Fire history was determined by fire scar analysis in a 73—km2 subalpine watershed in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. Evidence was found for 15 fires since 1600, of which 7 were major fires that burned >4 ha, destroyed the existing forest, and initiated secondary succession. Most of the upland forest area was burned by large, destructive fires in the middle and late 1700's. Fires since then have been small and have occurred at long intervals. Fire frequency in this area is partly controlled by changes in the fuel complex during succession. Fuels capable of supporting a crown fire usually do not develop until a stand is 300—400 yr old, and ignitions prior to that time usually extinguish naturally before covering more than a few hectares. Thereafter a destructive crown fire is likely whenever lightning ignites small fuels during warm, dry, windy weather. On the extensive subalpine plateaus of Yellowstone National Park there appears to be a natural fire cycle of 300—400 yr in which large areas burn during a short period, followed by a long, relatively fire—free period during which a highly flammable fuel complex again develops. The 73—km2 study area appears to be about midway between major fire events in this cycle. This, rather than human fire suppression, apparently is the major reason for the small number and size of fires in the area during the last 180 yr. On the basis of the fire history data, the sequence of vegetation mosaics during the last 200 yr was reconstructed for the watershed. Indices of landscape diversity were computed for each reconstruction, treating forest types and successional stages as taxa and incorporating components of richness, evenness, and patchiness. Landscape diversity was highest in the early 1800's following the large fires in the 1700's, then declined in the late 1800's during a 70—yr period when no major fires occurred and the landscape was dominated by even—aged forests developing on the areas burned in the 1700's. Landscape diversity has increased somewhat during the last half—century as a result of two small fires and the effects of the mountain pine beetle. These landscape reconstructions for the last 200 yr suggest that the Yellowstone subalpine ecosystem is a nonsteady—state system characterized by long—term, cyclic changes in landscape composition and diversity. Such cyclic patterns may significantly influence wildlife habitat, streamflow, nutrient cycling, and other ecological processes and characteristics within the Park, and they may be an important consideration in judging whether recent ecological changes are natural or man induced. The landscape reconstructions were also made using a simulation model based on hypothetical fire management policies of total fire exclusion and selective fire control (permitting only small fires to burn). These hypothetical management policies generally reduced the richness and patchiness of the landscape compared to the natural fire regime, but they increased the evenness and reduced the magnitude of periodic fluctuations in overall landscape diversity. At times, overall landscape diversity may actually be higher with a fire control policy than with a natural fire regime. At other times, fire significantly increases landscape diversity, as would be expected.


Introduction: To evaluate the adverse event rate following pars plana vitrectomy as a function of surgical start time and the presence of a vitreoretinal fellow. Methods: Single-institution retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing pars plana vitrectomy from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016 at Stanford University School of Medicine (Palo Alto, CA, USA). Records were reviewed for surgical start time, the presence of vitreoretinal fellow, and postoperative adverse events defined as any finding deviating from the expected postoperative course requiring observation or intervention. Results: A total of 310 pars plana vitrectomies were performed. There was no statistical difference in the rate of any adverse event when comparing cases starting after 16:01 (9/13, 69.2%) and after 12:01 (42/99, 42.4%) to a morning start time (69/198, 34.9%, adjusted p = 0.083). There was a statistically significant increase in the risk of postoperative vitreous hemorrhage with afternoon and evening cases as compared to morning cases (adjusted p = 0.021). In addition, there was no difference in any adverse event with a fellow present (93/244, 38.1%) compared to without (27/66, 40.9%, adjusted p = 0.163). There was a higher risk of postoperative hypotony when a fellow was involved (6.6% vs 0%, p = 0.028), though this difference disappeared after adjusting for confounders (adjusted p = 0.252). There was no difference in the length of surgery with and without a fellow (49 vs 54 min, respectively; p = 0.990). Discussion: Afternoon start time and the presence of a fellow were not independent risk factors for postoperative adverse events.


There are presented the results of the study of the pine tree-ring growth dynamics in the regional semidimorphic and climatic conditions of Belarusian Polesje. It has been shown that the production potential in the increase in stem mass of trees in a bilberry pine is individual. The maximum individual tree-ring growth does not coincide with the calendar and does not depend on weather and climate conditions, with the exception of years with meteorological anomalies. Resource capabilities of pine for the growth of stem mass decreased in the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century after lowering the groundwater as a result of drainage reclamation and during climate warming with relative aridization.


In this work, the nonlinear optical (NLO) response of some graphene dispersions is investigated under low (i.e., 10 Hz) and high (i.e., 80 MHz) repetition rate femtosecond (fs) laser excitation conditions, using ${Z}$Z-scan, optical Kerr effect (OKE), and a combination of ${Z}$Z-scan and thermal lensing techniques. It is shown, that the NLO response of graphene dispersions is negligible under low repetition rate fs laser excitation, while it becomes very large under high repetition rate laser excitation. In the latter case, it is shown that the observed very large NLO response arises entirely from thermal cumulative effects.


This paper proposes a modular approach to the design of hierarchical consensus protocols for the mobile ad hoc network with a static and known set of hosts. A two-layer hierarchy is imposed on the network by grouping mobile hosts into clusters, each with a clusterhead. The messages from and to the hosts in the same cluster are merged/unmerged by the clusterhead so as to reduce the message cost and improve the scalability. The proposed modular approach separates the concerns of clustering hosts from achieving consensus. A clustering function, called eventual clusterer (denoted as diamC), is designed for constructing and maintaining the two-layer hierarchy. Similar to unreliable failure detectors, diamC greatly facilitates the design of hierarchical protocols by providing the fault-tolerant clustering function transparently. We propose an implementation of diamC based on the failure detector diamS. Using diamC, we design a new hierarchical consensus protocol. As shown by the performance evaluation results, the proposed consensus protocol can save both message cost and time cost. Our proposed modular design is therefore effective and can lead to efficient solutions to achieving consensus in mobile ad hoc networks.


Sex and cystic fibrosis status have been previously diagnosed separately at the single cell level. We have developed a sensitive, reliable, accurate and rapid (within 5-6 h) system for the simultaneous diagnosis of sex, cystic fibrosis and a DNA 'fingerprint' within a single reaction from a variety of single cells. As contamination cannot be totally excluded, particularly at the single cell level, DNA 'fingerprinting' can be used to assess the risk of contamination. High sensitivity with single cells is combined with very high specificity (estimated matching probability of 10(-7)-10(-8)), allowing the source of the amplified cell to be identified with a very high degree of probability. Fluorescent primers were multiplexed for six tetranucleotide microsatellite sequences to determine the DNA fingerprint; the amelogenin gene was used to diagnose sex, and primers for the CFTR region were used to determine cystic fibrosis (CF) status. Analysis of the fluorescent product was undertaken using an automated DNA sequencer with Genescan software. This technique has many applications such as prenatal and preimplantation diagnosis, forensic identification of small or degraded samples, and detection of contamination sources. DNA fingerprints of single haploid spermatozoa and other cells can be assessed, so ensuring the detection of both diploid and haploid contamination during preimplantation diagnosis.


This guide originally created by Rick Keogh will assist you in locating demographic and community profile information on America's cities.


We report a case of a 39-year-old, HIV-negative, post renal transplant patient who developed mucocutaneous Kaposi's sarcoma with lung parenchymal involvement and concurrently culture proven pulmonary tuberculosis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of this combination, which presented with cavitating lung nodules and responded well to withdrawal of immunosuppressive drugs beside antituberculous treatment


Multimedia is multiple forms of media integrated together, i.e. the collection of audio, sounds, text, graphics, animation etc which develop in programs. Multimedia increased Knowledge about concept and critical literacy and specific number and language concepts in the students. Multimedia plays a very important role in assisting students in learning processes. Multimedia uses computers to present text, audio, video, animation, interactive features, and still images in various ways and combinations made possible through the advancement of technology. Technology is a tool that can provide another way for children to learn and make sense of their world. Educational technology such as multimedia plays a fundamental and crucial role in teaching learning process at primary level. It makes teaching learning process more effective and successful. In present investigation to identify the impact the use of multimedia in student"s academic achievements in early childhood education.The study was conducted in the year 2013. The main area selected for the study was Alambagh. In this area selected five mohllas Pawanpuri, Kailaspuri, Geetapalli, Krishnapalli and Sujanpura. A total of 120 Pre-primary and primary teachers were selected for the study. Random sampling method was used for sample selection and questionnaire schedule was used for data collection. t test used in research for data analysis. The results revealed that the multimedia increased dependency. Multimedia is enabling to clarify content knowledge. It affects children"s personality in negative way.


This paper presents a new robust model based neural controller (NC) for active suspension system (ASS)'s vibrations via feedback control approach. The proposed control system consists of a NC, a robust feedback controller, a third-order linear reference model and dynamics of ASS. The simulation examples with various standard input signals are included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control method and show significant improvement over the existing PID controller method. The robustness of the proposed NC is also analyzed with white noise disturbances on the suspension system. It is shown that the control system is robustly stable for all road disturbances.


Mobile cellular telephones have been the success story of communications globally. In the developed world, mobile telephony is traditionally seen as being complementary to fixed-line telephony, primarily because of its pervasiveness but also because the fixed-line network provides access to other technologies such as broadband. This article finds that, in nine African countries, in contrast to the developed world, mobile telephony is a substitute for fixed-line telephony - across all income groups and not just low income households as previously thought. The article argues in addition that pre-paid payment options (not just for mobile phones) are key to increasing use by low income households because irregular incomes do not support regular financial commitments in terms of contracts.


