Nisin has been extensively used as a safe food preservative; therefore, the occurrence of nisin resistance in various bacteria including nisin-exposed Listeria monocytogenes has increased in recent years. This problem could be overcome by using nisin in combination with other antimicrobial agents resulting in synergistic effects. Citric acid is a safe food additive granted GRAS status by the Food and Drug Administration, USA. In the present investigation, the antibacterial activity of nisin and citric acid alone or in combinations against L. monocytogenes 10403S was determined, and their potential as food preservative in food model systems was evaluated. The nisin and citric acid showed minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) at 250 and 4,000 μg/ml, respectively. Checkerboard microdilution method using both compounds showed synergistic effect at concentration of 62.5μg/ml and 1,000 μg/ml, respectively, with the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) value of 0.5. The potent anti-listeria effect of nisin in combination with citric acid on the growth of L. monocytogenes in pork ham (food model) was observed during six days of storage at 4C. This might be exploited to inhibit foodborne bacteria and minimize the nisin-resistant problem of L. monocytogenes in the food industry.


In modern geodesy, the geoid computation is carried out using the so-called remove-restore technique. In this technique, the effect of the topography and its isostatic compensation as well as the effect of a global reference field are removed from the gravimetric quantities being used in the geoid computation. The quality of the reference geopotential model used in the framework of the remove-restore technique plays a great role in estimating the accuracy of the computed geoid. In the last decade, the GOCE gravity field dedicated satellite mission has taken place in order to enhance the gravity field recovery worldwide. Numerous GOCE geopotential models have already been released. Each geopotential model depends on the strategy of the solution and the inclusion of terrestrial gravity data. The main aim of this paper is to validate the recently released GOCE geopotential models in Africa. The results show that the EIGEN-6C4 and GO CONS GCF 2 DIR R5 models give the smallest standard deviation and range of the reduced isostatic anomalies, respectively. However, the range and the standard deviation of the reduced isostatic anomalies are relatively too high, which shows that none of the GOCE released geopotential models ideally fits the African gravity field.


BACKGROUND
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is highly contagious and has claimed more than one million lives, besides causing hardship and disruptions. The Fleischner Society has recommended chest X-ray (CXR) in detecting cases with high risk for disease progression, for triaging suspected patients with moderate-to-severe illness, and to eliminate false negatives in areas with high pre-test probability or limited resources. Although CXR is less sensitive than real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in detecting mild COVID-19, it is nevertheless useful because of equipment portability, low cost and practicality in serial assessments of disease progression among hospitalized patients.

OBJECTIVE
This study aims to review the typical and relatively atypical CXR manifestations of COVID-19 pneumonia in a tertiary care hospital.

METHODS
The CXRs of 136 COVID-19 patients confirmed through real-time RT-PCR from March to May 2020 were reviewed. Literature search was performed using PubMed.

RESULTS
A total of 54 patients had abnormal CXR whilst the others were normal. Typical CXR findings included pulmonary consolidation or ground-glass opacities in a multifocal, bilateral peripheral or lower zone distribution, whereas atypical CXR features comprised cavitation and pleural effusion.

CONCLUSION
Typical findings of COVID-19 infection in chest computed tomography studies can also be seen in CXR. The presence of atypical features is associated with worse disease outcome. Recognition of these features on CXR will improve accuracy and speed of diagnosing COVID-19 patients.


Five cases of non-invasive fungal sinusitis were reported. Among them were 2 cases of maxillary, 2 of maxillo-ethmoid and sphenoid sinus. All the patients were operated under endoscopic intranasal approach. The pathological diagnosis of all 5 cases was aspergills infection. The pathogenesis were conditional such as unclean working situation, deviation of nasal septum, polyposis and infection. The disease was easily confused with common infectious disease. The pathogenic factor, diagnosis and treatment were discussed.


Development of digital content has increased the necessity of copyright protection by means of watermarking. Imperceptibility and robustness are two important features of watermarking algorithms. The goal of watermarking methods is to satisfy the tradeoff between these two contradicting characteristics. Recently watermarking methods in transform domains have displayed favorable results. In this paper, we present an adaptive blind watermarking method which has high transparency in areas that are important to human visual system. We propose a fuzzy system for adaptive control of the embedding strength factor. Features such as saliency, intensity, and edge-concentration, are used as fuzzy attributes. Redundant embedding in discrete cosine transform (DCT) of wavelet domain has increased the robustness of our method. Experimental results show the efficiency of the proposed method and better results are obtained as compared to comparable methods with same size of watermark logo.


Abstract Purpose A proximal avulsion of the radiocarpal capsule (PARC) is a cause of persisting posttraumatic wrist pain. This lesion is often overlooked and left untreated during wrist arthroscopy. Materials and Methods A record review was performed on 13 patients with this lesion who underwent diagnostic wrist arthroscopy after failed conservative treatment. We retrospectively reviewed the results of an arthroscopic repair method in 13 patients. Results In 11 of the 13 consecutive cases the lesion was sutured using an arthroscopic dorsal capsule-ligamentous repair technique. Postoperatively, all high-demand patients were able to return to their previous sports. Discussion The PARC lesion is usually overlooked during diagnostic arthroscopy since it may be covered by synovial or fibrous tissue. It often coexists with scapholunate ligament or triangular fibrocartilage complex injuries. This lesion is amenable to an arthroscopic repair with satisfactory clinical results.


Abstract Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a curative treatment for superficial esophageal cancer with distinct advantages. However, esophageal stenosis after ESD remains a tough problem, especially after large circumferential proportion of esophageal mucosa is removed, which limits the wide use of ESD, especially in circumferential lesions. In this scenario, preventive procedures are highly recommended against post-ESD esophageal stenosis. However, the efficacy and safety of traditional prophylactic methods (steroids, metal and biodegradable stents, balloon dilation, radial incision, etc.) are not satisfactory and novel strategies need to be developed. Regenerative medicine has been showing enormous potential in the reconstruction of organs including the esophagus. In this review, we aimed to describe the current status of regenerative medicine in prevention of post-ESD esophageal stenosis. Cell injection, cell sheet transplantation, and extracellular matrix implantation have been proved effective. However, numerous obstacles still exist and further studies are necessary.


In this paper, we propose a method for simulating the response of SRAM cells to particles through basic electrical models of the composing transistors without empirical parameters to be set. This simplified approach is motivated by the fact that the SPICE parameters are often not known by the end-user. In this approach, the transient currents induced by primary or secondary ions are calculated in the framework of the diffusion/collection model. Then, they are used to calculate the voltage variation at each node of the cell in which the current of each of the four latch transistors is accounted for and is given by a standard first-order model in which three major regions of operation are modeled (subthreshold, triode and saturation). Presented results are in good agreement with ion/neutron/proton experiment for 150 nm, 90 nm and 65 nm SRAMs. Even if the proposed approach would need further validation, this paper is a first step to give guideline on how calculating SEU cross section based on not detailed technological parameters instead of empirical ones. The strong point of our proposal is that it dynamically accounts for the behavior of the four transistors of refreshing loop in the cell.


Integrals arising in the Wiener-Hopf solution for wide microstrip antennas are approximated in closed form for the case of an electrically thin substrate. The resulting expressions are used to obtain simple, closed-form expressions for resonant frequency and unloaded radiation Q for rectangular microstrip patch antennas which are valid when commonly used quasi-static formulas no longer hold. Numerical comparisons show significant shifts in resonant frequencies as compared with existing theories.


This paper explores the various functions of diào in Mandarin Chinese as it changes from a verb to a phase marker. As a phase marker, diào provides a natural endpoint to a co-occurring event and indicates completion, which is a distinct function from the perfect marker le. In this shift, the meaning of diào also expands, including 'falling down', 'throwing down', 'disappearing', 'removal', 'completion' and 'change of state'. The multifunctionality of diào is the result of grammaticalization along with semantic change and extension. Cognitive mechanisms such as metonymic and metaphoric extensions, pragmatic inferencing, analogy on Verb-Complement structures, and semantic generalization all contribute to the grammaticalization of diào, with further influence from contact with southern Chinese dialects. This paper further argues that the grammaticalization and semantic extension of diào is in accordance with the development of aspectual markers cross-linguistically, reflecting the commonality in human cognition.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

A major impediment to the discovery of clinically effective prostate cancer therapies is the lack of pre-clinical models that accurately depict human prostate cancer. While studies with cell lines and mouse models have been extremely valuable, the resulting strategies for adjuvant and neoadjuvant interventions have not significantly extended overall survival in the past 50 years, and prostate cancer remains the second deadliest cancer in American men. Progress in testing new therapeutics is limited by cost and toxicity profiles in humans, and current pre-clinical models are limited by inherent cellular, genetic, and physiological deficiencies. To address this problem, we are optimizing, characterizing, and evaluating a novel ex vivo model for primary human prostate cancer called "tissue slice culture" (TSC) that overcomes the deficiencies of current pre-clinical models. Tissue is procured from fresh prostatectomy specimens and 300-μm slices are precision-cut using the Krumdieck microtome. The slices are cultured in a defined system that allows for diffusion of oxygen and nutrients throughout the tissue that, in addition to an optimized medium containing synthetic androgen, is critical for survival in vitro. Our optimized system overcame setbacks common to culture of primary prostate tissue including luminal cell degeneration and basal hyperplasia, and we successfully maintained viability of both normal and cancer tissue up to 5 days in vitro. We verified that TSCs exhibit cellular, genetic, and structural fidelity to the native normal and cancer tissue specimens across different Gleason Grades, supporting its relevance as a realistic model system. Furthermore, TSCs respond to androgen-ablation with reduced proliferation, ductal degeneration, and reduced PSA expression. Regulation of androgen signaling is implicit in prostate pathogenesis, so androgen-dependence is necessary in a model system. Others have suggested that prostate tissue slices accurately predict drug responses in humans, and we purport TSC to be a feasible model for validating findings from cell lines. For example, the natural alkaloid piperlongumine has recently been reported to reduce AR expression and activity specifically in prostate cancer cell lines. TSCs with mixed populations of normal and cancer regions are well suited for evaluating drug specificity, as they provide internal controls. Piperlongumine-treated TSCs showed reduced AR expression and increased cell death specifically in cancer cells, validating the results found in cell lines and encouraging further pre-clinical studies. While various forms of prostate TSC have already been in use, the optimization and characterization described here are necessary steps in maximizing its experimental potential.

