Conclusion Our study did not demonstrate a significant difference in survival outcomes in patients with mucinous rectal cancer compared to NMA. However, the study did find a significant difference in tumour differentiation with MA associated with poor differentiated tumours. Disclosure of interest None Declared.


This paper reports the results of an experimental study conducted to characterise the gas-liquid multiphase flows experienced within a vertical riser transporting a range of gas-liquid flow rates. The scale experiments were performed using an air/silicone oil mixture within a 6 m long riser. The superficial air velocities studied ranged from 0.047 to 2.836 m/ s, whilst maintaining a liquid superficial velocity at 0.047 m/ s. Measurements of the mean cross-sectional and time average radial void fraction were obtained using a wire mesh sensor (WMS). The data were recorded at an acquisition frequency of 1000 Hz over an interval of 60 seconds. For the range of flow conditions studied, the average void fraction was observed to vary between 0.1 and 0.9. An analysis of the data collected concluded that the observed void fraction was strongly affected by the superficial gas velocity, whereby the higher the superficial gas velocity, the higher was the observed average void fraction. The average void fraction distributions observed were in good agreement with the results obtained by other researchers. When the air-silicone oil flows were fully developed reasonably symmetric profiles were observed, with the shape of the symmetry profile being strongly dependent on the superficial gas velocity. Keywords—WMS, phase distribution, silicone-oil, riser


The safety of beef with respect to foot and mouth disease (FMD) is determined by the level of risk which the exporting region poses through disease prevalence, the reliability of the surveillance system of the region, the efficacy of the prevention and control measures, the efficiency of the Veterinary Services and the support of the private sector. The South American continent has been regionalised in accordance with these criteria. Today there are approximately 90 million cattle in a territory of over 5 million km2 comprising regions classified as having a very low to low level risk for FMD with regard to the export of animals and animal products. Another 50 million cattle live in regions classified as posing a moderate risk. These risk categories reflect varying levels of risk. The harvest of beef in the meat-exporting regions of South America includes a series of risk mitigation measures, from the origin of the source herd to the final packing of the beef. These measures reduce the unrestricted risk estimate by almost six orders of magnitude. Therefore, the final risk of FMD for the global trade of beef originating from the low risk regions in South America is extremely small.


Carnauba et al. estimated dietary polyphenol intake in subjects aged≥10 years and determined the major dietary contributors in the Brazilian population(1). The median and 25–75th percentile of polyphenol intake were 364·3 and 200·9–1008 mg/d, and the median and 25–75th percentile of polyphenol intake were 204 and 111·4–542·1 mg/4184 kJ/d. Non-alcoholic beverages and fruits were the major polyphenol suppliers, and coffee and orange juice were the main individual food contributors to polyphenol intake. I have some concerns about their study. First, Zamora-Ros et al. estimated dietary intakes of polyphenols and identified their main food sources in Mexican female teachers aged ≥25 years, including urban and rural areas(2). Median polyphenol intake was the highest in Baja California (750mg/d) and the lowest in Yucatan (536mg/d). Coffee and fruits were the most important food sources of phenolic acids and flavonoids, respectively. They pointed out that there was a large heterogeneity in intakes of individual polyphenols among Mexican women, which might be existed in other ethnic individuals. Sex, age and other socio-economic status should be specified for estimating dietary intakes of polyphenols. Second, Huang et al. estimated dietary polyphenol intake among USA adults aged ≥20 years and also examined 10-year trends(3). The mean intake of dietary polyphenols was 884·1mg/4184 kJ/d, and the mean daily polyphenol intake did not change significantly over time. Foods and beverages contributed 99·8% of polyphenol intake, with coffee (39·6%), beans (9·8%) and tea (7·6%). Miranda et al. estimated the intake of polyphenols and the major dietary contributors in adults and elderly adults of Sao Paulo(4). The mean intake of polyphenols was 377·5mg/d, and intakes were relatively higher in the elderly adults, individuals with lower educational level and current smokers. The main dietary contributors for total polyphenols were coffee (70·5 %), citrus fruits (4·6 %) and tropical fruits (3·4 %), and coffee provided 266·2 mg/d of polyphenols. There is an ethnic difference in the amount of polyphenol intakes, and difference in the major dietary contributors of polyphenol should be considered for the estimation. Finally, Knaze et al. presented food composition database for estimating polyphenol intakes in adults from 10 European countries(5). There is a variation for estimating polyphenol intakes, and an efficient procedure is indispensable for the estimation. Furthermore, food contributions to the different class of polyphenol intake have been reported(1–4), which might contribute to the efficacy of disease prevention. Anyway, estimated dietary polyphenol intake can be used for the risk assessment of chronic diseases.


This subject guide is designed to help you find information, books, databases, journals, reference sources, internet resources, and more available through Suna Kirac Library's print and online resources about Ottoman Economy.


We study a specific \textit{combinatorial pure exploration stochastic bandit problem} where the learner aims at finding the set of arms whose means are above a given threshold, up to a given precision, and \textit{for a fixed time horizon}. We propose a parameter-free algorithm based on an original heuristic, and prove that it is optimal for this problem by deriving matching upper and lower bounds. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first non-trivial pure exploration setting with \textit{fixed budget} for which optimal strategies are constructed.


Background Nonylphenol (NP), a chemical compound widely used in industry, is the result of the nonylphenol ethoxylate decomposition and it is known as an estrogen-like compound. Numerous studies and researches have shown that it has many destructive functions of various organs such as the brain. This toxicant causes oxidative stress in the cortex and hippocampus cells, which are two essential regions to preserve memory and learning in the brain. Methods This review examines recent findings to better understanding the mechanisms of NP neurotoxicity. We used Scopus, Google Scholar, and PubMed databases to find articles focused on the destructive effects of NP on the oxidative stress pathway and its defense mechanisms. Results NP has potential human health hazards associated with gestational, peri- and postnatal exposure. NP can disrupt brain homeostasis in different ways, such as activation of inflammatory factors in brain especially in hippocampus and cortex, disruption of the cell cycle, changes in neuron, dendrites and synapses morphology, disruption of extra and intracellular calcium ion balance and also memory and learning disorders


This letter presents a point cloud based robotic system for arc welding. Using hand gesture controls, the system scans partial point cloud views of workpiece and reconstructs them into a complete 3D model by a linear iterative closest point algorithm. Then, a bilateral filter is extended to denoise the workpiece model and preserve important geometrical information. To extract the welding seam from the model, a novel intensity-based algorithm is proposed that detects edge points and generates a smooth 6-DOF welding path. The methods are tested on multiple workpieces with different joint types and poses. Experimental results prove the robustness and efficiency of this robotic system on automatic path planning for welding applications.