Erythrocytes possessing immunosuppressive properties appear in the blood of animals after intensive physical exercise. These properties of erythrocytes arise during their interaction with platelets and LDL+VLDL fraction. Essenciale increases erythrocyte resistance to the action of platelets modified by lipoproteins while mildronate destroys interaction of lipoproteins and platelets.


This paper presents a robust image watermarking scheme based on a sample projection approach. While we consider the human visual system in our watermarking algorithm, we use the low-frequency components of image blocks for data hiding to obtain high robustness against attacks. We use four samples of the approximation coefficients of the image blocks to construct a line segment in the 2-D space. The slope of this line segment, which is invariant to the gain factor, is employed for watermarking purpose. We embed the watermarking code by projecting the line segment on some specific lines according to message bits. To design a maximum likelihood decoder, we compute the distribution of the slope of the embedding line segment for Gaussian samples. The performance of the proposed technique is analytically investigated and verified via several simulations. Experimental results confirm the validity of our model and its high robustness against common attacks in comparison with similar watermarking techniques that are invariant to the gain attack.


Empirical transfer functions are derived for predicting the total benthic nitrate loss (LNO3) and the net loss of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (LDIN) in marine sediments, equivalent to sedimentary denitrification. The functions are dynamic vertically integrated sediment models which require the rain rate of particulate organic carbon to the seafloor (RRPOC) and a proposed new variable (O2‐NO3)bw (bottom water O2 concentration minus NO3− concentration) as the only input parameters. Applied globally to maps of RRPOC and (O2‐NO3)bw on a 1° × 1° spatial resolution, the models predict a NO3− drawdown of 196 Tg yr−1 (LNO3) of which 153 – 155 Tg yr−1 is denitrified to N2 (LDIN). This is in good agreement with previous estimates using very different methods. Our approach implicitly accounts for fixed N loss via anammox, such that our findings do not support the idea that the relatively recent discovery of anammox in marine sediments might require current estimates of the global benthic marine N budget to be revised. The continental shelf (0 – 200 m) accounts for >50% of global LNO3 and LDIN, with slope (200 – 2000 m) and deep‐sea (>2000 m) sediments contributing ca. 30% and 20%, respectively. Denitrification in high‐nitrate/low‐oxygen regions such as oxygen minimum zones is significant (ca. 15 Tg N yr−1; 10% of global) despite covering only ∼1% of the seafloor. The data are used to estimate the net fluxes of nitrate (18 Tg N yr−1) and phosphate (27 Tg P yr−1) across the sediment‐water interface. The benthic fluxes strongly deviate from Redfield composition, with globally averaged N:P, N:C and C:P values of 8.3, 0.067 and 122, respectively, indicating world‐wide fixed N losses (by denitrification) relative to C and P. The transfer functions are designed to be coupled dynamically to general circulation models to better predict the feedback of sediments on pelagic nutrient cycling and dissolved O2 distributions.


This book discusses the mechanical and opto-electronic design of laser spectrometers for measuring two very important atmospheric gases, namely water vapor and its isotopic ratios, and formaldehyde. For measuring water vapor, shot-noise limited sensitivity has been achieved by a careful choice of system components and data processing. For measuring formaldehyde, a selective sample modulation exploiting the Stark effect has been used to greatly improve the sensitivity.


Worry is the highlight characteristic of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). While worry is very common in anxiety disorders, it is important to note that worry is common in non-clinical populations as well. The current study focused on the metacognitive model of GAD (Wells, 2005). Various intervention types available for those with GAD have been examined. However, with the surge of technological advances being integrated into the field of psychology, it is important to examine technology-based treatments, more specifically smartphone application interventions. The purpose of the current study was to use a smartphone application (Anxiety Breaks; Habib, 2013) that targets worry in a population that met GAD criteria using the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ; Meyer et al., 1990). The goal was to examine how metacognitions mediate GAD symptoms before and after a three-week trial of application usage. It was hypothesized that post-usage scores would reflect a reduction in anxiety symptoms. Twenty-six undergraduate students at a large Midwestern university who reached the proper criteria for GAD after a phone screening of the PSWQ were recruited. Students engaged in an hour-long time one survey and computer task after which they were given the smartphone application to use for three weeks if they were in the immediate group or were told to wait for three weeks if they were in the waitlist group. Both groups completed weekly PSWQ's and came in for another hour session after three weeks for time two and were given the opposite instructions from time one. At the end of the next three weeks, they were sent an online survey for time three. GADQ-IV and MCQ scores were predicted to decrease at time two after application use.


Jet flows induced by pitching cantilever plates provide a power-efficient solution for fluid acceleration and cooling enhancement. In such applications, the time-averaged (mean) properties of the induced jet flows are of great importance. We report a combined experimental and numerical study on the three-dimensional (3-D) characteristics of the mean jet downstream of a harmonically pitching cantilever plate in a quiescent fluid. These characteristics are then correlated with the transient 3-D vortex structures emanated from the trailing and side edges. Our particle image velocimetry and 3-D numerical simulations reveal that the mean induced jet has two distinct regions – a shrinking region immediately downstream of the trailing edge followed by an abrupt expansion region – separated by a necking point. We investigate the transient 3-D wake vortex evolution downstream of the plate to help elucidate the physics underlying the geometry of the mean jet. Our observations suggest that the breakdown of the shed vortex structure and reorientation of the consequent substructures are the primary factors governing the shape of the jet. These factors in turn are controlled primarily by the plate width and the amplitude of the oscillations. The results presented in this study improve our understanding of the complicated 3-D geometry of the induced mean jet in oscillating plates and facilitate optimal design of devices that operate based on this principle, such as piezoelectric fans.


Environmental scenarios and variability patterns observed in the Peruvian waters are described based on the analysis of information obtained by the Instituto del Mar del Peru between 1960 and 2011. This information includes data from oceanographic, stock assessment and bio-oceanographic scientific research surveys, published information was also used to complete this study. Sea temperature, salinity and oxygen content data was interpolated to obtain monthly averages and build temporal and spatial series. Surface Cold Coastal Waters (ACF) and Subtropical Surface Water (SSW) create environmental conditions that are different from those in the subsurface, where the intrusion of equatorial waters dominates through the Peru-Chile Subsurface Current (CSPC). In the north, during the summer and fall, there is predominance in the surface layer of waters from the equatorial system. In the central zone the equatorial waters interact with ACF from coastal upwelling. The south is more strongly influenced by the coastal upwelling and the ASS, which is an indicator of increased activity in the Current System of Peru (SCP).


We have developed a simple and robust system based on standard UNIX tools and frame library code to transfer and merge data from multiple gravitational wave detectors distributed worldwide. The transfer and merger take place with less than 20 minute delay and the output frames are available for all participants. Presently VIRGO and LIGO participate in the exchange and only environmental data are shared. The system is modular to allow future improvements and the use of new tools like Grid.


An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of two early nutrient restriction programs on performance, selected characteristics of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and activities of digestive enzymes of broiler chickens. Three hundred and sixty male broiler (Ross x Ross) chicks kept in floor pens were assigned to three groups. The control group (C) was given ad libitum access to feed from 1 to 48 d of age. Another group was restricted from 11 to 14 d (R4) of age to an energy intake of .74 x BW.67 kcal ME/d, and a third group was restricted from 7 to 14 d (R7) of age to an energy intake of 1.5 x BW.67 kcal ME/d. Then, both restricted groups were given ad libitum access to feed through 48 d. Body weight and feed intake were determined weekly and selected carcass characteristics were measured at 48 d of age. Broilers also were sampled at 7, 14, 21, and 42 d of age to obtain data on components of the GIT (proventriculus, gizzard, pancreas, and small intestine) and activities of selected digestive enzymes. Feed-restricted groups were lighter in body weight (P < .01) at 14 and 48 d of age than the C group but were superior in overall feed efficiency. No treatment effects were observed for percentage yields of breast meat and abdominal fat pad. Absolute weights of GIT components were significantly reduced at 14 d of age by feed restriction. However, GIT components increased in weight more quickly after refeeding than did the whole body. Restricted groups had reduced (P < .01) specific activities of jejunal alkaline phosphatase and pancreatic trypsin, amylase, and lipase as compared with the C group at 14 d of age but not at 21 and 42 d of age. Relative activities for jejunal maltase and sucrase were greater (P < .01) at 21 d of age in the R4 and R7 groups than in the C group. The present data show that feed restriction results in transient changes in organs and activities of digestive enzymes, suggesting a functional adaptation to feed restriction.


The optimal strategy for risk stratification in heart failure continues to evolve, with increasing numbers of tools such as natriuretic peptide assessment being utilised

The assessment of risk, and its subsequent manipulation, accounts for a large amount of what we do in cardiology. Among the heart failure population, increasing numbers of tools are being utilised for the purpose. In this issue of Heart , Schinkel and colleagues1 present data on the combined use of both physiological and biochemical markers of risk in heart failure.

