Background Allergic asthma is the most prevalent phenotype of severe asthma in which treatment with omalizumab has been proven to be beneficial. Purpose Analyse the effectiveness, efficiency and safety of omalizumab in patients with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma. Material and methods Retrospective observational study of all patients with uncontrolled persistent asthma who received omalizumab for at least 52 weeks from March 2007 until September 2018. Variables: age, sex, diagnosis, baseline IgE levels, FEV1 (baseline and at 52 weeks after omalizumab); number of exacerbations (NEX), corticosteroid cycles (CC) and emergency visits (EV) 12 months prior to omalizumab and at 12 months after, duration, discontinuation and side effects; and ACT quality of life questionnaire after last administration. The main variable was the reduction in NEX and as secondary variables reduction in CC and EV. Efficiency was estimated by the reduction in EV/patient cost. Results Thirty-six patients were included, 67% females, mean age 44.2 years (SD=16.9). Sixteen patients were diagnosed with asthma moderate-severe and 20 severe. Mean IgE level was 590.7 IU/ml (SD=1210.2). Seventy per cent of patients had FEV1 <80%. In the 12 months prior to omalizumab the mean NEX, CC and EV was 4.5 (SD=3), 4.4 (SD=3) and 2.2 (SD=1.8), respectively. NEX at 52 weeks was 0.6 (SD=0.9), a significant difference compared to the baseline. CC was reduced to 0.7 (SD=0.9) and mean/patient EV to 0.3 (SD=0.6). Average treatment duration was 52 months (SD=30) and treatment was discontinued in 20 patients, three of those because of efficacy, 12 for inefficacy, one after poor tolerance (diarrhoea, myalgias and tremors) and four for hospital change. Except for one patient, the rest showed good tolerance to omalizumab. Fifty per cent of patients with decreased lung function reached FEV1 >80% at 52 weeks. After the last administration of omalizumab, 72% of patients were under control or reasonably well controlled and 28% not well controlled. The mean cost of asthma EV/patient prior to omalizumab was €422.9 (SD=356.8) and after omalizumab €97.2 (SD=247.4). Conclusion This analysis shows that omalizumab decreases NEX and CC, achieving a substantial improvement in patients with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma, as well as a reduction in the direct costs of EV. Interruption of treatment in three patients suggests that the effects of omalizumab may persist over time. References and/or acknowledgements No conflict of interest.


Microscale energetic residues (<1 mm) are produced during munitions detonation and the weathering of larger residues, and may serve as mobile and fast dissolving sources of explosive compounds, such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), and octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX). Knowledge of the behavior of microscale energetic residues in subsurface environments is quite limited. This work employed a previously unreported property of TNT, RDX, and HMX (i.e., autofluorescence under 405 nm laser illumination) to visualize and quantify the dissolution of microscale physically attrited energetic residues in saturated porous media. The results demonstrated that within the Composition B particles, TNT dissolved preferentially over RDX/HMX and the mass ratio of RDX/HMX to TNT increased by >5.3 times initially. The focused particles dissolved in a stepwise fashion, with >72% of particle volume reduction in <36 min. Moreover, the results suggested that the particle shape factor was relatively stable and the particles retained their highly irregular shape throughout the dissolution processes. This is the first work to demonstrate application of spectral confocal microscopy for visualizing and quantifying the behavior of energetic residues at the pore-scale.


Background: Clinician champions are front-line clinicians who advocate for and influence practice change in their local context. The strategies they use when leading efforts to reduce the use of low-value care have not been well described. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe strategies used by six clinician champions who led a low-value care initiative in their clinical setting. Methods: Qualitative data collected during an overuse reduction initiative led by clinician champions were used to identify strategies, guided by the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change compilation of strategies. Clinician champions were asked to rank the importance of these activities and indicate which one of the six most important activities they would be willing to discuss in an interview. A 30-min semi-structured interview was conducted with each clinician about the activity they selected and thematically analyzed. Results: Twelve Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change strategies were identified. The top six strategies discussed during interviews were: build a coalition, conduct a local needs assessment, develop a formal implementation blueprint, conduct educational meetings, use facilitation, and develop clinical reminders. Common themes that emerged across all interviews were the use of data to engage clinicians in conversations, including the patient's perspective in designing the interventions, and investing the time upfront to plan and launch the initiative because of the inherent challenges of relinquishing a service. Conclusions: Clinician champions identified multiple strategies as important when de-implementing a low-value service. Many were used to engage in conversations with stakeholders, including leadership, providers, and patients, to increase buy-in and support, challenge beliefs, promote behavior change, and gather insights about next steps in their effort. Future work is needed to better understand how prepare clinicians for this role and to understand the mechanisms through which these strategies might be effective.


In the macroscopic world, time is intrinsically asymmetric, flowing in a specific direction, from past to future. However, the same is not necessarily true for quantum systems, as some quantum processes produce valid quantum evolutions under time reversal. Supposing that such processes can be probed in both time directions, we can also consider quantum processes probed in a coherent superposition of forwards and backwards time directions. This yields a broader class of quantum processes than the ones considered so far in the literature, including those with indefinite causal order. In this work, we demonstrate for the first time an operation belonging to this new class: the quantum time flip. Using a photonic realisation of this operation, we apply it to a game formulated as a discrimination task between two sets of operators. This game not only serves as a witness of an indefinite time direction, but also allows for a computational advantage over strategies using a fixed time direction, and even those with an indefinite causal order.


Why do the students of second language acquire it with different level of achievement? Which factors influence better acquisition of L2? What is the role of motivation and motivational strategies in SLA? These questions always bother the ones who are involved in teaching process, and second language acquisition. These questions can be related to the term of motivation. Motivation is defined as the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviours, or collective set of ideas and forces that influence people to think in a certain way. So, motivation can, really be considered as a very important factor that has a great impact in students SLA, especially the motivation and the strategies employed by the teachers in the classroom. This paper is concerned about the various motivational strategies that teachers use to motivate their students while acquire the second language. In fact, how often do they use various motivational strategies in their teaching process in order to make the language acquisition and comprehension easier? The research study was conducted to find out how frequently and in which percentage are motivational strategies used by the teachers in the classroom, and which type or the group of the same was used the most. The participants of the research study were the teachers of International Primary Schools of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where English language is taught as a second language.


A case of Cryptorchidism involving a father and all his four sons who are product of a nonconsanguineous marriage has been described. From a review of the literature, as well as evidence derived from the family history, it is suggested that the mode of inheritance may be autosomal dominant with incomplete penetrance or multifactorial.


The effect of cholera toxin (CT) and Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin (ST) on the ileum and colon was examined in vivo in the rat in an attempt to clarify the effects of enterotoxins on colonic mucosa and to determine if these effects were influenced by short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Both CT and ST induced similar changes in water and electrolyte fluxes, and the magnitude of these changes in loops of colon was similar to that observed in loops of ileum. The addition of luminal SCFA, acetate, propionate and butyrate did not influence the effect of either toxin in loops of ileum. However, in loops of colon exposed to CT, luminal butyrate (40 mM) largely reversed the effect of CT by converting net water secretion (mean +/- SE, -363 +/- 154 nl.cm-2.min-1) to net water absorption (470 +/- 194 nl.cm-2.min-1) and by significantly reducing the net secretion of sodium ions. In loops of colon exposed to ST, similar effects were observed although net water secretion (-784 +/- 114 nl.cm-2.min-1) was only partially reversed by butyrate (-318 +/- 102 nl.cm-2.min-1). In contrast to butyrate, acetate and propionate did not influence changes in colonic fluxes of water and sodium induced by enterotoxins. Oxidation of butyrate and glucose was observed to be depressed in colonocytes pre-exposed to CT but not to ST. In this model, colonic secretion induced by enterotoxins is similar to that observed in the ileum but differs from ileal secretion in its modulation by luminal butyrate.


Functional (psychogenic) eye movements include convergence spasm, functional limitation of gaze, functional (or "voluntary" nystagmus), and functional convergence paralysis. Despite an increasing awareness of the high prevalence of functional neurological disorders, there has been no systematic clinical evaluation of functional eye movement disorders, or appreciation of the scale of the problem. We performed a retrospective review of patient case records attending two specialist neuro-otology outpatient clinics to determine the prevalence and clinical phenotype of functional eye movement disorders. Our results have confirmed that functional eye movements are a common presentation to neuro-otology clinics, with a prevalence of upto 4%. Convergence spasm and functional limitation of gaze are the commonest types seen in our clinics. Almost half the patients with a functional eye movement disorder had an associated functional non-ocular movement disorder, most commonly affecting gait. Early identification of functional eye movements may contribute to a positive diagnosis of a functional movement disorder, and prevent unnecessary – and potentially harmful – invasive investigations and treatments.


Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of cilostazol for secondary prevention of non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke. Data Sources: PubMed and MEDLINE searches were performed (January 1970-September 2011) using the key words cilostazol, antiplatelet, aspirin, acetylsalicylic acid, secondary stroke prevention, ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, intracranial, cerebrovascular accident, and transient ischemic attack. Additionally, reference citations from publications identified were reviewed. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Articles published in English and relevant primary literature evaluating the efficacy and safety of cilostazol in the secondary prevention of atherosclerotic ischemic stroke were included. Data Synthesis: Antiplatelet therapy plays a vital role in the multifaceted approach to secondary stroke prevention. Current American Heart Association/American Stroke Association clinical guidelines for secondary stroke prevention support the use of aspirin, Clopidogrel, and combination aspirin/extended-release dipyridamole. The antiplatelet, antithrombotic, and vasoditatory effects of cilostazol make it a potential alternative agent for atherosclerotic stroke prevention. Recent literature has demonstrated superior efficacy of cilostazol 100 mg twice daily for secondary stroke prevention compared to placebo and aspirin. Three clinical trials were reviewed (1 placebo-controlled, 2 aspirin-controlled), all of which were conducted in Japan or China. Cilostazol reduced the primary outcome of recurrence of stroke, with significantly fewer major bleeding events when compared to aspirin. Conclusions: Available literature suggests that cilostazol may be safer and more effective than aspirin in the secondary prevention of stroke in Asian patients. Further large-scale studies in more heterogeneous study populations are warranted to determine whether cilostazol is a viable therapeutic option for patients with a history of non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke.


