Background: Stillbirth is a disastrous event faced by the obstetrician. Each stillbirth is a tragedy having devastating implications for mothers, their families and the health personnel. Globally it remains a significant public health issue, particularly in developing countries like Bangladesh. An understanding of the risk factors associated with stillbirth will facilitate optimum quality of maternal and child health services; which leads to reduce the burden of death.
Objective: To determine the factors associated with stillbirth in a tertiary care hospital.
Methodology: A descriptive type of cross sectional study was conducted in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital from 1st January 2019 to 31th December 2019. Total 32 pregnant women who had stillbirth occurred during the study period were included in this study. Non probability purposive sampling technique was followed as per inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Result: Total stillbirth reported were 32 (3.37% of total births). Maximum cases were primigravida (65.62%) with illiterate (71.87%), low socio-echonomic status (68.75%) and lack of Ante natal care(56.25%). Main causes of stillbirth were hypertensive disorders(15.6%), labour abnormalities(6.25%), other medical disorders(9.37%), infections(3.12%), Antepartum haemorrhage (12.5%), prematurity (12.5%), cord accidents(3.12%), IUGR(6.25%),birth asphyxia (6.25%) and post maturity(6.25%).
Conclusion: Hypertension and other medical disorders, Antepartum haemorrhage, labour abnormalities, prematurity, post maturity, IUGR and birth asphyxia were identified as the highest risks for stillbirth which can be reduced by early recognition of the problem with regular antenatal check-up, colour Doppler ultrasound to diagnose fetal growth restriction and cord abnormalities, anomaly scan, intrapartum use of CTG to know fetal distress and use of partograph to prevent prolongation of second stage of labour and timely obstetric intervention will help in reduction of stillbirth.
J Shaheed Suhrawardy Med Coll 2021; 13(1): 15-19


This study was conducted to investigate the association of the Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor (GnRHR) gene with growth traits in Awassi (n= 123) and Karakul (n= 78) sheep. Starting from the birth-day to 12 months of age, several growth traits were investigated, namely body weight and length, wither and rump height, chest, and abdominal circumferences. Four fragments were designed to amplify three exons of GnRHR gene, P1 and P2 for exon 1, P3 for exon 2, and P4 for exon 3.  The polymorphisms in these amplicons were analyzed by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) method. Genotypic and allele frequency of GnRHR gene were computed after sequence alignment. The results detected two different SSCP banding patterns GG and GA for both P2 and P3 amplicons, and two novel mutations were observed in GA genotype of P2 and P3 amplicons respectively, p.N87= and p.L242F. The identified p.N87= exhibited no relationship with all measured growth traits, while p.L242F showed significant association with the body weight, length, and abdominal circumference in month-6 and month-9. This association was increasingly observed in month-12 with all growth traits, in which individuals with GA genotype exhibited higher growth traits measurements than individuals with GG genotype (P < 0.01). In conclusion, the detected polymorphism of GnRHR gene exon-2 may be useful in marker-assisted selection for growth traits in Awassi and Karakul breeds. This study is the first one to describe the effect of GnRHR polymorphisms on growth traits, which confirm the potential usefulness of this gene in marker-assisted selection in sheep.


Wasting or cachexia associated with HIV infection are indications for human growth hormone (hGH) therapy. Somatropin, a type of human growth hormone produced by mammalian cell-derived recombinant DNA technology, has shown favorable results in combating wasting in HIV-infected persons with concurrent nucleoside analog therapy. The metabolic effects of hGH therapy, the effects of HIV infection on growth hormone (GH) secretion, the benefits of long-term treatment with somatropin, concerns on using any growth factor in HIV-infected persons, and the significance of the peptide IGF-I in mediating the metabolic effects of GH are discussed. Contact information about two somatropin clinical trials, including one for children, is provided. Concluding comments highlight the use of somatropin in children with HIV infection.


The application of chitosan (Chi) alone or in combination with methyl jasmonate (MJ) and salicylic acid (SA) in soursop infected with C. gloeosporioides and R. stolonifer in vivo as well as quality parameters (pH, total soluble solids, firmness and titratable acidity), respiration rate, ethylene production and defense related enzyme activities were investigated. Diseases caused by phytopathogenic fungi at postharvest stage are a serious problem throughout the world. The pathogens evaluated in this study were isolated from orchards in Nayarit, Mexico. The coating application of 1.0% Chi - 0.1 mM MJ - 6 mM SA on fruit inoculated with C. gloeosporioides and 0.5% Chi- 0.1 mM MJ on fruit inoculated with R. stolonifer were more effective to reduce the disease incidence and the extension of the lesion on soursop rather than the application of Chi, MJ or SA alone. In order to maintain quality parameters Chi and inducers were applied on fruits. During the storage time quality parameters of fruit were maintained. The respiration rate and ethylene production decreased with the application of the treatments combination. Higher activities of PPO (polyphenol oxidase), and POD (peroxidase) were evidenced with the combination of treatments compare to control. The application of chitosan, methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid is a suitable method for postharvest disease control of soursop during storage time as well as to maintain the fruit quality.


Extramedullary haematopoiesis (EMH) is a physiological process of formation of blood cells outside the bone marrow in response to insufficient production or excessive destruction of blood cells. Most common sites of EMH are liver, spleen, lymph nodes, kidney and paraspinal regions. In this report, we have described a rare case of focal EMH which presented as a mass adjacent to the renal allograft. Imaging characteristics favoured a benign aetiology with MRI signals suggesting the presence of blood and fatty components. The final diagnosis of EMH was made by aspiration cytology and an unnecessary surgery was thus avoided.


Pentacene organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) with multilayer graphene (MLG) films as the source and drain electrodes were fabricated. Pentacene OFETs with MLG electrodes showed significantly enhanced electrical property compared to devices with typically used Au electrodes because MLG electrode yields lower contact resistance and lower barrier height. Specifically, the pentacene OFETs with graphene electrodes exhibited increased output current by more than tenfold, high mobility as 0.4 cm2 V-1 s-1, and high on/off current ratio of 107. Our study may be useful for the development of organic transistors that are capable of producing improved performances.


Importance
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in December 2019, causing human coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has now spread into a worldwide pandemic. The pulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 have been well described in the literature. Two similar human coronaviruses that cause Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-1) are known to cause disease in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Emerging evidence suggests COVID-19 has neurologic consequences as well.

Observations
This review serves to summarize available information regarding coronaviruses in the nervous system, identify the potential tissue targets and routes of entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the central nervous system, and describe the range of clinical neurological complications that have been reported thus far in COVID-19 and their potential pathogenesis. Viral neuroinvasion may be achieved by several routes, including transsynaptic transfer across infected neurons, entry via the olfactory nerve, infection of vascular endothelium, or leukocyte migration across the blood-brain barrier. The most common neurologic complaints in COVID-19 are anosmia, ageusia, and headache, but other diseases, such as stroke, impairment of consciousness, seizure, and encephalopathy, have also been reported.

Conclusions and Relevance
Recognition and understanding of the range of neurological disorders associated with COVID-19 may lead to improved clinical outcomes and better treatment algorithms. Further neuropathological studies will be crucial to understanding the pathogenesis of the disease in the central nervous system, and longitudinal neurologic and cognitive assessment of individuals after recovery from COVID-19 will be crucial to understand the natural history of COVID-19 in the central nervous system and monitor for any long-term neurologic sequelae.


Dengue viral (DENV) infection results in a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations from asymptomatic, mild fever to severe hemorrhage diseases upon infection. Severe dengue is the leading cause of pediatric deaths and/or hospitalizations, which are a major public health burden in dengue-endemic or hyperendemic countries. Like other RNA viruses, DENV continues to evolve. Adaptive mutations are obscured by the major consensus sequence (so-called wild-type sequences) and can only be identified once they become the dominant viruses in the virus population, a process that can take months or years. Traditional surveillance systems still rely on Sanger consensus sequencing. However, with the recent advancement of high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, the genome-wide investigation of virus population within-host and between-hosts becomes achievable. Thus, viral population sequencing by NGS can increase our understanding of the changing epidemiology and evolution of viral genomics at the molecular level. This review focuses on the studies within the recent decade utilizing NGS in different experimental and epidemiological settings to understand how the adaptive evolution of dengue variants shapes the dengue epidemic and disease severity through its transmission. We propose three types of studies that can be pursued in the future to enhance our surveillance for epidemic prediction and better medical management.


Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) aims to estimate the electrical properties at the interior of an object from current-voltage measurements on its boundary. The image reconstruction for EIT is an inverse problem, which is both nonlinear and ill-posed. The traditional regularization method cannot avoid producing artefacts in reconstructed images in the presence of oscillatory noise with negative portion. In different imaging between two different conductivity distributions, a conductivity change can be seen relatively non-negative to the medium with lower conductivity through some safeguard techniques. Therefore, the statistical method can be used for this purpose. In this paper, the expectation maximization (EM) method is used to solve the inverse problem for EIT. The mathematical model of EIT is transformed to the non-negatively constrained likelihood minimization problem. The solution is obtained by the gradient projection-reduced Newton (GPRN) iteration method. Simulation and experimental results indicate that the reconstructed images with higher quality can be obtained by the EM method.


