Euthanasia of unwanted or sick animals should always be done in a humane manner. This study involving two groups of 12 dogs evaluated a two step method of euthanasia using first acepromazine or pentazocine then inhalation of carbon monoxide. During the experiment, behavioral reactions (anxiety, agitation, vocalization and sphincter relaxation) and physiological parameters (electro-encephalogram, electrocardiogram, arterial blood pressure, respiratory and heart rates and serum cortisol) were monitored. The results showed that both drugs modified many behavioral reactions and physiological changes associated with administration of carbon monoxide. Acepromazine and pentazocine reduced by 25% and 20% respectively the number of dogs that showed vocalization and agitation. In acepromazine premedicated dogs, the duration of these signs was significantly diminished and sphincter relaxation did not occur in more than 50% of cases. Furthermore, with the use of acepromazine, no significant peaks or drastic drops were noticed in the heart and respiratory rates and in the arterial blood pressure. These manifestations are usually related to stress. In light of these results, it is recommended to premedicate dogs with acepromazine before submitting them to euthanasia by carbon monoxide inhalation.


This review covers methods of sampling, analyzing, and testing coal, coke, and coal-derived solids. Energy Research Abstracts and Chemical Abstracts were used as reference sources. The volume of material available made it necessary to limit the number of publications in the review. This review also surveys publications concerned with methods for the chemical, physical, and instrumental analyses of gaseous fuels and related materials. Articles of significance appearing in foreign journals and the patent literature that were not available at the time of the last review are also included. Chemical Abstracts and Energy Research Abstracts were used extensively as reference sources. Some selectivity was necessary in order to include the most pertinent publications in preparing this review. 386 references.


The antioxidative properties of four 1-(2-benzofuran-2-yl-2-hydroxyethyl)-4-phenylpiperazines were studied by indirect spectrophotometric and direct ESR spin-trap methods. The radical scavenging activity of the tested compounds was determined. The compounds exhibit interesting structure-specific redox properties. Scavenging of DPPH radicals gave very poor results. The studied compounds did not affect the elimination of superoxide anion radicals; however, they caused stimulation of radical production. The hydroxyl radicals, however, were scavenged only by 2-fluoro¬phenyl derivatives, whereas the 4-fluorophenyl derivatives exhibited a slightly prooxidative effect. The capture of HO• radicals by 2-fluorophenyl derivatives was, according to the results of NMR analyses, attributed to the interaction with non-protonated piperazine nitrogen atom, which is stabilized by the hydrogen bond between the hydroxy group and fluorine atom.


Abstract. Analuddin K, Kadidae LO, Haya LOMY, Septiana A, Sahidin I, Syahrir L, Rahim S, Fajar LOA, Nadaoka K. 2020. Aboveground biomass, productivity and carbon sequestration in Rhizophora stylosa mangrove forest of Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 1316-1325. This study was aimed at analyzing the trends of aboveground biomass (AGB), productivity and carbon sequestration of Rhizophora stylosa Griff. forest in Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park (RAWNP), Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The DBH was the best predictor for partial and whole AGB of R. stylosa trees. The mean AGB was 562.76 ton ha-1. The yearly biomass increment of living trees, biomass increment of whole stands, standing dead biomass, and litterfall in R. stylosa forest were estimated as 52.87, 50.09, 2.78 and 12.00 ton ha-1, respectively, while its net primary production was about 64.88 ton ha-1 yr-1 indicating higher mangrove productivity. The total carbon stock in R. stylosa forest was 264.50 ton ha-1, while the annual net carbon budget, carbon gain and carbon input in R. stylosa forest was 23.54, 24.85 and 5.64 ton ha-1. However, the total CO2 stored in R. stylosa forest was 969.83 ton ha-1, while the annual of net CO2 uptake, CO2 gained and CO2 input was 86.33, 91.12 and 20.86 ton ha-1. The higher carbon sequestration and CO2 uptake in R. stylosa forest indicate its significant role in the global carbon accumulation and reducing atmospheric CO2.


AbstractSamples of linen canvas prepared in 1956 and kept in the Tate Gallery for 24 years were tested for tensile strength, acidity, reflectance and sulphur content. The samples included both unimpregnated linen and wax/resin impregnated linen. They were arranged so that some had been exposed to light and some protected from it. In addition a number of pieces within each sample were stored in a sealed Perspex-fronted container. Significant among the findings was that enclosing canvas in sealed containers had provided considerable protection against deterioration. Wax/resin impregnation of the samples aged in the open afforded similar protection, but there was also a small weakening effect in the same samples when they were enclosed.


Here, we evaluated the prevalence of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in two groups of Chilean women. The first group consisted of 3235 women aged 18‐64 years attended in six primary care centers of Santiago. The second group consisted of 456 women 18‐85 aged who consulted the Gynaecology Department of the Reference Hospital of Santiago. Samples were collected from October 2012 to February 2016. Cervical swabs were analyzed both HPV genotyping by PCR and Reverse Line Blot, and cervical cytology by Pap testing. Results showed a prevalence of 12.0% HPV positive, 10.3% high‐risk (HR) HPV types positive, 3.9% low‐risk (LR) HPV types positive, and 1.0% Pap positive in group 1. The most frequent types were 16, 66, and 59, with a prevalence of 3.0%, 1.6%, and 1.5%, respectively. The prevalence were 71.9% HPV positive, 67.3% HR‐HPV types positive, 13.6% LR‐HPV types positive, and 62.5% Pap positive in group 2. The most frequent types were 16, 31, and 58, with prevalence of 33.6%, 10.5%, and 7.0%, respectively. Among infected women with HPV: 7.6% were infected with HPV16 or HPV18, 3.0% with HPV31, HPV33 or HPV45, and 6.7% with any other HR‐HPV. These findings show great difference in HPV prevalence and types between primary care and reference center, and provide useful epidemiological information to assess the impact of HPV vaccination in the future.


The European Union's attempts to improve its democratic character increasingly often lead to debates about how to include civil society organizations in its decision-making processes. However, this interpretation of participatory democracy seems at odds with democratic traditions in a number of member states. Among those, France is said to be at the diametrically opposite end of the EU democratization debate spectrum. French democratic thought is based on government through electoral representation. The aim of this article is to analyze both theoretically and empirically the discourse and participatory processes in both the EU and France. While normative approaches to democratic patterns in the EU and French political debate show important differences, empirical evidence suggests that the misfit between the European and French conception of democracy is less developed than one might believe.


We report results of duplicate measurements of dissolved organic carbon concentrations ([DOC] as μM) and Δ14C in seawater in order to assess the total uncertainty of reported [DOC] and Δ14C measurements via the UV oxidation method. In addition, pure International Atomic Energy Agency standards analyzed over a 4-yr period are evaluated. We find the total uncertainty of Δ14C measurements to be ±4.0. However, in samples that were thawed, subsampled, and refrozen prior to UV oxidation, the total uncertainty of Δ14C measurements is on the order of ±10. The [DOC] measurements of these samples were also higher by 1.8 ± 0.3 μM. The reason(s) for these documented increases in total [DOC] and Δ14C uncertainty are unclear. In order to minimize any effects on sample measurements, we recommend the following: 1) regular monitoring of duplicate samples, DOC standards, and diluent (Milli-Q™) water for Δ14C and [DOC] measurements; 2) thawing a sample immediately and only once prior to UV oxidation; 3) avoid the use of DOC-leachable plumbing (such as PVC pipe) in both water systems feeding and within Milli-Q systems; and 4) consider the use of DOC-free diluents (i.e. pre-UV oxidized Milli-Q or sample water).


Thermal stresses in TSV structures have been measured using micro-Raman spectroscopy and precision wafer curvature technique as a function of temperature and during thermal cycling. The results were verified by finite element analysis (FEA) to characterize the thermal stress behavior of the TSV structures. A nonlinear stress relaxation was observed during initial heating and no preferred grain orientation was found, indicating a homogeneous Cu grain structure with no pronounced elastic anisotropy. The stress impact on the keep-out zone (KOZ) for devices near the TSVs was investigated.


Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome of Temminck's minnow Nipponocypris temminckii (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) which is endemic to Japan and Korean Peninsula has been amplified and sequenced in this study. The complete mitochondrial genome is 16,618 base pairs (bp) in total length, had the typical vertebrate mitochondrial gene arrangement, including 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNAs, 22 tRNAs, 1 control region (CR) and 1 light-strand replication origin (OL). The overall base composition of N. temminckii is 30.5% for A, 26.5% for T, 26.4% for C, 16.6% for G, with higher AT content 57.0%. This study will be rather beneficial for understanding the phylogenetic approach of Nipponocypris species and other related genera of cyprinid fishes.


Let  $\mathbf{R_{n}}$ be the space of rational functions with prescribed poles. If $t_{1},t_{2},...,t_{n}$ are the zeros of $B(z)+\lambda$ and $s_{1},s_{2},...,s_{n}$ are zeros of $B(z)-\lambda,$ where $B(z)$ is the Blaschke product and  $\lambda\in T,$ then for $z\in T$ $$|r^{\prime}(z)|\le \frac {|B^{\prime}(z)|}{2}[(\max_{1\le k\le n}|r(t_{k})|)^{2}+(\max_{1\le k\le n}|r(s_{k})|)^{2}].$$  Let $r,s\in \mathbf{R_{n}}$ and assume $s$ has all its $n$ zeros in $ D^{-}\cup T$ and $|r(z)|\le |s(z)|$ for $z\in T,$ then for any $\alpha$ with $|\alpha|\le \frac {1}{2}$ and for $z\in T$ $$ |r^{\prime}(z)+\alpha B^{\prime}(z)r(z)|\le|s^{\prime}(z)+\alpha B^{\prime}(z)s(z)|.$$ In this paper, we consider a more general class of rational functions $rof \in \mathbf{R}_{m^{\star}n}, $ defined by $(rof)(z)=r(f(z))$, where $f(z)$ is a polynomial of  degree $m^{\star}$  and prove some generalizations of the above inequalities.


