Purpose: To report the case of an eye with normal tension glaucoma and a choroidal excavation. Methods: This is an observational case report. Results: A 59-year-old woman with normal tension glaucoma had a choroidal excavation in the left eye. Her best-corrected visual acuity and intraocular pressure were within normal limits and had been stable for 5 years. Fundus examination showed a small white lesion inferior to the macula and a nerve fiber layer defect at the inferior edge of the optic disc. Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA) showed visual field defects corresponding to the nerve fiber layer defect with C30-2, and a central scotoma superior to the macula with C10-2. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) showed a 150-µm deep choroidal excavation. Disruptions of the IS/OS line were detected only in the area inferior to the choroidal excavation. During the 5 months of follow-up, her best-corrected visual acuity remained at 1.0 and the IOP ranged from 12 to 14 mm Hg in the left eye. The fundus and OCT images did not deteriorate and the choroidal excavation did not enlarge. Conclusions: The disruption of the inner/outer segment (IS/OS) line was detected only at the area surrounding the choroidal excavation. OCT examinations are useful in assessing the area of the residual IS/OS line, and HFA can be used to estimate the residual central visual field.


Two approaches to parameter estimation for a mixture of two univariate Gaussian distributions are numerically compared. The proposed method (PM) is based on decomposing a continuous function into its odd and even components and estimating them as polynomials, the other is the usual maximum likelihood (ML) method via the expected maximisation (EM) algorithm. An overlapped mixture of two univariate Gaussian distributions is simulated. The PM and ML are used to re-estimate the known mixture model parameters and the measure of performance is the absolute percentage error. The PM produces comparable results to those of to the ML approach. Given that the PM produces good estimates, and knowing that the ML always converges given good initial guess values (IGVs), it is thus recommended that the PM be used symbiotically with the ML to provide IGVs for the EM algorithm.


Fourteen years (1996-2009) of juvenile Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tschawytscha (Walbaum), migration data on the regulated Stanislaus River, California, USA were used to evaluate how survival, migration strategy and fish size respond to flow regime, temperature and spawner density. An information theoretic approach was used to select the best approximating models for each of four demographic metrics. Greater cumulative discharge and variance in discharge during the migration period resulted in higher survival indices and a larger proportion of juveniles migrating as pre-smolts. The size of pre-smolt migrants was positively associated with spawner density, whereas smolt migrant size was negatively associated with temperature and positively associated with discharge. Monte Carlo techniques indicated high certainty in relationships between flow and survival, but relationships with juvenile size were less certain and additional research is needed to elucidate causal relationships. Flow is an integral part of the habitat template many aquatic species are adapted to, and mismatches between flow and life history traits can reduce the success of migration and the diversity of migratory life history strategies. The analyses presented here can be used to assist in the development of flow schedules to support the persistence of salmon in the Stanislaus River and provide implications for populations in other regulated rivers with limited and variable water supply.


The purpose of this work was to study two methods of degradation of roxithromycin: acidic hydrolysis and photocatalytic degradation under illumination with near-UV light in the presence of the TiO2 photosensitizer. For acidic degradation studies a TLC-densitometric method has been developed using TLC aluminium plates precoated with silica gel F254 and the mobile phase composed of methanol–acetone–ammonia 25% (1 : 14 : 0.1, v/v/v) which gives compact spots for roxithromycin and its degradation products. Photocatalytic degradation studies in the presence of TiO2 were monitored by HPLC. The obtained results have shown that both methods of degradation of roxithromycin are quite efficient. Kinetics of the first order photocatalytic degradation reaction follows the Langmuir–Hinshelwood theory for photocatalytic microheterogeneous systems. The chemical structures of the degradation products obtained during acidic degradation and photocatalytic degradation were suggested based on the UPLC-MS/MS technique. The general mechanisms of both processes were proposed.


Gill number 8 of intermoult male Carcinus maenas (L.) (Decapoda: Brachyura) was used to study the morphological variation and distribution of the major gill cells. Three gill regions (proximal, mid and distal) were sectioned and examined by light and transmission electron microscopy. The ultrastructure of the three epithelial cell types (striated, chief and pillar) was similar to previously published descriptions, but some variations in cell form and distribution were observed. In all gill regions, striated and chief cells were larger towards the lamellar raphe than near the marginal canal. In the proximal gill region, the epithelium consisted almost exclusively of striated cells, implying an osmotic/ionic role for this region. In the mid gill region, the epithelium comprised a mixture of chief and striated cells. In the distal region, chief cells predominated, implying a respiratory role for this region. Pillar cells exhibited no clear distributional pattern within the gill and, although their shape varied with position, their involvement in ionic regulation, osmoregulation, respiration, structural support or the flow of haemolymph through the gill is not clearly defined. Nephrocytes, thought to be involved in gill defence mechanisms, occurred in the haemolymph space or attached to the intralamellar septum and showed no structural variability. Glycocytes were always associated with the intralamellar septum, implying that there are specific gill regions for glycogen storage. Haemocytes showed some structural variation but there was no obvious correlation with gill region; small-granule haemocytes were the most common haemocyte type in the gill.


In this note we observe that Webb and co-workers' observation of an evolving fine structure constant has since been reconfirmed. We also confirm Kuhne's contention that this implies a cosmological constant and exhibit a cosmological mechanism for Webb's result. We also see how this provides a mechanism to reach elementary particle scales from the Quantum Superstring scale.


Vitreoretinal surgery requires dexterity and force sensitivity from the clinician. A system to cooperatively control an integrated surgical robot for high dexterity manipulation within the eye's vitreous space was developed and validated in simulation. The system is composed of a 2 degrees of freedom (DoF) snake-like continuum manipulator that is attached to the end-effector of a 5-DoF rigid robot arm. It is capable of receiving position and orientation commands from a 5-DoF input device in real-time, as well as following pre-planned trajectories. The manipulator is moved to each target pose in real-time, using an optimization method to calculate the inverse kinematics solution. Constraints on the position and orientation ensure the target pose does not harm the patient within the vitreous space, enabling the robot to safely assist the clinician with vitreoretinal surgery when operating in real-time. The simulation demonstrates the system's feasibility and benefits over the existing non-dexterous system.


Three cases of different types of nerve injuries following orthopedic and chest surgery are described. Recovery from these nerve injuries was prolonged and incomplete. By constant awareness of potential nerve damage during operation. it is possible to prevent such injuries.


Since time immemorial, shopping malls have served as potential havens for establishing symbiotic relationships between often multiple individual communities and their corresponding consumers, all under a single roof. These installments with ground-breaking architecture coupled with a multitude of amenities have inconspicuously managed to generate an ambience and long served as a beacon for these local communities. Today, as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world to a commercial standstill, the economics of malls continue to collapse. This article details the creation of OASIS, a collaborative virtual reality project designed for mental rehabilitation, which examines the themes of destruction, growth, sustainability, and mindfulness using the metaphor of a desolated shopping mall. Ten individual virtual spaces within OASIS were developed to encourage participants' engagement in a virtual environment and to alleviate the impact of social isolation during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This collaborative project developed at the University of Illinois Chicago involved a team of ten designers from Industrial Design and Graphic Design programs in the integrated virtual creative production. OASIS was developed in a remote collaboration using the Unity game engine and other collaboration tools enabling virtual teamwork. In this article, OASIS is situated within a discussion of how virtual design collaboration can help mitigate issues related to isolation during the coronavirus pandemic. Qualitative feedback from designers and audiences confirmed the effectiveness of virtual reality as a tool on individual and collective creative experience. Exhibited in an online gallery, OASIS explores how design methodologies and VR technology can enhance the graphic design curriculum.


The polyamines (spermine, putrescine, and spermidine) can have neurotoxic or neuroprotective properties in models of neurodegeneration. However, assessment in a model of hypoxia– ischemia (HI) has not been defined. Furthermore, the putative mechanisms of neuroprotection have not been elucidated. Therefore, the present study examined the effects of the polyamines in a rat pup model of HI and determined effects on key enzymes involved in inflammation, namely, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and arginase. In addition, effects on mitochondrial function were investigated. The polyamines or saline were administered i.p. at 10mg/kg/day for 6 days post‐HI. Histological assessment 7 days post‐HI revealed that only spermine significantly (P<0.01) reduced infarct size from 46.14 ± 10.4mm3 (HI + saline) to 4.9 ± 2.7 mm3. NOS activity was significantly increased following spermine treatment in the left (ligated) hemisphere compared with nonintervention controls (P<0.01) and HI + saline (P<0.05). In contrast, spermine decreased arginase activity compared with HI + saline but was still significantly elevated in comparison to nonintervention controls (P<0.01). Assessment of mitochondrial function in the HI + saline group, revealed significant and extensive damage to complex‐I (P<0.01) and IV (P<0.001) and loss of citrate synthase activity (P<0.05). No effect on complex II‐III was observed. Spermine treatment significantly prevented all these effects. This study has therefore confirmed the neuroprotective effects of spermine in vivo. However, for the first time, we have shown that this effect may, in part, be due to increased NOS activity and preservation of mitochondrial function.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect that feeding diets containing a low (17%), medium (25%), or high (32%) protein content would have on behavior in dogs.

DESIGN
Prospective, controlled study.

ANIMALS
12 dogs with dominance aggression, 12 dogs with hyperactivity, 12 dogs with territorial aggression, and 14 control dogs without behavioral problems.

PROCEDURE
Dogs were fed each of the diets for a 2-week period, and owners were instructed to score their dogs' behavior on a daily basis.

