Purpose : Cough-variant asthma(CVA) is a common cause of chronic cough in young children. Some children who have CVA eventually develop classic asthma. We evaluated the effect of inhaled corticosteroid and leukotriene receptor antagonist in young children who are suspected of having CVA.Methods : Th...


an imaginary dialogue, Deiss ingeniously deals with objections to, and criticisms of, contemporary eucharistic practice. Deiss joins a reverent expression of traditional eucharistic theology with pertinent criticisms of its present inadequacies. His insights into contemporary theology are expressed in a manner which clearly manifegts how they contribute to a fuller appreciation of the Eucharist and enhance its celebration with joy. This is what Deiss had sought to achieve and he has succeeded. He always provides sufficient historical information to


Background: While substantial evidence indicates that Ki67, a marker of proliferation, is strongly associated with breast cancer outcomes, its clinical utility has been limited given concerns about scoring inter-rater reliability and appropriate cut points. Nonetheless, Ki67 has been used in multiple clinical trials and results from POETIC indicated that low baseline Ki67 (ie, <10%) predicts good prognosis in postmenopausal women with hormone sensitive, early breast cancer. Further, the International Ki67 Working Group (IKWG) has developed website-based training materials to improve reproducibility of Ki67 scoring by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and recently considered the marker to be sufficiently validated to support treatment decisions in early ER+ breast cancer (≤ 5 no chemotherapy, ≥30 chemotherapy indicated). Our aims were to examine Ki67 scoring reproducibility following IKWG training and the extent to which low or high scores could accurately identify patients with low or high 21-gene assay Recurrence Scores (RS) who could selectively avoid this test. Methods: Setting and study population. The study was conducted within Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC), an integrated health care system with over 4.4 million enrollees. We included a random sample of women aged 50+ years at diagnosis of node-negative, ER+PR+HER2- breast cancer with the 21-gene assay done on their surgical specimen from 2018-2020 (n=307). Ki67 staining, training and scoring. We retrieved archived core biopsy specimens, which were sent to NeoGenomics Laboratories, Inc for Ki67 staining and scoring by image analysis (IA) using the hot spot counting method. In addition, two KPNC pathologists specializing in semiquantitative IHC scoring underwent IKWG training and independently scored all slides using the global counting method, blinded to each other and to readings by AI; weighted Ki67 scores were calculated. Analysis. We examined inter-rater reliability across pathologists using intraclass correlation (ICC) and Kappa statistics. We also examined the percent of patients with low Ki67 scores (≤ 5, <10) by each pathologist and by AI who also had low RS (<26) and the percent who had high Ki67 scores (≥30) who also had high RS (≥26). Results: Approximately 83% of patients were ages 50-69 years (median 63), 61% were non-Hispanic white and 93% were stage 1A. The ICC for Ki67 scores (log-transformed) by the two pathologists was 0.82; using a dichotomous cut point of <10 vs ≥10%, the Kappa for the inter-rater reliability was 0.65. Among patients with Ki67 scores of <10% by IA (n=81), pathologist 1 (n=120) or pathologist 2 (n=111), the percent with a RS of <26 was 95.1% for IA, 95.8% for pathologist 1, and 94.6% for pathologist 2. Among patients with Ki67 scores ≤5, the percentages were 90.9%, 92.6% and 91.8% for IA, pathologist 1 and pathologist 2, respectively. Among patients with Ki67 scores ≥30 by AI (n=69), pathologist 1 (n=41) or pathologist 2 (n=35), the percent who had a RS ≥26 was 27.5% for IA, 41.5% for pathologist 1 and 51.4% for pathologist 2. Results are improved if we exclude all 50 patients with weak PR by IHC (1-10%); for example, among patients with Ki67 scores of <10%, the percent with a RS of <26 was 97.1% for IA, 98.1% for pathologist 1, and 97.9% for pathologist 2. Conclusion: Among women aged 50+ years with node-negative, ER+PR+HER2- breast cancer in our setting, approximately 5-10% of patients with Ki67 scores of ≤ 5% or <10% on core biopsies would have high RS (≥26) on surgical specimens and over 48% of cases with Ki67 scores ≥30 would have low RS (<26), which may be insufficiently accurate for avoiding the 21-gene or other multi-gene assays. Future studies are needed to examine whether restricting Ki67 testing to ER+HER2- patients with PR >10% would improve its clinical validity.
 Citation Format: Veronica C. Shim, Robin J Baker, Wen Jing, Sally S Agersborg, Thomas K Lee, Wamda Goreal, Ninah Achacoso, Catherine Lee, Marvella Villasenor, Amy Lin, Malathy Kapali, Laurel A Habel. Ki67 assessment based on international Ki67 working group recommendations and correlation with 21-gene assay results in a large integrated health care system: We might not be there yet [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-08-10.


Al23Co10.14Si8.72, orthorhombic, Pnma (no. 62), a = 13.852(3) Å, b = 23.055(5) Å, c = 7.340(2) Å, V = 2344.1 Å, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.035, wRref(F) = 0.081, T = 293 K. Source of material The title compoundwas identified in severalAl-rich samples during an investigation of the Co-Al-Si phase diagram [1]. Samples were prepared from the pure elements by arc melting and subsequent heat treatment in alumina crucibles placed into evacuated silica ampules.After slow cooling from1050 °C to 800 °C (5K/h) in order to promote crystal growth from themelt the sampleswere 112 Z. Kristallogr. NCS 221 (2006) 112-114 / DOI 10.1524/ncrs.2006.0003 © by Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, München


Starting with the unprecedented situation resulting from 2020 springer pandemic that constrained people on Earth to a period of lockdown, we analyzed a panel of studies findings on humans in Space based on a step-by-step positive adaptation emerging from optimal relationships of the individual with the environment, be it in weightlessness, in confinement or in insolation. We observed, described and quantified the subjects' orientations, actions, interactions, expressions and positions with the ethological method, science of behavior, implemented in parabolic flight, in orbital flight, during Sirius-19, Mars-500 and CELSS-180 experiments, and at Concordia polar station. We found that the physical and social environment had impacts on the motor, social and cultural behaviors. The behavioral strategies developed over short-term to extended periods of time are based on new Referentials, Rhythms and Rituals of self-organized crews for autonomous missions to the Moon or Mars. Adaptive tools for humans on Earth are to strike a new balance of usual activities and tasks for mitigating psycho-physiological stress and to create new living and working habits for well-being in extreme conditions.


DRPLA is a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by CAG triplet elongation on chromosome 12p. In addition to neurodegeneration of both the dentatorubral and pallidoluysian systems, there is cerebral white matter damage, especially in older cases. Intracellular accumulation of DRPLA protein is widespread in the central nervous system, and DRPLA protein has been shown to immobilize glyceraldehyde 3‐phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), which regulates glycolysis and controls mRNA of tissue‐type plasminogen activator (tPA) in tissue restoration. However, little is known about the pathogenesis regarding the formation of cerebral white matter damage in DRPLA. Therefore, the pathology of this damage was investigated by examining markers of glycolysis and related processes. Nine clinically and pathologically confirmed DRPLA cases were used in the present study. CAG triplet elongation on chromosome 12p was confirmed in all cases where tissue was available for genotyping (seven cases). PAS and immunohistochemistry with antibodies to GFAP, GAPDH and endothelin‐1 were used to demonstrate astrocytosis. The polysaccharides storage state with PAS‐positive astrocytes was detected in seven cases. GAPDH‐ and endothelin‐1‐positive endothelium and astrocytes were observed in two cases with GFAP‐positivity. Based on the biochemical process together with the present results, GAPDH and endothelin‐1 immunoreactivity is associated with this damage and the mismetabolism of polysaccharides caused by CAG triplet elongation on chromosome 12p may contribute to the formation of the cerebral white matter damage in DRPLA.