We consider a multiclass service station with B identical exponential servers, with constant service rate μ. At a station, the classes of customers are sorted into M concurrent groups ; the discipline of service is on a first come first served basis, but two customers of the same group cannot be served simultaneously. We show that product form is maintained when such stations are inserted in BCMP networks, and give closed form expressions for the steady-state probabilities.


The ageing population means nurses in all care settings are increasingly likely to care for patients with skin tears. This article reviews the evidence on preventing, assessing and managing these.


This paper proposes an integrated stability control strategy for tilting vehicles. The work extends the envelope-based lateral stability controller by introducing and enforcing the roll envelope in the optimal control design. The model predictive controller (MPC) scheme is adopted to apply the control effort only when the predicted vehicle states are leaving the safe envelopes. The non-minimum phase problem in active tilting control is handled by utilizing the predictive feature of the controller. It is shown via the simulation in CarSim that, by adopting the envelope-based control scheme, the control effort to maintain the roll stability of narrow vehicles can be greatly reduced. The integrated controller also improves the vehicle handling performance while still guarantees its lateral and roll stability.  It can be applied to the emerging narrow tilting cars for urban transportation as well as conventional vehicles with semi active or active suspensions. This paper extends the integrated lateral stability controller by considering the roll degrees of freedom for motion control. An envelope approach based on rollover index is proposed for the high-level controller of the vehicle to manage the rollover stability and the control energy consumption. The desired stabilizing forces are then distributed to available actuators using a reconfigurable optimal control allocation. The reconfigurable approach provides the freedom to select different actuators for the system without redesigning the controller. The optimal control allocation also ensures the feasibility as well as system robustness. It is shown via the simulation in CarSim that, by adopting the proposed control approach, tilting control effort is reduced and the vehicle handling, as well as stability in both lateral and roll motions, can be furthered improved.

Narrow tilting vehicles have been proposed to address transportation issues such as traffic congestion, lack of parking space. The investigation of the effects of narrow tilting vehicles on user is insufficient though many methods for improving the stability of those were proposed. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of tilting mechanism of narrow vehicles on psychophysiological states of driver as a fundamental study. Focused on user satisfaction among the components of usability, the hypotheses that a tilting mechanism affects the user's psychological state, and that the physiological indices such as a frontal alpha asymmetry, beta wave per alpha wave power based on brain activity are valid to

Evaluate the state were tested. The subjective evaluation of emotional states based on Russell's circumflex model and the measurement of electroencephalography (EEG) were performed in the experiment using the proposed vehicle with the tilting mechanism. As a result, both the subject evaluation and the physiological indices based on EEG showed a significantly higher value of arousal and valence in the case of the tilting vehicle compared to the control vehicle. These results suggest that both arousal and valence levels of narrow vehicle users can be improved by a tilting mechanism. Narrow commuter vehicles can address many congestion, parking and pollution issues associated with urban transportation. In making narrow vehicles safe, comfortable and acceptable to the public, active tilt control systems are likely to play a crucial role. This paper concentrates on developing a dynamic model for narrow vehicles that can be used for the design and evaluation of active tilt control systems. The model has four degrees of freedom including lateral and tilt dynamics. The influence of gyroscopic forces due to rotating wheels and the influence of front wheel trail are included but secondary coupling effects are ignored so as to keep the model tractable. The model is used in this paper to understand the influence of vehicle tilt on the steering angle required for cornering, the desired tilt angle for any specified cornering maneuver and the influence of gyroscopic moments on transient tilting/cornering maneuvers. A study of the model equations also provides insight into how narrow vehicles can be designed so as to be self-stabilizing.


There is currently no consensus on the evolutionary origin of eukaryotes. In the search of the ancestors of eukaryotes, we analyzed the phylogeny of 46 genomes, including those of 2 eukaryotes, 8 archaea, and 36 eubacteria. To avoid the effects of gene duplications, we used inparalog pairs of genes with orthologous relationships. First, we grouped these inparalogs into the functional categories of the nucleus, cytoplasm, and mitochondria. Next, we counted the sister groups of eukaryotes in prokaryotic phyla and plotted them on a standard phylogenetic tree. Finally, we used Pearson's chi-square test to estimate the origin of the genomes from specific prokaryotic ancestors. The results suggest the eukaryotic nuclear genome descends from an archaea that was neither euryarchaeota nor crenarchaeota and that the mitochondrial genome descends from alpha-proteobacteria. In contrast, genes related to the cytoplasm do not appear to originate from a specific group of prokaryotes.


The industrial sector contributes approximately 28% of global CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions from energy-intensive industries can be reduced by converting waste heat into electricity. This represents a low-cost, zero-emissions power generation option with near-term deployment opportunities. One energy-intensive industry is cement production. Two cement plant heat sources are flue gas streams from preheater and clinker cooler, with temperatures of 250–450 °C. Potential energy conversion systems include Organic Rankine (ORC), steam Rankine (SRC), and supercritical CO2 (sCO2) power cycles. ORC/SRCs have been commercially deployed in cement plants. However, sCO2 power cycles offer benefits such as high thermal stability of CO2, higher cycle efficiencies, and compact power generation equipment. The paper is focused on multi-objective optimization of four sCO2 cycle layouts (Recuperated, Re-compression, Partial recuperative, and cascade) and comparison with ORCs/SRCs. The optimization considers waste heat temperatures of > 300°C. The results show that sCO2 power cycles can reach cycle efficiencies up to 30 %, which is higher than corresponding ORCs and almost similar to SRCs. However, cycle efficiency is not the only parameter to evaluate waste heat utilization. More meaningful parameters are the net power and capital costs. Results show higher power outputs from the sCO2 cycle compared to ORCs and SRC.


Stochastic gradient descent (SGD) and its variants have become more and more popular in machine learning due to their efficiency and effectiveness. To handle large-scale problems, researchers have recently proposed several parallel SGD methods for multicore systems. However, existing parallel SGD methods cannot achieve satisfactory performance in real applications. In this paper, we propose a fast asynchronous parallel SGD method, called AsySVRG, by designing an asynchronous strategy to parallelize the recently proposed SGD variant called stochastic variance reduced gradient (SVRG). AsySVRG adopts a lock-free strategy which is more efficient than other strategies with locks. Furthermore, we theoretically prove that AsySVRG is convergent with a linear convergence rate. Both theoretical and empirical results show that AsySVRG can outperform existing state-of-the-art parallel SGD methods like Hogwild! in terms of convergence rate and computation cost.


In this paper, an experimental application focused on energy quality observation is developed and power factor correction for the electrical power systems is simulated. The required parameters are obtained from the system by electronic cards and then transferred to the computer. As the controller a (DAQ) Data acquisition card is used and also a user-friendly interface is prepared for computing and managing all of the information to show power quality, event detection and power metering. The interaction between user interface and the system is supplied via OPC server communication. Powerful capabilities for the measurement, analysis and monitoring of electrical energy has been obtained by using real-time data.


In this research, solar flux is applied as a source for pumping Nd:YAG crystal. Lasing action could be gained when there is enough pumped solar flux expressed in term of small signal gain, SSG. Concentration ratio is the term of determining how the solar flux is close to produce SSG for lasing action. Concentration is achieved by applying a concentrator. Two types of concentrators are applied for comparison: Frensel lens and parabolic reflecting dish. It is found that, a solar intensity of 800 W/ m incident on Frensel lens of aperture area (729) Cm has a concentration ratio of (18000) compared with a parabolic reflecting dish of aperture area (7065) Cm has a concentration ratio of (1000). It is clear that Frensel lens is preferred over parabolic reflecting dish because it meets the required value of SSG for lasing Nd:YAG crystal.


Despite the ever-increasing practice of using e-learning in the workplace, most of the applications perform poorly in motivating employees to learn. Most workplace e-learning applications fail to meet the needs of learners and ultimately fail to serve the organization's quest for success. To solve this problem, we need to examine what workplace e-learning requires and how workplace e-learning systems should be developed in line with those requirements. We investigated the problem by identifying the fundamental elements of the workplace learning environment including the learner, organization, learning content and social context, and their relationships. We found that workplace e-learning should align individual and organizational learning needs, connect learning and work performance, and support social interaction among individuals. To achieve this, a performance-oriented approach is proposed in this study. Key performance indicators are utilized to clarify organizational goals, make sense of work context and requests on work performance, and accordingly help employees set up rational learning objectives and enhance their learning process. Using this approach, a prototype system has been developed and a set of experiments have been conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.


Purpose of reviewThe innate immune system is our first line of defense against infection and injury, and responsible for initiating inflammatory and immune responses to resolve infections and repair injured tissues. This review focuses on the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) of the innate immune system and their role in recognizing infection and injury, and regulating inflammatory responses in the kidney. Recent findingsThere is increasing data to support a role for TLRs in immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis. TLR7 has emerged as a key regulator of autoantibody production in murine lupus nephritis. In addition, studies have implicated TLR recognition of endogenous molecules released during cellular necrosis as critical regulators of sterile inflammation and injury. Tonic interactions between TLRs and environmental agonists derived from commensal microbes and endogenous sources may also influence autoimmune disease and inflammatory disorders affecting the kidney. ConclusionFuture studies to decipher the contribution of TLRs and other innate immune receptors in the regulation of inflammation, immune responses, and injury in the kidney will pave the way for novel therapeutic interventions.