RESULTS
Behavior of the dogs with dominance aggression, dogs with hyperactivity, and control dogs was unchanged by the dietary manipulations. Territorial aggression was significantly reduced when dogs were fed the low- or medium-protein diet, compared with territorial aggression when fed the high-protein diet. Post hoc analysis indicated that this effect was attributable to a marked reduction in aggression in a subset of the group (n = 7) in which territorial aggression was a result of fear.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
Results of this study suggest that a reduction in dietary protein content is not generally useful in the treatment of behavior problems in dogs, but may be appropriate in dogs with territorial aggression that is a result of fear.


Coffee has an anti-diabetic effect, specifically the amelioration of both hyperglycemia and insulin resistance, in KK-A(y) mice, a type 2 diabetes animal model. To investigate coffee's effect on insulin signaling in liver, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue (epididymal fat), we assayed the tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor (IR) and serine phosphorylation of Akt. In Expt. 1, we assayed insulin signaling under nonfasting conditions in KK-A(y) mice that ingested water or coffee for 4 wk. Coffee ingestion ameliorated the development of hyperglycemia but did not affect insulin signaling in liver or skeletal muscle under such conditions. In Expt. 2, we assayed insulin signaling under basal and insulin-stimulated conditions in KK-A(y) mice that ingested water or coffee for 3 wk. The levels of tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor in response to insulin injection in insulin-sensitive tissues were not different between mice that drank water and those that drank coffee. Coffee ingestion significantly increased the insulin-induced serine phosphorylation of Akt in liver and skeletal muscle, but not in epididymal fat, of KK-A(y) mice. Our results also indicated that coffee ingestion may contribute to the improvement of insulin resistance and hyperglycemia in KK-A(y) mice via the activation of Akt in insulin signaling in liver and skeletal muscle.


ABSTRACT We describe the second known case of human infection byTrichoderma harzianum. A disseminated fungal infection was detected in the postmortem examination of a renal transplant recipient and confirmed in culture. The only other reported infection by this fungus caused peritonitis in a diabetic patient. The in vitro antifungal susceptibilities of the clinical strain and three other strains of Trichoderma species to six antifungal drugs are provided. This case illustrates the widening spectrum of opportunisticTrichoderma spp. in immunocompromised patients and emphasizes the problems in diagnosing invasive fungal diseases.


The cerebral perfusion of a 55-year-old female patient with chronic tinnitus was investigated quantitatively by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with the xenon133 inhalation method. The first investigation was performed under standard conditions, the second during suppression of tinnitus with intravenous injection of lidocaine. As a reference a healthy volunteer was included under the same conditions. The global cortical perfusion was identical on both sides except for increased perfusion in the auditory cortex, especially on the right side when tinnitus lasted during the first measurement. The second investigation under treatment with lidocaine and during the tinnitus-free interval showed a decrease of the global cortical perfusion with a slightly higher value at the temporal cortex bilaterally. In comparison to the first investigation, a difference between right and left auditory cortex could no longer be demonstrated, and also the difference between regional and global perfusion decreased. A cerebral effect under treatment of tinnitus with lidocaine was shown by the quantitative measurement of brain perfusion. It is debatable whether this effect on cerebral activity results from the medication or as a reaction to the tinnitus-free interval.


Single headed three dimensional (3D) laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) geometries generally rely upon the use of three Doppler difference channels, inclined at differing angles with respect to the mechanical axes of the probe. The transformation between the nonorthogonal measurement coordinate system and the Cartesian system can result in large errors in the calculated velocities. A theoretical analysis of the geometrically induced uncertainties in measurements produced by four single headed 3D LDV configurations is presented. These considerations have lead to the development of a single headed fiber optic 3D LDV probe based on the use of two Doppler difference channels to directly measure the transverse velocity components, and a reference beam channel to measure the on axis velocity component. The f/4 probe head has a working distance of 200 mm, designed to operate within the constraints of the limited optical access available in turbomachinery applications.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate the etching effects and bond strength of total etching and self-etching adhesive system on unground enamel using scanning electron microscopy and microtensile bond strength test. The buccal coronal unground enamel from human extracted molars were prepared using low-speed diamond saw. Scotchbond Multi-Purpose (group SM). Clearfil SE Bond (group SE), or Adper Prompt L-Pop (group LP) were applied to the prepared teeth. and the blocks of resin composite (Filtek Z250) were built up incrementally. Resin tag formation was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. after removal of enamel surface by acid dissolution and dehydration. For microtensile bond strength test. resin-bonded teeth were sectioned to give a bonded surface area of . Microtensile bond strength test was perfomed. The results of this study were as follows. 1. A definite etching pattern was observed in Scotchbond Multi-Purpose group. 2. Self-etching groups were characterized as shallow and irregular etching patterns. 3. The results (mean) of microtensile bond strength were SM: 26.55 MPa, SE: 18.15 MPa, LP: 15.57 MPa. SM had significantly higher microtensile bond strength than 8E and PL (p


Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science. Thesis (Ph.D.)--Eastern Mediterranean University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Mathematics, 2015. Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Riza.


In a competitive job market, a traditional university qualification that delivers technical knowledge, in itself, does not guarantee graduate employment (Crebert et al., 2004). This study aims to determine what personal characteristics, skills and attributes lead to successful employment after graduating from undergraduate/postgraduate programs in financial planning degrees across Australian financial institutions. The first survey identifies a number of skills that education providers can do more to develop, and that females may prefer roles with more responsibility and less technical knowledge. The inclusion debates, role plays, group work, developing business plans, mentor programs and internships can overcome many issues.


The current article is a review of the most important, accessible, and relevant literature published between April 2017 and March 2018 on other Helicobacters and the gastric microbiome. The first part of the review focuses on literature describing non‐Helicobacter pylori‐Helicobacter (NHPH) infections in humans and animals whilst the subsequent section focuses specifically on the human gastric microbiome. Novel diagnostic methods as well as new NHPHs species have been identified in recent studies. Furthermore, our knowledge about the pathogenesis of NHPH infections has been further enhanced by important fundamental studies in cell lines and animal models. Over the last year, additional insights over the prevalence and potential prevention strategies of NHPHs have also been reported. With regard to understanding the gastric microbiome, new information detailing the structure of the gastric microbiota at different stages of H. pylori infection, within different patient geographical locations, was documented. There was also a study detailing the impact of proton‐pump inhibitor usage and the effect on the gastric microbiome. Newer analysis approaches including defining the active microbiome through analysis of RNA rather than DNA‐based sequencing were also published allowing the first assessments of the functional capabilities of the gastric microbiome.


The products formed by glycosylation of food proteins with carbohydrates via the Maillard reaction, also known as conjugates, are agents capable of changing and improving techno-functional characteristics of proteins. The Maillard reaction uses the covalent bond between a group of a reducing carbohydrates and an amino group of a protein. This reaction does not require additional chemicals as it occurs naturally under controlled conditions of temperature, time, pH, and moisture. Moreover, there is growing interest in modifying proteins for industrial food applications. This review analyses the current state of art of the Maillard reaction on food protein functionalities. It also discusses the influence of the Maillard reaction on the conditions and formulation of reagents that improve desirable techno-functional characteristics of food protein.


To solve the problem of load imbalance when accessing spatial image files in HDFS, we present a loading capacity model based on multiple attributes. In our model, five attributes, including
disk space load capacity, CPU processing capacity, memory processing capacity, disk read-write processing capacity and bandwidth, are introduced to measure the load balancing of each node. Then we used the objective weighting method of variation coefficient method to process experiment data, calculated the weight coefficient of the five attributes and obtained a load
capacity model. By this way, the nodes can calculate the actual load ability of their own, which will help improve the efficiency of the load balance when accessing spatial image files in HDFS.
To validate the proposed model, a large number of spatial image files are adopted to be accessed in our experiments. Experiment results show that, when accessing the spatial image files in HDFS, better load balance ability, system performance and efficiency can be obtained by using the strategy of the proposed multi-attribute load balance model.


Abstract In 1884 the Mexican government sent a national military band to the Cotton Exposition in New Orleans. When the Fair ended in 1885, several of these musicians remained in the city. By the 1890s, many of New Orleans' and Texas' most promising Black jazz and blues artists were acquiring musical instruction from Mexicano musicians. The evidence presented in this article recalls the centuries-long parallels and meeting points between Black and Mexicano histories of subjugation and resilience, of political suppression and cultural expression, and of the inevitable exchanges that occur through migration and culture among marginalized communities. I argue that the presence of Mexico and Mexicans in the jazz and blues history of the borderlands inspires a reconsideration of relational identities and cultural productions that lie outside the bounds of traditional racial and historical discourses.


This research was designed to conduct research to apprehend fashion brand`s mobile SNS characteristics in depth and the related consumer psychology and behaviors such as brand attachment and brand loyalty. The fashion brand`s mobile SNS characteristics were differentiated from the web-based fashion brand`s SNS. This study targeted women in their 20s using mobile Facebook and mobile Twitter, and residing in Seoul or Gyeonggi province. Total 412 observations were collected through online survey. The major findings of the study were as follows. First, as the characteristics of fashion brand`s mobile SNS, ease of fashion data storage, fashion recentness, fashion usefulness, and fashion accessibility were extracted. As the factors of the flow, time distortion/focused attention and playfulness were extracted. Second, the fashion recentness and fashion usefulness showed positive influence to time distortion/ focused attention factor in the flow. All four fashion brand`s mobile SNS characteristics showed positive influence to playfulness factor in the flow. Third, time distortion/focused attention factor and playfulness factor both showed positive influence to brand attachment and brand loyalty from using fashion brand`s mobile SNS. Fourth, brand attachment had positive influence to brand loyalty from using fashion brand`s mobile SNS. Based on the above results, this study provided practical ways to develop effective mobile SNS marketing strategies in fashion brand. Also, this study demonstrated feasible future contents and necessary improvement for fashion brand`s mobile SNS, which holds marketing implications.