Abnormal function in the triphalangeal thumb is partly due to its extra length, which is due not only to the extra phalanx, but also to differences in the length of the first metacarpal. This study investigated whether the additional length of the first metacarpal is influenced by the growth plate location alone, or also by the type of triphalangeal thumb. Fifty-nine hands in 37 patients with triphalangeal thumbs were examined for thumb type (delta 31, trapezoid nine and full type 19), growth plate location and relative length of the first metacarpal. The first metacarpals in all three types of triphalangeal thumbs were significantly longer than in the normal population. The length of the first metacarpal was related to the site of the growth plate. The type of triphalangeal thumb did not affect the length. These findings suggest that a corrective procedure on the first metacarpal should be considered in all types of triphalangeal thumbs.


Excessive extracellular matrix deposition drives fibroblasts into a state of high mechanical stress, exacerbating pathological fibrosis and hypertrophic scar formation, leading to tissue dysfunction. This study reports a minimally invasive and convenient approach to obtaining scarless tissue using a silk fibroin microneedle patch (SF MNs). We found that by tuning the MN size and density only, the biocompatible MNs significantly decreased the scar elevation index in the rabbit ear hypertrophic scar model and increased ultimate tensile strength close to regular skin. To advance our understanding of this recent approach, we built a fibroblast-populated collagen lattice system and finite element model to study MN-mediated cellular behavior of fibroblasts. We found that the MNs reduced the fibroblasts generated contraction and mechanical stress, as indicated by decreased expression of the mechanical sensitive gene ANKRD1. Specifically, SF MNs attenuated the integrin-FAK signaling and consequently down-regulated the expression of TGF-β1, α-SMA, collagen I, and fibronectin. It resulted in a low-stress microenvironment that helps to reduce scar formation significantly. Microneedles' physical intervention via the mechanotherapeutic strategy is promising for scar-free wound healing.


In an open quantum system, we study the evolution of a two-level atom as a detector which interacts with given environments. For a uniformly accelerated two-level atom coupled to a massless scalar field in the Minkowski vacuum, when it evolves for a certain time, we find that there exists a peak value for the quantum Fisher information (QFI) of acceleration, which indicates that the optimal precision of estimation is achieved when choosing an appropriate acceleration $a$. QFI has different behaviors for different initial state parameters $\ensuremath{\theta}$ of the atom, displaying periodicity. However, the periodicity fades away with the evolution of time, which means that the initial state cannot affect the later stable quantum state. Furthermore, adding a boundary, we observe that the peak value of QFI increases when the atom is close to the boundary, which shows that QFI is protected by the boundary. Here, QFI fluctuates, and there may exist two peak values with a certain moment, which expands the detection range of the acceleration. Therefore, we can enhance the estimation precision of acceleration by choosing an appropriate position and acceleration $a$. The periodicity of QFI with respect to the initial state parameter $\ensuremath{\theta}$ lasts a longer time than the previous unbounded case, which indicates that the initial state is protected by the boundary. Finally, for a thermal bath with a boundary, QFI of temperature has no more than one peak value with a certain moment, which is different from QFI of acceleration with a boundary. The periodicity also lasts a longer time than unbounded case, which shows the initial quantum state of the atom is protected by the boundary for two cases.


Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the deadliest diseases in the European Union. Colonoscopy remains the gold standard of CRC screening. Analysis of colonoscopy-related Google Trends (GT; Google LLC, Mountain View, California, United States) data could provide useful information regarding interest in colonoscopy and potential barriers making patients unwilling to attend screening programs. Methods: Data were collected using GT for the main search term "colonoscopy" and the two most related queries. Colonoscopy volumes were extracted from the Eurostat database. Due to limited Eurostat data availability, analysis was performed from January 2004 to December 2015 for each of the 12 included countries. Results: Univariate linear regression analysis demonstrated statistically significant correlations between annual search volumes of "colonoscopy" and the annual number of colonoscopies performed in included countries (R2 = 0.923, P<.001). Trend analysis showed that the cumulative search volumes for "colonoscopy" gradually increased through the analyzed period. The spectrum of the most related queries encompassed "preparation for colonoscopy", "endoscopy", "after endoscopy", "colon", "colonoscopy diet", "virtual colonoscopy", "colonoscopy under anesthesia", "waiting times for colonoscopy" and "colonoscopy price". For eight out of nine queries, statistically significant correlations with procedure volumes were revealed. Conclusions: GT could be a useful tool in assessing public interest in colonoscopy. Potential barriers that prevent people from attending CRC screening programs were identified. The study demonstrated that the internet has become an important field for CRC screening promotion. GT utility for colonoscopy and CRC screening providers was highlighted. This was the first analysis of GT data in colonoscopy focused on European countries.


Complexity of Arabic writing language makes its handwritten recognition very complex in terms of computer algorithms. The Arabic handwritten recognition has high importance in modern applications. The contour analysis of word image can extract special contour features that discriminate one character from another by the mean of vector features. This paper implements a set of pre-processing functions over a handwritten Arabic characters, with contour analysis, to enter the contour vector to neural network to recognize it. The selection of this set of preprocessing algorithms was completed after hundreds of tests and validation. The feed forward neural network architecture was trained using many patterns regardless of the Arabic font style building a rigid recognition model. Because of the shortcomings in Arabic written databases or datasets, the testing was done by non-standard data set. The presented algorithm structure got recognition ratio about 97%.


We report coincident sternal segment dislocation and focally extensive right ventricular epicardial fibrosis observed during routine histopathology evaluation of C57BL/6N mice as part of a high throughput phenotyping screen conducted between 4 and 16 weeks of age. This retrospective case series study was conducted to determine whether cardiac fibrosis was a pathological consequence of sternal segment dislocation. We identified sternal segment dislocation in 51 of the total 1103 mice (4.6%) analyzed at 16 weeks of age. Males were more frequently affected. In all cases but 2, the dislocation occurred at the fourth intersternebral joint. In 42 of the 51 cases (82.4%), the dislocation was encased by regenerative cartilaginous callus that protruded internally into the thoracic cavity (intrathoracic callus) and/or externally to the outer aspect of the sternum (extrathoracic callus). Displacement of dislocated ends of the sternum into the thoracic cavity was present in 19 of 51 cases (36.5%). Coincident minimal or mild right ventricular epicardial and subepicardial fibrosis was observed in 22 of the 51 cases (43%) but was not observed in any of the mice in the absence of sternal segment dislocation. Our data suggest that right ventricular fibrosis was likely caused by direct injury of the right ventricle by the dislocated ends of the sternum and/or by intrathoracic callus that develops post dislocation. Potential pathogenesis for the sternal and cardiac lesions and their implication for the interpretation of phenotypes in mouse models of cardiopulmonary and skeletal disease are discussed.