The vertical mammaplasty technique has undeniable advantages over combined techniques. It involves only the inferior pole of the breast, thus avoiding horizontal scars, which are the ones that most frequently hypertrophy. The main disadvantage of the technique is the inferior compensation, leaving visible scars in the thorax. We have modified this technique, making the compensation at the level of the areola. With this procedure, the vertical scar does not go below the submammary fold and is easily concealed.


Objectives Recent evidence suggests that tissue generation of angiotensins I and II depends on the level of the plasma components of the renin-angiotensin system and on tissue-specific processes. The present study was undertaken to clarify the possible relationship between plasma renin activity (PRA) and tissue angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity in the heart, lung, kidney cortex and kidney medulla of Wistar-Kyoto rats. In the kidney cortex particular attention was focused on renal brush-border ACE. Methods Different experimental models known to have opposite effects on PRA were used: changes in salt intake, deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) with or without salt supplements, and the Coldblatt two-kidney, one clip (2-K,1 C) model. Two weeks after the start of the experiments the rats were killed, and PRA, and plasma and tissue ACE activity, were measured. Results At the end of the study the blood pressure in the treated rats was not significantly different from control. As expected, the PRA were highest in the 2-K, 1C and depleted-salt groups and lowest in the DOCA, DOCA-salt and high-salt groups. ACE responses were different in different types of tissue, with no relationship between PRA and plasma or tissue ACE activity. For example, DOCA treatment led to increased ACE activity in the heart and the kidney only if the rats were maintained on a high salt intake. DOCA or salt alone failed to have this effect. In the 2-K, 1C model the undipped kidneys did not show any significant variation in ACE activity, but the clipped kidneys exhibited increased ACE activity compared with sham-operated rats. This increase, coupled with increased renal renin secretion, could play a role in the acceleration of local angiotensin II formation, and could thus initiate and sustain the development of hypertension in this model. Conclusion The present results show that variations in ACE activity were organ-specific and were not linked either to hypertension or to changes in PRA.


The lack of access to verbal communication with non-deaf individuals is a major problem for the profoundly deaf people. The goal of our work was to develop communication techniques through graphical imaging of textual information for the profoundly deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Our empirical research was focused on an exploration the visibility of proposed pseudo-graphic typeface in comparison with five conventional phonetic typefaces. The results show that Impact and Styled typefaces were perceived easier and seemed to be rather legible than Courier, Arial, Comic and Times New Roman. The tachistocopic analysis of the amount of recognized token (target stimulus) among distractors showed that subjects had fewer recognition difficulties for Arial and Times New Roman typefaces. For font attractiveness, Comic was perceived as being more attractive than Arial and Courier, while Styled and Impact were perceived as more attractive than Times New Roman. Of the fonts studied, Impact and Styled, being the most preferred, could be perceived fairly preattentively. We suppose that the proposed Styled typeface may have wider applications such as public display systems for dynamic imaging of current financial events in stock exchanges or present environments with different constraints.


We propose an iterative coded modulation technique with code rate flexibility for optical space communications. It is a modified version of the existing SCPPM, which consists of the serial concatenation of an outer convolutional code, an interleaver, a bit-accumulator, and pulse-position modulation (PPM), and has been demonstrated to give the best performance on an optical link modeled as PPM/Poisson channels. The primary modification is to add a single-parity-check (SPC) code. We refer to the coded modulation as SPC-SCPPM. The two codes are decoded with an iterative demodulator-decoder, using standard turbo-decoding techniques. We compare the two coded modulation techniques on a PPM/Poisson channel. The rate-1/2 SPC-SCPPM provides performance similar to the SCPPM of the same parameters. However, SPC-SCPPM has been shown to possess code rate flexibility for all rates higher than 1/2 in contrast to SCPPM.


The health of industrial workers often goes uncared for due to their stressful working conditions, busy schedules and poor economic conditions. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of tooth loss, prosthetic status and treatment needs among industrial workers in Belgaum, Karnataka, India according to the criteria described in the World Health Organization (WHO) Oral Health Assessment form (1997). A total of 614 workers participated in the study. Information was obtained regarding their oral hygiene practice. The presence or absence of habits, and the frequency and duration since the last visit to a dentist were recorded followed by clinical examination. Chi-square test was used to determine the association between the variables and tooth loss. There was a statistically significant difference between the number of missing teeth in different age groups, methods of cleaning, smoking habits and visits to the dentist. Regarding prosthetic status, only one worker had a fixed prosthesis in the mandibular arch. The study revealed that tooth loss was associated with oral hygiene practices, habits and visits to the dentist. Poor prosthetic status and high treatment needs were observed. This study emphasized the need for improved dental health awareness and availability of dental facilities to industrial workers.


A generation after that day of October 6,1981, when Anwar al Sadat was struck down, a strange bond has been forged between Sadat and his assassin, Khalid Istanbuli. A place has been made in the coun try's narrative for both men. The history of Egypt, her very identity, is fluid enough to claim the wily ruler who swallowed his pride to deal with Israel and the United States, and also the assassin appalled by the cultural price paid in the bargain. In a sense, Sadat and Istanbuli are twins, their lives and deeds one great tale of the country's endur ing dilemmas and her resilience amid great troubles, about the kind of political men Egypt's history brought forth when her revolution ary experiment of the 1950s and 1960s ran aground. It is not hard for Egyptians to recognize much of themselves and their recent history in Istanbuli, the young lieutenant who proclaimed with pride that he had shot the pharaoh. He was in every way a son of the Free Officer Revolution of Gamal Abdel Nasser, of July 23,1952, when Egypt cast aside her kings and set out on a new, nonaligned path. Istanbuli was born in 1957, a year a^ter t^ie Suez Crisis, during what seemed to be a moment of promise in the life of Egypt. He was named after Nasser's oldest son. His father was a lawyer in a public sector company that was a product of the new, expanding govern ment. He was ten years old when calamity struck Egypt in the Six Day War, and the Nasser revolution was shown to be full of sound and


BACKGROUND
Osteoporosis remains a major problem following kidney transplantation. Radiographic measures of bone mass are of limited predictive value after transplantation and are complicated by preexisting renal osteopathy. Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) is a new and non-invasive method to assess skeletal status, however, no data exist on ultrasonic bone parameter after kidney transplantation. We evaluated the potential use of this novel method in renal allograft recipients and studied the accuracy compared to normal controls.

METHOD
Thirty patients (NTP, age 47.5 +/- 13.0 years) were studied 4.8 +/- 3.2 years after transplantation. Twenty-five healthy control persons (CON) were matched for age and sex. The left and right os calcis were studied by QUS and speed of sound (SOS) and broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) were measured. Bone stiffness (BS) was calculated from these parameters and corrected for age (CBS). Differences between right and left os calcis were compared to CON to assess the side variability.

RESULTS
Mean +/- SD BS was 75 +/- 22% compared to young adults, age-corrected CBS was decreased in NTP with 86 +/- 25% of normal, indicating a two-fold increased risk of fracture. SOS was 1525 +/- 47.7 m/s, BUA 105 +/- 22 dB/MHz. Mean difference between right and left os calcis was significantly higher in NTP than in CON (7.2 +/- 7.1% vs. 2.1 +/- 2.1%, p < 0.01). Limits of agreement of the measurements (MW of differences +/- 2 SD) according to a Bland-Altmann-type statistic were -16.9% and 20.7%. There was no correlation between CBS and age, cumulative steroid dose, parathyroid hormone concentrations or time after transplantation.

CONCLUSION
Our data show altered bone structure expressed by low bone stiffness values measured by quantitative ultrasound in kidney transplant patients. However, because of relatively high inter-feet variance of QUS results we suggest measurement of both ossa calcis to minimize measurement error after transplantation.


Objectives: This article summarizes the current data on packed red blood cell transfusion in the pediatric intensive care unit setting to help providers make evidence-based decisions regarding packed red blood cell transfusions. Data Sources: Review of the literature, including PubMed, citations from relevant articles, and some articles that have been particularly relevant in adult critical care practice regarding packed red blood cell transfusion. Conclusions: The use of packed red blood cell transfusions is common in the pediatric intensive care unit setting. However, until recently there have been little data to guide providers in this practice. Studies in adult intensive care units have shown less favorable outcomes in patients who received packed red blood cell transfusions. This has led to renewed questioning of the practice of packed red blood cell transfusion in critically ill pediatric patients. New data indicate that using a hemoglobin transfusion threshold of >7 g/dL does not yield improved outcomes. Furthermore, smaller studies have suggested that pediatric intensive care unit patients may be at an increased risk for morbidity and mortality when undergoing transfusion.