ABSTRACT We investigated phenotypes of mutants of Methylotenera mobilis JLW8 with lesions in genes predicted to encode functions of the denitrification pathway, as well as mutants with mutations in methanol dehydrogenase-like structural genes xoxF1 and xoxF2, in order to obtain insights into denitrification and methanol metabolism by this bacterium. By monitoring the accumulation of nitrous oxide, we demonstrate that a periplasmic nitrate reductase, NAD(P)-linked and copper-containing nitrite reductases, and a nitric oxide reductase are involved in the denitrification pathway and that the pathway must be operational in aerobic conditions. However, only the assimilatory branch of the denitrification pathway was essential for growth on methanol in nitrate-supplemented medium. Mutants with mutations in each of the two xoxF genes maintained their ability to grow on methanol, but not the double XoxF mutant, suggesting that XoxF proteins act as methanol dehydrogenase enzymes in M. mobilis JLW8. Reduced levels of nitrous oxide accumulated by the XoxF mutants compared to the wild type suggest that these enzymes must be capable of donating electrons for denitrification.


BACKGROUND
More than 70% of patients with chronic hepatitis C are resistant to interferon therapy. Ribavirin, in association with interferon, has been demonstrated as effective, at a dose of 800-1200 mg/day, but the efficacy of a lower dose has not been established.

METHODS
We assessed the effectiveness of the combination of 600 mg/day of ribavirin plus 3 MU of interferon over a period of 6 months, in a group of patients previously resistant to interferon. Sixty-two patients with chronic hepatitis C with serum and hepatic HCV RNA relapsers or non-responders to interferon, were randomly divided into two groups: group A received 3 MU of interferon alpha-2b, three times a week for 6 months; group B was given the same dose plus 600 mg per day of ribavirin for 6 months. Two patients from each group dropped from therapy. One patient from group A and two from group B withdrew from treatment because of adverse effects.

RESULTS
Mean alanine aminotransferase levels were similar in both groups throughout the study. A sustained response was observed in 7% and 7.4% of groups A and B with short-term response in 39% and 59%, and no response in 54% and 34% from both groups respectively (non-significant). At 12 months, 4 and 7 patients from groups A and B respectively, cleared serum HCV RNA however, only one sustained responder from each group cleared HCV RNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. At 18 months, 3 patients remained serum HCV RNA negative. Adverse effects were similar. Only haemoglobin values were lower in group B in the first month of therapy (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the combination of 3 MU of interferon plus 600 mg of ribavirin is not effective in chronic hepatitis C resistant to interferon.


Carcinomas of the skin of the eyelids constitute a difficult therapeutic problem in which it is mandatory not only to achieve the complete destruction of the tumor, but also to provide a satisfactory esthetic and functional result, without damaging any of the delicate structures of the eyelid or eyeball, especially the lens. Very small lesions involving the skin of the eyelid, away from its free margin or commissures, can be treated successfully by simple excision; the procedure is an expeditious one, done with local anesthesia; the primary healing of the wound is rapid. Although the skilled plastic surgeon can remove larger lesions in more unfavorable locations, an extensive procedure is generally required in which a free dermic or epidermic graft or pedicle flaps would be necessary in order to obtain a good cosmetic and functional result.2,6,11Surgical treatment is indicated in the few cases of failure with roentgenotherapy. Radium


Mobilization of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from bone marrow into the blood circulation has been widely used for hematopoietic transplantation. However, the current methods of cytokine- or small-molecule-stimulated HSPC mobilization are far from satisfactory. New mobilizing agents are needed to increase the number of stem cells in peripheral blood for effective reconstitution of hematopoiesis. Here, we report that the molecule Me6TREN (Me6) can induce rapid mobilization of hematopoietic progenitor cells and that Me6 exhibits more significant effects than granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) or AMD3100. Me6 also mobilizes long-term repopulating cells, which successfully engraft and expand in a multilineage fashion in primary and secondary transplant recipients. Mechanistically, Me6 inhibits both the SDF-1α-induced migration and VLA-4-mediated adhesion of mouse and human hematopoietic cells. Me6 appears to mobilize HSPCs by activating MMP-9 expression and disrupting the SDF-1α/CXCR4 axis. Therefore, Me6 may become a new potent and efficacious mobilizing agent of HSPCs.


Motion sickness is one of important issues in immersive virtual environments. In some cases it may last for hours after participation in the virtual experience. Reducing the amount of motion sickness in healthcare applications is of great importance. This paper is examining how motion sickness can be reduced in immersive virtual environments. Two visual methods were designed to assess how they could help to alleviate motion sickness. The first method is the presence of a frame of reference (in form of a cockpit and a radial) and the second method is the visible path (in form of waypoints in the virtual environment). Four testing groups were formed: two for each individual method, one combining both methods and one control group. Each group consisted of 15 healthy subjects. Results show that there is a pattern in the data favouring visual path as a better method against motion sickness compared to the frame of reference.


This paper reports on a novel immunoadjuvant activity of liposomes. An influenza subunit preparation, containing the isolated viral surface antigens, was incorporated a liposomal formulation. Administration of this vaccine to mice via the intranasal (i.n.) route resulted in a stimulated serum IgG response relative to the response to i.n. immunization with the antigen alone. In addition, the liposomal vaccine induced a secretory IgA (s-IgA) response in the mucosa of the lungs and nasal cavity. Both serum IgG and s-IgA responses persisted up to at least 21 weeks post-immunization. Immune stimulation was observed with negatively charged liposomes consisting of phosphatidylcholine (PC), cholesterol, and dicetylphosphate (DCP), but not with zwitterionic liposomes, consisting of PC and cholesterol alone. Remarkably, for stimulation of serum IgG responses and induction of an s-IgA response, liposomes could be simply mixed with the antigen. Moreover, i.n. administration of empty liposomes up to 48 h prior to i.n. immunization with the subunit antigen also resulted in immune stimulation, indicating that the liposomes did not exert their adjuvant effect by acting as a carrier for the antigen. The liposomal vaccine conferred protection against infection. It is concluded that liposomes, administered i.n., provide a promising adjuvant system for stimulation of antibody responses in general, and mucosal s-IgA responses in particular.


Exploration in the southern North Sea using conventional imaging techniques is hampered by complexities in the Mesozoic overburden and the Zechstein evaporites with dolomitic rafting overlying potential targets. 3D preSDM imaging has come into widespread use in recent years, in an attempt to resolve such problems. Here we present case history from the ConocoPhillips acreage over block 49/14a, where a four survey merge covering some 430 km2 was reprocessed to yield a coherent single input volume for 3D preSDM imaging. Hitherto, a layer-based model building approach has been commonly used for North Sea type environments, where sedimentary interfaces delimit changes in the velocity field and the geology 'lends itself' to a layer-based model representation. However, recent work in the North Sea has demonstrated the advantages of removing the constraints of a simple layer-based solution, so as to permit a gridded tomographic approach to uncover the more subtle lateral changes associated with variable chalk compaction regimes. In addition, the rapid vertical velocity variation associated with chalk and salt interfaces which do profit from an explicit layered velocity boundary, are addressed by incorporating layer constraints in the gridded model to produce a hybrid gridded tomographic solution. With this in mind, we have opted here to use a hybrid gridded tomographic approach for the model building. As with any tomographic solution, the key to success lies in having very dense picking of reliable input data, with appropriate constraints. We employed dense continuous automatic picking of residual moveout in CRP gathers at each iteration, based on plane-wave destructors, followed by gridded tomography, resulting laterally in a smoothly varying velocity field. This approach offers the possibility of quicker model update, as we do not need one preSDM iteration for each 'layer' in the model. The resulting images show good resolution of the Zechstein and Rotliegendes section, much improved on vintage processing, and good well ties.


An abnormal immune response directed at streptococcal antigen is currently thought to be involved in the development of autoimmune phenomena in rheumatic fever (RF). We studied T-cell subsets using the OKT monoclonal antibodies in 13 patients with newly-diagnosed RF. No difference was found in the total number of T cells or in the proportion of helper T cells (OKT4+) at the acute phase (56.6 +/- 6.9) as compared to the recovery phase (55.2 +/- 9.2). However, a significantly decreased proportion of suppressor T cells (OKT8+) was observed during the acute phase (17.2 +/- 6) as compared to the recovery phase (26.4 +/- 5.3) (p less than 0.001). The T4/T8 ratio was significantly higher during the initial phase (3.65 +/- 1.04) and returned to normal later (2.12 +/- 0.39) (p less than 0.002). The results of our study indicate that in the acute phase of RF many patients had low levels of suppressor T cells which return to normal after recovery. Thus, reduced proportion of suppressor T cells might be an indicator for the active phase of RF. Decreased suppressor cell activity may also be involved in the development of autoimmune phenomena in RF.


We have explored some musical effects of tones with nonharmonic partials. The spacing of partials can be stretched so that each partial frequency fij present in tones sounded singly or together is given by fij=Ai/12+log2j. Here i is the scale step in semitones, j is the partial number, and A is the frequency ratio of a pseudo‐octave (A=2 for a true octave). We find that subjects can match the keys of stretched (A=2.4) as well as unstretched passages. Stretched cadences (A=2.4) do not seem final. But, a stretched ''cadence'' with equally spaced partials that goes from closely spaced (tonally dissonant) to widely spaced (tonally consonant) partials does seem final. Our experiments do not decide finally among three views of harmony: that harmony depends on a fundamental bass or periodicity pitch (Rameau), that harmony depends on the spacing of partials (Helmholtz and Plomp) or that harmony is a matter of brainwashing.