Globally trichomoniasis affects approximately 152 million people as of 2010 (2.2% of the population). It is more common in women (2.7%) than males (1.4%). The American Social Health Association estimates trichomoniasis affects 7.4 million previously unaffected Americans each year and is the most frequently presenting new infection of the common sexually transmitted diseases. On the pattern, QSAR study has been done on benzimidazole derivatives as potent inhibitors with trichomonicidal activity. Genetic algorithm (GA), artificial neural network (ANN), stepwise multiple linear regression (stepwise-MLR) were used to create then on non-linear and linear QSAR models. Geometry optimization of compounds was carried out by B3LYP method employing 6–31G (2d) basis set. HyperChem, Gaussian 03W, and Dragon (version 5.5) software programs were used for geometry optimization of the molecules and calculation of the quantum chemical descriptors. Finally, Unscrambler program was used for the analysis of data. The root-mean square errors of the training set and the test set for GA–ANN model using jack-knife method, were 0.1840, 0.5051 and R2 was 0.70. Also, the R and R2 values in the gas phase were obtained 0.78, 0.61 from GA-stepwise MLR model. According to the obtained results, we find out GA-ANN model is the most favorable method toward the other statistical methods. Also, we would suggest that compounds No. 20, 33, 58, 48 and 47 as the most appropriate structure for the design of drugs to pharmacists. Indexing terms/


The selective oxidation of methane by V2O5 catalysts in oleum has been studied. The effects of the reaction temperature, the concentration of V2O5, and the residence time on the conversion of methane and the yield of methanol were investigated. We have found that methane was transformed to methyl bisulfate first, and the methyl bisulfate was then hydrolyzed to methanol. The process of the selective oxidation of methane was involved in electrophilic alternative mechanisms by V2O5 catalysts, and the sulfur trioxide in oleum was necessary for the reaction systems. The methane oxidation reaction was determined to be a first-order reaction, based on the pressure−time relationship. The maximum methanol yield of 45.5% and the methane conversion of 54.5% were obtained at a V2O5 concentration of 0.0175 mol, a reaction temperature of 453 K, a methane pressure of 4.0 MPa, a reaction time of 2 h, and the sulfur trioxide content in oleum is ∼50%.


There was a time when pursuing a career in information technology meant job security for life. But companies live to make a profit, and outsourcing has changed things. With the right approach, however, the outsourcing trend can be overcome. Julian Caesar, a veteran information technology professional, examines the history of outsourcing and the steps American workers can take to lessen and even eliminate the threat. He argues that: outsourcing has turned into a form of global welfare; politicians have become the loyal patriots of greedy corporations; American workers are the victims of outsourcing-not its benefactors; and technology jobs are the wave of the future, and they must stay here. As a casualty of the outsourcing epidemic, Caesar has witnessed its dreadful toll on workers, which allows him to back up his claims with evidence. More importantly, however, he proposes solutions so that American workers can recapture their lives and livelihood.


This article is concerned with the implications of practices, politics and meanings of mobility for women and girl children in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Women and girls commonly face severe mobility constraints which affect their livelihoods and their life chances. The article reflects on their experiences in rural areas where patriarchal institutions (including the gender division of labour, which places great emphasis on female labour contributions to household production and reproduction), and a patriarchal discourse concerning linkages between women's mobility, vulnerability and sexual appetite, shape everyday social practices and material inequalities. This compounds the physical constraints imposed by poor accessibility (to services and markets) associated with poor roads and inadequate transport in both direct and more complex ways. The article draws on field research conducted in diverse socio-cultural and agro-ecological contexts in western and southern Africa (principally southern Ghana, southern Malawi and northern and central Nigeria) to explore the impacts of relative immobility and poor service access on women and girls. Three (interconnected) issues are examined in some detail: access to markets, access to education and access to health services. Possible interventions to initiate positive change are considered.


The well treatment program is an important part of the field development plan, and certain variables, such as job pause time (JPT), can affect its efficiency. JPT is the time during which pumping is paused between subsequent treatments of a job. The objectives of this work are to investigate whether, from existing data, it is possible to find patterns in significant variables that affect the extreme values of JPT in a particular region. The answers are sought by applying a classification and regression tree (CART) to both categorical and continuous variables in the database. The practical application of CART is presented using case studies first using classical CART analysis, then using CART analysis with enhancement tools such as the normal score transform (NST), and then dividing the large dataset into smaller groups using clustering. Significant variables are found that affect the response variables, and predictor variables are ranked in order of their importance. Such information can be used to control predictor variables that cause high JPT. The results are outlined in an intuitive way, including categorical, continuous, and missing values. Because CART is a data driven, deterministic model, we cannot calculate the confidence interval of the predicted response. Confidence in the results is purely based on the historical values, and the accuracy of the result produced by a tree model depends on the quality of the recorded data measured in terms of volume, reliability, and consistency. The prediction capability of CART is enhanced by the use of NST and clustering techniques. The approach presented in this paper analyzes a dataset with limited information and high uncertainty and should lead to developing a method for generating proxy models to find future success indices (e.g., for drilling efficiency or production from a fracture). This could standardize stimulation and generate decision 'best practices' to save costs in field development and the optimization process.


Traditionally, a central server is utilized to provide support to MMOGs (massively multiplayer online games), where the number of participants is in the order of tens of thousands. Much work has been done trying to create a fully peer-to-peer model to support this kind of application, in order to minimize the maintenance cost of its infrastructure, but critical questions remain. Examples of the problems relative to peer-to-peer MMOG support systems are: vulnerability to cheating, overload of the upload links of the peers and difficulty to maintain consistency of the simulation among the participants. In this work, we propose the utilization of geographically distributed lower-cost nodes, working as a distributed game server. The distribution model and some related works are also presented. To address the communication cost imposed to the servers, we specify the A3 algorithm, which is a novel refinement of the interest management technique, significantly reducing the necessary bandwidth. Simulations have been made with ns-2 and their results demonstrate that our approach achieves the least bandwidth utilization, with a 33.10% maximum traffic reduction and 33.58% average traffic reduction, when compared to other algorithms.


. Modern high performance transmissions in fabrication and energy industries more and more have to satisfy high requirements concerning their nominal load, running properties and operational stability. Helical gears with small modules are usually used to meet these demands. To assure an undisturbed operation, to avoid unplanned downtimes and consequential damages of high performance transmissions a condition monitoring and fault diagnosis is useful. The running properties, rate of wear and the development of damages of precision forged and conventional helical gear wheels are analyzed at the IW in a special transmission test bench. The condition monitoring of the test bench is done by vibration and acoustic emission measurements which allow the actual description of the running properties and the development of damages. For the early detection of damages like pitting or cracks at the tooth root, analysis techniques in time and frequency domain and the wavelet analysis have been adapted. Because of the higher resolution in the time domain the wavelet analysis is more suitable for the analysis of frequency components caused by very short excitations, like the beginning of pit-ting and the propagation of cracks, than the Fast Fourier Transformation. Characteristic values in time and frequency domain (statistical time values, teeth mesh frequencies, cepstral values) are used for the development of a vector analysis to classify different faults. These characteristic values build up a multidimensional vector of the actual running condition which is compared to the vector of the reference condition. This analysis method allows a very early fault diagnosis and an estimation of the operational time remaining. The detection of cracks in the teeth of gear wheels by vibration analysis is possible with a quite small forecast lead time only. Therefore an eddy current probe has been developed which is located directly at the gear wheel. It can detect volumetric faults like the beginning of pitting or crack initiations in a very early stage during operation.


