Abstract : The Interagency Program Office has been exploring a number of options for interoperation between the electronic health record systems used by DoD and the Veteran's Health Administration. These have included replacing both systems with a single new Integrated Electronic Health Record (iEHR) system and federating the information contained in existing systems, among other approaches. In addition, DoD has been exploring caching approaches to improve delivery of electronic health record applications over network links with low quality of service. The Military Health System's Joint Program Committee funded the Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) to work with the SEI to investigate the use of emerging NoSQL database technology to achieve the data storage capabilities needed for these systems. The SEI conducted a stakeholder workshop with MHS stakeholders to identify architecture drivers and quality attribute requirements for these applications. These requirements were then used to create technology evaluation criteria. The SEI then worked with developers from the TATRC Advanced Concepts Team to conduct a series of technology experiments to assess the suitability of several NoSQL products against the evaluation criteria. One NoSQL product was selected for evaluation from each of the four NoSQL categories: Document Store (MongoDB), Column Family Store (Cassandra), Key-Value Store (Riak), and Graph Store (Neo4J). Each product was installed in a server cluster in the SEI Virtual Private Cloud, and performance measurements were made for each using the YCSB (Yahoo! Cloud Serving Benchmark) test driver. Several workloads were tested, including read-only, write-only, bulk load, and mixed read/write. Testing was also conducted to assess performance of the server cluster when there are network delays or partitions.


The permeability coefficient (k) of soil is one of the most important parameters affecting soil characteristics such as shear strength or settlement. Thus, determining soil permeability coefficient is very crucial; however, a field test for determining this parameter is difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. In this study, soft computing methods, namely, M5P and Gaussian process (GP), for estimating the permeability coefficient were constructed and compared. The results of this paper indicate that the two soft computing algorithms functioned well in predicting k. These two methods gave high accuracy of prediction capability. The determination coefficient of M5P (R2 = 0.766) was higher than that (R2 = 0.700) of GP. This implies that the M5P model is more reliable estimation than the GP model in predicting soils' permeability coefficient (k). This proves that applying these machine learning techniques can provide an alternative for predicting basic soil parameters, including the permeability coefficient of soil.


Andrey G. Mikheev - Associate Professor, Department of Business Informatics and Industrial Management Systems, National University of Science and Technology MISiSAddress: 4, Leninsky Prospect, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation E-mail: email@example.com E. Pyatetskiy - Professor, Head of Department of Business Informatics and Industrial Management Systems, National University of Science and Technology MISiSAddress: 4, Leninsky Prospect, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com This article discusses techniques used to design business processes that are directly executable on the computer system of an enterprise (executable business processes). It also describes the experience of teaching the elements of this technology. This experience was accumulated within two years of teaching process disciplines to bachelors and masters in National University of Science and Technology MISiS and Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics (MESI). One of the reasons to choose the process way of enterprise automation is reducing the cost of automation. In traditional automation, at first the business analyst describes the functionality of the designed system in the form of text, then the programmer translates it into code. The use of executable business processes would make it possible to avoid duplication of work in many ways. In this case the business analyst with the customer uses visual graphic software to develop the business processes of automated functionality which will then be executed directly in the computer environment. Schemes of executable business processes are the human-readable graphical description of the corresponding functionality and it's not necessary to translate them into code. Therefore, the cost of analytical work in this case is the same while the cost of programming is significantly lower. If the business environment changes, the business analyst can quickly change the schemes of business processes accordingly without involving the programmer. In addition, in many cases, the business analyst can independently (without programmer) develop new business processes. Therefore, the cost of development, maintenance and support of such IT-solutions is significantly lower than the cost of traditional solutions, while the speed of development, implementation and subsequent changes is significantly higher. These advantages (faster, cheaper, easier to maintain and support) are the same advantages the paradigm of object-oriented programming has over the procedural programming paradigm. By analogy, we can call the development of software solutions based on executable business processes a new programming paradigm with respect to the traditional approach. Process automation based on executable business processes requires process thinking from business analysts that differs from the thinking of IT specialists in the traditional enterprise automation. In addition to knowledge of business process notations, business analysts should be able to implement the typical situations in enterprise business in the form of executable business processes. This article presents the methodology that was used to teach students the process thinking.


Network survivability is defined as the ability of a network to maintain an acceptable level of network performance in the presence of failures. Quantifying network survivability through pure network performance tends to be optimistic since it ignores the availability of the resources of the network at the time of failure. On the other hand, pure availability analysis tends to be too conservative since performance considerations are not taken into account. In this paper, a composite model to accurately measure the survivability of slotted multi-fiber optical packet switching networks is proposed. The end-to-end performance of multi-fiber slotted optical packet switched networks as well as the steady-state availability of the network are modeled. These two models are combined to construct a hierarchical network survivability model. The study shows that the use of a multiple-fiber network configuration provides additional network capacity and increases network survivability. Also, it shows that the use of wavelength conversion increases survivability by resolving the wavelength contention problem


In wireless mobile ad hoc networks, routing protocols use metrics to select the best routes. Metrics may reflect the quality of the wireless link and help to manage mobility. But, there is a delay between link quality measurements performed by the routing protocol and their instantaneous values. To compensate this delay, the idea is to anticipate the value of the metric a few seconds in advance. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new technique to compute ETX metric, that is sensitive to mobility and which optimizes throughput at the same time. We show through simulations performed with NS-3 (Network Simulator version 3) that our approach leads to Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR) close to 1 in presence of mobility.


The cover shows human monocyte-derived macrophages migrating into gelled collagen I using the mesenchymal migration mode as described by Maridonneau–Parini and colleagues in their review (pp. 2805–2813). At the tip of the cell protrusions, 3D podosomes form and there is an elongated and protrusive cell shape, which is characteristic of this migration mode. The macrophages were fixed, permeabilized and stained with phalloidin for F-actin (green) and show accumulation of F-actin at the 3D podosomes; DAPI staining identifies the nuclei (blue). The image is a projection of five z-sections of 0.4 μm, obtained by confocal microscopy and was provided by Veronique Le Cabec.


The Straddle Carrier (SC) is a very popular piece of equipment. These carriers can undertake a variety of handling operations such as loading, unloading, stacking and transport of containers between the landside and waterside. Its popularity is due to its space efficiency and flexibility. Traffic incidents are a serious problem at marine terminals, where heavy equipment is used to load and unload ships and move freight from place to place in the terminal. The work is fast-paced, conducted at any time of the day or year, and often performed in inclement weather. Vehicular traffic endangers any worker walking in a marine terminal In a typical straddle carrier operation, what procedures/methods can be put in place to move towards a zero accident policy? It goes without saying that the operator should be properly trained. But how do you make sure that it is the trained operator that is driving, and what mechanisms can you put in place to monitor and review the safe operation of the equipment. Waiting for the next accident is not an option (Lambert 2009:1).


Studies of the brain inform us about the cognitive abilities of animals and hence affect the extent to which animals of that species are respected. However, they can also tell us how an individual is likely to be perceiving, attending to, evaluating, coping with, enjoying, or disturbed by its environment, and so can give direct information about welfare. In studies of welfare, we are especially interested in how an individual feels. Since this depends upon high-level brain processing, we have to investigate brain function. Brain correlates of preferred social, sexual and parental situations include elevated oxytocin in the para-ventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Abnormal behaviour may have brain correlates, for example, high frequencies of stereotypy are associated with down-regulated μ and κ receptors and dopamine depletion in the frontal cortex. Such results help in evaluating the effects of treatment on welfare. Some brain changes, such as increased glucocorticoid receptors in the frontal lobes or increased activity in the amygdala, may be a sensitive indicator of perceived emergency. Active immunological defences lead to cytokine production in the brain, vagal nerve activity and sickness effects. Some aspects of brain function can be temporarily suppressed, for example, by opioids when there is severe pain, or permanently impaired, for example, in severely impoverished environments or during depression. Coping attempts or environmental impact can lead to injury to the brain, damage to hippocampal neurons, remodelling of dendrites in the hippocampus, or to other brain disorganisation. Brain measures can explain the nature and magnitude of many effects on welfare.


In a review of 35 patients undergoing local thrombolysis using selective infusion of low-dose streptokinase, the overall success rate was 43%. Streptokinase appears to be most effective in occlusion of native arteries, in high-flow segments, and in autogenous saphenous vein grafts. Local streptokinase was least effective in occluded prosthetic grafts in the femoropopliteal segment (19% success). Distal embolization and progression of thrombosis of the distal arterial tree may occur while the patient is undergoing local thrombolysis and may result in limb loss. Hence, local thrombolysis is not recommended when surgical treatment is an alternative. Despite the low dose, systemic fibrinolytic effects and hemorrhagic complications were common occurrences; hence, routine hematologic monitoring is mandatory in patients undergoing lytic therapy with local infusion of streptokinase.


. The application of Electric Vehicles (EVs) is increasing in many countries, causing many researchers to focus on EV Rapid Charging Station (RCS) related issues. The optimal planning of RCS considering only distribution networks is not a reli-able approach. Moreover, the RCS location should be convenient to the EV user in a given EV driving range and the performance of the distribution system. In this paper, a multi-objective approach for optimal planning of RCS and Distributed Generators (DG) in a distributed system coupled with a transportation network is analyzed. The proposed optimal planning method aims to achieve reduced active power loss, EV user costs, and voltage deviation for effective RCS and DG planning. The approach includes the analysis of the test system with the base case, solo planning of RCS, planning of DGs with fixed RCS, and simultaneous optimal planning of RCS and DGs. Daily load variation at buses and hourly charging probability of EVs have been used in the analysis. IEEE 33 bus distribution system superimposed with a 25-node transportation network is considered the test system. Rao 3 algorithm is applied for optimization, and the results have been compared with PSO and JAYA algorithms.