Citation Format: Sophia L. Maund, Rosalie Nolley, Donna M. Peehl. Expanding the experimental potential of a novel ex vivo model for primary human prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 319. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-319


Background : Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive tumor subtype associated with poor prognosis. The onset of metastasis in organs such as the lung,bone and brain is a major cause of mortality in TNBC patients. Thus, identification of novel targets for the treatment of triple-negative breastcancer is urgent for improved outcomes in patients with this disease. Methods and Results :Here we conducted quantitative proteomic analyses in breast cancer cell lines, which include a normal, primary tumor and a metastatic tumor that were isolated from a single patient. Stable isotope labeling of amino acid in cell culture followed by LC-MS/MS analysis was performed and deregulated proteins were identified using statistical analysis. We identified for the first time that Rab1B, a member of RAS oncogene family, was down-regulated in high metastatic human breast cancer cells. In a panel of breast tumor tissues, Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated an inverse correlation between metastatic propensity and the expression of Rab1B. Compared with primary tumors, Rab1B expression was notably decreased in lymph node metastases. Low Rab1B expression also correlated with poorer survival in triple-negative breast cancer patients. Through in vitro assays, we confirmed that silencing of Rab1B expression by RNAi in MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells, can potentiate the proclivity to metastasize in Transwell assay and enhance lung colonization by tail vain injection in mice. In a reverse-complimentary approach, we determined that elevated Rab1B expression in highly metastatic breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231HM and MDA-MB-231Bo) can suppress the ability of invasion and metastasis in vitro and in vivo . Mechanistically, we establish that the metastatic behavior strongly correlates with increased phosphorylated Smad3 levels and overexpression of TGF-β type I receptor (TβRI). Conversely, restoration of Rab1B can inhibit the activation of this pathway in MDA-MB-231HM and MDA-MB-231Bo cells. Conclusion :By utilizing a series of mammary tumor cell lines, animal models, and clinically sourced tissues, we demonstrate that Rab1B acts as a metastasis suppressor in triple-negative breast cancer through regulating TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. Citation Format: HongLin Jiang, Hefen Sun, Wei Jin. Loss of Rab1B promotes triple-negative breast cancer metastasis by activating TGF-β/Smad signaling [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-07-18.


We develop a new algorithm for the Brownian dynamics of soft matter systems that evolves time by spatially correlated Monte Carlo moves. The algorithm uses vector wavelets as its basic moves and produces hydrodynamics in the low Reynolds number regime propagated according to the Oseen tensor. When small moves are removed, the correlations closely approximate the Rotne-Prager tensor, itself widely used to correct for deficiencies in Oseen. We also include plane wave moves to provide the longest range correlations, which we detail for both infinite and periodic systems. The computational cost of the algorithm scales competitively with the number of particles simulated, N, scaling as N In N in homogeneous systems and as N in dilute systems. In comparisons to established lattice Boltzmann and Brownian dynamics algorithms, the wavelet method was found to be only a factor of order 1 times more expensive than the cheaper lattice Boltzmann algorithm in marginally semi-dilute simulations, while it is significantly faster than both algorithms at large N in dilute simulations. We also validate the algorithm by checking that it reproduces the correct dynamics and equilibrium properties of simple single polymer systems, as well as verifying the effect of periodicity on the mobility tensor.


We have fabricated waveguide photodiodes with high uniform characteristics on a 2-inch InP wafer introducing a novel process. The 2-inch wafer fabrication procedure was carried out successfully by utilizing SiNx deposition on the back of the wafer in order to compensate wafer warp. Almost all the measured waveguide photodiodes exhibited low darkcurrent (average 419 pA, σ= 49 pA at 10 V reverse bias voltage) throughout the 2-inch wafer, and high responsivity of 0.987 A/W (σ=0.011 A/W) was obtained in a consecutive 60-channel array at the input wavelength of 1.3 µm. In addition, uniformity of frequency response was also confirmed.


Background: By 2030, all Adults with HIV will have been diagnosed, will be receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), and will have achieved viral load suppression. These goals form the global effort to stop new HIV infections, increase treatment coverage, and end AIDS-related deaths. This study investigated the variables that affect HIV RNA viral non-suppression among Adults living with HIV at Lira Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda. Methods: For this mixed-methods study, data was collected using a data extraction form, a semi-structured questionnaire, and a key informant interview guide. STATA 17 was used to analyze the quantitative data, and the thematic method was used to analyze the qualitative data. The results were presented in charts, tables, and themes for quantitative data and qualitative data, respectively. Results: Of the 425 respondents, 235 (55.3%) were female and 190 (44.7%) were male. The majority, 208 (48.9%), were between the ages of 31 and 40. Of those, 238 (56%) had at least a primary education, and 264 (62.1%) were married. The prevalence of HIV RNA viral non-suppression was at 8.5% among Adults living with HIV and 91.5% were HIV RNA virologically suppressed. Recent CD4 counts, Baseline viral load, and WHO clinical stage were significantly associated with HIV RNA virological suppression. In addition to that, adherence (aOR =1.00, 95%CI: 0.004-0.07, p=0.001) was associated with HIV RNA virological non-suppression. Qualitatively, results revealed that Status disclosure is always done by close relatives of the victims, stigma, and discrimination were not common in the community. There is a need for strategies on how to promote drug adherence among Adults living with HIV rather than just providing the treatment, as viral load suppression is related to baseline viral load, CD4, marital status, and drug adherence. In this study, monitoring the immunological response through scheduled CD4 and viral load tests is critical for maintaining patients' immunity and preventing disease progression. Intensive adherence support and counseling should conclusively be provided through the effective implementation of ART programs by providers to enhance viral suppression and ensure the quality of care and treatment.


The increasing need for energy and bad impacts of conventional sources of energy on the environment, especially in Pakistan, has shown to the quest for sustainable, environment-friendly and clean energy resource. Wind energy can be the best option in this regard. Savonius rotor is simple vertical axis wind turbine which is illustrated as economical, simplistic in design and construction and has satisfying starting torque at lower wind speeds. This makes it capable of generating mechanical energy at low wind speed.In the present work improvement in the construction of conventional Savonius blade was suggested to discover the best configuration of Savonius blade design. Flatness in the Savonius blade originating from the shaft of the rotor was proposed in four steps i.e. 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% flatness. Above four blade configurations were designed, manufactured and tested. The performance of four configurations of the blade was investigated and then compared with the conventional form of Savonius blade (model-1). According to the observation, the blade configuration with 25%, 50%, and 75% flatness are comparable with the conventional Savonius configuration, whereas the blade configuration with 100% flatness contributes unoptimistic performance. The blade configuration with 50% flatness is more effective than the conventional Savonius configuration which gives 74% optimum increase with its performance.


Scientific discovery is increasingly dependent on a scientist's ability to acquire, curate, integrate, analyze, and share large and diverse collections of data. While the details vary from domain to domain, these data often consist of diverse digital assets (e.g. image files, sequence data, or simulation outputs) that are organized with complex relationships and context which may evolve over the course of an investigation. In addition, discovery is often collaborative, such that sharing of the data and its organizational context is highly desirable. Common systems for managing file or asset metadata hide their inherent relational structures, while traditional relational database systems do not extend to the distributed collaborative environment often seen in scientific investigations. To address these issues, we introduce ERMrest, a collaborative data management service which allows general entity-relationship modeling of metadata manipulated by RESTful access methods. We present the design criteria, architecture, and service implementation, as well as describe an ecosystem of tools and services that we have created to integrate metadata into an end-to-end scientific data life cycle. ERMrest has been deployed to hundreds of users across multiple scientific research communities and projects. We present two representative use cases: an international consortium and an early-phase, multidisciplinary research project.


In earlier studies (Ivanov, Staneva-Stoycheva, 1984) we have found an inhibitory effect of metamyzole (Analgin-Pharmachim) on the contractile responses of electrically stimulated guinea-pig ileum and mouse vas deferens, which is antagonized by naloxone. In the present study an attempt is made to clarify whether these presynaptic effects of metamyzole are due to direct interaction with presynaptic opiate receptors. The method of radioligand binding of /3H/-naloxone to the opiate receptors in a crude membrane fraction of rat brain was used. It was found that in the wide concentration range used (10(-5)-10(-9) M), metamyzole does not compete with /3H/-naloxone for binding to the receptor sites. The biochemical study has shown that the presynaptic opiate receptors do not participate in the mechanism of the presynaptic effects of metamyzole, established in earlier studies.


A 58-year-old man developed subacute gait instability, oscillopsia, and vertigo. Examination showed gait ataxia and periodic alternating nystagmus (PAN) (video). MRI revealed T2 hyperintensities in the left cerebellum and nodulus (figure). CSF was inflammatory. Autoantibody evaluation was positive for Kelch-like protein 11 (KLHL11) in serum and CSF by tissue-based immunofluorescence assay and cell-based assay, prompting identification of a retroperitoneal mass by CT imaging consistent with seminoma.1 PAN resolved after plasma exchange, corticosteroids, adjuvant chemotherapy, and symptomatic baclofen; downbeat nystagmus persisted.2 KLHL11 immunoglobulin G is associated with testicular germ cell tumor paraneoplastic rhomboencephalitis. Early identification is crucial as immunotherapy and cancer treatment can prevent neurologic dysfunction.2


BACKGROUND
Monitoring workplace violence (WPV) against health care workers (HCWs) through incident reporting is crucial to drive prevention, but the actual implementation is spotty and experiences underreporting.