After undergoing amniocentesis and delivering their child 504 women were asked by questionnaire for their attitude towards and their experience of pregnancy and amniocentesis. The majority of the women reported that they experienced their decision to utilise amniocentesis as largely unproblematic. In most cases they had already come to a decision before genetic counselling resulting from talking things over with their partner and their gynaecologist. The decision was mostly based on risk assessment and less by considerations of potential consequences of the operation. On the other hand, nearly one-quarter of the respondents found it difficult to decide on their line of action. Their decision was taken more often during or after genetic counselling, and their partner disagreed more frequently with amniocentesis. In this group of women there were more respondents who refused an induced abortion if their child was severely handicapped, than in the group without difficulties with their decision. Disadvantages, consequences of the operation, and conflicts stemming from the social environment of the expectant woman were mentioned as additional reasons for difficulties in arriving at a decision. Potential implications for genetic counselling practice are discussed.


This article presents an expansion and reformulation of uncertainty reduction theory. Past research indicates that support for the basic axioms of the uncertainty perspective is weak, especially with regard to initial interaction processes. It is suggested that uncertainty reduction is not the primary concern of individuals during this entry phase, as previously posited. Rather, uncertainty reduction is cast as subordinate to the more central concern of increasing positive relational outcomes. During initial interactions, uncertainty reduction is expected to enhance individuals perceived ability to forecast future relational outcomes. Important initial interaction behaviors and decisions are presumed to follow from the values these forecasted outcomes take. Several major revisions of uncertainty axioms and theorems are generated.


Open heart surgery in nonagenarians is not common. We reported a successful Bentall operation in a 90-year-old man with aortic root aneurysm and aortic regurgitation. He has lived healthfully and independently without a big problem. He was referred to our hospital for acute heart failure. The aortic root enlarged as a diameter of 60 mm and moderate aortic regurgitation were recognized by echocardiography and aortogram. We excised the aneurysm, implanted a composite graft, directly attached the coronary arteries to the aortic graft (Carrel patch technique), and made the distal anastomosis to the divided aorta. Postoperative course was uneventful. To our knowledge, this is the first successful case of Bentall operation for nonagenarians in Japan. If selective criteria identifying risks and benefits for individual patients is applied, the nonagenarian can safely undergo cardiac surgery.


Existing automotive sensors do not quantify the levels of pollutants entering the atmosphere; instead they merely indicate that pollution is occurring. However to meet European legislation on emission control, it is necessary to quantify the levels of each type of pollutant leaving the exhaust of a vehicle. This paper discusses the development of an optical sensor suitable for the detection of gas emissions from a motor vehicle based on mid-infrared spectroscopy. Initial tests to detect carbon dioxide using low-cost mid-infrared components are described and a detection system, which could be fitted to an automobile, is outlined.


Disclosed is a method for a transmitter to transmit a pilot sequence to a receiver in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: generating a baseline sequence having non-constant amplitude zero auto correlation (non-CAZAC) properties; generating a plurality of pilot sequences by shifting the baseline sequence on the time axis; and transmitting, to a receiver, any one pilot sequence selected from among a sequence set comprising the plurality of pilot sequences.


World Health Organization (WHO) has begun applying an approach known as Communication for Behavioural Impact (COMBI) in the design and implementation of behavioural-focused social mobilization and communication programmes for communicable diseases prevention and control as well as in Malaysia (1). A cross sectional study was carried out in Selangor, Malaysia to evaluate the effectiveness of the COMBI programme in preventing and controlling dengue. The study conducted had qualitative (in-depth interview and a Focus Group Discussion) and quantitative components which compared the perception (knowledge, attitude and practice) from the community with COMBI and community without COMBI in Selangor. The programme did influenced the KAP of the respondents but only during its implementation weeks. The result from qualitative study was corresponded with conclusion made during a discussion in Asia Pacific Dengue Forum in February 2006 in Chiang Mai which listed weaknesses in dengue prevention and control programme in Asia Pacific countries including Malaysia (2). Problems on human resources and fund had significantly affected the sustainability of COMBI Programme in long term (3). A study in two districts in Khamphaeng Phet, Thailand in 2004 showed the same finding (4) .The other study on KAP in Sao Paolo, Brazil in 1998 showed that urban residents with high economics and social status had a high level of knowledge on dengue (5). Qualitative result, epidemiological and entomological evaluation showed that the programme failed to give the desired behavioral impact the programme concluded. Qualitative result also highlighted the problem of insufficient health care personnel, funding and lack of public campaign which need to be addressed by the stakeholders. Optimization of multi-agencies collaboration is one of the suggested solutions to overcome the problems faced by the programme. The health authorities should create more awareness and empower the community with the knowledge, attitude and practices on the dengue prevention and control.


OBJECTIVES
1) To assess Canadian emergency physicians' (EPs') use of and attitudes toward 2 radiographic clinical decision rules that have recently been developed and to identify physician characteristics associated with decision rule use; 2) to determine the use of CT head and cervical spine radiography by EPs and their beliefs about the appropriateness of expert recommendations supporting the routine use of these radiographic procedures; and 3) to determine the potential acceptance of clinical decision rules for CT scan in patients with minor head injury and cervical spine radiography in trauma patients.

METHODS
A cross-sectional anonymous mail survey of a random sample of 300 members of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians using Dillman's Total Design Method for mail surveys.

RESULTS
Of 288 eligible physicians, 232 (81%) responded. More than 95% of the respondents stated they currently used the Ottawa Ankle Rules and were willing to consider using the newly developed Ottawa Knee Rule. Physician characteristics related to frequent use of the Ottawa Ankle Rules were younger age, fewer years since graduating from medical school, part time or resident employment status, working in a hospital without a CT scanner, and believing that decision rules are not oversimplified cookbook medicine or too rigid to apply. Eighty-five percent did not agree that all patients with minor head injuries should receive a CT head scan and only 3.5% stated they always refer such patients for CT scan. Similarly, 78.5% of the respondents did not agree that all trauma patients should receive cervical spine radiography and only 13.2% said they always refer such patients for cervical spine radiography. Ninety-seven and 98% stated they would be willing to consider using well-validated decision rules for CT scan of the head and cervical spine radiography, respectively. Fifty-two percent and 67% of the respondents required the proposed CT and C-spine to be 100% sensitive for identifying serious injuries, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
Canadian EPs are generally supportive of clinical decision rules and, in particular, have very positive attitudes toward the Ottawa Ankle and Knee Rules. Furthermore, EPs disagree with recommendations for routine use of CT head and cervical spine radiography and strongly support the development of well-validated decision rules for the use of CT head and cervical spine radiography. Most EPs expected the latter rules to be 100% sensitive for acute clinically significant lesions.


Internet threat monitoring (ITM) systems are a widely deployed facility to detect, analyze, and characterize dangerous Internet threats such as worms and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Nonetheless, an ITM system can also become the target of attack. In this paper, we address localization attacks against ITM systems in which an attacker impairs the effectiveness of ITM systems by identifying the locations of ITM monitors. We propose an information-theoretic framework for the modeling of localization attacks as communication channels. Based on the information-theoretic model, we generalize all existing attacks as ldquotemporal attacksrdquo, derive closed formulae of their performance, and propose an effective detection approach. The information-theoretic model also inspires a new attack called a spatial attack and motivates the corresponding detection approach. We show simulation results that support our theoretic findings.


A new approach to the assessment and optimization of geometric stress-concentrating features is proposed on the basis of the correspondence between sharp crack or corner stressfield intensity factors and conventional elastic stress concentration factors (SCFs) for radiused transitions. This approach complements the application of finite element analysis (FEA) and the use of standard SCF data from the literature. The method makes it possible to develop closed-form solutions for SCFs in cases where corresponding solutions for the sharp crack geometries exist. This is helpful in the context of design optimization. The analytical basis of the correspondence is shown, together with the limits on applicability where stress-free boundaries near the stress concentrating feature are present or adjacent features interact. Examples are given which compare parametric results derived from FEA with closed-form solutions based on the proposed method. New information is given on the stress state at a 90° corner or width step, where the magnitude of the stress field intensity is related to that of the corresponding crack geometry. This correspondence enables the user to extend further the application of crack-tip stress-field intensity information to square-cornered steps, external U-grooves, and internal cut-outs.


A class of negative-group-delay (NGD) bandstop-filter (BSF) circuits with input-reflectionless behavior are presented. By absorbing the non-transmitted RF-input-signal energy in their circuit volume, they cancel the undesired RF-power reflections that can adversely affect preceding active stages. They are based on a lossy complementary-duplexer approach, in which the lossy BSF channel is used as NGD circuit and its lossy resistively-terminated bandpass-filter-(BPF)-channel counterpart dissipates the non-transmitted RF signal power. The theoretical analysis of the basic input-reflectionless first-order NGD stage and illustrative design examples are presented. In-series-cascaded multi-stage NGD realizations to increase the NGD flatness are also explored. Furthermore, for experimental-validation purposes, a two-stage microstrip prototype with center-frequency reconfiguration and controllable NGD pattern within the spectral range 1.55–2.1 GHz is manufactured and characterized.


This study investigates the extent of the rain‐snow transition zone across the complex terrain of the western United States for both late 20th century climate and projected changes in climate by the mid‐21st century. Observed and projected temperature and precipitation data at 4 km resolution were used with an empirical probabilistic precipitation phase model to estimate and map the likelihood of snow versus rain occurrence. This approach identifies areas most likely to undergo precipitation phase change over the next half century. At broad scales, these projections indicate an average 30% decrease in areal extent of winter wet‐day temperatures conducive to snowfall over the western United States. At higher resolution scales, this approach identifies existing and potential experimental sites best suited for research investigating the mechanisms linking precipitation phase change to a broad array of processes, such as shifts in rain‐on‐snow flood risk, timing of water resource availability, and ecosystem dynamics.


A 48-year-old woman underwent routine chest roentgenography and a mass shadow was seen in the posterior mediastinum. CT, MRI and celiac arteriography were performed, and paraesophageal omental herniation was diagnosed. Paraesophageal omental herniation is uncommon, and there have been no reports cases with complications. Therefore, this case is being followed-up carefully.