We describe a new cast‐immobilization protocol to induce muscle atrophy in the lower hindlimb muscles of mice. Bilateral cast immobilization for 2 weeks in a shortened position resulted in a significant loss of muscle size and strength in the soleus and extensor digitorum longus. The availability of a model of cast immobilization in mice may benefit future studies targeting genetic or cell therapy interventions of muscle atrophy in transgenic and mutant mice strains. Muscle Nerve, 2005


Intussusception is a rare disease in adults. A demonstrable etiology is found in approximately 85% of all cases, and approximately 40% of them are caused by malignant tumors. A 65-year-old patient visited the outpatient department with mild abdominal pain without other symptoms. The initial laboratory test and simple X-ray showed normal findings. CT revealed intussusception in the ileocecal area. The initial colonoscopic biopsy revealed atypical cells. Follow up colonoscopy showed spontaneous reduction of the intussusception. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was suspected in the second colonoscopic biopsy. An elective operation was performed. This case reports a case of a spontaneous reduction of adult intussusception with a brief review of literature.


This paper deals with dynamic scheduling in real-time systems that have quality of service requirements. We assume that tasks are periodic and may miss their deadlines, occasionally, as defined by the so-called Skip-Over model. In this paper, we present a dynamic scheduling algorithm, called RLP (Red as Late as possible), a variant of earliest deadline to make slack stealing and get better performance in terms of ratio of periodic task instances which complete before their deadline. Simulation results show that RLP outperforms the two conventional skip-over algorithms, namely RTO (Red Tasks Only) and BWP (Blue When Possible), introduced about ten years ago. Finally, we present the integration of these QoS scheduling services into CLEOPATRE, a free open-source library which offers selectable real-time facilities on shelves


The ontogeny and function of gut‐associated‐lymphoid tissue is known to be critically dependent on the β7 integrin subfamily. We have investigated the development of intestinal inflammation and pathogen‐specific protective immunity to enteric helminth infection in β7 integrin knockout (KO) mice. During Trichinella spiralis infection of the small intestine there was a significant delay and reduction in the magnitude of intestinal eosinophilia and mastocytosis in the absence of β7 integrin, resulting in impaired host protection. Aberrant distribution of mast cells was also observed in the small intestine of infected KO mice. Adoptive transfer of primed wild‐type mesenteric lymph node cells into T. spiralis‐infected β7 KO mice did not restore the intestinal mast cell response, suggesting that the defect in intestinal mastocytosis is due to the absence of β7 expression on this population rather than an indirect consequence of reduced T cell numbers. In contrast, no impairment in leukocyte recruitment or protection against Trichuris muris infection of the large intestine was observed in KO mice. Taken together the data provide the first description of reduced leukocyte homing and attenuated protective immunity against helminth infection in β7 KO mice. Furthermore, these results suggest that β7 integrin‐independent adhesion molecule interactions are deployed in the large but not small intestine during intestinal inflammation.


Rod penile prosthesis implantation has a high functional success rate, and the devices have a low mechanical failure rate. The rods are easily implanted. Transient problems, such as pain or penile edema lasting longer than 4 weeks, occur in 10 to 15 per cent of patients, and serious complications such as infection or prosthesis erosion occur in 1 to 5 per cent.


To determine the optimum temperature at which the in situ kidney should be maintained while it is ischaemic, 47 mongrel dogs were studied. 35 of these underwent 90 minutes of left renal ischaemia with the kidney temperature maintained at 37 degree, 30 degree, 22 degree, 15 degree and 0 degree C respectively. The effect on renal function was determined by measurements of G.F.R. before and at regular 15-minute intervals after the inschaemic period. Computer statistical analysis exposed the optimum temperature to be 15 degree C. Renal artery blood flow, renal histology, 15-Cr labelled platelets and renal arteriography were used to determine the mechanism of ischaemic injury. Quantitation of renal cell injury confirmed that no additional protection to ischaemia could be gained by colling below 15 degree C. 15 degree C is recommended as the optimum temperature for use in clinical renal hypothermia.


We explore how one might detect the dynamical quantum Cheshire cat proposed by Aharonov et al. We show that, in practice, we need to bias the initial state by adding/subtracting a small probability amplitude (`field') of the orthogonal state, which travels with the disembodied property, to make the effect detectable (i.e. if our initial state is $|\uparrow_z\rangle$, we need to bias this with some small amount $\delta$ of state $|\downarrow_z\rangle$). This biasing, which can be done either directly or via weakly entangling the state with a pointer, effectively provides a phase reference with which we can measure the evolution of the state. The outcome can then be measured as a small probability difference in detections in a mutually unbiased basis, proportional to this biasing $\delta$. We show this is different from counterfactual communication, which provably does not require any probe field to travel between sender Bob and receiver Alice for communication. We further suggest an optical polarisation experiment where these phenomena might be demonstrated in a laboratory.


ABSTRACT Sera from 1,238 Vietnamese women in Hanoi were tested for herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). HSV-2 prevalence was 2.0%. The Kalon and Biokit assays showed significantly higher concordance to Western blotting data than did the Focus assay (P < 0.01). Screening by Focus and then retesting with Kalon/Biokit of positive samples can reduce falsely positive results significantly (P < 0.01).


This study sets out to examine the level of e-purse usage in Nigeria. Despite the invasion of e-purse as electronic banking channels that has the potential of disempowering the cash systems of exchange and granting firms competitive edge, it is interesting to note that the rate of cash usage still dominates in the Nigeria society. Thus, when compared with more advanced countries, less technically developed nations like Nigeria tend to be backward in terms of e-purse adoption and usage. The study results show that such factors as insecurity, erosion of privacy, customer inertia, operational difficulties and the like are the factors militating against e-purse usage in Nigeria. It is believed that if these inconsistencies are taken care of, the rate of e-purse acceptance will outweigh its present status in the near future.


The standard operating mode produces bremsstrahlung with an endpoint energy of about 18 MeV. This paper describes a new mode with a 8.5 MeV endpoint energy and the same standard mode pulse characteristics achieved by operating only half of the accelerator at full charge with the advantage of minimal setup time. An extension of the new half voltage mode is to use the other half of the accelerator for delivering a second pulse at a later time using the same technique. This double pulse mode is ideal for beam generation which requires a long interpulse time in the millisecond regime. The beam characteristics of the two half voltage pulses are nearly identical with the nominal radiation pulse full width at half maximum of 21 ns and 10-90% risetime of 11 ns.


Natural evolution must explore a vast landscape of possible sequences for desirable yet rare mutations, suggesting that learning from natural evolutionary strategies could accelerate artificial evolution. Here, we report that deep learning algorithms known as protein language models can evolve human antibodies with high efficiency, despite providing the models with no information about the target antigen, binding specificity, or protein structure, and also requiring no additional task-specific finetuning or supervision. We performed language-model-guided affinity maturation of seven diverse antibodies, screening 20 or fewer variants of each antibody across only two rounds of evolution. Our evolutionary campaigns improved the binding affinities of four clinically relevant antibodies up to 7-fold and three unmatured antibodies up to 160-fold across diverse viral antigens, with many designs also demonstrating improved thermostability and viral neutralization activity. Notably, our algorithm requires only a single wildtype sequence and computes recommended amino acid changes in less than a second. Moreover, the same models that improve antibody binding also guide efficient evolution across diverse protein families and selection pressures, indicating that these results generalize to many natural settings. Contrary to prevailing notions of evolution as difficult and resource-intensive, our results suggest that when constrained to a narrow manifold of evolutionary plausibility, evolution can become much easier, which we refer to as the "efficient manifold hypothesis."


Because of its notable electrical and mechanical properties, the highly conductive graphene paper has great potential applications in future flexible electronics. In this study, we report a simple and effective method to prepare vertically aligned graphene oxide papers from graphene oxide suspensions by an improved electrospray deposition technique with a moving stage, which is controlled by computer. Then, the flexible reduced graphene oxide papers are successfully synthesized after reduction by using hydroiodic acid. The obtained reduced graphene oxide paper has an electrical conductivity as high as 6180 S/m, which is more than one and a half times of the reduced graphene oxide paper film, which was fabricated by using the electrospray deposition technique without the moving stage. The experimental results approved for the first time that the degree of alignment of reduced graphene oxide sheets can affect the conductivity of the reduced graphene oxide papers. Further electrochemical measurements for a symmetrical supercapacitor device based on the prepared reduced graphene oxide paper indicate that it has great capacitive performance and electrochemical stability. It exhibited relatively high specific capacitance (174 F·g-1) at a current density of 1 A·g-1 in 6 M KOH aqueous solution, and its capacitance can retain approximately 86% after 1000 cycles. In addition, patterned freestanding reduced graphene oxide papers, which have potential applications in many fields such as stretchable electronics and wearable devices, also can be fabricated by using this method.