In 2012 Joburg Pride was disrupted by the One in Nine Campaign who asked for a moment of silence to honour the lives of victims of hate crimes1 and violence. This interruption of the parade was met with violence from Joburg Pride organisers, marshals and participants, who explicitly told the campaign's activists that they "had no right to be at the parade." The activists were predominantly black lesbians and gender non-conforming people. This response suggested that there was no place within Joburg Pride for honouring and mourning the lives of LGBTIAQ people of colour that had been lost to hate crimes. In addition to the call for one minute of silence, the One in Nine Campaign argued that Joburg Pride had become depoliticised as a result of its increased commercialisation. This study is motivated by a need to understand this rupture that occurred in 2012, and to situate it within the history of the LGBTIAQ movement in South Africa. In particular, it investigates the argument made by the One in Nine Campaign that Joburg Pride had become depoliticised and commercialised. The tensions that were facilitated by the 2012 clash and the subsequent formation of alternative Pride events in 2013 are interesting in light of current conversations circulating in broader South African discourse around what it means to be a South African citizen. The study applies a poststructuralist, anti-racist queer feminist lens informed by queer theory, critical theory, critical race theory, and whiteness studies to the historical and current fractures within Joburg Pride. The study analyses Exit newspaper articles from 1990 to 2013, alongside interviews with key stakeholders involved in the 2012 clash. The analysis, informed by both thematic and discursive approaches, interrogates the following themes: depoliticisation, commercialisation, "community", assimilation, whiteness, racism, rainbowism and rainbow-washing. In this thesis I argue that the commercial interests and apolitical stance of predominantly white Joburg Pride organisers came to exclude LGBTIAQ people of colour's experiences, at a time when political organising around hate crimes was most necessary. The analysis further highlights a politics of assimilation rooted in rights-based discourse informed by the Rainbow Nation rhetoric of post-apartheid South Africa. Further, this study problematises the notion of "community", and discusses its strategic use in assimilationist politics within the LGBTIAQ "community". This study shows that the rupture in the rainbow that occurred at Joburg Pride 2012 was constituted by multiple ruptures that exist in South African society. The issues explored in this thesis are therefore not only useful for constructing more inclusive spaces for LGBTIAQ people, but also for the nation building project of South Africa.


The abnormally high mass-dependent isotope effects in liquid-phase hydrogen (deuterium) atom transfer reactions, which are customarily regarded as quantum effects, are actually the products of two classical effects, namely, kinetic and thermodynamic ones. The former is determined by the rate constants for atom transfer and the latter is caused by nonbonded (or noncovalent) isotope effects in the solvation of protiated and deuterated reacting molecules. This product can mimic the large isotope effects that are usually attributed to tunnelling. In enzymatic reactions, tunnelling is of particular interest; its existence characterizes an enzyme as a rigid molecular machine in which the residence time of reactants on the reaction coordinate exceeds the waiting time for the tunnelling event. The magnitude of isotope effect becomes a characteristic parameter of the internal dynamics of the enzyme catalytic site. The bibliography includes 61 references.


The potential environmental and health concerns surrounding actinides and the use of nuclear fuels limits the acceptance of nuclear power by the public. This in turn, hinders the capability of this country to take advantage of nuclear power. Expanding our fundamental knowledge of actinide coordination chemistry will allow for the development of improved actinide sensors, new separations methods, or new means of radioactive waste remediation. We have designed and optimized a solution-phase parallel method for the synthesis of a library of symmetrical 2-quinoxalinol salens, Schiff-base type ligands with a 2-quinoxalinol incorporated into the salen backbone. This combines the rigid salen coordination framework with the quinoxaline properties that impart properties for use in colorimetric or fluorescent sensors. These have now been incorporated into organic soluble resins for metal extraction. (authors)


Although conceptualized as a normal reaction to loss and not classified as a mental disorder, grief can be considered a focus of treatment. When grief complicates and becomes pathological by virtue of its duration, intensity, and absence or by bizarre or somatic manifestation, a psychiatric diagnosis is in order. Childhood PTSD in Complicated Bereavement is a condition derived from the loss of a loved one when the nature of death is occasioned through traumatic means. The traumatic nature of the loss engenders trauma symptoms, which impinge on the child's normal grieving process and his/ her ability to negotiate the normal grieving system. The 2 cases presented herein constitute single session treatment with clinical hypnosis of PTSD, a result of the traumatic loss of the paternal figures. The setting in which these cases took place was rural Guatemala. Treatment consisted of single session hypnosis with the Hypnotic Trauma Narrative, a tool designed to address the symptomatology of PTSD. Follow-up a week later and telephone follow-up 2 months later demonstrated the resolution of traumatic manifestations and the spontaneous beginning of the normal grief process.


A novel reaction-enzymatic ammonolysis discovered in the mid of 1990s has been demonstrated to be a very promising alternative in the preparation of optically pure compounds. The effects of organic solvent, initial water activity, temperature and additives on lipase Novozym435-catalyzed enantioselective ammonolysis of racemic phenylglycine methyl ester were investigated systematically in this paper. Enzymatic reaction of ammonolysis showed higher activity and enantioselectivity than the corresponding reaction of hydrolysis and alcoholysis.


Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common diseases during pregnancy. Some patients with GDM have adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, the pathogenesis of GDM is very complex and not well understood. In this study, we characterized the expression and functions of a circular RNA, circ_0001578, in GDM. In particular, using qRT-PCR, we verified previous RNA-seq results showing that circ_0001578 is significantly downregulated in the placental villous tissues of pregnant women with GMD. We demonstrated that plasma exosome circ_0001578 expression in the second trimester effectively predicts GDM at 28 weeks. Furthermore, in HTR-8/SVneo trophoblasts, the downregulation of circ_0001578 inhibited proliferation and migration and induced apoptosis. These changes may induce chronic inflammation in the placenta. These effects of circ_0001578 downregulation may be mediated by the upregulation of the NF-κB and JNK pathways, combined with increased expression levels of IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and CRP. Collectively, the downregulation of circ_0001578 may promote GDM by inducing chronic inflammation in the placenta via the NF-κB and JNK pathways. Furthermore, our findings support that circ_0001578 has potential to serve as an early marker of GDM.


In the higher eukaryotic nucleolus, fibrillar centers (FCs), the dense fibrillar components (DFCs), and the granular components (GCs) are functional domains structurally relatively well‐defined by electron microscopy (EM). However, ultrastructural alterations in FC, DFC, and GC during the cell cycle and their associated cellular functions are still largely unclear. Based on synchronized HeLa cells, we followed the structural dynamics of nucleolus during cell cycle by EM. We found that nucleolus structure shifted from tripartite to bipartite organization and FC/DFCs were reorganized in S phase with three distinct stages: (1) In early‐S phase, FC/DFC structures were disassembled. (2) In mid‐S phase, a transition from FC/DFC disruption to restoration occurred. As FC/DFC structures were completely disassembled, nucleoli became structurally homogenous. (3) In late‐S phase, the number of small FC/DFCs increased and subsequently large FC/DFCs were constructed. Our data demonstrated that nucleolar FC/DFCs in interphase are presented in two different forms or states due to disassembly and reassembly. FC/DFCs in G1 are nucleolar structures constructed concomitantly with the establishment of nucleoli derived from the nucleolar organizer region (NOR). FC/DFCs in G2 are nucleolar components reconstituted after the global reassembly in mid‐S phase. Dynamic nucleolus structures revealed in this study may serve as ultrastructural characteristics to reflect distinct stages of the cell cycle. By providing evidence for the temporal and spatial regulation of nucleolus, our findings contribute to the coupling of nucleolus structures to cell cycle dependent functions.


We propose a spreading code medium access control (MAC) protocol with each node equipped with single transceiver for wireless ad hoc networks, based on the code division multiple access (CDMA) techniques. Our proposed scheme adopts the time division method to solve the near-far problem inherently associated with the CDMA-based networks. Specifically, by employing the ad-hoc traffic indication messages (ATIM) phase to properly determine the required transmission power for data packets, our scheme enables the interference-limited simultaneous transmissions to achieve the high utilization of the limited/precious bandwidth in wireless ad hoc networks. In addition, our scheme requires only one transceiver per node, which reduces the hardware costs for large scale wireless ad hoc networks. We use the Markov chain model to characterize the throughput of the proposed scheme. Based on the numerical and simulation evaluations, we thoroughly investigate the impact of various parameters on the performance of our proposed scheme.