This study aims to determine the effect of giving several liquid biological fertilizer formulations with the addition of B. cereus and get the best formulation to increase the growth and yield of sweet corn. The field experiment was conducted in the Faculty of Agriculture experiment station, Riau University located in Pekanbaru from July 2018 to October 2018. The research was carried out experimentally using a completely randomized design consisting of five treatments with four replications. The treatments tested were P1: B. cereus without formulation, P2: 100 ml B. cereus + 1 l wastewater of rice + 1 g chitin + 100 ml molasses, P3: 100 ml B. cereus + 1 l wastewater coconut + 1 g chitin + 100 ml molasses, P4: 100 ml B. cereus + 1 l tofu liquid waste + 1 g chitin + 100 ml molases, P5: 100 ml B. cereus + 1 l palm oil mill effluent + 1 g Chitin + 100 ml molasses. The parameters observed were plant height, age of female flower emergence, harvest age, stem diameter, weight of cob with cornhusk, weight of cob without cornhusk, length of cob without cornhusk, diameter of cob without cornhusk, number of rows of corn kernels. The results showed that all treatments have not been able to improve the growth response and yield of corn plants and all formulations of B. cereus biological fertilizer tested have not found the best formulation.


A rotating composite blade, modeled as a box-beam with transverse shear flexibility, shear-tractionless bounding faces and restrained warping, and subjected to a time dependent pressure pulse is considered. It comprises an orthotropic (graphite-epoxy laminate) host structure with surface embedded and spanwise distributed transversely isotropic (PZT-4) sensors and actuators. The total current output from the sensors is distributed to the actuators after suitable weighting. A modified Galerkin method using only admissible functions is considered, and the optimal control problem is studied via the classical and instantaneous LQR methods. Results reveal that structural tailoring can yield a lower steady-state response at the expense of increased settling time. Increasing the patch length beyond a limit proves ineffective. The instantaneous LQR control algorithm provides a reduced response, as does the present model involving through-thickness shear strain variation. Studies regarding the effect of location and weighting of piezopatches on the controlled response are presented.


In this work, the effect of fabrication parameters on silk fibroin (SF) nonwovens obtained by electrospinning were evaluated. Additionally, the relationship between secondary structures and thermal stability of the protein materials, with morphological characteristics of nonwovens obtained were analyzed. Silk fibroin in formic acid solution at 10% w/w was electrospun at 8 cm varying the ratio voltage/distance and flow rate. The nonwovens morphology was observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and fibers diameter were determined with ImageJ software. The changes in the secondary structure of silk fibroin before and after electrospinning were studied by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) to evaluate the effect of electrospinning process in the molecular structure of SF. Optimum morphology of SF nonwovens were obtained at R = 1 kV/cm and low flow rate, these process parameters were related to higher contents of crystalline structures in the materials. Results showed that SF nonwovens obtained under controlled process parameters hold great potential to be utilized in several applications such as tissue engineering.


Natural cartilage tissue has excellent mechanical properties and has certain cellular components. At this stage, it is a great challenge to produce cartilage scaffolds with excellent mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Hydrogels are commonly used in tissue engineering because of their excellent biocompatibility; however, the mechanical properties of commonly used hydrogels are difficult to meet the requirements of making cartilage scaffolds. The mechanical properties of high concentration polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel are similar to those of natural cartilage, but its biocompatibility is poor. Low concentration hydrogel has better biocompatibility, but its mechanical properties are poor. In this study, two different hydrogels were combined to produce cartilage scaffolds with good mechanical properties and strong biocompatibility. First, the PEGDA grid scaffold was printed with light curing 3D printing technology, and then the low concentration GelMA/Alginate hydrogel with chondral cells was filled into the PEGDA grid scaffold. After a series of cell experiments, the filling hydrogel with the best biocompatibility was screened out, and finally the filled hydrogel with cells and excellent biocompatibility was obtained. Cartilage tissue engineering scaffolds with certain mechanical properties were found to have a tendency of cartilage formation in in vitro culture. Compared with the scaffold obtained by using a single hydrogel, this molding method can produce a tissue engineering scaffold with excellent mechanical properties on the premise of ensuring biocompatibility, which has a certain potential application value in the field of cartilage tissue engineering.


Abstract Color polymorphism is common in many species, and color morph frequency is affected by differences in ecological and evolutionary pressures on each color morph. Plethodon cinereus, the Red-Backed Salamander, has two common color morphs, striped and unstriped, that vary in frequency among populations. Plethodon cinereus color morphs differ in their escape behaviors when exposed to predators and in their tail autotomization rates; this may result from differential predation. Although these previous studies indirectly implicated differential predation, we directly tested the hypothesis that color morphs differed in survival and whether one morph was depredated at a higher rate. We determined the survival of each color morph over 3 yr with the use of mark–recapture data. We first compared frequencies of color morphs in juveniles and adults, and then estimated whether color morphs had different survival rates with the statistical program MARK. We found that frequency of striped salamanders was lower in adults than in juveniles, implying that fewer striped individuals survived to adulthood. In addition, color and age best explained survival probability during spring, but not fall, seasons. To test the effects of color morph on predation experimentally, we used clay models to determine the effects of avian and mammalian predators. We found more attacks on striped clay models by avian predators compared to the unstriped models, but we found no difference in attacks by mammals. Overall, these results support the hypothesis that there is differential predation in P. cinereus, with more predation on, and lower survival in, the striped morph.


There is little research in the UK that focuses on medium secure psychiatric nursing staff attitudes, beliefs and knowledge about alcohol and illicit substances, substance use and mental illness. The current study presents data from 98 staff, working within a medium secure psychiatric hospital, and compares differences between staff groups in relation to general drug knowledge and attitudes towards both alcohol and illicit substances and the mentally ill patients who use them. Data suggest that, even for qualified staff, training in alcohol and illicit substances was inadequate in both length and depth. Qualified nursing staff had better knowledge of licit and illicit drug use than unqualified nursing staff and non-clinical staff, and also had different beliefs about why people with severe mental illnesses use licit and illicit drugs. However, no significant differences were found between groups for either level of punitive attitude towards people with severe mental illness who use drugs or the impact that certain factors have on severe mental health problems. These results identify the need for training in drug knowledge and drug use in mental illness, for those staff working in the field. The need for ongoing post-registration training in substance use and mental health is emphasized.


Data transmission over wireless networks can be achieved in various ways. Some of these technologies are feasible in many real life scenarios, but there are many consequences we have to consider in this field, such as packet loss, quality degradation of radio signal over distance incrementation, ambient noise, transmission delay and etc. For the low data rate packet transmission, to adapt and to address IoT is one of the most discussed topics nowadays, especially in terms of transmission protocol design and the implementation of that design in real life scenarios. Transmitting packets in low data rate over long distance e ciently is becoming an important issue in this fastpaced modern world. Although various work has been done individually on low data rate packet transmission and protocol to achieve longer distance. Our objective is to combine both options in the same protocol design with diverse form of services. In this project, we design an embedded solution and implement our own transmission schemes based on Raspberry Pi micro-controller to send low date rate packets via radio modules that operating on 868 MHz band to achieve long distance. We embed and implement the design with low cost and low power components and send real-time services such as GPS co-ordinates, temperature, image and etc. over wireless network. Then we develop our design to relay the transmission from the source node to the destination node by using a forwarding node in between them, which helps us to achieve further distance. These transmission schemes have the ability to respond to each other with acknowledgements assuring the successful transactions between the nodes and for the request of retransmissions. In addition, the schemes are developed further to a new scheme where the retransmission will occur with an adaptive data rate at the end of the transmission process to ensure the successful transfer of a large file. At the end, we collect and examine the data on the sender and receiver ends and calculate parameters such as packet loss rate, transmission delay, etc., by running the tests in di↵erent scenarios and optimising the experimental results. The results show that with these transmission schemes the packets can be transmitted to long distance in low data rate and with a small amount of packet loss rate.


Robust and reliable covariance estimates play a decisive role in financial and many other applications. An important class of estimators is based on Factor models. Here, we show by extensive Monte Carlo simulations that covariance matrices derived from the statistical Factor Analysis model exhibit a systematic error, which is similar to the well-known systematic error of the spectrum of the sample covariance matrix. Moreover, we introduce the Directional Variance Adjustment (DVA) algorithm, which diminishes the systematic error. In a thorough empirical study for the US, European, and Hong Kong market we show that our proposed method leads to improved portfolio allocation.


The article analyzes the ethnic-lingvocultural processes in the age of Globalization in one of the most important and interesting civilization — mundo iberico.


A little more than a year ago a study hit the news that changed the way many women and their doctors view the use of hormone therapy (HT) after menopause. In that study, which was part of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), the most striking result was that the combination of estrogen and progestin (in the medication Prempro) resulted in more risks than benefits. Now additional risks are being identified.


We present a framework for designing curl-free tangent vector fields on discrete surfaces. Such vector fields are gradients of locally-defined scalar functions, and this property is beneficial for creating surface parameterizations, since the gradients of the parameterization coordinate functions are then exactly aligned with the designed fields. We introduce a novel definition for discrete curl between unordered sets of vectors (PolyVectors), and devise a curl-eliminating continuous optimization that is independent of the matchings between them. Our algorithm naturally places the singularities required to satisfy the user-provided alignment constraints, and our fields are the gradients of an inversion-free parameterization by design.