Objective To analyze the quality of life of people with refractory schizophrenia using clozapine, and its associated factors. Methods A cross-sectional study, conducted in the extended western region of Minas Gerais, which included patients with refractory schizophrenia using the antipsychotic, clozapine. For the measurement of quality of life, the Quality of Life Scale was used, specific for patients with schizophrenia. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Results A total of 72 patients with a mean age of 42.9 years was part of the study. The overall score of the Quality of Life Scale indicated compromised quality of life, with a greater impairment in the social network domain (median = 2.36). The logistic regression analysis showed factors associated with a better quality of life. Conclusion Low quality of life in patients with refractory schizophrenia was found. Physical activity, family income over three times the minimum wage, and having children were associated with a better quality of life.


A version of interleaved echo‐planar imaging (EPI) is presented in which only one polarity of the readout gradient is used for signal acquisition to avoid ghosting artifacts. Two possible forms of the phase encoding gradient, blipped and constant, are discussed. With the constant phase encoding, interleaving of partial trajectories in the Fourier domain (k‐space) is controlled automatically by the echo train delay. The constant phase encoding gradient introduces a shear distortion of the k‐space grid. A modification of the reconstruction procedure is given which corrects for this effect. The method provides a 128 × 128 image in 1 s on a clinical system with standard gradients.


The paper considers questions associated with the opportunities of teaching literature at school using variable models of methodological system of schoolchildren's literary development. Literature teaching packages for grades 5 to 11 currently used in Russian schools – ones edited by G. I. Belenkiy (2006), V. Ya. Korovina (2009), A. G. Kutuzov (2007, 2010) and V. G. Marantsman (2005) – have been analyzed. For analysis, 13 author criteria were singled out that allow characterizing the variability extent of the teaching models employed for ensuring successful literary development of schoolchildren within the educational curriculum of the contemporary school. The results of the research presented give convincing evidence about the necessity of upgrading the current teaching packages in literature for grades 5 to 11 in relation to their variability, which will allow enhancing the quality of school social and humanitarian education.


We consider the complexity of the isomorphism relation on countable first-order structures with transitive automorphism groups. We use the theory of Borel reducibility of equivalence relations to show that the isomorphism problem for vertex-transitive graphs is as complicated as the isomorphism problem for arbitrary graphs and determine for which first-order languages the isomorphism problem for transitive countable structures is as complicated as it is for arbitrary countable structures. We then use these results to characterize the complexity of the isometry relation for certain classes of homogeneous and ultrahomogeneous metric spaces.


This paper presents a first attempt to measure inequality aversion among gypsies. We conducted an experiment among adult gypsies living at slums outside Vallecas (Madrid). To analyze this variable we use the mechanism provided by Kroll & Davidovitz (2003) among 38 voluntary participants. Results indicate that: i) 52.6% of the individuals are inequality averse; ii) there is a positive relationship between inequality aversion and some features of the population such as individual religious practise, marital status, family size, position in the hierarchy of the family or club association and, iii) neither wealth, nor participation in voluntary activities affect inequality aversion.


This study investigates the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on actual weekly working hours using the second wave of the German Linked Personnel Panel, a unique employer-employee dataset. ICT usage is widespread among employees in the private sector. Half of the establishments equip all managerial employees with mobile devices. We confirm the findings of previous studies that show a positive correlation between ICT usage and working times. Employees work approximately 30 minutes longer per week if they use modern digital technologies for work. Furthermore, our multivariate analyses reveal that this correlation is especially strong for managers and in establishments that equip all of their employees in leading positions with mobile devices.


Diamond single crystals were synthesized in the presence of Ni–Mn catalyst under high temperature and high pressure (HPHT). A thin metal film covering on as-grown diamond formed during diamond growth was examined using transmission electron microscopy. It was shown that phase compositions of the region near the as-grown diamond are different from those of other regions in the film. We found γ-(Ni,Mn) solid solution, diamond, Ni3C and Mn23C6 in the region near the as-grown diamond, while graphite, Mn7C3 and γ-(Ni,Mn) could be found in other regions of the film. The relationship between the diamond growth and the carbides in the film was analysed briefly. It is suggested that the carbon source for diamond growth should be closely related to the decomposition of carbides in the region near the diamond single crystal at HPHT, not being directly from that of the graphite structure.


Internet of Things (IoT) is a fairly disruptive technology with inconceivable growth, impact, and capability. We present the role of REST API in the IoT Systems and some initial concepts of IoT, whose technology is able to record and count everything. We as well highlight the concept of middleware that connects these devices and cloud. The appearance of new IoT applications in the cloud has brought new threats to security and privacy of data. Therefore it is required to introduce a secure IoT system which doesn't allow attackers infiltration in the network through IoT devices and also to secure data in transit from IoT devices to cloud. We provide the details on how Representational State Transfer (REST) API allows to securely expose connected devices to applications on cloud and users. In the proposed model, middleware is primarily used to expose device data through REST and to hide details and act as an interface to the user to interact with sensor data.


A new multilevel inverter - hexagram inverter is proposed for medium-voltage (MV) variable-speed-drive (VSD) applications, which is composed of six standard two-level voltage source inverter (VSI) modules interconnected through the inductors. With six AC terminals, it can be used for both three- and six-phase drives. This paper studies its six-phase applications. Compared to a same output power and voltage VSI, the proposed inverter has the current stress reduced to half and voltage stress reduced to one-third; whereas compared to a same output power and current VSI, the voltage stress is reduced to one-sixth. The other advantages of the new inverter include a modular structure resulting in easy construction and maintenance, no voltage unbalance problem, easy control with well-developed VSI control techniques, automatic and equal current and power sharing among the modules, and fewer components and lower dc energy storage requirements compared to the cascaded H-bridge (CHB) inverter. These eminent features make it a strong candidate for MV VSD applications.


An open questionnaire-based survey was performed among 86 institutions of veterinary education in 32 European countries: 15 within the European Union (EU) and 17 outside the EU, in Central and Eastern Europe and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The survey aimed to provide a view of the general status of education and research in small animal reproduction (SAR) in Europe. It further aimed to disclose whether ongoing trends in organization (e.g., from the classical animal reproduction discipline orientation [DO] toward a species-oriented [SO] organization) among veterinary colleges responsible for undergraduate education and research in SAR have affected the provision of clinical services, continuing professional development (CPD), specialization, post-graduate education, and research. Response rates reached 80% among EU institutions and 48.4% in other countries (overall response rate = 68.6%). A clear, significant majority of institutions (> 60%) were DO, with a well-defined comparative subject in the veterinary curriculum. No differences were reported for either orientation in their ability to provide undergraduate education or clinical services in SAR. However, more DO institutions reported active research in SAR than their SO counterparts. Similar (and stronger) differences were seen for post-graduate education, CPD, and participation in specialization programs (national or European). Finally, more DO than SO institutions provided assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), such as AI with frozen semen, to customers. The analysis of the data emanating from the respondents' perceptions, supports the advantages of the more classical, DO-based approach. The results highlight the need for caution when institutions abandon the comparative benefits of the classical DO animal reproduction subject for a SO approach, which tends to prioritize clinical specialized service rather than research and research education. In the author's opinion, in the absence of the data generated by comparative research and used in research education and the development of new technologies in SAR, there is a risk that sound science-based academic preparation for undergraduates and candidates for post-graduate research education is constrained. To counteract these negative trends, SAR must be recognized as a very important branch of the department of animal reproduction. Access to resources, personnel for teaching and research, and curriculum space should be made available in order to provide the basis for relevant post-graduate training, specialization, and research.