The light transport captures a scene's visual complexity. Acquiring light transport for dynamic scenes is difficult, since any change in viewpoint, materials, illumination or geometry also varies the transport. One strategy to capture dynamic light transport is to use a fast "flying-dot" projector; i.e., where an impulse light-probe is quickly scanned across the scene. We have built a novel fast flying-dot projector prototype using a high speed camera and a scanning MEMS (Micro-electro-mechanical system) mirror. Our contributions are calibration strategies that enable dynamic light transport acquisition at near video rates with such a system. We develop new methods for overcoming the effects of MEMS mirror resonance. We utilize new algorithms for denoising impulse scanning at high frame rates and compare the trade-offs in visual quality between frame rate and illumination power. Finally, we show the utility of our calibrated setup by demonstrating graphics applications such as video relighting, direct/global separation, and dual videography for dynamic scenes such as fog, water, and glass. Please see our accompanying video for dynamic scene results.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

INTRODUCTION: To predict the postoperative total renal function after renal surgery, we measured preserved renal cortex volume and examined the estimation of postoperative eGFR of from preoperative multidetector CT.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 2011 to 2013, 39 patients with preoperative contrast enhanced multi detector CT were underwent renal removal surgery at Teikyo University Hospital. Preoperative and postoperative renal function were assessed by estimating glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). The renal cortex volume (RCV) was calculated automatically by imaging volumetry computer software. Addition of normal side RCV and disease side RCV that was subtracted by tumor region determined as total RCV. The postoperative RCV was defined as preserved renal cortex volume (RCV preservation), which is normal side RCV. The factors that affected the postoperative renal function were examined by univariate and multivariate analysis. For developing the models to estimate postoperative eGFR, we used stepwise (backward elimination) method for identifying the predictors. To assess of the relative quality of these statistical models, both Akaike information criterion (AIC) and Root mean square error of the cross validation (RMSE CV) were calculated. Then tour model was examined as the external validation with 10 patients in Jyuntendo University Hospital.

RESULTS: The postoperative eGFR value was associated with age (P <0.01), preserved Renal Parenchymal Volume, and preserved Renal Cortex Volume (P <0.01, P =0.03, respectively). With univariate analysis, %GFR alternation significant correlated with % RCV preservation (r = 0.58, p <0.01) and with % RPV preservation (r = 0.54, p <0.01). Age and preoperative eGFR show poor statistically significant correlations. The alteration of renal cortex volume is the strongest predictor for the postoperative eGFR alteration rate.From the results, we identified the independent predictors of eGFR. AIC and RMSE CV values were 198.7 and 60.4 respectively. Our developed regression model as follows: postoperative eGFR=57.87 -0.55(Age)-15.01(BSA)+0.30(preoperative eGFR)+52.92(% RCV preservation). A strong correlation was seen between postoperative eGFR and estimation model (R=0.805, p <0.001 and RMSE value was 7.16). The results of external validation cohort, residual sum of squares of our equation was calculated as 647.77, which show better predictive value than the previous reported estimation models.

CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative MDCT based RCV measurements are associated with postoperative renal function in patients undergoing renal surgery. Computer aided image analysis system makes this procedure simple and reproducible method. Combining CT renal volumetry and patient data might be the important prediction tool for postoperative renal function and risk assessment tool for the CKD after renal surgery.

Citation Format: Shuji Isotani, Hiroshi Shimoyama, Yasuhiro Noma, Keisuke Saito, Satoru Muto, Hisamitsu Ide, Raizo Yamaguchi, Shigeo Horie. The prediction of postoperative renal function from renal cortex volumetry with preoperative multidetector computed tomography. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 114. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-114


The freedom to try new things plays a vital role for employees engaging in creative endeavors. This freedom can be influenced by one's relationship with her supervisor, relationship with her team, and various work pressures. One of the first steps to reaching creative output is to have a playful attitude toward work where there is encouragement and processes that allow individuals to take risks and try new things. However, we argue that what allows someone to try new things earlier in their career and when they are more established might be different. Noteworthy progress has been made in conceptualizing the multi-level factors that are important for creativity. In the current study, we identified variables associated with a willingness to try new things, part of the exploration phase of creativity, and divided them by the early and established careers of 59 Nobel Prize winners. Using a historiometric approach, we rated individual and team-level variables to identify what makes someone try new things either earlier or later in her career. Findings indicate that willingness to try new things is related to autonomy, the relationship with one's mentor, team climate, and team network, but not to personal initiative.


Children showing poor executive functioning may not fully benefit from learning experiences at home and school and may lag behind in literacy skills. This hypothesis was tested in a sample of 276 kindergarten children. Executive functions and literacy skills were tested at about 61 months and again a year later. In line with earlier studies, correlations between both skills were significant at age 5 years, but the predictive value of executive functions on alphabetic skills weakened or disappeared 1 year later. Assuming that executive functions are in development at this age and change has to be taken into account, we applied fixed effects analyses (FEAs) to repeated measures of alphabetic skills and executive functions. FEAs demonstrated that changes in children's alphabetic skills concur with changes in executive functions, thus strengthening inferences about a causal relationship. Executive functions are unstable in the early stages of cognitive development and one-time measures cannot predict their impact on reading 1 year later. Consequences of this new insight are discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Normal human serum (NHS) contained an amoebicidal property for Acanthamoeba culbertsoni. Killing was quantitated by measuring the ability of the amoebae to undergo cell division subsequent to exposure to NHS, and also by microscopical examination. Plasma membrane disruption and extrusion of intracellular components occurred within 5-10 min following exposure to NHS. Adsorption of specific antibody did not remove the amoebicidal activity while heating serum at 56 degrees C/30 min or treatment with zymosan prevented the killing of A. culbertsoni. Haemolytic complement was consumed and C3 conversion occurred during the incubation of NHS with amoebae. Killing required the presence of the late complement components. The findings that (a) amoebae were killed in C2 deficient human serum and ethylene glycol tetra-acetic acid (EGTA), but not ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) treated NHS; (b) haemolytic complement consumption, which occurred by incubating NHS with the amoebae, could be prevented by addition of EDTA, but not EGTA and (c) conversion of C3 occurred in the presence of EGTA, but not EDTA, indicated that activation of the alternative pathway of complement was involved. This may be of importance as a natural defence mechanism in humans against A. culbertsoni infections.


SUMMARY: The biosynthesis of wax esters by the psychrophilic bacterium Micrococcus cryophilus has been investigated using radio-gas chromatographic analysis of the constituent fatty acid and fatty alcohol moieties. Degradation studies, using α;-oxidation, and the kinetics of labelling from radioactive precursors show that wax ester fatty alcohols are derived from fatty acids. Based on different labelling patterns in wax esters and phospholipids formed from acetate or a saturated fatty acid supplied exogenously, two pathways of wax ester biosynthesis are proposed. It is suggested that wax esters can be derived in the main from either a cytoplasmic or a membrane-bound pool of fatty acyl-coenzyme A thioesters and alcohols, depending on whether the fatty acid is synthesized endogenously or is supplied exogenously.


Previous treatment studies for papillomatous digital dermatitis (PDD) have found that recurrence of lesions is high and that treatment must be ongoing to control the disease. In a previous study we found that 18/22 lesions treated with lincomycin or oxytetracycline in a foot wrap appeared to be healed one month after treatment. When biopsies were examined we found that 10/18 (55%) of the lesions that appeared to be healed had some microscopic evidence of activity. We could not differentiate between lesions that were incompletely healed and those that were new infections. This study was designed to follow 30 cows with PDD for one year after treatment. Observations were to be made at monthly intervals.


Interventions aimed at improving access to healthy food in low-income communities should consider the preferences of residents. Household food shoppers in two urban, low-income communities were asked about their preferences for vendors at, and qualities of, a potential nearby food hub. Universally, participants preferred availability of whole foods, primarily fruits and vegetables. They also favored cleanliness, quality, and affordability. The demographics and preferences of potential customers raise central issues that would need to be integrated into the development of a food hub, namely affordability (likely through subsidization), attention to accommodation and cultural accessibility, and programming that builds community.


Introduction Mentoring as a concept has been in existence throughout the centuries. For instance, Socrates mentored Plato, Plato mentored Aristotle, and Aristotle mentored Alexander the Great. The Holy Bible is also full of information about mentoring practices. For example, Elijah mentored Elisha; Jesus Christ mentored His disciples and Paul did the same to Timothy. Mentoring is a sustained relationship between a youth (one who is professionally young) and an adult (experienced professional). This is achieved through a sustained involvement. In this case a more advanced and experienced librarian offers support, guidance, and assistance as the younger professional (librarian) goes through a difficult time, faces new challenges or works to correct earlier problems. Nigeria with an estimated population of over 140 million is a vast country and the giant of Africa. There are three major ethnic groups (Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba) and over 250 minor ethnic groups. Since independence the country has witnessed a number of inter and intra ethnic and religious crises which continue to be an impediment to its overall development. Major causes of conflict include mistrust, suspicion, and intolerance between the followers of the various religious and ethnic groups. While most Nigerians endeavor to work and earn an honest living, some of these ethnic and religious conflicts at times find a way of creeping into relationships at work. In the area of tertiary education, Nigeria has over one hundred universities under the categories of Federal, Private and State. Problems related to ethnicity and religion sometimes interfere with the smooth running of affairs. Awuzie (2009) noted this problem when he stated that vice-chancellors as heads of universities use their position to favor those from their own clan or ethnic nationality. The Federal Government of Nigeria is not unaware of the seriousness of this problem as Oyekanmi & Njoku (2009) reported that the Federal Government has issued a warning to all federal universities within the country, who adopt ethnic and religious considerations when selecting their vice-chancellors, to desist from such acts or face sanctions. University libraries and library associations in Nigeria are no doubt part of the larger society, and have their fair share of societal problems. The Nigerian Library Association is a large professional body with a membership of over 5,000 professional librarians (Nigerian Library Association, 2008). In a workshop organized by the Goethe Institute in Lagos, the Nigerian Library Association President, Victoria Okojie, stated that it is time for librarians to come together to help one another and provide quality information services with the most senior librarians helping the younger ones to grow professionally. This is because the university library is a challenging place to work, as librarians are expected to be up-to-date with respect to the provision of current information. Lancaster (1993) points out that the operation of the library can be considered as essentially a marriage between the information resources and the personnel, as the library consists mainly of information resources and personnel who are skilled in the exploitation of information resources on behalf of users. Library duties cannot be adequately performed to provide effective services in situations where less experienced staff members are not coached or advised on how to go about their professional duties. Turner & Raskin, (2004), affirm this, by stating that the best collections and latest technology are useless without outstanding, service-oriented staff. Okoh (2005), states that the tool which has been adopted by many organisations to improve staff competence and improve organisational productivity, is mentoring. While the concept of mentoring is not new, most university libraries in Nigeria are yet to develop mentoring programmes that will offer less experienced staff members the opportunity of benefiting from the knowledge of their superiors. …


