Inhibitors of B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling, in particular of Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK), are effective in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Acalabrutinib is a highly selective, covalent BTK inhibitor with rapid absorption and fast elimination (Barf et al., J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2017; 363:240-252). In a previous clinical trial of patients with relapsed/refractory CLL, acalabrutinib therapy was well tolerated and efficacious and had high target occupancy (Byrd et al., N Engl J Med 2016; 374:323-21). Here, we report on BTK occupancy, BTK resynthesis rates, and the relationship between BTK occupancy and BCR signaling in patients with CLL enrolled in a single center, phase 2 study of acalabrutinib monotherapy (NCT02337829).
 Patients were randomized to receive either 200 mg of acalabrutinib once daily (QD) or 100 mg twice daily (BID). The percentage of BTK bound by acalabrutinib (target occupancy) was measured with the aid of a biotin-tagged analogue probe. After 3 days of dosing, the median BTK occupancy in peripheral blood at peak (4 hours postdose) was 99% in both dosing groups (n=21 per group). However, at the drug trough time points (12 hours for BID; 24 hours for QD), median occupancy was greater in the BID than QD group (95% vs 87%, respectively; P<0.0001), with less interpatient variance.
 As acalabrutinib binds covalently to BTK, reactivation of the pathway requires de novo synthesis of BTK. We estimated the rate of BTK synthesis in vivo by measuring the accumulation of free BTK (% unbound by acalabrutinib) in serial blood samples taken 4, 12, 24, 36, and 48 hours postdose during a preplanned dose interruption on days 4 and 5. BTK was synthesized at a median rate of 13.4% per day, which was highly variable (fast vs slow) across patients (Figure). Interestingly, we found the median BTK de novo synthesis rate to be roughly twice as fast as observed in B cells from healthy volunteers (P<0.0001). BTK occupancy levels between matched peripheral blood and lymph node samples in individual patients were highly correlated (R=0.83; P<0.0001), with less than a 3% difference overall, suggesting a similar BTK synthesis rate in the lymph nodes and peripheral blood of patients with CLL. Similar results were observed for matched bone marrow and peripheral blood samples.
 We next correlated BTK occupancy levels and activity of BCR signaling in 10 representative patients. On Day 3, four hours after receiving the drug, significant reductions were observed in phospho-BTK (P=0.05), pNF-κB (P=0.03), and CD69 expression (P=0.001) compared with pretreatment. Next, we evaluated the change in BCR signaling from trough (for each dose group) to 36 (BID) or 48 (QD) hours after dosing (i.e., during the short window of drug withholding). A trend for increased signaling was driven by individual patients with low occupancy (≲70%). To mimic microenvironmental activation, we stimulated overnight with anti-IgM, all the peripheral blood samples collected during drug withholding (4 to 48 hours postdose). We found that upon BCR activation, B-CLL cells showed the ability to reactivate BCR signaling as measured by an increase in CD69 expression. Moreover, the extent of reactivation in BCR signaling positively correlated with the percentage of free BTK (R=0.73; P=0.0001).
 In conclusion, higher target coverage was achieved when acalabrutinib was administered 100 mg BID compared with 200 mg QD. Given that BTK de novo synthesis rates do vary across patients with CLL, and that reactivation of BCR signaling correlates with lower occupancy (higher free BTK), BID dosing provides the highest target coverage for a greater number of patients.
 This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program of National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institutes of Health, and Acerta Pharma. We thank our patients for donating blood and tissue samples to make this research possible.
 Figure. Figure.

 Cheung: Acerta Pharma: Employment, Equity Ownership; AstraZeneca: Equity Ownership. Gulrajani:Acerta Pharma: Employment, Equity Ownership. Davies-Hill:NIH/NCI: Employment. Izumi:Acerta Pharma: Employment, Equity Ownership, Patents & Royalties: Acerta Pharma, various patents for ACP-196. Covey:AstraZeneca: Equity Ownership; Acerta Pharma: Employment. Wiestner:Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie Company: Research Funding.


These expert authors detail a wealth of ideas for planning providing, and evaluating services tailored to young adults. You'll discover thoughtful insights and practical advice focused on helping young adults make the most of the wide-ranging resources available. Rely on these excellent sources to: -- Create an environment that fosters intellectual, emotional, and social growth -- Select fiction and non-fiction that informs, inspires, and interests young adults -- Integrate school library resources with curriculum requirements In an age when school librarians are asked to wear the hats of teacher, manager, fund-raiser, and technician, time management and clear communication are crucial to professional growth. With nearly 150 forms, charts, and presentation slides, Power Tools serves as a guide to boosting program effectiveness while saving valuable time. In this pack are loose-leaf forms, a booklet on how to use them, a CD-ROM (for Macintosh or Windows) with files for easy customization of the forms, and four ready to run Power Point presentations. This complete, one-stop kit of presentation resources includes handouts and graphic organizers to teach students research skills and critical thinking; slides for overhead or computer presentations on using the Internet; teacher surveys to encourage curriculum collaboration; job descriptions for paraprofessionals, clerks, and volunteers; and slides that profile programs and sell their value to PTOs, boards, and administrators. Power Tools focuses on the essentials. It ensures that your library program is learner-centered and functions as a laboratory, that instruction is planned cooperatively with classroom/subject areateachers, and, most importantly, that students develop their number one power tool for the future -- strong information skills.


In order to restore confidence in the tuberculin test as such it is necessary to reinstitute the standardization of commercially available test materials. Satisfactory conditions of production, careful biological comparison, and electrophoretic analysis are necessary to insure the uniformity of the purified protein derivative (PPD) or of any tuberculin. From 25,538 records of patients examined during a 15-year period, data were obtained for a study of the relation of pulmonary tuberculosis to the results of tuberculin (PPD) tests. The data imply that the degree of sensitivity to tuberculin constitutes important information to the clinician. The authors conclude that the use of the standard two-dose test has been highly satisfactory and should not be modified in clinics that serve areas where tuberculosis continues to be a major public health problem.


Indoor air pollution has been significantly aggravated due to hazardous pollutants emitted from petrochemical finishing materials in new apartments. Pollutants emitted into indoor environment have significant effects on the health of occupants, causing undesirable symptoms related to sick building syndrome such as headache, dizziness, difficulty in concentration, etc. Therefore, this paper attempted to investigate the reduction effect of bake out on VOCs emission in new apartments. Experiments were carried out in three households, one of which was naturally ventilated. The naturally ventilated showed the lowest indoor pollutant concentration and also showed the highest reduction rate by the use of bake out. The most desirable result was observed when the household was naturally ventilated after bake out. More detailed experiments are expected to be carried out afterwards on the prediction of reduction rate of each pollutant.


In an implantable human tissue stimulator with a volatile memory an arrangement is provided to protect against the stimulating circuitry producing pulses as a function of unknown parameters in the memory, as a result of inadequate power to the memory from a rechargeable power source, e.g. a rechargeable battery. The arrangement includes voltage sensors, so that when the voltage from the battery drops below a selected level the stimulating circuitry is disconnected from the battery and only the memory is powered. If the voltage from the battery first drops, so that insufficient power is supplied to the memory and thereafter rises, as a result of recharging, to a level sufficient to power the memory, the memory is first reset with known parameter values. Only thereafter when the voltage level reaches the selected level, is the rest of the circuitry, including the stimulating circuitry, reconnected to the battery.


Development Credit Agreement (Poverty Reduction Support Credit) between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the International Development Association (with schedules and General Conditions Applicable to Development Credit Agreements dated 1 January 1985, as amended through 6 October 1999). Baku, 16 September 2005


Abstract. With the recent launch of advanced hyperspectral satellites with global coverage, including DESIS and PRISMA, a massive volume of high spectral resolution data is available. This work is focused on the spectral analysis and implementation of feature extraction or data dimensionality reduction techniques on both newly available datasets for geological interpretation. Three of the best feature extraction algorithms, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF), and Independent Component Analysis (ICA), were tested for lithological mapping for the Rajasthan state of India. The present work demonstrates the advantage of the feature extraction algorithm in geological mapping and interpretability as it shows the excellent performance for these datasets. The narrowband ratios for the clay minerals, dolomite, kaolinite, amphiboles, and Al-OH are generated using the PCA and MNF components. All of these band ratios were compared with the Lithological Map available. It is concluded that PCA is the first choice for feature-based lithological classification of hyperspectral remote sensing data. ICA is giving some impressive results which can be explored further. DESIS and PRISMA have a 30 km swath, finer spectral resolution, and high signal-to-noise ratio, which shows much potential in lithological mapping over the parts of northern India. It is suggested to use advanced feature extraction algorithms with recently launched hyperspectral data for accurate and updated mineral mapping over a sizeable geological importance area.


Background: Idiopathic scoliosis in humans is an abnormal 3-dimensional curvature of the spine with unknown cause. The lack of a model system with naturally occurring spinal curvatures has hindered research on the etiology of idiopathic scoliosis. Recently, it has become clear that zebrafish and other fish species exhibit spinal curvatures similar to those found in humans, making them a good animal model system for studying idiopathic scoliosis. Methods: Founder fish with spinal curvatures were outcrossed with a wild type zebrafish line (AB) and the resulting siblings (F1 generation) crossed and their offspring (F2 generation) examined for signs of spinal curvature beginning at 14 days post fertilization (dpf). Spinal curvatures of the affected fish were visualized using either a Faxitron or by Alizarian red staining of the skeletons and the curvature measured from the resulting images in the thoracic, thoracolumbar, or lumbar regions. Affected and normal zebrafish were sectioned and stained with hemotoxylin and eosin. Findings: The degrees of curvatures in affected zebrafish ranged from 18° to 40°. Histological data demonstrated structural changes as compared to normal fish spine. Out of 212 individuals in the F2 generation 28, or 13.2%, were observed to have spinal deformities at 21 dpf. Importantly, we did not observe spinal deformities in the F1 generation fish and similar age wild type fish, indicating the observed spinal deformities were due to a recessive mutation(s). Conclusion: We have noticed several fish in our zebrafish colony with spinal curvatures reminiscent of human idiopathic scoliosis. We suspect that "scoliosis" in these zebrafish results from mutation(s) in the zebrafish genome. And these fish can be the source of a zebrafish line in which the offspring exhibit a predictable frequency of scoliosis which can be used to study the etiology and progression of scoliosis.