Many studies have shown that, as a screening test, a low concentration of natriuretic peptide in patients with suspected heart failure has a high negative predictive value.2 Furthermore, in patients with the diagnosis, variation in natriuretic peptide concentration may predict subsequent hospitalisation and death.3,4

The study by Schinkel and colleagues1 found that natriuretic peptide values were substantially lower in patients without heart failure, which is entirely consistent with previous findings. The investigators then examined contractile reserve in those patients with ischaemic …


The tall-palm is a woody tree which one found in islets of stand in the natural vegetation in the localities of Ngam, Goundi, Kimri, Houndouma in Chad. Its trunk, being able to exceed 15m height, is used in the frames of the traditional and semi-modern housings. However, little of scientific and technical works have been performed on this wood to allow its rational use. This paper focuses on the determination of its anatomic and chemical features for the understanding of the physical and mechanic behavior of this wood. Anatomical analyses allowed us to quantify by mean 124 fibers per cm 2 in the duramen and 77 fibers per cm 2 in the sapwood. Chemical analyses performed equally allowed to determine a mean rate of:-63.21 % of cellulose in the duramen and 61.89 % in the sapwood;-9.60 % of hemicelluloses in the duramen and 11.32% % in the sapwood;-19.36% of lignin in the duramen and 19.68% in the sapwood.


The comet assay is widely used to test the genotoxicity of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) but outcomes may vary when results from different laboratories, or even within one laboratory, are compared. We address some basic methodological considerations, such as the importance of carrying out physico-chemical characterisation of the ENMs in test-medium, performing uptake and cytotoxicity tests, and testing several genotoxicity-related endpoints. In this commentary, we discuss the different ways in which concentration of ENMs can be expressed, and stress the need to include appropriate controls and reference standards to monitor variation and avoid interference. Treatment conditions, including cell number, cell culture plate format and volume of treatment medium on the plate are crucial factors that may impact on results and thus should be kept constant within the study.


PURPOSE
To evaluate, how routine application of i.a. DSA with the step-translation technique using a single contrast bolus can effectively reduce radiation exposure and the amount of contrast media in comparison to standard peripheral DSA.

METHOD/MATERIALS
100 patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease were assessed with step-translation DSA, 100 with standard DSA using the same equipment. Imaging quality was rated two observers, judgement by consensus. Comparison of the technical data (radiation dose, contrast media) was based on pairs of patients with similar constellations of stenoses to reduce selection bias.

RESULTS
Step-translation DSA was of high imaging quality from the iliac vessels to the popliteal artery. In the distal leg, imaging was often impaired by effects like unilaterally delayed contrast flow due to high grade stenosis or motion artifacts. 53% of the step translation DSA required 1 or 2, 29% more than two additional DSA runs. Including the additional runs, the average radiation exposure and the amount of contrast media (2434 cGycm2/128 ml) were comparable to those of standard DSA (2461 cGycm2/144 ml).

CONCLUSIONS
Step-translation DSA provides high quality images. In routine application realization of the advantages over standard DSA such as reduction of examination times, radiation exposure and amounts of contrast media may be impaired by poorly collateralized stenoses or motion artifacts demanding additional series.


An overview of present computer techniques of partitioning continuous-tone images into meaningful segments and of characterizing these segments by sets of "features" is presented. Segmentation often consists of two methods:boundary detection and texture analysis. Both of these are discussed. The design of the segmenter and feature extractor are intimately related to the design of the rest of the image analysis system¿particularly the preprocessor and the classifier. Toward aiding this design, a few guidelines and illustrative examples are included.


Steam injection is one of the well-known thermal recovery processes that has been extensively applied to heavy oil reservoirs. Several efforts have been made to understand theoretical and practical aspects of steam injection and alkali flooding. However, the detailed information about the performance of steam-alkali flooding in field applications has not been deeply addressed yet. In this sense, in order to shed light on the background and applications in this area, this study comparatively investigates the efficiency of different strategies of pure steam injection and cyclic steam-alkali flooding in Bati Raman oil field, Turkey.
 Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the advantage of steam-alkali injection compared to pure steam injection for an 11.6° API Bati Raman crude oil. The steam injection system consists of two reservoirs for water and the alkali solution, an electrical pump, and an electric steam generator. Those three experiments are as follows; conventional pure steam injection, cyclic injection of steam and alkali solution 4.0 wt%, and cyclic injection of steam and alkali solution 8.0 wt%. Steam was injected with the rate of 10 ml/min at 110°C and the system pressure was set to be the atmospheric pressure. The liquid produced from the separators is sampled periodically to determine the oil recovery.
 Observation of sand packs after the experiments indicates the tendency for steam channeling in the vertical direction around the upper thermocouple. Since the upper thermocouple was inserted after the sand packing operation by pressing and rotation, steam could be passed through these channels without entering the all pores in the porous media. The average oil recovery by conventional pure steam injection, steam-alkali solution 4.0 wt% injection, and steam-alkali solution 8.0 wt% are 8%, 3% and 5.5% OOIP (original oil in place), respectively. This indicates that although the oil recovery in conventional pure steam injection was maximum, increasing the alkali concentration in the aqueous solution from 4% to 8% has caused the improvement in the recovery.
 The theoretical and practical information is supported by the experimental examples to evaluate the performance of different steam-alkali flooding strategies with Borax in heavy oil reservoirs of Bati Raman. This study also examines the challenges of steam-alkali flooding in extremely heavy oil reservoirs and explains that the pure steam injection is preferred due the insufficient change in interfacial tension during Borax injection process.


Increasing penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) have brought operational and control philosophy changes in Smart Grids (SGs). Renewable energy based technologies are becoming more important due to their economic and environmental impacts. Distributed generations (DGs) in the form of small renewable energy resources such as solar photovoltaics (PVs) and Wind Turbines (WTs) are connected in radial distribution networks near to the loads. This paper presents optimal siting and sizing of distributed renewable energy resource to maintain voltage magnitude profiles. Bus voltage magnitude differences for each hour in a day of a distribution system are formulated as an objective function. Three consecutive days are taken into account representing the three seasons of a year. A new nature inspired algorithm Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) is used as a solution tool. The proposed formulation is applied to 33 bus and 69 bus radial distribution networks. MATLAB simulations are performed to validate the performance of the approach. Simulation results are discussed and compared with of the several available ones'.


The purpose of this study was to examine the role and responsibilities of Norwegian kindergarten (i.e., preschool for ages 0–6 years) from the perspective of participants involved in multidisciplinary collaboration on behalf of children with severe disabilities and their families. The authors employed a multiple-case study approach comprising 26 interviews across six cases. Findings suggest that kindergarten is considered an important partner for families and a major contributor to the provision of services. Kindergartens were valued for their (1) close relationships and intimate knowledge of children as individuals, (2) the sense of security and relief of stress that they provided to parents, and (3) for acting as a "driving force" in multidisciplinary collaboration. Findings are discussed in relation to two contrasting views of the kindergarten professional as an early childhood expert and as a compassionate caregiver who, in many ways, functions as an extension of the parental role. The authors conclude that it is the latter of these two perspectives that dominates perceptions of kindergarten professionals among participants.


Reinforced concrete frames with masonry infill walls are widespread systems in many earthquake-prone regions of the world. The infill walls are used for insulation, partition and aestheticpurposes rather than structural purposes and generally considered as non-structural elements in structural design.But various experiments and studies proves that it also contributes to Lateral stiffness and resistance of buildings.


We report an alternative approach for the design and fabrication of thin wave plates with high transmission in the terahertz regime. The wave plates are based on strongly birefringent cut-wire-pair metamaterials that exhibit refractive indices of opposite signs for orthogonal polarization components of an incident wave. As examples, we fabricated and investigated a quarter- and a half-wave plate with high intensity transmittance. The wave plates displayed a maximum figure of merit (FOM) of 23 at a frequency around 1.3 THz where the refractive index was n′=−1.7. This corresponds to one of the highest FOMs reported at terahertz frequencies.


An analytical model is used to investigate the resonant behavior in a semi-closed channel. The main integral quantities of the tidal wave are obtained by means of a linearized one-dimensional model as a function of three dimensionless parameters, representing cross-section convergence, friction and distance to the closed boundary. Arbitrary along-channel variations of width and depth are accounted for by using a multi-reach approach, whereby the main tidal dynamics are reconstructed by solving a set of linear equations satisfying the continuity conditions of water level and discharge at the junctions of the sub-reaches. We highlight the importance of depth variation in the momentum equation, which is not considered in the classical tidal theory. The model allows for a direct characterization of the resonant response and for the understanding of the relative importance of the controlling parameters, highlighting the role of convergence and friction. Subsequently, the analytical model is applied to the Bristol Channel and the Guadalquivir estuary. The proposed analytical relations provide direct insights into the tidal resonance in terms of tidal forcing, geometry and friction, which will be useful for the study of semi-closed tidal channels that experience relatively large tidal ranges at the closed end.


BACKGROUND
Montelukast is a specific antagonist of leukotrienes' receptors and constitutes a therapeutic option in controlling asthma.

OBJECTIVES
To evaluate efficacy of montelukast in patients with persistent light asthma, persistent moderate asthma and exercise-induced asthma; to try to reduce or to eliminate doses of inhaled steroid; to reduce the use of short-action beta agonists and to assess its tolerability in pediatric patients.

MATERIAL AND METHOD
40 patients were studied, 17 female, with an age range from 4 to 11 years and a mean of 7 years. Stratification was made by GINA-established parameters.

RESULTS
Steroid dose could be reduced in 88%, with definitive suspension in 66% of patients. Moreover, an improvement in reducing asthma stratification and the use of rescue drugs were registered. 62% of patients with exercise-induced asthma improved and there was a good tolerance with the same side effects.