IT IS WELL known that the vertebrate retina contains three layers of nerve cells: the photoreceptor cells (rods and cones), the bipolar cells, and the ganglion cells, joined to one another in a variety of combinations by cross connections through the horizontal and amacrine cells. The physiologic reactions of the retina are as complicated as is its anatomic structure. The stimulation of the eye by light evokes several types of electric response in the optic nerve, as well as a complex retinal potential made up of at least three easily recognizable components. 1 The action potential, developed in the retina or in the electroretinogram, has the same properties whether it is recorded between the cornea and the back part of an excised eye or between a differential corneal electrode and an indifferent electrode placed elsewhere on the intact animal. Thus, it is unnecessary to operate around the eyeball of vertebrates


1. To determine whether chronic angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition induces a decrease in proximal tubular angiotensin-converting enzyme activity, urine and blood samples were collected in conscious New Zealand rabbits before and after 16 days administration in drinking water of low doses of captopril (2.6 +/- 0.6 mg 24 h-1 kg-1), high doses of captopril (7.6 +/- 0.9 mg 24 h-1 kg-1) or no captopril (controls). The kidneys were then removed and angiotensin-converting enzyme activity was determined in isolated pars recta of microdissected nephrons as pmol of tritiated hippurylglycylglycine substrate hydrolysed min-1 of incubation and mm-1 of tubule. 2. Both low and high doses of captopril significantly decreased plasma angiotensin-converting enzyme activity and increased plasma renin activity, thus indicating an effective inhibition of circulating angiotensin-converting enzyme. Both low and high doses of captopril also significantly decreased mean arterial pressure and increased water intake and urine flow rate. Neither dose modified creatinine clearance and absolute and fractional sodium excretion. 3. None of the doses altered urinary kallikrein excretion. Urinary excretion of kinins was increased by 98.7% compared with control rabbits by the high dose of captopril (402 +/- 152 vs 251 +/- 104 ng/24 h, P less than 0.01) but was unchanged by the low dose of captopril. 4. Angiotensin-converting enzyme activity in the pars recta was lower in rabbits given the high dose of captopril than in control rabbits (17.6 +/- 7.2 vs 37.3 +/- 9.0 pmol min-1 mm-1, P less than 0.01) but was not decreased in rabbits given the low dose of captopril (40.4 +/- 5.0 pmol min-1 mm-1).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


This paper adopts a communication perspective on forms in public e-services. This perspective emphasizes that the main purpose of such forms is to facilitate communication between citizens and government agencies. The form is perceived as a tool for performing communicative actions. A communication analysis (CA) method, originally developed for systems requirements engineering, is applied on a public form; i.e. the medical certificate used in connection with a citizen's application for a provisional driving license in Sweden. The CA method consists of a set of questions related to three communicative categories; conditions, actions, and consequences. The CA method is used in order to explore the communicative roles of forms in public e-services. As a result of the communication analysis four multi-functional purposes of citizen and government agency communication are discovered. These purposes contribute to the understanding and evaluation of forms in public e-services. The communicative roles, and their multi-functional purposes, are important design features to focus in the development of e-services and electronic forms. Besides these findings, another outcome is that the CA method has been tested in an e-government context. The communication perspective, as well as the CA method, contribute with useful insights in this context.


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

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is characterized by the expansion and resistance to apoptosis of myeloid cells blocked in early stages of differentiation. A subset of stem or progenitor cells, termed leukemic stem cells (LSC), which retain or reacquire self-renewing properties, as well as the capacity to remain in a poorly differentiated stage, give rise to the leukemic clone. The identification and purification of the LSC can provide a powerful tool for diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. Several studies suggested that LSC belong to the CD34+ CD38- compartment.

Self-renewal and lack of differentiation are properties of embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cell which specifically express a set of differentiation antigens (SSEA1 and SSEA3) and transcription factors (OCT¾, SOX2, and NANOG), designated as ESCA. We postulate that an epigenetic reprogramming could induce the ESCA expression on HSC.

The aim of our study was to investigate the expression ESCA in the CD34+CD38- cells from normal bone marrow (NBM) and from 50 AML BM patients. Then compare ESCA's expression between CD34+CD38- and CD34+CD38+ cells.

We studied the expression in 5 cell lines (NTERA-2 which is control cell line, KG1a, U937, THP-1 and HL60 leukemic cell lines) and their potential involvement in myeloid differentiation in 2 cell lines (HL60 and THP-1). Thereafter, we inhibited the expression of ESCA in 3 leukemic cell lines (HL60, KG1a and U937) to better understand their role in abnormal proliferation or differentiation.

The preliminary experiments showed an important expression of ESCA on all 5 cell lines by Multicolor Flow Cytometry (MFC), confirmed by RT-PCR.

Then, we compared the expression of ESCA in CD34+CD38- cells between normal and leukemic marrow. We observed an up-regulation of two transcription factors OCT3/4 and SOX2 and the protein SSEA3 with 2-fold higher expression in AML cells compared to normal HSC. In addition, we found the down regulation of SSEA1 protein involved in cell adhesion, migration and differentiation.

We also compared the expression of ESCA between the CD34+CD38- and CD34+CD38+ AML population. We observed a higher expression of OCT3/4 and SSEA3 (1.3-fold) in CD34+CD38-. We found a higher expression of SSEA1 (1.9-fold), NANOG and SOX2 (1.2-fold) in AML CD34+CD38+ population compared to CD34+CD38- population.

We investigated whether there was a relationship between the overexpression of ESCA and a cytogenetic subgroup of AML. We found that AML t(15;17) expressed OCT3/4 at higher level than the other ESCA.

Finally, the inhibition experiments showed that Oct3/4 was strongly inhibited in the KG1a cell line.

In conclusion, these results suggest that the deregulation of ESCA may have a potential role in leukemogenesis by maintaining the LSC properties. This prompts us to test the relevance of these markers for LSC identification and as therapeutic strategies.

Citation Format: Lydia Campos, TIPHANIE PICOT, CARMEN AANEI, PASCALE FLANDRIN-GRESTA, EMMANUELLE TAVERNIER, DENIS GUYOTAT. Embryonic stem cells antigens: expression in acute myeloid leukemia cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1961. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1961


All the timing intervals necessary for a video-telephone camera have been derived from a multivibrator oscillator by a digital process. These include camera blanking, horizontal and vertical sync, sweep triggering, clamp disable, and locked 2:1 interlace. The timing generator consists of a multivibrator and a pulse-delaying circuit using tantalum integrated RC timing elements and silicon integrated circuits. Output signals are derived digitally using resistor-transistor logic, which best meet the requirements of small size, low power, and producibility while providing adequate noise margin. These logic design considerations are discussed. The complete timing generator has been realized using five beam-leaded silicon and two tantalum integrated circuits including 217 transistors, 345 resistors, and capacitors totaling 4000 pF, all mounted on one square inch of ceramic.


The mathematical structures of loopy belief propagation are reviewed for graphical models in probabilistic information processing in the stand point of cluster variation method. An extension of adaptive TAP approaches is given by introducing a generalized scheme of the cluster variation method. Moreover the practical message update rules in loopy belief propagation are summarized also for quantum systems. It is suggested that the loopy belief propagation can be reformulated for quantum electron systems by using density matrices of ideal quantum lattice gas system.


Introduction Immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency has a population prevalence of 1 in 500–700 individuals. IgA deficiency has been associated with coeliac disease (CD) leading to false negative serological testing. For this reason, NICE have recommended that IgA testing is necessary when case-finding for CD. Scott et al previously modelled the cost-effectiveness of additional IgA measurement on the predictive value of CD screening and found it to be ineffective and unnecessary in improving test predictive outcomes using Fagan's nomogram at 1 in 50 prevalence. The relationship of IgA deficiency with other autoimmune conditions such as Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) has been poorly quantified. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and presenting symptoms of IgA deficiency as defined by levels undetectable by current immunoassay platforms in patients with T1DM and CD. Methods We recruited patients with T1DM (n=1000), CD (n=234) and controls who were volunteers from primary care (n=1200). All patients were assessed for CD using antigliadin antibodies (IgA and IgG), IgA endomysial antibodies and IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies and total IgA levels. IgA deficiency was defined as a total IgA level <0.2 g/l. In each cohort the prevalence of IgA deficiency was calculated and compared. The effect of IgA deficiency on the detection rate of CD was estimated by comparing with duodenal biopsy results. Results The prevalence of IgA deficiency in each group was 10/1000 (1%) in those with T1DM, 2/1200 in population control (0.17%) and 4/234 (1.71%) in those with CD. Lack of detectable IgA was more common in both the T1DM group (p=0.015) and the CD group (p=0.008) compared to controls. There was no significant difference in prevalence of IgA deficiency between CD and T1DM (p=0.32). In the T1DM group 33/1000 had CD of which only 1 had IgA deficiency leading to an antibody negative presentation. In the population controls both IgA deficient individuals had normal duodenal biopsies and no relevant symptoms. In the CD group 3 individuals had positive IgG antigliadin antibodies at presentation and all had relevant symptoms. Conclusion IgA deficiency is confirmed to be more common in both Type 1 diabetes and coeliac disease compared to population controls at 1 in 100 and 1 in 50 cases. Despite this very few individuals with IgA deficiency alone appear to have underlying villous atrophy on biopsy and therefore contrary to NICE recommendations this strategy may not be cost effective. Few if any IgA deficient patients are likely to be missed if IgA measurement was not made routinely—as most appeared to be asymptomatic.