This study deals with the issue of increasing contention regarding European matters in national arenas. Specifically, it focuses on the impact of European Union referenda on national elections. EU referenda have two important consequences for national politics: they increase inter-party conflict over Europe and gear up voters' salience to EU matters. In doing so, EU referenda allow voters to identify parties closest to them on the EU issue, thereby increasing the likelihood that they will vote for a party on the basis of EU attitudes (i.e. EU issue voting). These propositions are evaluated empirically in a quasi-experimental setting by comparing two parliamentary elections before and after the first Dutch EU referendum in 2005. The findings show that referenda indeed facilitate the development of EU issue voting. Consequently, the conclusions of this study are not only relevant to observers of Dutch politics, but also contribute to a larger debate within the field of EU studies


The purpose of the text is to identify and description certain dimensions of literary culture that are represented in digital media and relate to the children's recipient. The method used content analysis, mainly Polish websites, indicate the dominant media enabled representations of knowledge about children's book and its contexts (reading culture, the role of intermediary). Described some forms of presence of literature for children and youth in cyberspace, such as portals and blog reviewers, websites writers and books, journals and literary blogs, forums readers, radio and TV programs. Scientific knowledge of literary culture is represented in the network to a lesser extent in comparison to popularizing, commercial and promotional activities of publishers and other entities. The source of scientific information are the pages of international conferences, associations, organizations and libraries. To a lesser degree, open source licenses are digitally released as original scientific studies, such as books, journals and research reports.


971, 786 patients in Viennese municipal hospitals were routinely screened by serological testing for syphilis between January 1980 and December 1984, leading to the detection of 28,090 cases of untreated latent infection. The annual incidence varied between 7463 and 4623 cases. Roughly one third of patients with untreated syphilis develop severe late manifestations: 10.4% show cardiovascular involvement, 6.5% get neurosyphilis and 15.8% have a gumma. The mortality rate is 85% in cardiovascular disease and 64% in neurosyphilis, whilst irreversible incapacity is the fate of the remaining 15% and 36% of these patients, respectively. Calculations on the basis of the current costs for treatment of the acute diseased and for nursing of incapacitated patients reveal that routine screening of all in- and out-patients of the Viennese municipal hospitals is completely justified from the medical and the economic point of view and should, therefore, be reinforced.


Features of pancreatic cancers include high mortality rates caused by rapid tumor progression and a lack of effective therapy. Underpinning the molecular mechanisms involved in the alteration of the gene expression program in the pancreatic cancer remains to be understood. In the current study, we performed a comprehensive analysis using 282 pancreatic tumor and normal samples from seven independent expression data sets to provide a better view on the interactions between different transcription factors (TFs) and the most affected biological pathways in pancreatic cancer. We highlighted common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and common affected processes within pancreatic cancer samples. We revealed 16 main DE‐TFs that regulated gene expression alterations as well as the most significant processes in pancreatic cancer compared to normal cells. For example, we found the upregulated FOXM1 to be a top regulator of pancreatic cellular transformation based on results from different analyses, including from its regulation of gene regulatory networks, its presence in protein complex, its significant regulation of genes related to cancer pathways, and its regulation of most of the identified DE‐TFs. Furthermore, we provided a model and assessed the role of different DE‐TFs in the regulation of the most affected pancreatic‐ and cancer‐specific processes. In conclusion, our bioinformatics meta‐analysis of high throughput expression data sets, besides clarifying common affected genes and pathways, also showed the mechanisms involved in regulating these common profiles. Our results, especially for DE‐TFs, could potentially be useful for screening for pancreatic cancer, and for confirming or determining novel pharmacological targets. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 3976–3985, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


This study proposes an evaluation and benchmarking decision matrix (DM) on the basis of multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) for young learners' English mobile applications (E-apps) in terms of listening, speaking, reading and writing (LSRW) skills. Benchmarking E-apps for young learners is challenging due to (a) multiple criteria, (b) criteria importance and (c) data variation. The DM was constructed on the basis of the intersection amongst evaluation criteria in terms of LSRW and E-apps for young learners. The criteria were adopted from a preschool education curriculum standard. The DM data included six E-apps as alternatives and 17 skills as criteria. Thereafter, the six E-apps were evaluated by distributing a checklist form amongst six English learning experts. These apps were subsequently benchmarked by utilising MCDM methods, namely, best–worst method (BWM) and technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). BWM was used for criterion weighting, whereas TOPSIS was employed to benchmark and rank the apps. TOPSIS was utilised in two contexts, namely, individual and group. In the group context, internal and external aggregations are applied. Mean was computed to ensure that the E-apps undergo a systematic ranking for objective validation. This study provides scenarios and a benchmarking checklist to evaluate and compare the proposed work with six relative studies. Results indicated that (1) BWM is suitable for criteria weighting. (2) TOPSIS is suitable for benchmarking and ranking E-apps. Moreover, the internal and external TOPSIS group decision making exhibited similar findings, with the best app being 'Montessori' and the worst app being 'FunWithFlupe.' (3) For objective validation, remarkable differences were observed amongst the group scores, which indicate that the internal and external ranking results are identical. (4) In the evaluation, the proposed DM revealed advantages over the six relative studies by 40.00%, 53.33%, 40.00%, 46.67%, 46.67% and 46.67%.


Dairying  in  Kenya  remains  a  multi-purpose  cattle  system  providing  milk,  manure and capital assets to the farmer. Dairy activities in Kenya are predominantly run by smallholders  and  are  concentrated  in  the  high  and  medium  potential  areas. Smallholders operating 1-3 dairy cows  on small farms are predominant in Kenya. They  produce  56%  of  the  total  milk  in  the  country  and  supply  80%  of  Kenya's marketed milk. Estimated growth in the consumption of milk and dairy products in developing  countries  is  3.3%,  which  is  in  line  with  Kenya's  3%  per  year.  National statistics show that  milk production continues to decline. For example, since 2000 milk  annual  growth  rate  has  been  1.4%  compared  to  9.2%  experienced  between 1980  and  1990.  The  main  challenge  of  Kenya's  dairy  industry  is  how  to  confront growing milk demand and a highly competitive export environment when yields are as  low  as  195  litres  per  lactation.  One  of  the  key  options  is  to  develop  a  vibrant competitive dairy sector in Kenya by increasing the efficiency of production. Thus, this study examined the technical efficiency of smallholder dairy farms of rural Kenya. Data  from  a  2005  survey  of  smallholder  farms  in  five  provinces  was  utilized  to examine the technical efficiency of smallholder farms. The Cobb-Douglas stochastic production  frontier  model  was  used  to  identify  the  determinants  of  technical inefficiency. The findings revealed that the mean efficiency was 79 percent, which suggested that 21 percent of production was lost due to technical inefficiency. The technical  efficiency  also  varied  across  regions  ranging  from  a  mean  of  83.9%  in Central region and 72.5% in Nyanza region. Land size, access to extension service, infrastructure and the level of schooling were found to reduce inefficiency.


Coffee is one of the most important and widely used commercial crops in the world. After ripe coffee cherries are harvested, coffee must pass through several steps to become (green) raw coffee beans. Commonly, there are three different processing methods used to obtain green coffee beans from coffee cherries, namely, the wet, dry, and semidry methods. Microorganisms (yeasts and bacteria) play a major role in coffee fermentation process by degrading mucilage by producing different enzymes (pectinase), acids, and alcohols. Starter culture development is crucial and is done by selecting microorganisms that have certain characteristics, such as mucilage degradation ability, tolerance to stress during fermentation, the ability to suppress the growth of pathogenic fungi, and a positive impact on the sensory quality of the coffee. Currently, green coffee beans obtained from farms that use any of the above processing methods are fermented with selected microorganisms to improve the flavour and aroma of the coffee. This is the result of a new insight into the development of unique flavoured coffee and into engaging with the coffee market to better benefit. This review gives a comprehensive overview of the fermentation process, microorganisms and starter cultures, and fermentation's impact on coffee quality. Future prospects are also discussed through the incorporation of recent research.


X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS or ESCA) is enhanced, as a surface analytical technique, by excitation with higher energy x-rays. Three characteristic x-rays , Si Ka (1739. 4eV), Zr La (2042. 4eV) and monochromatized Ag La (2984. 3eV) together with Bremsstrahlung were developed. Si Ka x-rays generate new XPS peaks from aluminium and bromine and although slightly broader than conventional XPS sources, benefits from weaker satellite peaks. Sensitivity factors of 110 subshells from 45 elements were measured and compared with theoretical photoionization cross sections, providing a close fit. Zr La x-rays are a valuable source for studying Al-Si compounds, with the generation of strong Al and Si, Is and KLL Auger peaks. The resultant Al and Si Auger parameters were studied for 30 silicates and comparison with refractive index data allowed the Auger parameters to be directly related to the polarization energy of the 0 ions surrounding Al and Si sites. The 0 polarizability dominates bulk polarizability in silicates and is highly variable around tetrahedral Si and Al sites, but almost invariant around octahedral Al. Consequently the surface coordination state of Al can be determined accurately. The Si KLV/KLL Auger intensity ratio measured the filling of the Si valence band during the Auger process and varied proportionally with the extra-atomic relaxation energy, as measured by the Si Auger parameter. Bremsstrahlung induced Auger peaks have been combined with photoelectron peaks in conventional XPS, to form an Auger parameter. These Si and Al Auger parameters from compounds and silicates were found equivalent to those obtained in Zr La XPS. Ag La x-rays were monochromatized by fitting an Ag anode to a conventional Al Ka monochromator. New XPS lines were generated, especially the Is and KLL Auger series from Al to Cl and benefitted from a reduced linewidth. Pretreated glass fibres were analysed and surface chemical state information extracted.