OBJECTIVE
This study aims to introduce a systematic WPV surveillance in 2 public referral hospitals in Italy and assess underreporting, WPV annual rates, and attributes "before" (2016-2020) and "after" its implementation (November 2021 to 2022).

METHODS
During 2016-2020, incident reporting was based on procedures and data collection forms that were neither standardized between hospitals nor specific for aggressions. We planned and implemented a standardized WPV surveillance based on (1) an incident report form for immediate and systematic event notification, adopting international standards for violence definitions; (2) second-level root cause analysis with a dedicated psychologist, assessing violence determinants and impacts and offering psychological counseling; (3) a web-based platform for centralized data collection; and (4) periodic training for workforce coordinators and newly hired workers. We used data from incident reports to estimate underreporting, defined as an observed-to-expected (from literature and the "before" period) WPV ratio less than 1, and the 12-month WPV rates (per 100 HCWs) in the "before" and "after" periods. During the latter period, we separately estimated WPV rates for first and recurrent events.

RESULTS
In the "before" period, the yearly observed-to-expected ratios were consistently below 1 and as low as 0.27, suggesting substantial violence underreporting of up to 73%. WPV annual rates declined in 1 hospital (from 1.92 in 2016 to 0.57 in 2020) and rose in the other (from 0.52 to 1.0), with the divergence being attributable to trends in underreporting. Available data were poorly informative to identify at-risk HCW subgroups. In the "after" period, the observed-to-expected ratio rose to 1.14 compared to literature and 1.91 compared to the "before" period, consistently in both hospitals. The 12-month WPV rate was 2.08 (95% CI 1.79-2.42; 1.52 and 2.35 in the 2 hospitals); one-fifth (0.41/2.08, 19.7%) was due to recurrences. Among HCWs, the youngest group (3.79; P<.001), nurses (3.19; P<.001), and male HCWs (2.62; P=.008) reported the highest rates. Emergency departments and psychiatric wards were the 2 areas at increased risk. Physical assaults were more likely in male than female HWCs (45/67, 67.2% vs 62/130, 47.7%; P=.01), but the latter experienced more mental health consequences (46/130, 35.4% vs 13/67, 19.4%; P=.02). Overall, 40.8% (53/130) of female HWCs recognized sociocultural (eg, linguistic or cultural) barriers as contributing factors for the aggression, and 30.8% (40/130) of WPV against female HCWs involved visitors as perpetrators.

CONCLUSIONS
A systematic WPV surveillance reduced underreporting. The identification of high-risk workers and characterization of violence patterns and attributes can better inform priorities and contents of preventive policies. Our evaluation provides useful information for the large-scale implementation of standardized WPV-monitoring programs.


Operator growth in spatially local quantum many-body systems defines a scrambling velocity. We prove that this scrambling velocity bounds the state dependence of the outof-time-ordered correlator in local lattice models. We verify this bound in simulations of the thermal mixed-field Ising spin chain. For scrambling operators, the butterfly velocity shows a crossover from a microscopic high temperature value to a distinct value at temperatures below the energy gap. Strongly quantum many-body systems have been important in condensed matter [1, 2] and nuclear physics [3, 4] for some time and are likely to become increasingly important with the ongoing development of quantum information processing technology [5–7]. It is essential to understand the spatio-temporal dynamics of these systems in highly quantum regimes where semiclassical methods such as the Boltzmann equation are inapplicable. Significant progress has been made recently by considering quantum scrambling in manybody systems [8–13]. Quantum scrambling arises when operator growth under Heisenberg time evolution redistributes local information to non-local degrees of freedom. It has been found that scrambling in spatially local systems is characterized by both a rate and a velocity, e.g. [14–17]. These universal properties are manifested in the so-called out-of-time-ordered correlator (OTOC): C(x, t; ρ) ≡ tr ( ρ [O1(0, t), O2(x, 0)][O1(0, t), O2(x, 0)] ) , (1) defined for local operators O1, O2 in state ρ. The OTOC has been found to reveal a 'light cone' spread of quantum information, with two state-dependent characteristics: the quantum Lyapunov exponent λ and the butterfly velocity vB . Just outside the light cone (or 'butterfly 1 ar X iv :1 81 2. 07 59 8v 3 [ he pth ] 1 4 A ug 2 01 9 cone') |x| & vBt for t > 0, the OTOC grows as the front is approached according to [18, 19]: C(x, t; ρ) ∼ e−λ(|x−x0|/vB−t)/t . (2) In systems with many local degrees of freedom (e.g. large N systems) the exponent p = 0 and the growth is exponential. This case is reminiscent of the classical butterfly effect. In spin lattice systems, generally p > 0, so that the front broadens as it spreads. The butterfly velocity is a state-dependent speed of information propagation that is universally present in local systems, plausibly controlling important physical processes such as transport in strongly quantum regimes [20–26]. The state dependence means that the butterfly velocity is a more powerful probe of dynamics than the widely employed microscopic Lieb-Robinson velocity [27]. In this work we will show that this state dependence (e.g. temperature dependence) is tied to the underlying quantum scrambling of operators. In quantum field theories that describe a nontrivial (quantum critical) continuum limit of lattice systems, the scaling of the butterfly velocity with temperature is vB ∼ T 1−1/z in the simplest cases [16,20]. The dynamical critical exponent z describes the relative scaling of space and time. In this work we will characterize the butterfly velocity in general lattice models, away from critical points and without a large N limit. We will obtain the temperature dependence of the butterfly velocity in quantum spin systems, extending previous infinite temperature results [19, 28]. The temperature dependence of scrambling in classical spin systems has been recently discussed in [29]. In a spatially local system the growth of operators determines a 'scrambling velocity' vS , defined in (8) below. Our first result (9) states that the change of the velocity-dependent Lyapunov exponent — defined shortly in (6) — with temperature is bounded by the scrambling velocity. This result is rigorous for one-dimensional systems and plausibly true more generally. We verify the bound in numerical simulations of the mixed-field Ising model, focusing on the temperature dependence of the butterfly velocity. In Fig. 2 below we see that the non-interacting transverse field model has a temperature-independent butterfly velocity whereas the velocity is temperature-dependent for the interacting mixed field models. In these curves, the butterfly velocity crosses over from a microscopic infinite-temperature value to a low-temperature value. The temperature scale of the crossover is set by the energy gap. Three velocities from locality It will be crucial to understand three different velocities that characterize spatially local quantum systems. Our results will tie these velocities together. The velocities emerge in any


The entropy method for stacking a series of angiographic images is presented and compared with the maximum opacity method, which is already established. The entropy method comprises calculation of the entropy of the time course for each image pixel. This accentuates image areas where a contrast agent bolus is passing. Quantitative analysis of the contrast-to-noise ratio and qualitative analysis of 11 cases were performed, the latter by eight independent viewers. Results indicate that the entropy images show more vascular detail in small peripheral vessels and increased contrast-to-noise ratio by up to a factor of 1.97 compared with maximum opacity images.


The challenge of assigning importance to individual neurons in a network is of interest when interpreting deep learning models. In recent work, Dhamdhere et al. proposed Total Conductance, a "natural refinement of Integrated Gradients" for attributing importance to internal neurons. Unfortunately, the authors found that calculating conductance in tensorflow required the addition of several custom gradient operators and did not scale well. In this work, we show that the formula for Total Conductance is mathematically equivalent to Path Integrated Gradients computed on a hidden layer in the network. We provide a scalable implementation of Total Conductance using standard tensorflow gradient operators that we call Neuron Integrated Gradients. We compare Neuron Integrated Gradients to DeepLIFT, a pre-existing computationally efficient approach that is applicable to calculating internal neuron importance. We find that DeepLIFT produces strong empirical results and is faster to compute, but because it lacks the theoretical properties of Neuron Integrated Gradients, it may not always be preferred in practice. Colab notebook reproducing results: this http URL


The sliver strike‐slip Great Sumatra Fault (GSF) traverses mainland Sumatra from the Sunda Strait in the southeast to Banda Aceh in the northwest, and defines the present day plate boundary between the Sunda Plate in the north and the Burmese Sliver Plate in the south. It has been well studied on mainland Sumatra but poorly north of Banda Aceh in the Andaman Sea. Here we present deep seismic reflection images along the northward extension of the GSF over 700 km until it joins the Andaman Sea Spreading Centre, and we interpret these images in the light of earthquake, gravity, and bathymetry data. We find that the GSF has two strands between Banda Aceh and Nicobar Island: a transpression in the south and a deep narrow active rift system in the north, dotted with volcanoes in the center, suggesting that the volcanic arc is coincident with rifting. Farther north of Nicobar Island, an active strike‐slip fault, the Andaman‐Nicobar Fault, cuts through a rifted deep basin until its intersection with the Andaman Sea Spreading Centre. The volcanic arc lies just east of the rift basin. The western margin of this basin seems to be a rifted continental margin, tilted westward, and flooring the Andaman‐Nicobar fore‐arc basin. The Andaman‐Nicobar fore‐arc basin is bounded in the west by back thrusts similar to the West Andaman and Mentawai faults. The cluster of seismicity after the 2004 great Andaman‐Sumatra earthquake just north of Nicobar Island coincides with the intersection of two strike‐slip fault systems.