Knowledge structuring is one of the poorly-studied cognitive processes that significantly affect the learning activity processes as well as professional knowledge sharing communications. The paper describes the main results of the study aimed at investigation of the impact of the individual characteristics of cognitive style in the process of information structuring during learning. The stress is put on the study of the cognitive style parameters, which significantly affect the conceptual design features of hierarchical models (the so-called ontologies) that are important for learning and understanding of the material. The main described results are focused on empirical testing of hypotheses about the impact of the individual characteristics of cognitive style (such as field dependence / field independence, category narrowness / width, impulsiveness / reflexivity) on the individual and collective ontology design features. Some interesting results of the group ontology design work study (in pairs and threesomes) are discussed. They present the relationship between the individual ideas of group members about the domain and the resulting common structure. The sample consists of the Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University students. The students were tested on the specifics of their individual cognitive styles and after they were asked to create ontologies of the "Computer Science" domain personally and collectively. The obtained results allow to propose some practical recommendations for formation of the efficient groups for collective intellectual work, e.g. data base design, knowledge representation models, business-models and other conceptual structures.


Aim: Tobacco use is the major cause of oral cancer, which is the sixth most common form of malignancy globally. Even in the absence of clinical manifestations, early changes in the oral mucosa can be detected microscopically by exfoliative cytology. The present study aimed to study and compare the cellular changes in the oral mucosa of tobacco users using cytomorphometry. Materials and Methods: A total of 80 subjects were included: 20 without any tobacco use habits, 20 tobacco chewers, 20 smokers, and 20 mishri users. Smears were collected from each subject, fixed, and stained using Papanicolaou stain. All slides were evaluated for nuclear and cytoplasmic changes using image analysis software. Results: Statistically significant decrease in cytoplasmic area and an increase in nuclear area and nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio were observed in tobacco users. Conclusion: Tobacco in any form causes significant cellular changes, which could be the earliest indicators of developing malignant pathology. Exfoliative cytology can be used to detect such changes.


The identification of the intermediates observed in bond activation reactions involving organometallic complexes on time scales from femtoseconds to milliseconds has been accomplished through the use of ultrafast infrared spectroscopy. C—H bond activation by the molecule Tp*Rh(CO)2 showed a final activation time of 200 ns in cyclic solvents, indicating a reaction barrier of 8.3 kcal/mol. An important intermediate is the partially dechelated η2-Tp*Rh(CO)(S) solvent complex, which was formed 200 ps after the initial photoexcitation. Si—H bond activation by CpM(CO)3 (M=Mn, Re) showed some product formation in less than 5 ps, indicating that the Si—H activation reaction is barrierless. The activated product was formed on several timescales, from picoseconds to nanoseconds, suggesting that there are different pathways for forming final product which are partitioned by the initial photoexcitation.


This study reviews the attempts of Carpenter et al to develop valid diagnostic criteria of schizophrenia by means of a flexible 12 point system of signs and symptoms based on the IPSS. The authors applied the 12–point system to 67 inpatients and obtained different levels of certainty in identifying proportions of schizophrenic and non-schizophrenic patients: 80% of clinically diagnosed schizophrenic patients obtained 5 or more points. Kappa statistics revealed a 0.59 proportion of agreement in excess to chance between clinical and experimental diagnosis of schizophrenia, indicating the clinical usefulness of the 12 point system.


Extremely well-preserved specimens of the species Rennensismilia complanata and Aulosmilia cuneiformis occur in Santonian (Upper Cretaceous) strata of the Lower Gosau beds, near Gosau, Austria. Two of these, here reported, have aragonitic skeletal mineralogy and skeletal structures that are typical for their families, and, in addition, show distribution of trace elements (Sr and Mg above all) that confirm the biogenic origin of structures observed. R. complanata also has proteinaceous matrix preserved within its skeleton, which, seen here for the first time in electron micrographs of living or fossil corals, forms sheaths of organic matrix surrounding bundles of skeletal crystallites. Matrix is most abundant along the axial plane of septa, which also is the first-formed part of each septum. Although A. cuneiformis lacks observable organic matrix materials, its skeletal structure and its distribution and amount of trace elements are analogous to that seen in R. complanata and also in modern corals.


The WNT signaling pathway regulates patterning and morphogenesis during embryonic development and promotes tissue renewal and regeneration in adults. Some WNT responses in vertebrates depend on a second signal provided by the R-spondin family of four secreted proteins (RSPO1-4) that drive the renewal of stem cells in many tissues. RSPOs markedly amplify target cell sensitivity to WNT ligands by neutralizing two transmembrane E3 ligases, ZNRF3 and RNF43, which reduce cell-surface levels of WNT receptors. Chromosomal translocations that increase RSPO expression or that inactivate ZNRF3/RNF43 can drive human cancers. RSPOs contain tandem furin-like repeats (FU1 and FU2), a thrombospondin type I (TSP) domain, and a basic region (BR). RSPOs simultaneously engage ZNRF3/RNF43 through their FU1 domain and one of three leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptors (LGR4-6) through their FU2 domain, triggering the clearance of ZNRF3/RNF43 and the consequent rise in WNT receptor levels. LGRs are selectively expressed in various tissue stem cells and are considered the primary high-affinity receptors for RSPOs. Using purified mutant and chimeric RSPOs and cell lines lacking various receptors, we show that RSPO2 and RSPO3, but not RSPO1 and RSPO4, can potentiate WNT/β-catenin signaling in the absence of all three LGRs. The ZNRF3/RNF43-interacting FU1 domain was necessary for LGR-independent signaling, while the LGR-interacting FU2 domain was dispensable. The FU1 domain of RSPO3 was also sufficient to confer LGR-independence when transplanted to RSPO1, demonstrating that its interaction with ZNRF3/RNF43 dictates LGR-independent signaling. The enigmatic TSP/BR domains of RSPOs and their interaction with heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), previously considered dispensable for WNT/β-catenin signaling, became essential in the absence of LGRs. These results define two alternative modes of RSPO-mediated signaling that share a common dependence on ZNRF3/RNF43, but differ in their use of either LGRs or HSPGs, with implications for understanding their mechanism of action, biological functions and evolutionary origins.


Abstract Metallic dental implants such as titanium and stainless steel have an elastic modulus 5-14 times greater than that of compact bone (15 GPa). These stiff implants do not adequately strain the bone, which can result in bone resorption through a phenomenon referred to as stress shielding. The implant length and diameter has a significant influence on the stress distribution within the surrounding jawbone. Therefore, the objective of this investigation is to optimize the material and the dimensions of a dental implant. A numerical solution of a 3D finite element analysis using ANSYS software was conducted to achieve this purpose. It was concluded that by using stainless steel, titanium or gold dental implants with a large diameter and short length the values of the maximum von Mises stress values in cortical bone were increased. The maximum increase in von Mises stress can be obtained by using a stainless steel implant. This dental implant will reduce the stress shielding effect as well as yield suitable values with respect to von Mises stress for both porcelain crowns and dental implants, thus increasing the service life of the implant.


According to the decrease in birth rate and reduction of population, many schools in rural area have brought about the r decrease of number of student, and environment of education have became deteriorated. Accordingly, small schools be required improvement, and it should be altered placement of schools because it change number of student, distance and time of attending school, and formation of school zone are changed by alternating of human and physical environment. Merger and abolition of small schools are inevitable for change of placement standard to school and qualitative improvement of environment of education in rural area. This study researches the user`s satisfaction at the boarding middle school following the merge and abolition of small schools in rural area. Finally, it reports the results of satisfaction research: the users are generally satisfied with education and student school life in the unified dormitory school.


A model suitable for small-signal stability analysis and control design of multi-terminal dc networks is presented. A generic test network that combines conventional synchronous and offshore wind generation connected to shore via a dc network is used to illustrate the design of enhanced voltage source converter (VSC) controllers. The impact of VSC control parameters on network stability is discussed and the overall network dynamic performance assessed in the event of small and large perturbations. Time-domain simulations conducted in Matlab/Simulink are used to validate the operational limits of the VSC controllers obtained from the small-signal stability analysis.


Abstract We evaluated the accuracy of the electron densities and effective atomic numbers determined by raw data-based dual-energy analysis on a 320-detector computed tomography scanner. The mean (SD) errors between the measured and true electron densities and between the measured and true effective atomic numbers were 1.3% (1.5%) and 3.1% (3.2%), respectively. Electron densities and effective atomic numbers can be determined with high accuracy, which may help to improve accuracy in radiotherapy treatment planning.


Preliminary results obtained for a new configuration lift based vertical-axis wind turbine are shown. The turbine rotor is a cross flow fan type made with high curvature aerodynamic profiles. A reduced scale model of the turbine rotor has been designed and preliminary tested at the Department of Aerospace Engineering of the University of Pisa (rotor diameter = 250 mm, rotor height = 210 mm). The reduced scale model shows an efficiency of about 18%. The rotor is of a self-starting type. Two-dimensional CFD analyses have been performed applying both the Moving Reference Frame and the Moving Mesh conditions to the grid which surrounds the rotor blades (Fluent® Rel. 6.3 and STAR-CCM+® Rel. 6.04 have been used). Noticeable scale effects have been found numerically, so, the efficiency of a full scale lift based vertical axis multi-blades optimized wind turbine is expected to be comparable with lift based horizontal-axis wind turbines.