Endometriosis affects approximately 12% of reproductive-age women and is currently diagnosed using invasive laparoscopic surgery. Differences in gene expression in the eutopic endometrium between women with and without endometriosis have been reported, and determining the reproducibility of these genetic differences in the endocervical epithelium would represent an important step toward developing novel diagnostic strategies. In this study, we analyzed gene expression in the endocervical epithelium in women with and without moderate or severe endometriosis. Using RT2 Profiler PCR Arrays, we analyzed gene expression in endocervical epithelial cells from women with deep endometriosis (n = 4) and healthy women (n =6). Nine genes were identified as being upregulated: 5 cell cycle genes (cyclin B1 [CCNB1], cyclin G1 [CCNG1], cullin 1 [CUL1], general transcription factor IIH, polypeptide 1 [GTF2H1], and proliferating cell nuclear antigen [PCNA]), 3 cytokine genes (C3, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 21 [CCL21], and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 14 [CXCL14]) and 1 gene related to dendritic cell pathways (ICAM2), showing that differential gene expression is present in the endocervical epithelium of women with deep endometriosis.


Abstract This paper considers the application of model reduction methods, which are popular for linear systems, to systems with local non-linearities, modeled using finite element analysis. In particular these methods are demonstrated by obtaining the receptance of a discrete and a continuous system with cubic stiffening discrete springs, using the harmonic balance method. Time simulation, using the reduced model, is also demonstrated by computing the Poincare map of a pinned-pinned beam with backlash. The methods provide satisfactory results providing sufficient degrees of freedom are retained in the reduced model and these retained degrees of freedom are chosen with some care.


LKFM basaltic impact melts are abundant among Apollo lunar samples, especially those from Apollo 15, 16, and 17. They are generally basaltic in composition, but are found exclusively as impact melts. They seem to be related to basins and so could represent the composition of the lower lunar crust. They contain lithic clasts that cannot be mixed in any proportion to produce the composition of the melt matrix; components rich in transition elements (Ti, Cr, Sc) and REE are not considered. To search for the mysterious cryptic component, we previously investigated the mineral clast population in two Apollo 14 LKFM basaltic impact melts, 15445 and 15455. The cryptic component was not present in the mineral clast assemblage of these breccias either, but some olivine and pyroxene grains appeared to be from lithologies not represented among identified igneous rocks from the lunar highlands. In addition, none of the mineral clasts could be unambiguously assigned to a ferroan anorthosite source. We have now extended this study to Apollo 17, starting with two LKFM impact melt breccias (76295 and 76315) from the Apollo 17 station 6 boulder. The results from the study are presented.


Tracer breakthrough curves provide valuable information about the traced media, especially in inherently heterogeneous karst aquifers. In order to study the effect of variations in hydraulic gradient and conduit systems on breakthrough curves, a bench scale karst model was constructed. The bench scale karst model contains both matrix and a conduit. Eight tracing tests were conducted under a wide range of hydraulic gradients from 1 to greater than 5 for branchwork and network‐conduit systems. Sampling points at varying distances from the injection point were utilized. Results demonstrate that mean tracer velocities, tracer mass recovery and linear rising slope of the breakthrough curves were directly controlled by hydraulic gradient. As hydraulic gradient increased, both one half the time for peak concentration and one fifth the time for peak concentration decreased. The results demonstrate the variations in one half the time for peak concentration and one fifth the time for peak concentration of the descending limb for different sampling points under differing hydraulic gradients are mainly controlled by the interactions of advection with dispersion. The results are discussed from three perspectives: different conduit systems, different hydraulic‐gradient conditions, and different sampling points. The research confirmed the undeniable role of hydrogeological setting (i.e., hydraulic gradient and conduit system) on the shape of the breakthrough curve. The extracted parameters (mobile‐fluid velocity, tracer‐mass recovery, linear rising limb, one half the time for peak concentration, and one fifth the time for peak concentration) allow for differentiating hydrogeological settings and enhance interpretations the tracing tests in karst aquifers.


After anaerobic digestion (AD) of manures for biogas production the concentration of ammonium-N is increased and the concentration of decomposable carbon in manure is decreased. That implies that the first year fertilizer value of the manure can be increased by the treatment. However, pH is also increased by AD thereby increasing the risk of ammonia losses while the lowered dry matter content on the other hand improves the manure infiltration in soil and reduces the risk of ammonia loss. Therefore the effects of AD on plant N availability can be expected to interact with the manure application method used.
In stockless organic farming it has been suggested that nitrogen utilization can be improved by using anaerobic digestion of plant-based green manures, but the information about such manures is scarce.
We have compared nitrogen fertilizer values of 1) pig and cattle slurries before and after AD and 2) digested plant-based manures. Mineral fertilizer replacement values (MFRV) were determined after direct injection to barley and oats crops and after surface-banding in a winter wheat crop.
The manures were digested in continuously fed pilot digesters at thermophilic conditions (ca. 50°C). The manures were applied to small framed plots and grain yields and N uptake were compared to plots receiving increasing amounts of mineral N fertilizer. The three tested plant-based manures derived from crops of either grass clover, yellow lupine or a triticale-winter vetch mixture.
The MFRV of total N in two different injected cattle slurries increased from 58-75% to 69-82% after AD. The MFRV of cattle slurry after surface-banding in winter wheat was much lower: 30-37% for untreated slurry and 38-49% after AD. The low availability after surface-banding can be ascribed to high ammonia volatilization. The MFRV of injected pig slurry was high and similar with and without AD: 89-91%. After surface banding of pig slurry MFRV was 75% for untreated and 87% for digested pig slurry.
The plant-based manures contained a high proportion of ammonium-N (59-68% of total N) after AD and the MFRVs of total manure N were comparable to the digested cattle slurries: 73-77% after injection, but only 43-57% after surface-banding of the manure.
The influence of AD of manure on N turnover in soil has also been evaluated in a soil incubation study with some of the same manures, and the differences between untreated and digested manures were more distinct in this incubation study than the observed differences in fertilizer value.
We conclude that the potential plant availability of pig and cattle slurry can be increased by 10-15% points after AD. However, after surface-banding of digested manures rich in fibers, such as cattle and plant-based manures, significant ammonia loss can be expected resulting in relative poor N utilization.


A great affirmative policy of Law 6/2014 on Village in Indonesia operates recognition principle for village's existense, and subsidiarity principle for village autonomy. Conducting quantitative method, this research concludes that implementation of Law 6/2014 has influenced to increase effectiveness of public services. Village officials already understand the Law clearly and consistently. Increasing of effectiveness of public services is affected by increasing of village officials training, village officials capacity, availability of rural resources, and support of socio-economic environment


The purpose of this design project was to determine if it is plausible to design an acoustic top plate assembly made of a non-traditional material which is equivalent in sound quality to that of a standard wooden guitar. Since wood must be crafted by skilled luthiers, the overall cost of producing the completed product is fairly high. To reduce the cost of a finished acoustic guitar, we proposed to alter the material to that of one that is easier to manufacture, such as plastics and composites. Based on our research, our team chose to test both ABS plastic and carbon fiber. In order to test the top plate materials, a test fixture was developed in order to consistently secure the top plate and accurately excite the plate at specific frequencies. To analyze modal shapes of the two materials, we conducted the Chladni Test, which consisted of speakers mounted under the plate producing a range of frequencies. Based on the results of the vibration testing, it was determined that the ABS plate provided inconsistent mode frequencies, so carbon fiber was selected as the best candidate. We adjusted the thickness as well as the bracing on the underside of the faceplate of the two materials due to their different specific stiffnesses. Based on the results of the Chladni test, bracing was placed in locations where maximum deformation of the guitar plate occurred, while also minimizing the amount of bracing. Bracing was chosen for carbon fiber as an X-brace with a top cross support and a flat bridge support, which also provided enough support to hold the tension of the strings. Our team bought a kit with a prebuilt guitar body for assembly. The existing wooden top plate was removed from the guitar kit body, and our newly chosen top plate material, carbon fiber, was installed. Once the guitar was assembled, it was compared against a high-end quality guitar that retailed for $2400. Sound is generally a matter of preference, but we tested qualities such as sustain to provide concrete comparable data. Through this sound quality comparison test, we found that the carbon fiber guitar was very similar to the quality of the higher end wood guitar with some of its tonal qualities even exceeding the reference.


Existing graph few-shot learning (FSL) methods usually train a model on many task graphs and transfer the learned model to a new task graph. However, the task graphs often contain a great number of isolated nodes, which results in the severe deficiency of learned node embeddings. Furthermore, in the training process, the neglect of task information also constrains the model's expressive ability. In this brief, we propose a novel metric-based graph few-shot learning approach via restructuring task graph (GFL-RTG). To solve the problems above, we innovatively restructure the task graph by adding class nodes and a task node to the original individual task graph. We first add class nodes and determine the connectivity between class nodes and others via their similarity. Then, we utilize a graph pooling network to learn a task embedding, which is regarded as a task node. Finally, the new task graph is restructured by combining class nodes, task node, and original nodes, which is then used as input to the metric-based graph neural network (GNN) to conduct few-shot learning. Our extensive experiments on three graph-structured datasets demonstrate that our proposed method generally outperforms the state-of-the-art baselines in few-shot learning.