This teaching resource collects 400 demonstration experiments and ideas for pupils in physics. They cover the range of physics taught to pupils from ages 11-18 at secondary or high school, and either make specific points about physics subjects or aim to set pupils thinking. The author, Keith Gibbs has drawn on 30 years experience of teaching physics to assemble these ideas. The book is divided into topics, and relevant background theory is summarized at the start of each one. Explanations and background theory for each demonstration are given, to help those teachers whose basic specialization is not physics. The experiments use standard laboratory items such as magnets, rubber tubes and bunsen burners, and all equipment needed is listed for each demonstration together with tips on set-up. Simple line diagrams show how the experiment is set up and help to visualize the intended effect. Safety precautions are highlighted where appropriate.


Magnetars are a special kind of neutron stars. There may also be accreting magnetars. From the studies of isolated magnetars, it is known that a neutron star with a strong dipole field only is not a magnetar. Super-slow X-ray pulsars may just be accreting high magnetic field neutron stars. The ultra-luminous X-ray pulsar NuSTAR J095551+6940.8 may be an accreting magnetar. It may be an accreting low magnetic field magnetar with multipole field of 10^14 G and dipole field of 10^12 G. This point of view is consistent with the study of isolated magnetars. An ultra-luminous X-ray pulsar phase in the binary evolution may result in massive millisecond pulsars.


The complex and mysterious story of Bolesław Leśmian's drama Vasilij Buslaev has led some scholars to doubt the very existence of the piece. The correspondence of Maksim Gor'kij may help to solve the mystery. The authoritative Russian writer acted as a reviewer when the decision to accept or reject this play for print was to be taken. Once Gor'kij had read the manuscript, the piece was returned to the author, who was informed that it would not be published. Unfortunately, its fate thereafter remains unknown.


Techniques for the automatic layout of arrays in a Fortran compiler supporting Fortran 8* array features and targeted to the Connection Machine computer system are discussed. The goal is primarily to minimize the costs of moving data between processors and secondarily to minimize memory usage. Improved array layout may allow communications operations to be eliminated or to be replaced by more specialized communications operations with lower costs. The authors discuss a typical example of a code fragment that can be improved by a factor of 2 in memory consumption and a factor of 20 in speed. It is shown that this compilation approach performs analysis of usage patterns and determines the allocation strategy for each occurrence of an array section. The potential performance impact of this compilation technology is measured in orders of magnitude rather than percentages.<<ETX>>


We propose two generic methods for improving semi-supervised learning (SSL). The first integrates weight perturbation (WP) into existing "consistency regularization" (CR) based methods. We implement WP by leveraging variational Bayesian inference (VBI). The second method proposes a novel consistency loss called "maximum uncertainty regularization" (MUR). While most consistency losses act on perturbations in the vicinity of each data point, MUR actively searches for "virtual" points situated beyond this region that cause the most uncertain class predictions. This allows MUR to impose smoothness on a wider area in the input-output manifold. Our experiments show clear improvements in classification errors of various CR based methods when they are combined with VBI or MUR or both.


Water is normally stored in open reservoirs such as dams. A key consideration and challenge that water resource managers are currently facing for improved water management is the evaporation rate in such storage facilities. The impacts that the changing climate has on communities currently and into the future will prove a considerable task for water resource managers to meet the demands for a national population which is growing at a fast pace. Being able to satisfactorily quantify the rate of evaporation from open water storage reservoirs within Australia will enable the correct implementation of measures to mitigate losses that are expected in the coming decades due to a rising climate, estimated changes in precipitation rates and
currently experienced changes in wind patterns. Not only is the increased pressure on the distribution of water to maintain public health but agricultural practices and
a large number of other varied industries are also suffering.

The consequential effects of evaporation losses are numerous and may prove to be linked to decreased productivity and efficiencies within many sectors of industry. This brings the value of maintaining important and valuable water supplies to the top of the list for many industrial sectors. This has increased the need for further
understanding to be gained via research into the effects and prevention of losing so much of a precious resource every year.

Currently, research is being undertaken at the National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture (NCEA) at the University of Southern Queensland that investigates methods of reducing the evaporation rate in a cost-effective fashion. Recent findings suggest that the aqueous thermal boundary layer is a key component contributing to the evaporation rate. This is the small region close to the surface of the water where temperature gradients are important.

It the intended purpose of this dissertation to provide insight into current research whilst also adding new research that provides results by performing simulations of
the thermal boundary layer. This is in order to characterise the conditions under which the temperature gradient promotes or retards evaporation.


BACKGROUND: Mouth breathing is closely related to the facial skeletal development and malocclusion. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effect of mouth breathing on facial skeletal development and malocclusion in children. METHODS: An electronic search in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Medline, Web of Science, EMBASE and Sigle through February 23rd, 2020, was conducted. Inclusion criteria were children under 18 years of age with maxillofacial deformities due to mouth breathing. Methodological quality assessments of the selected articles were performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The risk of bias in nonrandomized studies of interventions (ROBINS-I) tool for controlled clinical trials. The Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used for the quality assessment. The included indicators were SNA, SNB, ANB, SN-OP, SNGoGn, MP-H, 1-NA, 1. NA, 1. NB, 1-NB, SPAS, PAS, and C3-H. Data concerning the mean difference in mesial molar movement and extent of canine retraction were extracted for statistical analysis. The mean differences and 95% confidence intervals were analyzed for continuous data. Review Manager 5.3, was used to synthesize various parameters associated with the impact of mouth breathing on facial skeletal development and malocclusion. RESULTS: Following full-text evaluations for eligibility, 6 studies were included in the final quantitative synthesis. In Sagittal direction, SNA (MD: -1.61, P <0.0001), SNB (MD: -1.99, P <0.0001), ANB (MD: 0.95, P = 0.0005),1-NA (MD: 0.72, P = 0.004), 1. NA (MD: 1.98, P = 0.020), 1-NB (MD: 1.06, P < 0.0001), In vertical direction, SN-OP (MD: 3.20, P < 0.0001), SNGoGn (MD: 4.34, P < 0.0001). In airway, SPAS (MD: -5.23, P < 0.0001), PAS (MD: -2.11, P < 0.0001), and C3-H (MD: -1.34, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the mandible and maxilla rotated backward and downward, and the occlusal plane was steep. In addition, mouth breathing presented a tendency of labial inclination of the upper anterior teeth. Airway stenosis was comm on in mouth-breathing children. TRIAL REGISTRATION: email@example.com; registration number CRD42019129198


: I offer a novel objection to Jaegwon Kim's Supervenience Argument. I argue that the Supervenience Argument relies upon an untenable conception of the base physical properties upon which mental properties are supposed to supervene: the base properties are required to be both ordinary physical/causal properties and also unconditionally sufficient for the properties that they subvene. But these requirements are mutually exclusive; as a result, at least two premises in the Supervenience Argument are false. I argue that this has disruptive consequences both for the reductive position that Kim defends and the non-reductive position that he attacks. Neither side in the debate over the status of functionally conceived mental properties comes out unscathed.


In this paper we describe the principles of operation as well as the fabrication and testing steps of an all-organic waveguide modulator. The modulator comprises an SU-8 core and an electro-optic host-guest polymer cladding. The polymer properties are tuned in order to achieve single mode operation. We used direct-write laser lithography in two steps for the preparation of the devices. The electro-optic coefficient of the polymer is estimated from observing the modulation of the device operated in push-pull mode.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There are only a few reports on the feasibility and safety of stents used in the PICA, and clinical and angiographic follow-up results have not been fully addressed. We report our experiences of treating PICA origin or vertebral artery−PICA lesions by using self-expanding stents as adjuvant or rescue therapy with angiographic and clinical follow-up results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six patients were treated with self-expanding stent placements from the vertebral artery to the PICA. Two patients had a vertebral artery dissecting aneurysm involving the PICA origin, 3 had vertebral artery−PICA aneurysms, and 1 had segmental stenosis of the vertebral artery harboring the origin of the PICA. The safety, feasibility, and follow-up angiographic results were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS: All procedures were successfully performed without any procedure-related complications. None of the patients showed PICA territorial infarction on DWI posttreatment. All patients were neurologically intact during the clinical follow-up of 3–24 months following the procedure. Follow-up angiography was performed at between 6 and 12 months in 5 of the 6 patients and was scheduled for the sixth patient but was not performed. The PICA showed good patency without in-stent stenosis in all 5 patients. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with lesions of the PICA origin or vertebral artery−PICA lesions, vertebral artery-to-PICA stent placement may be an option for preserving PICA patency in selected cases.


Being the parent of a sick child requires advocacy, endurance and persistence if the child's voice is to be heard and his or her needs met. Based on her experiences as the mother of a child who was treated for leukaemia and died at the age of nine and a half years, Bridget Taylor illustrates the difference it makes when professionals make time to listen and take on the advocacy role for the parents. She argues that there is much more that nurses can do to know the child, to understand the parents' distress and then to create a culture that gives permission for parents and children to disagree with or question the care they receive.


This paper first describes the Bretton Woods system: its origin, what it was meant to achieve, and why it collapsed. We then describe the emergence of the global non-system in which inflation targeting has replaced full-employment Keynesianism and floating exchange rates have replaced the Bretton Woods set-up of fixed but adjustable exchange rates. We describe how the Bretton Woods system set about achieving the three objectives laid down for a well-functioning international economic system by John Maynard Keynes: full employment without inflation, sustainable current account balances between countries, and a sustainable flow of international financial capital—on the understanding that an open trading regime is also fostered. Because the global non-system is now very different from the Bretton Woods system, Keynes's objectives now need to be achieved in a very different manner. Looking forward, this non-system faces a number of longer-term challenges. Important adjustment issues will arise in relation to the global demographic transition; the potential long-term slowdown in productivity growth; and the rise in investment in renewable sources of energy which will be necessary to help ensure that the world is able to move towards zero emissions of carbon by 2050. We also discuss important policy issues in relation to the flows of international capital to emerging market economies, and the likely need for a sovereign debt reconstruction mechanism. We then go on to consider two significant structural changes to the world—the emergence of the European Monetary Union and the rise of China. A final section of the paper considers the importance of leadership in this global non-system.