Abstract. The main objective of the current study was to produce an accurate map of date palm (DP) plantations in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates (UAE) using moderate resolution Landsat-8 (OLI) imagery. The second objective was to be able to create a more detailed map depicting three different categories of date palms at three different age stages: young, medium, and mature. This was achieved using a hierarchical integrated approach: first, Landsat-8 OLI imagery were used to map mature date palms in the study area; second, an object oriented classification (OOC) approach was applied at the plantation level using sub-meter Worldview-2 imagery (WV-2) to depict and map medium and young aged palms. Three age-stage categories of date palms were mapped with acceptable accuracy. The primary outcome of this classification approach was the creation of detailed maps of date palms to be used as input to a remote sensing (RS) based biomass estimation model for the assessment of the above ground biomass (AGB) and carbon sequestered (CS) of date palms. Results were validated using existing ancillary data and field checks. DP were mapped with an overall accuracy of 94.5% which was considered high in similar conditions of drylands, while the overall kappa statistics was estimated at 0.888.


Most allergic diseases are caused by activation of Th2 type immune responses resulting in the production of specific IgE against proteins found in normally harmless substances such as pollen, mites, epithelia or food. Allergenic substances are composed, in addition to proteins, of other compounds such as carbohydrates and lipids. Those lipids are able to promote the development of Th2-type responses associated with allergy. There are lipids found in pollen, milk or insect venom that are specifically recognized by CD1 restricted unconventional T lymphocytes, which can promote allergic reactions. Furthermore, a large number of allergens are proteins containing hydrophobic parts that specifically bind lipids that are capable to favor allergenic immune responses. Also, lipids associated to substances like pollen, dander, epithelia or the bacteria can act on cells of the innate system, including dendritic cells, which in turn lead to the differentiation of Th2-type clones. Finally, lipids may also influence the ability of allergens to be exposed to the immune system within the oral, respiratory or intestinal mucosa where allergic response occurs with great frequency.


X-ray photoelectron and Auger spectroscopies are well-suited for exploring the chemical state of a selected system. Chemical shifts of electronic transitions and line broadening in the respective spectra contain a wealth of information on the interaction of the core ionized system with its local environment. The presence of neighbors in the vicinity of the core ionized system is responsible for a number of other remarkable effects such as charge-transfer satellites in core ionization spectra and intermolecular electronic transitions in Auger spectra. In addition, due to the environment, some electronic states resulting from Auger decay may further decay electronically via the intermolecular Coulombic decay mechanism. This decay by emission of an electron would be impossible if the core ionized system were isolated. All of the above phenomena happen in the small ammonia clusters whose core ionization and Auger spectra were computed from first principles and are discussed in the present paper.


This paper presents a new partial excitation control method of the moving magnet linear synchronous motor and proposes an implementation and a control method for a dual mover linear motor. The problem of conventional partial excitation circuit is clarified and a new partial excitation control method is proposed, which is external control by a main control board. Based on this partial excitation control method, a novel control method for dual mover moving-magnet-type linear motor is proposed. The validity and performance of the proposed partial excitation control method for the linear motor is verified by experimental results. These experimental results reveal excellent position control capability such as less than 10-/spl mu/m position error within 10 ms after position command, while both movers are controlled independently.


Massive localized lymphedema (MLL) is an emerging clinical phenomenon predominantly observed in morbidly obese individuals. It presents both diagnostic and therapeutic challenges to clinicians due to its characterization by large, pendulous masses in the abdomen or thigh. MLL may resemble malignant conditions, such as liposarcoma, leading to unnecessary invasive interventions. This study presents two case studies: a 74-year-old male who succumbed to postoperative complications and a 56-year-old female who experienced successful recovery. These cases highlight the urgent need for robust diagnostic criteria and evidence-based management approaches for MLL. In addition, further research exploring the pathogenesis, risk factors, and potential connections among MLL, hypothyroidism, and angiosarcoma is essential.


Profiling of oligosaccharide structures is widely utilized for both identification and evaluation of glycobiomarkers, and site-specific profiling of N-linked glycans of glycoproteins is conducted by mass spectrometry of glycopeptides. However, our knowledge of mucin-type O-glycans including site occupancy and profile variance, as well as attachment sites, is quite limited. Saccharide compositions and site-occupancy of O-glycans were calculated from the signal intensity of glycopeptide ions in the mass spectra and tandem mass spectra from electron transfer dissociation. The results for two major plasma glycoproteins, IgA1 and hemopexin, representing clustered and scattered O-glycan attachments, respectively, indicated that the variability in modifications among individuals is so small as to justify rigorous standards enabling reliable detection of disease-related alterations. Indeed, this method revealed a novel abnormality associated with rheumatoid arthritis: a significant decrease in the N-acetylgalactosamine content of IgA1 O-glycans, indicating that the glycosylation abnormality is not limited to hypogalactosylation of IgG N-glycans in chronic inflammatory conditions.


We analyze the capacity scaling laws of mobile ad hoc networks comprising heterogeneous nodes and spatial inhomogeneities. Most of previous work relies on the assumption that nodes are identical and uniformly visit the entire network space. Experimental data, however, show that the mobility pattern of individual nodes is usually restricted over the area, while the overall node density is often largely inhomogeneous due to the presence of node concentration points. In this paper we introduce a general class of mobile networks which incorporates both restricted mobility and inhomogeneous node density, and describe a methodology to compute the asymptotic throughput achievable in these networks by the store-carry-forward communication paradigm. We show how the analysis can be mapped, under mild assumptions, into a Maximum Concurrent Flow (MCF) problem over an associated Generalized Random Geometric Graph (GRGG). Moreover, we propose an asymptotically optimal scheduling and routing scheme that achieves the maximum network capacity.


A new variant of cellular automata (CA) models is proposed, based on Minimum Acceptable Space (MAP) rules, to study unsignalised traffic flow at two-way stop-controlled (TWSC) intersections and roundabouts in urban and interurban networks.

Categorisation of different driver behaviour is possible, based on different space requirements (MAPs), which allow a variety of conditions to be considered. Driver behaviour may be randomly categorised as rational, (when optimum conditions of entry are realised), conservative, urgent and radical, with specified probabilities at each time step.

The model can successfully simulate both heterogeneous and inconsistent driver behaviour and interactions at the different road features. The impact of driver behaviour on the overall performance of intersections and roundabouts can be quantified and conditions for gridlock determined.

Theorems on roundabout size and throughput are given. The relationship between these measures is clearly non-monotonic.

Whereas previous models consider these road features in terms of T-intersections, our approach is new in that each is a unified system. Hence, the relationship between arrival rates on entrance roads can be studied and critical arrival rates can be identified under varied traffic and geometric conditions. The potential for extending the model to entire urban and interurban networks is discussed.


In this paper, under the effects of the largest primary radiation pressure, the elliptic restricted four-body problem is formulated in Hamiltonian form. Moreover, the canonical equations are obtained which are considered as the equations of motion. The Lagrangian points within the frame of the elliptic restricted four-body problem are obtained. The true anomalies are considered as independent variables. An analytical and numerical approach had been used. A code of Mathematica version 12 is constructed to truncate these considerations and is applied on the Earth-Moon-Sun system. In addition, the stability and periodicity of the motion about the equilibrium points are studied by using the Poincare maps. The motion about the collinear point L2 is presented as an example for the obtained results, and some families of periodic orbits are presented.


Kinematic articulatory data are important for researches of speech production, articulatory speech synthesis, robust speech recognition, and speech inversion. Electromagnetic Articulograph (EMA) is a widely used instrument for collecting kinematic articulatory data. However, in EMA experiment, one or more coils attached to articulators are possible to be mistracked due to various reasons. To make full use of the EMA data, we attempt to reconstruct the location of mistracked coils with Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) regression method. In this paper, we explore how additional information (spectrum, articulatory velocity, etc.) affects the performance of the proposed method. The result indicates that acoustic feature (MFCC) is the most effective additional features that improve the reconstruction performance.


The quality of education in universities can be seen from the high level of student success and the low failure of students. One indicator of student failure is the case of Drop Out (stop study). The problem of Drop Out becomes something interesting to study, because this can affect the quality of education. Faculty of Economics UNISAN Gorontalo is a favorite Faculty in UNISAN Gorontalo so it has a number of students of approximately 1000 students until 2017. But the ratio of the number of graduate students and not pass unbalanced. So as to produce the number of students Drop Out approximately 200 students per year. To solve the problem, we proposed a new model by utilizing a C4.5 computation method, in order to produce a pattern based on the results of the correct classification in determining the potential Drop Out students. The results obtained from the application of method C4.5 in this research is the discovery of 17 rules that can be used as a pattern to determine the potential students Drop Out.