Abstract. Physiological changes in the retinal vasculature are commonly indicative of such disorders as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. Thus, various methods have been developed for noninvasive clinical evaluation of ocular hemodynamics. However, to the best of our knowledge, current ophthalmic instruments do not provide a true color blood flow imaging capability. Accordingly, we propose a new method for the true color imaging of blood flow using a high-speed pulsed laser photography system. In the proposed approach, monochromatic images of the blood flow are acquired using a system of three cameras and three color lasers (red, green, and blue). A high-quality true color image of the blood flow is obtained by assembling the monochromatic images by means of image realignment and color calibration processes. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated by imaging the flow of mouse blood within a microfluidic channel device. The experimental results confirm the proposed system provides a high-quality true color blood flow imaging capability, and therefore has potential for noninvasive clinical evaluation of ocular hemodynamics.


In this paper a data-driven approach to producing rapid, online estimates of aircraft capability by associating offline learned scenarios with the current aircraft state is presented. This association is carried out via an online Bayesian classification process that dynamically incorporates online sensed data by incorporating a novel confidence mapping approach that enables rapid online quantification of uncertainty in capability estimates. The problem of optimal offline learning for library construction for given online stochastic mission scenarios is formulated and a demonstration of an exhaustive search solution, as well as a greedy approach is presented. Our methodology and demonstrations are developed in the context of a high altitude, long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle.


As the population ages rapidly, we need to establish a cost-effective system to assess and treat urination problems of the elderly. Recently, criteria have been developed for urologists to assess benign prostatic hyperplasia using the International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS), QoL index, urination function (maximal flow rates and residual urine volume) and prostate volume. It is suggested that patients with moderate to severe urination problems as measured by these criteria need to be treated but those with mild problems have no need for treatment. We examined whether these criteria can be applied to the general urination problems of elderly men and women, with 112 men and 21 women aged 50 and over as subjects. Furthermore, we set Level I criteria for the elderly themselves, their families or nurses taking care of them, using I-PSS and QoL index, and Level II criteria for general practitioners, using I-PSS, QoL index and residual urine volume, in addition to Level III criteria for urologists (omitting prostate volume in women). Correspondence rates among severities of urination problems at Level I, II and III, and sensitivities and specificities of Level I and II criteria were investigated. One hundred twenty-one patients of 124 with moderate to severe urination problems at Level III needed to be treated and eight of nine with mild urination problems did not. As a whole, our findings suggested that 129 of 133 patients (97.0%) were correctly assessed at Level III. We found that Level III criteria were valid for general urination problems of the elderly, not just benign prostatic hyperplasia. While 102 and 111 patients were judged as having moderate or severe urination problems, respectively, at Level I and Level II, and all of these were diagnosed as having moderate or severe problems at Level III, 22 (71.0%) of 31 and 13 (59.1%) of 22 patients judged as having mild urination problems at Level I and Level II were diagnosed as having moderate problems at Level III. Although specificities of Level I and Level II criteria were 100%, sensitivities improved from 82.3% (102/124) to 89.5% (111/124), adding residual urine measurement to the I-PSS and QoL scores. Polyuria of more than 2,000 ml per day was noted in 33 patients (24.8%). At Level I, residual urine of 50 ml or more was noted in 9 (29.0%) patients with mild urination problems, in 22 (24.2%) with moderate problems and in 4 (36.4%) with severe problems. Assessment criteria for general practitioners should include a frequency-volume chart and measurement of residual urine. When the elderly are judged as having moderate or severe urination problems according to either Level I or II criteria, they need treatment. However, more than half of the elderly, judged as having mild problems according to those criteria, need treatment from the standpoint of urologists.


The proposed high-luminosity high-energy Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) will provide a clean envi-ronment to precisely study several fundamental questions in the fields of high-energy and nuclear physics . A low material budget and high granularity silicon vertex/tracking detector is critical to carry out a series of hadron and jet measurements at the future EIC especially for the heavy flavor product reconstruction or tagging. The conceptual design of a proposed forward silicon tracking detector with the pseudorapidity coverage from 1.2 to 3.5 has been developed in integration with different magnet options and the other EIC detector sub-systems. The tracking performance of this detector enables precise heavy flavor hadron and jet measurements in the hadron beam going direction. The detector R&D for the proposed silicon technology candidates: Low Gain Avalanche Diode (LGAD) and radiation hard depleted Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor (MALTA), which can provide good spatial and timing resolutions, is underway. Bench test results of the LGAD and MALTA prototype sensors will be discussed.


Differential modulation has recently been proposed for wireless relay networks. However, it suffers from a 3-dB performance loss as in point-to-point communication systems. In this paper, we propose a new differential modulation scheme, which is referred as generalized differential modulation (GDM) for wireless networks with amplify-and-forward relaying. In the proposed scheme, each frame transmitted by the source is divided into several blocks, and each block consists of one reference symbol and several normal symbols. The reference symbol in each block is differentially encoded based on the previous reference symbol, whereas the normal symbols are differentially encoded based on the reference symbol in the same block. At the destination, the signals from the source and the relays are combined to improve communication reliability. The proposed scheme has the advantage of allowing power allocation among the reference symbol and the normal symbols to improve the system performance. Numerical results show that the proposed GDM scheme can perform very close to the coherent receiver with perfect channel state information (CSI) in slow-fading channels.


Energy saving is one of the global issues in these days. To improve insulation performance for energy saving, multiple layers of the window glasses and walls are employed in architectural engineering. In designing energy-saving buildings, the heat transfer through a large windows or wall becomes critical. The buoyancydriven air flow between window glasses or wall layers is a key of the heat transfer in the building. A numerical code for the heat transfer problem is developed considering gravity and buoyancy-driven momentum at Ra=1e5. A temperature-based energy equation is combined with the incompressible Navier-Stokes equation by using Boussinesq approximation. A finite volume method based on a fully-implicit second-order is used to discretize and solve the momentum equation on unstructured grids composed of arbitrary-shaped cells. The integrations of the governing equation are discretized in the finite volume manner using a collocated arrangement of variables. A SIMPLE algorithm is employed to solve the pressure and momentum equations for the incompressible flow instead of a decoupled continuity equation. The numerical methods are verified and the reliability of the method is assessed. The characteristics of heat transfer and flow in cavity with various aspect ratios are closely investigated with the newly developed code. Key-Words: Natural convection, Aspect ratio, Computational methods, Heat transfer, Cavity


How is it that the legacy of the French philosopher Deleuze has lasted so long and impacted so greatly on both the practice and theorising of architecture? The uptake of the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze in architectural theory and practice since the 1980's has been fast, furious and multifarious. From ubiquitous formal translations of the process of 'folding,' to differences between 'smooth' and 'striated' space, to appropriations of concepts such as 'immanence' and the 'virtual' in digital architecture, the consumption of Deleuzian philosophy has fuelled a generation of architectural thinking, and is manifest in the design of a global range of contemporary built environments. The work of Deleuze, and his collaboration with psychoanalyst, Felix Guattari, has also, importantly, alerted Architecture to crucial ecological, political and social problems, with which the discipline must continue to grapple.Deleuze and Architecture provides critical genealogies of Deleuze's influence in architecture, as well as critical commentaries on, and evidence for, the ongoing relevance of this philosopher to the discipline. Fifteen essays by a current generation of key interdisciplinary scholars reflect upon the following questions: What is a critical history of Deleuze's influence in architecture? How has Deleuze's work challenged architecture's disciplinary construction, and how, through novel readings of Deleuze, has the discipline of architecture contributed to philosophical thinking? How does an engagement in the philosophy of Deleuze contribute to an architectural understanding of the complex politics of space of our increasingly networked world? How can a rethinking of Deleuze's philosophy enable new ethical, ecological and participatory approaches to architecture?


Based on the characteristics of loading condition of ship structure in service and the degeneration of the strength under fatigue and corrosion, the random time-variant model of ship hull section modulus was set up using the theory of random process. Then the time-variant reliability was analyzed with the method of up-crossing analysis and parallel system reliability. This method could not only present successive decrease of reliability of the ship structure under fatigue and corrosion, but also avoid the complicated numerical integration. It could be seen that this method was easy to achieve. Furthermore, the time-variant reliability was compared with the annual instantaneous reliability through an example, which indicated that this method was more precise, and could provide some references to the decision-making of the reliability, maintenance and safeguard.