The history and the future of water resource management as well as the endeavours that it influences are inextricably woven into the fabric of the past, current and future states of all life on our watery planet. From the first Earth Day in 1970 and the founding of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA) in 1971 to the development of modern biotechnology applications and alternative energy sources across subsequent decades, this paper reflects on these and other historical underpinnings of how we manage the use of our essential water resources now and might hope to in the future. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 23 May 2021 Accepted 9 November 2021


Waste is the excess of individual regular activities and, or natural processes in solid form. Waste is classified into two categories, namely organic and inorganic waste. Restaurant waste is known as organic waste because of its biodegradable character in nature. Waste is one of the main issues in Indonesia that got no resolution continuously. On average, Indonesian people produce around 2.5 liters of waste per day. Based on its composition, dominated by organic waste around 58%, and the remaining 42% is inorganic waste. One of the uses of waste, especially restaurant waste, is that it has utilization in the fields of agriculture, livestock, and fisheries. One of the uses of restaurant waste in fisheries is its application as a feed ingredient. However, giving restaurant waste directly as fish feed doesn't provide optimal fish growth due to its nutritional content as the low protein and high crude fiber. Fermentation is the process of breaking down organic compounds into simpler compounds by involving microorganisms. Fermentation can increase the nutritional value of restaurant waste and gives additional function as a fish feed component. The nutritional value of fermented restaurant waste is 29.72% protein, 4.81% crude fiber, and 16.09% fat. The use of restaurant waste is known in various studies such as feed ingredients for catfish ( Clarias sp.), Tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ), Grass carp, Grey mullet ( Mugil cephalus ), livestock such as broiler chickens, and organic fertilizers.


CONTEXT
Our understanding of molecular events in the pathogenesis of hematologic malignancies has evolved substantially. The research data gathered in the past 3 decades have led to the definition of neoplastic disorders based on specific genetic and molecular alterations, which is reflected in the current World Health Organization's classification of tumors of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues. Moreover, there have been dramatic successes in the development and implementation of therapies that specifically target the proteins and signaling cascades affected by tumor-specific genetic alterations.

OBJECTIVE
To review the development of select, novel therapies for lymphoid malignancies.

DATA SOURCES
We examine examples from the recent literature in targeting 4 major regulatory pathways: tyrosine kinase activation, transcription factor activity, apoptotic signaling, and histone acetylation in both preclinical models and early-stage (stage 1 and 2) clinical trials.

CONCLUSION
Given the successes of novel compounds that target signaling pathways critical to the growth and survival of lymphoid tumor cells, the routine clinical use of molecularly targeted therapies for the treatment of lymphoid malignancies is likely in the near future.


The use of euphemisms is a known driver of language change. It has been proposed that women use euphemisms more than men. Although there have been several studies investigating gender differences in language, the claim about euphemism usage has not been tested comprehensively through time. If women do use euphemisms more, this could mean that women also lead the formation of new euphemisms and language change over time. Using four large diachronic text corpora of English, we evaluate the claim that women use euphemisms more than men through a quantitative analysis. We assembled a list of 106 euphemism-taboo pairs to analyze their relative use through time by each gender in the corpora. Contrary to the existing belief, our results show that women do not use euphemisms with a higher proportion than men. We repeated the analysis using different subsets of the euphemism-taboo pairs list and found that our result was robust. Our study indicates that in a broad range of settings involving both speech and writing, and with varying degrees of formality, women do not use or form euphemisms more than men.


This study presents the enhanced Bluetree, a mesh topology scheme for Bluetooth scatternet formation. The scatternet formation algorithm includes two phases. In the first phase, a root node begins to create a conventional tree-shaped topology. To improve the network reliability of tree topology, a return connection mechanism is introduced in the second phase to generate more connection paths and to convert the tree-shape into a mesh-shaped topology. The mechanism contains two connection models including the 'slave/slave mesh' (SSM) and the 'master/slave mesh' (MSM) models. The SSM model builds a mesh-shaped topology by interconnecting more leaf nodes, whereas the MSM model connects additional intermediate nodes to establish the backbone connection in a mesh-shaped topology. Simulation results show that the enhanced Bluetree effectively improves the performance metrics, including the piconet efficiency, path length and end-to-end delay, beyond the Bluetree with more formation packets. As a result, the enhanced Bluetree not only builds a mesh-shaped topology that improves the network reliability but also generates an efficient network with less packet delay performance than a conventional Bluetree network.


The specific nature of agricultural activity compared to other business activities undertaken for profit requires different methodological approaches for its recoginition, measurement, recording and reporting. Since most farms in the EU are SMEs and standardization of financial reporting for these businesses in the form of the IFRS for SMEs has not yet been approved by the European Commission, special financial reporting of methodological approaches has not been applied in the agricultural sector yet. This contribution deals with the potential impact of implementation of IFRS for SMEs in agricultural activities and proposes possible methodological procedures for accounting solutions that are in accordance with the IFRS for SMEs, including indicators for evaluation of the impact of the financial analysis that are affected by the choice of methodological approach.


It is common knowledge that there are many features that cannot be described fully by traditional distributions such as the normal or the exponential one. Such typical cases are either the yield of an investment or the amount of compensation of an insurance company, which exhibit extreme values. Dealing with this kind of data, classical statistical models are insufficient in analysis.
This thesis deals with generalized beta generated (GBG) class of distributions which extends several common distributions, called parent generators, into distributions characterized by their flexibility in modeling data in practice. The study has the following structure.
The first chapter is an introductory section regarding the basic characteristics of normal distribution making it an attractive tool for studying hazards in general. Also the need for development models that are suitable to formulate the abovementioned data is discussed.
The second chapter refers to distributions models that have been proposed to approach the non-normal data, namely the transformed beta family and the beta generated class of distributions. Subsequently, the GBG class of distributions is analyzed thoroughly and its basic statistical measures are presented as well.
In chapter three, the results obtained by the analysis performed in chapter two are specified using as parent distributions the Pareto, the Weibull and the Logistic distributions. In each case, the distribution of the parent is analyzed in details and the corresponding GBG distribution with its own characteristics is provided.
The fourth chapter investigates the flexibility and applicability of GBG distributions in modeling a set of real data.
Finally, the appendix provides the definitions and relevant properties of Gamma and Beta functions, and considers the proofs that have not been detailed in the main body of this study.


The effects of postmortem aging time (2, 9, and 16 days) and endpoint cooking temperature (60, 70, and 80C) on the eating characteristics of pork longissimus (LD) muscle were evaluated. Gilts (n=60) were from 4 different commercial hybrid genotypes (15 pigs/genotype) selected to produce a range of intramuscular fat. Results suggest that LD muscle from genotype 2, which was selected for its propensity to increase marbling had higher intramuscular fat content, tenderness and juiciness scores than that from the other genotypes (P < 0.05). Increasing aging time from 2 to 16 days increased sensory juiciness and tenderness, and decreased instrumental shear force and cooking loss (P < 0.05). Aging for nine days decreased shear force (P < 0.05) but had no effect on tenderness and juiciness scores and cooking loss when compared to 2 days aging. Increasing endpoint temperature increased cooking loss and shear force, and decreased tenderness (P < 0.05) and juiciness.


Large dams are a leading cause of river ecosystem degradation. Although dams have cumulative effects as water flows downstream in a river network, most flow alteration research has focused on local impacts of single dams. Here we examined the highly regulated Colorado River Basin (CRB) to understand how flow alteration propagates in river networks, as influenced by the location and characteristics of dams as well as the structure of the river network—including the presence of tributaries. We used a spatial Markov network model informed by 117 upstream‐downstream pairs of monthly flow series (2003–2017) to estimate flow alteration from 84 intermediate‐to‐large dams representing >83% of the total storage in the CRB. Using Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator regression, we then investigated how flow alteration was influenced by local dam properties (e.g., purpose, storage capacity) and network‐level attributes (e.g., position, upstream cumulative storage). Flow alteration was highly variable across the network, but tended to accumulate downstream and remained high in the main stem. Dam impacts were explained by network‐level attributes (63%) more than by local dam properties (37%), underscoring the need to consider network context when assessing dam impacts. High‐impact dams were often located in sub‐watersheds with high levels of native fish biodiversity, fish imperilment, or species requiring seasonal flows that are no longer present. These three biodiversity dimensions, as well as the amount of dam‐free downstream habitat, indicate potential to restore river ecosystems via controlled flow releases. Our methods are transferrable and could guide screening for dam reoperation in other highly regulated basins.


Today, children are less active than previous generations leading to an increased prevalence of morbidity associated with physical inactivity. Globally, full-day preschool is rapidly becoming the norm. Thus, the amount of time that a child spends outside the home is an opportunity for schools and teachers to educate children about the importance of participating in physical activity and making healthy eating choices. One approach to comprehensively offer opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating is called Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child, which intertwines academic success and promotion of healthy behaviors. Particularly for adolescent children, multicomponent approaches that include both school and family or community involvement have the most significant potential to make meaningful differences in the rate of physical activity participation. For young children, teacher training, resources, and equipment are needed to achieve equity across programs and schools, because these are predictors of physical activity participation. Further, school policies, administrative support, modeling by teachers, and the use of cues and incentives can have a positive effect. The purpose of this paper is to describe the benefits of contemporary, evidence-based models for providing opportunities for health behaviors in school from early childhood to adolescence.