Previous packet length optimizations for sensor networks often employ a fixed optimal length scheme, while in this study we present DPLC, a Dynamic Packet Length Control scheme. To make DPLC more efficient in terms of channel utilization, we incorporate a lightweight and accurate link estimation method that captures both physical channel conditions and interferences. We further provide two easy-to-use services, i.e., small message aggregation and large message fragmentation, to facilitate upper-layer application programming. The implementation of DPLC based on TinyOS 2.1 is lightweight, with respect to computation, memory, and header overhead. Our experiments using a real indoor testbed running CTP show that DPLC results in a 13% reduction in transmission overhead and a 41.8% reduction in energy consumption compared with the original protocol, and a 21% reduction in transmission overhead and a 15.1% reduction in energy consumption compared with simple aggregation schemes.


There are strong traditions supporting the belief that Christianity had come to Indo-Pak with the Apostle Thomas in the first century. However, since its origin, the Pakistani Church has been chronically less engaged in intentional mission.

This comparative study explores the phenomena of mission engagement of the Church of Pakistan (Lahore and Hyderabad Dioceses) and of the Full Gospel Assemblies of Pakistan. It brings out their similarities and differences, as well as issues of growth and decline, specifically as they affect their mission engagement and therefore their success and failure in that arena. Both quantitative and qualitative methods have been used to evaluate the mission engagement of these churches in three main areas namely: mission theology, mission practice and perceived restrictions.

It has been discovered that due to its fragmented understanding of the biblical story, anthropocentric focus, neglect of the cosmic redemption and the exclusion of the Abrahamic responsibility of being a blessing to the nations, the mission theology of Pakistani churches is inadequate and inconsistent. The Pakistani churches are engaged in mission, but their engagement is not complete because of their withering evangelistic dimensions, passive presence, intentional alienation from their context and compartmentalized identifications. It is evident that most of the restrictions these churches are facing in terms of mission engagement are internal rather than external.

Based on the above findings the research concludes that the Pakistani Church is engaged in inadequate mission due to inconsistent theological reflection, incomplete mission practice and overwhelming internal restrictions. Therefore, for effective engagement the Pakistani Church needs to revise its mission theology and practice and deal with its internal restrictions.


Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes involved in the activation or regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses may modulate the susceptibility to and the natural history of certain chronic viral infections. The current study aimed to investigate whether donor and recipient SNPs in the chemokine receptor 5 (rs1800023), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (rs13900), interleukin‐10 (rs1878672), and Toll‐like receptor 9 (rs352140) genes would exert any influence on the rate of incidence and features of CMV DNAemia in the allogeneic stem cell transplantation setting. This was a retrospective observational multicenter study. The cohort consisted of 102 non‐consecutive allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients. SNP genotyping was performed by allele‐specific real‐time PCR. CMV surveillance was performed by the pp65 antigenemia assay/and or by real‐time PCR. Seventy‐three patients developed CMV DNAemia within the first 100 days after transplantation (71.5%). Neither donor nor recipient SNPs were associated significantly with the rate of incidence of active CMV infection, nor with the need for pre‐emptive antiviral therapy. Both the duration of CMV DNAemia and the plasma CMV DNA peak load during episodes were significantly higher in patients harboring the donor (but not the recipient) chemokine receptor 5 A/A genotype, than in their A/G and G/G counterparts (P = 0.022 and P = 0.045, respectively). The data reported suggest that SNPs in chemokine receptor 5 may influence the dynamics of CMV infection in the Allo‐SCT setting. J. Med. Virol. 87:248–255, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Communication needs are considered for the cooperative control of unmanned aerial vehicles with resource allocation performed by a network flow which may be iterative, and may operate synchronously or asynchronously. We briefly outline single and iterative network flow assignment algorithms and their communication requirements. Then, we consider the abstracted communication framework recently incorporated into the MultiUAV simulation package to manage the communication requirements of the allocation algorithms and implementation scenarios. As an example, a model is constructed to investigate the effect of fixed communication delays on the performance of an iterative network flow implemented as a redundant, centralized optimization.


The realizable integration level of rapid single-flux quantum (RSFQ) circuits has reached the order of magnitude of 20 000 Josephson junctions, which enables the creation of advanced complex circuits such as microprocessors or digital signal processors. During the design of those complex circuits, behavioral arrangement alone is insufficient; instead, the inclusion of statistical spread is required for timing and parameter verification. The simulation of complex circuits combined with the consideration of timing jitter effects is a very challenging task for both transient simulation on the electrical network level and simulation with hardware description languages. In this paper, a new approach based on discrete-event simulations is presented. By this method, the pulse-driven characteristics of RSFQ circuits can be directly transferred into a model describing the behavior on the transaction level. The realized models of basic RSFQ cells include stochastic timing effects. This approach is demonstrated by modeling a nontrivial cell and compared against the conventional transient simulation concerning the accuracy of the results and the computation time.


In this work, we investigated the critical behavior of Fe 88 Co 2 Zr 7 B 2 Cu 1 alloy ribbons prepared using a single-roller melt-spinning method. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the alloy is almost amorphous. This alloy undergoes a second-order ferromagnetic-paramagnetic ( FM-PM ) phase transition at room temperature ( Curie temperature T C = 296 K ) . To investigate the nature of the FM-PM phase transition near the T C for the alloy, we performed a critical-exponent study. Based on modified Arrott plots, the Kouvel-Fisher method, and Widom's scaling relation, a set of critical parameters were determined. The critical parameters are β = 0.545 ± 0.041 and γ = 1.109 ± 0.018 obtained from the modified Arrott plots; β = 0.547 ± 0.005 and γ = 1.105 ± 0.016 from the Kouvel-Fisher method, and  = 3.035 ± 0.059 from Widom's scaling relation. These values are close to those expected for the mean-field model, revealing long-range FM interactions.


Life expectancy at birth in the United States is among the lowest of all high-income countries. Most recent studies have concentrated on older ages, finding that Americans have a lower life expectancy at age fifty and experience higher levels of disease and disability than do their counterparts in other industrialized nations. Using cross-national mortality data to identify the key age groups and causes of death responsible for these shortfalls, I found that mortality differences below age fifty account for two-thirds of the gap in life expectancy at birth between American males and their counterparts in sixteen comparison countries. Among females, the figure is two-fifths. The major causes of death responsible for the below-fifty trends are unintentional injuries, including drug overdose--a fact that constitutes the most striking finding from this study; noncommunicable diseases; perinatal conditions, such as pregnancy complications and birth trauma; and homicide. In all, this study highlights the importance of focusing on younger ages and on policies both to prevent the major causes of death below age fifty and to reduce social inequalities.


Probabilistic models inform an increasingly broad range of business and policy decisions ultimately made by people. Recent algorithmic, computational, and software framework development progress facilitate the proliferation of Bayesian probabilistic models, which characterise unobserved parameters by their joint distribution instead of point estimates. While they can empower decision makers to explore complex queries and to perform what-if-style conditioning in theory, suitable visualisations and interactive tools are needed to maximise users' comprehension and rational decision making under uncertainty. In this paper, propose a protocol for quantitative evaluation of Bayesian model visualisations and introduce a software framework implementing this protocol to support standardisation in evaluation practice and facilitate reproducibility. We illustrate the evaluation and analysis workflow on a user study that explores whether making Boxplots and Hypothetical Outcome Plots interactive can increase comprehension or rationality and conclude with design guidelines for researchers looking to conduct similar studies in the future.


ABSTRACT Conversion of carbonate grains to fluorite gives a microporous pseudomorph in which the contained organic material may be dyed and observed. Photographs show the application of this technique to in-situ observation of perforating algae and other organisms in Bahama oolites. Other possible applications are to ancient carbonates and to carbonates trapped by blue-green algae.


There has been much controversy over the years about the ability of psychiatry to maintain medical-scientific standards comparable to those of other medical specialties. The most recent trend, based on a strong criticism of the latest edition of the dsm, focuses on trying to characterize mental disorders on the basis of neuroscience while abandoning all other approaches. The article reviews this trend and proposes a multidimensional approach, emphasizing the investigation, with tools from phenomenology, of the experiential nature of many psychopathological disorders, especially psychoses, and showing their compatibility with the neuroscientific approach.


Occupational medicine is concerned with the recognition and prevention of diseases related to the work environment. The special tools, namely, epidemiology, toxicology, and public health and clinical expertise, are joined by another specialty, environmental medicine. The Environmental Science Center (ESC) of the University of Tokyo was established in April 1975 for the purpose of treating chemically-hazardous wastes deriving from the university. The ESC houses various sections including research, education, operations, management, and also a waste-collection and-treatment division. In this review, the author intends to summarize the activity of the ESC, and then review the approaches we have applied in order to deal with the environmental problems we have faced.


Hoodia gordonii, a popular appetite suppressant, is widely used as an ingredient in many food supplements despite the fact that supporting scientific evidence is scarce. Recently alarming side effects of H. gordonii products (increased blood pressure and elevated pulse rate) have been reported. The aim of our study was to elucidate the underlying mechanism of these symptoms. A H. gordonii-containing product was tested for sympathomimetic activity. Isolated organ experiments on rat uterine rings revealed smooth muscle relaxant effect with a substantial component mediated through β-adrenergic receptors. Chromatographic comparison of the analyzed product and authentic plant material confirmed that the herbal product contained Hoodia spp. extract, and its cardiovascular effects may be linked to the compounds of the plant.