The m-rep approach pioneered by Pizer (2003) is a powerful morphological tool that makes it possible to employ features derived from medial loci (skeletons) in shape analysis. This paper extends the medial representation paradigm into the continuous realm, modeling skeletons and boundaries of three-dimensional objects as continuous parametric manifolds, while also maintaining the proper geometric relationship between these manifolds. The parametric representation of the boundary-medial relationship makes it possible to fit shape-based coordinate systems to the interiors of objects, providing a framework for combined statistical analysis of shape and appearance. Our approach leverages the idea of inverse skeletonization, where the skeleton of an object is defined first and the object's boundary is derived analytically from the skeleton. This paper derives a set of sufficient conditions ensuring that inverse skeletonization is well-posed for single-manifold skeletons and formulates a partial differential equation whose solutions satisfy the sufficient conditions. An efficient variational algorithm for deformable template modeling using the continuous medial representation is described and used to fit a template to the hippocampus in 87 subjects from a schizophrenia study with sub-voxel accuracy and 95% mean overlap


Coronavirous Disease (COVID-19) outbreak has struck the globe including Indonesia. With the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly crawling, Government implements a Large-Scale Social Limitation (PSBB) in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC) has boosted the transformation of educational institutions through the Learning From Home (LFH) policy. LFH is policy that concerns with serving students to conduct learning activities through the distance learning either via online or offline. The goal of this policy aims to mitigate the immediate impact of COVID-19 which rapidly spread across regions while at the same time Government can maintain the quality of learning process. Using the model of policy evaluation, this study assesses the LFH policy which is focused on the rooted causes contributed the ineffectiveness of the policy. As the COVID-19 pandemic becomes a critical challenge for Government, this study finds that the ineffectiveness of LFH is relied on some factors which obviously exacerbate the proper teaching and learning programs. These are including the incompetence of state (apparatus) resource which can be traced from the state perplexed to face the COVID-19 outbreak with no providing a comprehensive policy; the weak of a coordination between MOEC and other stakeholders both local government and private sectors, the infrastructure gap among regions particularly in the remote and rural areas,  and less financial support for conducting LFH. These are becoming the huge problems during the Pandemic as these obviously impede the succeed of learning policy. Keywords: COVID-19, Policy, Learning, Government, Capacity


This study aimed at developing a laboratory scale packed bed reactor (PBR) and evaluating its performance in re-refining of used lubricating oils. Used and unused motor oil samples of two brands (Mobil Super SAE 20W-50 and Total Quartz 5000 SAE 20W-50) were used in this study. The sorbent materials were a blend of diatomaceous materials in the same mass ratio. The compound types of the oils eluted from the PBR and those of used and virgin oil samples were studied for comparison. FTIR spectroscopy was employed to observe the variations in the types and nature of functional groups present in the various oils as well as to estimate the oxidation products of the oils using peak area increase (PAI). The constituent organic compounds were also identified and quantified using GC-MS. The results revealed that some of the compounds exist in different isomeric forms in the oil samples. The similarity in the classes of compounds is affirmed by their very similar FTIR spectra. GC-MS results indicated that the used oils contained the highest number of compounds, followed by the treated oils and also indicated similar treatment effects on the brands of lubricating oil. The study concluded that the developed reactor is a viable and sustainable technique for re-refining of used lubricating oils.


To achieve a good ecological status as proposed by the European Water Framework Directive (WFD; 2000/60/EEC) large investments from urban wastewater authorities are required. The Directive anticipates that cost-effective plans and their economic benefits will offset the high costs required for wastewater upgrading projects. However, urban waste water authorities claim that cost-effective measures are already in place and that little improvement can be made. Current valuation studies have focused either on ecological elements or economic aspects without offering persuading evidence on the cost versus benefits of upgrading projects. To this aim, the current study developed an ecological–economic valuation framework for the comparative assessment of the ecologically sustainable levels in receiving waters and the associated economic effects. The central Wastewater Treatment Plant in Athens (Greece) and the small treatment plant in Vils (Austria) are used as representative case studies.


Twelve British and British crossed heifers fed whole shelled corn finishing diets were used in a 2 × 2 factorially arranged experiment to study the main effects of and interactions between feeding supplemental tallow (0 vs 4%) and thermal heat stress (55°F vs 90°F). Heifers were maintained in temperatureand humidity-controlled environmental rooms. Neither supplemental fat or thermal stress affected dry matter intake or total tract digestibility of organic matter, starch, NDF, or ADF. However, heat stress elevated water consumption (P<.01) and rectal temperature (P<.01). When fed at equal intakes, heifers consuming tallow-supplemented diets retained more (P<.05) nitrogen, and tallowsupplemented diets had a higher (P=.08) ME value than non-tallow diets; these effects were not observed when heifers were fed ad libitum. Adding tallow to diets of finishing cattle may help maintain performance under circumstances where feed intake is restricted.


The goal of this program was to reduce the long term technical risks that were keeping the lighting industry from embracing and developing organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology for general illumination. The specific goal was to develop OLEDs for lighting to the point where it was possible to demonstrate a large area white light panel with brightness and light quality comparable to a fluorescence source and with an efficacy comparable to that of an incandescent source. it was recognized that achieving this would require significant advances in three area: (1) the improvement of white light quality for illumination, (2) the improvement of OLED energy efficiency at high brightness, and (3) the development of cost-effective large area fabrication techniques. The program was organized such that, each year, a ''deliverable'' device would be fabricated which demonstrated progress in one or more of the three critical research areas. In the first year (2001), effort concentrated on developing an OLED capable of generating high illumination-quality white light. Ultimately, a down-conversion method where a blue OLED was coupled with various down-conversion layers was chosen. Various color and scattering models were developed to aid in material development and device optimization. The first year utilized this approach to deliver a 1 inch x 1 inch OLED with higher illumination-quality than available fluorescent sources. A picture of this device is shown and performance metrics are listed. To their knowledge, this was the first demonstration of true illumination-quality light from an OLED. During the second year, effort concentrated on developing a scalable approach to large area devices. A novel device architecture consisting of dividing the device area into smaller elements that are monolithically connected in series was developed. In the course of this development, it was realized that, in addition to being scalable, this approach made the device tolerant to the most common OLED defect--electrical shorts. This architecture enabled the fabrication of a 6 inch x 6 inch OLED deliverable for 2002. A picture of this deliverable is shown and the performance metrics are listed. At the time, this was the highest efficiency, highest lumen output illumination-quality OLED in existence. The third year effort concentrated on improving the fabrication yield of the 6 inch x 6 inch devices and improving the underlying blue device efficiency. An efficiency breakthrough was achieved through the invention of a new device structure such that now 15 lumen per watt devices could be fabricated. A 2 feet x 2 feet OLED panel consisting of sixteen 6 inch x 6 inch high efficiency devices tiled together was then fabricated. Pictures of this panel are shown with performance metrics listed. This panel met all project objectives and was the final deliverable for the project. It is now the highest efficiency, highest lumen output, illumination-quality OLED in existence.


General response: We highly appreciate the comments of the reviewer. The current manuscript has been improved based on your criticisms. Actually, we have carried out many numerical experiments in order to understand the impacts of domain size, nesting method, turbulence scheme, convection scheme, shallow convection scheme, topographic resolution, initial conditions and model horizontal resolution. We are convinced that the model resolution has a great significant impact on rainfall simulations during this rain event. The 1 km grid spacing is necessary to resolve well the topography if the island (see Figure a), the evaporation and the cold pool blocked by mountains,


Holarrhena antidysenterica belongs to the family Apocynaceae is commonly known as kurchi in Hindi, Tellicherry bark in English is a small deciduous tree which is distributed throughout the world and in India, it is found in dry forests. In Indian traditional medicine, H. Antidysenterica is popularly used as a medication for dysentery, diarrhoea and intestinal worms. Plant parts such as bark are used to treat anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, analgesics, amoebiasis, chronic bronchitis, locally for boils, ulcers; The phytochemicals present in the plant include coumarins, ergosterol, flavonoids, phenolic acids, resins, saponins, steroidal alkaloids, tannins, triterpenoids. Pharmacological studies include anti-amnesic, anti-diabetic, antibacterial activity, anti-inflammatory, anti-diarrhoeal, antioxidant/free radical scavenging property, diuretic activity, anti-amoebic, anthelminthic, anti-microbial properties of Holarrhena antidysenterica. This review article explored the detailed investigation of the botanical description, phytochemistry and pharmacological actions of Holarrhena antidysenterica to afford an objective for further research.


ARTICLE INFORMATION ABSTRACT Original Research Paper Received 11 May 2016 Accepted 09 July 2016 Available Online 06 August 2016 In this paper, simultaneous impact of two parallel drops on a thin liquid film is investigated using the lattice Boltzmann method. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of surface tension (characterized by Weber number), distance between two drops, and gas kinematic viscosity on the impact. The developed numerical model in this paper which is based on the Shan and Chen pseudopotential two-phase model makes it possible to access large density ratios, low viscosities, and tunable values of surface tension independent of the density ratio. The model is validated by comparing the coexistence densities with those of Maxwell analytical solution, evaluating the Laplace law for a droplet, and simulating single droplet impact on a thin liquid film. Simulation results of two drops simultaneous impact show that after impact, two jets raised between the drops join each other and form a central jet. Height of this jet increases with time leading to separation of secondary droplets from its tip. When the surface tension value is decreased, the central jet height is increased, but the size of the separated droplets is reduced. The crown shape observed in single drop impact is also seen in simultaneous impact of two drops. Increasing distance between two drops leads to a smaller central jet height and an increase in the crown radius. The crown height, however, was found to be independent of the distance. Finally, increasing gas kinematic viscosity reduces the central jet rising speed and delays separation of secondary droplets from the jet.


Purpose: Optically stimulated luminescencedetectors (OSLDs) are quickly gaining popularity as passive dosimeters, with applications in medicine for linac output calibration verification, brachytherapy source verification, treatment plan quality assurance, and clinical dose measurements. With such wide applications, these dosimeters must be characterized for numerous factors affecting their response. The purpose of this study was to examine the angular dependence of the nanoDotOSLdosimeter, which is part of the InLight series from Landauer, Inc. Methods: Relative dosimeter response data were taken at several angles in 6 and 18 MV photon beams, as well as in clinical proton beams. These measurements were done within a phantom at a depth beyond the build‐up region. Measurements were conducted over several sessions to provide confidence in the data. To examine the reasons for the observed angular dependence Monte Carlo simulations were performed with MCNPX. Results: In photon beams, the nanoDot had an angular dependence of 4% at 6 MV and 3% at 18 MV respectively, at angles where the dosimeter was parallel to the beam. Monte Carlo simulations at 6 MV showed similar results to the experimental values. In proton beams, no angular dependence was found. Conclusions: A significant angular response of this OSLD was observed in photon beams. This factor must be accounted for when evaluating doses from photon beams impinging from non‐normal directions.