According to the World Health Organization, over 10 million new tuberculosis cases are reported annually worldwide. According to the 2017 Federal State Statistics Service Report, incidence rate for active TB infection in the Russian Federation was 109.8 cases per 100,000 population, of which 41.3% accounted for chronic disease form. Regardless of climatic conditions, high prevalence of TB infection, is not only due to high Mycobacterium tuberculosis viability, but also its ability for long persistence in human body and reactivation after an unlimited period of dormancy. The outcome of infection is largely determined by host immunoreactivity and its ability to develop protective immune response. In addition, status of immune system also underlies tuberculosis course after the onset: either as a localized form, or as a form with extensive damage to the lungs and even other organs observed in generalized infection. In recent decades, a great attention was paid to examining mechanisms of adaptive cell immunity played in pathogenesis of TB infection. No doubt, adaptive immunity is a powerful defense system providing a targeted specific immune response, but now it is becoming clear that it represents solely an effector arm of innate immunity. Innate immunity is a phylogenetically more ancient, inherited system largely aimed at ensuring rapid pathogen elimination and preventing development of infection at early stages when adaptive immunity ongoing antigen-specific maturation. Mechanisms of innate immunity mediated by cells, diverse receptors, molecules and their complexes, found on various cells. Activation of innate immunity begins with recognition of conserved molecular groups present in various pathogens called pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), which are sensed by pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs). Here, we review current data on the role of innate receptors in recognizing M. tuberculosis-derived PAMPs, production of immunoregulatory cytokines and activation of signaling pathways playing a crucial role in the regulation of necroptosis, apoptosis and autophagy of infected macrophages. Significance of innate mucosal factors in implementing immune response to M. tuberculosis is discussed. In particular, Toll-like receptors, scavenger-receptors, mannose receptor, DC-SIGN etc. were described to participate in development of M. tuberculosis immunity. The data on single nucleotide polymorphic variants for innate genes are shown, which predispose to developing tuberculosis and affecting its course.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the prevalence and clinical features of protein tyrosine phosphatase-2beta antibody (IA-2betaA) in type 1 diabetes (T1DM).

METHODS
Four hundred and one T1DM patients and 200 healthy controls were screened for glutamic acid carboxylase antibody (GADA), islet cell antigen-2 (IA-2A), IA-2betaA by radioligand assay. The clinical features of the patients positive in different antibodies were analyzed.

RESULTS
Thirty-five of the 401 T1DM patients were positive in IA-2betaA with a positivity rate of 8.7%, significantly higher than that of the normal controls (1.0%, 2/100, P < 0.05). Out of the 35 cases with IA-2betaA positivity, 16 (45.7%) were positive in IA-2A. Among the 401 T1DM patients, IA-2betaA titer was not correlated with IA-2A titer (r = 0.021, P = 0.780). The IA-2betaA positive rate of the age group of 0-9 years was 62.8%, significantly higher than that of the age group > 10 years (19.7%, chi2 = 31.41, P < 0.001); and the IA-2A positive rate of the age group of 0-9 years was 20.0%, significantly higher than that of the age group > 10 years (7.6%, chi2 = 6.11, P < 0.05). GADA was not significantly correlated with age. The age and onset age of the patients positive only in IA-2betaA were 35.5 and 34.0 years respectively, both significantly higher than those of the patients positive only in IA-2A (24.2 and 21.6 years respectively, both P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
Higher in child-onset T1DM, the prevalence of IA-2betaA positivity decreases with age. IA-2betaA is a practical parameter for identifying autoimmune diabetes.


The diabetic foot with its many associated complications and presentations can provide a challenge in diagnosis and subsequent treatment. MRI, being increasingly available commonly, is now the main investigative modality. In particular, it is helpful in differentiating between neuroarthropathy and osteomyelitis and in cases where the latter is superimposed on the former. By being well versed in the interpretation of the images, the radiologist can make crucial contribution to the care and management of these patients.


Human proenkephalin generated by means of a recombinant vaccinia virus expression vector was used as the substrate for a putative processing enzyme obtained from bovine adrenal chromaffin granules. The adrenal enzyme successfully cleaved proenkephalin to generate low mol wt enkephalins as well as other enkephalin-containing intermediates. Radioactively labeled proenkephalin prepared with this system was also cleaved; however, under identical conditions bovine proinsulin was not cleaved. These results provide support for the notion that the adrenal trypsin-like enzyme is involved in the processing of proenkephalin in vivo and demonstrate the usefulness of protein substrates prepared by expression vector systems in testing the reactivity and specificity of proposed prohormone processing enzymes in vitro.


The total synthesis of paclitaxel (Taxol) is described. Double Rubottom oxidation of the bis(silyl enol ether) derived from a tricarbocyclic diketone effectively installed a bridgehead olefin and C-5/C-13 hydroxy groups in a one-step operation. The novel Ag-promoted oxetane formation smoothly constructed the tetracyclic framework of paclitaxel.


We present a 78.8-million-tweet, 1.3-billion-word corpus aimed at studying regional variation in Canadian English with a specific focus on the dialect regions of Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Our data collection and filtering pipeline reflects complex design criteria, which aim to allow for both data-intensive modeling methods and user-level variationist sociolinguistic analysis. It specifically consists in identifying Twitter users from the three cities, crawling their entire timelines, filtering the collected data in terms of user location and tweet language, and automatically excluding near-duplicate content. The resulting corpus mirrors national and regional specificities of Canadian English, it provides sufficient aggregate and user-level data, and it maintains a reasonably balanced distribution of content across regions and users. The utility of this dataset is illustrated by two example applications: the detection of regional lexical and topical variation, and the identification of contact-induced semantic shifts using vector space models. In accordance with Twitter's developer policy, the corpus will be publicly released in the form of tweet IDs.


We study the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of the antiferromagnetic-layered oxyarsenide (LaO)MnAs system from the first-principle calculation. The increasing Hubbard energy (U) in the Mn 3d orbital induces the increasing local-symmetry distortions (LSDs) in MnAs4 and OLa4 tetrahedra. The LSD in MnAs4 tetrahedra is possibly promoted by the second-order Jahn–Teller effect in the Mn 3d orbital. Furthermore, the increasing U also escalates the bandgap (Eg) and the magnetic moment of Mn (μMn). The value of U = 1 eV is the most appropriate by considering the structural properties. This value leads to Eg and μMn of 0.834 eV and 4.31 μB, respectively. The calculated μMn is lower than the theoretical value for the high-spin state of Mn 3d (5 μB) due to the hybridization between Mn 3d and As 4p states. However, dxy states are localized and show the weakest hybridization with valence As 4p states. The Mott-insulating behavior in the system is characterized by the Eg transition between the valence and conduction dzx/dzy states. This work shows new physical insights for advanced functional device applications, such as spintronics.