Rationale: Current therapies require daily injections of GCSF to treat patients with neutropenia and response to treatment is often unpredictable as GCSF is rapidly cleared. A number of approaches to reducing GCSF clearance have been tried mainly through conjugation with another moiety. The technologies already being employed, include PEGylation, immunoglobulins or albumin to increase the half‐life of GCSF. However, although these approaches have reduced clearance the pharmacokinetic profile of GCSF has remained unpredictable.
Aim and Hypothesis: a glycosylated linker between two ligands could delay clearance with out blocking bioactivity.
Methodology: GCSF tandem molecules with linkers containing between 2-8 N-linked glycosylation sites (NAT motif) and their respective controls (Q replaces N in the sequence motif NAT so there is no glycosylation) were cloned, and sequenced. Following expression in CHO cells, expressed protein was quantified by ELISA and analysed by western blot to confirm molecular weights and protein integrity. In vitro bioactivity was tested using an AML-193 proliferation assay. IMAC was used to purify the protein. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic of GCSF tandems were measured in Sprague Dawley rats.
Results: Purified glycosylated tandem molecules showed increased molecular weight according to the number glycosylation of their sites when analysed by SDS-PAGE. All GCSF tandems showed increased in vitro bioactivity in comparison to rhGCSF. GCSF2NAT, GCSF4NAT and GCSF8NAT containing 2, 4 & 8 glycosylation sites respectively and GCSF8QAT displayed a three fold increased terminal half‐life compared to that published for GCSF, however there was no difference in serum half-‐life according to the level of glycosylation. Both GCSF2NAT and GCSF4NAT showed a higher increase in the percentage of neutrophils over controls at 12 hrs post injection only. In contrast, GCSF8NAT exhibited a higher increase in neutrophil levels over controls at 48 hrs.
Conclusion: Using glycosylated linkers in GCSF tandems results in molecules with increased molecular weight according to the number of glycosylation sites. Tandems of GCSF have increased in vitro bioactivity compared to monomeric GCSF. Tandems with and without glycosylation had three fold greater half-lives than rhGCSF. There was evidence that GCSF8NAT was biologically active in vivo. The results confirm the hypothesis that it is possible to predictably increase the molecular weight of GCSF tandems and retain biological activity but this was not associated with a predictable prolongation of the serum half‐life.


For research, Blue Frost fox puppies were used at the age of 2 months. 2 groups of animals of 30 heads in each group were formed by the analog method. The experimental animal group received subalin courses with the basic diet according to the scheme: 5 days of probiotic in the amount of 10 - 20 * 107 CFU/kg, for two months in courses with 10 days break, only 4 courses.


We show that Schwarzschild black hole solutions in asymptotically Anti–de Sitter (AdS) and de Sitter (dS) spaces may, up to a conformal factor, be reproduced in the framework of analogue gravity. The aforementioned derivation is performed using relativistic and non-relativistic Bose– Einstein condensates. In addition, we demonstrate that the (2+1) planar AdS black hole can be mapped into the non-relativistic acoustic metric. Given that AdS black holes are extensively employed in the gauge/gravity duality, we then comment on the possibility to study the AdS/CFT correspondence and gravity/fluid duality from an analogue gravity perspective.


Over half a million women die each year due to complications during pregnancy and birth. The vast Majority of these deaths are preventable. The overall health status of Tribal Women was not good due to array of causes like lack of medical facilities and outreach medical centres. The present study was undertaken to know about the maternal health status of Bankura district of West Bengal, India. Sample population was selected from 6 tribal dominated Blocks of South Bankura. A total 406 samples (N=406) were selected for the study. All respondents belong to the tribal community; sanitation facility of the respondents was very poor. With the increase of age, the physical conditions of the respondents deteriorate significantly .Most of the respondents avail themselves of ANC as well as PNC but only 75.3 % avail of the recognised institutional delivery with assistance of doctor, nurse or auxiliary nurses. Sanitation facility and Kitchen also had a significant effect on pregnancy complications. Received ANC were highly positively and significantly correlated with PNC. Pregnancy complications significantly increased with the noninstitutional delivery.


Very rapid subduction of the Farallon plate under southwestern North America between 60 and 40 Ma was accompanied by a relatively low volume of magmatism throughout the southwestem United States and north- em Mexico. Between 40 and 20 Ma, when subduction slowed significantly and in one area may have even stopped, magmatism became widespread and voluminous from Nevada and Utah to central Mexico. This correlation of rapid subduction with a relatively low volume of magmatism can be explained by the observa- tion that subduction-related andesitic arc volcanism, often formed in a Laramide-style compressional regime, is relatively low volume compared to continental volcanism. The shallow roots of arc volcanic systems are clearly exposed in the porphyry copper deposits found in currently active arcs and common throughout southwestern North America between 60 and 50 Ma. By 43 Ma, worldwide plate motions changed, the Pacific plate began moving away from North America, and subduction of the Farallon plate slowed. *By around 36 Ma, the easternmost part of the East Pacific Rise, which was located between the Pioneer and Murray fracture zones, approached the trench and the young, hot, buoyant lithosphere appears to have clogged part of the subduction zone. Uplift on land became widespread. Voluminous continental magmatism formed the Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO) of Mexico, one of the largest batholiths in the world, as well as volcanic centers now exposed in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and the Rio Grande Rift of New Mex- ico. Vectors of motion of the Pacific plate relative to the North American plate determined by Stock and Molnar (1988) are consistent with formation of a transtensional environment along the plate boundary sufficient to create a 100- to 200-km-wide void just landward of the old voIcanic arc. While the SMO batholith was forming within this void, the Monterey and Arguello microplates just offshore to the west were broken off from the Farallon plate and rotated so that the East Pacific Rise in this immediate area became nearly perpendicular to the trench and perpendicular to the vector of motion of the Pacific plate relative to North America. Formation of the SMO batholith was followed between 24 and 20 Ma by a major increase in the rate of subduction of the Guadalupe plate, a fragment of the former Farallon plate, and by increasing mylonitization, extension, and uplift in the metamorphic core complexes that extend northwestward through southern Arizona from the northem end of the SMO batholith. The plate margin underwent another major change between 12.5 and 10 Ma when subduction again stopped, strike slip faulting became dominant along the coast, the Basin and Range Province opcned, and numerous tectonostratigraphic terranes in southern Cali- fornia underwent large rotations. By 3 Ma a large, new terrane had been severed from North America immediately west of the SMO batholith as the Gulf of California opened. These observations can be explained by a model for the weakening and ultimate falling apart of the uppermost part of the subducted oceanic plate in the 20-30 m.y. after the end of rapid subduction. As the plate falls apart, not only is compressional stress relieved, but significant backslip along the old subduction zone is also possible, perhaps bringing blueschists rapidly upward from 20- to 30-km depths.


As the case study approach gains popularity in nursing research, questions arise with regard to what it exactly is, and where it appears to fit paradigmatically. Is it a method, a design, are such distinctions important? Colin Jones and Christina Lyons review some of the key issues, with specific emphasis on the use of case study within an interpretevist philosophy.


Introduction and Objective: Adolescence is one of the important periods of life and transition from childhood to adulthood. Prevalence of many psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorder increases during adolescence. Proper communication between parents and adolescents is conducive to better physical, mental and social maturity in adolescence. This study tended to determine the effect of teaching negotiation styles to parents of adolescent girls on parent-child relationship. Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental intervention with pre-test and post-test with control group. The sample was selected using convenience sampling and included 64 parents with moderate to poor negotiation skills and their adolescent girls aged 13 to 18 years. The data collection continued from May to August 2019. Data was collected using a demographic questionnaire, Pierre's negotiation style and skills questionnaire and Fine's parent-child relationship survey. Analysis was done using SPSS 20 software and descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, chi-square, pairwise T and independent T tests. Results: Teaching parenting negotiation style led to a significant increase in parent-child relationship score for adolescent girls (P<0.0001). The mean score of mother-child relationship for adolescent girls before and after the intervention was higher than the father-child relationship score, although this improvement was not statistically significant (P>0.05).This means that teaching parenting negotiation style improves parent-child relationship in both parents and there was no significant difference between mother-child relationship and father-child relationship. Moreover, parent-child relationship score of adolescent girls of intervention group in the mothers and fathers group showed a significant increase (P<0.001). Conclusion: Teaching parenting negotiation styles is effective on parent-child relationship and improves parental relationship with adolescent girls. Therefore, teaching negotiation styles is recommended for adolescent girls to prevent puberty disorders.


The present invention provides medicaments useful for reducing phosphorus serum level, especially in those subjects affected from hyperphosphatemia. More specifically, the present invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions to be administered by oral route in fasting periods, in order to absorb phosphorus compounds from fluids of the enteric tract, especially from saliva.