Orientation: Occupational stress leads to devastating consequences for academia, which include teaching below standard, conflict with students and seeking employment elsewhere. The stressors that academics experience will continue to increase unless they adopt strategies to cope with these demands.Research purpose: The objective of this research was to construct a valid and reliable measurement instrument which could be used to explore how academics cope with occupational stress.Motivation for the study: There is no clear consensus about the conceptualisation of the coping construct and the categorisation and measurement of numerous coping strategies. Also, as working in academia is highly stressful, there is a need for developing a measuring instrument that holistically measures coping with occupational stress in South African higher education institutions.Research approach/design and method: A three-phase instrument development process was followed. A quantitative, cross-sectional online survey was administered to a convenience sample of 305 employees employed in a higher education institution in the Gauteng province of South Africa.Main findings: A nine-dimensional, 33-item measuring instrument was developed for exploring how academics cope with occupational stressors.Practical/managerial implications: If industrial and organisational psychologists could appreciate the consequences of occupational stress and comprehend the complexities of the coping process, then they would be able to design and implement wellness practices that should not only promote the health and well-being of academics but also the institution.Contribution/value-add: A psychometrically sound measuring instrument, The Comprehensive Coping Strategies Questionnaire, was developed within the South African higher education context that would allow industrial and organisational psychologists to determine which coping strategies academics adopt in response to occupational stressors.


Seeking to address the fundamental issue of memory in lifelong learning, we propose a GAN memory that is capable of realistically remembering a stream of generative processes with \emph{no} forgetting. Our GAN memory is based on recognizing that one can modulate the ``style'' of a GAN model to form perceptually-distant targeted generation. Accordingly, we propose to do sequential style modulations atop a well-behaved base GAN model, to form sequential targeted generative models, while simultaneously benefiting from the transferred base knowledge. Experiments demonstrate the superiority of our method over existing approaches and its effectiveness in alleviating catastrophic forgetting for lifelong classification problems.


On 29 December 1997 a severe hailstorm occurred over the eastern parts of the Free State. Hailstones with a diameter of 10 to 25 mm were reported. In this paper the authors try to establish the nature of the storm by looking at the synoptic and mesoscale analyses of the weather features at that time. Due to a lack of sufficient data, the South African version of the Eta model's 3 and 6 h forecast fields were used to establish the storm environment. Most of the model parameters indicated that severe weather could have been anticipated in the area of interest. Mesoscale analyses showed that steep temperature, pressure and dew point temperature gradients were evident over the area and that this contrast in air masses served as a good trigger mechanism for the development of thunderstorms. Analyses with the upper-air data showed that the air was very unstable at Bloemfontein earlier that afternoon, while Bethlehem was under the influence of an inversion (subsident motion in the upper layers of the atmosphere). The latter was removed during the early evening due to orographic forcing. With the high amount of energy available underneath the inversion, it exploded into a severe storm later that night. With the aid of software like TITAN and CIDD it was possible to analyse the radar data with much more detail than would have been the case under operational circumstances where forecasters did not have access to these software packages. Looking at all available data, the authors are of the opinion that this was an isolated severe thunderstorm which displayed several supercell characteristics.


The large ΔE effect exhibited by the alloy Fe2(Tb0.2Dy0.22Ho0.58) has been measured dynamically at low frequencies under conditions which closely approach quasistatic equilibrium. It is found that, in common with several other materials, Young's modulus E passes through a distinct minimum as a function of magnetizing field. The modulus minimum is most apparent during initial magnetization, but occurs with reduced prominence and with typical hysteresis as the material is cyclically magnetized. The origin of the minimum is reviewed in terms of the behavior of the macroscopic ΔE effect, and the frequency above which the minimum is expected to disappear from the measured response is discussed in terms of the theory of stress‐induced macroeddy currents. The magnetoelastic internal friction exhibits unexplained features which indicate a need for further study of these alloys.


There are many aspects that influence the importance of a university. Among these, web visibility is taking advantage of available technology, focusing on the benefits of internet and social media. This paper provides an analysis of the Romanian public and private universities websites, using alexa.com, a tool for website traffic analysis. Moreover, the official social media accounts of universities (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Flickr, YouTube and Instagram) were analysed, collecting several data such as: the number of likes and followers, the number of subscribers and the number of posts. The analysis was performed using ANOVA and Nonparametric Test for the presence via websites and Spearman and Pearson correlation to assess the correlation between social media and website traffic. In general, public universities from Romania have more visibility and a higher number of links to their websites compared to private ones. Based on the fact that Facebook and site content are often related, it should be noted that activity on Facebook may improve website rankings for Romanian universities.


The article addresses the realities of health promotion practice in a managed care environment, synthesizing the most important findings from the midrange theories currently guiding wellness-oriented research. Factors that have been shown to predict engagement in a number of health behaviors are identified and are formulated into a guide for clinical assessment, intervention, and outcome evaluation for clients across the life span.


The aviation industry is undergoing a series of layered dynamic effects to the entire business model value chain including aviation finance, leasing, and associated structured products. COVID has caused an historical exogenous demand shock and global airlines have suffered greatly; recovery is varied and uneven. There is a divergence of what has occurred since COVID and outlook geographically among the airlines (end-users), their lessors, and all of the various stakeholders in financing structures, such as aircraft asset backed securities (ABS) and enhanced equipment trust certificates (EETCs) that make up the capital structure. Debt funding has been robust for airlines with access to the capital markets, but others are less fortunate and are finding it more difficult. Financing options are diverse but are restricted among the players, given the effects of COVID. Pricing and structuring characteristics are all affected by these conditions. Key Findings ▪ COVID has changed the structure of demand for aircraft, and it has impacted both financing of aircraft lessors and the airlines with different effects geographically. ▪ Airlines face a bifurcation of opportunity, between larger or state-supported airlines with access to the public debt capital markets or government subsidy and smaller airlines, which have had to fall back on private capital in a challenging environment. ▪ The aircraft ABS and EETC financing environments continue to have pressures from downward aircraft pricing and 2 EETC issuance winddown cases.


To what extent does the relative strength of a rebel movement impact upon the likelihood of a peace settlement in civil conflict? This article argues that relatively stronger rebels are more likely to overcome the strategic bargaining problems that can prevent the resolution of war. Relatively strong insurgents are better equipped to significantly challenge core government interests and fundamentally threaten the survival of a regime. The incumbent's fear of future violence therefore makes mediation more likely to be undertaken in high-stakes conflicts between states and strong rebel groups. Relatively strong insurgencies are also those with the greatest leverage to negotiate enforcement mechanisms and the best equipped to defend themselves in the event that the government reneges on an agreement. This reduces the scale of the commitment problem and increases the probability of relatively strong rebel groups agreeing to a settlement with an incumbent. This argument is tested using dyadic data that capture the relative position of insurgents in civil war from 1946 to 2004. This represents an important methodological shift within the mediation literature, which has in the past largely relied upon aggregate country-level data. The results suggest that relatively stronger insurgents are more likely to force the state to open a mediation process and eventually concede some form of settlement. This is further evidence of the need to capture the dyadic relations between actors with fine-grained disaggregated data.


Human-Object Interaction Detection is a crucial aspect of human-centric scene understanding, with important applications in various domains. Despite recent progress in this field, recognizing subtle and detailed interactions remains challenging. Existing methods try to use human-related clues to alleviate the difficulty, but rely heavily on external annotations or knowledge, limiting their practical applicability in real-world scenarios. In this work, we propose a novel Part Semantic Network (PSN) to solve this problem. The core of PSN is a Conditional Part Attention (CPA) mechanism, where human features are taken as keys and values, and the object feature is used as query for the computation in a cross-attention mechanism. In this way, our model learns to automatically focus on the most informative human parts conditioned on the involved object, generating more semantically meaningful features for interaction recognition. Additionally, we propose an Occluded Part Extrapolation (OPE) strategy to facilitate interaction recognition under occluded scenarios, which teaches the model to extrapolate detailed features from partially occluded ones. Our method consistently outperforms prior approaches on the V-COCO and HICO-DET datasets, without external data or extra annotations. Additional ablation studies validate the effectiveness of each component of our proposed method.


Mapping and assessment of
mangrove environment are crucial since the mangrove has an important role in
the process of human-environment interaction. In Indonesia alone, 25% of South
East Asia's mangroves available are under threat. Recognizing the availability
and the ability of new sensor of Landsat data, this study investigates the use
of Landsat ETM + 7 and Landsat 8, acquired in 2002 and 2013 respectively, for
assessing the extent of mangroves along the South Sulawesi's coastline. For
each year, a supervised classification of the mangrove was performed using open
source GRASS GIS software. The resulting maps were then compared to quantify
the change. Field work activities were conducted and confirmed with the changes
that occurred in the study area.  Considering the accuracy assessment, our
study shows that the RGB composite color-supervised classification is better
than band ratio-supervised classification methods. By linking the open source
software with the Landsat data and Google Earth satellite imagery that is
available in public domain, mangroves forest conversion and changes can be
observed remotely. Ground truth surveys confirmed that, decreases of mangroves
forest is due to the expansion of fishpond activity. This technique could
potentially allow rapid, inexpensive remote monitoring of cascading, indirect
effects of human activities to mangroves forest.


The paper is concerned with the specific features of Russia's economic development in a new economic environment that caused the need to revise the priorities of energy policy. The research presents the initial conditions, targets and strategic directions of energy development in the East of the country. The focus is made on the priority lines of innovation and technology cooperation between Russia and Northeast Asian countries in the field of energy, and recommendations on necessary conditions and initiatives for their successful implementation are given.