Yu.A. Philiptschenko (1882-1930) founded 1919 the first Department of Genetics in our country. 1912 he defended his master's dissertation in zoology and shifted to genetics. September 18, 1913 docent Philiptschenko started the first in Russia course of Genetics ("Doctrine of genetics and evolution"), 1915 he issued the first his book "Variability and evolution", 1917 "Inheritance". 1929 a textbook "Genetics" was created on their basis. 1921 he organized at KEPS "Eugenics bureau", which became "Genetics laboratory of Academy of Sciences of the USSR. His scientific interests embraced: genetics of qualitative and quantitative traits, including inheritance of mental abilities in humans, eugenics, evolutionary genetics. He offered the terms: "microevolution" and "macroevolution". Yu.A. Philiptschenko created a large scientific school


Abstract The article analyzes the impact of cultural tourism on the development of municipalities in depressed regions through case-study of the small town Plyos in Ivanovo oblast in Russia. The town-planning composition of Plyos is determined by the Volga river and the complex highly rugged relief. The unique combination of architecture and natural landscape makes the town and its surroundings attractive for cultural tourism development. The connection between the development of culture and tourism in Plyos has been noted since the beginning of the 1970s. Since then, from decade to decade, these spheres have constantly strengthened each other's development. A number of market factors have been identified for effective involvement of historical heritage and cultural landscape in various types of cultural tourism and their transformation into a resource for sustainable development of the settlement. These market factors can be summarized into three groups: marketing, institutional and investment. The bet on market-based and diversified development of cultural tourism made by the authorities of the municipality and the region in 2005 has produced significant positive results by 2020. The structure of cultural tourism in Plyos has changed qualitatively, and the importance of event and creative tourism has grown significantly. Over the past 4–5 years, the tourist flow has changed radically in the direction of a significant increase in the share of individual and most solvent categories of tourists. Increasing the duration of cruise ship stay and lengthening the period of attendance in Plyos for individual tourists provides an increase in the load of tourist infrastructure in the summer season, and the boom in expensive seasonal real estate and the expansion of the offer of services for types of tourism related to cultural, contribute to leveling the seasonal load. However, these successes have a downside, when Plyos is an "island of prosperity" in the "economic desert" of its depressed regional environment. There are several ways in which it is possible to influence the development of a depressive surroundings. For the Ivanovo region, Plyos acts as a "point of entry" for investments in the tourism sector, a promoter of all-Russian events in the field of cultural tourism and a market place for products of local producers, including products of world-famous art crafts.


Comparative studies were conducted in Reunion island on the courtship behaviour of the mediterranean fruit fly, #Ceratitis capitata# (Wiedemann) and the natal fruit fly, #Ceratitis rosa# (Karsch). Preliminary observations were also made on another Ceratitis, endemic from the Mascarenes, #Ceratitis catoirii# Guerin-Meneville. Preliminary experiments in field cages allowed us to precise the optimal age for mating in local wild populations of #C. capitata# (9 days-old adults) and #C. rosa# (13 days-old males, and 13-15 days-old females). Video recordings of close interactions between wild males and females #C. capitata# showed no significant differences between the durations of male or female activities and mating success. Some video recordings of lab #C. rosa# and #C. catoirii# allowed us to precise close interactions between sexes during courtship behaviour in these species. In #C. rosa#, male courtship display involves fanning but no buzzing or head-rocking. Close interactions are very brief and before assault male throws its mid-legs in the direction of the female. In #C. catoirii# male courtship appears more similar to medfly's male behaviour, including fanning, buzzing, but no headrocking. Circadian rythm of #C. caloirii# male calling was studied in lab cages, showing that most activities occur in the morning in this species. The study of circadian rythm of activities of both sexes of #C. rosa# in field-cages and in a citrus orchard shows that the peak of courtship activities in the end of the afternoon coincides with a peak in egg-laying activity of females. The spatial distribution and structure of leks in #C. rosa# were studied in a citrus plot at preharvest period. In these conditions, male calling was shown to occur mostly on the underside of fruits. (Resume d'auteur)


In a final large group session of a working conference in the Tavistock group relations tradition, members were concerned about who would get the consultants' 'blessing' as confirmation of their learning during the course of the conference. Some members referred to Jacob's fight at the river Jabbok and other parts of the Jacob legend from the Old Testament book of Genesis as a metaphoric frame to disentangle and explore their experiences. This concern mirrored a more general theme, which is as old as mankind - the theme of inheritance and succession. In this paper this theme will function as a frame for a broader exploration of the Jacob legend, the early development of psychoanalysis, the Tavistock tradition of group relations and the experience of organizational role holders in family businesses and other organizations. Instead of merely regarding inheritance and succession as a handing over, it will be postulated that assuming an inherited legacy requires a certain self-authorization on the part of the heir in order to own and further develop it. The capacity for containment of frustration and the ability to feel the pain of longing are requisites for ultimately taking up one's inheritance in the ongoing tradition of one's world.


Disease, ocean warming, and pollution have caused catastrophic declines in the cover of living coral on reefs across the Caribbean. Subsequently, reef-building corals have been replaced by invertebrates and macroalgae, leading to changes in ecological functioning. We describe changes in benthic community composition and cover at 15 sites across the Belizean Barrier Reef (BBR) following numerous major disturbances—bleaching, storms, and disease outbreaks—over the 20-year period 1997–2016. We tested the role of potential drivers of change on coral reefs, including local human impacts and ocean temperature. From 1997 to 2016, mean coral cover significantly declined from 26.3% to 10.7%, while macroalgal cover significantly increased from 12.9% to 39.7%. We documented a significant decline over time of the reef-building corals Orbicella spp. and described a major shift in benthic composition between early sampling years (1997–2005) and later years (2009–2016). The covers of hard-coral taxa, including Acropora spp., M. cavernosa, Orbicella spp., and Porites spp., were negatively related to marine heatwave frequency. Only gorgonian cover was related, negatively, to our metric of the magnitude of local impacts (the Human Influence Index). Changes in benthic composition and cover were not associated with local protection or fishing. This result is concordant with studies throughout the Caribbean that have documented living coral decline and shifts in reef-community composition following disturbances, regardless of local fisheries restrictions. Our results suggest that benthic communities along the BBR have experienced disturbances that are beyond the capacity of the current management structure to mitigate. We recommend that managers devote greater resources and capacity to enforce and expand existing marine protected areas and that government, industry, and the public act to reduce global carbon emissions.


There is increasing interest in cancer cell subpopulations that can withstanding treatment via non-genetic mechanisms, such as tumor cell plasticity and adaptation. These cell populations may be comprised of cells with diverse phenotypes, e.g., quiescent or slow cycling. Such populations have been broadly termed "drug-tolerant persisters" (DTPs) and may be responsible for minimal residual disease following anticancer treatment and acquired resistance. Understanding molecular mechanisms that drive emergence of DTPs could lead to new strategies to improve therapeutic outcomes. Recently, we reported that BRAF-mutant melanoma cells under prolonged BRAF inhibition enter a DTP state with balanced cell death and division, which we termed "idling." Here, we apply single cell barcoding to show that idling DTP populations emerge via cell state transitions, rather than selection of a few pre-existing drug-tolerant clones. Within the time frame of our experiments, DTPs exhibit varying proportions of fast- and slow-cycling cells within each lineage, suggesting that entry into the DTP state is a stochastic process. Furthermore, single-cell transcriptomics and bulk epigenomics reveal common gene expression and ontology signatures in DTP lineages that are consistent with rebalancing of ion channels. Calcium flux experiments uncover a reduction of divalent cation reserves in intracellular organelles, likely leading to endoplasmic reticulum stress. Accordingly, idling DTPs are more prone to ferroptotic cell death, as indicated by increased sensitivity to inhibition of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), which prevents removal of toxic lipid peroxides. In summary, we propose that ion channel homeostasis is a central process underlying idling DTP emergence in BRAF-mutated melanoma. Future studies will investigate translational aspects of this insight.


Here we consider the communications tactics appropriate for a group of agents that need to"swarm"together in a highly adversarial environment. Specfically, whilst they need to cooperate by exchanging information with each other about their location and their plans; at the same time they also need to keep such communications to an absolute minimum. This might be due to a need for stealth, or otherwise be relevant to situations where communications are signficantly restricted. Complicating this process is that we assume each agent has (a) no means of passively locating others, (b) it must rely on being updated by reception of appropriate messages; and if no such update messages arrive, (c) then their own beliefs about other agents will gradually become out of date and increasingly inaccurate. Here we use a geometry-free multi-agent model that is capable of allowing for message-based information transfer between agents with different intrinsic connectivities, as would be present in a spatial arrangement of agents. We present agent-centric performance metrics that require only minimal assumptions, and show how simulated outcome distributions, risks, and connectivities depend on the ratio of information gain to loss. We also show that checking for too-long round-trip times can be an effective minimal-information filter for determining which agents to no longer target with messages.


Abstract OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to develop and validate a nomogram for predicting residual cavity formation after video-assisted thoracoscopic decortication in patients with chronic tuberculous empyema (CTE). METHODS We retrospectively analysed patients who were diagnosed and treated for CTE at our hospital from January 2017 to December 2020. We used univariable and binary logistic regression analyses to identify independent risk factors. A predictive nomogram was developed and validated for predicting the risk of residual cavity formation after video-assisted thoracoscopic decortication in patients with CTE. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was used to evaluate the nomogram. RESULTS Data from 103 patients were analysed. The contact area between the lung and empyema (P = 0.001, odds ratio [OR] 1.017, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.007–1.028), calcification (P = 0.004, OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.029–0.501) and thickness of the pleura (P = 0.02, OR 1.315, 95% CI 1.045–1.654) were risk factors for residual cavity formation after video-assisted thoracoscopic decortication. A 50% residual cavity formation rate was used as the cut-off to validate the nomogram model. The area under the ROC curve for the nomogram was 0.891 (95% CI, 0.82–0.963). The sensitivity and specificity of the nomogram were 86.67% and 82.19%, respectively. The calibration curve indicated good consistency between the predicted and actual risks. CONCLUSIONS The preliminary nomogram could contribute to preventing postoperative residual cavity formation and making appropriate surgical decisions.


Dancers dedicate their lives to their art. The lucky few dancers who reach professional careers, must navigate a casualised industry, balance financial pressures and maintain performance fitness. This research aimed to provide practical considerations for dancers to support their health and wellbeing through independent, professional dance careers. Dancers from Australian contemporary dance company Co3 participated in a training program involving psychological and physiotherapy assessments and fitness training in conjunction with a major performance season. Focus groups with company dancers and staff investigated the perceived efficacy of the training program within the company schedule and in supporting dancer wellbeing. Dancers were highly engaged with the training program. Dancers expressed various benefits and challenges in incorporating the training within the demands of their careers. Themes identified from the dancer responses included making time, program specificity, dance fitness, connecting as a company, dancer monitoring and scheduling. A need to maintain collegiality outside of contracted times through communities of practice was identified across many of the themes. It is posited that the human capital of dance is challenged through the casualisation of the dance sector and requires careful attention from aspiring dancers.