With the additional responsibilities that come from the new SEND Code of practice and a government focus on supporting the mental health of children, the well-being of teachers was deemed a relevant and useful focus of research.

This study aimed to elicit teachers' experiences of well-being and the factors that support well-being, considering the role for the school and the Educational Psychologist.

Data was collected from five Key Stage Two teachers in the same local authority using semi-structured interviews and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, Flowers and Larkin, 2009).

The concept of well-being, professional identity, interpersonal relationships and interpersonal approaches, managing the demands of the role and personal resources were developed as superordinate themes. Conclusions and suggestions have been provided for schools and Educational Psychologists to discuss, which focus on a whole school approach to supporting well-being.


Rosacea is a common facial dermatosis that is seldom biopsied; thus, histological aspects have not been well described. Biopsies are generally performed in the presence of atypical symptoms (e.g. granulomas). Differential diagnosis with sarcoidosis, lupus miliaris or lupus erythematosus is another indication for biopsy. There are few published studies addressing the microscopic aspects of rosacea and describing the histological and immunohistochemical features of this disease. While some textbooks consider the microscopic signs of rosacea to be non‐diagnostic, experienced dermatopathologists are generally able to make the diagnosis via histology. This article discusses the specific combinations of histological features that are highly suggestive of rosacea.


Abstract Background: The progress of modern society and changes in lifestyle have not only increased the proportion of sub-healthy people, but also caused many people to suffer from sleep disorders and mental anxiety. Long-term lack of high-quality sleep will not only cause psychological problems such as anxiety and fatigue, but also cause physical abnormalities, such as abnormal hormone secretion, weakened immunity, neuroendocrine disorders, and high blood pressure. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of aromatherapy in improving sleep quality in people with sleep disorders. Methods: Computer search CNKI, SinoMed, Wanfang, PubMed, Web of science, and EMbase collect randomized controlled trials on aromatherapy to improve sleep quality of people with sleep disorders. The search time limit is to build the database until April 5, 2021. RevMan5.3 software is used for meta-analysis. Results: This systematic review will provide an assessment of the current state of sleep disorders, aiming to assess the efficacy of aromatherapy for patients with sleep disorders. Conclusion: This systematic review will provide a credible evidence-based for the clinical treatment of sleep disorders with aromatherapy.


The blood-brain barrier (BBB), which prevents the entry into the central nervous system (CNS) of most water-soluble molecules over 500 Da, is often disrupted after trauma. Post-traumatic BBB disruption may have important implications for prognosis and therapy. Assessment of BBB status is not routine in clinical practice because available techniques are invasive. The gold-standard measure, the cerebrospinal fluide (CSF)-serum albumin quotient (Q(A)), requires the measurement of albumin in CSF and serum collected contemporaneously. Accurate, less invasive techniques are necessary. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between Q(A) and serum concentrations of monomeric transthyretin (TTR) or S100B. Nine subjects with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI; Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score < or =8) and 11 subjects with non-traumatic headache who had CSF collected by ventriculostomy or lumbar puncture (LP) were enrolled. Serum and CSF were collected at the time of LP for headache subjects and at 12, 24, and 48 h after ventriculostomy for TBI subjects. The Q(A) was calculated for all time points at which paired CSF and serum samples were available. Serum S100B and TTR levels were also measured. Pearson's correlation coefficient and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to determine the relationship between the serum proteins and QA. Seven TBI subjects had abnormal Q(A)'s indicating BBB dysfunction. The remaining TBI and control subjects had normal BBB function. No significant relationship between TTR and QA was found. A statistically significant linear correlation between serum S100B and Q(A) was present (r = 0.432, p = 0.02). ROC analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between Q(A) and serum S100B concentrations at 12 h after TBI (AUC = 0.800; SE 0.147, 95% CI 0.511-1.089). Using an S100B concentration cutoff of 0.027 ng=ml, specificity for abnormal Q(A) was 90% or higher at each time point. We conclude that serum S100B concentrations accurately indicate BBB dysfunction at 12 h after TBI.


In 2002, in Atkins v. Virginia, the Supreme Court abolished the death penalty for defendants with intellectual disabilities. The Court held that executing individuals with intellectual disabilities is cruel and unusual punishment, violating the Eighth Amendment. The Court afforded the states the power to define intellectual disability for the purpose of death penalty eligibility. Post-Atkins cases reveal that the states have composed superficial and oversimplified definitions of intellectual disability. State definitions lack consistency and include nonclinical standards. As a result, courts continue to sentence defendants with intellectual disabilities to death. This Note argues that states should adopt a uniform definition of intellectual disability for the purpose of death penalty eligibility and proposes a model standard in line with clinical standards.


The objective of the present study was to evaluate the digestibility and the immunomodulatory effects of diets supplemented with lutein in dogs. Sixteen adult dogs were distributed in two groups (control and test) in a completely randomized design. Dogs were fed for 120 days with iso-nutritive diets, which only difference was the inclusion of 45g lutein/kg in the diet fed to the test group. Blood samples were collected in the beginning and at the end of the experimental period to evaluate total lymphocyte, lymphocyte proliferation index, and CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocyte counts. In order to evaluate apparent diet digestibility, dogs were housed in metabolic cages for ten days (five days of adaptation and five for faeces total collection). Coefficients of total tract apparent digestibility were not different between dogs in the control and the lutein-fed groups. Lutein dietary supplementation did not influence total lymphocyte or lymphocyte proliferation index, but resulted in higher CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocyte numbers. Lutein supplementation did not affect diet digestibility or lymphocyte proliferation index in dogs. However, it increases the concentrations of CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocyte subtypes.


Nanostructures formed upon self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers with linear and dendronized blocks are promising as nanocarriers for targeted drug and gene delivery. We propose a theoretical framework to predict how dimensions and morphologies of such nanostructures as well as the number of potentially functionalized terminal groups exposed to surrounding media can be controlled by adjusting molecular architecture parameters of dendronized blocks (i.e., number of generations and branching functionality). We demonstrate that dendronization of the soluble block stabilizes spherical micelles with a dendritic corona, whereas block copolymers with dendritic insoluble blocks give rise to cylindrical wormlike micelles or polymersomes even if homologous linear-linear block copolymers assemble into spherical micelles. Spherical micelles with a dendronized corona combine smaller hydrodynamic dimensions with a larger number of terminal groups as compared to micelles formed by homologous linear diblock copol...


Background : The sino- nasal outcome test 20 (SNOT-20) is a self- report measure for the assessment of patients with rhinosinusitis. The aim of the present study was to translate the SNOT-20 into Persian, and to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Persian SNOT-20. Methods : The SNOT-20 was translated from English into Persian. Thirty patients with chronic rhinosinusitis completed the Persian SNOT-20 two times with an interval of 1-2 weeks. Thirty healthy volunteers completed the Persian SNOT-20 for the evaluation of discriminant validity. Results : Cronbach's alpha coefficient values were high with 0.88 for test and 0.90 for retest. ICC for test-retest reliability was 0.95. The scores of patients were significantly higher than those of the healthy subjects. There were no floor and ceiling effects. Conclusion : The Persian SNOT-20 is a reliable and valid measure for the assessment of Persian speaking patients with rhinosinusitis.


The thrombophilic milieu of rheumatoid inflammation

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune chronic-relapsing inflammatory disease affecting joints and internal organs, present in several studies a median survival much shorter than that of the general population.1 The main cause of early premature death is cardiovascular morbidity. Solomon et al clearly showed that women with RA (aged 30–55) have an increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI), a relative risk (RR) of 2, compared with women without RA, increasing according to disease duration up to an RR of 3.1 after 10 years of disease.2 Del Rincon et al had previously recognised that the incidence rate ratio of having MI compared with patients without RA of similar age and sex was 2.65, and therefore substantially increased.3 In addition to the increased risk of MI, patients with RA have an increased risk of carotid disease and of peripheral arterial disease, only partially explained by the previous use of corticosteroids.4 More recently, data from the National Data Bank for Rheumatic Diseases confirm that patients with RA have an increased prevalence of congestive heart failure (CHF) compared with patients with osteoarthritis (3.5% v 2.2%), that their risk factors are those of the general population (male sex, hypertension, diabetes, age, body mass index), and that the Health Assessment Questionnaire, an index of overall heath, is strongly predictive of future CHF.5

"RA presents a cardiovascular risk similar to non-insulin dependent diabetes"

All these data clearly show that RA represents a population at high cardiovascular risk. Overall, the cardiovascular risk of RA has been estimated to be around 3.96,3 and therefore very similar to the overall risk of non-insulin dependent diabetes, which has been estimated by Laakso to be two- to fourfold higher than in non-diabetic subjects.6 It is very similar to …


Rescue and medical care of people in a drowning accident is a rather rare incident which still needs special attention. The rescue process can be technically challenging and only a well experienced team will be able to act professionally without any time loss. At a first step all team members have to protect themselves. Especially close collaboration of technical and medical rescue teams are of high significance and should be part of future exercises. Hypothermic persons should be protected from further cooling and gently rescued in a horizontally way. If a patient has no circulation continued cardiopulmonary resuscitation and immediate transport as soon as possible to the nearest hospital with an extracorporeal rewarming device is recommended. To avoid any time loss it is essential that the respective hospital is informed immediately and the fastest mode of transport selected. Astonishing cases show that this procedure is very promising even after long time submersion.