Adopting LB film method, an arachidic acid (AA)/PEDOT multilayer LB film was chosen, and polymerized EDOT monomers in hydrophilic group of LB to prepare arachidic acid (AA)/PEDOT multilayer LB film. UV-Vis, FT-IR and XPS analyses implied that EDOT was effectively polymerized in film, and thus PEDOT conducting polymer was produced. Analyses of XRR and SIMS indicated that film had a well-arranged lamella structure, and further research showed that polymerization of EDOT in AA film destroyed the orderliness of the original LB film. This phenomenon could be related to the destructive effect of polymerization on layered structure. We used four-point probe and semiconductor instrument to study the conductivity property of the film, and observed that the conductivity of AA/PEDOT film had sudden changes with the processing time of changes in effective conduction network. That was caused by "permeability" in conducting channel of multilayer film. The test results also indicated that the conductivity of AA/PEDOT film was obviously better than that of spin-coating PEDOT/PSS film or that of ODA-SA/PEDOT-PSS film, which was due to the higher π structure of PEDOT structure and ordered film structure.


BACKGROUND
Clavicle fractures are common, accounting for 2.6% to 4% of all fractures. Eighty per cent of clavicle fractures are located in the middle third of the clavicle. Although treatment of these fractures is usually non-surgical, displaced clavicle fractures may be considered for surgical treatment because of their greater risk of non-union. This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2013.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the effects (benefits and harms) of surgical versus conservative interventions for treating middle third clavicle fractures.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Bone, Joint and Muscle Trauma Specialised Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS, trials registries and reference lists updated to December 2017. We did not apply any language or publication restrictions.

SELECTION CRITERIA
We considered randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials evaluating surgical versus conservative interventions for treating fractures in the middle third of the clavicle. The primary outcomes were shoulder function or disability, pain and treatment failure, defined as the number of participants who had been given a non-routine secondary surgical intervention (excluding hardware removal), for symptomatic non-union, malunion or other complications.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
At least two review authors selected eligible studies, independently assessed risk of bias and cross-checked data. Where appropriate, we pooled results of comparable studies.

MAIN RESULTS
We included 14 studies involving 1469 participants with acute middle third clavicle fractures. All studies included adults, with the overall range from 17 to 70 years. Of the studies that reported gender, men were over-represented. Ten studies compared plate fixation with sling or figure-of-eight bandage, or both, and four studies compared intramedullary fixation with wearing either a sling or a figure-of-eight bandage. Almost all studies had design features that carry a high risk of bias, thus limiting the strength of their findings.Low-quality evidence from 10 studies (838 participants), showed that, compared with conservative treatment, surgical treatment of acute middle third clavicle fractures may not improve upper arm function at follow-up of one year or longer: standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.02 to 0.67. We downgraded the quality of the evidence because of risk of bias and high statistical heterogeneity (I2 = 83%). This corresponds to a mean improvement of 2.3 points in favour of surgery (0.14 points worse to 4.69 points better), on the 100-point Constant score; this does not represent a clinically important difference. There may be no difference in pain measured using a visual analogue scale (0 to 100 mm; higher scores mean worse pain) between treatments (mean difference (MD) -0.60 mm, 95% CI -3.51 to 2.31; 277 participants, 3 studies; low-quality evidence reflecting risk of bias and imprecision). Surgery may reduce the risk of treatment failure, that is, number of participants who had non-routine secondary surgical intervention (excluding hardware removal), for symptomatic non-union, malunion or other complication (risk ratio (RR) 0.32, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.50; 1197 participants, 12 studies; low-quality evidence, downgraded for risk of bias and imprecision). The main source of treatment failure was mechanical failure (3.4%) in the surgery group and symptomatic non-union (11.6%) in the conservative-treatment group.We are uncertain whether surgery results in fewer people having one or more cosmetic problems, such as deformities, which were more common after conservative treatment, or hardware prominence or scarring, which only occurred in the surgery group (RR 0.55, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.98; 1130 participants, 11 studies; I2 = 63%; very low-quality evidence downgraded for risk of bias, imprecision and inconsistency). We are uncertain whether there is any difference between surgery and conservative treatment in the risk of incurring an adverse outcome that includes local infection, dehiscence, symptomatic malunion, discomfort leading to implant removal, skin and nerve problems: RR 1.34, 95% CI 0.68 to 2.64; 1317 participants, 14 studies; I2 = 72%; very low-quality evidence, downgraded for risk of bias, imprecision and inconsistency). Hardware removal for discomfort was a common adverse outcome in the surgery group (10.2%) while symptomatic malunion was more common in the conservative-treatment group (11.3% versus 1.2% in the surgery group). Infection occurred only in the surgery group (3.2%). There may be no between-group difference in quality of life at one year (SF-12 or SF-36 physical component scores: 0 to 100 scale, where 100 is the best score): MD 0.30 (95% CI -1.95 to 2.56, 321 participants, 2 studies; low-quality evidence downgraded for risk of bias and imprecision).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There is low-quality evidence that surgical treatment has no additional benefits in terms of function, pain and quality of life compared with conservative treatment, but may result in fewer treatment failures overall. Very low-quality evidence means that we are very uncertain of the findings of a slightly better cosmetic result after surgery and of no difference between surgical and conservative treatment in the risk of adverse events. For both composite outcomes, there is a need to consider the balance of risks between the individual outcomes; for example, surgical adverse events, including wound infection or dehiscence and hardware irritation, against risk of adverse events that may be more commonly associated with conservative treatment such as symptomatic malunion and shoulder stiffness.Treatment options must be chosen on an individual patient basis, after careful consideration of the relative benefits and harms of each intervention and of patient preferences.


Background The improvements in nutrition status in Bangladesh, particularly child nutrition outcomes, have been relatively slow, despite remarkable improvements in the country's food situation as well as in the health sector. At present more than 40% of children under 5 years of age are stunted. Objective To examine the specific food, agriculture, and health policies that have existed and currently exist in Bangladesh from the perspective of nutrition and identify gaps in the policy framework for which improvements in nutrition have been slow. Methods Policy documents, public financial and budget documents, and related papers were reviewed. Several interviews with former civil servants and bureaucrats were conducted. Results The approach to achieving food security has been a partial one, with policy provisions focusing excessively on increasing the availability of food, primarily rice. The "accessibility" pillar of food security has received little attention, while the neglect of the "utilization" pillar is conspicuous by the dearth of appropriate policies and laws for ensuring food safety. The efforts in the health sector have largely concentrated on expanding the coverage of primary healthcare, with little consideration of equity and quality. Conclusions There exists a wide window of unexplored opportunity to align the remarkable increases in food production and advances in the health sector with nutrition considerations toward an improved nutrition status in Bangladesh.


Should children be allowed to visit ill parents in the intensive care unit? This question was posed in the November/December 2006 issue of Dimensions of Critical Care Nurses. The responses of readers are presented in this article.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of interventional therapy with norcantharidin-alginic acid/poly acid anhydride microspheres (N-MS) infusion via hepatic artery on hepatoma in rats.

METHODS
N-MS was prepared by emulsion-chemical crosslink technique. Eighty-nine hepatoma-bearing rats were randomly divided into five groups, which were normal saline group, norcantharidin (NCTD) group, blank microsphere (B-MS) group, NCTD-lipiodol group and N-MS group. Normal saline, NCTD, B-MS, NCTD-lipiodol and N-MS were injected via hepatic artery accordingly. After the interventional therapy, eight rats from each group were observed for survival time, and the rest rats were killed on the 8th day after intervention to measure the tumor volume and necrostic degree. The apoptotic index of liver tumor cells was detected by TUNEL staining, and the expression of ki-67 was assayed by immuno-histochemical streptavidin-biotin peroxidase method.

RESULTS
The survival time of the rats in the N-MS group was prolonged as compared with those in the other four groups, and the tumor volume of the rats in the N-MS group was smaller than those in the other four groups. The tumor growth rate and the expression level of ki-67 in the N-MS group were both significantly lower than those in the other four groups. The tumor necrotic degree and the apoptotic index in the N-MS group were significantly higher than those in the other four groups.

CONCLUSION
Interventional therapy with N-MS could yield preferable therapeutic effects on hepatomas in rats. This anti-tumor efficacy may be associated with microvessel embolization in liver tumor and the sustained releasing of NCTD. Its inhibiting effect on tumor cell proliferation maybe result from decreasing the expression of Ki-67 and inducing the tumor cell apoptosis.


We consider generalized complete intersection manifolds in the product space of projective spaces, and work out useful aspects pertaining to the cohomology of sheaves over them. First, we present and prove a vanishing theorem on the cohomology groups of sheaves for subvarieties of the ambient product space of projective spaces. We then prove an equivalence between configuration matrices of complete intersection Calabi-Yau manifolds. We also present a formula of the genus of curves in generalized complete intersection manifolds. Some of these curves arise as the fixed point locus of certain symmetry group action on the generalized complete intersection Calabi-Yau manifolds. We also make a blowing-up along the curves, by which one can generate new Calabi-Yau manifolds. Moreover, an approach on spectral sequences is used to compute Hodge numbers of generalized complete intersection Calabi-Yau manifolds and the genus of curves therein.