Sciaenidae is quite an extensive and diversified family, including a large number of species, divided, according to Jordan (1923, pp. 201–202), among not less than 84 recent genera, many of which are so closely related that their definitions offer great difficulties. Even the delimitation of the family is fraught with complications. The family is nearly limited to warm seas, where most of the species occur along sandy shores. A few species extend into relatively cool waters, but none of them tolerates cold water. Occurrence in fresh water is very rare. Most of the members of the family are capable of producing a peculiar noise, hence their name croakers. On the west coast of North America, several of the vernacular names are misleading. Such names as herring, sea trout, tomcod, whiting, etc., which should be applied to widely different species, are frequently used for some of the California species. In order to avoid further confusion, these names have barely been mentioned in connection with the treatment of the species dealt with in this paper. Only one English name has been given to each species, viz., the one accepted by the California Division of Fish and Game. Only those species of Sciaenidae which have been recorded in California have been described in the present paper. Other species of the family, viz., Cynoscion othonopterus (gulf corbina), Cynoscion reticulatus (striped corbina), Cynoscion xanthulus (orange-mouthed corbina), and Cynoscion macdonaldi (totuava), have appeared more or less recently in our fresh fish markets. These forms, however, are not native in California, but are taken in Mexican waters, mainly in the Gulf of California and are shipped mostly by trucks into California where they are sold extensively in the southern part of the State. In regard to the striped corbina, it must suffice to state that it is not brought into California in commercial quantities. The orange-mouthed corbina also plays a minor role in the fresh fish supply. The most important species are the totuava and the gulf corbina. Most of the members of the family occupy a very prominent position among the sport fishes of California, especially in southern California where they are more or less abundant. The California corbina, the yellowfin, and the spotfin have thousands of devotees among the surf fishermen, the first of these forms undoubtedly being the most popular sport fish in the surf of our southern sandy beaches. Few people, indeed, realize how large an army of sportsmen find their recreation along the beaches of southern California because of the excellent fighting qualities of these three attractive fishes. Furthermore, among the anglers who specialize in medium sized game fishes, the white sea-bass is one of the most popular species.


Mental health problems are a well-known consequence of combat exposure, and the problem of barriers to receiving mental health care for veterans is well known. The current heavy reliance on reserve component soldiers may aggravate this problem. This study tries to characterize problems with access to mental health care for activated members of the National Guard reserve component, active duty service members, and their families in the state of Indiana. Data from a telephone survey of Indiana mental health providers listed in the TRICARE provider revealed that only 25% were accepting new TRICARE patients, although regression analyses revealed that acceptance of patients was positively related to market population and negatively related to the number of deployed soldiers in the market. The primary barrier to obtain care appears to be the accuracy of the TRICARE provider list.


Eleven MT soundings and two dipole-dipole electrical soundings were carried out in the area of the Po plain south of the town of Padua. MT soundings were performed in the frequency band from 100 to 1/64 Hz; DC soundings were achieved, respectively, with a 2000 and 4000 m length of the array. The electrical interpretative models show a predominant monoclinalic tectonic behaviour with an evident deepening of the resistive basement to ward NE. The joint use of the two electrical techniques defined the geological and structural setting up to a depth of 2 km in a highly conductive area.


In anthropogenic landscapes, wildlife reintroductions are likely to result in interactions between people and reintroduced species. People living in the vicinity may have little familiarity with the reintroduced species or associated management, so will need to learn to live with the species in a new state of "Renewed Coexistence." In England, Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) are being reintroduced and U.K. Government agencies are currently considering their national approach to reintroduction and management. Early indications are this will include requirement for "Beaver Management Groups" (BMGs) to engage with local stakeholders. This policy paper reports on qualitative research that captured lessons from the governance of two existing BMGs in Devon (south‐west England), drawing on both a prior study and new interview data. Through the analysis, we identified that BMGs are not a fixed structure, but an adaptive process. This consists of three stages (Formation, Functioning, and Future?), influenced by resource availability and national policy direction. We argue that, where they are used, Species‐specific Management Groups could provide a "front line" for the integration of reintroduced species into modern landscapes, but their role or remit could be scaled back over time and integrated into existing structures or partnerships to reduce pressure on limited resources, as knowledge of reintroduced species (such as beaver) grows and its presence becomes "normalized." There must be sufficient flexibility in forthcoming policy to minimize constraint on the adaptive nature of BMGs and similar groups for other reintroduced species, if they are to facilitate a sustainable coexistence.


A critical aspect in SoC design is the correctness of communication between system blocks. In this work, we present a novel approach to formally verify various aspects of communication models, including timing constraints and liveness. Our approach automatically extracts timing relations and constraints from the design and builds a Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) model whose assertions are then formally verified along with properties of interest input by the designer. Our method also addresses the complexity growth with a hierarchical approach. We demonstrate our approach on models communicating over industry standard bus protocol AMBA AHB and CAN bus. Our results show that the generated assertions can be solved within resonable time.


Abstract When working as a country doctor in Czarist Russia, the Jewish author and poet Saul Tschernichowsky (1875-1943) had close contact with the rural population and with the Jews living there. Meeting the village folk and peasants brought back memories of his own childhood spent in the country that made him realize the discrepancy between »yesterday's world« and modern times. Academic medicine did not count for much in the country. The peasants wanted »proper« drugs, by which they meant drugs whose strong smell and conspicuous colour suggested effectiveness. Some of Tschernichowsky's medical experiences from that time have found their way into his literary oeuvre, for instance into the stories »be-inyan ha-mumchim« (Concerning experts) and »ze'adim rishonim« (First steps), and particularly also into his idyll »Berele chole« (Berele is sick), composed in 1907, which is an attempt at making this literary genre also fruitful for Modern Hebrew Literature. Analysis of its content reveals that the historiographic inference that Jewish and non-Jewish religious-magic medicine overlap and influence each other is congruent with Tschernichowsky's poetically alienated description.


Non-specific low backache of mechanical origin is common symptoms of disability in the community. There are many causes of low backache; these are mechanical and non-mechanical types. The commonest form of low backache is structural dysfunction that has direct relationship with activity. There are many regimens of treatment of low backache and trigger points injection (TPI) is one modality of them. This comparative study between TPI and conventional treatment of chronic backache was carried out at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Bogra over a period of one year where 60 patients were treated. Out of 60 patients, 30 patients in group-I was given conventional treatment and other 30 patients in group-II were provided TPI. The mean age distribution was 42.33±5.79 years in group-I and 43.76±6.35 years in group-II, mean weight of the patients was 73.43±7.2 kg in group-I and 74.46±8.04 kg in group-II. Mean height of the patients were 165.33±9.84 cm in group-I and 166.50±9.10 cm in group-II. Mean duration of backache was 33.86 ±16.89 months in group-I and 32.10.±14.53 months in group- II and male female ratio was 18:12 in group-I and 22: 8 in group-II. In group-II TPI was provided, where their mean sessions of TPI requirement was 4.1±1.21. After treatment, their mean visual analogue scale (VAS) was 4.77±0.76 in group-I and 3.81±0.84 in group-II which is not statistically significant and duration of mean pain relief was 3.78±0.79 months in group-I and 5.65±1.21 months in group-II which is statistically significant. TPI is not a new modality of treatment of pain but it is not commonly practice in this country; which can be adopted for pain management usually without side effect. Key Words: Backache, Trigger point injection (TPI). doi: 10.3329/jafmc.v5i1.2850 JAFMC Bangladesh. Vol 5, No 1 (June) 2009 pp.37-40


In traditional schools, where education and teaching tend to be subject-oriented, the standardization of the teaching materials of health education courses would be obscurely related to know-how of daily life. This frustrates the learners from developing the awareness of engagement, thereby decreasing their willingness to acquire new information or skill. Therefore, in this study, a board game assimilating augmented reality (AR) into health education is presented. It associates the card game, slides, and learning sheets gamification teaching model with the learning experience; and proposes the efficacy of the board games mingled with augmented reality to enhance the motivation in learning and confidence in technology. In this experiment for a health education board game, 52 high school students participated in this experiment. There were 25 in the experimental group (with AR) and 27 in the control group (without AR). The IMMS (instructional material motivation survey) and the TAM (technology acceptance model) are applied to acquire quantitative data for examination. The findings are as follows: (1) The acceptance was significantly affected by the integration of AR into the health education board game and (2) the learning motivation was significantly affected by the integration of AR into the health education board game.


Growing awareness and interest in renewable resources has raised the need to homogenise the reporting requirements for geothermal resources so that they can be applied worldwide. As no globally agreed standards, guidelines or codes exist, there remains too much latitude in geothermal assessment, which leads to increased resource uncertainty, more investment risk and less confidence in development. Reconciling the various reporting of geothermal resources is a major challenge as it is difficult to define what the target actually is: the source, the reservoir, the fluids, the stored heat, the recoverable volume, the recoverable heat, the recoverable power, or the net profit. Formulating an agreed procedure to classify geothermal resources is further complicated by changing environmental, policy and regulatory constraints around the globe. Present day techniques of computing geothermal resources provide only ballpark estimates at best. This paper addresses the existing gaps in standardising geothermal resources assessment and reporting by capturing: current methods used to identify potential geothermal projects; current practices in classifying and reporting geothermal resources and reserves; key decision parameters for operators, investors, governments and insurance companies; and current obstacles to a common and transparent way to secure investment in geothermal energy.


The long-term stability of soft tissue augmentation in treatment of localized severe maxillary anterior ridge deformities.

OBJECTIVE
Severely deformed edentulous ridges in the esthetic zone (EZ) are very difficult to restore with an esthetic fixed dental prosthesis (FDP). Soft tissue augmentation of these deformed ridges can dramatically improve the esthetics of the restoration. The long-term stability of soft tissue grafting used alone to treat severe localized alveolar ridge deformities will be reported.

CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Three different soft tissue augmentation techniques, connective tissue graft (CTG), keratinized gingival graft (KGG), and pediculated connective tissue graft (PCTG) used to treat severe ridge deformities in the maxillary anterior region in five patients will be described. The stability of the augmentation will be shown at follow-up periods ranging from 5-30 years.

CONCLUSIONS
All three soft tissue grafting techniques demonstrated long-term stability following the six-month post-treatment result.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Edentulous ridges in the esthetic zone, with severe hard and soft tissue deformities, are very difficult to restore esthetically. The development of soft tissue augmentation techniques has allowed clinicians to enhance the esthetics of their fixed dental prostheses (FDP). Restorative clinicians need to be assured that soft tissue shrinkage under the pontics will not occur after the final prosthesis is seated. The stability of these soft tissue augmentations over an extended period of time, will be demonstrated in the presented cases.


Adult atopic dermatitis (AD) is associated with overweight, obesity and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in Americans, similarly to psoriasis, but no increased risk of CVD has been shown in European patients with AD. This study investigated the prevalence and risk of gallstones in adults with AD and in those with psoriasis as a proxy for obesity using nationwide data for all Danish citizens ≥ 30 years of age. Outcome was a diagnosis of gallstones. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated by logistic regression (cross-sectional study) and hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated by Cox regression (cohort study). The study comprised 6,742 patients with AD, 53,810 patients with psoriasis, and 3,534,164 general population subjects. The prevalence of gallstones was 3.8%, 3.5% and 5.0% in the general population, AD and psoriasis patients, respectively. Adjusted ORs were 0.81 (0.71-0.92) for AD and 1.18 (1.14-1.23) for psoriasis. During follow-up, adjusted HRs were 0.72 (0.56-0.90) for AD and 1.10 (1.02-1.18) for psoriasis. The findings highlight important differences in obesity and lifestyle factors among patients with AD and those with psoriasis.


Background and Objectives The use of regional anesthesia in patients receiving anticoagulants is controversial. The purpose of this review is to document the incidence of neurologic complications with insertion and removal of an epidural catheter in patients receiving oral anticoagulants and antiplatelet medication. Methods A retrospective review was made of the charts of 459 patients who underwent hip pinning or hip or knee replacement under regional anesthesia and received postoperative epidural analgesia and warfarin thromboembolism prophylaxis. The number of patients receiving preoperative antiplatelet therapy and warfarin, as well as baseline coagulation parameters, was documented. For patients who had postoperative epidural analgesia, the prothrombin time on the day of epidural catheter removal was obtained. Neurologic complications during the hospital stay were noted. Results Spinal anesthesia was administered to 47 patients and epidural anesthesia and postoperative analgesia to 4 12. Before surgery, antiplatelet therapy was given to 270 and warfarin to 180 patients, with some patients receiving both. The mean ± SD preoperative prothrombin and partial thromboplastin times were 10.8 ± 1.2 seconds (normal, 9.6-11.1 seconds) and 27.5 ± 3.5 seconds (normal, 24.6-33.2 seconds), respectively. Blood on needle or catheter insertion was noted in 21 patients, all of whom were taking antiplatelet medication and/or warfarin. Epidural catheters remained postoperatively for a mean or 43.6 ± 12.5 hours (range 5-118 hours). The mean prothrombin time on the day of epidural catheter removal was 14.1 ± 3.2 seconds. Four postoperative peripheral neuropathies were detected. There was no clinical evidence of spinal hematoma in any patient. Conclusions Epidural catheter placement and removal in patients laking oral anticoagulants appears to be safe. Careful monitoring of the patient for evidence of spinal hematoma after epidural catheter removal is recommended.


Today, our world changes drastically. Yesterday, however, changes were
 smooth, so we could differentiate and predict the future. Today, changes
 become sharp. So,we cannot predict the future. Yeseterday, our world was
 closed with boudnary , but todayour world becomes open. yesterday, materials
 or products were hard so we could apply mathemacial approaches and control
 them/. Today, materials are getting softer and softer with the progress of
 material engineering. When things were hard, we could understand what it is
 and how we should handle it with our eyes alone. But today, we need to
 interact with them directly. To cope with such drastically changing real
 world, we need to coordinate all parts, Our current world is the Industrial
 society, which is based on quantitative and reasonalble evaluation/ In other
 words, it is based on Euclidean approach which is interval scale and
 cardinal based. But human needs shifts from material to mental or from
 product to emotion. And Maslow pointed out "Self-Actuatlization" is our
 final need and Deci and Ryan proposed Self-Determination Theory and we get
 the highest satisfaction and feeling of achievement, when we do the job we
 wish to accomplish and in our own way. They also pointed out this is very
 important for our growth. The Industrial Society is getting close to its end
 and now we need to design and develop the next Society. In a word, our world
 is changing quicklly to the world of "Self". How we can enjoy our life in
 our own way becomes cruciallly important. As materials are getting softer
 and softer, we need to develop a tool to deal with physically soft world.
 The world focusing on musculoskeltel system and processing externally
 obaservable movement is going out.We need to consider how our internal body
 parts such as muslces move to respond to the radicallly changing Real World.
 In short, we need to shift from Digital to Analog. We need
 AnalogIntelligence, which is the next AI. To achieve such a goal, our
 instinct plays a very important role. Therefore, we developed a
 Mahalanobis-Distance approach to support our instinct in orderfor it to
 fully coordinate our Motor (Internal Movement) movents.


Researchers have recently proposed several systems that ease the process of developing Bayesian probabilistic inference algorithms. These include systems for automatic inference algorithm synthesis as well as stronger abstractions for manual algorithm development. However, existing systems whose performance relies on the developer manually constructing a part of the inference algorithm have limited support for reasoning about the correctness of the resulting algorithm. In this thesis, I present Shuffle, a programming language for developing manual inference algorithms that enforces 1) the basic rules of probability theory and 2) statistical dependencies of the algorithm's corresponding probabilistic model. We have used Shuffle to develop inference algorithms for several standard probabilistic models. Our results demonstrate that Shuffle enables a developer to deliver performant implementations of these algorithms with the added benefit of Shuffle's correctness guarantees. Thesis Supervisor: Michael Carbin Title: Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science


Full of "dangerous ideas, i.e., those which raise doubts," this monograph challenges the widespread faith in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). By claiming to expose the "unscientific belief system and biased methodology" that nurtured its growth and by detailing weaknesses of publications "written with the certainty of a nuclear scientist and the methodology of an alchemist," the author rekindles scepticism about CABG. With this rekindling of doubt and insistence on proper verification, however, comes a responsibility to avoid the editorial double standard: in this regard, the book seriously suffers from one-sidedness. For example, more often than not, articles against the proved value of CABG are quoted without criticism. Meanwhile, studies that report objective clinical and physiological improvement after CABG are relentlessly attacked or misquoted. While such a bias against CABG may make some readers feel mistrustful of the book, even CABG enthusiasts will enjoy the sections covering the psychological and


The following paper concerns culturally Deaf people, who are Sign Language users, and who develop dementia. A first person narrative account from a Deaf daughter of her Deaf mother's dementia ('My Mum's Story') is the main focus of the paper. It is preceded by a Foreword designed to equip the reader with the background to Sign Language and Deaf culture, in order better to contextualize the significance of dementia and its effects for this community. Both pieces, from different perspectives, focus on: the problematic nature of recognizing dementia amongst Deaf people; the paucity of appropriate diagnostic, care and support services; the different considerations for Deaf people approaching dementia as patient or carer; the challenges to service providers and researchers. The first person account was originally produced in BSL (British Sign Language) and translated for written publication purposes.


As fights over religious liberty in culture war contexts contribute to the polarization straining our political institutions and public values, few topics are more important to consider than the relationship between religious freedom and the common good. This relationship is complex and multifaceted, and the failure on all sides to explore this relationship deeply enough has exacerbated our current divisions. This essay, which was delivered as a talk at a conference on The Question of Religious Freedom at Loyola University Chicago, seeks to carefully consider this relationship and focuses, in particular, on four of its facets. First, strong protections for religious liberty, including robust accommodations when laws and regulations burden religious practice, are essential to the common good. Religious freedom does not come at the expense of the common good, and they are not in opposition. Second, religious freedom must be formulated in light of the common good. The common good is the good of all of us, and the right to follow one's religious conscience in society cannot be unlimited. Third, religious liberty must be pursued with the common good in mind. When religious believers seek protections for religious practice, they should consider the effects of their demands on others, and where conflicts arise, all sides should work together to develop solutions that minimize burdens on one another to the greatest extent possible.

Compromises are especially difficult to achieve in culture war contexts because the opposing sides start with different understandings of the human goods of marriage, family, and sexuality, and both believe that getting these understandings right and having them reflected in law and social practice are essential to the well-being of society. As a result, many proponents of same-sex marriage and reproductive freedom have resisted religious accommodations with significant public effects, and many religious traditionalists have been unwilling to grant concessions to progressive agendas in exchange for religious protections. However, this dynamic rests on too narrow an understanding of the common good. Human dignity requires room for the exercise of human freedom, and room for freedom will mean space for competing views. For religious believers in today's culture wars, their faith requires even more; they must exercise their rights in ways that witness to the divine love they are called to imitate and model. Listening, engagement, and dialogue are necessary to such a witness, and they are also essential democratic values. Finally, rethinking the relationship between religious freedom and the common good holds the potential for advancing the common good more broadly, and this is a fourth facet of their relationship. If we can move from fights about religious liberty to dialogue and compromise grounded in mutual understanding, this de-escalation can serve as a model and sign of hope for reducing our political polarization more broadly and for charting a new path focused on the common good.