In this paper, we consider a nonlinear integro-vector differential equation of the second order. We establish sufficient conditions that guarantee the global existence and boundedness of solutions of the equation considered. The method of proof involves constructing a suitable Lyapunov functional that gives meaningful results for the problem to be investigated. The result obtained is new and complements that found in the literature. We give an example to verify the result obtained and for illustration purposes. Using MATLAB-Simulink, the behaviors of the orbits of the equation considered are clearly shown.


Middleware implementation of various critical services required by large scale and complex real time applications on top of COTS operating system is currently an approach of growing interests. Its main goal is to enable significant reduction application system design separating the concerns of the application designer for the application functionality from the concerns for application independent system issues. The paper presents the middleware architecture named the Real-time Object-oriented Adaptive Fault Tolerance Support (ROAFTS) and a prototype implementation ROAFTS/Solaris realized on top of both a COTS operating systems, Solaris, and a COTS CORBA complaint ORB, Orbix. ROAFTS supports distributed real time applications, each structured as a network of Time-triggered Message-triggered Objects (TMOs), and the TMO is a major extension of a conventional object for use in hard real time applications. The major components of ROAFTS include a TMO support manager for supporting the execution of TMO's, a generic fault tolerance server, and a network surveillance manager (NSM) which provides the generic fault tolerance server with fast fault detection notices. The generic fault tolerance server and the NSM themselves have been structured as TMO's. A discussion on an effective use of CORBA standards for moderate precision real time applications to run on COTS operating systems is also presented.


Invasive species are known to be a threat to agriculture and biodiversity. Thus, many studies have focused on the negative ecological impacts of invasive species, while their importance to livelihoods and human well-being has received little attention. This study aimed to explore people's ethnoecological knowledge about the invasion of Senna obtusifolia and the importance of this species in some local ethnic groups according to two climate zones in Burkina Faso. Three hundred (300) people from height (08) ethnic groups from surrounding villages of pastoral zones in two contrasting climate zones were interviewed. The survey technique was semi-structured interviews, using a previously tested semi-structured questionnaire. A GLM with the Poisson distribution was performed to determine the factors that influence the ethnoecological knowledge of people. For informants, the most important dissemination drivers are animals in the Sahelian zone and humans in the Sudanian zone. Regarding usefulness, the species is harvested by people for 08 use categories with food (100%) and construction (46%) as the most used categories. In fact, the use-value of Senna obtusifolia differed significantly among climatic zone, and ethnic groups (P < 0.001). Furthermore, a significant difference between the Mossi and Fulani of the Sahelian zone and those of the Sudanian zone was observed. This study revealed the usefulness of Senna obtusifolia for people and the findings are essential to promote species utilization, which could be considered as an adaptation strategy to the negative ecological invasion of the species. Moreover, these findings could guide the formulation of management policies and how to valorize more invasive species.


Flood troubles people of central chure region and its vicinity almost every year. Besides, the area is also becoming susceptible to the drought currently. In that perspective, it is necessary to assess the vulnerability of floods and drought in the chure region. So this research focused on the assessment of flood and drought geospatially in Butwal city which was the major city and experience flood and drought every year. This study mainly records floods, calculates drought, finds their present condition, studies their trend, and determines drought and flood vulnerable areas within Butwal. Climate data, imagery, soil data, and socioeconomic data, and other relevant information were analyzed and extracted past drought conditions through Temperature and precipitation trend analysis and SPEI model. NDVI, NDDI, NDWI were used to find drought vulnerability status, and AHP and MCDA were used to find flood vulnerability. The city faced extreme drought in 2005, 2011, 2012, and 2013. And, Flood of 1970 and 1981 are the major floods. The area was frequently affected by floods in the past but no flood has been recorded after 2017. About 43% of the area was found high to very highly vulnerable to drought and 68% of the land was found vulnerable to extremely vulnerable to flood. So geospatial vulnerability assessment can enhance the planning decision and effectiveness of activities of the preventive measures by the stakeholders.


• Objective: To develop a valid, reproducible scale that quantifies a provider's reaction to uncontrolled blood pressure. • Design: Retrospective chart review. • Setting and participants: 70 patients with hypertension who were treated with antihypertensive medication at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center primary care clinic. • Methods: Three raters blinded to each other's assessments rated each patient visit using the hypertension quality of care scale. This scale includes 4 categories reflecting the extent of provider recognition of elevated blood pressure and action to lower it (0: blood pressure not recorded at visit; 1: blood pressure not controlled, not mentioned in the medical record, and nothing further done; 2: blood pressure not controlled, mentioned in the medical record, but nothing further done; 3: blood pressure not controlled and the provider acted in some manner to lower it). • Results: Providers failed to recognize or act on inadequately controlled blood pressure at 48% of visits. The average frequency of scores for all raters was 2.9% (no blood pressure recorded), 30.5% (blood pressure recorded but not mentioned), 14.3% (blood pressure recorded, provider recognized elevation, but no action), and 25.3% (provider acted to lower blood pressure); blood pressure was adequately controlled in 27.1% of patients. Inter-rater agreement was excellent (Kendall's W = 0.92). Scale scores were moderately related to the extent of systolic blood pressure elevation (r = 0.29, averaged across raters). • Conclusion: The scale demonstrated excellent interrater agreement and moderate correlation with elevation in systolic blood pressure. The scale could be used to measure the effectiveness of interventions designed to prompt providers to respond to inadequately controlled hypertension.


A major challenge to making creative leaps in media innovations is demonstrating the magnitude of human impact that each new media technology will bring. The emerging media of mixed reality - the blending of real and synthetic environments and objects - has melted the boundaries between physical and virtual realities, letting us interweave simulated characters and scenes into real-world experiences. So why do we treat mixed reality as we do more limiting media technology such as virtual reality, television, cinema, radio, or print media? A new vision might borrow from tradition, but by making creative leaps, we can find the magical power that lies within.


We have obtained deuterium (2H) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra and spin-lattice relaxation times (T1) of L-[epsilon-2H3]methionine, L-[epsilon-2H3]methionine in a D,L lattice, and [S-methyl-2H3]methionine in the crystalline solid state, as a function of temperature, in addition to obtaining 2H T1 and line-width results as a function of temperature on [epsilon-2H3]methionine-labeled sperm whale (Physeter catodon) myoglobins by using the method of magnetic ordering [Rothgeb, T. M., & Oldfield, E. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 1432-1446]. The results indicate that in the L-amino acid, methyl rotation having an activation energy (delta E) of 8.3 +/- 1 kJ dominates T1 at low temperatures (less than or equal to 10 degrees C), while at higher temperatures an additional large-amplitude side-chain motion occurs which causes changes in the 2H NMR line shape and T1. This motion is inhibited in the D,L lattice, indicating that lattice effects may have a strong effect on the mobility of anhydrous amino acids in the solid state. Further substitution at S delta to form the sulfonium salt [S-methyl-2H3]-methionine causes a large increase in delta E, to 15.9 +/- 2 kJ, a value comparable to the 14-16 kJ found in valine and leucine, which contain the structurally similar isopropyl moiety. These results suggest that the very low barriers to methyl rotation in the methionine side chain are due to long C-S bond lengths and the presence of only two substituents on sulfur, while the anomalous high-temperature behavior is due to a lattice-packing effect. 2H T1 results with methionine-labeled myoglobin are complex, reflecting the presence of fast large-amplitude side-chain motions, in addition to rapid methyl rotation. Our data indicate that Met-55 and Met-131 are motionally inequivalent in crystalline cyanoferrimyoglobin, in contrast to solution NMR results. We have also recorded 13C cross-polarization "magic-angle" sample-spinning NMR spectra of [epsilon-13C]methionine-labeled crystalline cyanoferrimyoglobin (at 37.7 MHz, corresponding to a magnetic field strength of 3.52 T) and of the same protein in aqueous solution. Cross-polarization transfer rates and proton rotating-frame relaxation time results again indicate that Met-55 and Met-131 are motionally inequivalent in the solid state, and the TCH data indicate that Met-55 is more solidlike. However, we find that 13C chemical shifts in solution and those in the crystalline solid state are in very close agreement, suggesting that the average solution and crystal conformations are the same, in the area of Met-55 and Met-131.


Crystal-free radios have the potential to revolutionize the IoT: due to their single-chip nature, they are both very cheap (no external components required) and very small (the size of a grain of rice). The Single-Chip Micro Mote ($\text{SC}\mu \mathrm{M}$) is a $2\times 3\times 0.3\ \text{mm}^{3}$ crystal-free chip that can communicate with off-the-shelf transceivers over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or IEEE 802.15.4. Setting its communication frequency is challenging because the crystal-free chip can rely only on internal oscillating circuits, which are very susceptible to temperature. Without compensation, a $\text{SC}\mu \mathrm{M}$ chip can no longer communicate with an off-the-shelf BLE receiver if the temperature changes by more than 1.25 °C. This paper introduces a two-step temperature compensation method, allowing $\text{SC}\mu\mathrm{M}$ to successfully send BLE frames over a 20 °C temperature range. After performing initial calibration during optical bootloading, we use an open-loop linear model to estimate the ambient temperature and continuously tune the mote's local oscillator (LO) frequency as the temperature changes. We show how the mote can use the intermediate frequency of 802.15.4 frames it receives from nearby off-the-shelf transceivers as a frequency reference to adjust its LO frequency. This compensation method enables $\text{SC}\mu \mathrm{M}$ to operate as a tiny BLE beacon, a BLE temperature sensor (for retail or medical applications), or a 802.15.4-to-BLE translation device.


The results of a number of theoretical and experimental studies relating to multiple hologram recording in lithium niobate are reported. The analysis of holographic gratings stored in lithium niobate has been extended to cover a more realistic range of physical situations. A new successful dynamic (feedback) theory for describing recording, nondestructive reading, erasure, enhancement, and angular sensitivity has been developed. In addition, the possible architectures of mass data storage systems have been studied.