Systematic and fast switching for the purposes of reducing losses in power transmission networks is treated as an optimization problem whereby switching is to be understood in a general and comprehensive way. Injected currents applied to a base network are used to model the switching operation. These currents are used as variables in a linear programming (LP) problem formulation. The objective function, i.e. the change in losses, can be expressed by the injected currents, taking into account that all nodes are constrained by constant active powers except for the slack node. The change of power of the slack node is the change in losses, which is obtained by a two-step approximation. Each single optimal switching operation is obtained by an LP-like operation followed by a load-flow update. The interaction between LP and AC load-flow leads to a sequence of optimal switching operations whereby losses are reduced to a minimum subject to the given constraints. >


International Relations (IR) has cultivated an image as a discipline with strong divisions along paradigmatic, methodological, metatheoretical, geographical, and other lines. This article questions that image analyzing the latent structures of communication in IR. It uses citation data from more than 20,000 articles published in 59 IR journals to construct a network among IR journals and finds a discipline with a center consisting of pedigreed IR journals, albeit closely related to political science. Divisions are identifiable as specialty areas that form clusters of specialized journals along the periphery of the network—security studies and international political economy in particular—but communication is also divided along the lines of geography and policy/theory. The article concludes that divisions notwithstanding, IR communication remains centered around American, general, and theoretical IR journals and that to practice this particular kind of communication is an important dimension of being an IR scholar.


The determination of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) in the environment is important, since
CPs are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic. However, the analysis of these complex
mixtures containing thousands of isomers is also a demanding task. CP analysis and
especially the quantification of CPs are far from being well established. In this work, new
methodologies were developed for the determination of CPs in biota by low-resolution
mass spectrometry (LRMS).
The use of expensive high-resolution mass spectrometry was avoided. Therefore, existing
clean-up methods were improved to enhance the selectivity as well as the unequivocal
identification of CP congener groups. The developed method comprises the following
steps: After cold column extraction, lipids were removed by adsorption chromatography on
silica gel impregnated with sulfuric acid. Adsorption chromatography on Florisil® allowed
the elimination of interfering compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and
toxaphenes, which interfere the CP analysis by high-resolution gas chromatography
(HRGC) coupled to LRMS and employing electron capture negative ionisation (ECNI).
The analysis of complex CP mixtures with short- (SCCPs, C10-13) and medium- (MCCPs,
C14-17) chain lengths can be disturbed by mass overlap, if LRMS in the ECNI mode is
employed. This is mainly caused by CP congeners with the same nominal mass but five
carbon atoms more and two chlorine atoms less and can lead to an overestimation of the
total CP concentration. Therefore, a procedure based on a precise check of isotope ratios,
retention time ranges and signal shapes was developed to unequivocally identify the most
important CP congener groups.

Prior to this work, quantification procedures for CPs were not well established, and
systematic errors could not always be avoided. Therefore, a new quantification procedure
was developed to overcome the strong dependence of ECNI results on the chlorine content
of the standard, and to avoid a tedious and time-consuming selection of the "most similar"
reference standard. A linear correlation could be established between the total response
factor of a CP mixture and its chlorine content. This allowed the compensation of errors
due to differences between the degree of chlorination of CPs in the sample and standard.
Quantification errors were considerably reduced and CP pattern matching procedures
between standard and sample became unnecessary.
Furthermore, HRGC electron ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (EI-MS/MS) was used
for the fast determination of the total CP amount. This method was successfully applied to
the determination of total CP concentrations in fish, human milk and eggs and provided a
first insight into CP levels.
ECNI-LRMS was employed for the determination of CP levels and congener group
patterns in different fishes and seabirds from various regions in Europe (North and Baltic
Sea, Central Europe, European Arctic). Results revealed that SCCPs and MCCPs are
detectable in fish in the ng/g range. Hence, concentrations are comparable to levels of other
persistent organic pollutants (e.g. polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), toxaphenes and
polybrominated diphenylethers).
SCCP concentrations were between 54 and 1428 ng/g lipid weight (lw), MCCP
concentrations varied between <30 and 2448 ng/g lw in cod, dab and flounder from
different locations in the North and Baltic Sea.

SCCPs and, for the first time, MCCPs could be detected in biota from the European Arctic.
Between 89 and 861 ng/g lw of SCCPs and 107-3717 ng/g lw of MCCPs were detectable
in fish and seabirds captured on Bear Island, and between 35 and 139 ng/g lw of SCCPs
and 14-96 ng/g lw of MCCPs were found in cod captured close to Iceland and northwest
Norway (Lofoten).
Furthermore, CP levels were determined in different fish species from rivers in south
Germany (Neckar and Rhine) and north Switzerland (Liechtensteiner Binnenkanal and
Necker). The total CP amount was first estimated by EI-MS/MS. Concentrations were
between 19 and 256 ng/g wet weight (ww). Furthermore, SCCP and MCCP concentrations
were determined for selected samples by ECNI-LRMS. Concentrations were comparable
to PCB 138 or PCB 153. Linear correlations were observed between indicator PCBs and
SCCPs as well as PCB 180 and MCCPs.
CPs were detectable in human milk as well as in human foodstuff by EI-MS/MS. Total CP
concentrations were 2.6-9.6 ng/g ww in human milk and 20-59 ng/g ww in poultry eggs,
both from south Germany.
Furthermore, congener and homologue group patterns of technical CP mixtures and
standards were investigated and compared to those in brown trout from Central Europe and
cod from the Baltic Sea and northwest Europe. SCCP mixtures contained mainly C11 and
C12 congeners (>63%) followed by C13 and C10, whereas C14 congeners (>45%) followed
by C15 dominated in MCCPs mixtures. Minor components were C16 (<14%) and C17

congeners (<2%). Congener groups with six, seven and eight chlorine atoms were most
abundant in all fish samples indicating their specific potential for bioaccumulation.
Similarities and differences in the CP mixtures were further elucidated by principal
components analysis (PCA). PCA revealed that differences in CP compositions were
mainly caused by their chlorine content. In addition, MCCPs were differentiated by their
proportion of C14 congeners. Standard SCCP mixtures were similar to technical mixtures
of similar chlorine content, whereas MCCP standard mixtures were not, due to their low
abundance of C15-17 congeners. CPs in brown trout and cod showed similarities to technical
CP mixtures and, hence, no hint for CP biotransformation. However, SCCPs in cod were
clustered according to their geographic origin by PCA.


The problem of obtaining a correspondence between causality diagram (CD) and neural networks was studied. A method of obtaining a direct correspondence between the parameters of a causality diagram and the parameters of an associated neural network has been presented. The training capabilities of a neural network were used to determine the conditional probability matrix elements required by the causality diagram. It is shown how such a correspondence is established by obtaining a mathematical function which relates the parameters of the two models. It shows the validity of the method by deriving the parameters to be used in a causality diagram constructed to combine GIS data for assessing the risk of desertification of burned forest areas in the Northeast China.


ABSTRACT Currently, the mechanism in which informal institutions, recently discovered as an influential, new paradigm in business and management studies interact with and shape formal institutions remains unclear. Helmke and Levitsky (2004) proposed an outcome-based typology for the interaction of informal institutions with formal ones. By using a structured approach for literature aggregation, we test the proposed typology of Helmke and Levitsky by applying this method to 74 empirical studies to investigate the influence of guanxi on formal institutions. We conclude that guanxi fits into none of the proposed categories perfectly. As a result, we propose the relationship between guanxi and formal institutions as auxiliary as well as competing concurrently, leading to convergent and divergent outcomes, respectively. Moreover, we propose a third category to add to the existing typology, namely 'formal institutions in transition'. We furthermore incorporate a dynamic aspect to the model by adding two further categories, concerned with the direction of the development. We believe the resulting extension to the original typology of Helmke and Levitsky accurately accounts for the dynamic nature of informal institutions as well as their important role in shaping effective formal institutions.


Light-matter interaction at the single-quantum level is the heart of many regimes of high fundamental importance to modern quantum technologies. Strong interaction of a qubit with a single photon of an electromagnetic field mode is described by the cavity/circuit electrodynamics (QED) regime which is one of the most advanced platforms for quantum computing. The opposite regime of the waveguide QED, where qubits interact with a continuum of modes in an infinite one-dimensional space, is also at the focus of recent research revealing novel quantum phenomena. Despite the demonstration of several key features of waveguide QED, the transition from an experimentally realizable finite-size system to the theoretically assumed infinite device size is neither rigorously justified nor fully understood. In this paper, we formulate a unifying theory which under a minimal set of standard approximations accounts for physical boundaries of a system in all parameter domains. Considering two qubits in a rectangular waveguide which naturally exhibits a low frequency cutoff we are able to account for infinite number of modes and obtain an accurate description of the waveguide transmission, a life-time of a qubit-photon bound state and the exchange interaction between two qubit-photon bounds states. For verification, we compare our theory to experimental data obtained for two superconducting qubits in a rectangular waveguide demonstrating how the infinite size limit of waveguide QED emerges in a finite-size system. Our theory can be straightforwardly extended to other waveguides such as the photonic crystal and coupled cavity arrays.


The history of Britain's main manifestation of inter-war fascism, Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists [BUF], continues to be a hotly contested field of study. A new biography of Mosley, work on gender and the BUF, and the incorporation of new models of generic fascism have made important contributions to the historiography of the BUF. However, until recently, almost no historical consideration of the BUF's career in Scotland had been attempted. But work by Tony Milligan and Henry Maitles has opened up the topic of fascism in Scotland between the wars. This article seeks to build on these contributions, and examines two groups of factors that led to the failure of fascism in Scotland. The inability of the BUF to find political space in Scotland, allied to internal organisational weaknesses, compounded by the indifference of the English fascist movement to the BUF in Scotland created flaws that characterised the Scottish BUF from the outset. These weaknesses were exacerbated by the failure of the BUF to understand the Scottish dimensions of politics, such as the cross-cutting appeal of Scottish nationalism, and religious tensions. Finally, anti-fascist opposition proved to be especially problematic for the Scottish BUF.