It is shown that the knapsack problem, which was introduced by Myasnikov et al. for arbitrary finitely generated groups, can be solved in NP for graph groups. This result even holds if the group elements are represented in a compressed form by SLPs, which generalizes the classical NP-completeness result of the integer knapsack problem. We also prove general transfer results: NP-membership of the knapsack problem is passed on to finite extensions, HNN-extensions over finite associated subgroups, and amalgamated products with finite identified subgroups.


We have measured the contribution of neutrons to hadronic showers in the DREAM module event-by-event as a means to estimate the event-by-event fluctuations in binding energy losses by hadrons as they break up nuclei of the Cu absorber. We make a preliminary assessment of the consequences for hadronic energy resolution in dual-readout calorimeters.


In this report, the finite element method
is applied to study the crack effect on the dynamic behavior of the turbine
blade. There are four subjects reported in this paper. The first subject describes
the material properties, the visual observation of the blade crack, the
geometric dimensional measurement of the turbine blade. The second part will
present the finite element models included single blade and a group of 6
blades. The third section will build up the full model of 60 blades. The full
model will have four different types: the first type that has no crack in the
blade root named "No crack", the second type has the 126 mm2 crack area in the
blade root and it is named "1 Line crack", the 3rd type has 364 mm2 crack area
in the crack root (named 2 Lines Crack), and the fourth type has 598 mm2 crack
area in the root (named 3 Lines Crack). The location of crack area is modeled
by applying the spring elements. The vibration frequencies for single blade and
a group of 6 blades are higher without the crack in the blade root. For full
model of 60 blades, the vibration frequencies are lower with the crack area in
the blade root. When the crack area becomes bigger, the lower frequencies of
the full blade system are observed.


Knowledge of the anatomy of the median nerve is important in surgery of the palmar aspect of the hand. The purpose of our study was to investigate the ramification pattern of the thenar branch before entering the thenar fascia and the distribution of the terminal branches in the thenar musculature. The observations were carried out on 144 hands of 74 dissecting room cadavers. According to the number of the thenar branches entering the thenar fascia we classified our specimens into four types. In 121 hands (84%, Group I) the thenar branch piercing the thenar fascia was a single trunk. In 19 hands (13.2%, Group II) two branches; in three (2.1%; Group III), three branches; and in one hand (0.7%; Group IV), four branches were identified entering the thenar fascia. Accessory thenar nerve was found in 8.3% of hands. The further division of each branch to its terminal branches was investigated in detail. Our results show that the more the number of thenar branches entering the thenar fascia, the less the terminal branching. Because more than one branch was seen in 16% of the specimens, meticulous dissection is required for preventing injury of the thenar branches before entering the thenar fascia. Clin. Anat. 18:195–199, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Structural studies of human erythrocytes and corresponding membranes (erythrocyte ghosts and inside-out vesicles) immobilized by centrifugation under aqueous conditions using atomic force microscopy (AFM) are described. The samples immobilized by centrifugation on mica substrates provided much better images than those simply adsorbed on the substrates, and we obtained images of mesh-like structures and circular, plaque-like structures. Comparison of these structures using electron microscope images reported to date suggests that the observed structures seem to correspond to the cytoskeletal networks and the cell surfaces, respectively. Bundle structures, thought to be induced by the interaction between the AFM tip and the cytoskeletal networks, were occasionally observed. The centrifugal fixation method, which is described here for the first time, can easily immobilize biomembranes under aqueous conditions and is expected to enable the detailed observation of various types of living cells and biomembranes under physiological conditions.


Pelger-Huet anomaly (PHA) and Pseudo Pelger-Huet anomaly (PPHA) are neutrophil with abnormal morphology. They have the bilobed or unilobed nucleus and excessive clumping chromatin. Currently, detection of this kind of cell mainly depends on the manual microscopic examination by a clinician, thus, the quality of detection is limited by the efficiency and a certain subjective consciousness of the clinician. In this paper, a detection method for PHA and PPHA is proposed based on karyomorphism and chromatin distribution features. Firstly, the skeleton of the nucleus is extracted using an augmented Fast Marching Method (AFMM) and width distribution is obtained through distance transform. Then, caryoplastin in the nucleus is extracted based on Speeded Up Robust Features (SURF) and a K-nearest-neighbor (KNN) classifier is constructed to analyze the features. Experiment shows that the sensitivity and specificity of this method achieved 87.5% and 83.33%, which means that the detection accuracy of PHA is acceptable. Meanwhile, the detection method should be helpful to the automatic morphological classification of blood cells.


A novel alphaproteobacterium was isolated from the well water of a thermal bath at Budapest, Hungary. Phylogenetic analysis of the novel strain showed that this bacterium belongs to a distinct lineage among the genus Brevundimonas. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence strain FDRGB2bT showed the highest sequence similarity values to Brevundimonas naejangsanensis BIO-TAS2-2T (97.35 %), Brevundimonas viscosa F3T (97.28 %), Brevundimonas vesicularis LMG 2350T (97.27 %), Brevundimonas nasdae GTC 1043T (97.14 %), Brevundimonas vancanneytii LMG 2337T (97.13 %) and Brevundimonas aurantiaca DSM 4731T (97.13 %). The newly isolated bacterium was strictly aerobic, and its optimum growth occurred at 20-30 °C, between pH 8-9 and without NaCl. Movement was with a single polar flagellum, but the cells could also produce stalks. The major isoprenoid quinone of strain FDRGB2bT was Q-10, the major cellular fatty acids were C18 : 1ω7c and C16 : 0, and the polar lipid profile contained phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, two unknown phospholipids and four unknown glycolipids. The characteristic diamino acid in its cell wall is meso-diaminopimelic acid. The G+C content of DNA of the type strain was 69.8 mol%. Strain FDRGB2bT (=DSM 29841T=NCAIM B.02621T) is proposed as the type strain of a novel species with the proposed name Brevundimonas balnearis sp. nov.


Maps between classifying spaces.- Twisted Lie algebras.- Cobordism of sequences of manifolds.- Splittings of MU and other spectra.- Homotopy theory of ?-spaces, spectra, and bisimplicial sets.- Algebraic and geometric connecting homomorphisms in the Adams spectral sequence.- Obstruction theory and K-theory.- The tame homotopy groups of a suspension.- Some tables for formal groups and BP.- On a modified eilenberg-moore theorem.- On the hopf construction associated with a composition.- On the stable decomposition of ??S?A.- Multiplications in two-cell spectra.- Line bundles, cohomology automorphisms, and homotopy rigidity of linear actions.- The construction of small ring spectra.- A? ring spaces and algebraic K-theory.- Cohomology operations and vector fields.- On G and the stable adams conjecture.- Completions of complex cobordism.- The E2-term of Novikov's spectral sequence.- Hypercohomology of topological categories.- A Novice's guide to the adams-novikov spectral sequence.- Some remarks on the lambda algebra.


Bitcoin, a distributed, peer to peer crypto currency, has gained a significant popularity among different users around the world by promising users a fully decentralized network with an inherently independence from governments and without the influence of any central authorities and organizations. Mining is the fundamental concept in Bitcoin which must be done in checking all monetary transactions and verifying them which in return generates Bitcoin as a reward to encourage this work. While the qualitative nature of this unique system is clearly accepted and understood, there are some issues regarding to its decentralized network environment. Based on our analysis due to the high variance of solo mining, the number of users joining top most famous Bitcoin mining pools are increasing due to the fact that users together under a Bitcoin pool will have a higher chance of generating next block in the Bitcoin's blockchain by reducing the variance and earning the mining reward. Furthermore, emerging huge mining farms with strong mining resources and fast processing power is another trend toward centralization. Although some might argue that, the protocol itself is purely decentralized and these are marketbased centralization, this trend clearly illustrates that the pure, decentralized protocol of Bitcoin is going toward centralization in its distributed network, where any kind of centralization should be considered carefully due to the 51% attack. By analysing all the created blocks from 2009 to 2014 we proposed a centralization factor which shows how centralized is the state of Bitcoin's network in different years. Centralization, due its simplicity, is a phenomenon that happens to any disciplined and organized system automatically, which in case of Bitcoin is against the pure initial decentralized nature of it and might arise some concerns and threats to the Bitcoin's unforeseeable future.


Inflation persistence (or inertia) has been a problem in many developing countries and due to the relationship between inflation and economic growth, much research has been conducted on the literature to study closely these macroeconomic variables in developing countries (Brick, 2010; Gokal and Hanif, 2004). This paper however made use of a superior method known as quantile autoregressive model proposed by Koenker and Xiao (2006) to estimate the persistence of inflation, the dynamic behavior and examine how diverse shocks may perhaps affect the rate of inflation within different quantiles. The data employed in this study is the monthly year-on-year Ghana inflation rate from January 2000 to July 2019. The result shows that Ghana inflation rates exhibits low persistence at both lower and higher quantiles and a mean reversion behavior across quantiles. Also, we observe that Ghana inflation rate is globally stationary as well as portraying non-stationary behavior in about 10% of the sampled observations. Evidently, the results again reveal that Ghana inflation rate has irregular characteristics at different quantiles in its conditional distribution. Also, there is a bidirectional relationship between Ghana overall inflation rate and its components (food and non-food inflation).