In the current study, data collected from Wave 6 of the Millennium Cohort Study (n = 11,872), a nationally representative sample survey of youth aged 14 years in the UK, are used to examine the prevalence of loneliness among this age-group, investigate the feelings associated with the experience of loneliness among youth, explore the risk factors for loneliness among young people, and learn how they coped with loneliness. Given recent findings that youth are vulnerable to loneliness, the study assesses the prevalence of loneliness among adolescents across some important sociodemographic characteristics, such as nation of residence, gender, and ethnicity. We also identify the kinds of social experiences that accompany loneliness during adolescence, exploring friendship, relations with parents, social support, and bullying. Our key finding is that, in addition to the absence of desired social relationships, which has been typically identified as the ultimate source of loneliness, the presence of undesirable and even harmful social relationships is a major source of loneliness. This study uniquely brings together psychological and sociological perspectives to understand the experience of youth loneliness.


We use monthly data across fifteen euro-area economies for the period 1985:1-2015:3 to obtain different monetary policy shocks pertaining to more versus less informed individuals. We then investigate how these affect inflation expectations of different types of consumers before and after the incidence of the recent Crisis. Shocks obtained based on the assumption that individuals are well informed can have different impact on inflation expectations as compared to shocks obtained based on the assumption that they are not as informed. Moreover, monetary policy can have different effects on inflation expectations for different types of consumers. Finally, monetary policy has different effects on inflation expectations after as compared to before the incidence of the recent Crisis.


Abstract. The devastating impact of the tsunami of 26 December 2004 on the shores of the Indian Ocean recalled the importance of knowledge and the taking into account of coastal hazards. Sri Lanka was one of the countries most affected by this tsunami (e.g. 30 000 dead, 1 million people homeless and 70% of the fishing fleet destroyed). Following this tsunami, as part of the French post-tsunami aid, a project to establish a Geographical Information System (GIS) on coastal hazards and risks was funded. This project aims to define, at a pilot site, a methodology for multiple coastal hazards assessment that might be useful for the post-tsunami reconstruction and for development planning. This methodology could be applied to the whole coastline of Sri Lanka. The multi-hazard approach deals with very different coastal processes in terms of dynamics as well as in terms of return period. The first elements of this study are presented here. We used a set of tools integrating a GIS, numerical simulations and risk scenario modelling. While this action occurred in response to the crisis caused by the tsunami, it was decided to integrate other coastal hazards into the study. Although less dramatic than the tsunami these remain responsible for loss of life and damage. Furthermore, the establishment of such a system could not ignore the longer-term effects of climate change on coastal hazards in Sri Lanka. This GIS integrates the physical and demographic data available in Sri Lanka that is useful for assessing the coastal hazards and risks. In addition, these data have been used in numerical modelling of the waves generated during periods of monsoon as well as for the December 2004 tsunami. Risk scenarios have also been assessed for test areas and validated by field data acquired during the project. The results obtained from the models can be further integrated into the GIS and contribute to its enrichment and to help in better assessment and mitigation of these risks. The coastal-hazards-and-risks GIS coupled with modelling thus appears to be a very useful tool that can constitute the skeleton of a coastal zone management system. Decision makers will be able to make informed choices with regards to hazards during reconstruction and urban planning projects.


Now it is much more prevalent to mine complex data in the fields of data mining and the main methods include the experience and technology of no-structer data mining. On account of the flexible practicability and broad appliance of graph theory and technology, the research of graph-based data mining has presently been becoming an important direction in this domain. In this paper, knowledge discovery researching was studyed throgh the technology of correlative graphbased data mining. The concept of CTGEILP(Correlative Term Graph-based Extended Inductive Logic Programming) and the correlative term graph were bring forward, and then discussing the reasoning technology by combining correlative term graph theory and inductive logic programming technic. Next we design the technology of refutable consequence in CTGE-ILP and the corresponding algorithm. At last an prototype integrating both the idea and technic above was opened up and turned out its validity via the data demonstration.


Child, Youth and Family Health 2e begins by discussing issues and challenges in child, youth and family health, before addressing contexts for nursing and midwifery, all of which helps readers apply theory to practice. This community healthcare textbook offers additional insight into the importance of the healthcare professional's role when working with children, young people and their families, and looks at practical approaches such as program development, supporting family transitions and mental health promotion. [Book Synopsis]


In recent years, international organizations, think-tanks, and the social sciences have contributed to a dramatic expansion in the range of composite indices measuring concepts such as human development, governance, or social capital. This paper discusses challenges faced in the design of composite indices, and suggests the method known as matching percentiles as a solution to the problem of how to aggregate social institutional data. We produce a set of indices measuring the health of five dimensions of social development: civic activism, clubs and associations, inter-group cohesion, interpersonal safety and trust, and gender equity. We then conduct a series of diagnostic tests which demonstrate the robustness of the new measures, and assess their degree of construct validity.


This study examined the development of pre-service teachers' skills in analysing the achievements of secondary school sixth grade Information Technologies and Software Course curriculum in regard to the revised Bloom's taxonomy at a western Anatolian university in Turkey. A single group pre-test, post-test experimental design was used, and 99 pre-service teachers participated in the study. The sample was determined according to the purposive sampling method. The pre-test presented achievements for the pre-service teachers to analyse in regard to the revised Bloom's taxonomy, after which the revised Bloom's taxonomy's analysis was taught. The achievements were given as the post-test for pre-service teachers to re-analyse. The pre-service teachers' total scores were calculated based on their accuracy. The pre- and post-test total scores were compared, and the total scores of the post-test were higher than those of the pre-test. Suggestions were made regarding future research on the revised Bloom's taxonomy and achievements analysis teaching.


American trypanosomiasis is a potentially lethal disease caused by the hemoflagellate protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. This neglected disease affects from 6 to 7 million people worldwide. Currently there are only two medicines to treat this disease: beznidazol and nifurtimox, both effective if they are administrated in the acute phase of infection, although their effectiveness fades away in the chronic phase; it also induces significant side effects. The aim of this study is to screen the trypanocidal activity of methanolic extracts from Hematoxilum brasiletto , Marrubium vulgare, Schinus molle, and Cympongon citratus , against T. cruzi epimastigotes, followed by the chromatographic separation, and identification of active compounds of the best candidate by colored chemical reactions; furthermore, it was also determined their cytotoxic effect in human lymphocytes and the brine shrimp Artemia salina . The extract of H. brasiletto showed the highest anti- T. cruzi activity with a inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) of 543 µg/mL; in descending order, it was followed by M. vulgare (IC 50 = 647 µg/mL), S. molle (IC = 827 µg/mL) and finally, C. citratus (IC = 1 210 µg/mL). The chromatographic fraction Fr22 from H. brasiletto showed the best anti- T. cruzi effectivity (IC 50 = 0.238 mg/mL), when compared to the other fraction or the whole extract, with no cytotoxic effect against human lymphocytes or A. salina . The active compounds were identified as tannins, quinones, flavonoids and sesquiterpenlactones. In conclusion, active compounds against T. cruzi were identified for the first time in H. brasiletto, with non-cytotoxic effects. The H. brasiletto extract, according to our results, could be used as an alternative treatment for the Chagas disease; however, additional studies will be necessary to test their activity and doses in a murine model, with the complete identification of the active compounds, on which we are investigating.


ObjectivesCyst infection (CI) is a common problem in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) and the accurate detection of infected cysts is very important. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose-labeled white blood cell (WBC) PET/computed tomography (CT) for detection of infected cysts in patients with ADPKD. Patients and methodsSeventeen patients with ADPKD (male : female, 6 : 11; age, 53±9 years) and suspected CI were enrolled in this prospective study. Patients were classified as having definite/probable/possible CI. All patients underwent WBC PET/CT within 2 days of starting antibiotic treatment. The degree of WBC accumulation was evaluated qualitatively by nuclear medicine physicians. The diagnostic performance of WBC PET/CT was evaluated by sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, and negative predictive values. These values were compared with those generated from CT scans and MRI. ResultsSeven patients were classified as having renal CI (definite 6, probable 1). In this group, WBC PET/CT showed six positive findings and one equivocal finding. Seven patients were diagnosed with possible infection. In this group, WBC PET/CT showed six negative findings and one indeterminate finding. The diagnostic performance of WBC PET/CT showed advantages over CT or MRI scans (sensitivity 85.7%, specificity 87.5%, positive predictive value 85.7%, negative predictive value 87.5%). ConclusionThis prospective study shows that WBC PET/CT can provide an accurate diagnosis of CI in patients with ADPKD.


Mucosal dendritic cells (DCs) play a crucial role in the maintenance of intestinal immune homeostasis. However, how DCs become mucosal DCs is still unclear. In this study, we investigated whether retinoic acid (RA) induced the mucosal DC phenotype and function, and the mechanisms involved in this process. We report here that bone marrow cells expressed RA-synthesizing enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase family 1a2 (ALDH1a2) and provided RA to DC precursors in the bone marrow microenvironment. RA induced bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs) to express gut-homing receptor CCR9 and ALDH1a2. Similar to mucosal DCs, RA-educated DCs (RA-DCs) promoted conversion of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells from naïve Foxp3- precursors, induced B cell IgA secretion, and enhanced lymphocyte gut-homing receptor expression. The effect of RA on educating BMDCs to acquire mucosal DC functionality was dependent on a narrow time window and tight dose. RA inhibited DC SOCS3 expression through direct interference with SOCS3 promoter activity thus enhanced STAT3 activation, which promoted bioactive TGF-β production. In cooperation with RA signaling, commensal microbiota stimulation further enhanced RA-DC ALDH1a2 expression and was required for RA-DC TGF-β production. Our data reveal a mechanism for RA to instruct bone marrow DC precursors to differentiate into mucosal-like DCs. Cooperation of RA signaling and microbiota stimulation is required for the development of fully functional mucosal DCs.