This study revolves around identification of ways to observe or appreciate art since an artwork possesses its own aesthetic values which are related to a philosophy or an artist's cognitive style in conveying the meaning behind an artistic piece. According to Kamus Dewan Edisi Ke-4 (2007), aesthetic is one of the branches of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art. In this research, the two main parts involved are the definition of terms and an analysis on artwork. Three components in definition of terms are describing art and style, art and idea, as well as art and context.


The main objective of this paper was to analyze, from emergency registers, the profile of patients undergoing hypertensive attack between January and February of 2002 in a municipal hospital in Fortaleza, investigating the characteristics of gender, age group, the working shifts (morning, afternoon, and night) with most frequent patients' attendance in the hospital, and the medicines prescribed during the attack. The results demonstrate an elevated demand on clinic attendance (5.0%) and a homogeneous result on the three hospital working shifts. Patients within the age range of 20 to 90 were affected, especially women (64.4%), independent of age group. The medication taken by most patients were angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors (62.3%) and diuretics (57.1%). Keywords: Hypertension; Emergency relief.


Critical functions of the vascular endothelium are regulated by changes in intracellular [Ca2+]. Endothelial dysfunction is tightly associated with cardiovascular disease, and improved understanding of Ca2+ entry pathways in these cells will have a significant impact on human health. However, much about Ca2+ influx channels in endothelial cells remains unknown because they are difficult to study using conventional patch-clamp electrophysiology. Here we describe a novel, highly efficient method for recording and analyzing Ca2+-permeable channel activity in primary human endothelial cells using a unique combination of total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM), custom software-based detection, and selective pharmacology. Our findings indicate that activity of the vanilloid (V) transient receptor potential (TRP) channel TRPV4 can be rapidly recorded and characterized at the single-channel level using this method, providing novel insight into channel function. Using this method, we show that although TRPV4 protein is evenly distributed throughout the plasma membrane, most channels are silent even during maximal stimulation with the potent TRPV4 agonist N-((1S)-1-{[4-((2S)-2-{[(2,4-dichlorophenyl)sulfonyl]amino}-3-hydroxypropanoyl)-1-piperazinyl]carbonyl}-3-methylbutyl)-1-benzothiophene-2-carboxamide (GSK1016790A). Furthermore, our findings indicate that GSK1016790A acts by recruiting previously inactive channels, rather than through increasing elevation of basal activity.


The introduction of low-molecular-mass heparins (LMMHs) has added a new dimension to the prophylactic and therapeutic management of thromboembolic disorders. These agents are now globally accepted as drugs of choice for postsurgical prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Currently, the LMMHs are being developed for various therapeutic and cardiovascular indications. Reviparin is an optimized LMMH prepared by controlled nitrous acid digestion of porcine mucosal heparin. This drug has been developed utilizing validated procedures and exhibits a relatively narrow molecular mass distribution in contrast to most other commercially available LMMHs. The specific activity in the anticoagulant assays is approximately 40 U/mg whereas the specific activity in amidolytic anti-Xa assays is approximately 100 anti-Xa U/mg. Reviparin is capable of producing dose- and time-dependent antithrombotic effects in animal models of thrombosis. Although ex vivo anticoagulant effects are initially observed at dosages that are antithrombotic, this agent has been found to produce sustained antithrombotic effects when ex vivo anticoagulant actions are not measurable. Repeated administration of this LMMH induces progressively stronger antithrombotic effects. This drug has also been found to release tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) following both intravenous (IV) and subcutaneous (SC) administration. The studies included in this article are designed to provide additional data on the molecular profile using new calibration methods and additional results on pharmacologic studies. In particular, the release of TFPI following IV and SC administration to nonhuman primates is described. The effect of repeated administration of Reviparin mimicking the postsurgical prophylaxis of DVT is also reported in terms of any augmentation of the antithrombotic or hemorrhagic effects of this agent.


Previous reports have linked chromosomal reorganization and spermatogenic failure. In this context, it has long been known that reciprocal translocation carriers are more likely to have anomalies in the meiotic process, including fertility failures. It has also been proposed that this fertility failure may be a consequence of an association between the translocated chromosomes and the sex body. In this work, we review different hypotheses explaining meiotic failure in these carriers, and propose a model that relates meiotic abnormalities with both sex body-translocation association and different checkpoints that are known to operate during meiosis.


Despite the lightning-fast advances in the management of SARS-CoV after 2 years of pandemic, COVID-19 continues to pose a challenge for fragile patients, who could benefit from early administration of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to reduce the risk of severe disease progression. We conducted a prospective study to evaluate the effectiveness of mAbs against SARS-CoV-2 among patients at risk for severe disease progression, namely elderly and those with comorbidities, before the omicron variant surge. Patients were treated with either casirivimab/imdevimab, sotrovimab, or bamlanivimab/etesevimab. The rates and risk factors for clinical worsening, hospitalization, ICU admission and death (unfavorable outcomes) were evaluated. A stratified analysis according to the presence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG was also performed. Among 185 included patients, we showed low rates of unfavorable outcomes (9.2%), which were more frequent in patients with chronic kidney disease (aOR: 10.44, 95% CI: 1.73–63.03; p < 0.05) and basal D-dimer serum concentrations > 600 ng/mL (aOR 21.74, 95% CI: 1.18–397.70; p < 0.05). Patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 serology at baseline showed higher C-reactive protein values compared with patients with positive serology (p < 0.05) and a trend toward a higher admission rate to SICU and ICU compared with patients with positive serology. Our results thus showed, in a real-life setting, the efficacy of mAbs against SARS-CoV-2 before an Omicron surge when the available mabs become not effective.


ABSTRACT A specific monetary tax − called periodic re-coinage − was applied for almost 200 years in large parts of medieval Europe. Old coins were frequently declared invalid and exchanged for new ones based on publicly announced dates and exchange fees. A theoretical framework of how periodic re-coinage works in practice is tested on Swedish coinage. The theory suggests that economic backwardness, limited monetisation of society and separate currency areas facilitated re-coinage. The Swedish experience is extraordinarily consistent with this theory. It is shown that Sweden adopted coin types similar to those minted in Continental Europe during the Middle Ages and the corresponding coinage and monetary taxation policies. Periodic re-coinage was applied with varying frequency from 1180 to 1290. However, monetisation increased in the late thirteenth century, making periodic re-coinage more difficult, and long-lived coins were introduced in 1290. With the end of periodic re-coinage, Swedish kings accelerated the debasement of long-lived coins, which continued until the beginning of the sixteenth century.


The aim of this chapter is to highlight the role of simulation methods as tools for analysis of low and medium average power fiber laser operated in passively Q-switched and/or mode-locking regimes into the design of various applications such as materials microprocessing of sensor applications. The chapter's purpose consists in making available to specialists in the field of lasers, electro-optics and even nano-photonics improved proce‐ dures for designing high-accuracy remote sensors dedicated to large range of laboratory, industrial and military applications. The reason that this chapter deals with passive opti‐ cal Q-switching and mode-locking techniques tailored for fiber lasers is the high percent‐ age of sensing devices operating in this regime. Numerical simulation results obtained for this class of laser emitters can be used for other types of lasers, such as optical fiber lasers. There are briefly presented the two main mathematical methods used to analyze solid laser oscillators in passive optical Q-switching regime: the coupled rate equations approach and the iterative approach. The validation of the presented numerical simula‐ tion methods is done by comparison with experimental results.


The present study is the first in a series of studies exploring the perception of lexical stress in a number of languages. As stimuli, key words extracted from recordings in Brazilian Portuguese, English, Estonian, French, Italian and Swedish are used. The data represent male and female speakers in all languages and three different speaking styles – spontaneous speech, phrase reading, and wordlist reading. The ultimate goal of the perception studies is to explore the perception of prominence as a function of the acoustic properties of the stimuli and the native language of the listeners. In this paper we compare the prominence scores assigned to syllables by 44 native Swedish speakers with two automatic methods: acoustic feature analysis using acoustic properties of syllables and continuous wavelet transform. Both methods use duration, F0 and spectral emphasis characteristics of speech signal or a subset thereof. Our results demonstrate a strong language dependency of the way acoustic characteristics correlate with prominence. Correlations between prominence scores and phonological word stress patterns show that the human raters resolve this language-dependency better than the automatic signal-based methods. Also, the signal feature combinations for which the raters' judgements correlate best with the automatically assigned prominence scores depend on stimulus language to a larger extent that on the signal-based method used.


The article represents a research of the cosmological evolution of fermion statistical systems with fantom scalar interaction where "kinetic" term's contribution to the total energy of a scalar field is negative. As a result of analytical and numerical simulation of such systems it has been revealed a existence of four possible scenarios depending on parameters of the system and initial conditions. Among these scenarios there are scenarios with an early, intermediate and late non-relativistic stages of the cosmological evolution, all of which also have necessary inflation stage.


Objective : To find out the psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on health care workers dealing with the outbreak compared to those who did not deal with COVID-19 positive cases directly. Study Design : Cross sectional study. Place and Study : Online survey conducted in tertiary hospitals of Pakistan, from May to June Methodology : Total 171 participants enrolled in the online survey using Google Forms and self administered proforma comprising of perceived stress score 10 and impact of event scale revised. Data was imported using Microsoft excel and analysed by SPSS v 23 software. Results : Out of 171 participants, 105 (73 [69.3%] males, 32 (30.4%) females were dealing with COVID-19 patients. Moderate to high stress were documented in 51 (78.5%) and 4 non-COVID fighters respectively and in 66 (62.9%) and 6 (8.6%) COVID fighters. Moreover, front line Health Care Workers exhibiting a higher incidence of Post traumatic stress disorder i.e. 25 (23.8%) with Partial PTSD and 22 (21%) matching a clinical cut-off score for diagnosis of post traumatic stress disorder and 58 (55.2%) having Severe post traumatic stress disorder. Conclusion : Our study concluded that stress and post traumatic stress disorder incidence was seen to be significantly higher in Health Care Workers who were directly dealing with COVID-19 patients as compared to those who were not dealing directly. Moreover, Health Care Workers working in setups which provided psychosocial support reported significantly lesser incidence of perceived stress and post traumatic stress disorder.