A facile non-template solid-state reaction method has been developed for the first time preparation of a tetragonal microstructure self-assembled from nitrogen-doped carbon nanocapsules containing metallic cobalt nanoparticles (Co–N–C) by using graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and Co(CH3COO)2·4H2O as the only reactants, in which g-C3N4 acts as the effective source of nitrogen and carbon elements in the N-doped carbon nanocapsules and Co(CH3COO)2·4H2O controls the microscopic structure of the self-assembled product. The as-prepared Co–N–C tetragonal microstructures exhibit enhanced electrocatalytic activities for both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The synergistic effect of the chemical compositions and the robust microstructure made of the interconnected N-doped carbon nanocapsules accounts for the superior ORR and OER activity and stability to the commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst. The synthetic strategy presented in this work demonstrates a new avenue for developing highly active carbon-based electrocatalysts for electrochemical energy storage and conversion.


Tafsīr ahkaam ul_Qura'n is an excellent commentary of Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi. Qadi ibn al-Arabi was the great scholar and master of Maliki Jurisprudence. The ahkaam ul_Qura'n is called jurisprudential commentaries. In these tafaseers, only those verses of the Qur'an which deal with jurisprudential issues are interpreted. Ahkaam ul-Qur'an is a comprehensive commentary of the Holy which is written in the Arabic language. Tafsīr Ahkaam ul-Qur'an has a great influence on the Maliki tafsiri literature because it was the first Tafsīri work by Maliki Jurisprudence after the Ahkaam ul-Qur'an by Imam Shafi'i. Ibn al-Arabi gives verses of the Holy Qur'an and then chapter names. Qadi ibn al-Arabi has adopted the old style of tafsir. He brings those verses in which jurisprudence problems were discussed. It is observed in Ahkaam-Qur'an that "Qadi ibn al-Arabi" is a great defender of Malki jurisprudence, but he brings the views of the other three schools of thought and rejects the verdict of other jurisprudence scholars. At many palaces, he brings the Hadiths with different asnad in the favored of Malki school of thought.


Considering the channel waste resulted by the fixed or certainty traffic-based time slot assignment in uncertainty traffic flows TDMA networks, a traffic prediction-based dynamic time slot allocation TDMA protocol (PD-TDMA) is proposed. Coordinator collects the transmission queue length information which sanded by all nodes with the CSMA mechanism, and then it predicts the real time arrival traffic with the measure of wavelet neural network and makes a dynamic time slot allocation according to greedy algorithm. The simulation results show that the proposed protocol can guarantee better performance on predicting real-time traffic, improving the channel utilization and reducing delay than the conventional CSMA/CA and hybrid MAC protocol.


Fragrance encapsulates (FEs) are designed to deliver fragrance components, notably in laundry care products. They are made of thermoset polymeric shells surrounding the fragrance content. These materials enter the environment mainly during laundry washing, but little is known about their distribution in and impact on the environment. The aim of the present study was to estimate the environmental concentrations of FE shells in freshwater, sediment, and soil compartments for 34 selected countries and to compare them with ecotoxicological effects. Probabilistic material flow analysis was used to estimate worst‐case predicted environmental concentrations (PECs). The lowest freshwater PEC was predicted for Finland (0.00011 µg/L) and the highest for Belgium (0.13 µg/L). Accumulation of FE shells between 2010 and 2019 was considered for sediments and sludge‐treated soils. The PECs in sediments ranged from 3.0 µg/kg (Finland) to 3400 µg/kg (Belgium). For sludge‐treated soil, the concentration was estimated to be between 0 (Malta and Switzerland) and 3600 µg/kg (Vietnam). Ecotoxicological tests showed no effects for FE shells at any tested concentration (up to 2700 µg/L freshwater, 5400 µg/kg sediment, and 9100 µg/kg soil), thus not allowing derivation of a predicted‐no‐effect concentration (PNEC). Therefore, to characterize the environmental risks, the PEC values were compared with highest‐observed‐no‐effect concentrations (HONECs) derived from ecotoxicological tests. The PEC/HONEC ratios were 9.3 × 10–6, 0.13, and 0.04 for surface waters, sediments, and sludge‐treated soils, respectively, which are much below 1, suggesting no environmental risk. Because the PEC values constitute an upper boundary (no fate considered) and the HONEC values represent a lower boundary (actual PNEC values based on NOECs will be higher), the current risk estimation can be considered a precautionary worst‐case assessment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:905–916. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.


Questionnaires assessing sources and levels of job satisfaction and occupational stress were completed by male and female general practitioners (N = 547) and consultant doctors (N = 449) in Scotland during a period of structural change in the health service. Job satisfaction and occupational stress scales from the Occupational Stress Inventory 30 were used to compare GPs and consultants, males and females, and to enable comparisons with other occupational groups. Consultants had greater occupational stress than GPs on three OSI subscales detailing managerial aspects of their work, and also had greater job satisfaction overall than GPs. GPs were more stressed by 'intrinsic' factors of the job itself. Females had less occupational stress and greater job satisfaction overall than males. Male GPs as a group had greatest job stress and least job satisfaction. Younger principals in general practice and consultants reported more occupational stress and less job satisfaction than older doctors. These findings have implications for health service management in terms of providing support and training in stress management for younger doctors and for female doctors. Comparisons with combined sample norms for mainly professional and managerial occupations showed that GPs and consultants in the Scottish sample had generally greater job satisfaction and less occupational stress than norms, which is contrary to expectations.


Studies of the chemistry of metal cluster complexes and, in particular, their reactions with small organic molecules, have been confined to relatively few systems. Among the reasons for this are: (i) not many clusters are easily synthesized in high yields; (ii) their reactions often give a multitude of products that are difficult to separate and characterize; (iii) the conditions required to bring about reactions often lead to fragmentation of the cluster into lower nuclearity (often mononuclear) species. One cluster whose chemistry has been extensively studied is [Os3H2(CO)10]. This can be synthesized in high yields from [Os3(CO)12] + H2 (Knox et al. 1975) and reacts readily under mild conditions with a wide range of electron-donor molecules by virtue of its coordinative unsaturation (Shapley et al. 1975; Deeming & Hasso 1976; Adams & Golembeski 1979). Formally, one may consider that a metal—metal double bond is present, which is reduced to a single bond on coordination of an additional two-electron donor ligand such as an organophosphine. The presence of metal—hydrogen bonds in this cluster and the cluster's ability to coordinate organic substrates enable it to undergo a wide variety of insertion reactions, leading to products that may be regarded as intermediates in the reduction of organic molecules by clusters (Deeming & Hasso 1975; Keister & Shapley 1975).


Oribatida fauna, morpho-ecological types and faunistic complexes in the Far Eastern soils under different vegetation were analyzed. Species with Bering links were found to be the most numerous in the soils of Magadan and Chukotka regions. Species of the palaearchearctic faunistic complex appear in Kamchatka Oribatida fauna and reach the maximum in soils of Primorsky krai and the southern Kuril Islands. The presence of species with palaearchearctic, amphipalaearctic, Indo-Malayan and neo-tropical links in the soils of coniferous-broad-leaved forests provides the evidence of complex genesis, heterogeneity and age variety of oribatid fauna of the Far East.


INTRODUCTION
Myoclonus refers to the brief, sudden, involuntary movements like jerks or twitches which produce a sudden muscular contraction.

AIMS
To review the clinical and neurophysiological features of myoclonus, or myoclonic spasms, and to carry out an updated examination of their causation and treatment.

DEVELOPMENT
Myoclonic spasms can be classified on the basis of different criteria. According to the underlying physiological mechanism, myoclonic spasms can be classified as cortical, subcortical, spinal or peripheral. Myoclonic spasms appear in a wide range of neurological diseases. So-called symptomatic myoclonus is the type that occurs secondary to an identifiable disorder; it is usually accompanied by other neurological signs and is the most frequent kind. Epileptic myoclonus is that which forms part of an epileptic syndrome with a genetic or idiopathic cause, or that is due to static encephalopathy. Essential myoclonus is the least frequent type and includes palatal myoclonus and dystonia-myoclonus syndrome. The main therapeutic objective consists in treating the underlying cause of the myoclonus if possible and in using symptomatic treatment when this is not the case. Antiepileptic drugs that enhance the effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid are still the most effective medication. Among the non-antiepileptic drugs, piracetam and 5-hydroxytryptophan stand out above the rest. Botulinum toxin has proved to be effective in palatal myoclonus. In dystonia-myoclonus syndrome, research has been conducted on the effectiveness of deep brain stimulation on the internal globus pallidus. In the most severe forms of myoclonus, monotherapy is not usually effective.

CONCLUSIONS
Progress has been made in furthering our knowledge of the neurophysiology of myoclonus, although no very effective forms of treatment have been reported for this motor disorder, which can be extremely disabling.


We investigated the potential differential effects of antiretroviral therapies on unbalanced chemokine homeostasis and on the progression of atherosclerosis in HIV-infected patients. A two-year prospective study was performed in 67 consecutive HIV-infected patients initiating antiretroviral therapy with abacavir/lamivudine or tenofovir/emtricitabine. Circulating levels of inflammatory biomarkers, progression of subclinical atherosclerosis and expression levels of selected chemokines genes in circulating leukocytes were assessed. Control subjects showed significantly lower plasma concentrations of CRP, tPA, IL-6, and MCP-1 than HIV-infected patients at a baseline. After two years of followup, the observed decreases in plasma inflammatory biomarker levels were only significant for MCP-1, tPA, and IL-6. The decrease in plasma MCP-1 concentration was associated with the progression of atherosclerosis, and this effect was negligible only in patients receiving TDF-based therapy. Multivariate analysis confirmed that treatment with TDF was positively and significantly associated with a higher likelihood of subclinical atherosclerosis progression. However, the expression levels of selected genes in blood cells only showed associations with the viral load and total and HDL-cholesterol levels. Current antiretroviral treatments may partially attenuate the influence of HIV infection on certain inflammatory pathways, though patients receiving TDF therapy must be carefully monitored with respect to the presence and/or progression of atherosclerosis.