Pedestrian lane detection is a crucial task in assistive navigation for vision-impaired people. It can provide information on walkable regions, help blind people stay on the pedestrian lane, and assist with obstacle detection. An accurate and real-time lane detection algorithm can improve travel safety and efficiency for the visually impaired. Despite its importance, pedestrian lane detection in unstructured scenes for assistive navigation has not attracted sufficient attention in the research community. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review and an experimental evaluation of methods that can be applied for pedestrian lane detection, thereby laying a foundation for future research in this area. Our study covers traditional and deep learning methods for pedestrian lane detection, general road detection, and general semantic segmentation. We also perform an experimental evaluation of the representative methods on a large benchmark dataset that is specifically created for pedestrian lane detection. We hope this paper can serve as an informative guide for researchers in assistive technologies, and facilitate urgently-needed research for vision-impaired people.


We introduce heterostructured photonic crystal fibers whose cladding and core are two lattice-matched photonic crystals (PCs). Confined modes, particularly those due to photonic bandgaps (PBGs) possessed by cladding PC, can be quickly predicted by studying cladding PBG regions and space-filling modes of the core PC. We theoretically demonstrate that PBG-guided modes can be either index-guided or antiguided locally in the core area. Such fibers are expected to have applications in nonlinear optics and sensors.


This paper is concerned with a computational study on the hydroelastic response of a long, straight and side-anchored fjord-crossing floating bridge accounting for the wave-current interaction. The effect of this interaction on a single bridge pontoon is investigated by using the three-dimensional potential solver VERES3D. The frequency-dependent hydrodynamic coefficients and excitation force transfer functions are presented and compared with WAMIT results where the current effect is ignored. Based on the frequency domain results, an approach to account for the wave-current interaction in time domain analysis is proposed. Next, a generic straight and side-anchored floating bridge model is put forward to examine the stochastic structural responses in the time domain. For the purpose of comparison, the bridge responses under waves and current without interaction are also investigated. This study attempts to quantify the wave-current interaction effect on the structural responses of a floating bridge and provide useful recommendations and suggestions to researchers and engineers for their study of similar structures.


In this paper, we focused on testing homogeneity of scale parameters of k Inverse Gaussian distributions (IGDs) since this distribution is one of the most common distribution for analyzing nonnegative right-skewed data. We have proposed a new test statistic based on the Computational Approach Test (CAT), which is a type of parametric bootstrap method, for testing homogeneity of scale parameters of k IGDs. Simulation results have been presented to compare the performances of the proposed method and existing methods such as the likelihood ratio test, modified likelihood ratio test and generalized likelihood ratio test in terms of type I error rate and power. The results showed that the proposed CAT is better than the others in terms of the type I error rates and powers in some cases.


ABSTRACT Inactivation of the quorum-sensing regulator HapR causes Vibrio cholerae El Tor biotype strain C7258 to adopt a rugose colonial morphology that correlates with enhanced biofilm formation. V. cholerae mutants lacking the cyclic AMP (cAMP) receptor protein (CRP) produce very little HapR, which results in elevated expression of Vibrio exopolysaccharide (vps) genes and biofilm compared to the wild type. However, Δcrp mutants still exhibited smooth colonial morphology and expressed reduced levels of vps genes compared to isogenic hapR mutants. In this study we demonstrate that deletion of crp and cya (adenylate cyclase) converts a rugose ΔhapR mutant to a smooth one. The smooth ΔhapR Δcrp and ΔhapR Δcya double mutants could be converted back to rugose by complementation with crp and cya, respectively. CRP was found to enhance the expression of VpsR, a strong activator of vps expression, but to diminish transcription of VpsT. Ectopic expression of VpsR in smooth ΔhapR Δcrp and ΔhapR Δcya double mutants restored rugose colonial morphology. Lowering intracellular cAMP levels in a ΔhapR mutant by the addition of glucose diminished VpsR expression and colonial rugosity. On the basis of our results, we propose a model for the regulatory input of CRP on exopolysaccharide biosynthesis.


In this paper, we propose a novel method to select significant variables and estimate the corresponding coefficients in multiple-index models with a group structure. All existing approaches for single-index models cannot be extended directly to handle this issue with several indices. This method integrates a popularly used shrinkage penalty such as LASSO with the group-wise minimum average variance estimation. It is capable of simultaneous dimension reduction and variable selection, while incorporating the group structure in predictors. Interestingly, the proposed estimator with the LASSO penalty then behaves like an estimator with an adaptive LASSO penalty. The estimator achieves consistency of variable selection without sacrificing the root-$n$ consistency of basis estimation. Simulation studies and a real-data example illustrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the new method.


Abstract : Twenty male triads participated in a cooperative task in which the type and patterns of dependency were varied systematically. 10 triads were in the bi-dependent condition where each S's performance maximally depended on the behavior and information supplied by his two co-workers; 10 triads were in the uni-dependent condition where performance depended on joint behavior by oneself and one co-worker as well as personal information from the other remaining team-mate. In each condition, two five-minute trials ended in inevitable failure. Hypotheses concerning the effects of dependency structure on individual and group behavior were supported: Dependency patterns were perceived correctly, communications were directed by dependency, bi-dependent as contrasted with uni-dependent triads communicated more, engaged in less task behavioral activities, experienced greater conflict and were less likely to blame a specific other person for the group's failure. Hypotheses concerning leadership development were not supported. Implications for studying dependency patterns among subgroups of individuals are considered. (Author)


We have observed that (i) in some high resistivity BaTiO3 crystals the cubic-tetragonal phase transition is of the Wechsler-Lieberman-Read type, contrary to theoretical predictions, and (ii) high resistivity BaTiO3 crystals have a stable domain structure which is the same as that which is associated with a martensitic transformation. Our interpretation of (i) is that, because of (ii), when the phase boundary lies in a suitable orientation a plane of zero average distortion is formed and a martensitic transformation results. At all other orientations the phase boundary is broad to accommodate the elastic strain and the transition is not of the austenite-martensite type, as expected.


In his An Uncommon Story, written in the mid-1870s, I. A. Goncharov stated that he had never depicted high society because he had not known it. Meanwhile, all of his literary works were devoted to the nobility, and most of them represent the image of a noble man in this or that way. The interest in high society was natural for the writer of non-noble descent because of his wish to fit the image of noble man and to carve a career. The studies of Goncharov's works still lack special research that could show the peculiarities of the writer's understanding of high society, the evolution in the way he depicts it and in his attitude to it. The present article is an attempt to fill this gap. For this purpose, the paper analyzes not only the epic novels of the writer but also his essays and articles, where his opinion is stated fairly clearly. A comparison of literary and publicistic works of the writer allowed us to draw a conclusion that in the late 1840s I. A. Goncharov had an idea of ideal society, which was different from the commonly accepted idea of high society. He called it 'select and refined society' and always wanted to be part of it. The novels of the writer show the evident negative attitude to high society of both the author and his idealistic characters – Alexander Aduev, Oblomov, Rayskiy, though I. A. Goncharov did not offer any alternative to this society. I. A. Goncharov found his 'select and refined society' on board the frigate 'Pallada'. It united officers, with their good breeding and professional education, and common sailors into one family, the Russian world, due to their deep patriotic feeling, sincere doing the duty and the belief in God. In the hard 1870s, the writer retained the trust in the reforms of Alexander II and in the possibility to integrate the progressively thinking members of high society and the democratic majority through those reforms.


As first time, ferroelectric (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Ti0.9Zr0.1)O3 (BCTZ), biocompatible (Na0.5K0.5)NbO3 (NKN), and ferromagnetic Y3Fe5O12 (YIG) nanofibers were synthesized by sol-gel assisted electrospining technique. Non-woven, bead-free 100 μm long fiber mat was formed from close-packed nanocrystals after calcination in air at 800°C (BCTZ and NKN) and 1100°C (YIG). BCTZ fibers are 200 nm in width whereas NKN and YIG fibers have smaller 50-100 nm diameter. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy show that BCTZ and NKN crystallized in tetragonal and rhombohedral polar phases in the vicinity of morphotropic phase boundary. Room temperature ferromagnetism in YIG fibers is indicated by a well formed M-H hysteresis loop with about 70% of remnant magnetization to the saturated value reached at 150 Oe. Broad band microwave spectroscopy revealed strong asymmetry of the shape of ferromagnetic resonance lines that conforms to a three orders of magnitude shape aspect ratio of YIG nanofibers.


The unique high-altitude environmental factors in the Linzhi region of Tibet have not been fully investigated in terms of their impact on the microbial mechanisms of water ecology, for which we explored the response of activated sludge microorganisms to different hydraulic retention times (HRT) based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and PICRUST2 functional prediction. The results showed that different HRT had significant effects on Phylum, Class, Genus, Species and OTU levels, as well as on diversity, richness and evenness (P < 0.05). The relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes and AAP99 in the dominant bacterial phylum and genus was significantly influenced by different HRT. In addition, we identified the denitrification reaction as the major pathway in nitrogen metabolism in this study, as well as most of the significantly enriched genera were denitrifying genera as determined by LEfSe analysis. The overall low relative abundance of the nitrifying bacteria genera AOB and NOB may also be an important reason for the poor nitrogen removal. The effect of HRT on the expression of genes of the five functional modules of nitrogen metabolism was inconsistent. In conclusion, the above studies further complement the studies on the effects of plateau-specific environments on the microbial mechanisms of water ecology under different HRT conditions.


This paper covers the presentation and some observations on a group of finds, consisting of rims and handles of various plates, megarian bowls, lamps and figurines, presumably found at Duzce/Uskubu-Konuarlp in 1957. The ancient site at Duzce/Uskubu-Konuralp, identified as the Prusias ad Hypium, an ancient city of the Bithynia region in Antiquity. The ancient site lies approximately 8 km north of the modem district centre of Duzce. Even though the initial foundation date of the town is not precisely known, there are some remains that date back to the 5th century BC. The golden age of the city was during the 2Pd century AD; its location in a rich and fertile environment and proximity to the main road system must have triggered its development. Most of the finds under concern here are of African Red Slip Ware and Pontus Sigillata groups, though some of the finds indicate the presence of a local sigillata production centre somewhere in the region.