Author(s): LI, YI-PEI | Advisor(s): Bell, Alexis T | Abstract: Zeolites containing Bronsted or Lewis acid sites are extensively used catalysts in industrial processes. In this study, force field parameters are derived for the quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) simulations of reactions in zeolites by reducing the deviation between QM/MM calculations and experimental data over a range of adsorption energies. The accuracy of the thermal correction for adsorption enthalpies determined by the rigid rotor-harmonic oscillator approximation (RRHO) is examined and shown to be improved by treating low-lying vibrational modes as free translational and rotational modes via a quasi-RRHO model. With the quasi-RRHO scheme, the QM/MM simulations can accurately reproduce experimental adsorption energies for both nonpolar and polar molecules adsorbed in MFI, H-MFI, and H-BEA. The anharmonic effects of intramolecular nuclear motions, namely torsions and vibrations, are also examined in this study. Comparing with the harmonic oscillator approximation, the accuracy of the calculation of molecular partition functions, heat capacities, entropies, and enthalpies can be improved with an uncoupled mode (UM) model, where the full-dimensional potential energy surface for internal motions is modeled as a sum of independent one-dimensional potentials for each mode. However, the extent of improvements is very limited if the one-dimensional potentials are determined by the energy as a function of displacement along each normal mode. Significant improvement can be achieved by constructing the potentials for internal rotations and vibrations separately using the energy surfaces along the torsional coordinates and the remaining vibrational normal modes. Three reactions catalyzed by BEA zeolite are investigated in this study using the QM/MM model, including the formation of p-xylene from ethylene and 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) in H-BEA as well as the isomerization of glucose to fructose and the synthesis of 4-(hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid (HMBA) from ethylene and 5-(hydroxymethyl)furoic acid (HMFA) in Sn-BEA. The pathways and energy barriers of these reactions derived by QM/MM simulations agree well with the available experimental results, which validates the realism of the QM/MM model. The influence of solvents and the effect of active site structures and heteroatoms on reaction barriers are investigated to derive criteria for future catalyst design.


This study focuses on the contractor's claims on a hydropower project contracted under an international engineering procurement and construction (EPC) and turnkey contract in Nepal. The contractor faced challenges from the mobilization phase and submitted multiple claims to the employer for time extensions and additional overhead costs. This study identified 80 claims for a time extension and additional overhead costs. Through content analysis, this study grouped these claims under six categories: natural disaster, strike, unforeseen risk, material shortage, payment, and the COVID-19 pandemic. First, the study analyzed the claim type, outcome, and decision criteria of the claims. Next, the analysis presented decisions based on general conditions of contract (GCC) and the particular conditions of contract (PCC) clauses. The study found that the employer granted a time extension to most of the claims under natural disaster under force majeure and rejected most of the claims under the other five groups. Finally, the study presents findings and lessons learned from the case study, including the relevant GCC and PCC clauses used in claims resolution. The findings and lessons learned from this case study could help employers and international EPC contractors who want to build hydropower projects in Nepal. © 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.


This paper aims to test whether a multi-modal approach for music emotion recognition (MER) performs better than a uni-modal one on high-level song features and lyrics. We use 11 song features retrieved from the Spotify API, combined lyrics features including sentiment, TF-IDF, and Anew to predict valence and arousal (Russell, 1980) scores on the Deezer Mood Detection Dataset (DMDD) (Delbouys et al., 2018) with 4 different regression models. We find that out of the 11 high-level song features, mainly 5 contribute to the performance, multi-modal features do better than audio alone when predicting valence. We made our code publically available.


: Endophytic fungi are symbiotic association and the harbor of plants. It is living in inner tissues and without causing any apparent symptoms. In the present investigation, the endophytic fungi were isolated from leaves of Cenetlla asiatica and Melia azedarach . These 2 plants are highly medicinal properties. Totally eight different genera were isolated from both the leaves. Generally, Absidia repens, Alternaria sp., Aspergillus flavus, A. terreus, Chaetomium globosum, Curvularia sp., Fusarium solani and Humicola sp. The maximum percentage of endophytic fungi and diversity indices were recorded in Melia azedarach leaves fragment when compared to Centella asiatica leaves.


BURNISHING is a widely used common metal finishing technique, which is not only simple and economical, but at the same time is extremely important surface modification treatment that results in immensely desirable compressive residual stresses at the surface. The present monograph provides the scientific- and technological- principles based basis for burnishing, optimization of burnishing parameters (using Taguchi proposed and other designs of experiments), surface characterisation using optical microscopy and micro hardness measurements. The monograph also provides the details of burnishing maps, correlating burnishing parameters with surface characteristics-notable is the first time proposed MASTER BURNISHING MAP that correlates burnishing volume and strength / micro hardness levels. Thus, this monograph should be an extremely useful preference document for the mechanical engineers engaged in component and structural design and manufacture.


Introduction: Virtual reality (VR) is a tool that can enrich physiotherapy treatment in individuals with stroke. The increased use of feedback provides them with useful additional information to improve walking speed, kinematics, and functionality of the lower extremity (LE). Our aim is to evaluate these changes and describe the intervention in two individuals with stroke. Case description: A 58-year-old man (4.5 months post-stroke) and a 49-year-old man (3 months post-stroke) followed a VR training to improve kinematics, functionality, and gait speed. Intervention: Each participant underwent 15 sessions (VR treatment one hour daily in addition to the one-hour CP program). Outcomes: The LE Fugl-Meyer scale (FM) improved in both participants; in motor evaluation, participant 1 increased 4 points and patient 2 increased 6 points. Participant 1 was highly functional but had difficulty in the race at baseline, while participant 2 improved on the Ambulatory Functional Scale (FAC) from 3/5 to 4/5 and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) from 50 to 53, with a constant permanent score of 122/126 on the Functional Independence Measure scale (FIM). Both participants improved the kinematic parameters in leg stance on plegic LE (showed a decrease in the spatial error and in submovements) and walking speed > Minimally Clinically Important Difference (MCID) (participant 1: improvement of 0.16m/s, participant 2: 0.34m/s). Discussion: Results of the combined treatment of CP and VR treatment are positive in improving the performance of motor tasks and stability in leg stance on the plegic side, with improvement of functionality during walking. Controlled studies are needed to determine the role of VR in these improvements.


The paper presents the results of a study focused on the development of speech in the educational process in kindergarten. The results are interpreted in the context of significant pedagogical and social determinants that determine the integrative connections between communication, speech and language. They are shared as grounds for developing educational-applied models for stimulating the subjective activity through group communication.


Myelomeningocele and Social Class SIR-Nesbit and Ziter (DMCN, 21, 754) suggest that myelomeningocele is related both to the social class in which the mother is raised and to the one into which she marries. They may be right, but their data are not adequate to demonstrate the point. In order to do that they would need to subdivide their data simultaneously by these two variables. Otherwise (since the two variables correlate so highly) a critic might feel free to wonder, say, whether the association with the class of the mother's father was entirely secondary to that with the class of the mother's husband. Both Janerich (1972) and Baird (1974) have noted that, in regard to anencephaly rates, the mother's year of birth seems more important than the child's. They interpret this cohort effect as indicating the importance of events early in the mother's life (well before she married). If these authors are correct, one might expect an association between rates of myelomeningocele and mother's class of origin: this would be independent of any social-class effect based on events subsequent to marriage (and measured by the husband's social class).