The transition from tin-lead to lead free soldering in the electronics manufacturing industry has been in progress for the past 10 years. In the interim period before lead free assemblies are uniformly accepted, mixed formulation solder joints are becoming commonplace in electronic assemblies. For example, area array components (BGA/CSP) are frequently available only with lead free Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) solder balls. Such parts are often assembled to printed circuit boards using traditional 63Sn-37Pb solder paste. The resulting solder joints contain unusual quaternary alloys of Sn, Ag, Cu, and Pb. In addition, the alloy composition can vary across the solder joint based on the paste to ball solder volumes and the reflow profile utilized. The mechanical and physical properties of such Sn-Ag-Cu-Pb alloys have not been explored extensively in the literature. In addition, the reliability of mixed formulation solder joints is poorly understood. In this work, we have explored the physical properties and mechanical behavior of mixed formulation solder materials. Seven different mixture ratios of 63Sn-37Pb and SAC305 solder materials have been formed, which include five carefully controlled mixtures of the two solder alloys (by weight percentage) and the two extreme cases (pure Sn-Pb and pure SAC). For the various percentage mixtures, the melting point, pasty range, stress-strain curves, mechanical properties (modulus, strength), and creep curves have been characterized. The variations of the mechanical properties and creep rates with aging at room temperature (25 °C) and elevated temperature (100 °C) have also been measured. Finally, the microstructures realized with the various mixtures have been found and correlated to the mechanical measurements and microstructures found in actual mixed formulation BGA solder joints. The results for the mechanical and physical properties show a very complicated dependence on the mixture ratio.


Numerous asthma and atopy loci have been reported in studies demonstrating associations of the asthma-related phenotypes atopy, elevated IgE levels, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness with alleles of microsatellite markers and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within specific cytokine/chemokine and IgE-regulating genes. Although the studies reporting these observations are compelling, most of them lack statistical power. We assessed the nature, pattern, and frequency of SNPs in 24 candidate genes in Iceland and looked for associations with asthma and atopy. We identified 42 SNPs with an average minor allele frequency of 20.3% (asthma) and 20.7% (control). Twenty SNPs (48%) were within coding sequences and 90% of those led to a predicted change in protein sequence. No differences were detected in the allelic frequencies of SNPs in any of these candidate genes between control subjects and the patients with atopic asthma. Moreover, linkage analysis that included 269 patients with atopic asthma uncovered no evidence of linkage to markers associated with these genes. We conclude that this study has failed to produce evidence in support of the notion that variations within these 24 candidate atopy and asthma genes significantly influence the expression of the atopic asthmatic phenotype or contribute to the susceptibility of atopic asthma.


The goal of this paper is to implement a system, titled as Drone Map Creator (DMC) using Computer Vision techniques. DMC can process visual information from an HD camera in a drone and automatically create a map by stitching together visual information captured by a drone. The proposed approach employs the Speeded up robust features (SURF) method to detect the key points for each image frame; then the corresponding points between the frames are identified by maximizing the determinant of a Hessian matrix. Finally, two images are stitched together by using the identified points. Our results show that despite some limitations from the external environment, we could have successfully stitched images together along video sequences.


In this paper, we present a novel analytical model for the service delay in IEEE 802.11 networks. This model is capable of closely tracking service delay's behavior in real wireless local area networks. We find a compact closed-form expression for the probability-generating function (PGF) of service delay using which all higher-order moments are achievable. We begin with finding the service-delay PGF; then we determine the probability density (mass) function of the delay metric by taking the inverse z-transform using numerical methods. At last, by comparing the first two statistical moments of this PGF with the mean delay and standard deviation from simulation results, the accuracy of the proposed analytical model is proved.


Edible dormice (Glis glis) reproduce in years with beech mast seeding, but entire populations may skip reproduction in years when tree seeds, a major food resource of this small hibernator, are absent. We tested the hypothesis that the year-to-year variability in reproductive effort caused by this breeding strategy should lead to detectable differences in yearly survival rates. Therefore, we analyzed capture-recapture data from animals occupying nest boxes, collected over nine years at two study sites in Germany. Among fully grown adults (aged two years or older), survival probabilities were significantly lower (0.32 +/- 0.04) after reproductive years (n = 5) compared to years (n = 4) with absent or below-average reproduction (0.58 +/- 0.07) on both study sites. This trade-off between reproduction and subsequent survival was observed in both females and males and appears to be a relatively rare case in which costs of reproduction in terms of longevity are detectable at the population level. Effects of reproduction on survival were less pronounced when yearlings (with a generally lower reproductive effort) were included and were more distinct in a suboptimal habitat. Of those females breeding in nest boxes, 96.5% had only one or two litters within the study period. Considering these and previously published results, including a report of extremely high mean longevities (9-12 years) of dormice in a habitat with infrequent mast seeding, we conclude that edible dormice flexibly adjust life history tactics to local mast patterns. Long stretches of mast failures can in fact lead to relative semelparity, i.e., a strategy in which dormice "sit tight" for several years until environmental conditions are favorable for reproduction.


Near-normal incidence reflectance spectra of Fe, Co and Ni dihalides have been measured over the energy region 2-31 eV from 300 to 30 K with the use of synchrotron radiation. A complete study of the dielectric function epsilon (E), the energy-loss function -Im(1/ epsilon (E)), epsilon 0.eff(E) and Neff(E) is made for all crystals by Kramers-Kronig analysis of the optical data. The structures observed up to about 13 eV in transition-metal chlorides and bromides have been assigned to allowed charge-transfer transitions, direct excitons and valence-to-conduction band transitions. Corners and maxima are then identified in terms of direct interband transitions at the symmetry points Gamma , Z, F and L and along the symmetry line Lambda of the Brillouin zone according to the available band structure of FeCl2, CoCl2, NiCl2 and NiBr2. The identified energy gap, due to Gamma 3- to Gamma 1+ transitions at the zone centre, is found around 8.48 eV in FeCl2, 8.54 eV in CoCl2, 7.75 eV in FeBr2 and 7.82 eV in CoBr2. The saturation values of epsilon 0.eff(E) for chlorides ( approximately=3) and bromides ( approximately=4) point to a rather ionic character (fi=0.7-0.8) for all materials. Plasma resonance effects have been finally identified in the high-energy region, i.e. around 17-18 eV for the transition-metal chlorides and 16-17 eV for bromides.


This paper describes observations by a photographic method on the angular distributions of 38 MeV α-particles scattered by light nuclei. Elastically and inelastically scattered particles were distinguished by their range in nuclear emulsion. The observed distributions are compared with the general predictions of the nuclear optical model, of direct interaction theories,and of the inelastic diffraction theory of Blair. In teraction radii are deduced from the angular distributions.


Over the past 18 months, the need to perform atomic detail molecular dynamics simulations of the SARS-CoV-2 virion, its spike protein, and other structures related to the viral infection cycle has led biomedical researchers worldwide to urgently seek out all available biomolecular structure information, appropriate molecular modeling and simulation software, and the necessary computing resources to conduct their work. We describe our experiences from several COVID-19 research collaborations and the challenges they presented in terms of our molecular modeling software development and support efforts, our laboratory's local computing environment, and our scientists' use of non-traditional HPC hardware platforms such as public clouds for large scale parallel molecular dynamics simulations.


We report on a two-dimensional self-assembled structure of a supramolecule with hydrophilic oligoethylene glycol (EG) units, which are capable of stronger electrostatic interactions than van der Waals (vdW) interactions between alkyl chains. For this purpose, hexabenzocoronene (HBC) with two hydrophobic dodecyl chains on one side of the HBC core and two hydrophilic triethylene glycol (TEG) chains on the other side of the HBC core (HBCGemini) and HBCGemini with a trinitrofluorenone (TNF) added to the end of one TEG chain (HBCTNFGemini) were employed. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) revealed the presence of multiple two-dimensional self-assembled structures in each of HBCGemini and HBCTNFGemini deposited on the gold substrate in vacuum. The role of polar functional groups in these observations is discussed based on semiempirical molecular orbital simulations. Two types of 2D organized structures of HBC-TEG were observed: one with rectangular and relatively dense unit cells and the other with nearly square and relatively sparse unit cells. In both organized structures, the phenyl group TEG units and alkyl chains were considered to be the main molecular interactions with each other. On the other hand, in HBCTNFGemini, three types of organized structures were observed, which could be explained by the mechanism of interdigitation of the TEG-containing side-chain moieties to form a dimeric core. The EG units are more flexible than the alkyl chains and thus can interact flexibly with the hydrophobic HBC core, and the glycol side chains facilitate the intermolecular interactions as well as the alkyl chains.