Multimodal image registration is a great challenge in medical imaging which requires to aligning anatomically identical structures. Their appearance in images acquired with different multimodality images may be very different. In order to realize fast, precise and robust image registration, we proposed a new multimodal medical registration method, which is based on free-form deformation (FFD) and Kullback-Leibler distance (KLD) algorithm. We made the affine transform between the source image and target image as global transformation and FFD as local transformation took KLD as the similarity metric. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) and nonlinear least-squares (NLLS) algorithm were adopted to find the optimal transform parameters. Experimental results show that, as compared with the mutual information, normalized mutual information and cross correlation based registration methods, the proposed method has longer capture range at different image resolutions. Besides faster, its implementation can lead to a more robust performance and outperforms the state of the art methods for multimodal medical image registration.


The appearance of the negative slope in the Bethe plot of total cross section for electron impact double ionization of helium is discussed.


Abstract The national four-firm concentration ratio in the lamb slaughtering and processing industry increased from 55 percent in 1980 to 70 percent in 1992. The effect of increasing lamb packer concentration on lamb marketing margins is examined. A relative price spread (RPS) model for farm-to-wholesale and wholesale-to-retail marketing margins was estimated using three-stage least squares (3SLS). The 3SLS results indicate that increased lamb packer concentration has had relatively small, positive effects on lamb marketing margins.


BACKGROUND
Locus of control (LOC) is related to the impact of headaches and chronic pain; however, literature evidence regarding LOC is not always consistent. Several authors consider this to be due, in part, to the separate interpretation of LOC factors, during which the interaction among them is ignored. In 1982, Wallston and Wallston proposed eight possible LOC health patterns depending on whether the individual scored high or low in each of three dimensions.

OBJECTIVE
To identify these LOC patterns in patients with headaches and chronic pain, and to validate them in terms of their association with a selection of the main pain indicators.

METHODS
A total of 228 individuals were recruited at three public centres in Seville, Spain. Participants completed a semistructured clinical interview and several questionnaires assessing psychological variables related to pain. The main statistical analyses used were two-step cluster analysis and ANCOVA.

RESULTS
The six-cluster solution was optimal. The patterns observed coincided with: the believer in control; the yea-sayer; the pure chance; the pure internal; the pure professional; and the nay-sayer clusters. The double external or type VI clusters were not observed. Clusters could be classified from the best to the worst adjustment to chronic pain.

CONCLUSIONS
These results support the empirical validity of the theoretical model of LOC patterns proposed in 1982 by Wallston and Wallston among a chronic pain population. The analysis of patterns provides more accurate information regarding the adjustment to pain compared with analysis of the LOC factors separately.


Suppressor T cells can be generated in mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC) and their function is relatively resistant to irradiation in vitro. In this study the capacity to generate suppressor cells in MLC was determined before and after radiotherapy in 11 patients with endometrial cancer. After external pelvic radiotherapy with 40 Gy, the lymphocytes remaining in circulation demonstrated a lowered proliferation in MLC, and also the suppressive effect of MLC-activated cells was reduced. After radiotherapy, ten times as many MLC-activated cells were needed to get the same degree of suppression as before radiotherapy.


Abstract In this study, we offer a numerical platform to detect the locations of high-stress zones in the prosthetic heart valve, in the mitral position, during the closing phase due to existing wrinkles. The intended prosthetic valves in this study have the same shape as the native mitral valve but made of synthetic biomaterials. We assume the most high-risk locations for ruptures to either initiate or propagate are at the base of existing wrinkles. We developed a finite element model for the human mitral valve. A mesh model was effectively created to account for the uneven stress distribution and high-stress concentration zones in the valve tissue structure. The constitutive material model used in this study is anisotropic and hyperelastic such that the membrane elements are used for the leaflets and spar elements are utilised for the mitral valve cords for which it was assumed flexural stiffness is insignificant for both sets of elements. We developed a novel and effective computational model for the simulation of wrinkles in the valve leaflet during the closing phase. The proposed numerical model provided a quick but precise assessment for the detection of locations of rips and tears on the leaflet tissue during the closing phase. The proposed model is an essential step for the design of material and geometry of leaflets of prosthetic heart valves made of polymers or tissue materials in the mitral position.


—Piezolaminated smart structures are mostly used as light weight structures to control structural response in various structural applications. Piezoelectric materials possesses a property of direct and converse piezoelectric effects which can be adequately employed to control the deflection, vibration, shape and buckling of the structure. Due to the application of piezoelectric materials to control structural response, stability and control of light weight structures tends to be the governing criterion which requires significant attention. A finite element methodology is developed for stability analysis of smart piezolaminated composite plates subjected to combined action of electrical and mechanical loading. The finite element formulation is based on higher order shear deformation theory. Numerical analysis is made for stability analysis of simply supported piezolaminated plate.


1. It was very interesting to hear from a physician currently practicing in an area near Gandhara. It is difficult to compromise Dr. Frewing's findings on goiter frequency with those recorded by the investigators cited in the communication. It is conceivable that there has been some change in the frequency in these areas described by Dr. Frewing since the original studies. Another explanation is that the frequency may be lower in those individuals who present themselves for employment; those with very large goiters or with symptoms may not be as frequently represented in the labor pool as in the general population. Goiter is generally more common in females than males and most of the subjects seen by Dr. Frewing were males. In reference to the dependent female group seen by Dr. Frewing, they may also have a lower frequency than females in the general population, since goiter is thought to be familial. As noted above, the


The present guidelines are aimed at residents and board‐certified physicians in the fields of dermatology, pediatrics, pediatric dermatology and pediatric rheumatology as well as policymakers and insurance funds. They were developed by dermatologists and pediatric dermatologists in collaboration with pediatric rheumatologists using a formal consensus process (S2k).


The purpose of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate a drama-based Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) workshop targeting the standards listed in the national curriculum for the instruction of ICT and Programming, and thereby offer an alternative method of instruction for ICT teachers. A 12-week ICT drama workshop was designed for the fifth grade, based on the areas of learning, and the standards defined in the current curriculum. The workshop was tried out with 14 students in a public middle school in Istanbul. Students' learning was measured using a knowledge test at the beginning and at the end of the workshop. The results showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the two instances of the knowledge test. In addition, students were asked to respond to open ended self-evaluation questions. The results from the latter showed that perceived creativity, collaborative work and communication had also increased as a result of the workshop.


Although sugar beets are primarily treated as a source of sucrose, due to their rich chemical composition, they can also be a source of other carbohydrates, e.g., mono- and oligosaccharides. The study focused on both fresh beet roots and those stored in mounds. Our studies have shown that, in addition to sucrose, sugar beet tissue also comprises other carbohydrates: kestose (3.39%) and galactose (0.65%) and, in smaller amounts, glucose, trehalose and raffinose. The acidic hydrolysis of the watery carbohydrates extracts resulted in obtaining significant amounts of glucose (8.37%) and arabinose (3.11%) as well as xylose and galactose and, in smaller amounts, mannose. An HPSEC liquid chromatography study of the molecular mass profile of the carbohydrate compounds present in the beet roots showed alongside the highest percentage (96.53–97.43%) of sucrose (0.34 kDa) the presence of pectin compounds from the araban group and arabinoxylooligosaccharides (5–9 kDa) with a percentage share of 0.61 to 1.87%. On the basis of our research, beet roots can be considered a potential source of carbohydrates, such as kestose, which is classified as fructooligosaccharide (FOS). The results of this study may be helpful in evaluating sugar beets as a direct source of various carbohydrates, or as a raw material for the biosynthesis of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) or galactooligosaccharides (GOS).