A ZnII complex of the dianionic tetradentate ligand formed by deprotonation of glyoxal-bis(4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazone) (H2 gtsp) is a [3+3] trinuclear triangular prism. Recrystallization of this complex in the presence of either CO2 , CS2 , or CH3 CN leads to the formation of [4+4] open-ended charge-neutral tetranuclear coordination nanotubes, approximately 2 nm in length and with internal dimensions large enough to accommodate linear guest molecules, which serve to template their formation. Upon removal of the templating molecules the nanotubes demonstrated reversible sorption of CO2 with an isosteric enthalpy of sorption of 28 kJ mol-1 at low loading.


Cancer screening and primary prevention of cancer are effective strategies to reduce cancer morbidity and mortality. The experience gained in several European countries about breast and cervical cancer has been growing in the last decades. This fact facilitates the adoption of the most convenient strategies to implement screening programmes in Spain. The Spanish Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs set up a work group of experts and health managers to make recommendations and to define the basic criteria to take into account when planning and implementing these programmes. The article describes those recommendations as well as the priorities to be established regarding the target population, and the strategies to increase efficiency of those programmes. Recommendations were made according with scientific evidences and the current situation and resources in Spain.


In this work we analysed the performance of AlGaN/GaN HEMT based on the linearity metrics for variable source/drain spacing with a fixed gate length ($1 \mu\mathrm{m}$) using Sentaurus TCAD device simulator. Various figure of merits such as transconductance, higher order transconductance coefficients (gm1, gm 3), second/third-order voltage intercept point (VIP2/VIP3), third-order input intercept point (IIP3), third order intermodulation distortion (IMD3), and 1-dB compression point have been investigated and reported here. From the primary observation, it is found that the device with the source spacing ($\mathrm{L}_{\text{SG}}=0.25\ \mu\mathrm{m}$) and the drain spacing ($\mathrm{L}_{\text{DG}}=0.75 \mu\mathrm{m}$) for fixed gate length ($\text{Lg}=1\ \mu\mathrm{m}$) shows an improved device linearity as compared to the combination of $\mathrm{L}_{\text{SG}}/ \mathrm{L}_{\text{DG}}=0.5/0.5,\ 0.75/0.25,\ 1/1\ \mu\mathrm{m}$. This study can be used in optimising and designing the HEMT structure for high frequency applications.


A series of novel 3-(indol-1-yl)prop-1-yn-1-yl-substituted phthalazines and related azines was prepared via a concise pathway by palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of appropriate halo-azines and N-propargylindoles. Some of the compounds exhibited significant antitumor activity in an in-vitro assay.


Aryl sulfotransferase IV catalyzes the 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS)-dependent formation of sulfuric acid esters of benzylic alcohols. Since the benzylic carbon bearing the hydroxyl group can be asymmetric, the possibility of stereochemical control of substrate specificity of the sulfotransferase was investigated with benzylic alcohols. Benzylic alcohols of known stereochemistry were examined as potential substrates and inhibitors for the homogeneous enzyme purified from rat liver. For 1-phenylethanol, both the (+)-(R)- and (-)-(S)-enantiomers were substrates for the enzyme, and the kcat/Km value for the (-)-(S)-enantiomer was twice that of the (+)-(R)-enantiomer. The enzyme displayed an absolute stereospecificity with ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, and with 2-methyl-1-phenyl-1-propanol; that is, only (-)-(1R,2S)-ephedrine, (-)-(1R,2R)-pseudoephedrine, and (-)-(S)-2-methyl-1-phenyl-1-propanol were substrates for the sulfotransferase. In the case of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-naphthol, only the (-)-(R)-enantiomer was a substrate for the enzyme. Both (+)-(R)-2-methyl-1-phenyl-1-propanol and (+)-(S)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-naphthol were competitive inhibitors of the aryl sulfotransferase-catalyzed sulfation of 1-naphthalenemethanol. Thus, the configuration of the benzylic carbon bearing the hydroxyl group determined whether these benzylic alcohols were substrates or inhibitors of the rat hepatic aryl sulfotransferase IV. Furthermore, benzylic alcohols such as (+)-(S)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-naphthol represent a new class of inhibitors for the aryl sulfotransferase.


We investigate an ordered-access protocol for cognitive radios. The primary user (PU) operates in a time-slotted fashion and starts transmitting at the beginning of the time slot if its queue is nonempty. The secondary users, depending on their queues and spectrum sensing results, may start transmitting at times τ, 2τ, 3τ...relative to the beginning of the time slot, where τ is the sensing duration. Secondary user j is assigned rank or order i and possibly starts transmitting at time iτ relative to the beginning of the time slot with a certain probability designed to guarantee the stability of system queues. We consider two models. In the first model, which is denoted by S, only one secondary user is assigned a particular rank, whereas in the second model, which is denoted by Ŝ, there is less coordination, and some secondary users may have the same access order. We provide some analytical results for the case of two users and two ranks, under the assumption of perfect spectrum sensing. Our results show that system S is better than Ŝ in terms of the maximum stable throughput region. After considering perfect spectrum sensing, we provide outer and inner bounds on the maximum stable throughput region for the case of sensing errors. We then investigate the multiple-cognitive-user scenario. We prove the advantage of system Ŝ over a random access scheme, where all the secondary users access the channel probabilistically after a sensing period of duration τ, and the advantage of system S over a time-division multiple-access (TDMA) system, where each secondary user is individually assigned to a whole time slot for a certain fraction of the overall operational time and carries out spectrum sensing over duration τ.


This paper introduces a Intelligent Household Control System based on GSM wireless platform and Internet network double nets. The system adopts Atmega128 of ATMEL as the master chip, respectively through the SPI interface and UART interface connected to the network module and GSM module. Making the two parts collaborative work not interfere with each other. By the system, the user can real-time monitor and manage the security situation inside the residence, remote control of home appliances.


Background Some evidence has been found that malignant breast tumors have lower electrical impedance than surrounding normal tissues. Electrical impedance could be used as an indicator for breast cancer detection.
Methods Is a prospective, cross-sectional epidemiological observational study of serial screening. The women were invited to participate and signed their consent letter. The purpose of our study was to analyze the sensitivity and specificity of electrical impedance mammography (EIM) and its implementation for the differential diagnosis of pathological lesions of the breast, either alone or in combination with mammography / ultrasound, in 1200 women between 25 to 70 years old.
Results We found a sensitivity of 85 % and a specificity of 96 %, the positive predictive value was 12% and 99% negative predictive value. Seven biopsy confirmed cancers. Significant correlation between electrical conductivity index and Body mass index (BMI) (p<0.05) and patient's age was observed (p=0.01). We also observed that the average of the conductivity distribution is increasing according to the age group (p <0.01). We used chi-squared test to assess for interactions between percent density mammary and BMI (normal <25 kg/m2 (n= 310), overweight 25-29.9 kg/m2 (n= 418) and obese ≥ 30 (n=437) (p<0.05). The patients with a diagnosis of mammary carcinoma had a BMI of 35.51 kg / m2.
Conclusions Our study showed that the sensitivity and specificity of Mono Frequency Electrical Impedance Mammography (EIM) has 85% and 96% respectively. These results suggest that breast electroimpedance can be used in women with obesity and dense breasts since these factors generate an effect that leads to a high rate of cancers at intervals, especially in young women.
Keywords: Breast cancer, Screening, Frequency Electrical Impedance.


Improving the dynamic performance of an automobile suspension system is considered as the main demand for comfortable and safe passenger travelling. From all previously proposed and implemented works, it is noticed that there are other factors that need to be considered to raising the car holding and stability in the road for improved passenger comfort when travelling. The minimization of car body displacement and oscillation time after exposure to road disturbances have been adopted in this work due to their contribution in raising the car holding and stability. The improvement in these features was maintained via a robust control methodology. The Fractional Order PID controller tuned by the Whales Optimization Algorithm (WOA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is suggested in this work as a robust controller to reduce the effect of these demerits. In this paper, an active quarter car suspension nonlinear system is designed for the presented goals using a robust controller. Minimizing the displacement of the car body and reducing the damping frequency are achieved via a nonlinear control strategy using the fractional order PID controller, which can maintain the required characteristics. Tuning the parameters of the FOPID controller is performed by using the Whales Optimization Algorithm (WOA). Robustness of the FOPID controller is examined and proved to withstand a system parameter variation of ±12 % in all system parameters and a maximum of ±80 % in controller parameter variation. Simulation outcomes also indicate a considerably improved performance of the active suspension system with the fractional order PID controller over the traditional PID.


ria. Most studies (n=29) described social inclusion of students with disabilities and used a cross-sectional questionnaire with these students and their peers. Other studies examined service delivery (n=4), knowledge mapping (n=1), comorbidity analysis (n=1) and family networks (n=1), largely using cross-sectional designs. Only three intervention studies were identified. There is a scarcity of research exploring global, or system networks, as no study pertained to the influence of networks on the dissemination of innovation or on the evaluation of program implementation at the organizational or system levels. The most frequently reported network properties were reciprocity (the extent to which two actors have nominated each other); degree centrality (the number of ties directly related to an actor/institution) and network density (proportion of potential ties that are actual ties between all points of the network). Conclusions/Significance: To our knowledge, this is the first study reviewing the use of SNA in childhood disability research. This study informs of the opportunity to expand our knowledge base outside of the school setting to include system-levels networks, such as healthcare professionals and disability advocacy networks. These findings provide a foundation for researchers and professionals working in childhood disability to inform future research and considerations to support social inclusion from a network perspective, and to transform the way we spread evidence-based information and promote health and well-being for children with disabilities and their families.