Heat-induced spikelet sterility is one of the major threats to rice production from global warming. Previous chamber experiments have shown that even a short exposure to heat can induce spikelet sterility, but actual damage to a crop in the open field has rarely been reported. In the mid-summer of 2007, the Kanto and Tokai regions in Japan experienced record high temperatures above 40°C. We examined whether this extreme heat event induced sterility in open fields. We collected panicle samples from 132 fields in 5 prefectures in the Kanto and Tokai regions. Maximum air temperature averaged over a 5-day period around the heading stage exceeded the threshold for sterility (35°C) in more than 40% of the crops surveyed. Spikelet sterility ranged from 2% to 23%, and was more than 10% in 20% of the crops studied. Spikelet sterility in 2007 was apparently higher than that in the normal summer of 2008 and peaked with the heat wave, which confirms for the first time that extreme heat in midsummer induced sterility under open field conditions in Japan, but to a lesser extent than what was predicted from previous chamber experiments. The lesson from this survey is that air temperature per se is not sufficient to predict the occurrence of heat-induced sterility and that factors influencing the heat budget of the panicles are needed to account for the crop damage. Crop management practices such as selection of tolerant cultivars and optimizing the timing and amount of nitrogen application could moderate the occurrence of heat induced spikelet sterility which can help to develop adaptation measures to climate change.


At present a number of studies have attempted to embed eye-tracking devices into closed-loop systems to augment the cognitive state of the human operator. It has been demonstrated that the pupil diameter and blinking frequency serve as such indicators. Although these two factors serve cognitive state analysis , other measures are required that explain the relation of objects in the world (e.g. tracks) and the operator's understanding of the state of these objects, specifically applied in an operational setting like command and control. Stated differently, the measurement of a number of these factors over time provide a performance indicator that explains how well the operator is capable of following the dynamics of the environment, which on its turn serves as a cognitive state assessment and as a measure of situation awareness. Next, this paper reports on a number of practical considerations and solutions on the usage of the eye tracking devices installed on a novel multi-monitor combat management workstation. Each eye-tracker suffers a certain measurement error but this error behaves non-linear due to its multi-monitor setup and its related large viewing range. Over time, this error becomes dynamic due to drifting issues. Both problems are addressed in a compensatory algorithm by combining explicit input (i.e. a mouse click) with eye-tracking data given the fact that motor control movement is initiated and guided by perception.


Liquisolid technique has been widely used to enhance the dissolution of poorly water soluble drugs. The present investigation is on formulation of liquisolid tablets of fenofibrate, a lipid lowering agent. Liquisolid formulation was prepared by applying central composite design (CCD) to optimize various formulation parameters. Amounts of PEG 600 (X1), Avicel PH 102 (X2), and Aerosil 200 (X3) were selected as independent variables while the angle of repose, hardness, disintegration time, and T90% (time required to release 90% drug) of liquisolid tablets were selected as dependent variables. Optimization of formulation was done by multiple linear regression analysis. The results indicated amounts of PEG 600 and Aviel PH 102 show greater effect on dependant variables. In vitro dissolution of fenofibrate in liquisolid formulations was enhanced compared to the pure form. To conclude, Liquisolid technique is a promising strategy in improving dissolution of poorly water soluble fenofibrate.


In the burgeoning field of cryochemistry, analytical spectroscopy has played an important role in helping us to understand the reactions of high temperature chemical species in low temperature condensation reactions. Reactions with transition metal atoms in particular have become an important synthetic method in inorganic and organometallic chemistry. Fascinating new compounds for which there are often no alternative methods of synthesis have been obtained by this technique. The potential importance of the work in terms of catalytic applications and chemical synthesis is very great indeed. Commercial evaporators and cryogenic equipment in compact and convenient forms are now commonly available and it will not be very long before metal vapor synthesis will enter the category of a routine laboratory procedure. Even at this early stage ICI (UK), duPont de Nemours (USA) and Merck (Germany) have initiated exploratory programs in metal vapor chemistry and it is only a matter of time before industrial evaporation plants are modified for large-scale metal vapor synthesis. As the field develops it is becoming increasingly evident that the seemingly unrelated methods of the preparative cryochemist and the matrix spectroscopist are intimately related. In areas such as reaction intermediates, product identification, reaction pathways, thermodynamics and kinetics, reaction feasibility and yields matrix and preparative cryochemistry cover much common ground. An intelligent marriage of the two techniques is proving to be most fruitful. In this survey lecture I will attempt to place in perspective some of the contributions that matrix isolation spectroscopy can make to the field of metal atom chemistry. In order to do this effectively in a 60-minute lecture I will restrict the reaction chemistry to that of Cu, Ag, and Au atoms. The areas to be described will include the controlled aggregation of transition metal atoms, the synthesis and characterization of coordinatively unsaturated transition metal molecular fragments and elusive binuclear compounds, and reaction kinetics using the matrix isolation technique.


In this paper, we present a novel motioncompensated interpolation technique for non-moving caption region to prevent the block artifacts due to the failure of conventional block-based motion estimation algorithm on the block is consist of non-moving caption and moving object. Experimental results indicate good performance of the proposed scheme with significantly reduced block artifacts on image sequence that include nonmoving caption. Also the proposed method is simple and adequate for hardware implementation.


Background Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is an umbrella term which includes several inflammatory arthritides sharing common clinical features, such as sacroiliitis, spondylitis, peripheral arthritis/enthesitis and other extra-articular manifestations. Although typically presenting at a young age, SpA is often a relentlessly progressive disease even in this new era of biologics. In the last few years, much research has been generating on discovering new and more sensitive modalities in the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for assessing SpA. The advent of MRI has enabled clinicians to detect objective features of active inflammation, thereby allowing earlier diagnosis and more quantitative assessment of disease severity. Despite these rapid advancements, there have been few reports on examining the association between age and disease activity in SpA, especially with the use of these various new modalities of imaging. In this cross-sectional analysis, we examine the associations between age and the clinical and radiological disease activities in axial SpA using radiographs as well as different modalities of MRI. Methods One hundred and twenty one patients fulfilling the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society Classification Criteria for axial SpA were included in analyses. Patient demographics, disease activity and radiographic scores, as well as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with diffusion weighted imaging derived apparent diffusion coefficient values ((DWI(ADC)), were compared between patients older than and younger/equal to 40 years of age at a cross-sectional level. Variables with significant differences in univariate analyses were used as dependent variables in multivariate linear regression models adjusted for potential confounding/contributing factors. Results Multivariate analysis showed that increasing age was significantly associated with higher Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (B=0.04, p<0.01) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index scores (B=0.03, p<0.01); as well as higher modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spine Score (B=0.57, p<0.01). On MRI, increasing age was associated with a lower SpondyloArthritis Research Consortium of Canada MRI index (B=(-0.2), p=0.01) and DWI(ADC) (B=(-0.01), p<0.01) of the SI joints, but higher DWI(ADC) values of the axial spine (B=0.01, p=0.01). Conclusions Increasing age in SpA was associated with greater functional impairment and structural damage, more inflammation of the axial spine, but less inflammation of the SI joints. Our findings are consistent with the traditional belief of SpA being an "ascending disease" and highlights the importance of different modalities of MRI in the diagnosis and disease monitoring of SpA. Disclosure of Interest None declared


The supramolecular assembly of C3 -peptides carrying glycine-cysteine (Gly-Cys) dipeptide pendants into helical fibers is described. A Gly-Cys dipeptide sequence was selected to ensure the chirality, and at the same time, to provide a chance to crosslink the structure through oxidation of the thiol into dynamic covalent disulfide, and transfer supramolecular helical fibers into covalent ones. Supramolecular assembly in aprotic solvents affords long helical fibers with left-handedness, which can be stabilized through formation of disulfide. Transformation of supramolecular helical fibers into covalent ones was examined by NMR and FTIR spectroscopies as well as atom force microscopy.


Introduction: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the entire world. The need of timely detection of the virus has been of prime importance and the efforts to develop sensitive, specific, rapid, portable and cost effective diagnostic methods promoted the indigenous development of TrueNat testing for viral load in COVID-19 detection which had been previously designed for detection of Tuberculosis and other infectious organisms. Aim: To see the importance of TrueNat testing among symptomatic and asymptomatic cases in different age groups and gender. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study conducted in the Department of Microbiology, Autonomous State Medical College and SNM Hospital, Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, from June 2020 - May 2021, a total of 4,659 samples were collected from patients (Influenza Like Illness (ILI), Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI), symptomatic, asymptomatic, those seeking hospitalisation, emergency), contacts and travellers and were subjected to testing by TrueNat (Molbio Quattro). The cases were divided into group A of patients who presented with symptoms ≤7 days; group B of patients who presented with signs and symptoms >7 days and group C comprised of asymptomatic patients. The symptoms of patients were associated with the Cycle threshold (Ct) values of the Envelope (E) gene and the RNAdependent RNA polymerase gene (RdRp) gene. The Chi-square test was done to test the statistical significance of association of symptomatic patients with the outcome of the test. Results: The maximum number of positive cases was found in the age group 20-39 years (p-value <0.05). The least positivity was found in the higher (80 years) and lower (below 9 years) age groups. The positivity rates had no significant impact on the gender. The percentage positivity as detected by Truenat testing was 3.3% and maximum positive patients were found in the group having symptoms <7 days (p<0.05). On association of the Ct values of E gene and RdRp gene with the symptoms it was found that 28.1% and 27.2% of the patients were in the high Ct value group. Conclusion: TrueNat was found to be a portable and easy to perform test which did not require special laboratory set up. The use of Viral Lysis Medium (VLM) reduced the time of RNA extraction which not only rendered it safer to perform but expedited the results.