Synthetic DNA oligomers specific for the VHa allotypes of rabbit Ig genes have been used to identify latent allotypic sequences in homozygous a1 and a2 rabbits. Two Ig VH pseudogenes containing latent a3 regions have been cloned from the genome of a homozygous a2 rabbit. Analysis of the regions associated with allotype expression indicates that these two pseudogenes contain VHa- sequences in framework region 1 (FR1) and VHa3 sequences in FR3. One gene has undergone an unusual rearrangement with a third VH gene, deleting their intervening sequences and recombining in FR3 with sequences 5' to the leader exon. Our results demonstrate the presence of latent VH sequences in the genomic DNA of normal rabbits and suggest that a mechanism such as gene conversion is responsible for expression of genetically-unexpected Ig VH genes.


The lateral hypothalamus (LH) plays an important role in regulating the brain state changes during sleep and arousal state fluctuation. Although the anatomical projections of LH have been well-investigated, the brain-wide functional map by LH stimulation under different brain states has not been characterized. Here, we applied fMRI to characterize the whole brain activation maps under different brain states during anesthesia in response to LH optogenetic stimulation. We demonstrate that the underlying brain state determines distinct functional mapping features upon LH activation.


Multiscale resilience, i.e., coordinating different scales within a system to jointly cope and mitigate risks on any single scale, is identified as the feature of a complex resilient system. However, in water distribution systems (WDSs) and urban drainage systems (UDSs), the inherent resilience is usually not multiscale resilience. By referring to the larger scale to larger pipes serving both local users and some other users at smaller scales, it can be found that smaller scales are not responsible for providing resilience to cope with failures in larger scales. These are because the main function of traditional water systems is to deliver water from upstream to downstream. This study demonstrates that improving multiscale resilience in WDSs and UDSs needs to allow water to travel reversely in the system via providing extra capacities and/or connections at smaller scales. This hypothesis is verified via case studies on a real world WDS and UDS.


The article proposes to use V-belt transmission with a spring loaded idler pulley in the carriage power generator drive. This will increase the belt life with some increase of traction transfer power


Complementary DNA (cDNA)-oligodeoxythmidylate-celluloses were prepared from cDNA copies of polysomal messenger RNA (mRNA) of Novikoff hepatoma, normal rat liver, and regenerating rat liver. cDNA synthesis with reverse transcriptase was approximately 46% with respect to input mRNA with oligodeoxythymidylate-cellulose primer. The cDNA's of normal liver, regenerating liver, and Novikoff hepatomas were used as affinity matrices for hybridization of different mRNA species. Under the conditions used, degradation of mRNA was not detected. After normalization for homologous hybridization efficiency, 53 and 65% of the Novikoff hepatoma mRNA bound to normal liver and regenerating liver cDNA's. Under these conditions an average of 82% of mRNA of normal liver bound to regenerating liver cDNA, and 92% of regenerating liver mRNA bound to normal liver cDNA. The bound and unbound mRNA's were analyzed by translation in the wheat germ system; 2-D gel analysis of the proteins synthesized in the wheat germ system indicated that the cDNA affinity columns selectively adsorbed some mRNA species.


With the rapid development of internet and digital technology,digital products become more and more popular,especially due to they can be transmitted conveniently, but the Problem of copyright Protection is also more and more serious.The inapplicability of traditional information security technology for copyrights problem promotes the development of digital watermark. From MIBIN theory, some solutions to these problems are given in this paper.


Pinnixa gracilipes Coelho, 1997 is a small pinnotherid crab living in association with ghost shrimp Lepidophthalmus siriboia Felder & Rodrigues, 1993 in the northeastern region of Para State, Brazil. Larvae of P. gracilipes were reared in the laboratory from hatching to the megalopa stage. The complete zoeal period averaged 24 days. Mean duration for each larval stage was 5, 4, 4, 5 and 6 days, respectively. In the present study, five zoeal and megalopal stages are described and illustrated in detail. Morphological comparisons with previous reported works on Pinnotheridae larvae are briefly discussed.


This was a retrospective study of operative records between 2000 – 2007 from two ear, nose and throat (ENT) referral centers in Malaysia to review demographic patterns, clinical presentations and management of retropharyngeal abscess (RPA). Our case series comprised of eight patients with five females and three males with a median age at presentation of 47 years. Comorbid factor in this series was diabetes mellitus, with four patients having diabetes. There were three cases of fish bone ingestion. The commonest presentation was dysphagia or odynophagia. None of them had fever. All patients were treated with broad spectrum intravenous antibiotics (IV) and drainage was performed for the abscess. Four patients underwent transoral drainage with three having the cervical approach and one having spontaneous rupture.All patients recovered well from the infection and only one patient passed away due to septicaemia. In conclusion, patients with retropharyngeal abscess may present with vague symptoms of sore throat, odynophagia without fever due to partial antibiotics treatment. A correct diagnosis should be made so that adequate treatment can be given to prevent mortality.


Based on a qualitative study of development processes in the Danish film industry, this article sketches a socio-material perspective for analysing the production of culture. Whereas previous studies of cultural production have identified social factors in cultural production, this article sets out to investigate how the evolving object may form an active part in the collaborative process of its making. The article identifies three moments when the evolving object becomes decisive for the collaboration: the idea has to be detached to enable collaboration; attachments between collaborators are made via the evolving object; and closure of the product is postponed to enhance creative development. Thus, the article suggests that cultural objects and the processes of their making are co-produced, evolve simultaneously and are mutually constitutive. In this way, the object may have effects even while it is becoming materialized.


Given the phenomenological relations for muscle's steady-state contraction and proper definitions of power p and efficiency eta, the behavior of these quantities is analysed in terms of the parameters that determine the energetics of the muscle, here denoted by s(o)and alpha. s(o)is proportional to the so-called maintenance heat, while alpha is the parameter that determines the curvature of the Hill's force-velocity curve. The dependence of the muscle's power and efficiency, averaged over the whole range of force the muscle can exert, on the parameters s(o)and alpha is studied. The average power p(avg)is a function only of alpha, and is a growing function that approaches 1/6 asymptotically as alpha goes to infinity. The average efficiency eta(avg)is a function of both alpha and s(o). With the value of s(o)fixed, the graph of the function eta(avg)(s(o), alpha) is a convex curve with a single maximum. The value and the position of this maximum point both depend on s(o). In the limit alpha-->0, s(o)-->0, eta(avg)tends to 1. The points (s(o), alpha(m)(s(o))), with alpha(m)(s(o)) the value of alpha that maximizes eta(avg)for a given s(o), are fitted by the curve alpha=s(o 1/2). This relation was experimentally found by A.V. Hill in his early studies of muscle energetics. Other experimental data are found to qualitatively satisfy the same relation. Although some dynamical microscopic models for muscle contraction, based upon Huxley's cross-bridge model, show that the same kinetic parameters control both the maintenance heat (s(o)) and the muscle's power output (alpha), we suggest that the exact relation between them has been reached due to the evolutive stresses that made individuals with equally powerful and more efficient muscles more suitable to reproduce.


Activation of latent TGFß by the epithelially-restricted αvß6 integrin is critical in the pathogenesis of lung injury and fibrosis, and disruption of this pathway promotes emphysema development. We have previously shown that Gαq and RhoA signalling pathways are central to avb6 integrin induced TGFß activation in vitro. To assess the role of the Gq/11 signalling pathway in the lungs, we generated mice with deletion of the Gq and G11 α-subunits in Surfactant protein C (SftpC)-positive epithelial cells (Gq/11DKO). SftpC-Cre mice were crossed with constitutive Gα11-deficient animals (Gna11−/−; G11KO) carrying floxed alleles of the Gaq gene (Gnaqfl/fl) and then backcrossed onto appropriate null mice. Lungs were perfused, inflated and fixed prior to processing for histological and immunohistochemical analysis at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells were collected at 6 weeks for mRNA, nuclear protein extraction or histological analysis. Focal inflammatory infiltrates were visible in the Gq/11DKO lungs as early as 2 weeks, but became larger and more widespread at later timepoints. Gq/11DKO mice also exhibited significant age-related airspace enlargement compared with G11KO mice from 4 weeks onwards. From 6 weeks, inflammation was closely associated with localised disruption of the alveolar architecture and the appearance of enlarged and vacuolated macrophages within the airspaces. BAL fluid from Gq/11DKO mice contained significantly higher cells numbers (12.5±2.5×105) than G11KO mice (0.96±0.2×105) with increases in the percentage of neutrophils, lymphocytes and enlarged and vacuolated alveolar macrophages. mRNA analysis of Gq/11DKO BAL cells showed significantly increased MMP12, RELMα and Arginase 1 suggesting an increase in the number of alternatively activated macrophages. To assess levels of active TGFß in the lungs, phosphorylated SMAD2 (pSMAD2), a component of the TGFß signalling pathway, was measured by ELISA of nuclear extracts from BAL cells. Gq/11DKO BAL cells contained significantly lower levels of pSMAD2 than those from G11KO mice, suggesting decreased levels of active TGFß in the lungs of Gq/11DKO mice. These data suggest that the Gαq/11 signalling pathway in SftpC-positive epithelial cells regulates TGFß activation in the lungs and that deficiency in this pathway results in pulmonary inflammation and disruption of the alveolar architecture of the lung.