Methotrexate has been approved for the treatment of refractory rheumatoid arthritis by several regulatory agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration. The tendency is now to prescribe it at earlier stages of the disease. Methotrexate is a well known antifolate. Its exact mechanism of action in rheumatoid arthritis remains uncertain. The polyglutamated derivatives of methotrexate are potent inhibitors of various enzymes, including dihydrofolate reductase and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide transformylase. Inhibitory effects on cytokines, particularly interleukin-1, and on arachidonic acid metabolism, as well as effects on proteolytic enzymes, have been reported. Some of them may be linked to the antifolate properties of methotrexate. Overall, the drug appears to act in rheumatoid arthritis as an anti-inflammatory agent with subtle immunomodulating properties. Direct inhibitory effects on rapidly proliferating cells in the synovium have also been suggested. Methotrexate is usually given orally. Marked interindividual variation in its bioavailability has been found. Food intake has no significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of oral methotrexate. Methotrexate undergoes significant metabolism. The functionally important metabolites are the polyglutamated derivatives of methotrexate, which are selectively retained in the cells. Less than 10% of a dose of methotrexate is oxidised to 7-hydroxy-methotrexate, irrespective of the route of administration. This metabolite is extensively (91 to 93%) bound to plasma proteins, in contrast to the parent drug (35 to 50% bound). Methotrexate is mainly excreted by the kidneys. It undergoes tubular secretion and may thereby compete with various organic acid compounds. Early placebo-controlled trials demonstrated that weekly low dosage methotrexate produced early symptomatic improvement in most rheumatoid arthritis patients. Two meta-analyses showed that methotrexate is among the most efficacious of slow-acting antirheumatic agents, together with parenteral gold (sodium aurothiomalate), penicillamine and sulfasalazine. Furthermore, in the short term context of clinical trials, methotrexate has one of the best efficacy/toxicity ratios. There is little evidence that methotrexate, or any available slow-acting antirheumatic agent, is a true disease-modifying drug. However, the probability that a patient will continue methotrexate therapy over time appears quite favourable compared with any other slow-acting antirheumatic drug. Combination therapy with slow-acting drugs has been advised for the management of rheumatoid arthritis, but the evidence currently available does not support general use of combination therapy including methotrexate. Almost all investigations indicated that toxic effects, rather than lack of response, were the major reason for discontinuing methotrexate therapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


Summary: EEG is useful in several operating room procedures. It has come to be a standard part of monitoring patients during carotid endarterectomy. Monitoring for cerebral hypoperfusion or emboli can also be done in cardiac surgery or other similar settings. For carotid endarterectomy, studies in humans suggest that the risk of stroke can be reduced 10-fold by selective vascular shunting based on major EEG changes compared to no shunting. EEG can be recorded from exposed cerebral cortex, a technique referred to as electrocorticography. Such recordings can help identify damaged cortex, separating it from normal functioning cortex. This can influence the extent of neurosurgical cortical resections. Although much of the technology in the operating room is based on that common in routine EEG testing, some differences exist and are discussed here. The well-trained electroencephalographer should find recording and interpreting EEG in the surgical setting to be a natural extension of routine EEG.


The exact wave form of draw resonance in isothermal spinning of Newtonian liquids was sought by solving numerically the simultaneous partial differential equations1 of melt spinning in their original nonlinear form without recourse to perturbation. When the draw-down ration of spinning exceeded 20, solution of the equations became a limit cycle, a sustained oscillation having amplitude and period independent of initial conditions. As the draw down ratio was further increased, the amplitude of the limit cycle grew very rapidly, and the wave form became close to a pulse train predicting an extreme thinning of the thread at regular intervals along the thread. The above solution for Newtonian liquids agreed well with experiment with respect to oscillation period. Agreement, however, was poor in amplitude, indicating that possibly the amplitude of draw resonance is affected by deviations of polymer viscosity from Newtonian.


In a Web Service-based Semantic Web long term usage of single Services will become unlikely. Therefore, user modeling on Web Service's site might be imprecise due to a lack of a sufficient amount of user interaction. In our Personal Reader Framework, the user profile is stored centrally and can be used by different Web Services. By combining information about the user from different Web Services, the coverage and precision of such centralized user profile increases. To preserve user's privacy, access to the user profile is restricted by policies.


We were interested to read the report by Boralessa ef al. (Anaesfhesia 1983; 38: 623-7) regarding the cardiovascular stability shown during induction of anaesthesia and tracheal intubation of healthy patients following induction of anaesthesia with either midazolam or thiopentone. We have investigated the cardiovascular and sympathoadrenal responses to induction of anaesthesia and tracheal intubation in a heterogenous group of unpremeditated patients (mean age 79 years for midazolam, 80 years for thiopentone) ASA rating IIIV presenting for surgical repair of fractured neck of femur. Following baseline measurements of arterial pressure and plasma catecholamine concentrations and preoxygenation of the patient, anaesthesia was induced with the injection of either midazolam (2 mg/ml) or sodium thiopentone 2.5%. The drug was injected at a rate of 1 ml every 15 seconds until both response to speech and eyelash reflex were absent. This time was taken as the end of induction. The induction doses used were midazolam 0.15-0.3 mg/kg or thiopentone 2 4 mg/kg. Anaesthesia was maintained by the inhalation of nitrous oxide in oxygen administered i a face mask. One minute after induction, arterial pressure was measured and further venous blood samples obtained. Suxamethonium 1.5 mg/kg was administered intravenously to facilitate tracheal intubation which was under taken after spraying the laryngopharynx, larynx and trachea with lignocaine 4% (2 mg/kg). Ventilation of the lungs was controlled using nitrous oxide in oxygen until spontaneous ventilation resumed. Determinations of arterial pressure were made and further venous blood samples obtained 1 and 5 minutes after cpmpletion of tracheal intubation. The preliminary results from this study suggest that in this group of patients, the effects of midazolam are comparable with those of thiopentone (Table 1). Systolic arterial pressure (SAP) fell by 14% (from control value) following induction with midazolm cf 14.9% following thiopentone. Following tracheal intubation SAP increased 24.4% (from postinduction value) in the midazolam group compared with 12.2% in the thiopentone group. Four minutes later there was a 15% decrease in SAP in the midazolam group (from post intubation value) but only 2% decrease in the thiopentone group. Plasma noradrenaline concentrations (which have' been shown in three studies' -' to correlate with arterial


4475 Pyruvate kinase is a key enzymes involved in the glycolysis pathway. Upregulation of pyruvate kinase is a common feature of human cancers. Highly proliferative cells such as cancer cells express an isoform of pyruvate kinase, namely tumor M2-pyruvate kinase (TuM2-PK). To evaluate the clinical utility of TuM2-PK as serological markers for head and neck cancer patients, we examined the plasma TuM2-PK levels in 148 individuals (85 head and neck carcinoma patients and 63 normal individuals). Significantly higher plasma TuM2-PK levels were observed in patients with carcinomas from oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx. For patients with carcinoma of nasopharynx, plasma TuM2-PK levels were similar to the normal individuals. The plasma TuM2-PK levels of HNSCC patients were not associated with sex, age, T stage, nodal stage, tumour stage, smoking habit and prognosis of the patients. However, a plasma TuM2-PK is a promising marker in differentiating patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas from normal individuals. Our results suggested that plasma TuM2-PK might possibly be used in head and neck carcinoma screening.


Experimental sentence comprehension studies have shown that superficially similar German clauses with verb-final word order elicit very different garden-path and ERP effects. We show that a computer implementation of the Unification Space parser (Vosse & Kempen, 2000) in the form of a localist-connectionist network can model the observed differences, at least qualitatively. The model embodies a parallel dynamic parser that, in contrast with existing models, does not distinguish between consecutive first-pass and reanalysis stages, and does not use semantic or thematic roles. It does use structural frequency data and animacy information.


In recent years, the number of electric vehicles (EVs) has increased rapidly. Due to technological advancement, government policies and the focus on reducing greenhouse gas emission, the growth can be expected to continue. Home charging of EVs will often be sufficient for short-distance travel and daily routines. However, EVs still have a limited range. Thus, for long-distance travel, a network of fast charging stations (FCS) is needed. The stochastic nature, high power demand and short duration of EV fast charging, make it in many cases a grid capacity issue rather than an energy issue. Therefore, knowledge about the load profile of FCSs is important. In this paper, a model is developed for the simulation of the aggregated load profile of an FCS. The FCS load model includes a mobility model based on actual traffic flow, EV charging curves and temperature-dependent EV efficiency. Simulations are performed using the Monte Carlo simulation technique, to get a daily load profile for the FCS. Real-world data for the studied FCS in Norway is compared with the results from the simulation to analyze the performance of the FCS load model. The developed load profile for the FCS has a high peak-to-average power ratio, which indicates that the socioeconomic profitability of fast charging stations still is low.


Abstract Complex systems often exhibit emergent behaviour, unexpected macro-level behaviour caused by the interaction of micro-level components. In multiagent systems, these micro-level components may be autonomous agents and the emergent behaviour may be expressed as norms—patterns of behaviour that arise among the agents in response to their environment and each other. These emergent norms may be beneficial (e.g. by encouraging cooperative behaviour), or detrimental, but in either case it is useful to recognize these norms as they emerge and either encourage or discourage their establishment. We term this process engineering the emergence of norms and have identified three steps: the identification of a possible norm, evaluation of its benefit and its encouragement (or discouragement). This paper is an attempt to provide a survey of existing research related to these steps. We also provide an analysis of the approaches based upon their suitability for a variety of normative systems: we examine the requirements for agents to have autonomy over their choice of norms, the degree of observability required in the system, and the norm enforcement methods. The paper concludes with an discussion of open issues.


Mesitoyl or toluoyl esters of inosine and 2'-deoxyinosine were deoxychlorinated at C6 to give the crystalline 6-chloropurine nucleoside derivatives, which underwent quantitative conversion to the 6-iodo analogues with NaI/TFA/butanone at −50 to −40 °C. The 6-iodo compounds were efficient substrates for SNAr, Sonogashira, and Suzuki−Miyaura reactions, in contrast with the 6-chloro analogues, and gave good to high yields of C−N and C−C coupled products.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of and factors associated with use of complementary health approaches among women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP).