Background: Ovarian cancer diagnosis is currently based on imaging and circulating CA-125 concentrations with well-known limits to sensitivity and specificity. New biomarkers are required to complement CA-125 testing to increase effectiveness. Increases in sensitivity of isotopic separation via multi collector inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry have recently allowed highly accurate measurement of copper (Cu) isotopic variations. Studies in breast cancer patients have revealed changes of serum copper isotopic composition demonstrating the potential for development as a cancer biomarker. Evaluating Cu/Cu ratios (δCu) in serum samples from cancer patients has revealed a strong correlation with cancer development. In this study blood samples from forty-four ovarian cancer patients, and 13 ovarian biopsies were investigated. Results: Here we demonstrate that changes in Cu isotopes also occurs in ovarian cancer patients. Copper composition determined by multiple collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry revealed that the copper isotopic ratio δCu in the plasma of 44 ovarian cancer patient cohort was significantly lower than in a group of 48 healthy donors, and indicated that serum was enriched for Cu. Further analysis revealed that the isotopic composition of tumour biopsies was enriched for Cu compared with adjacent healthy ovarian tissues. Conclusions: We propose that these changes are due to increase lactate and Cu transporter activities in the tumour. These observations demonstrate that, combined with existing strategies, δCu could be developed for use in ovarian cancer early detection.


Incest is a perennial moral taboo. The word usually denotes sexual relations between close family members, and less frequently, in-laws and adoptees. Prohibitions on engaging in these types of sexual relations can be found in every society. The family members prohibited by the criminal law from engaging in sexual relations with each other might have changed and narrowed over the centuries, but this type of deed remains proscribed by most criminal law systems. It is usually noted, however, that the small number of convictions recorded for this type of crime every year is a sign that a clear majority of perpetrators of incest and similar acts go unpunished. Where the legal provisions concerning incest fall short is in their practical ineffectiveness when it comes to preventing victimisation. A general psychological profile of this type of offender has yet to be created, as has a broader profile of the paedophile. This might be difficult because the nature of what causes sexual preference disorders (e.g. paedophilia, sadism and fetishism) has yet to be determined. The results presented in this paper are intended to reveal the character traits that distinguish offenders who incestuously exploit minors and who have been diagnosed as paraphiliacs. The average age of the offenders surveyed was 43 years. This finding accords with results of the studies presented in the international literature, viz. that people convicted of incest and other sexual offences against minors living with them in the same household are older than rapists and paedophiles whose victims do not live with them in the same household. The survey group was dominated by people with primary (including 5 who had completed "special schools" at primary level) or vocational education (most common among those convicted). A mere 7 people who could produce a diploma to prove they had finished secondary school were recorded and most of these qualifications were vocational. No one in the group had higher education. Their level of education was found to match their current occupations, i.e. trades or manual labour that did not require any special qualifications, and to bear out the fact that most of them were of average IQ. Everyone in the group had been diagnosed with one or more sexual preference disorders and for this reason they were all completing remedial programs while serving prison terms. This category of convicts was dominated by people diagnosed as repeat heterosexual paedophiles. It is also worth noting that many in the group had been diagnosed with other psychiatric disorders – especially alcohol dependence syndrome – in addition to sexual preference disorders. The victims were overwhelmingly female (59 or 85.5% of the total). Thirty six of these girls had been sexually exploited by their biological fathers. The sex of the victim would therefore appear to be of crucial importance in terms of threats from friends and relatives living in the same environment.


Backgroud The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) in Korean postmenopausal women and the association between OVCFs and clinical factors such as age, bone mineral density (BMD), and quality of life. Methods According to the population distribution in four regions in Korea, 1,281 postmenopausal female patients were recruited from nationwide orthopedic outpatient clinics. Radiologic, asymptomatic, and within 3 months of OVCF groups were analyzed based on age, fracture location, and prevalence according to BMD. In addition, BMD, T-score, body mass index, and European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) were investigated in the three groups, and the differences between groups were compared and analyzed. Results The prevalence of radiologic OVCFs at the T11–L1 was 3.7 times higher in the 70s group (44.0%) than in the 50s group (11.9%). Femur and total hip BMD were significantly lower in patients with thoracolumbar junction fractures than in patients with L2–5 fractures, whereas no difference was observed in lumbar spine BMD. Of the three OVCF groups, the within 3 months of OVCF group had the lowest lumbar spine T-score of −2.445. The asymptomatic OVCF group also showed significantly lower lumbar spine T-score than did the group without radiologic OVCFs (p < 0.001). The EQ-5D showed a significant decrease in the radiologic OVCF group (p < 0.001) and within 3 months of OVCF group (p < 0.001). Conclusions The prevalence of OVCFs in the thoracolumbar junction rapidly increases with old age and low BMD in Korean postmenopausal women. Femur and total hip BMD are more predictive of thoracolumbar junction fractures than lumbar spine BMD. Patients with radiologic OVCFs had a significantly lower quality of life than no OVCF group. Therefore, this study shows it is important to treat and prevent osteoporosis before an OVCF occurs.


SummaryTwo cases of anuria treated with an artificial kidney are presented. Despite a transient improvement, the first patient died because of irreversible renal damage. Two hemodialyses permitted the survival of the second case.


The incidence of aging-related disorders may be decreased through strategies influencing the expression of longevity genes. Although numerous approaches have been suggested, no effective, safe, and easily applicable approach is yet available. Efficacy of low-dose fluvastatin and valsartan, separately or in combination, on the expression of the longevity genes in middle-aged males, was assessed. Stored blood samples from 130 apparently healthy middle-aged males treated with fluvastatin (10 mg daily), valsartan (20 mg daily), fluvastatin-valsartan combination (10 and 20 mg, respectively), and placebo (control) were analyzed. They were taken before and after 30 days of treatment and, additionally, five months after treatment discontinuation. The expression of the following longevity genes was assessed: SIRT1, PRKAA, KLOTHO, NFE2L2, mTOR, and NF-κB. Treatment with fluvastatin and valsartan in combination significantly increased the expression of SIRT1 (1.8-fold; p < 0.0001), PRKAA (1.5-fold; p = 0.262) and KLOTHO (1.7-fold; p < 0.0001), but not NFE2L2, mTOR and NF-κB. Both fluvastatin and valsartan alone significantly, but to a lesser extent, increased the expression of SIRT1, and did not influence the expression of other genes. Five months after treatment discontinuation, genes expression decreased to the basal levels. In addition, analysis with previously obtained results revealed significant correlation between SIRT1 and both increased telomerase activity and improved arterial wall characteristics. We showed that low-dose fluvastatin and valsartan, separately and in combination, substantially increase expression of SIRT1, PRKAA, and KLOTHO genes, which may be attributed to their so far unreported pleiotropic beneficial effects. This approach could be used for prevention of ageing (and longevity genes)–related disorders.


From consumer electronics to industrial and telecom infrastructure equipment systems, sitting alongside the analog and mixed signal ICs that interface with the outside world are field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) that deliver significant value through programmable system integration. If you are designing a system that requires integrating several key components to acquire and process data, you're probably weighing your FPGA choices right now. So how do you determine which parts are not only the best for your design, but also work well together? Xilinx and Maxim are the winning formula to help you achieve success. For over a quarter century, both Xilinx and Maxim have specialized in integrated solutions designed to meet your most demanding system requirements. We have built our reputations as technology leaders, each with over $2 billion in revenues serving similar markets and common customers like you. Xilinx devices integrate memory, clocking, DSP functions, SerDes, and even embedded PowerPC and ARM processors within a programmable fabric to enable virtually any application. Maxim produces power management, data converters, sensors, I/O interfaces, RF, and other mixed signal functions to complete the system. So what can Xilinx and Maxim do for you? Consider ease of use. Xilinx provides programmable solutions to solve your toughest design challenges through its Targeted Design Platforms, a comprehensive and growing portfolio of development kits, complete with boards, tools, IP cores, reference designs, and FPGA Mezzanine Card (FMC) support, enabling designers to begin application development immediately. Maxim enables FPGA design with analog and digital power regulators and modules. Additionally, Maxim's signal-chain building blocks and IP security parts perfectly complement Xilinx's FPGAs. Your design also calls for incorporating video, voice, or data. Xilinx and Maxim have those bases covered, too. As FPGAs grow in their use, so does the need for flexible and robust interfaces for the analog world around it. Maxim audio/video amplifiers and codecs, signal conditioning filters, signal integrity and protection circuits, as well as GHz DACs deliver superior performance. That's not all. You have worldwide support, which is always available to help you with your design. Leverage our solid team of field application engineers dedicated to resolving issues and design entire systems. Xilinx and Maxim also share Avnet as their primary distributor, eliminating the hassle of navigating multiple sales channels. And above all, our companies deliver innovative solutions that add value to your products, allowing you to focus on your project at hand. Xilinx …


This article reports on the design and implementation of an expert system for automatic identification of machined surfaces on symmetric rotational components manufactured on Automats. The OPS5PLUS expert system shell was used to represent the procedural knowledge to reason and extract both the internal and external part features and their dimensions in order to select form tools for machining. Details ofthe implementation are described, along with examples. The expert system can be integrated easily with other manufacturing applications, such as automated process planning and NC part programming.


Recently, numerous laser-based diagnostic methods have been developed to probe sprays and combustion processes. These diagnostic probes encompass spontaneous Raman spectroscopy, coherent Raman spectroscopy, laser fluorescence and absorption for temperature and species concentration measurements; laser Doppler velocimetry for fluid flow measurements; and particle sizing and vapor concentration in sprays by numerous optical methods. Specific examples will be presented of species concentrations and temperatures in flames. These results have been compared to theoretical calculations for these properties and in many cases show excellent agreement between experiment and theory. Moreover, the spatial resolution offered by these laser techniques allows one to determine how a flame is changed by the presence of an adjacent cooled, metal wall. Two new Raman spectroscopic methods are also described for the direct spectroscopic measurements in a flame of atomic oxygen-an important radical in flame chemistry. Finally, a two-wavelength absorption/scattering measurment is described whereby vapor concentrations inside sprays may be measured. This technique has been applied to measuring the vapor concentration in an axisymmetric n-heptane fuel spray.