Abstract A 50-year-old man with neurofibromatosis type 1 presented to the emergency department after a spontaneous hemorrhage into a facial plexiform neurofibroma. An emergent selective angiography of the external carotid artery was performed with Onyx embolization of the origin of the internal maxillary artery as well as the superficial temporal artery to minimize arterial bleeding during the subsequent operative hematoma evacuation. This technique was aimed to control blood loss during the surgical procedure and reduce the amount of transfusion product required for resuscitation. This technique provides a viable option to control potentially life-threatening arterial bleeding in emergent settings.


Loss minimization in scalar-controlled induction motor drives (IMD) with search controllers (SC) is investigated. The problems arising when the input power is used as the controlled variable are described. It is proved that better results are achieved if the stator current is used as the controlled variable.


This paper is an expository contribution reporting on published work. It focusses on an approach followed in the rewriting community to formalize the concept of strategy. Based on rewriting concepts, several definitions of strategy are reviewed and connected: in order to catch the higher-order nature of strategies, a strategy is defined as a proof term expressed in the rewriting logic or in the rewriting calculus; to address in a coherent way deduction and computation, a strategy is seen as a subset of derivations; and to recover the definition of strategy in sequential path-building games or in functional programs, a strategy is considered as a partial function that associates to a reduction-in-progress, the possible next steps in the reduction sequence.


A simple chemical method is described for the removal of most of the salts from sea water. The final product, containing 0.58 per cent. dissolved material which is apparently composed of urates and sulfates, is not unpleasant in taste and is not expected to cause toxic effects if used as drinking water.


Background Compulsory Community Treatment Orders (CTOs) enable psychiatric medication without the need for consent. Careful scrutiny of outcomes including mortality is required to ensure compulsory treatment is evidence-based and ethical. Aims To report mortality for patients placed on CTOs and analyse data according to CTO status, mortality cause and diagnosis. Method Data for all patients placed under CTOs between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2018 was provided by the Ministry of Health, New Zealand. Data included diagnostic and demographic information, dates of CTOs, and any dates and causes of death. Deaths were categorised into suicides, accidents and assaults, and medical causes. Mortality data are reported according to CTO status and diagnosis. Results A total of 14 726 patients were placed on CTOs over the study period, during which there were 1328 deaths. The mortality rate was 2.97 on and 2.31 off CTOs (rate ratio 1.29, 95% CI 1.14–1.45; P < 0.01). The mortality rate for accidents and assaults was 0.44 on and 0.25 off CTOs (rate ratio 1.73, 95% CI 1.23–2.42; P < 0.01). The mortality rate for medical causes was 2.33 on and 1.90 off CTOs (rate ratio 1.22, 95% CI 1.07–1.40; P < 0.01). The suicide rate was 0.20 on and 0.15 off of CTOs (rate ratio 1.33, 95% CI 0.81–2.12; P = 0.22). Conclusions Increased care and medication provided during compulsory treatment does not the modify the course of illness sufficiently to reduce mortality during CTOs. Higher mortality rates during CTO periods compared with non-CTO periods may reflect greater unwellness during CTOs.


Signaling by the metabotropic glutamate receptor 1alpha (mGluR1alpha) can lead to the accumulation of inositol 1,4, 5-trisphosphate (InsP(3)) and cAMP and to the modulation of K(+) and Ca(2+) channel opening. At present, very little is known about how these different actions are integrated and eventually turned off. Unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying these functions is crucial for understanding mGluR-mediated regulation of synaptic transmission. It has been shown that receptor-induced activation of the InsP(3) pathway is subject to feedback inhibition mediated by protein kinase C (PKC). In this study, we provide evidence for a differential regulation by PKC and protein kinase A of two distinct mGluR1alpha-dependent signaling pathways. PKC activation selectively inhibits agonist-dependent stimulation of the InsP(3) pathway but does not affect receptor signaling via cAMP. In contrast, protein kinase A potentiates agonist-independent signaling of the receptor via InsP(3). Furthermore, we demonstrate that the selectivity of PKC action on receptor signaling rests on phosphorylation of a threonine residue located in the G protein-interacting domain of the receptor. Modification at Thr(695) selectively disrupts mGluR1alpha-G(q/11) interaction without affecting signaling through G(s). Together, these data provide insight on the mechanisms by which selective down-regulation of a specific receptor-dependent signaling pathway can be achieved and on how cross-talk between different second messenger cascades may contribute to fine-tune short- and long-term receptor activity.


Gas-phase emission spectra of the hitherto unknown free radical TeLi have been measured in the NIR range with a Fourier-transform spectrometer. The emissions were observed from a fast flow system in which tellurium vapor in argon carrier gas was passed through a microwave discharge and mixed with lithium vapor in an observation tube. Two systems of blue-degraded bands were measured at high spectral resolution in the ranges 8000-9000 and 5700-6700 cm(-1) and vibrational and rotational analyses were performed. In order to aid in the analysis of the experimental data, a series of relativistic configuration interaction calculations has been carried out to obtain potential curves for the low-lying states of TeLi and the isovalent TeH and also electric dipole transition moments connecting them. As in the TeH system, the ground state of TeLi is found to be X(2)Pi(i), but with a remarkably smaller spin-orbit splitting. The TeLi calculations indicate a strongly bound A(2)Sigma(+) state, while in TeH the analogous state is computed to lie significantly higher at approximately 32 000 cm(-1), and it is strongly predissociated. Based on the theoretical analysis, the observed TeLi band systems are assigned to the transitions A(2)Sigma(+)(A1/2)-->X(1)(2)Pi(3/2)(X(1)3/2) and A(2)Sigma(+)(A1/2)-->X(2)(2)Pi(1/2)(X(2)1/2). Analysis of the spectra has yielded the molecular constants (in cm(-1)) X(1)(2)Pi(3/2):omega(e)=457.49(3), omega(e)x(e)=2.482(9), B(0)=0.408908(8); X(2)(2)Pi(1/2): T(e)=2353.44(3), omega(e)=456.28(4), omega(e)x(e)=2.635(8), B(0)=0.414954(8), p(0)=1.00637(4); A(2)Sigma(+): T(e)=8574.64(2), omega(e)=437.81(3), omega(e)x(e)=2.581(8), B(0)=0.423903(8), p(0)=-0.19915(2), where the numbers in parentheses are the standard deviations of the parameters. Comparison of the isovalent TeLi and TeH systems emphasizes that the difference in bonding character (ionic in TeLi vs covalent in TeH) is responsible for qualitative differences in the electronic spectra of these two molecules. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.


The underlying molecular mechanisms of resistance to cisplatin-based systemic chemotherapy in bladder cancer patients remain to be elucidated, while the link between androgen receptor (AR) activity and chemosensitivity in urothelial cancer has been implicated. Our DNA microarray analysis in control vs. AR knockdown bladder cancer lines identified GULP1 as a potential target of AR signaling. We herein determined the relationship between AR activity and GULP1 expression in bladder cancer cells and then assessed the functional role of GULP1 in cisplatin sensitivity. Androgen treatment in AR-positive cells or AR overexpression in AR-negative cells considerably reduced the levels of GULP1 expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation further showed direct interaction of AR with the promoter region of GULP1. Meanwhile, GULP1 knockdown sublines were significantly more resistant to cisplatin treatment compared with respective controls. GULP1 knockdown also resulted in a significant decrease in apoptosis, as well as a significant increase in G2/M phases, when treated with cisplatin. In addition, GULP1 was immunoreactive in 74% of muscle-invasive bladder cancers from patients who had subsequently undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy, including 53% of responders showing moderate (2+)/strong (3+) expression vs. 23% of non-responders showing 2+/3+ expression (P = 0.044). These findings indicate that GULP1 represents a key downstream effector of AR signaling in enhancing sensitivity to cisplatin treatment.


Bullying is one of the issues that persist today and has yet to be resolved because it is seen as a natural occurrence, even though it has both short- and long-term consequences for victims, offenders, and those who watch it. As a result, the purpose of this research is to identify the types of bullying that exist in SMAN 1 Astanajapura, Cirebon Regency, as well as the role of Religion Teachers in dealing with bullying in SMAN 1 Astanajapura, Cirebon Regency. At SMAN 1 Astanajapura, Cirebon Regency, and understanding the variables that lead to bullying. This sort of study combines qualitative and descriptive research methods. Observation, interviews, documentation using data reduction analysis, data presentation, and verification are all used in the data collection approach. The findings revealed that the most common form of bullying in SMAN 1 Astanajapura were verbal bullying, which included providing nicknames, mocking, and disparaging others' physical or mental flaws. Hitting, pinching, grabbing, and harassing are examples of physical bullying. Psychological bullying, such as ostracism, and media bullying, such as mocking on social media or in online games. Second, PAI teachers' role in dealing with bullying is divided into two stages: prevention and follow-up, which includes things like conducting supervision, socializing and extracurricular activities, guidance, teaching education and exemplary behaviour, and coordinating with all school members. Parents, friends, and social media were all contributors to the bullying that occurred at SMAN 1 Astanajapura.


Active human pancreatic cationic trypsin labelled with 131I was administered into the duodenum in nine healthy individuals pretreated with "cold", i.e. non-radioactive iodine. Radioactivity in plasma was measured during 72 hours and was present in plasma after 15 minutes with a maximum 1 hour after administration. The recovered radioactivity in plasma was characterized using dialysis and gel-filtration and the radioactive iodine was found to be in the form of free 131I. Our results are in agreement with recent experimental studies indicating the presence of de-iodinases in the intestine. Furthermore, it was found that pretreatment with "cold" iodine prevented isotope binding to circulating plasma proteins.