The decentralization of school governance—often blended with market dynamics—has become a prominent strategy for lifting the performance of urban schools. This approach rests upon several assumptions, primarily that freedom from bureaucratic regulation will strengthen teacher community and result in more effective allocation of instructional resources. But do small autonomous high schools host such favorable social-organizational features? What drives collaborative relationships among teachers in decentralized schools? And do these relations help to account for between-school and between-teacher variation in teacher trust and shared responsibility for student learning? To examine these core questions I draw on social network theory as a theoretical frame and build from the literature on the social organization of efficacious schools. Survey data were collected from 392 teachers in 20 small site-managed charter and pilot high schools located in Los Angeles. First, I used p2 network modeling to determine the extent to which a teacher's position in the school organization and personal characteristics predicted their instructional support relationships. Second, to examine the influence of these instructional support relationships on a teacher's perceptions of normative culture in their schools, I estimated hierarchical linear models (HLM) estimating collective responsibility and relational trust as functions of teacher position in the school organization, teacher personal characteristics, and teacher- and school-level network measures of the instructional support relationships.Teachers' choice of colleagues to whom they turn for support to improve their teaching practice reflected not only leaders' efforts to shape teacher collaboration, but also preferences for forming ties with a colleague based on their personal characteristics. Teachers were more likely to seek advice to improve their teaching practice from colleagues who taught the same subject. However, teachers were less likely to seek advice from the more experienced teachers in the school. The likelihood of an instructional advice relationship was greater when teachers were of the same race. Teachers' perceptions of normative culture were influenced by the distribution of these social resources in the school, in that uneven distribution of advice and support relationships was detrimental for a sense of shared responsibility for student learning but conducive to a high level of trust in the group. For individual teachers, their collaborative activity conditioned the perceptions further: those teachers most often approached for support by colleagues held weaker perceptions of the group's overall shared responsibility. This approach advances the study of teacher professional community to incorporate the "dyad" as a focus, honing in on an essential building block of cohesive social organizations. The study also demonstrates meaningful variation among teachers within the same school in how they perceive normative culture. The findings contribute to the literature on teacher professional community and have implications for policymakers, districts and school leaders.


Lymphangiogenesis is an important biological process associated with cancer metastasis. The development of new drugs that block lymphangiogenesis represents a promising therapeutic strategy. Marine fungus-derived compound phomaketide A, isolated from the fermented broth of Phoma sp. NTOU4195, has been reported to exhibit anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, its anti-lymphangiogenic activity has not been clarified to date. In this study, we showed that phomaketide A inhibited cell growth, migration, and tube formation of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) without an evidence of cytotoxicity. Mechanistic investigations revealed that phomaketide A reduced LECs-induced lymphangiogenesis via vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3), protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ), and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) signalings. Furthermore, human proteome array analysis indicated that phomaketide A significantly enhanced the protein levels of various protease inhibitors, including cystatin A, serpin B6, tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), and tissue inhibitor matrix metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1). Importantly, phomaketide A impeded tumor growth and lymphangiogenesis by decreasing the expression of LYVE-1, a specific marker for lymphatic vessels, in tumor xenograft animal model. These results suggest that phomaketide A may impair lymphangiogenesis by suppressing VEGFR-3, PKCδ, and eNOS signaling cascades, while simultaneously activating protease inhibitors in human LECs. We document for the first time that phomaketide A inhibits lymphangiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo, which suggests that this natural product could potentially treat cancer metastasis.


A fish territory is defined as a portion of water associated with the substrate, defended by a dominant individual, a pair or a "harem". As proximate causation, the fish should perform agonistic behaviour. As a consequence, it should benefit from resources contained therein: food, refuge, breeding site, mates. Territorial formation has been growing in complexity due to the evolution of reproductive strategies and parental care: lekking or 'arena behaviour' is discussed; sneakers and satelIites are described as individuals with alternative reproductive strategies in complex territories. Feeding territories appears to have arisen as a secondary consequence of attachment to a breeding territory. Habituating and sensitizing are discussed as a factors regulating agonistic behaviour between neighbours. Finally, four unique territorial patterns are defined: wandering, patrolling, cercling and oscilating.


The temperature distribution in the electroded quartz plate is obtained from the uncoupled heat conduction equation subject to appropriate initial and boundary conditions. The time‐dependent biasing state resulting from the transient temperature distribution is determined from the exact equations of static linear thermoelasticity for electrode films of zero thickness and from a system of approximate thermoelastic extensional plate equations for electrode films of finite thickness. The time‐dependent change in resonant frequency resulting from the biasing state is determined from an equation for the perturbation of the eigenfrequency due to a bias. Results are presented for a number of thermally compensated as well as uncompensated cuts of quartz for some physically meaningful temperature inputs. In particular the calculations show that in thermally compensated cuts with electrodes of finite thickness, the frequency initially shifts considerably beyond the equilibrium resonant frequency for the final uniform temperature state.


Breakthrough Club of Sedgwick County started New Beginnings School as a flexible alternative to existing community-based educational programs. The school offers remedial coursework, as well as GED and high school diploma curricula, with the goal of facilitating post-secondary education and employment opportunities. Postsecondary educational alternatives include online, video-format, and correspondence courses that complement traditional supported education programming. The various educational program components support mental health consumers pursuing their educational objectives.


BACKGROUND
Sustained elevated blood glucose and insulin levels are linked to many health problems that may be prevented or better managed by controlling glucose availability for uptake. Glucose release from consumed starch may be altered by the processing conditions, particle size and structural features of the food, and by the addition of dietary fibres. Many approaches to lower glucose release are not suitable for all high carbohydrate foods, especially bakery products. Methods to modulate the starch digestion without compromising product quality are required. This study describes an approach to protect the granules and alter the particle size of the starch component using an extract from barley (BE). Wheat starch was suspended in the BE at different ratios and cast dried, milled to 2-3 mm particles, or finely ground to produce different particle sizes.

RESULTS
The BE treatments resulted in the formation of clusters of starch granules embedded in a matrix of fibres and protein. The rate of in vitro starch digestion was decreased, and further reduction occurred when the particle size of the starch material increased.

CONCLUSION
The extract provided a physical barrier that limited the starch exposure to the digestion enzymes and water that led to reduction in starch digestion and the release of glucose.


The Indonesian government has set a new policy related to learning activities during the Covid-19 pandemic, namely learning from home online. This study aimed to compare students in the cities and the villages in terms of liveliness and obstacles they find in online-based learning. The study used a qualitative method with a descriptive approach. Data collection was done by in-depth interviews with research subjects, namely two students living in cities and two others living in villages. The results showed that all research subjects actively participated in lectures through online learning. The students who lived in cities only had constraints in terms of the cost of providing internet quota during the implementation of learning from home. Meanwhile, the students in the villages had more than that, namely 1) limited internet network, making them have to leave home; 2) cost of providing internet quota; 3) limited internet quota providers, and 4) lack of focus on lecture activities because the environment was not supportive (out of home). Based on these findings, this study concluded that all students who lived in cities and villages were actively participating in learning-from-home activities, but those who lived in villages had more obstacles.


This review presents part of scientific research in the development of shape memory alloys (SMA) based on copper at the Faculty of Metallurgy of the University of Zagreb in the period from 2006 to 2022, in cooperation with a number of universities and scientific institutions in the region. The following SMA alloys were studied: CuAlNi, CuAlMn, etc. Physical modelling, including nu - merical simulation of microstructure evolution and thermal analysis were performed. The SMA alloys were produced in arc, high-frequency, and induction furnaces by means of three different technologies: melt spinning, casting in metallic and/or graphite moulds, and continuous casting in bars. The selected SMA alloys were then hot and cold rolled. The heat treatment (quenching and tempering) and the characterisation of the functional properties of the SMA alloys under the different conditions were carried out. Numerous sophisticated methods were used to characterise the functional properties, in addition to testing the mechanical properties: optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ener - gy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), etc. According to several parameters (ductility, corrosion resistance, etc. ), it could be concluded that CuAlMn was the best alloy. As results of this investigation on SMA alloys, according to the CROSBI database (by December 23, 2022), the research team has published 33 articles in journals (including 23 articles in journals indexed in the Web of Science database), 74 papers in proceedings of international conferences, 18 abstracts in proceedings of conferences, and 5 other papers. In addition, 1 doctoral thesis, 12 bachelor theses, and 25 master theses were prepared and defended in the field of technical sciences in the areas of metallurgy and chemical engineering.


Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a public health concern and is increasing in prevalence in urban areas. Recent advances in sequencing technology have demonstrated that the development of AD not only associate with the skin microbiome but gut microbiota. Gut microbiota plays an important role in allergic diseases including AD. The hypothesis of the "gut-skin" axis has been proposed and the cross-talk mechanism between them has been gradually demonstrated in the research. Probiotics contribute to the improvement of the intestinal environment, the balance of immune responses, regulation of metabolic activity. Most studies suggest that probiotic supplements may be an alternative for the prevention and treatment of AD. This study aimed to discuss the effects of probiotics on the clinical manifestation of AD based on gut microbial alterations. Here we reviewed the gut microbial alteration in patients with AD, the association between gut microbiota, epidermal barrier, and toll-like receptors, and the interaction of probiotics and gut microbiota. The potential mechanisms of probiotics on alleviating AD via upregulation of epidermal barrier and regulation of immune signaling had been discussed, and their possible effective substances on AD had been explored. This provides the supports for targeting gut microbiota to attenuate AD.