Three isomers of [(Cp*Ru)2 C2 B10 H12 ], the first examples of 14-vertex heteroboranes containing 14-skeletal electron pairs, have been synthesized by the direct electrophilic insertion of a {Cp*Ru(+) } fragment into the anion [4-Cp*-4,1,6-RuC2 B10 H12 ](-) . All three compounds have the same unique polyhedral structure having an approximate Cs symmetry and featuring a four-atom trapezoidal face. X-ray diffraction studies could confidently identify only one of the two cage C atoms in each structure. The other C atom position has been established by a combination of i) best fitting of computed and experimental (11) B and (1) H NMR chemical shifts, and ii) consideration of the lowest computed energy for series of isomers studied by DFT calculations. In all three isomers, one cage C atom occupies a degree-4 vertex on the short parallel edge of the trapezium.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the role of detecting the methylation status of gene Septin9 (SEPT9) in plasma for colorectal cancer screening in Chinese population.

METHODS
Patients were collected from Beijing Military General Hospital since September 2013 to February 2014. The performance of SEPT9 assay was validated in a single-blind study of 80 cases with colonoscopy and pathologically verified colorectal cancer and 52 normal controls. The detection of Septin9 gene methylation in peripheral blood was performed by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). And immunoassay fecal occult blood test was conducted to compare the superiority of methylated Septin9 for screening colorectal cancer.

RESULTS
The Septin9 assay successfully identified 75.0% (95%CI:64.7%-83.6%) of cancers at a specificity of 98.1% (95%CI:90.9%-99.9%). And it was superior to fecal occult blood screening for colorectal cancer (sensitivity 79.5% vs 53.8%, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
Determination of SEPT9 methylation status is an innovative non-invasive plasma screening test for colorectal cancer.


Purpose/Aim: Changes in pH are not infrequently encountered in clinical situations and can be associated with significant effects on ion channels, mitochondria and axon function. The purpose of this paper is to study the modulatory effects of pH on the anoxic response in peripheral nerve. Materials and Methods: A total of 48 rat sciatic nerves were studied in vitro in a perfusion apparatus. Experiments were carried out at 6 pH levels from 6.0 to 7.8. Results: The amplitude of the nerve action potential (NAP) drops more dramatically with repetitive periods of anoxia when the pH is reduced below 6.5. In addition, velocity decreases and duration increases more with each cycle of anoxia at low pH values. Despite these effects of pH on recovery after anoxia, there was no significant effect of pH on the time course of changes during anoxia. During recovery from anoxia, the NAP recovered more slowly when the pH was lowered. Conclusions: The pattern of changes in amplitude, velocity and duration suggest that they may be due to interference of high hydrogen ion concentrations with sodium and potassium channel function.


The objective of this work is to understand how the characteristics of relativistic MHD turbulence may differ from those of nonrelativistic MHD turbulence. We accomplish this by studying the ideal invariants in the relativistic case and comparing them to what we know of nonrelativistic turbulence. Although much work has been done to understand the dynamics of nonrelativistic systems (mostly for ideal incompressible fluids), there is minimal literature explicitly describing the dynamics of relativistic MHD turbulence using numerical simulations. Many researchers simply assume that relativistic turbulence has the same invariants and obeys the same dynamics as non-relativistic systems our results show that this assumption may be incorrect. Invariants in Relativistic MHD Turbulence 2


The origin of multicellularity is a fundamental open question in biology. For multicellular organisms to evolve from an aggregate of unicellular organisms, cells with an identical genotype must first differentiate into several types. Second, this aggregate of distinct cell types should show better growth than that of an isolated cell in the environment. Third, this cell aggregate should show robustness in the number distribution of differentiated cell types. To reveal how an ensemble of primitive cells achieves these conditions, we developed a dynamical-systems model of cells consisting of chemical components with intracellular catalytic reaction dynamics. The reactions convert external nutrients to internal components for cellular growth, and the divided cells interact through chemical diffusion. We found that cells sharing an identical catalytic network spontaneously differentiate induced by cell-cell interactions, and then achieve cooperative division of labor, the mutual use of products among differentiated cell types, enabling a higher growth rate than that in the unicellular case. This symbiotic differentiation emerged for a class of reaction networks under the condition of nutrient limitation and strong cell-cell interactions. Then, robustness in the cell type distribution was achieved, while instability of collective growth sometimes emerged even among the cooperative cells when the internal reserves of chemical products is dominant. The simplicity and generality of the present mechanism suggests that evolution to multicellularity is a natural consequence of interacting cells with limited resources, being consistent with the behaviors and forms of several extant primitive forms of multicellularity, such as certain bacteria.


Aberrant gene expression can trigger several vital molecular events that not only result in carcinogenesis but also cause chemoresistance, metastasis and relapse. Gene-based therapies using siRNA/miRNA have been suggested as new treatment method to improve the current regimen. Although these agents can restore the normal molecular cascade thereby resensitizing the cancer cells, delivering a standard regimen (either subsequently or simultaneously) is necessary to achieve the therapeutic benefit. However, co-delivery using a single carrier could give an additional advantage of similar biodistribution profile of the loaded agents. While much research has been carried out in this field in recent years, challenges involved in designing combination formulations including efficient coloading, stability, appropriate biodistribution and target specificity have hampered their clinical translation. This article highlights current aspects of nano-carriers used for co-delivery of small molecules and genes to treat cancer.


GNSS with high data rate links are of interest to accommodate new needs and applications (e.g. precise positioning, authentication, reduction of TTFFD). In this context, a binary LDPC-coded CSK signal is an attractive candidate to increase data rates with a high data recovery robustness. However, such a proposal requires an increase of receiver's computational complexity with respect to receivers for current coded DSSS/BPSK GNSS links. The computational complexity required for data recovery is analysed in this article and insights on crucial technical choices are given for the reception of binary LDPC-coded CSK signals. CSK demodulation is shown to dominate the overall computational cost and the use of digital chip-matched filtering prior to demodulation is proposed to reduce this cost. In addition, iterative demapping, which is crucial to optimize the power efficiency of binary LDPC-coded CSK links is also shown to have high computational complexity. Therefore, low-complexity iterative demapping strategies are studied and simple yet efficient solutions are proposed.


OBJECTIVE
Dermal sinus tracts are an uncommon form of spinal dysraphism often presenting in childhood with skin findings, neurologic deficit, or infection. We reviewed our surgical experience, examining presenting symptomatology, operative findings, and patient outcomes.

METHODS
A retrospective analysis of operated dermal sinus tract cases by the senior author (A.H.M.) from 1970 to present was made.