Synesthesia is the automatic elicitation of conscious perceptual experiences by stimuli not normally associated with such experiences (eg, tasting words, hearing colors). The stimuli that induce synesthesia can be either cognitive (eg, thinking of a number) or sensory (eg, listening to music). Synesthesia can be either developmental in origin (present throughout the life span, with a hereditary component) or acquired. Whereas developmental cases tend to be either of the cognitive-sensory or sensory-sensory types, acquired cases tend to be limited to the sensory-sensory types. (Note: I use the convention of placing the stimulus that elicits the experience before the hyphen and the experience itself after the hyphen.) This could reflect the fact that the onset of synesthesia predates the learning of cultural knowledge (eg, words, letters, numbers) in developmental but not in acquired cases. Acquired cases of synesthesia have not been extensively documented, and Ro et al. study makes an important contribution to this emerging literature. Most previous cases of acquired synesthesia have arisen as a result of sensory deafferentation in the visual modality resulting in acquired visual synesthesias such as sound-vision and touch-vision synesthesias. These cases typically have peripheral damage to the visual pathways (eg, retinal degeneration or optic nerve damage), although one case of sound-vision synesthesia after midbrain tumor is reported. Ro and colleagues' case is unique in having a discrete neurological lesion, in this instance, to the right ventrolateral thalamus. It is also unique in that tactile sensations are elicited from sounds. The facts of the case are as follows. At 12 months after onset, a neuropsychological investigation demonstrated the rare condition of tactile and visual antiextinction (ie, improved ability to detect a contralesional stimulus when accompanied by an ipsilesional stimulus of the same modality). Ro and colleagues speculate that this may be caused by compensatory plasticity in corticocallosal pathways. The patient also had decreased somatosensory functions on the left (contralesional) side of her body. A magnetic resonance imaging scan and diffusion tensor imaging analysis at about 15 months found a right thalamic lesion but showed no white matter differences between the lesioned and intact hemispheres. At 18 months, she first reported signs of synesthesia (eg, tactile sensations triggered by listening to a particular radio announcer) that were formally followed up. At 20 months, a further magnetic resonance imaging/diffusion tensor imaging analysis showed disorganized white matter in the lesioned hemisphere. It is unclear whether the disorganized subcortical connections themselves cause the synesthesia, or whether it is due to other compensatory corticocortical plasticity (see later). The synesthesia itself lasted for many years and was reassessed at 6 years after onset. The tactile percepts were typically experienced on the left upper part of the body (including hands and arm), were simple in nature (eg, tingles or pressure rather than shapes), and were generally consistent over time. Given that the synesthesia and the earlier impairment in sensory functioning occurred within the same domain (ie, tactile sensations on the left), it resembles previous cases of acquired visual synesthesia after visual impairment (even though the lesion was different in nature). As such, I am inclined to attribute the synesthesia to compensatory cross-modal plasticity rather than to loss of thalamic input in particular (although further evidence concerning the role of the thalamus in synesthesia is clearly needed). The slow time course of onset of the synesthesia also resembles other cases and is more consistent with plasticity rather than unmasking of pre-existing pathways. Unmasking could be a viable mechanism for some cases who report synesthesia after only a few days, for healthy blindfolded participants who report visual experiences after a few days, and for drug-induced synesthesia. The specific nature of the synesthesia is also intriguing. The modality of the experiences (ie, touch) is perhaps predictable from the sensory deficit. But why do sounds act as the inducing modality? One simple answer is that there is nothing special about sounds, and other sensory combinations will be documented when new cases of acquired tactile synesthesia come to light. However, other explanations can be considered. Developmental types of synesthesia may be constrained by the neuroanatomic proximity of functional regions, such that color perception and grapheme recognition are neuroanatomically close (creating grapheme-color synesthesia), whereas spoken language, rather than graphemes, is linked to synesthetic experiences of taste. This "adjacency principle" is assumed to reflect a genetic bias that affects brain development in naturally occurring cases, so it is not obvious whether such a constraint will apply to acquired cases. The fact that the tactile sensations were felt on the upper (rather than lower) body is, however, consistent with this. The region of somatosensory cortex representing the face, hands, and arms lies closer to the auditory cortex than that representing torso, legs, and feet. However, one might expect, under an adjacency account, that gustatory-tactile synesthesia would predominate over auditory-tactile synesthesia (Cytowic and Wood report such a developmental case). An alternative is that there already exist direct auditory-tactile pathways in EDITORIALS


Aim: Nutrigenomics reflects gene–diet interactions. In recent years, the science of nutrigenomics has become more sophisticated. We seek to answer the question as to what this might mean for the dietetics profession. Methods: We have critically reviewed recent developments in the area, and considered the importance of new business opportunities being opened up, which exploit the full potential of nutrigenomics for dietitians. Results: Whereas early business models sold genetic test results through direct-to-consumer testing, new business initiatives move dietitians to a central role. This now provides a robust framework that can inform dietitians in their practice. Conclusion: This field represents an important advance for dietitians.


Continuous fiber reinforced composites have excellent mechanical properties, but traditional processes are costly, complex to form, have a long production cycle, and are only suitable for relatively simple structures, which limits the wider application of the material. Fuse Deposition Modeling(FDM) 3D printing has the advantages of simple process, fast molding, low cost, and the ability to manufacture high-complexity structures, which provides the possibility of low-cost and rapid prototyping of composite materials. In this paper, several FDM 3D printing processes for continuous fiber composites are reviewed, and the effects of some related process parameters on the properties of the composites are analyzed. Finally, the problems of FDM 3D printing continuous fiber reinforced composites are pointed out.


In that part of Asiatic Turkey, where the provinces of Anatolia, Armenia, Kurdistan, and Mesopotamia unite, the chain of the Taurus is bounded on the one side by the Euphrates and on the other by the Tigris, and this district, being now out of the way of the main roads of commerce, has until within a few years been almost entirely neglected. The interest, however, attached to these regions in the present precarious state of the Ottoman- empire, and the difficulty of obtaining information concerning them, will excuse the imperfect condition of the sketch now offered of the geographical and geological configuration of the country; but I have to regret that my absence during some years from England prevented my being acquainted with the valuable information to be obtained from the published routes of Messrs. Brant and Ainsworth. The line of road which I took enabled me to complete the section of the country in a direct line from the Euphrates to the town of Sivas, and a Stay of some weeks put it in my power to obtain some interesting details concerning the important mines of copper at Arghaneh Maden, and of silver at Kebban Maden, as well as others more or less neglected, which lie in various parts of Armenia and the N. E. of Asia Minor.


Introduction Eluxadoline (ELX) is a mixed µ- and κ-opioid receptor (OR) agonist and δ-OR antagonist. It is locally active and approved for the treatment of IBS-D. Effects of ELX on abdominal pain and stool consistency have been reported based on a composite response; effects on other abdominal and bowel symptoms were evaluated over time. Methods Two double-blind, placebo (PBO)-controlled, Phase 3 trials (IBS-3001 and IBS-3002) randomised patients (pts) meeting Rome III criteria for IBS-D to twice-daily treatment with ELX 75 or 100 mg or PBO. Pts completed an electronic diary and rated daily IBS symptoms of abdominal discomfort and bloating (both on a 0–10 scale), and recorded numbers of bowel movements (BMs) and episodes of urgency and fincontinence daily through 26 weeks (wks). To assess trajectories of treatment effects over time, daily symptom scores and counts of BMs and episodes of urgency and incontinence were mwith longitudinal analyses. Treatment effect estimates from the models were evaluated at Wks 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 based on estimated least squares (LS) mean differences (symptom scores) and risk ratios (frequency data). Results 2428 pts with IBS-D were enrolled across both trials. In both studies, daily abdominal discomfort and bloating scores decreased from baseline within the first wk, with greater reductions seen for ELX. Abdominal discomfort scores were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than PBO for ELX 100 mg at all time points through Wk 24 in both studies (except Wk 4 in IBS-3002), while bloating was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than PBO for ELX 100 mg from Wk 16 onward in both studies (Table). BM frequency and episodes of urgency and incontinence were also reduced from baseline. Both ELX doses significantly reduced (p < 0.05) episodes of urgency compared with PBO at all time points through Wk 24 in both studies. Similarly, ELX significantly reduced BM frequency compared with PBO through 24 wks (data not shown). Episodes of incontinence were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than PBO for both ELX doses from Wk 16 onward in IBS-3002.Abstract PTU-133 Table 1 Longitudinal analysis of abdominal discomfort and bloating Conclusion ELX significantly improves abdominal discomfort and bloating, and significantly reduces BM frequency and episodes of urgency and incontinence; effects are sustained through 6 months of treatment. Reference 1 Previously presented at ACG 2015. Abstract #1761. Am J Gastroenterol 2015;110:S739–S766. doi:10.1038/ajg.2015.275. Disclosure of Interest L. Harris Grant/research support from: Alvine, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Consultant for: Allergan plc, QoL, Ironwood, Conflict with: Ironwood, Allergan plc, S. Lucak Consultant for: Allergan plc, Takeda, Salix, Ironwood, Prometheus, Speaker bureau with: Allergan plc, Takeda, Salix, Ironwood, Conflict with: Allergan plc, Takeda, Salix, Ironwood, L. Chang Conflict with: Ironwood, Allergan plc, Valeant, QOL Medical, Takeda, Ardelyx, Commonwealth Laboratories, AstraZeneca, Synergy, L. Dove Consultant for: Allergan plc, P. Covington: None Declared


The use of distraction osteogenesis in the hypoplastic maxilla and midface is still controversial. Since the beginning of 1998, 25 patients have been treated with osteodistraction techniques for various reasons. Among them were four patients who were treated by high LeFort I osteotomies and insertion of a newly developed subcutaneous distraction device in the malar region. Distraction osteogenesis was successful in all four cases resulting in a mean sagittal bone gain of 12.0 mm (range 7-14) at the level of distractor fixation. All patients were kept under orthodontic supervision during osteodistraction. The final occlusal relation was satisfactory. Cephalometric measurements after distraction showed an anterior rotational movement of the midface region. As the question of relapse and further growth is still not clear, Delaire masks are used to stabilize the surgical result after removal of the distractor. The importance of long-term follow-up is stressed.