Nonlinear synchrotron oscillations are present in virtually all accelerators (for economic reasons). For RF parameters likely to be used in 600-1000 GeV accelerators, or in high frequency (high harmonic) RF systems at lower energies, these nonlinearities give rise to numerous resonances, including basic noncoupled resonances which the present study investigates both by analytical and computational methods. A relatively simple theory1 has been sufficient to explain qualitatively many effects, such as "propellers" and "beads" in phase space, for both third- and half-integral resonances. Some extensions of the work of reference 1 are reported. However, understanding some details of the ? = ? resonance was not possible without the use of Moser transformations.2 In particular, a null occurs in the resonance driving term as the synchronous particle phase ?s is varied, an effect predicted by the Moser theory. Our results indicate that suitably designed particle accelerators may operate in the vicinity of some phase oscillation resonances but that the resonances in question influence the desirable choice of ?s.


Technology-enhanced learning has attracted increasing attention of educational community focused on improvement of traditional classroom learning. Augmented immersive reality (AIR) technologies enhance users' perception of reality by augmenting it with computer-generated components such as audio, video, 2/3-D graphics, GPS data, etc. The AIR introduces new dimensions of learning experience that ensure better attention, focus, and entertainment, thereby boosting students' motivation and attainment. This work presents an award winning AIR-based educational mobile system, code-named AIR-EDUTECH, that was developed to help high school students learn chemistry. The AIR-EDUTECH introduced new AIR features to help students better understand and learn basic concepts of molecular chemistry. It offers immersive 3D visualization and visual interaction with the examined structures that provides a broader and more retentive knowledge and improves intuition around forming basic chemical reactions. The system was introduced and tested in a field study with 45 students in the $11^{th}$ grade chemistry class, and its impact was evaluated by the formal assessment quiz along with the feedback from survey conducted after the trial. Collected data have been subjected to an in-depth multi-modal quantitative analysis that revealed that AIR-EDUTECH stimulated significant improvements in understanding and retention of the taught content as well as turned learning chemistry into a fun, interesting and interactive experience. It also uncovered a hidden structure of taught knowledge dependencies and highlighted the role that AIR technology could play in reinforcing the retention of critical knowledge that may otherwise widen student knowledge gaps.


Changes in health policy in the UK are creating an experiment in dementia care which will be of importance to other societies and healthcare systems. A report from the Audit Commission, Forget Me Not 2002,1 concludes that general practices should make greater efforts to diagnose dementia in its early stages. Likewise the National Service Framework (NSF) for Older People2 emphasizes the need for early detection, with an enhanced role for primary care. A major challenge to implementation, however, is the observation that a substantial minority of general practitioners (GPs) are unconvinced of the benefits of early diagnosis. In the Audit Commision's survey of 8051 GPs in 73 areas of England, only 60% agreed that an early diagnosis of dementia was important—no change from the proportion in pilot data from 12 areas, collected in 1999.3 Probably, however, GP opinion has become more favourable since the publication of National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance on use of acetyl-cholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease4—advice that may have come too late to have much impact on the full survey. A common argument is that, in the absence of effective treatment, there is nothing to be gained from early diagnosis. Forget Me Not 2002 notes that GPs who reported having received sufficient training in diagnosis and management were the ones most likely to favour early diagnosis; most GPs did not feel that they had received sufficient training. These findings may in part explain why nearly 75% of patients with moderate to severe dementia are unrecognized by primary care clinicians as having cognitive impairment.5 The Audit Commission1 points out that, if the condition is not recognized early, the patient and family commonly experience a crisis, with specialist services called in too late to establish supportive care. More positively, the NSF suggests that early diagnosis provides access to treatment, allows planning of future care and helps individuals and their families come to terms with the prognosis.


KNOWLEDGE of nail disease is indeed limited. Two textbooks * have been published on this subject in the last quarter of a century, but a study of the table of contents of both reveals merely a list of the many diseases in which concomitant nail findings have been reported. The descriptions are for the most part those of gross morphologic changes in the nails. Only a few isolated reports are available concerning the correlative histology of conditions that affect the nails, and the value of these reports is lessened by the lack of adequate histologic studies of the normal nail. As a matter of fact, most of us speak glibly of "nail disease" without having given thought whereof we speak. Some refer to paronychial disease with secondary change in the nails as nail disease; this is certainly confusing in view of the present concept of nail generation from the matrix (proximal


Purpose

When school leaders advance strategic plans focused on improving educational equity through data-driven decision making, how do policies-as-practiced unfold in the daily work of science teachers? The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

This ethnographic study examines how data-centric accountability and improvement efforts surface as practices for 36 science teachers in three secondary schools. For two years, researchers were embedded in schools alongside teachers moving through daily classroom practice, meetings with colleagues and leaders, data-centric meetings, and professional development days.

Findings

Bundled initiatives created consequences for science educators including missed opportunities to capitalize on student-generated ideas, to foster science sensemaking, and to pursue meaningful and equitable science learning. Problematic policy-practice intersections arose, in part, because of school leaders' framing of district and school initiatives in ways that undermined equity in science education.

Practical implications

From the perspective of science education, this paper raises an alarming problem for equitable science teaching. Lessons learned from missteps seen in this study have practical implications for others attempting similar work. The paper suggests alternatives for supporting meaningful and equitable science education.

Originality/value

Seeing leaders' framing of policy initiatives, their bundling of performance goals, equity and accountability efforts, and their instructional coaching activities from the point of view of teachers affords unique insight into how leadership activities mediate policies in schools.


Sleep spindle is the hallmark of second stage of sleep in human being, which is defined as a rhythmic sequence with waxing and waning waves, whose frequency is approximately between 8 to 14 Hz, and its time duration is between 0.5 to 2 seconds. Bump modeling is a method for extracting regions with higher amounts of energy in a related time-frequency map. The bump model of the sleep spindle consists of a group of high energy bumps concentrating in approximately 8 to 14 Hz frequency band. In this study, it will be shown that the power of bumps of EEG can be used in automated detection of sleep spindle. The presented method sensitivity is 99.41% which shows high correctly detection rate, and its error detection ratio is 14.51%, which demonstrates the low dependency of the presented algorithm to the subjects, and its low false detection ratio.


Multiple cytotoxic metal compounds are known, but structure activity relationships can be difficult to determine in these complex molecules. It is tempting to generalize the activity or off-target effects of the compounds to being related to the identity of the metal, or alternatively, to some specific "active" ligand features, but this is a misleading oversimplification that can slow the development of new therapeutics. In this presentation a systematic study of the impact of the metal center, one specific "active" ligand, and the inactive "coligands" that create the metal scaffold will be presented. There is clear evidence that each component plays a role in both desired and potentially deleterious off-target activities, providing the opportunity to adjust each of these three components independently to generate optimized potential anti-cancer agents. Citation Format: Edith C. Glazer. The role of the metal scaffold in the development of cytotoxic metal complexes. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4840.


Central obesity is the accumulation of fat in the abdominal region, and is a marker for Metabolic Syndrome. Since beer is a popular drink in Romania, we searched for eventual connection between beer consumption and waist circumference (WC). We carried out a transversal semi-quantitative study targeting the adult population of Romania. The relations between WC, WHR (waist hip ratio) and beer consumption were variable and non-linear. Regressions for WC and WHR did not bring statistically significant coefficients, showing that there is no significant link between beer consumption and WC or WHR. We could conclude that beer ingestion by itself is not associated with a higher prevalence of abdominal obesity.


In contemporary Taiwan, the identity politics of childhood are interlaced with changing educational policies that follow a winding course through the Chinese cultural legacy, local Taiwanese values, and Western cultures. One important way in which Western values influence children's construction of Taiwanese identity is through the translation of texts from English. The Chinese translation of the award-winning UK picture book The Gruffalo is typical of current practices of translation in Taiwan: it demonstrates the attempts to incorporate, fuse, and negotiate heterogeneous Chinese, Taiwanese, and Western cultural elements.


Abstract Introduction Pituitary abscesses are rare, representing less than 1% of pituitary lesions. Patients may present with pituitary hypofunction, headache, and/or vision changes, often without systemic or biochemical signs of infection, with diagnosis only made intraoperatively. Cases A 74-year-old man with history of diabetes and coronary artery disease presented with headache and left-eye ptosis. MRI revealed a 1.8 cm hypoenhancing cystic, hemorrhagic sellar mass extending into the left cavernous sinus. Pre-operative labs showed AM cortisol 1.1 ug/dL, testosterone 43 ng/dL (reference range 250-1100), FSH 15.3 mIU/mL, LH 4.5 mIU/mL consistent with adrenal insufficiency and hypogonadism. He underwent transsphenoidal pituitary resection (TSR) during which frank pus was demonstrated after incision into the dura overlying the pituitary. Surgical pathology showed necrosis and granulation-type reaction with acute inflammatory cell infiltrates. Gram stain and methenamine silver stains did not reveal definite micro-organisms while tissue bacterial cultures showed normal skin flora. He remained hemodynamically stable without fevers throughout the hospitalization and was discharged on empiric antibiotics and hydrocortisone. A 74-year-old female with history of a pituitary macroadenoma was admitted for worsening headaches. Labs were consistent with her known history of secondary adrenal insufficiency and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Repeat MRI showed characteristics suggestive of hemorrhage within a 1.8 cm intrasellar mass with inhomogeneous and peripheral enhancement after contrast. She underwent TSR and intraoperatively frank pus was encountered. Surgical pathology showed sinonasal mucosa with chronic inflammation. There was no growth in aerobic, fungal, or AFB cultures; anaerobic cultures grew rare commensal bacteria. She was discharged with a course of antibiotics and remains on hydrocortisone. A 42-year-old male presented with headache and was found to have a 2.5 cm sellar mass with rim enhancement elevating and compressing the optic chiasm on MRI. Labs were significant for AM cortisol 4.9 ug/dL and testosterone 8 ng/dL, FSH 0.4 mIU/mL, LH <0.2 mIU/mL consistent with adrenal insufficiency and hypogonadism. He underwent TSR and was found to have purulent debris in the sella. Pathology showed epithelial tissue fragments insufficient for diagnosis, and cultures grew few skin and oropharyngeal contaminants. He was discharged on hydrocortisone with a course of antibiotics. Conclusion We describe three patient cases presenting with headache and varying degrees of hypopituitarism, found to have purulent material emanating from the sella during transsphenoidal resection. None presented with clinical or biochemical systemic signs of infection. MRI imaging was variable, ranging from cystic, hemorrhagic features to peripheral enhancement. Surgical pathology and cultures were unrevealing for a definitive infectious source or other cystic lesion such as Rathke's cleft cyst. This case series demonstrates the potential nonspecific presentation of pituitary abscesses including negative cultures and pathology. It is important to keep this rare diagnosis in the differential for patients presenting with pituitary disease. Presentation: Sunday, June 12, 2022 12:30 p.m. - 12:35 p.m., Monday, June 13, 2022 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.