The prison population experiences significant health inequality and social exclusion (Department of Health 2002). Once incarcerated, prisoners are at increased risk of mental illness and have higher exposure to communicable diseases (WHO 2008). Prisoners generally have poorer health because imprisonment negatively impacts upon the health of the individual (WHO 2008). However, the prison setting offers a unique opportunity to implement targeted health promotion initiatives with a population that may have had very limited experience of accessing health services prior to incarceration. The World Health Organisation recognises the need for health promotion in prisons. This is evidenced in the Health in Prisons Project (HIPP), the aim of which is to support member states in improving health and health care in prisons, and to facilitate the links between prison health and public health systems at both national and international levels. In practice however, implementation of the HIPP is complex. This paper examines the challenges in promoting health in prisons globally and in Irish prisons specifically, given that the prison setting is omitted from the Irish National Health Promotion Strategy. Based on a qualitative research design that incorporated semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of twelve leading figures in prison policy in Ireland, this paper discusses the need for health promotion interventions in Irish prisons. The paper also discusses the influence of organisational culture on attitudes of prison staff towards engaging in health promotion with prisoners and explores the problems posed by lack of national policy and funding for health promotion initiatives in the prison setting.


Protein kinase C (PKC) has been proposed to play an important role in the aetiology of colon cancer. Therefore, we investigated whether the amount and type of saturated fat could affect colonic PKC activity by modifying either mucosal phospholipid fatty acid composition or faecal diacylglycerol production. Male Wistar rats (n 13 per group) were fed on diets containing butter or coconut oil at energy levels of 10 % and 43 % for 4 weeks. The control group received a low-fat diet providing 10 % of energy from sunflowerseed oil. PKC activity was higher in the distal than the proximal colon but the quantity or type of fat did not alter PKC activity in either region of the colon. Saturated fats caused moderate changes in the fatty acid composition of caecal phospholipids, which were more obvious in the phosphatidylethanolamine than in the phosphatidylcholine fraction. A significant correlation was found between fatty acid composition of phosphatidylcholine and membrane PKC activity. In particular, there was a positive correlation between the proportion of saturated 14:0 and 18:0 and increased PKC activity while unsaturated 18:2n-6, 20:4n-6 and 16:1n-7 were inversely correlated with PKC activity. No relationship was found between phosphatidylethanolamine fatty acids and PKC activity. Concentration of faecal diacylglycerol was not affected by the diet. Overall the data suggest that diets high in saturated fat may not alter colonic PKC activity to a significant extent.


Semiconductor manufacturing virtual enterprises are currently faced with unrelenting competitive pressures relating to the market, customers and the way enterprise operations are carried out. Planning and control of order flow are keys to improved performance. Contemporary systems do not offer adequate solutions to meet today's challenge and the trade-offs which have to be made. A new development, X-CITTIC, provides solutions to bridge gaps that exist between higher level transactional systems and lower level local systems, as manufacturing execution systems. X-CITTIC supplies solutions to meet these challenges.


The objective of the present investigation was to test the effects of benserazide/L-dopa treatment in a model of learning and memory deficits associated with early Parkinson's disease. Intra-nigral administration of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) caused a lesion in the substantia nigra, compact part and a specific loss of dopamine (DA) and its metabolites in the striatum of rats and a memory impairment in the two-way active avoidance task. The administration of benserazide/L-dopa (50 and 200 mg/kg) to the MPTP-lesioned rats restored the striatal level of DA, but did not reverse the MPTP-induced learning and memory impairment. As this treatment caused a large increase of DA levels in extrastriatal brain regions of the MPTP-lesioned animals, this study suggests that benserazide/L-dopa therapy was not effective in improving the observed learning impairment because this treatment appears to tilt the balance between DA levels in the striatum and in the extrastriatal regions, such as frontal cortex and limbic structures, resulting in a cognitive deficit.


The heat transfer characteristics of pulsating turbulent air flow in pipe under different conditions of Reynolds number, pulsation frequency, pulsator location are investigated experimentally. A tube wall of uniform heat flux condition is considered for this case. Reynolds number varies from 7000 to 16500 while the frequency of pulsation is ranging from 1Hz to 3.33Hz. With installing the pulsation mechanism downstream of tested tube exit, results shows that Nusselt number is strongly affected by both pulsation frequency and Reynolds number. The maximum enhancement obtained in heat transfer coefficient is 44.4% at downstream and 17.7% at upstream at pulsation frequency of 3.33Hz. It is also observed that relative mean Nusselt number increases depending upon frequency range. The main implication of these results is that flow pulsation can be used in industrial heat exchangers to improve heat transfer coefficient and reduce operating cost.


What factors are associated with successful legal negotiators? I have found no significant correlation between student GPAs and negotiating results achieved on course exercises. I have found no differences in the results achieved by race or gender. Negotiator styles influence bargaining success, with many skilled negotiators employing the hybrid Competitive/Problem-Solving approach where they explore the underlying interests of the parties and seek to expand the overall pie to be divided, but use subtle manipulation to claim a greater share of the joint surplus for themselves. Proficient negotiators are thoroughly prepared, they have realistic, but elevated aspirations,and they begin with elevated, but principled, opening positions recognizing the impact of anchoring. They use the Preparation Stage to develop confidence in their own positions, and they use the Preliminary Stage to establish rapport with opponents and positive negotiating environments. They are effective communicators and active listeners, and they have patience and perseverance.


To evaluate the long-term significance of intrauterine hematomas in patients with threatened abortion, 380 women with a living fetus of more than 8 weeks were studied. On ultrasound, intrauterine hematomas, defined as an echopoor subchorionic collection, were found in 86 women. Two hundred ninety-four patients without hematomas served as controls. The rate of miscarriage was significantly increased in the study group (22.1 versus 8.2%; P <.05). Patients discharged from the initial hospitalization without aborting still had a higher abortion risk than controls (16.3 versus 5.6%; P <.05). Second-trimester debut of symptoms was followed more often by preterm delivery. Thus, patients with intrauterine hematomas continue to be a high-risk group for the remainder of their pregnancies.


By looking into the alimentary habits of the rural population residing in the urolithiasis endemic and non-endemic districts of the Chuvash ASSR the author ascertained definite differences in the content of calcium, silicon, strontium, manganese and cadmium in food rations of representative population groups under comparison. In the authors' opinion an elevated content of calcium, strontium, silicon, manganese and cadmium in food rations in inhabitants of the urolithiasis endemic districts is responsible for the urolithias endemy in the south-western areas of the republic.


We use inelastic neutron scattering to measure the magnetic excitations in underdoped La2-xSrxCuO4 (x=0.085, T_{c}=22 K) for large energy (5<E<200 meV) and temperature (5<T<300 K) ranges. At low T, the response is highly structured in E and q, with peaks in the local susceptibility at 15 and 50 meV and a four-peaked structure in q for E approximately 185 meV. Raising T from 30 K greater, similarT_{c} to 300 K causes the structure in chi;{''}(q,omega) present for E<70 meV to disappear. It is replaced with a strongly damped response. We attribute this change to the disappearance of the pseudogap with increasing temperature.


Dyspeptic upper gastrointestinal symptoms and delayed gastric emptying occur frequently in patients with diabetes mellitus. Prokinetics are drugs which are used in medical treatment of motility disorders in patients with diabetes. Itopride hydrochloride is the optimal drug for the therapy of motility disorders in diabetics.


Conjectures on the existence of zero-cycles on arbitrary smooth projective varieties over number fields were proposed by Colliot-Th\'el\`ene, Sansuc, Kato and Saito in the 1980's. We prove that these conjectures are compatible with fibrations, for fibrations into rationally connected varieties over a curve. In particular, they hold for the total space of families of homogeneous spaces of linear groups with connected geometric stabilisers. We prove the analogous result for rational points, conditionally on a conjecture on locally split values of polynomials which a recent work of Matthiesen establishes in the case of linear polynomials over the rationals.


The effect of seasonal and geographical influences on the fatty acid compositions of cow's milk fat from Asturias (northern Spain) was studied. The majority of the fatty acids analysed presented differences (p < 0.05) due to the seasonal factor, only three fatty acids (iC14; iC16 and C18:1) did not present significant differences (p < 0.05) neither with the seasonal nor with the geographical factor. The short, medium and long chain fatty acids showed differences with the seasonal factor and only the long chain fatty acids presented differences with the geographical area. However, only the unsaturated fatty acids showed differences (p < 0.05) due to both the season of the year and the geographical area. The coefficient of correlation obtained showed a strong linear relationship between the pairs of fatty acids C4-C12, C6-C10 and C10-C12.


Background: China lifted strict non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) to prevent outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants in December 2022. Relatively low levels of immunity and of vaccine booster coverage in the Chinese population raise concerns that future outbreaks will rapidly result in high rates of death and severe illness and will overwhelm health services. Methods: This was a compartmental, discrete-time population dynamic model. It compared projected deaths and hospitalisation under various scenarios, including booster vaccine coverage and strictness of NPIs. Results: We projected between 268,300 to 398,700 COVID-19 deaths, and peak numbers of hospitalised severe/critical cases between 3.2 to 6.4 per 10,000 population, before the outbreak wave recedes by February 2023. The COVID-19 deaths are reduced by 8% and 30%, respectively, under the weak and strict NPI scenarios, compared with the scenario without NPI measures. Early achievement of high coverage of three vaccine doses will further reduce COVID-19 deaths. Conclusion: We projected fewer COVID-19 deaths and hospitalisations than some other models have. Rapid expansion of booster vaccine coverage will only be effective if combined with strict NPIs and/or the high coverage of booster vaccination could be achieved early.