Introduction:
 Platelet activation is important in the regulation of hemostasis and thrombosis. Uncontrolled activation of platelets may lead to arterial thrombosis which is a major cause of myocardial infarction and stroke. Following activation, metabolism of arachidonic acid (AA) by 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX) may play a significant role in regulating the degree and stability of platelet activation as inhibition of 12-LOX significantly attenuates platelet aggregation in response to various agonists. Protein kinase C (PKC) activation is also known to be an important regulator of platelet activity.

 Objectives:
 Using a newly developed selective inhibitor for 12-LOX and a pan-PKC inhibitor, we investigated the role of PKC in 12-LOX-mediated regulation of agonist signaling in the platelet.

 Methods:
 To determine the role of PKC within the 12-LOX pathway, a number of biochemical endpoints were measured in human platelets including platelet aggregation, calcium mobilization, integrin activation, and phosphorylation of PKC substrates.

 Results:
 Inhibition of 12-LOX or PKC resulted in inhibition of dense granule secretion and attenuation of both aggregation and αIIbβ
 3
 activation. However, activation of PKC downstream of 12-LOX inhibition rescued agonist-induced aggregation and integrin activation. Additionally, direct PKC activation rescued deficits in phosphorylation of pleckstrin and other PKC substrates mediated by inhibition of 12-LOX. Finally, inhibition of 12-LOX had no effect on PKC-mediated aggregation indicating that 12-LOX is upstream of PKC.

 Conclusions:
 These studies support an essential role for PKC downstream of 12-LOX activation in human platelets and suggest 12-LOX as a possible target for anti-platelet therapy.


The level of contamination with microorganisms in domestic soft cheese in the governorate of Salahuddin made mostly by rural families and sold in nearest towns and cities was investigated. Eighty-four random samples of domestic soft cheese commercialized in some towns of the governorate "Tikrit, Samaraa, Tuz and Balad" were collected from various local market places in sterile and cold storing conditions and examined for microbial counts and some chemical tests. The average total plate count, yeasts and molds, psychrotrophic, thermophilic, spore forming bacteria, lipolytic, proteolytic, coliforms and Staphylococcus aureus counts calculated as Log10 were: 9.26, 6.08, 5.72, 4.28, 3.72, 6.08, 5.92, 6.11 and 5.93, respectively. In addition, Salmonellae was identified only in eight samples out of 44 (15.91%). Chemical analyses revealed no consistency in main contents of the tested cheese samples. The results showed the critical risks of the domestic soft cheese, and suggest inflexible hygienic measures must be followed.


Abstract We investigated the relation between heterophil/lymphocyte ratios, hepatozoon parasitemia, and two presumed fitness correlates (residual body condition and growth rate) in two regional populations of the Eastern Foxsnake, Pantherophis gloydi. Parasite intensity was not related to either fitness correlate. We found a significant relationship between log (heterophil to lymphocyte [H/L] ratio) and residual growth rate for individuals from Georgian Bay, but not those from southwestern Ontario. There was no significant relationship between log (H/L ratio) and residual body condition in either regional population. We also detected dramatic differences in parasite prevalence and H/L ratios between the two populations: Almost half of the sampled individuals from Georgian Bay were infected with hepatozoons compared to only 2 of 46 infected individuals from southwestern Ontario; H/L ratios were significantly higher in Georgian Bay individuals implying that individuals in this northern population experience higher levels of stress than those in southern Ontario where the environment differs markedly.


Pretreatment of peroxidase by its covalent coupling to inert proteins and albumin by means of glutaraldehyde considerably increases the thermostability and specific activity of polyacrylamide gel (PAAG) immobilized peroxidase. The effects of PAAG composition on the catalytic properties of the immobilized oligomers: peroxidase-inert proteins-albumin, are studied. The oligomers immobilized in 40% PAAG (10% N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide) possess the maximal specific activity (4.5 nmol/g). The effects of oligomer composition on their catalytic activity and stability in PAAG are studied. The stability of oligomers of optimal composition (ratio of albumin/peroxidase is 2.4), incorporated into 40% PAAG, is 15 times higher as compared to that of the soluble enzyme and 250 times higher as compared to that of the enzyme incorporated into PAAG without pretreatment. A mechanism of stabilizing effect exerted by albumin on peroxidase in PAAG-immobilized oligomers, is discussed.


Seizure forecasting may provide patients with timely warnings to adapt their daily activities and help clinicians deliver more objective, personalized treatments. While recent work has convincingly demonstrated that seizure risk assessment is possible, these early approaches relied largely on complex, often invasive setups including intracranial electrocorticography, implanted devices and multi-channel EEG, which limits translation of these methods to broad clinical application. To facilitate broader adaptation of seizure forecasting in clinical practice, non-invasive, easily applicable techniques that reliably assess seizure risk, in combination with clinical information, are crucial. Wristbands that continuously record physiological parameters, including electrodermal activity, body temperature, blood volume pressure and actigraphy, may afford monitoring of autonomous nervous system function and movement relevant for such a task, hence minimizing potential complications associated with invasive monitoring, and avoiding stigma associated with bulky external monitoring devices on the head. Here, we use deep learning to analyze long-term, multi-modal wristband sensor data from 50 patients with epilepsy (total duration $>$1400 hours) to assess its capability to distinguish preictal from interictal states. Prediction performance is assessed using area under the receiver operating charateristic (AUC) and improvement over chance (IoC) based on F1 scores. Using one- and two-dimensional convolutional neural networks, we identified better-than-chance predictability in out-of-sample test data in 60\% of the patients in leave-one-out and 43\% of patients in pseudo-prospective approaches. These results provide a step towards developing easier to apply, non-invasive methods for seizure risk assessments in patients with epilepsy.


Abstract In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized by a microwave-assisted green chemistry method using a crude extract of Macrolepiota procera mushroom. The synthesized M. procera-AgNPs (MP-AgNPs) were characterized by UV–VIS spectroscopy, fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique, and scanning transmission electron microscopy (S-TEM). The cytotoxic activity of synthesized MP-AgNPs was investigated in human breast cancer (MCF-7), lung cancer (A549), osteosarcoma (Saos-2), and colon cancer (HT-29) cell lines. HSP27, HSP70, and HSP90 inhibitory potential of MP-AgNPs were determined in cancer cells by RT-PCR and Western blotting experiments. To analyze the apoptotic profile of MP-AgNPs in cancer cell lines, the expression levels of apoptotic and anti-apoptotic genes were determined using RT-PCR. The results showed that MP-AgNPs were exhibited anticancer activity in MCF-7, A549, Saos-2, and HT-29 cell lines. MP-AgNPs decreased gene and protein expression levels of HSP27, HSP70, and HSP90 in cancer cells. Also, MP-AgNPs induced apoptotic cell death mechanisms in MCF-7, A549, Saos-2, and HT-29 cell lines. MP-AgNPs are found to be significant metallic nanoparticle systems as efficient HSP inhibitors in the treatment of cancer.


The growing complexity of the software systems being developed and the use of different methodologies indicate the need for more computer support for automating software development process and evolution activity. Currently, Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE), which is a set of software systems aimed to support set of software process activities, does this automation. While CASE tools prove its importance to develop high quality software, unfortunately CASE tools doesn't cover all software development activities. This is because some activities need intellectual human skills, which are not currently available as computer software. To solve this shortcoming, Artificial Intelligence (AI) approaches are the ones that can be used to develop software tools imitating these intellectual skills. This paper presents the definition of Intelligent Computer Aided Software Engineering (I-CASE). The definition encompasses two steps. The first step is a clear decomposition of each basic software development activity to sub activities, and classify each one of them whether it is an intellectual or procedural job. The second step is the addressing of each intellectual (un-automated) one to proper AI-based approach. These tools may be integrated into a package as an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) or could be used individually. The discussion and the next implementation step are reported. Keywords : Software Engineering, CASE tools, Artificial Intelligence


Since 2001, when magnesium diboride (MgB2) was first reported to have a transition temperature of 39 K, conductor development has progressed to where MgB2 superconductor wire in kilometer-long piece-lengths has been demonstrated in coil form. Now that the wire is available commercially, work has started on demonstrating a MgB2 wire in superconducting devices. This article discusses the progress on MgB2 conductor and coil development, and the potential for MgB2 superconductors in a variety of commercial applications: magnetic resonance imaging, fault current limiters, transformers, motors, generators, adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators, magnetic separation, magnetic levitation, superconducting magnetic energy storage, and high-energy physics applications.


In this work, the thicknesses of a series of impinging sheets formed by two ethanol jets under different jet velocities are measured and compared with the theoretical model via a non-intrusive technique, the partial coherent interferometry. An interferometer with the calibrated partial coherence property is used to record the interference pattern by passing one optical path through the impinging sheet. The thickness is measured by analyzing the change of degree of coherence before and after the sheet insertion. The Reynolds numbers and Weber numbers of this experiment range from 269 to 370 and 35 to 67, respectively. The experimental results show that the jet velocity controls the size of the sheet but not affects the thickness distribution. The measured thicknesses are different from the theoretical predictions and indicate that the velocity inside the sheet may not be a constant along the radial direction.