Displaying the large number of bands in a hyperspectral image (HSI) on a trichromatic monitor is important for HSI processing and analysis system. The visualized image shall convey as much information as possible from the original HSI and meanwhile facilitate the image interpretation. However, most existing methods display HSIs in false color, which contradicts with user experience and expectation. In this paper, we propose a visualization approach based on constrained manifold learning, whose goal is to learn a visualized image that not only preserves the manifold structure of the HSI, but also has natural colors. Manifold learning preserves the image structure by forcing pixels with similar signatures to be displayed with similar colors. A composite kernel is applied in manifold learning to incorporate both the spatial and spectral information of HSI in the embedded space. The colors of the output image are constrained by a corresponding natural-looking RGB image, which can either be generated from the HSI itself (e.g., band selection from the visible wavelength) or be captured by a separate device. Our method can be done at instance level and feature level. Instance-level learning directly obtains the RGB coordinates for the pixels in the HSI while feature-level learning learns an explicit mapping function from the high-dimensional spectral space to the RGB space. Experimental results demonstrate the advantage of the proposed method in information preservation and natural color visualization.


Far from eliminating documents as some expected, the Internet has lead to a proliferation of digital documents, without a centralized control or indexing. Thus, identifying relevant documents becomes simultaneously more important and much harder, since what users require may be dispersed across many documents and many repositories. This paper describes Ontologic Anchoring, a technique to relate documents in domain ontologies, using named entity recognition (a natural-language processing approach) and semantic annotation to relate individual documents to elements in ontologies. This approach allows document retrieval using domain-level inferences, and integration of repositories with heterogeneous media, languages and structure. Ontological anchoring is a two-way street: ontologies allow semantic indexing of documents, and simultaneously new documents enrich ontologies. The approach is illustrated with an initial deployment for heritage documents in Spanish.


Claims that entanglement, or non-local interaction ("spooky action-at-a-distance), has been experimentally proven are false. The claims are based entirely on the fact that the results of experiments performed to test that issue (EPR-Bohm experiments) violate various theoretical inequalities (Bell Inequalities).The various Bell Inequalities used to interpret the results of EPR-Bohm experiments are shown to be inappropriate for such experiments. The inequalities do not correctly provide for the correlation between the particles in each pair, which is the essence of such experiments; and therefore the inequalities are irrelevant. Claims that the results of such experiments, because they violate the inequalities, require the conclusion that the measurement of one particle in an "entangled" pair can instantly affect the state of its partner, even at great distances, are untrue and need to be modified.


We propose a new room-sized immersive projection display. The display consists of a cylindrical screen that can be moved horizontally and vertically, allowing the user to easily change his/her field of view by moving the screen to any angle. The angle of the screen is measured by a motion sensor, and the projected stereo images are changed in response to the measured angle.
 With this cylindrical screen system, it is necessary to project a distorted image onto the screen to produce a correct image. We make the distorted image using a multi-pass rendering method. In addition, a magnetic sensor measures the position and angle of the user and the screen images are changed if the user moves.


Orofacial granulomatosis is a chronic granulomatous condition characterized by relapsing and remitting lip swelling and oral involvement that may include deep ulcers, tags and cobblestone formation. It occurs as an independent entity but also in conjunction with systemic diseases such as tuberculosis, sarcoidosis and Crohn's disease. The clinical presentation is not indicative of concomitant systemic disease. To highlight the importance of thorough examination to rule out systemic disease, we present two childhood cases of orofacial granulomatosis, one of which was associated to Crohn's disease.


A novel Fe3O4@Cu/PVA biomaterial as a new adsorbent and bacterial cell immobilized carrier was synthesized in this work. The structure and morphology were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Effects of factors on Mn(II)-based autotrophic denitrification were investigated in a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR). The results indicate that the highest nitrate removal and Mn(II) oxidation efficiency occurred under the conditions of initial Mn(II) concentration of 80 mg·L−1, hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 10 h and pH 7. Meteorological chromatography analysis showed that N2 was produced as an end-product, and that gas compositions were different depending on the concentration of Mn(II) in the MBBR. The community diversity in the MBBR was markedly influenced by the concentration of Mn(II) and Pseudomonas sp. H-117 played a primary role in the process of nitrate removal and Mn(II) oxidation.


Background: Epigenetic mechanisms provide one potential explanation for how environmental influences in early life cause long-term changes in chronic disease susceptibility. Whereas epigenetic dysregulation is increasingly implicated in various rare developmental syndromes and cancer, the role of epigenetics in complex chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity, remains largely uncharacterized. Extensive work in animal models is required to develop specific hypotheses that can be practicably tested in humans. Animal Models: We have developed a mouse model showing that methyl donor supplementation prevents transgenerational amplification of obesity, suggesting a role for DNA methylation in the developmental establishment of body weight regulation. Conclusions: Coupling such models with recently developed epigenomic technologies should ultimately enable us to determine if epigenetics is an important link between early life events and adult disease.


This case introduces students to engagement planning, risk management, independence, and execution in the setting of attestation engagements by examining the auditor's role in the Academy Awards (also "the Oscars"). Specifically, this case focuses on an error made by PricewaterhouseCoopers ("PwC") during the 89 th Academy Awards ceremony in 2017, which resulted in the announcement of the wrong "Best Picture" winner ("the error"). Students are required to research attestation engagements and the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct, analyze the benefits and risks associated with the Oscars engagement, evaluate the controls that were in place, and think critically about what additional control considerations may have prevented the error. Finally, students are asked to assess the potential consequences of this error for the engagement partners, the firm, and its clients. The visibility of this error is a unique opportunity to evaluate the roles and responsibilities of accountants in practice.


In accordance with change of life styles and improvement of living standard, gradually the types of dwelling becoming various. And the needs of independented living spaces go on increasing.Accordingly, selecting the one room system that including the spacial characteristics of convenience, variety and effectiveness, analysing sleeping space, dining-kitchen space. living space, sanitation space, storage space and entrance space, and then intend to plan of unit space and public space.


The objective of this study was to investigate radiological features of pulmonary tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients with different severity of immunosuppression and deviant behavior. Methods. This was a single-center total observational retrospective study. The study involved 257 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and NIV-infection who was treated and followed at a penitentiary tuberculosis hospital. Results. Tuberculosis-associated lung lesions were diagnosed in 94.2% of patients. Extrapulmonary and generalized tuberculosis increased with worsening immunity. Majority of patients were 20 – 29 and 30 – 39 years old. Typical radiological features included lung root lesions due to hilar lymph node enlargement in patients with CD4 lymphocytes < 100 cells/µL. CD4 lymphocytes decrease < 100 cells/µL was more likely in patients with involvement of ≥ 3 lung lobes and less likely in patients with involvement of 1 or 2 lung segments. CD4 lymphocytes decrease < 100 cells/µL was associated with prominent lung tissue infiltration (39.0%); moderate infiltration of the lung tissue did not depend on immunosuppression. Cavitation ≤ 2 cm was frequent (76.9 – 96.0%), mostly in the right lung (36.4 – 53.8%) and did not depend on immunosuppression. Conclusion. The most prevalent pulmonary tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients was infiltrative tuberculosis independently on CD4 lymphocyte number.


This study investigates the relationship between cash holdings and earnings quality of listed firms in Jordan. To attain the aim of the study, this research investigates the importance of earnings quality as a determinant of cash holdings by companies listed in Amman Stock Exchange (ASE). Companies in countries with lower investor protection and highly concentrated ownership hold less cash, supporting the role of information asymmetry (i.e., earning quality) in determining cash levels. The study conducts a pooled ordinary least square (OLS) data analysis on a sample of 39 industrial firms covering the period of 2010–2016, this study provides evidence that as earnings quality decreases, firms tend to hold more cash. Moreover, the research suggests that cash balances are positively influenced by the presence of greater information asymmetries arising from poor earnings quality but also from the existence of lower levels of regulatory oversight and the occurrence of losses, both of which reduce the importance of earnings quality as a determinant of cash levels. The study also implies that companies with higher levels of earnings opaqueness seem to benefit from having higher cash holdings so as to avoid dependence from costly external funding. Keeping in mind the importance of earning quality for the companies, it can be argued that the findings of this research have implications for the current and potential scholars and policymakers. Therefore, the outcome of this study demands that firms should pay more attention to disclosure policy and improve quality of the disclosed information as much as possible.


Japan has become an unprecedented super-aging society. The average life span of Japanese is 90 years. However, not everyone can stay healthy for life. Healthy life span is 10 years shorter than life span. Many spend an average of 10 years in need of care. In such a situation, what can traditional medicine do?