The results of an evaluation of the degradation of each separate level and their subsequent recovery process for solar cells made of a three-layer stacked structure are presented. The spectral sensitivity characteristic and conversion efficiency are used as evaluation parameters. The results indicate that the degradation pattern for the bottom layer should be chosen as the standard as far as the evaluation of the overall conversion efficiency is concerned. This is because the absolute value of spectral sensitivity for the bottom layer is the smallest.


In this study, an analysis method for maglev train-guideway interaction is verified using field measurement data. The cabin and bogies of the maglev train are modeled as rigid bodies that are allowed to have heave and pitch motions. Levitation forces from the electromagnetic suspensions on the bogies are controlled using an active control algorithm. The guideway is represented using the Euler-Bernoulli beam. Considering rigorously the changes in air-gaps and material points at which the levitation forces are applied due to the pitch motions of the bogies, dynamic analysis of maglev train-guideway interaction is performed. Using field measurement data, obtained from the Incheon Airport Maglev Railway, the analysis method is verified. Accuracy of the analysis method is investigated. It is determined that the structures in the railway are designed and constructed safely according to the design code for maglev railways.


Abstract. Given the large volume of soil data, it is now possible to obtain a soil classification using spectral, climate and terrain attributes. The idea was to develop a soil series system, which intends to discriminate soil types according to several variables. This new system was called Soil-Environmental Classification (SEC). The spectra data was applied to obtain information about the soil and climate and terrain variables to simulate the pedologist knowledge in soil-environment interactions. The most appropriate numbers of classes were achieved by the lowest value of AIC applying the clusters analysis, which was defined with 8 classes. A relationship between the SEC and WRB-FAO classes was found. The SEC facilitated the identification of groups with similar characteristics using not only soil but environmental variables for the distinction of the classes. Finally, the conceptual characteristics of the 8 SEC were described. The development of SEC conducted to incorporate applicable soil data for agricultural management, with less interference of personal/subjective/empirical knowledge (such as traditional taxonomic systems), and more reliable on automation measurements by sensors.


The current perspective of increasing global temperature makes heat stress as a major threat to wheat production worldwide. In order to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with heat tolerance, 251 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between HD2808 (heat tolerant) and HUW510 (heat susceptible) were evaluated under timely sown (normal) and late sown (heat stress) conditions for two consecutive crop seasons; 2013–14 and 2014–15. Grain yield (GY) and its components namely, grain weight/spike (GWS), grain number/spike (GNS), thousand grain weight (TGW), grain filling rate (GFR) and grain filling duration (GFD) were recorded for both conditions and years. The data collected for both timely and late sown conditions and heat susceptibility index (HSI) of these traits were used as phenotypic data for QTL identification. The frequency distribution of HSI for all the studied traits was continuous during both the years and also included transgressive segregants. Composite interval mapping identified total 24 QTLs viz., 9 (timely sown traits), 6 (late sown traits) and 9 (HSI of traits) mapped on linkage groups 2A, 2B, and 6D during both the crop seasons 2013–14 and 2014–15. The QTLs were detected for GWS (6), GNS (6), GFR (4), TGW (3), GY (3) and GFD (2). The LOD score of identified QTLs varied from 3.03 (Qtgns.iiwbr-6D) to 21.01 (Qhsitgw.iiwbr-2A) during 2014–15, explaining 11.2 and 30.6% phenotypic variance, respectively. Maximum no of QTLs were detected in chromosome 2A followed by 6D and 2B. All the QTL detected under late sown and HSI traits were identified on chromosome 2A except for QTLs associated with GFD. Fifteen out of 17 QTL detected on chromosome 2A were clustered within the marker interval between gwm448 and wmc296 and showed tight linkage with gwm122 and these were localized in 49–52 cM region of Somers consensus map of chromosome 2A i.e. within 18–59.56 cM region of chromosome 2A where no QTL related to heat stress were reported earlier. Besides, three consistent QTLs, Qgws.iiwbr-2A, Qgns.iiwbr-2A and Qgns.iiwbr-2A were also detected in all the environments in this region. The nearest QTL detected in earlier studies, QFv/Fm.cgb-2A was approximately 6cM below the presently identified QTLs region, respectively Additionally, QTLs for physiological and phenological traits and plant height under late sown and HSI of these traits were also detected on chromosome 2A. QTL for HSI of plant height and physiological maturity were located in the same genomic region of chromosome 2Awhereas QTLs for physiological and phonological traits under late sown were located 8cM and 33.5 cM below the genomic location associated with grain traits, respectively in consensus map of Somers. This QTL hot-spot region with consistent QTLs could be used to improve heat tolerance after validation.


The exciting, novel fashions of Sonia Delauney, a member of the avant-garde movement in Paris in the early twentieth century, heralded the advent of a radically new concept in clothing design. Like many champions of Modernism, Sonia Delauney believed that art should be used to redecorate modern life, and that design should be truly artistic. By applying the bright colours of the peasant costumes from her native Russia to the elegant silhouettes that were currently in vogue in Paris, she translated theory into practice and produced a stunning series of clothes for the Jazz Age. Like the contemporary Orphist paintings created by her husband Robert, Sonia Delauney's designs are characterised by their vibrant colours and sharply patterned geometric collages. They were worn by starlets Gloria Swanson and Gaby; her imaginative theatre costumes were commissioned by another great advocate of Modernism, Diaghilev, for the Bullet Russes. Indeed, Sonia Delauney's clothing, as exalted in the poetry of Tristan Tzara and Guillaume Apollinaire, epitomised the spirit of the new age.


The purpose of this investigation is to enhance the survival rate of patients by transporting them to the hospital within the golden hour through the operational improvement of emergency dispatch instruction. To this end, problems and improvements of current operating system were derived by carrying out a survey against paramedics of Incheon city in 2012 and analyzing the current emergency dispatch instruction. This study analyzed the emergency activity daily reports for one year from January 1 through December 31, 2012 and researched the consciousness of 119 emergency medical technician. According to the analysis of the survey, there were no meaningful differences in the on-site arrival times per triage. Therefore, the item of 'Emergency Classification' specified in the emergency dispatch instruction needs to be integrated in the scheme of "triage". Also, the feedbacks of the emergency action log and the emergency dispatch instruction are necessary for 'duty for operation' to review the adequacy to the severity after the end of emergency operation. Finally, the improvement of the system for the continuous communication between the paramedics and the command staff is necessary. This improvements as stated above are expected to contribute to raise survival rate of patients.


Safety and anti-diabetic effects of Glucolevel, a mixture of dry extract of leaves of the Juglans regia L, Olea europea L, Urtica dioica L and Atriplex halimus L were evaluated using in vivo and in vitro test systems. No sign of toxic effects (using LDH assay) were seen in cultured human fibroblasts treated with increasing concentrations of Glucolevel. Similar observations were seen in vivo studies using rats (LD50: 25 g/kg). Anti-diabetic effects were evidenced by the augmentation of glucose uptake by yeast cells (2-folds higher) and by inhibition of glucose intestinal absorption (∼49%) in a rat gut-segment. Furthermore, treatment with Glucolevel of Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats for 2–3 weeks showed a significant reduction in glucose levels [above 400 ± 50 mg/dl to 210 ± 22 mg/dl (P < 0.001)] and significantly improved sugar uptake during the glucose tolerance test, compared with positive control. In addition, glucose levels were tested in sixteen human volunteers, with the recent onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus, who received Glucolevel tablets 1 × 3 daily for a period of 4 weeks. Within the first week of Glucolevel consumption, baseline glucose levels were significantly reduced from 290 ± 40 to 210 ± 20 mg/dl. At baseline, a subgroup of eleven of these subjects had glucose levels below 300 mg% and the other subgroup had levels ≥ 300 mg%. Clinically acceptable glucose levels were achieved during the 2–3 weeks of therapy in the former subgroup and during the 4th week of therapy in the latter subgroup. No side effect was reported. In addition, a significant reduction in hemoglobin A1C values (8.2 ± 1.03 to 6.9 ± 0.94) was found in six patients treated with Glucolevel. Results demonstrate safety, tolerability and efficacy of herbal combinations of four plants that seem to act differently but synergistically to regulate glucose-homeostasis.


Dendritic cells (DCs) are key regulators of adaptive T-cell responses. By capturing exogenous antigens and presenting antigen-derived peptides via major histocompatibility complex molecules to naïve T cells, DCs induce antigen-specific immune responses in vivo. In order to induce effective host immune responses, active delivery of exogenous antigens to DCs is considered important for future vaccine development. We recently generated bionanocapsules (BNCs) consisting of hepatitis B virus surface antigens that mediate stringent in vivo cell targeting and efficient endosomal escape, and after the fusion with liposomes (LP) containing therapeutic materials, the BNC-LP complexes deliver them to human liver-derived tissues in vivo. BNCs were further modified to present the immunoglobulin G (IgG) Fc-interacting domain (Z domain) derived from Staphylococcus aureus protein A in tandem. When mixed with IgGs, modified BNCs (ZZ-BNCs) displayed the IgG Fv regions outwardly for efficient binding to antigens in an oriented-immobilization manner. Due to the affinity of the displayed IgGs, the IgG-ZZ-BNC complexes accumulated in specific cells and tissues in vitro and in vivo. After mixing ZZ-BNCs with antibodies against DCs, we used immunocytochemistry to examine which antibodies delivered ZZ-BNCs to mouse splenic DCs following intravenous injection of the ZZ-BNCs. ZZ-BNCs displaying anti-CD11c monoclonal antibodies (α-CD11c-ZZ-BNCs) were found to accumulate with approximately 62% of splenic DCs, and reside within some of them. After the fusion with liposomes containing antigens, the α-CD11c-ZZ-BNCs could elicit the respective antibodies more efficiently than other nontargeting control vaccines, suggesting that this DC-specific nanocarrier is promising for future vaccines.