Gypsum is made up of interlocked and elongated crystals. The random nature of its morphology suggests to resort to homogenization of random media to investigate its mechanical properties from the scale of the single crystals upwards. Unfortunately, the usual homogenization schemes fail to quantitatively predict the influence of the porosity on the effective Young's modulus of gypsum. This is clearly due to the inability of such approaches to take into account the elongated nature of the crystals. A modification of the classical self-consistent scheme is proposed. It is validated against elastic characteristics computed by finite element analyses, and also against experiments on real dried gypsum samples (with empty pores). Finally, a strength model based on brittle failure is presented. The whole strength domain in the space of macroscopic principal stresses is derived. The comparison to experimental data in both simple tension and simple compression is remarkably good.


This paper investigates and improves a technique known as Nonlinear Dynamic Data Reconciliation (NDDR) for a real industrial process. NDDRS is a technique for data reconciliation that requires an objective function to be minimised subject to both algebraic and differential, equality and inequality constraints. These constraints are obtained from the mathematical description of the process and ensure that the measurement data can be optimised to conform as closely as possible to the true behaviour of the process. One of the difficulties of using the original NDDR is that a rigorous process dynamic model is required as a constraint. Unfortunately it is very hard to establish a rigorous dynamic model for a complex industrial process, particularly for data reconciliation purpose. A transfer function matrix model has been introduced in this new NDDR method. Therefore the rigorous dynamic model is avoided. The real industrial data from FCCU is used to illustrate the efficiency of the new NDDR method.


It is controversial as to whether papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) has some genomic and transcriptomic characteristics that differentiate between an early-stage lesion that would eventually evolve into the larger papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), and an occult indolent cancer in itself. To investigate this, we comprehensively elucidated the genomic and transcriptomic landscapes of PTMCs of different sizes, using a large-scaled database. This study included 3435 PTCs, 1985 of which were PTMCs. We performed targeted next-generation sequencing for 221 PTCs and integrated these data with the data including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. The frequency of v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (BRAF)V600E mutation was higher in PTMCs >0.5 cm than that in very small PTMCs (≤0.5 cm) and decreased again in PTCs >2 cm. Among PTMCs, the prevalence of mutations in rat sarcoma (RAS) and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter was not significantly different according to their size, but lower than in large PTCs. There was no change in the tumor mutational burden, the number of driver mutations, and transcriptomic profiles with tumor size, among PTMCs and all PTCs. Although a few genes with differential expression and TERT promoter mutations were found in a few PTMCs, our findings showed that there were no useful genomic or transcriptomic characteristics for the prediction of the future progression of PTMC.


Food souvenirs are tangible reminders of a travel destination and play an important role in the hospitality and tourism industry. However, little research has been devoted to the definition, attributes, and impact of food souvenirs on tourist attitudes, and post-purchase behavioural intentions, which consists of intention to repurchase, recommend, say something positive, and repurchase even if the price increased. In a response to the identified gap, this study inspects the dimensions of food souvenirs and assesses its impact on tourist satisfaction and behavioural intentions. This study applies exploratory factor analysis to identify the dimensions of food souvenirs and uses multiple regression to assess the association between these food souvenir dimensions and tourist satisfaction and post purchase intensions. The data was collected from 252 domestic tourists in Bandung, Indonesia. The factor analysis produced five dimensions of food souvenirs, including brand and packaging, uniqueness, food quality, authenticity, and taste/value. Among these dimensions; uniqueness, authenticity, taste/value are important determinants of satisfaction with food souvenir itself, but also with behavioural intentions. Further, this study reveals that satisfaction with food souvenir is a critical driver of tourist satisfaction with visiting the destination. These results offer an opportunity for retail businesses managers and destination organisation managers to develop strategy to satisfy tourists by providing unique and locally symbolic food souvenirs.


MOTIVATION
EST sequences constitute an abundant, yet error prone resource for computational biology. Expressed sequences are important in gene discovery and identification, and they are also crucial for the discovery and classification of alternative splicing. An important challenge when processing EST sequences is the reconstruction of mRNA by assembling EST clusters into consensus sequences.

RESULTS
In contrast to the more established assembly tools, we propose an algorithm that constructs a graph over sequence fragments of fixed size, and produces consensus sequences as traversals of this graph. We provide a tool implementing this algorithm, and perform an experiment where the consensus sequences produced by our implementation, as well as by currently available tools, are compared to mRNA. The results show that our proposed algorithm in a majority of the cases produces consensus of higher quality than the established sequence assemblers and at a competitive speed.

AVAILABILITY
The source code for the implementation is available under a GPL license from http://www.ii.uib.no/~ketil/bioinformatics/

CONTACT
firstname.lastname@example.com.


Results are presented from a semicoherent search for continuous gravitational waves from the brightest low-mass X-ray binary, Scorpius X-1, using data collected during the first Advanced LIGO observing run. The search combines a frequency domain matched filter (Bessel-weighted F -statistic) with a hidden Markov model to track wandering of the neutron star spin frequency. No evidence of gravitational waves is found in the frequency range 60 – 650 Hz. Frequentist 95% confidence strain upper limits, h 95%0 ¼ 4 . 0 × 10 − 25 , 8 . 3 × 10 − 25 , and 3 . 0 × 10 − 25 for electromagnetically restricted source orientation, unknown polarization, and circular polarization, respectively, are reported at 106 Hz. They are ≤ 10 times higher than the theoretical torque-balance limit at 106 Hz.


The concept of political tourism is new to cultural and postcolonial studies. Nonetheless, it is a concept with major implications for scholarship. Political Tourism and Its Texts looks at the writings of political tourists, travellers who seek solidarity with international political struggles. With reference to the travel writing of, among others, Nancy Cunard, W.H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood, Ernesto Che Guevara, and Salman Rushdie, Maureen Moynagh demonstrates the ways in which political tourism can be a means of exploring the formation of transnational affiliations and commitments. Moynagh's aims are threefold. First, she looks at how these tourists create a sense of belonging to political struggles not their own and express their personal and political solidarity, despite the complexity of such cross-cultural relationships. Second, Moynagh analyses how these authors position their readers in relation to political movements, inviting a sense of responsibility for the struggles for social justice. Finally, the author situates key twentieth-century imperial struggles in relation to contemporary postcolonial and cultural studies theories of 'new' cosmopolitanism. Drawing on sociological, postcolonial, poststructuralist, and feminist theories, Political Tourism and Its Texts is at once an insightful study of modern writers and the causes that inspired them, and a call to address, with political urgency, contemporary neo-imperialism and the politics of global inequality.


Breast cancer (BCa) is the most prevalent cancer among women in the UK. The majority of BCas are endocrine sensitive and develop through the action of oestrogens, facilitated through the transcription factor Oestrogen Receptor alpha (ERα). Treatment for these patients usually involves endocrine therapies (Aromatase Inhibitors and antioestrogens), which are successful in many patients, but therapy resistance represents a major clinical issue. The Androgen Receptor (AR) is a transcription factor that is more highly expressed than ERα in BCa, and mediates the functions of androgens. In early forms of ERα-positive disease, AR is a positive indicator of prognostic outcome and suppresses ERα signalling. However, in ERα-negative disease AR has been demonstrated to drive cancer progression and recent evidence has suggested that AR can drive endocrine resistance.

Reporter assays, gene expression analysis and Chromatin Immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that AR and ERα inhibit each other's activity and that antioestrogens can reverse this inhibition, resulting in an active AR. Importantly, long term colony formation assays demonstrated that androgen could induce anti-oestrogen resistant growth, but anti-androgens prevented this from developing. Co-treatment of tumours with anti-oestrogens and anti-androgens could therefore be a viable option to block this mechanism of resistance. Cell line models of endocrine resistant disease were used to investigate AR signalling in therapy resistance. The results demonstrated that AR levels were enhanced in several lines and that all cell lines were sensitive to androgen for growth. Importantly, anti-androgens could inhibit androgen-induced growth in all models. Anti-androgens could therefore also be a viable option for the treatment of tumours that have become resistant to endocrine therapies. This study therefore furthers our understanding of the role of the AR in BCa progression and suggests that it is a valid therapeutic target to prevent and/or treat endocrine resistant disease.


The variational principles for creeping flow of non-Newtonian fluids are utilized with considerable success when the common value of the functionals in the actual state is connected with that of an important unknown. Two lines are examined. The one is to extend the results given by Hill for a Newtonian fluid to those for a non-Newtonian fluid, and the other is to extend the idea used by Haddow for visco-plastic torsion of a prismatic bar to the general case.


The response of blood plasma acetylcholinestrase to acute administration of chlorpromazine and diazepam was examined in chick. Chlorpromazine in a dose–dependent manner at 25, 50, and 75 mg/Kg, subcutaneously inhibited the activity of Ache in the blood. Chlorpromazine (50, 75 mg /kg) significantly decreased the enzyme activity in the plasma by 14.7 % and 17.6 %, respectively for a period of 60 min, as well as, 14.5 % and 13.1 % for a period of 60 and 120 min, respectively in groups received chlorpromazine 50 mg/kg. Diazepam at 10, 20 and 30 mg/kg subcutaneously did not significantly affect the enzyme activity in comparison with the control group. The result suggests that chlorpromazine changes Ache activity in the blood and possibly in other tissues.