This work presents the gait dynamic stability study for different walking speeds adopted by user intentions. Experimental data were collected from four healthy subjects while walking on a force platform at slow, normal and fast speed. The rate-dependent variations in the center of pressure (COP) and ground reaction forces (GRF) were modelled as motor output and input responses. Finite difference and non-linear regression algorithms were implemented to model gait transitions. Dynamic stability estimation for level ground walking was performed by analysis in time and frequency domains. Study of the COP velocity in loading phase showed that, the overdamped motor output response acts as a compensator for instabilities and oscillations inunloadingphaseandinitialcontact. Normal walking was predicted, from gait analysis in frequency domain, as the most stable gait for healthy subjects.


In the absence of a steric directing group, iridium-catalyzed C-H borylation of N-protected indazoles occurs rapidly and selectively at C-3 and the resulting boronate esters can be utilized in a range of downstream conversions. The functional group tolerance of the iridium-catalyzed C-H borylation reaction enables simple and efficient multidirectional syntheses of substituted indazoles to be realized.


We consider a problem in which noisy measurements are made of the positions of points in a lattice. Some parameters of the lattice are known but others need to be estimated. In particular, it is not known a priori from which lattice point each measurement arises. In previous work [1-5], the authors have considered estimating the parameters of a one-dimensional lattice from measurements on the real Line. The application is period estimation from sparse, noisy measurements of a periodic event, e.g., estimation of baud in telecommunications signal processing. Here, we take a first step in generalising the results to higher-dimensional lattices, starting with two dimensions. We propose a model in which the lattice is square but the unknown parameters are a translation, rotation and scaling. An application is again in telecommunications, to blind detection of QAM. We propose an estimator based on the Bartlett point-process periodogram [6]. We show that, under certain conditions, the estimator is strongly consistent and obeys a central limit theorem. We demonstrate convergence to the limit with numerical simulations.


ED FROM Alexopoulos GS, Raue PJ, Kiosses DN, et al. Problem-solving therapy and supportive therapy in older adults with major depression and executive dysfunction: effect on disability. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2011;68:33–41. Correspondence to: George S Alexopoulos, Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, 21 Bloomingdale Road, White Plains, NY 1065, USA; firstname.lastname@example.com Sources of funding: National Institute of Mental Health and the Sanchez Foundation. The reciprocal relationship between late-life depression and disability is complex: depression is one of the major causes of disability, but disability due to physical illness often causes depression. In this study, Alexopoulos and colleagues investigate the effect of non-pharmacologic treatment of late-life depression on disability. They have reported in a previously published article1 that problem-solving therapy (PST) as well as supportive therapy (ST) reduced depressive symptoms in a sample of 221 older patients with major depression and executive dysfunction. However, PST was associated with greater improvement and higher rates of response and remission than ST. In this new analysis of the same study, they found that PST and ST also reduce disability. PST is superior to ST, but the effect size is small: the difference between the two therapies in score reduction on the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II) is only 2.3 points, or less than 10% of the baseline score of the study group (26.6) and less than one-third of the corresponding SD (7.6). Improvement in depression scores predicts improvement in disability (WHODAS II) scores the following week. Similarly, improvement in disability predicts improvement in depression the following week. However, although the difference in depression scores between PST and ST does not explain the difference in disability score, the difference in disability partially explains (mediates) the difference in depression score. The authors argue convincingly that this reciprocal relationship does not solely refl ect reporting bias, that is, patients whose depression is improving report better function. Taking into account the timing of the observed improvement, PST appears successful at motivating and activating older depressed patients. In turn, the resulting increased perception of self-effi cacy leads to optimism and reduction in depressive symptoms. This mechanistic interpretation of the results of this study is congruent with some of the hypothesised ways in which cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) treats midlife depression. Most older depressed patients do not have access to experienced psychotherapists formally trained in the administration of PST (or CBT). However, all health professionals who treat these patients can incorporate in their therapeutic interactions some of the behavioural ingredients of PST (or CBT). Benoit H Mulsant1,2 1Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 2Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto,


Kaposi sarcoma is a neoplasm commonly seen in HIV patients. Cutaneous lesions may vary in presentation between patients. In AIDS-associated Kaposi sarcoma, small red papules or nodules initially present on the face, especially on the nose, and the trunk, that then rapidly spread to other areas. We present an unusual case of AIDS-associated Kaposi sarcoma mimicking nephrogenic systemic fibrosis.


In response to two surveys of carers a carers group was set up at the Day Hospital of Wharfedale General Hospital. It aims not only to provide emotional support to empower elderly patients and their carers but also to supply a means of communication with professionals.


Many people in our society experience curtailment and disruption of sleep due to work responsibilities, care-giving, or life style choice. Delineating the health effect of acute and chronic disruptions in sleep is essential to raising awareness of and creating interventions to manage these prevalent concerns. To provide a platform for studying the health impact and underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms associated with inadequate sleep, we developed and characterized an approach to creating chronic disruption of sleep in laboratory mice. We used this method to evaluate how 3 durations of sleep fragmentation (SF) affect sleep recuperation and blood and lung analyte concentrations in male C57BL/6J mice. Mice housed in environmentally controlled chambers were exposed to automated SF for periods of 6, 12, or 24 h or for 12 h daily during the light (somnolent) phase for 4 sequential days. Sleep time, slow-wave amplitude, or bout lengths were significantly higher when uninterrupted sleep was permitted after each of the 3 SF durations. However, mice did not recover all of the lost slow-wave sleep during the subsequent 12- to 24-h period and maintained a net loss of sleep. Light-phase SF was associated with significant changes in serum and lung levels of some inflammatory substances, but these changes were not consistent or sustained. The data indicate that acute light-phase SF can result in a sustained sleep debt in mice and may disrupt the inflammatory steady-state in serum and lung.


This paper presents a generic model of a fully FPGA-based direct torque controller. This model is developed using two's-complement fixed-point format approaches, in register-transfer-level (RTL) VHDL abstraction for minimizing calculation errors and consuming hardware resource usage. Therefore, the model is universal and can be implemented for all FPGA types. The model is prepared for fast computation, without using of CORDIC algorithm, a soft-core CPU, a transformation from Cartesian-to-polar coordinates, and without the help of third-party applications. To get simpler implementation and fast computation, several methods were introduced: i) the backward-Euler approach to calculate the discrete-integration operation of stator flux, ii) the modified non-restoring method to calculate complicated square-root operation of stator flux, iii) a new sector analysis method. The design, which was coded in synthesizable VHDL in RTL abstraction for implementation on Altera DE2-board has produced very-precise calculations, with minimal error when being compared to MATLAB/Simulink double-precision calculation. DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/telkomnika.v11i2.2002 Full Text: PDF


BACKGROUND
In France, differences in cardiovascular risk factor distribution have been observed which might be responsible for some disparities in cardiovascular mortality between social categories. The goal of the study was thus to assess the differences in coronary heart disease (CHD) and cerebrovascular diseases (CVD) mortality according to social category, and to determine their trends over the last 20 years in France.

METHODS
Mortality data for CHD, CVD, diseases of the circulatory system (CS) and all causes mortality (TM) were based on death certificates for 1970, 1980 and 1990, and categorized by sex, age group (35-44 and 45-54 years), region and social category.

RESULTS
Among active men, from 1970 to 1990, the overall decrease observed for all causes of death was significantly slower among employees and workers for CHD, CS and TM (P < 0.001), but not for CVD. In 1990, the highest mortality rates were observed among employees and workers for CHD, CVD and CS mortality. In women, no such trend was observed for CHD, CVD or CS mortality. No statistically significant difference between social categories was observed in 1990 for CHD and CVD. In the whole active population, a negative trend for the mortality rates was observed between 1970 and 1990 whatever the cause in both sexes. The ratio between mortality rates among non-active versus active people increased during the two decades in both sexes.

CONCLUSIONS
In men, the inequalities have increased over the last two decades for CHD and have not been reduced for CVD. The category of employees and workers were found to be at special risk for premature cardiovascular disease mortality. Among women, the trends were less clear, although the tendencies were the same. An increasing disparity between active and non-active people suggests that a health-related selection process towards unemployment might have contributed to the decreasing mortality rates observed among employees and workers.


Nickel zinc ferrite nanoparticles, Ni1−xZnxFe2O4 (x = 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, 1.0), with dimensions below 10 nm have been prepared by combining chemical precipitation with high-energy ball milling. For comparison, their analogues obtained by thermal synthesis have also been studied. Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and magnetic measurements are used for the characterization of the obtained materials. X-ray diffraction shows that after 3h of mechanical treatment ferrites containing zinc are formed, while 6h of treatment is needed to obtain NiFe2O4. The magnetic properties of the samples exhibit a strong dependence on the phase composition, particle size and preparation method.


The study conducted a demand analysis for manufacturing workers in Vietnam with the aim of producing specialized business textbooks for employees of Korean manufacturers in Vietnam. First, we examined the status of vocational Korean education and prior research related to the development of business Korean textbooks in Vietnam, and analyzed the teaching subjects and vocabulary of existing business Korean textbooks. Based on this, the school was required to compile the syllabus to be presented in the business Korean language textbook for Vietnamese working in the manufacturing sector in Vietnam. In addition, the Commission conducted a survey of Korean and Vietnamese employees engaged in electronic related businesses in Vietnam on the requirements of teaching subjects. As a result, the Korean vocabulary and cultural areas required by Korean and Vietnamese employees differed. Considering these differences, textbooks will have to be produced. (Kyung Hee University)