RESULTS
Twenty-eight patients were identified; 17 female and 11 male. Five cervical, 4 thoracic, 9 lumbar, and 9 lumbosacral tracts were explored. Sixteen patients presented at <1 year of age, and 12 were >1 year. Reasons for referral included cutaneous findings (15), neurologic deficit (8), foot abnormalities (4), infection (3), pain (2), and scoliosis (1). Our initial examination revealed cutaneous findings (eg, sinus ostea, pigmentation changes, erythema, skin tags, subcutaneous masses) in 27 patients and neurologic deficit in 19. Age-related differences were apparent. Patients >1 year were more likely to have neurologic deficit (92%) as compared with those <1 year (50%). Bifid spinous processes were noted at dural tract entry in 17 patients. Twenty-two tethered cords, 14 inclusion tumors, and 6 patients with evidence of arachnoiditis were found intraoperatively. Mean follow-up was 33 months. Eleven (39%) remained neurologically intact, 12 (43%) improved, 2 (7%) were unchanged, and 3 (11%) were worse with 2 having decreased perianal sensation and 1 slightly worsened motor function postoperatively.

CONCLUSIONS
Although most patients were referred for cutaneous stigmata evaluation, >50% had neurologic deficit, intradural tumors, or tethered cords. Skin findings identification should initiate prompt radiologic evaluation and neurosurgical intervention with intradural exploration. Timely intervention may preserve or improve neurologic function in these patients.


Objective: To detect the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) in serum and gingival crevicular fluid in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its correlation with chronic periodontitis (CP). Methods: From March 2017 to July 2018, 26 patients with RA and CP [CP+RA group, (54.9±6.5) years old, 4 males and 22 females], 22 patients with RA only [RA group, (49.6±11.7) years old,5 males and 17 females] in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Shengjing Hospital Affiliated to China Medical University, 22 patients with simple CP in the Department of Stomatology, Shengjing Hospital Affiliated to China Medical University [CP group, (51.4±12.5) years old, 8 males and 14 females] and 18 generally healthy controls in Physical Examination Center of Shengjing Hospital Affiliated to China Medical University [group H, (49.4±9.1) years old, 8 males and 10 females] were recruited. There were no significant differences in age and sex ratio amongst 4 groups. Patient's general status, probing depth (PD) , clinical attachment loss (CAL), sulcus bleeding index (SBI), simplified calculus index (CI-S) and simplified debris index (DI-S) were recorded in 4 groups. Samples of serum and gingival crevicular fluid were collected from patients of each group, and the expression levels of MMP-3 in serum and gingival crevicular fluid samples were detected by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, rheumatoid factor, anti-cyclic citrulline peptide antibody and C-reactive protein were detected in the serum of subjects in RA group and CP+RA group. Correlation analysis was conducted between MMP-3 expression level and periodontal indices amongst 4 groups. The results were statistically analyzed using the SPSS 20.0 software package. Results: The indices of CAL [(4.12±1.13) mm], SBI (2.58±0.64) and DI-S (2.65±0.69) in CP+RA group were significantly higher than indices of CAL [(3.00±0.00) mm], SBI (2.59±1.05) and DI-S, (2.36±0.49) in CP group (P<0.05); The expression levels of MMP-3 in serum samples of CP+RA group [(1 1645.6±6 903.4) μg/L] and CP group [(9 337.0±6 719.0) μg/L] were significantly higher than that of RA group [(2 389.9±1 320.3) μg/L] and H group [(1 493.5±292.1) μg/L] (P<0.05). The expression level of MMP-3 in gingival crevicular fluid samples of CP+RA group [(164.4±45.3) μg/L] was significantly higher than that of CP group [(84.6±92.5) μg/L], RA group [(49.0±18.1) μg/L] and H group [(20.4±6.3) μg/L] (P<0.05), respectively. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate, rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic cirullinated peptide antibodies levels in the CP+RA group were significantly higher than those in the RA group (P<0.05). The expression level of MMP-3 in serum is positively correlated with PD (r=0.45, P=0.04) and the expression level of MMP-3 in gingival crevicular fluid is positively correlated with CAL (r=0.58, P<0.01). Conclusions: The levels of MMP-3 in serum and gingival crevicular fluid of patients with RA and CP were significantly increased. MMP-3 may be associated with the development of CP and RA.


In multi-task reinforcement learning (RL) under Markov decision processes (MDPs), the presence of shared latent structures among multiple MDPs has been shown to yield significant benefits to the sample efficiency compared to single-task RL. In this paper, we investigate whether such a benefit can extend to more general sequential decision making problems, such as partially observable MDPs (POMDPs) and more general predictive state representations (PSRs). The main challenge here is that the large and complex model space makes it hard to identify what types of common latent structure of multi-task PSRs can reduce the model complexity and improve sample efficiency. To this end, we posit a joint model class for tasks and use the notion of $\eta$-bracketing number to quantify its complexity; this number also serves as a general metric to capture the similarity of tasks and thus determines the benefit of multi-task over single-task RL. We first study upstream multi-task learning over PSRs, in which all tasks share the same observation and action spaces. We propose a provably efficient algorithm UMT-PSR for finding near-optimal policies for all PSRs, and demonstrate that the advantage of multi-task learning manifests if the joint model class of PSRs has a smaller $\eta$-bracketing number compared to that of individual single-task learning. We also provide several example multi-task PSRs with small $\eta$-bracketing numbers, which reap the benefits of multi-task learning. We further investigate downstream learning, in which the agent needs to learn a new target task that shares some commonalities with the upstream tasks via a similarity constraint. By exploiting the learned PSRs from the upstream, we develop a sample-efficient algorithm that provably finds a near-optimal policy.


Self-selected intensities during walking and resistances training by obese subjects are below recommended guidelines to improve health-related outcomes. From this perspective, there is the possibility of combining both aerobic and resistance training in a single exercise session with the purpose of increasing training volume and optimizing physiological adaptations, while preserving positive affective responses. Until now, no study has assessed ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and sensations of pleasure/displeasure (SPD) during a combined training session in obese women. The present study aimed to: (1) assess RPE and SPD during a combined training session in obese women; and (2) compare RPE and SPD responses during different resistance training exercises. Twelve sedentary obese women (age: 39.2 ±11.1 years; height: 160.4 ± 5.9 cm; body mass: 87.4 ± 5.8 kg; BMI: 33.6 ±1.2 kg.m-2) performed a combined aerobic and resistance training session. RPE and SPD were recorded during the session. Data were analyzed with One-way repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni's post hoc tests. The results revealed that, despite the increase in exercise volume, RPE responses were low and affective responses were positive. There were no significant differences in RPE and SPD values among resistance exercises. Combined aerobic and resistance training can be prescribed during the initial phase of a training program because it produces low perceived exertion and positive affective responses.


In the normal rat there exists a continuous interchange of fat between the fat depots and the liver (a 'triglyceride cycle'). Fat is transported in the form of non-esterified fatty acids from the depots to the liver via the blood stream. In the liver it is resynthesized to triglyceride, complexed with protein to form lipoprotein and is secreted into the blood stream almost certainly by the endoplasmic reticulum. It has been suggested that a fatty liver may arise by an interruption of this cycle at the site of exit from the liver. This may be the result of either an inhibition in the synthesis of the protein moiety of lipoprotein or damage to the secretory mechanism. Within 2 h of carbon tetrachloride poisoning, an inhibition to both of these processes takes place, whereas with dimethylnitrosamine, inhibition of protein synthesis precedes damage to the secretory mechanism of the endoplasmic reticulum by many hours. In contrast, thioacetamide, which produces liver necrosis without the accumulation of fat, does not have any effect on the 'triglyceride cycle'.