Abstract Objective. To evaluate oral fluoride (F) retention after using fluoridated toothpastes, rinsing solutions and chewing sticks (Miswaks) in orthodontic patients with and without orthodontic appliances. Material and methods. Nine orthodontic patients, with a mean age of 16 years, were included in a randomized, cross-over, experimental study. Six different home-care F products, two NaF toothpastes (0.32% and 1.1%), two NaF mouthwash solutions (0.05% and 0.2%) and two NaF-impregnated Miswaks chewing sticks (0.05% and 0.5%), were used both during the orthodontic treatment and 1 week after debonding. Unstimulated whole saliva and approximal saliva were collected from two interdental sites, before and up to 60 min after using each product for 2 min. The retention of F was calculated as the area under the 60-min F-clearance curve (AUC). Results. In general, the F concentrations at the various sites were higher before than after debonding. Moreover, the products with a high F content (toothpaste, mouthwash and Miswaks) resulted in higher F retention than the corresponding products with a lower F content. In whole saliva, the highest AUC values were found in patients using 0.2% NaF mouthwash, followed by 1.1% NaF toothpaste (p < 0.05). In approximal saliva, the retention values were highest after using 0.5% NaF-impregnated Miswaks in patients wearing orthodontic appliances (p < 0.001). Conclusions. The insertion of fixed orthodontic appliances appears to favor oral F retention for all the tested home-care F products. In addition, products with a high F content increase oral F retention.


As part of the master programme of Construction Management and Engineering at the University of
Twente, this research is executed to find an answer to the following question:
'What is the added value of the ISO 55000 standard for the owners of Dutch road infrastructure Asset
Management systems, and how can the ISO 55000 standard contribute to the Dutch road infrastructure
sector?'
The research was conducted through interviews, literature review and a case study. First, the subject
of Asset Management (AM) and the ISO 55000 standard are examined. AM is the term for the
coordinated activities of an organisation to realize value from its assets. This is executed by finding the
optimal balance between costs, performance and risks. The ISO 55000 standard describes what
elements should be included in an AM system and the standard formulates requirements for such a
system. These requirements can be found in ISO 55001.
Following is the analysis of the implementation of two comparable standards, to find the different
factors that influence the implementation of a standard. The first examined standard is the
predecessor of the ISO 55000, the PAS 55 from the UK. The second examined standard is another
management system standard, the ISO 9000. This examination is done through interviews and a
literature study. From this examination it became clear that a number of factors influence the
implementation of a standard:
 the demand for improvements
 the demand for standardisation
 the degree of regulation
 the motivation of the organisation
for implementing a standard
 the involvement of countries and
multinational organisations
 sufficient potential benefits
The next part of the research is the examination of different tunnel AM systems through interviews
and literature review. The decision to examine tunnels is based on the fact that tunnels are critical
elements in a network. Tunnels are seen as separate objects and are managed separately, this makes
them interesting for this research. The examined tunnel systems are developed according to certain
legislation, regulation and guidance material. The following documents are examined to find out to
what extent the existing legislation, regulation and guidance material covers the requirements of the
ISO 55001:
 The Dutch 'Tunnelstandaard', which arises from the implementation of the WARVW and
RARVW, is developed by Rijkswaterstaat (RWS). Developing a tunnel's AM system according
to the Tunnelstandaard will result in an AM system which is for 96% ISO 55001 compliant.
 The 'Leidraad Risicogestuurd Beheer en Onderhoud', which can be used to develop the
operational part of an AM system, developed by RWS. Developing a tunnel's AM system
according to this document will result in an AM system which is for 63% ISO 55001 compliant.
This is achieved by ISO compliant operational elements, but it lacks strategic and tactical
elements which meet the ISO 55001 requirements.
 The requirement specification developed by the municipality of Maastricht and ARCADIS for
the long term maintenance of the Markt-Maastunnel. Developing a tunnel's AM system
according to this specification results in an AM system which is for 81% ISO 55001 compliant.
The major deviations can be found in the supporting requirements.
 The ISO 9001 standard for the development of a quality management system. It is not possible
to develop a tunnel's AM system according to the ISO 9001 since this standard contains
requirements for a quality management system. A quality management system can be used as
a basis for the development of an AM system and will be compliant to the ISO 55001
requirements for 57%.
iv
Next, different tunnel AM systems are compared to the requirements of the ISO 55001. The following
tunnels are examined:
 A73 tunnels; Roertunnel and
Swalmentunnel, state tunnels
 Salland-Twentetunnel, state tunnel
 Waterwolftunnel, provincial tunnel
 Markt-Maastunnel, municipal tunnel
 Tunnels of Amsterdam; IJtunnel, Piet
Heintunnel and the Michiel de
Ruijtertunnel, municipal tunnels
This research shows that the AM systems of the examined state tunnels meet all the requirements of
the ISO 55001. This is the result of the implementation of the different guidance documents they have
developed. RWS can be seen as the leading organisation in this area in the Netherlands and has
developed a lot of guidance material about tunnel management and AM. Provinces and municipalities
do not have all the possibilities an organisation like RWS has. The AM system of the Markt-Maastunnel
corresponded to most of the ISO 55001 requirements, the Waterwolftunnel and the tunnels of the
municipality of Amsterdam did not meet many ISO 55001 requirements. In practice, this is mostly not
seen as a large problem and none of the examined organisations intended to become ISO 55001
certified.
Concluding, the added value, the downsides, and the possible contributions of the ISO 55000 for the
Dutch road infrastructure sector are explained.
The added value of the ISO 55000 consists of:
 The ISO 55000 offers a structure for the development of an AM system;
 The ISO 55000 can be used for the development of an AM system for the management of
specific objects, or an entire (infrastructure) AM system;
 The standardisation of processes of an organisation delivers added value.
The downsides of the ISO 55000 for the Dutch road infrastructure sector are:
 The ISO 55000 standard is developed for AM system owners who also own the (major part of)
the asset portfolio;
 The ISO 55000 is too general;
 More specific documents are available for the development of the AM system of a tunnel.
The contribution of the ISO 55000 for the Dutch road infrastructure sector is different for every asset
owner and asset manager. Some of the factors that influence the implementation of a standard are
beneficial for the implementation of the ISO 55000. The Dutch road infrastructure sector demands
improvement and standardisation. The standard can provide benefits for many organisations, and the
governmental asset owners have the right motivation. The less stimulating factors are that RWS has
decided not to implement the ISO 55000, and the general road infrastructure sector's regulation does
not demand standardisation.
The national road tunnels manager (RWS) has guidance material for the implementation of an AM
system that is beyond the ISO 55000. Provincial and municipal road tunnel managers do not use this
so far. These organisations have to decide if they want to follow on to the procedures of RWS, or if
they want to develop their own tunnel AM systems according to the ISO 55000.
Resulting from this research are recommendations specifically for the AM of tunnels, AM in the general
road infrastructure sector, and how ARCADIS should deal with accreditation. Dutch tunnels AM
systems should be developed according to the Tunnelstandaard.
Opportunities appear for ARCADIS in the area of the Dutch provincial and municipal infrastructure
asset owners. At state infrastructure, there are not much opportunities for ARCADIS because RWS is
one of the pioneers in Dutch AM. At a tactical level, ARCADIS can offer its services to RWS. However,
the bulk of the work has to come from the municipal and provincial assets. Working as a managing
agent or consulting these asset owners with or without the ISO 55000 can be beneficial for ARCADIS.
ARCADIS can assist service providers in becoming a trustworthy partner in an AM system.