DESIGN
We analyzed data from the Study of Pelvic Problems, Hysterectomy, and Intervention Alternatives, a prospective cohort study of women seeking care for noncancerous pelvic problems with intact uteri at enrollment. Among a subset of 699 participants who reported having CPP, we analyzed the prevalence of complementary health approaches used and associated patient sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, health-related quality of life, attitudes and beliefs, and conventional health care practices.

RESULTS
At baseline, slightly over one-half (51%) of women with CPP used at least one complementary health approach in the past year, including acupuncture (8%), special foods or diets (22%), herbs (27%), and vitamins and minerals (29%). During follow-up surveys conducted annually for 4 years, a substantial proportion of women (44.8%) used complementary health approaches at more than half of the assessments. Users of complementary health approaches were more likely to undergo a hysterectomy or oophorectomy or to use gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists or opioids during the study compared with nonusers. Women with CPP who used complementary health approaches also had more optimal health-related quality of life measured by the Pelvic Problem Impact Questionnaire (31.6 vs 25.6, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION(S)
Many women with CPP consistently use complementary health approaches. The substantial interest in and high prevalence of complementary health approaches used alongside conventional medical approaches highlight the need for better understanding of multimodal approaches to address the complex condition of CPP.


Purpose Evaluation of structural features, thermodynamics and kinetic properties of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) as artificial nanoscale enzymes (nanozyme). Methods Synthesis of CNFs was done using chemical vapor deposition, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to provide information on the morphology, elemental monitoring and impurity assay of the CNFs. The thermal features of the CNFs were evaluated using differential thermal analysis (DTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) derivative and TGA. The calculated thermo-physical parameters were melting temperature (Tm), weight loss maximum temperature (Tmax) and enthalpy of fusion (ΔHfusion). Catalytic activity was assayed by a 4-aminoantypyrine (4-AAP)-H2O2 coupled colorimetric system by UV-visible spectroscopy. Results FE-SEM and TEM analysis demonstrated parallel graphitic layers and uniformity of atomic orientation and morphology. The EDX spectra approved carbon element as major signal and presence of partial Ti as impurities of CNFs during CVD process. The DTA thermogram showed the endothermic process had a maximum temperature of 82.27°C at −15.48 mV and that thermal decomposition occurred at about 200°C. The TGA-differential gravimetric analysis thermogram showed that Tmax was 700°C. The DSC heat flow curve showed a melting temperature (Tm) of 254.52°C, ΔHfusion of 3.84 J^.g−1, area under the curve of 58.58 mJ and Te (onset) and Tf (end set) temperatures of 246.60°C and 285.67°C, respectively. The peroxidase activity of the CNFs obeyed the Michaelis–Menten equation with a double-reciprocal curve and the calculated Km, Kcat and Vmax kinetic parameters. Conclusion CNFs as peroxidase nanozymes are intrinsically strong and stable nanocatalysts under difficult thermal conditions. The peroxidase activity was demonstrated, making these CNFs candidates for analytical tools under extreme conditions.


Four of the most radiosensitive xrs variants of CHO-K1 cells, obtained after mutagenizing treatment with EMS, have been studied in detail over three to five decades of cell survival. Although these lines were initially reported to have very steep exponential survival curves, and to vary in sensitivity between themselves by a factor of two, we found in each case a similar biphasic response. The initial sensitivity was similar for all four lines, with a D0 of 0.5-0.7 Gy. A subpopulation, representing between 0.4 and 12 per cent of the cells, showed a resistant response, characterized by a D0 of 1.5-2.0 Gy. The previously reported variation in sensitivity seems to result from differences in the fraction of resistant cells rather than from differences in the D0. The consequence of such phenotypic variants within each cloned line is considerable, both for radiobiological studies of repair, and for molecular biology studies of the repair genes. Attempts were made to clone the sensitive and resistant subpopulations from each xrs cell line. Simple cloning from an untreated population was expected to yield pure sensitive cells, but these cells also gave biphasic responses in most cases. Only the cell line with the lowest resistant fraction (xrs5) gave a completely sensitive response in two of its subclones. Cells selected as survivors after high radiation doses were expected to yield resistant populations. However, for xrs4, 5 and 7 these subclones all gave biphasic responses. Three of the subclones from xrs6 gave biphasic responses but others gave a resistant response close to the wild type. We present a model in which transient gene expression may be seen in each individual cell if the silent copy of the xrs repair gene is temporarily hemimethylated. This transient gene transcription should occur during DNA synthesis, in the interval between synthesis of the gene and maintenance methylation. This interval may vary from cell line to cell line, resulting in different fractions of resistant cells.


Stress contributes to the development and maintenance of obesity. Mindfulness-based therapies are being used to reduce stress and promote weight reduction and maintenance. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions for stress and weight reduction in the short, medium, and long term. Searches on PsycINFO, Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, WOS, and Science Direct were conducted until March 2021. Intervention studies with a sample of adults were included; these evaluated a mindfulness-based intervention and used stress and weight or body mass index as outcome variables. These criteria were met by 13 articles. A meta-analysis of 8 of the 13 articles was performed with a random-effects or fixed-effects model, depending on the level of heterogeneity between studies. Mindfulness-based interventions had a small effect on stress reduction over a 3-month period: effect size (standardized mean difference) = −0.29 (95% CI: −0.49, −0.10). However, no significant evidence was found for stress reduction from 3 months onwards, nor for weight or body mass index reduction in any period. Mindfulness-based interventions are effective in reducing stress in the short term, but not in the medium or long term, nor are they effective for weight or body mass index. More robust and longer study designs are needed to determine their effects.


PurposeThe incidence of prostate cancer is increasing from the past few decades. Various studies have tried to determine the survival of patients, but metastatic prostate cancer is still not extensively explored. The survival rate of metastatic prostate cancer is very less compared to the earlier stages. The study aims to investigate the survivability of metastatic prostate cancer based on the age group to which a patient belongs, and the difference between the significance of the attributes for different age groups.Design/methodology/approachData of metastatic prostate cancer patients was collected from a cancer hospital in India. Two predictive models were built for the analysis-one for the complete dataset, and the other for separate age groups. Machine learning was applied to both the models and their accuracies were compared for the analysis. Also, information gain for each model has been evaluated to determine the significant predictors for each age group.FindingsThe ensemble approach gave the best results of 81.4% for the complete dataset, and thus was used for the age-specific models. The results concluded that the age-specific model had the direct average accuracy of 83.74% and weighted average accuracy of 79.9%, with the highest accuracy levels for age less than 60.Originality/valueThe study developed a model that predicts the survival of metastatic prostate cancer based on age. The study will be able to assist the clinicians in determining the best course of treatment for each patient based on ECOG, age and comorbidities.


Presently, we inquire about the organic/inorganic cation effect on different properties based on structure, morphology, and steadiness in preparing a one-step solution of APbI3 thin films, where A = MA, FA, Cs, using spin coating. This study was conducted to understand those properties well by incorporating device modeling using SCAPS-1D software and to upgrade their chemical composition. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to analyze the crystal structures. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were conducted to characterize the surface morphology; photoluminescence, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and a UV–Visible spectrometer helped us to study the optical properties. The (110) plane is where we found the perovskite's crystalline structure. According to the XRD results and by changing the type of cation, we influence stabilization and the growth of the APbI3 absorber layer. Hither, a homogenous, smooth-surfaced, pinhole-free perovskite film and large grain size are results from the cesium cation. For the different cations, the band gap's range, revealed by the optical analysis, is from 1.4 to 1.8 eV. Moreover, the stability of CsPbI3 remains excellent for two weeks and in a ~60% humid environment. Based on the UV–Visible spectrometer and photoluminescence characterization, a numerical analysis for fabricated samples was also performed for stability analysis by modeling standard solar-cell structures HTL/APbI3/ETL. Modeling findings are in good agreement with experimental results that CsPbI3 is more stable, showing a loss % in PCE of 14.28%, which is smaller in comparison to FAPbI3 (44.46%) and MAPbI3 (20.24%).


The renal medulla may have a vasodepressor function in blood pressure control. We have studied the effect of selective ablation of the medulla produced with 2-bromoethylamine hydrobromide on blood pressure in the rat. Increasing doses of bromoethylamine produced a corresponding degree of histological damage. Five weeks after medullary ablation intra-arterial blood pressure was elevated only in those groups of animals which had confluent necrosis of the papilla. The degree of hypertension was not related to plasma renin concentration but showed a significant correlation with urinary prostaglandin E2 excretion. Hypertension in medullectomized animals is probably due to a loss of a medullary vasodepressor function.


Objective: Invasive group A streptococcal (GAS) infections during pregnancy are uncommon, and, thus, their early diagnosis remains challenging. The present study was performed to assess fibrin/fibrinogen degradation product (FDP) and D-dimer levels in pregnant women with invasive GAS infections and establish whether they contribute to a diagnosis. Materials and Methods: Laboratory data, including FDP and D-dimer levels, measured between fulmination and just before delivery in 46 cases, consisting of 45 previously published cases and the present case, were examined. Results: Fetal/neonatal and maternal mortality rates were 61 and 28%, respectively. Laboratory data obtained from 24 cases just before delivery were as follows: white blood cell count≥ 12,000/μL, 46% of cases; platelet count≤ 100,000/μL, 55% of cases, and C-reactive protein (CRP) level≥ 10 mg/dL, 40% of cases. These variables showed no sensitivity for the diagnosis of invasive GAS infections. However, 100% of cases were positive for FDP (≥ 10 μg/dL) and D-dimer (≥ 2 μg/dL), the levels of which were extremely high in many cases. Conclusion: FDP and D-dimer levels may contribute to the diagnosis of invasive GAS infections during pregnancy.