In the last decade, political injunctions to curate and share research data have increased significantly. A survey conducted in 2017 in Rennes 2, a french Humanities and Social Sciences university, enabled us to question the habits and representations of the researchers in this matter, but also the term of "data" itself. Contrary to the idea that data are given, which is implicit in the french word "donnees", the notion of "data" is far from being self-evident and actually proves to be complex and multifaceted. This article aims at showing that a triple redefinition and construction of research data is at stake in the discourses of researchers and institutional stakeholders: it operates at epistemological, intellectual and political levels. These concepts of data conflict with existing practices in the field.


The objective of current study is to find out the effect of Resources on Collective Organizational Engagement with the mediating role of Teamwork Engagement. Collective engagement at work is very crucial for the firm performance. It enhances the effectiveness of the work. Collective Organizational Engagement creates shared perception among the employees and they focus towards the goals of the organization. In recent years emphasis on the collective organizational level engagement has been amplified but not much work done on it. Since the conception of engagement concept, individual remains the focus in existing plethora of research so far, recent research on Collective engagement address the organizational perspective and doesn't consider team or group level current study will fill this gap (Barrick et al., 2015). The research is conducted in the service sector of Pakistan and specifically data was gathered from the Bank employees in Punjab, Pakistan. Current study will enrich the academic literature and will be beneficial for the mangers as well. Firstly it will contribute in literature by presenting the novel relationship of Teamwork Engagement as mediator between Resources and Collective Organizational Engagement. Secondly it will address the mangers how they can get competitive edge and ultimately firm performance by Collective organizational Engagement. When employees have become collectively engaged towards the goals of organization they over look their individual motives. By the mean of this collective approach organization produces outstanding services and the organizational performance increases. Researcher state seven hypotheses to test the significance of the model. All hypothesis were proved significant except one.


The solution of the potential around two parallel circular disks separated by a dielectric slab is obtained by using the method of matched asymptotic expansions, asymptotic formula for the capacitance has been derived in the limit of small separation $2\delta $. The formula obtained includes terms of order $\delta $ as well. The mixed boundary value problem is solved by dividing the space around the parallel plates into three regions; the exterior region, the edge region, and the interior region. The solution of the edge region incorporating diegectric effects is obtained by using the Wiener–Hopf technique. The exterior solution of the circular disk problem is obtained by using Hankel transforms. The Hankel transform representation of the exterior solution facilitates the easy derivation of its edge expansion from the Lipschitz–Hankel integrals. The solutions are comiared with Shaw's result for the free-space case [Phys. Fluids, 13 (1970), pp. 1935–1947] and her errors are corrected. Improvement of her ap...


Because of their favorable effects on renal hemodynamics, calcium antagonists may have a major role in the prevention and management of certain types of acute renal dysfunction. In fact, verapamil (VP) was shown to prevent cyclosporin A (CsA)-induced decreases in RBF in mice and in cadaver renal transplant (CRT) recipients. The study presented here of 59 cadaver renal transplant patients evaluates the outcome from perioperative treatment with VP (N = 30) administered intraoperatively into the renal artery (10 mg) followed by oral administration of 120 mg every 8 to 12 h for 14 days versus no drug (N = 29). Early immunosuppression included azathioprine, corticosteroids, and antilymphocyte globulin with subsequent overlapping with CsA on days 5 and 6. Actuarial graft survival at 1 yr was different when the two groups were compared (P less than 0.05). Estimated graft survival at 1 yr for VP patients was 93.3 compared with 72.4% in control patients. The improved graft survival was most striking in repeat transplants with 90% graft survival at 1 yr for VP recipients versus 37.5% for controls. Compared with controls, VP recipients had significantly improved renal parenchymal diastolic blood flow velocities on the first day after surgery (7.8 versus 5.8 cm/s). By day 7, GFR were greater with VP (44 +/- 29 mL/min) versus controls (28 +/- 22 mL/min). Of VP patients, 67% (18 of 24) had GFR greater than 30 mL/min versus 33% (9 of 26) for control patients. Similarly, on the seventh day, 77% (21 of 30) of VP patients had serum creatinines less than 2.0 mg% versus 34% (10 of 29) for controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Acute leukemia in adults is usually associated with a myeloid phenotype, and less commonly presents as an acute lymphocytic leukemia. Rarely, the leukemic blast cells express more than one lineage phenotype and satisfy the diagnostic criteria for an acute leukemia of ambiguous lineage (ALAL), further subclassified as mixed phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL). Near-tetraploidy is an unusual presentation of acute leukemia where the blasts contain 80-104 chromosomes. More commonly associated with acute lymphocytic leukemia, near-tetraploidy has been described in only a limited number of cases of acute myeloid leukemias, and near-tetraploid ALAL is rare. We describe the first report of near-tetraploid MPAL, B/myeloid, not otherwise specified.


Introduction: Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection is an uncommon congenital heart disease. Four types are described based on the site of pulmonary venous drainage: supracardiac, cardiac, infradiaphragmathic, and mixed connection. In most cases of supracardiac type, the common venous confluence drains through an ascending left vertical vein into the brachiocephalic vein, right superior vena cava, and then into the right atrium. Anomalous connection of the pulmonary venous confluence directly to the right SVC, especially the obstructed form is an unusual and severe supracardiac variant. The prenatal diagnosis is challenging. Patient concerns: We present a case report of a fetus diagnosed with TAPVC at 23 gestational weeks. Diagnosis interventions: The 4-chamber view showed a small left atrium, with a "smooth" posterior wall and the absence of pulmonary vein connection. This is the first case of prenatally diagnosed isolated, obstructed supracardiac type with drainage directly into the right superior vena cava. Conclusion: The obstetrician and fetal cardiologist should be cautious at the direct and indirect echocardiographic signs of this condition. A prenatal diagnose of isolated, obstructed form is important for adequate planning of delivery and postnatal surgery in a tertiary center.


We are pleased to present the second in our new publication series, ICTD Research in Brief - two-page summaries of our working papers edited to capture the main policy messages and aimed at policy makers, tax administrators, fellow researchers and anyone else who is big on interest and short on time. We hope you enjoy it. This paper reviews the potential of environmental taxation to address dual objectives of tackling a range of environmental pressures in developing countries, while at the same time increasing tax revenue. Other objectives including poverty reduction and economic growth are also considered.