In recent years, some areas of cognitive psychology have proposed formal models in the form of computer simulations, using Back-Propagation Artificial Neural Networks (BP-ANNs). Such models represent an improvement in plausibility, and they allow quantitative results to be compared with empirical data.---
After learning, BP-ANN's cells exhibit a fixed input/output behavior. Using the black box method, this is shown to be a fundamental problem. Cells without an internal state to represent short-time memory cannot account for the sequence of stimuli, nor for the time elapsed between stimuli. As a consequence, BP-ANNs -as well as other neural networks without state-dependant input/output- are inadequate as models of some important cognitive processes. These include classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and sequence effects in cognitive control.---
Another major methodological problem is the use of free parameters. BP-ANNs cognitive models frequently use arbitrary amounts of cells, amounts of layers, connection structure, learning parameter value and other characteristics, without giving a theoretical justification.---
Three methods are proposed here to solve these problems: first, the black box method is used to produce a cell's input/output behavior more similar to that of neurons. Second, the reverse engineering method is used to simulate as many neural features as possible. And, third, a genetic algorithm is used to eliminate arbitrary free parameters.---
The use of these methods is illustrated through a series of spiking neural network models, implementing state-dependant input/output, spikes, refractory period, temporal summation, axon delay and synchronization of neuron groups. A genetic algorithm is used to choose the parameter values in another series of models.---
Finally, the feasibility of following this research strategy using parallel computer hardware is discussed.


In this paper, a technique to design and implement a photonic microwave matched filter for chirped microwave pulse compression is presented. To realize matched filtering, the filter should have a spectral response that is matched to that of the input pulse, which is implemented in this paper using a photonic system that consists of an optical single-sideband (SSB) modulator and a fiber Bragg grating (FBG). The FBG is designed to have a spectral response which is transferred to the spectral response of the microwave filter via SSB modulation and heterodyne detection at a high-speed photodetector. A theoretical investigation on the microwave filter design and the chirped microwave pulse compression is developed. Theoretical analysis on the implementation of three different forms of microwave matched filters, including a classical complex matched filter (CMF), a phase-only filter (POF) and a modified inverse filter (MIF), is presented. A comparison between the filters against the performance measures for a linearly chirped microwave signal compression is provided.


The genomic revolution has generated an extraordinary resource, the catalog of variation within the human genome, for investigating biological, evolutionary and medical questions. Together with new, more efficient platforms for high-throughput genotyping, it is possible to begin to dissect genetic contributions to complex trait diseases, specifically examining common variants, such as the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). At the same time, these tools will make it possible to identify determinants of disease with the expectation of eventually, tailoring therapies based upon specific profiles. However, a number of methodological, practical and ethical issues must be addressed before the analysis of genetic variation becomes a standard of clinical medicine. The currents of variation in human biology are reviewed here, with a specific emphasis on future challenges and directions.


Nanoparticle TiO2 was synthesized by the co-precipitate method and was dispersed in palm oil blended with Moringa oleifera seed oil (Enriched palm oil-EPO). Structural and compositional analysis of TiO2 nanoparticles was carried out using SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope), XRD (X-Ray Diffraction) and FTIR analysis (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy). Using the analytical method, particle dimension, crystallite size by Debye Scherrer's equation and vibrational energy of the molecule was investigated. Palm oil was blended with synthesised Moring oil to enhance its oxidative stability. TiO2 nanoparticles were dispersed at different volume fraction in EPO to analyse the temperature dependent physical properties. Bio-degradable lubricant nature of TiO2 based nanofluid was investigated by the variation of viscosity and density with temperature (30 to 60˚C). The amphiphilic properties of fatty acids in blended oils can contribute better lubrication compared to mineral oils. Experimented viscosity and density values with temperature was fitted to a non-linear equations, and was pragmatic that quadratic equation exhibits a best fit R2 > 0.999. Theoretical value of the viscosity was predicted using Einstein, Batchelor, and Wang mathematical model and was compared with the experimental value. Brownian motion of the particle in the oil was studied through the diffusion constant, diffusion time, and Brownian velocity. The present study could be used to synthesis nanofluid with desired volume fraction, viscosities and densities, so as work as a suitable bio degradable lubricant in many industrial applications.


The resistance of microorganisms to current antimicrobials, and the deleterious effects caused by the excessive free radical manufacturing in the human body and their relationship with increasing global incidence of cancer, has led to a continuous search for new chemical agents that can contribute to the fight against these ills. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities and determine the chemical profile of ethyl acetate extract of ten species of the family Melastomataceae. Antimicrobial activity was assessed by the methods of disk diffusion in agar and microdilution in broth (MIC-µg/mL). Antioxidant activity was measured by DPPH free radical capture assay while toxicity was evaluated with Artemia salina Leach. Cytoxicity was evaluated by in vitro tests with THP-1-cells. Identification of the classes of metabolites was performed using chemical reagents, while quantification of total phenols (EGA/g) and total flavonoids (EQ/g) was done by spectrophotometry. The extract of Clidemia capitellata exhibited activity against Micrococcus luteus with MIC = 62.5-μg/mL. The extract of C. hirta had the highest sequestering activity of DPPH free radicals (63.54-%). The toxicological assay revealed high toxicity for Miconia alborufescens extract (CL50 61.6-μg/mL). Cytotoxic activity of extracts for THP-1-cells was observed through visualization of apoptotic bodies and cell death. Phytochemical analysis detected the presence of condensed tannins, terpenes, steroids and polyphenols, and the absence of alkaloids. The assays performed provided promising results, suggesting the continuation of new chemical-pharmacological evaluations and the isolation of the active principle of the extracts.

 Key words: Bacteria, Artemia, total phenols, THP-1 cells, toxicity.


BACKGROUND
Inhaled corticosteroids have become the mainstay of asthma therapy. Few studies however, have compared inhaled steroids in children. We compared the efficacy of inhaled fluticasone propionate (FP), 880 microg/day (2 puffs of 220 microg/puff, BID) with inhaled flunisolide (FLU), 1500 microg/day (3 puffs of 250 microg/puff, BID).

METHODS
Thirty children with moderate to severe asthma, mean age 12.7 years (range 10 to 17 years), mean duration of asthma 8.4 years, initially received flunisolide 1500 microg/day for 1 year, and then were switched to fluticasone propionate 880 microg/day and followed for an additional year. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were monitored and analyzed before and after the switch for the duration of study. Mean percent predicted for age values for FVC, FEV1, FEF25-75%, and FEFR were compared at 1 month, 2 to 6-month intervals, and 7 to 12-month intervals and during the same season of the year. Pulmonary function tests within 3 weeks of an exacerbation were not included in the study. The number of asthma exacerbations, emergency room visits, hospital admissions, and number of school days lost were also compared.

RESULTS
There was significant improvement in mean asthma exacerbations/patient/year (1.7 +/- 1.66 SD) versus (4 +/- 2.6) (P < .0002); mean emergency room visits/patient/year (0.23 +/- 0.62) versus (1.2 +/- 1.74) (P = .004); mean hospital admissions for asthma/patient/year (0.2 +/- 0.61) versus (1.13 +/- 1.45) (P < .0002); and number of school days lost/patient/year (1.4 +/- 2.38) versus (7.93 +/- 6.7) (P < .0002) while patients were receiving fluticasone propionate as compared with flunisolide. Also, the mean percent values predicted for age in all time-periods (at 1 month, 2 to 6 months, and 7 to 12 months) revealed significant improvement in FEV1 and FEF25-75% (P < .05 for both parameters). As PFT can be affected by seasonal changes, PFT parameters were compared during the same season of the year and significant improvement in FVC and FEV1 was observed in all seasons while patients were receiving fluticasone propionate (FP) compared with flunisolide (FLU) (P < .05 for all parameters). Significant improvement in PEFR and FEF25-75% was observed only in spring and summer season.

CONCLUSION
Fluticasone propionate 880 microg/day improved lung function and quality of life in adolescents with moderate-to-severe asthma when compared with flunisolide 1500 microg/day.


The existence of the spectral break around $\sim 3 \times 10^{15}$ eV in the cosmic ray spectrum (referred to as the `knee') is one of the biggest questions in cosmic ray astrophysics. At the same time, the origin of cosmic rays above the knee energies (between 10$^{15}$ and 10$^{18}$ eV) is also still unsettled. In this paper, we investigate how the hypothetical extragalactic CRs after modulated by the galactic wind contribute to the knee in the CR spectrum. We numerically calculate the modulated energy spectrum of the hypothetical cosmic rays coming into the galaxy from just outside of the ``galactic sphere'' where the galactic wind terminates. We show that the observed knee structure is reproduced well by a superposition of the modulated component and the galactic cosmic rays originating in supernova remnants.