INTRODUCTION
Palmar hyperhidrosis (PH) is a relative frequent pathology which basically affects patients' life quality limiting social and laboral life. The treatment of choice is thoracoscopic sympathectomy, most frequently done during adulthood. The aim of our study was to evaluate the degree of satisfaction of the pediatric patients treated in our centre.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of the patients controlled and treated in our centre during the last 4 years evaluating the symptoms before surgery, the level of the sympathectomy and postoperative complications. To evaluate the long-term results we developed a telephone questionnaire for all the patients centralized on the grade of satisfaction, the efficiency of the treatment, the compensatory sweating and the observed changes in life quality. The medium follow-up time was 26.5 months (rango 6 months to 4 years).

RESULTS
In total 6 patients were reviewed (4 female, 2 male), medium age 12, 8 years (rango 8 to 18 years). Thoracoscopic sympathectomy was done at the level of T2 or T3 associating T4 in 1 case. We just observed 1 postoperative complication which consisted in a disestesia of the upper extremity and which disappeared spontaneously without sequels. Patients referred total relief of palmar sweating. Only 1 case reported residual sweating unilaterally in the tenar region, but in all of them sweating of feet still persisted (3 of low grade and 3 of moderate grade). In 50% of the cases we observed compensatory sweating localized at the back of moderate grade in 2 patients and at the upper legs of more severe grade in 1 of them. Only this last patient reported that the compensatory sweating affected his everyday life. We also observed that the patients where the sympathectomy had affected more than 1 ganglia (T2+T3; T3+T4; T2+T3+T4) referred a higher grade of compensatory sweating. All the cases reported an important improvement in life quality, in the social as in the formative manner. They were all very satisfied with the results of the surgery and none of them (neither the children nor the parents) regretted the intervention. The cosmetic result of the surgical scars was also satisfactory.

CONCLUSIONS
The thoracoscopic sympathectomy is an efficient procedure for the treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis. Despite the compensatory sweating patients usually are very satisfied with the results. Since palmar hyperhidrosis is not a pathology which improves spontaneously and the surgical treatment has minimal complications we do not think that the surgery should be postponed in pediatric patients.


The objective of this study was to assess the relative contributions of wood shrinkage and building dead loads to vertical displacement in the form of height loss for wood-frame structures. Identifying the relative contributions of these factors while monitoring full-sized buildings presents significant challenges; therefore, a laboratory test was conducted under controlled hygrothermal conditions and loading. Two small-scale wood-frame structures were constructed with dimension lumber wall assemblies and floor joists. Both model structures were equipped with vertical movement and moisture content (MC) monitoring systems. The structures were conditioned in a chamber to a MC of approximately 20 %, and then moved into the laboratory environment for drying and loading. Model Structure No. 1 was loaded immediately; model Structure No. 2 was not loaded until after the wood had dried to the equilibrium MC. By using a unique lever system, the applied load simulated a dead load that could be experienced by the bottom floor of a six-story wood-frame building. Shrinkage coefficients were measured using samples cut from the horizontal framing members. The results suggested that the loads "forced" the structures to displace downward. At the driest time in the laboratory, the total movement of model Structure No. 1 reached a maximum of about 19 mm after 10 months, which is comparable to in situ recorded measurements from the bottom floor of a four-story wood-frame building in coastal British Columbia. Shrinkage appeared to account for 70 % of the total vertical movement, with the remaining 30 % contributable to load-induced displacement under the conditions of this test. Model Structure No. 2 showed less vertical movement but more initial displacement than model Structure 1 due to a larger settlement. This study suggested that there may be a need to consider the effect of loads in addition to wood shrinkage when estimating building height loss.


After Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans on August 29, 2005, the United States came under fire for its mistreatment of poor black citizens in the storm's aftermath. Among those accusing the United States of racial discrimination was the Committee of the International Convention on Eliminating all Forms of Racial Discrimination, or CERD. The interactions between CERD and the U.S. exemplified some of the issues human rights treaty bodies like CERD face in ensuring compliance without the aid of enforcement mechanisms, especially when dealing with a uniquely powerful state like the U.S. This inability to enforce adherence leads bodies like CERD to depend upon the power of norms for shaping public opinion and state policy; however, it can be difficult to determine whether norms have successfully influenced public thought and thus spread international conceptions of human rights. My research examines the discourses used by activist organizations, both local and national, and newspapers as a tentative method of determining whether human rights norms have been successfully proliferated among American institutions. By looking at the discourses these institutions did or did not invoke in their coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, I then discuss where CERD has successfully influenced American thinking regarding racial discrimination and where it has not. Furthermore, I examine what these results imply for future courses of action for treaty bodies as they look towards further protecting and promoting human rights both within the United States and elsewhere.


Introduction: Insomnia is common among the elderly. The use of hypnotic drugs in elderly patients is frequently criticized owing to dependency, cognitive impairments, falls and withdrawal effects. The production of melatonin, a physiological sleep and circadian rhythm regulator, declines with age. Prolonged-release melatonin (Circadin®), designed to mimic the endogenous pattern of melatonin production, is licensed for insomnia in patients aged ≥ 55 years. Areas covered: This review summarizes published studies on Circadin's efficacy and safety (Summary of Product Characteristics and Medline search on 'Circadin' and 'insomnia'). Expert opinion: The main significant and clinically relevant benefits are improvements in sleep quality and latency, next-day morning alertness and quality of life. The responses may develop over several days. An oral 2-mg dose once daily, for 3 months, has generally been well tolerated with no rebound, withdrawal or 'hangover' effects and no safety concerns on concomitant therapy with antihypertensive, antidiabetic, lipid-lowering or anti-inflammatory drugs. Untoward effects of hypnotics on cognition, memory, postural stability and sleep structure are not seen with Circadin. Given as a first-line prescription, with 13 weeks' posology and the lack of rebound effects, Circadin has the potential to improve quality of life in insomnia patients aged 55 years and older and avoid long-term use of hypnotics.


This article x-rays the role of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in poverty reduction in Nigeria, between 2001 and 2011. It is aimed at finding out the extent to which small and medium scale enterprises, through their employment activities, helped to address poverty reduction. In trying to establish the thrust of the paper we used secondary data and the adoption of econometric model, specifically simple linear regression, to empirically explain this relationship. From the empirical results, SMEs' income captured by their contributions to GDP, are statistically significant in explaining the level of employment and hence poverty reduction. Also the funding of SMEs and the level of government participation are not significant to the growth of SMEs measured by their level of income (SGDP). The models formulated have good fits judging from the R2s and their adjusted values. Also the F-ratio validates the overall significance of the variables and their non-conformity to the apriority expectations of some of the variables. These call for concern. With this development, some recommendations were made amongst which are: that government should provide mechanism for SMEs to have access to loans with long payback period; and that interest rate should be reduced to a single digit to encourage entrepreneurs' innovativeness. It is therefore imperative that policy makers, governments and their agencies provide the technical, technological, financial, assistance and infrastructures needed for the opportunities in the SMEs to be harnessed optimally. Key words: Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs), Poverty, poverty reduction, Employment Generation, Gross Domestic Product.


Background Chronic sinusitis is one of the most common chronic diseases involving different age groups. Because the nature and etiology of chronic sinusitis are not completely known, there is not any standard treatment for this disease. It has been suggested that low-level laser can be used in treating chronic sinusitis but there are limited studies about its usage. In this research, intra-oral radiation of low-level laser has been described and implemented for the first time. Suggested hypotheses about the efficacy of this type of radiation (intra-oral) in treating chronic maxillary sinusitis includes this fact that the depth of maxilla's vestibule is also the floor of maxillary sinus and sinus discharges collect in this area because of gravity effect. Therefore, with considering suitable radiation angle, this area gets the most benefits of laser's anti-inflammatory effects. Material and Methods In this study, 20 patients with chronic maxillary sinusitis were included. They were assessed before and after treatment. Treatment plan was performed in 8 sessions every other days using low-level diode laser with 810 nm. Snot-22 questionnaire and rhinomanometry were used for evaluating patients. Changes of signs and symptoms were recorded in questionnaire every session and 6 months after treatment. Friedman and Wilcoxon tests were used for data analyses. In this study, P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results All variables and all symptoms of patients were improved using intra-oral low-level laser and this improvement was statistically significant (P value<0.05). There was also significant decrease in nasal airway resistance and significant increase in air flow (P value<0.05). Six month after treatment completion, there was no significant difference between the results of completion and the results of 8th treatment session (P value< 0.05). Conclusions Using intra-oral low-level laser is a suitable way to treat patients with chronic maxillary sinusitis. Key words:Chronic sinusitis, maxillary sinusitis, low-level laser.


Twenty years ago things seemed to be quite clear: several different groups of Slavs had invaded East Central Europe at some point during the sixth century, and all archaeologically identifiable, cultural characteristics pointed to a Slavic 'homeland' in Eastern Europe. More recent research, however, has shown this to be a rather simplistic view of the past. This paper is intended as an overview of the current archaeological research on the early Middle Ages that is responsible for the radical change of view of the last decade or so. Dendrochronology, new approaches, and the critical assessment of the historiography of the problem contribute now to a different understanding. The material culture - pottery, hillforts, settlement features, burials - can now be explained in terms of the contemporary situation in East Central Europe, i. e., the consolidation of settlement patterns, economic structures, and society. Exactly what that means for the debate about the 'origins' of the western Slavs remains a matter of further research and discussion.


Two new small molecules with a rigid planar naphtho[1,2-b:5,6-b']dithiophene (NDT) unit were designed and synthesized. Solution processed bulk-hetereojunction organic solar cells based on blends of the small molecules and [6,6]-phenyl-C(71)-butyric acid methyl ester (PC(71)BM) exhibited promising photovoltaic device performance with a maximum power conversion efficiency up to 2.20% under the illumination of AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm(-2).