Biological reactors are employed in industrial applications to break down organic waste from a range of sources into components that may be used in other applications. Such reactors may involve complex processes and many components linked by complicated interrelations. These reactions are represented mathematically as nonlinear initial value problems that must be solved numerically. Even smaller systems, more amenable to analytical analysis, require numerical solution methods due to their nonlinearity. We study a simple reactor with only two interacting components—a bacteria consuming a substrate (waste), represented by a \(2\times 2\) autonomous nonlinear initial value problem not solvable analytically. We describe a process to convert this problem to an approximating linear one that can be solved exactly to provide a closed form approximate representation of the evolving system. We assess the results of this approach and show they often agree favourably with numerical computations of the original nonlinear problem, although not always.
References

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Polarized optical absorption and emission measurements are used to locate and assign 95 crystal-field energy levels split out of the 4f( )(8) electronic configuration of Tb(3+) in single crystals of Na(3)[Tb(oda)(3)].2NaClO(4).6H(2)O (where oda denotes an oxydiacetate ligand). The absorption measurements span the 235-490 nm wavelength range, and the emission measurements span the 485-685 nm wavelength range. The combined absorption and emission spectra measurements provide access to the energy-level structures of 46 different 4f( )(8)[SL]J multiplet manifolds of Tb(3+) (all multiplet manifolds with baricenter energies <42 400 cm(-)(1) above ground). The site symmetry of the Tb(3+) ions in Na(3)[Tb(oda)(3)].2NaClO(4).6H(2)O is D(3), and the point-group symmetry of the tris-terdentate Tb(oda)(3)(3)(-) coordination complexes is also D(3). The Tb(oda)(3)(3)(-) complexes are chiral, and they exist in just one, fully resolved enantiomeric form in single crystals of Na(3)[Tb(oda)(3)].2NaClO(4).6H(2)O. The crystals exhibit strong chiroptical activity in their absorption and emission spectra, and results obtained from both circularly polarized and linearly polarized optical spectra measurements are used in making transition line assignments. The energy-level data acquired from the spectroscopic measurements are analyzed in terms of a model Hamiltonian that includes consideration of both isotropic and nonisotropic 4f electron/crystal-field interactions, and the interaction parameters derived from this analysis are discussed and then compared with those obtained for other Na(3)[Ln(oda)(3)].2NaClO(4).6H(2)O systems and for Tb(3+) in other crystalline hosts.


The free energy and entropy for a non-extremal Reissner - Nordstrom black hole are studied by zeta-function regularization in WKB approximation. Their leading divergences agree with the Susskind - Uglum predictions. Logarithmic singularities appear in connection with the Seeley - De Witt coefficient for the scale anomaly. The equivalence between the small- approximation and the optical space approach is checked. After taking advantage of renormalization group methods, effective potentials are considered for a scalar field with a self-interaction and scalar electrodynamics, both of them on a Schwarzschild background. Numerical study of the potential at the event horizon shows symmetry breaking, and we argue that in some conditions this effect may be a purely quantal one.


People with disabilities have been among the most marginalised groups both within society and within post-secondary/higher education. Over the last two decades, an increasing number of inclusive educational programmes have come into existence both nationally and internationally for this group of learners. The Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities (TCPID), School of Education, Trinity College Dublin, offers students with intellectual disabilities a two-year programme entitled Arts, Science and Inclusive Applied Practice (ASIAP). This paper presents a selection of voices from ASIAP students which highlights their experiences of becoming both co-researchers and second language learners. These studies present a variety of ways in which power relationships are negotiated between faculty and students through utilising creative and inclusive approaches to the research process.


This study describes an efficient transformation system for the introduction of plasmid DNA into Bifidobacterium bifidum PRL2010 and Bifidobacterium asteroides PRL2011, for which to the best of our knowledge no transformation data have been reported previously. The method is based on electroporation of bifidobacterial cells, which were made competent by an optimized methodology based on varying media and growth conditions. Furthermore, the transformation protocol was applied in order to design a PRL2010-derivative, which carries antibiotic resistance against chloramphenicol and which was used to monitor PRL2010 colonization in a murine model.


school, supplied with unpasteurized milk from its own herd. One hundred and twenty five girls attended the school, and 92 adults also drank the milk. Half the adults complained of symptoms which could be attributed to brucellosis and three gave a history of a 'recent influenza'. Forty-nine of them had positive titres. In contrast, 22 of the 57 children with positive titres complained of 'influenza', with sore throat and vomiting. Many had lymphadenopathyand splenomegaly which persisted for months. The third investigation was concerned with the staff of one of the major agricultural research stations in Eire. One hundred and twenty-seven of 150 employees cooperated using Kerr's questionnaire and three sera tests. Eighty-seven, or 68-5%, were negative, and 40 or 31-5% were positive; none of the 40 with positive serology admitted to symptoms. In 1971, 331 of 1,226 sera initially examined for Br. abortus gave positive readings one, two, or three tests (26 9 %). Clinically, cases of acute brucellosis still present, usually in adult males and always with a history of raw milk consumption. We have also seen four examples of childhood brucellosis, all presenting with symptoms suggesting osteomyelitis. There is still need for Brucellaeradication and for adequate milk pasteurization.


Conventional wheeled vehicles have serious mobility limitations in rough terrain while walking vehicles have inherent drawbacks such as a high number of DOF and actuators, control complexity and low-energy efficiency. Vehicles that passively adapt the position of multiple wheels to maintain contact with the ground can be a good compromise between both conventional wheeled and walking vehicles. One way to increase the number of wheels in contact with the ground is using bogies. However, the kinematics of a multiple axle vehicle moving on irregular terrain is quite complex since every wheel can require different angular speed to avoid slippage. The present work aims to quantify the obstacle surmounting capacity of a four axle, double-bogie vehicle depending on the transmission configuration, since it can provoke the slippage of some of its wheels. Some results are presented corresponding to the vehicle moving on a straight upward slope of different angles and facing variable obstacles in any of its axles. It can be observed that as more restricted the transmission is, more wheels are forced to slip and less traction the vehicle has, and, as a consequence, less obstacle surmounting capacity.


This paper explores a one-sector AK model with a cash-in-advance (CIA) constraint that itself depends on relative income, which implies status. This constraint is referred to in this study as the CIA-status constraint and it means that agents with higher income are more creditworthy and can make purchases with fewer money holdings. We mainly show that the relationship between the endogenous growth rate and money growth changes from negative to positive when the elasticity of the CIA constraint with respect to status exceeds one.


Background
Mycoplasma-related vaginitis gradually has been growing as a threat in adults-genitourinary infection contributes to funisitis, spontaneous abortion, and low birth weight. Until now, use of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) to detect Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU), Mycoplasma hominis (MH), or Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) has been reported by some researchers. However, previous studies focused on purified DNA as the template for LAMP assay, which is usually extracted via commercial kit.

Methods
We developed a LAMP assay for rapid detection of UU, MH, and MG genital mycoplasmas using a simple boiling method for DNA extraction, in a cohort of pregnant women with mycoplasma-related vaginitis. We monitored amplicons with the naked eye using SYBR Green I.

Results
The cohort in our study showed a prevalence of 22.6% in pregnant women, as detected by UU-LAMP assay. Compared to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test with purified DNA, the sensitivity of the UU-LAMP in clinical specimens with crude DNA was 87.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 64.6%->99.9). For crude DNA specimens, UU-LAMP was more sensitive and reliable than PCR, with a higher agreement rate (96.8%) and Youden index value (0.88).

Conclusions
As a point-of-care test, LAMP is a useful, specific, and efficient way to detect genital mycoplasmas in resource-limited settings, especially for crude DNA.


Esophageal perforations are surgical emergencies with high mortality rates. A variety of treatment strategies have been advocated. No single strategy has however, been fully applicable to deal with most situations. The aim of this study was to investigate if treatment with covered expandable metallic stents could offer a feasible option for the management of a leaking esophagus regardless of cause. Twenty-two consecutive patients with perforation or leakage from the intrathoracic esophagus were endoscopically treated with placement of a covered expandable metallic stent. Nine patients had esophageal cancer and 13 had benign underlying disease of whom two had a leakage from a surgical anastomosis. The leakage could be sealed in all but one patient. This patient died after an open esophageal diversion procedure. Twelve patients had an uneventful recovery, whereas three patients needed percutaneous drainage of abscesses and one drainage of the pleural cavity through a small thoracotomy. One patient required a conventional thoracotomy to drain the mediastinum. In total five (23%) patients died from the perforation within 30 days. Two of the deaths were unrelated and three (14%) related to the perforation. In patients with benign disease stents were removed or replaced after 3 weeks. In total 17 stents were successfully removed. Leakage from a damage esophagus can be effectively covered by expandable metallic stents seemingly regardless of the underlying cause and is likely to offer a good chance of survival even in severely ill patients.


This paper describes the origin, design, and implementation of Smule's Magic Fiddle, an expressive musical instrument for the iPad. Magic Fiddle takes advantage of the physical aspects of the device to integrate game-like and pedagogical elements. We describe the origin of Magic Fiddle, chronicle its design process, discuss its integrated music education system, and evaluate the overall experience.


Two-component spin–orbit density functional theory (SODFT) calculations for spectroscopic constants of IX (X=F, Cl, Br and I) molecules have been performed with several functionals using shape-consistent relativistic effective core potentials (RECPs) with effective one-electron spin–orbit operator. The SODFT results obtained with the B3LYP functional are in very good accord with the results of previous two-component CCSD(T) calculations with the same RECP and basis sets. Results of two-component SODFT calculations with RECPs are also in good agreement with reported all-electron relativistic DFT calculations with the same functionals. The spectroscopic constants obtained with ACM and PBE0 functionals display the best agreement with the experimental values among the functionals tested. Spin–orbit effects from the SODFT calculations result in increases of bond lengths and decreases of dissociation energies and harmonic vibrational frequencies and the magnitudes are in reasonable agreement with those from two...