Introduction. The healthy lifestyle habits are essential in the prevention of diseases. School age is the most conducive stage to promote the acquisition of habits that can have a very positive impact in adulthood.
Objectives: To assess the influence of an educational intervention in school aimed to incorporate healthy lifestyle habits.
Material and methods: a design was used quasi-experimental with a single group, with measurements (just prior to the implementation of the proposal) pretest, posttest to establish comparisons. We estimated the proportion of overweight (obesity overweight) by calculating the index of body mass (IMC) by the formula weight (kg) / size in m2 and using as a reference the standards of who is carried out an educational intervention in 3 schools public Gallegos, in which a study of life habits in children 6 to 12 years both inclusive. An educational intervention that used as a starting point the current state of life habits in school children and was implemented by viewing videos, educational talks, role-playing games was subsequently designed. Last 7 months those habits were evaluated again.
Results. In total participated in the study 479 school and 221 258 children. The average age of the children was 8.66 (±1, 49) years. Most of the students, a 93.3%, they had a brother and only 4.2% had two brothers, residing most regularly with the two parents, followed by parents and grandparents. In terms of the level of education of parents, most of the students had parents with studies of baccalaureate (31.9%) or higher (22.1%). In relation to the occupation of the parents, at 71.4% (342 children) worked both parents, and at 135 families only worked the father (28.2%).
Overall, 72% of children had BMI values normal, presenting a 24.2% of the population an excess of weight. According to sex there were no differences in the values of BMI (p = 0, 226), according to different categories, 3.9 per cent of girls were classified as under weight, 74.8% as normal weight, 16.3% as overweight and 5% as obesity, in relation to men who obtained 4.1% values, 68.3%, 21.3% and 6.3% respectively.
Only statistically significant differences in the type of chosen at the time of the snack food. The girls claimed to eat mostly fruit juices with sandwiches (29.5%) and milk more sweets (29.5%) while that children preferred juices more snacks (34.4%). Only 1.6 per cent of girls consumed fruits compared to 6.8% of children (p = 0, 040).
Among the findings, once the evaluation of the results before and after the educational intervention, was observed that underweight remained equal in boys and girls, while the number of boys and girls with normal weight increased significantly, reducing overweight and obesity in both sexes. Students who presented a significant improvement were the area urban, both the coast and the interior, which not to be understood as a negative result of intervention in the rural students, since the latter were those who had lower obesity rate.
In this research we studied the variable consumption of food and related to BMI. The results obtained after intervention highlight favorable changes in consumption of food from schoolchildren and a direct relationship with the values of BMI. The first noticeable change is in the fulfillment of the five meals, where on the basis of 8% not performing it this figure was reduced to 0.6%.
After educational intervention improved the hygiene behaviour of students in a significant way (p< 0,001 in all cases). Teeth brushing was the habit with the worst compliance (pre intervention post intervention 73% and 57%) followed by washing of manos(62,2% pre intervencion y 92,5% post intervencion).
In terms of physical exercise, there was a statistically significant increase (p< 0,001), of the 207(43,2%) students who performed exercise pre-intervencion claimed to be physically active post intervention a total of 471(98,3%) children. In addition, the number means hours devoted to activities also increased almost in an hour, going to be 4, 17 (0,937) hours / week. There was also a slight decrease in the daily hours spent watching television (p< 0,001) falling to 2.29 (0,531) hours per day.
Came a significant change regarding the postural hygiene (p< 0,001) and transport of the material (p<0,001). Backpacks with truck increased after the educational intervention through its use of a 58.5% to 64.1%.
The number means hours of sleep increased significantly (p< 0,001), 36.3% still did not reach the recommended 8 hours, and un17, 5% slept more than 9 hours a day lying down 100% of the students before the 10 p.m.
Conclusions: The literature review done before this thesis project showed that educational interventions to promote healthy lifestyle habits in school age are effective. In our study the results obtained after the intervention show that the habits of school children improved significantly.
This research reinforces the role of the school as a strategic sector to improve the health-related behaviors. Programs that are implemented in this type of facility are wide-ranging and holistic teaching centre relating to agencies and sectors responsible for health.


We present an approach to modeling ear-to-ear, high-quality texture from one or more partial views of a face with possibly poor resolution and noise. Our approach is example-based in that we reconstruct texture with patches from a database composed of previously seen faces. A 3D morphable model is used to establish shape correspondence between the observed data across views and training faces. The database is built on the mesh surface by segmenting it into uniform overlapping patches. Texture patches are selected by belief propagation so as to be consistent with neighbors and with observations in an appropriate image formation model. We also develop a variant that is insensitive to light and camera parameters, and incorporate soft symmetry constraints. We obtain textures of higher quality for degraded views as small as 10 pixels wide, than a standard model fitted to non-degraded data. We further show applications to super-resolution where we substantially improve quality compared to a state-of-the-art algorithm, and to texture completion where we fill in missing regions and remove facial clutter in a photorealistic manner.


Chemiluminescence (CL) reactions were studied in a model system based on a phase diagram which was composed of Triton X-100, 2-butanol, toluene, and water. The CL reaction was achieved by using trichlorophenyl oxalate, H2O2, and perylene as the fluorophore. The intensity of light (I0) and t1/2 were found to depend on both reactant concentrations and phase composition. The CL reaction was conducted in W/O microemulsions, and an inverse relation between I0 and t1/2 was found. These two parameters could also indicate the transition from a W/O emulsion to a W/O microemulsion. The effect of medium polarity was evaluated by fluorescence, absorbance, and chemiluminescence spectra.


The family of 2D transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides (collectively called MXenes) is rapidly studied since the initial synthesis of Ti3C2Tx (MXene). The surface of MXenes etched by hydrofluoric acid has hydrophilic groups (F, OH, and O), which leads the surface to be negatively charged. Consequently, the negatively charged surface can facilitate the compounding of MXenes with other positively charged materials and prevent MXenes from aggregating with some negatively charged substances, thus promoting the formation of a stable dispersion. The MXene‐based composites have better electrochemical performance than both precursors due to synergistic effects. This review elaborates and discusses the development of MXene‐based composites. It is aimed to summarize the various methods of fabricating MXene‐based composites. The applications of MXene‐based composites in batteries and supercapacitors are presented along with analysis of their excellent electrochemical performances. Finally, the authors propose the approach for further enhancing the electrochemical performances of MXene‐based composite electrode materials.


It is demonstrated that the rate of sedimentation of a system of particles in an ionic liquid may vary markedly with the ionic concentration, due to variation in the electroviscous forces which resist shear in the double layer of ions associated with each particle. Equations governing the rate of sedimentation are derived, and used to calculate values for the electro-kinetic potentials of carborundum in potassium chloride solutions, from data on sedimentation velocity. These values are compared with those previously obtained from data on electro-endosmosis.


The operation of an industrial semi-batch reactor is modeled and the flow of one reactant
is investigated. In the reactor a strongly exothermic polymerization reaction
takes place followed by a slightly exothermic reaction, and the objective is to minimize
the duration of the operation of the process. Various operational as well as
quality and safety related constraints have to be met during the batch. The complete
process model is derived from measurements, first principles, and reasoning about
effects on molecular level.
This work has been performed in cooperation between Akzo Nobel Functional
Chemicals and Chalmers. We have increased the knowledge of one semi batch process
and tried to improve the production of thickeners by modeling the production
process with the aid of mathematics. A better understanding of the underlying principles
including the chemical reaction heat, energy transfer and the control system
has been gained.
The process model is simulated using MATLAB and SIMULINK. The optimization
is made through investigations of manually chosen EO profiles and simulations.
Piecewise constant EO profiles with up to three constant plateaus and varying
levels have been used. Simulations show that a 5 % increase in total batch time is
possible, using a profile with two plateaus as in the original, but with 20 % higher
levels and no delay.
A 10 % shorter batch time than today is possible using a profile with three different
plateau levels. However, in this a profile, a large portion of the EO is added
prior to the wanted reaction temperature is reached, which may result in a worsened
end product quality. In order to decide which profiles are acceptable, more
research about the effect of the reaction temperature used on the end product quality
is needed.


This is a review paper of basic knowledge and recent advances in the area of spatial solitons in Kerr and Kerr-like media. We consider spatial bright and dark solitons, sol-itons in waveguide geometries, optical bullets, vortex solitons and, brie¯y, dissipative cases. In our treatment, we use a Hamiltonian approach when considering stability issues.


Investigation of the voltage and frequency control of a wind diesel hybrid system with several diesel gensets and dump load with Simulink models and validation with some measurements on a real system The wind power is just depending on the wind conditions. Hence, the diesel generation has to include the enough control in order to keep the permissible frequency and voltage limits and to verify the power balance at every moment. These two are the main points where the analysis must be focused on. Many simulations about these systems have already been done, but a possible extension can be including in the model several wind turbines and diesel gensets, which could work at the same time. That complicates the analysis due to the interaction among them, and even more when setting some different dynamic parameters on the diesel gensets, as the inertia values. Regarding to a real system with this performance, there are some additional difficulties that the system has got, just because it is operating as an isolated one: bigger voltages and frequency deviations, due to bigger relative load variation; the smaller the electrical machines, the more important the saturation; the conclusions from a linear model are poorer for an autonomous system, because every operation point varies much more easily; ...


Doctors specialising in general internal medicine are part of the acute medical care workforce. Their work involves diagnosing and treating a wide spectrum of diseases and conditions that present acutely to hospital emergency departments and acute medical units. They also refer patients for specialist opinion and care as needed.

Physicians in general internal medicine need to have expertise in diagnostic reasoning and in managing comorbidities, including for elderly patients with frailty and dementia. Most doctors that practise general internal medicine are also trained in another specialty or sub-specialty.

Two phenomena are driving an increasing recognition of the importance of general internal medicine: the rising number of older people with multiple long term conditions and the increasing focus within medicine on specialisation. These factors mean that patients may be referred from one specialist to another without one individual physician taking overall responsibility for their care.

The Royal College of Physicians' Future Hospital Commission report1 highlighted the importance of general internal medicine in the delivery of holistic, person centred …


Machine learning in general, and artificial neural networks in particular, have gained a lot of attention in recent years. Using deep neural networks for classification tasks, such as face recognition, has proven more and more successful over time. The performance increase is partly due to more complex network architectures, and partly due to the use of larger datasets. The increased complexity of networks has lead to an increase in parameters, which in turn results in slower training and inference, making it hard to deploy such models on limited hardware. The main objective of this master's thesis is to train a convolutional neural network for face recognition, and deploy it on an embedded system, with the aim of real-time performance. By using transfer-learning as a means to adjust a pre-trained model to fit new data, the time needed for the training phase is reduced. The resulting model achieves an accuracy of 91.66%, while distinguishing between 2,904 identities. The model is then compressed by a method referred to as pruning, reducing the amount of parameters in the fully connected layers by a factor of 20, greatly reducing the memory footprint while remaining within 1% of the original accuracy. Finally, by combining the resulting neural network model with a custom built framework and a live video stream, real-time face recognition is achieved on an embedded device. (Less)


The present study sought to investigate whether perceived family unpredictability affects the development of life history strategies in both the reproductive and somatic domains by evaluating the ages at which life milestones occurred. In this study 211 young Brazilians answered a 10-item instrument that contained future milestones, the Family Unpredictability in Childhood, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Not all participants had already achieved the milestones. Earlier ages of giving birth to the first child, marrying, starting a family, and at first formal employment were correlated with greater unpredictability scores. Significant correlations were found more frequently for the participants who had already met the milestones. Data support the importance of the childhood environment for later development. Results suggest that data obtained based on the ages at which milestones occurred and ages at which milestones are expected to occur may present important differences with regard to the influence of environmental factors.


Modern HF (2- to 30-MHz) equipment employed by today's communicator contains many technological applications and breakthroughs relative to communications equipment of the past. Today's HF communications equipment has many of the characteristics that reflect the dynamic commercial computer industry. The new HF radio used in airborne operational environments, AN/ARC-220, contains many of these technologies applied to the HF near vertical incidence skywave (NVIS) communications network. This paper discusses the considerations necessary for a properly developed network infrastructure for maximum ARC-220 mission performance. This paper also describes the HF propagation characteristics and antenna considerations encountered in typical NVIS missions using the ARC-220, especially in nap-of-earth (very close to ground) flight operations. Available lessons learned and performance characteristics are reviewed.


The interest in the study of oligomers has been motivated mainly because of their solubility in common solvents and also their capacity to be crystallized, which allowed for chemical processing leading to important applications in the area of material sciences. In this work, we carried out an investigation of polydiethynylsilane (PDES) decamers substituted with electron donor (D) and acceptor (A) groups, which is certainly of relevance, once PDES itself is known to display large third-order optical susceptibility. Therefore, density functional theory calculations of static first hyperpolarizability (β) were performed using various functionals with the 6-31G(d) basis set along with correlated MP2 calculation used as reference for comparison. The influence of A and D substituents on the magnitude of β was investigated by matching the acceptor (dicyanovinyl, nitrobenzene) and donor (propyl, propoxy, and phenylamine) groups attached at both ends of the oligomer. The largest β value was predicted for the derivative having the phenylamine and dicyanovinyl groups, which is around 30 times the relative value for the nonsubstituted decamer, what is a very impressive enhancement reported for the first time in the literature, strongly suggesting that disubstituted diethynylsilane decamers are potential building blocks for molecular-based materials with second-order nonlinear responses. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 49: 1410–1419, 2011


Abstract Many neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are the result of mutations on the X chromosome. One severe NDD resulting from mutations on the X chromosome is CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD). CDD is an epigenetic, X-linked NDD characterized by intellectual disability (ID), pervasive seizures and severe sleep disruption, including recurring hospitalizations. CDD occurs at a 4:1 ratio, with a female bias. CDD is driven by the loss of cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5), a serine/threonine kinase that is essential for typical brain development, synapse formation and signal transmission. Previous studies focused on male subjects from animal models, likely to avoid the complexity of X mosaicism. For the first time, we report translationally relevant behavioral phenotypes in young adult (8–20 weeks) females and males with robust signal size, including impairments in learning and memory, substantial hyperactivity and increased susceptibility to seizures/reduced seizure thresholds, in both sexes, and in two models of CDD preclinical mice, one with a general loss-of-function mutation and one that is a patient-derived mutation.


The reproductive cycles of four limpet species, Patella depressa, Patella ulyssiponensis, Patella vulgata and Patella rustica are described for several locations in northern and central Portugal. Patella depressa and P. ulyssiponensis displayed almost continual gonad activity, with two main spawning periods, September–January and March–June, and minor spawning events dispersed throughout the year. Patella vulgata and P. rustica exhibited highly synchronized reproductive cycles, with well-defined breeding and resting periods. Gonad development in P. vulgata started in September and spawning took place from November–December to March. In P. rustica development started in June and spawning occurred from September–October to December–January. Compared to the 1980s these results suggest that breeding periods are becoming longer in southern species and shorter in northern species.


This paper concerns a stochastic process expressing (s,S) type inventory system with intuitive approximation approach. The stock level in the system is modeled as a semi-Markovian renewal reward process X(t). Therefore, the ergodic distributions of this process can be analyzed with the help of the renewal function. Obtaining explicit formula for renewal function U(x) is difficult from a practical standpoint. Mitov and Omey recently present some intuitive approximations in literature for renewal function which cover a large number of existing results. Using their approach we were able to establish asymptotic approximations for ergodic distribution of a stochastic process X(t). Obtained results can be used in many situations where demand random variables have different distributions from different classes such as Γ(g) class.