A spin-label (P-OPC) composed of the nitroxide-containing ring proxyl linked at the C1 position of the intercalating fluorescent chromophore oxazolopyridocarbazole (OPC) has been synthesized. The spin-labeled OPC was found to interact with DNA and polynucleotides according to an external minor groove binding mode with association constant values Kapp ranging from 10(5) to 10(6) M-1. External binding was obvious from the inability of P-OPC to increase the length of sonicated DNA upon binding, the low unwinding angle (9.6 degrees) of circular PM2 DNA, and the low energy transfer from DNA bases to bound chromophore. Binding of P-OPC to DNA or polynucleotide results in a strong immobilization of the proxyl moiety, resulting in the appearance of an asymmetric and broad ESR spectrum with a maximal hyperfine splitting of 56.5 G. In the equilibrium conditions, the occurrence of superimposed ESR spectra related to the P-OPC fraction undergoing rapid motion and to the P-OPC fraction immobilized allows the estimation of the concentrations of free and DNA-bound spin-label. The external mode of binding to DNA as well as the characteristics of the ESR spectra make P-OPC suitable for the determination of DNA binding parameters of nonintercalating ligands using competition experiments. The measurement of the binding constants of distamycin A to poly[d(A-T)] and poly[d(G-C)] is taken as an example.


An alcohol dehydrogenase LkADH was successfully engineered to exhibitimproved activity and substrate tolerance for the production of (S)-2-chloro-1-(3,4-difluorophenyl)ethanol, an important precursor of ticagrelor. Five potential hotspots were identified for enzyme mutagenesis by using natural residue abundance as an indicator to evaluate their potential plasticity. A semi-rational strategy named "aromatic residue scanning" was applied to randomly mutate these five sites simultaneously by using tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine as "exploratory residues" to introduce steric hindrance or potential π-π interactions. The best variant Lk-S96Y/L199W identified with 17.2-fold improvement in catalytic efficiency could completely reduce up to 600 g/L (3.1 M) 2-chloro-1-(3,4-difluorophenyl)ethenone in 12 h with >99.5% ee, giving the highest space-time yield ever reported. This study, therefore, offers a strategy for mutating alcohol dehydrogenase to reduce aromatic substrates and provides an efficient variant for the efficient synthesis of (S)-2-chloro-1-(3,4-difluorophenyl)ethanol.


Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006

4444

We have previously reported sequences homologous to the env gene of Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus (MMTV) but not to human endogenous retroviruses in 38% of the human breast cancers studied, yet they were absent from others human tissues (Wang et al, Cancer Research 1995, 55: 5173). We have also found that normal breast tissue from env positive breast cancer patients was negative, suggesting that the sequences are of exogenous origin (Melana et al, Cl. Cancer Research 2001, 7:283). The sequences were also expressed in most of the positive breast cancer specimens as detected by RT PCR (Wang et al, Cl. Cancer Research 1998, 4:2565).Finally, the complete 9.9 Kb proviral sequence of an MMTV-like agent has been amplified and sequenced in two breast cancers (Liu, B. et al, Cancer Res 2001, 61:1754). Structural features of this provirus suggest that it is functional. We have now looked for the presence of viral particles in primary cultures (MSSM cells) of env sequence positive tumors. The cells expressed Env proteins as shown by immunofluorescence and western blot. FACS analysis indicated that between 10 to 20 % of the cells expressed the surface protein. Retroviral particles budding from cells as well as in particulate fractions from culture media were observed by electron microscopy. Particulate fractions also display reverse transcriptase (RT) activity and the presence of all viral genes as detected by RT-PCR. The RT activity peaked at densities characteristic of retroviruses in sucrose gradients. None of these properties were observed in similar studies with normal Human Mammary Epithelial Cells (HMEC) primary cultures or established normal breast cell line (MCF10F). Co-culture of MSSM virus-producing cells with HMEC, MCF10F, and B cells (Ramos) demonstrated transfer of viral sequences, as detected by PCR, and expression of Env proteins by western blot and FACS analysis in the recipient cells. Taken together, these findings support the identification of a human mammary tumor virus (HMTV) similar to MMTV in human breast cancer, which is able to infect human cells. Morphological cell transformation and tumorigenesis experiments are being performed.


A transmission network suitable for use in multiarea power system reliability models which utilize a Monte Carlo simulation approach is presented. The transmission network model utilizes the REI equivalent, which permits accurate modeling of transmission ties between areas while reducing computational burden and permitting variations in area generating capacity and loads as required in reliability studies. A computationally efficient approach to generation redispatch as required to model mutual assistance between areas in multiarea reliability studies is presented. Sample results are given for the IEEE Std 118-bus test system and a large power pool with 13 areas. >


We present bolometric luminosity (L bol) and black hole (BH) mass (M BH) estimators based on mid-infrared (MIR) continuum luminosity (hereafter, L MIR) that are measured from infrared (IR) photometric data. The L MIR-based estimators are relatively immune from dust extinction effects, hence they can be used for dust-obscured quasars. To derive the L bol and M BH estimators, we use unobscured quasars selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasar catalog, which have wide ranges of L bol (1044.62–1046.16 erg s−1) and M BH (107.14–109.69 M ⊙). We find empirical relations between (i) continuum luminosity at 5100 Å (hereafter, L5100) and L MIR; (ii) L bol and L MIR. Using these relations, we derive the L MIR-based L bol and M BH estimators. We find that our estimators allow the determination of L bol and M BH at an accuracy of ∼0.2 dex against the fiducial estimates based on the optical properties of the unobscured quasars. We apply the L MIR-based estimators to SDSS quasars at z ≲ 0.5 including obscured ones. The ratios of L bol from the L MIR-based estimators to those from the optical luminosity-based estimators become larger with the amount of the dust extinction, and a non-negligible fraction (∼15%) of the SDSS quasars exhibits ratios greater than 1.5. This result suggests that dust extinction can significantly affect physical parameter derivations even for SDSS quasars, and that dust extinction needs to be carefully taken into account when deriving quasar properties.


This study was conducted to compare the Izod impact values of injection molded polymer specimens with molded- versus machined-notch specimens. The ASTM D 256 notched Izod impact test was used to measure the impact values of both specimen types. The impact values were compared to determine if differences exist between specimens that had the molded notch and specimens that had the cut notch. Post-molding machining of the notch is the procedure required by ASTM D 256-93a, Standard Test Methods for Determining the Pendulum Impact Resistance of Notched Specimens of Plastics. Specimens from six different polymer families were produced using the reciprocating-screw injection molding process and a two-cavity mold. The polymers tested were poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) (ABS), high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polyamide (PA), polypropylene (PP), and polycarbonate (PC). It was found that five of the six polymers had significantly higher impact values in the molded-notch condition. Impact values for polypropylene were as much as 300% greater in the molded-notch condition. Testing of polycarbonate resulted in a bimodal distribution among cut-notch specimens; however, the molded-notch specimens fractured as significantly higher values. Although the mean impact value for molded-notch specimens of ABS was slightly higher than that of the cut-notch specimens, it was found that there was no statistically significant difference for ABS. It was found that the geometries of the molded notches were not uniform among the different materials, even though they were produced from the same mold, Molding of the materials resulted in slightly different notch geometries when inspected at × 50 magnification.


The morphology of plant nuclei varies among different species, organs, tissues and cell types. However, mechanisms and factors involved in the maintenance of nuclear morphology are poorly understood. Because nuclei retain their shapes even after cytoskeletal inhibitor treatments both in vivo and in vitro, we assumed involvement of the nuclear lamina, which plays a critical role in the regulation of nuclear morphology in animals. The crude nuclear lamina fraction isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana leaves was analyzed by mass spectrometry, and putative nuclear lamina proteins were identified. Among their T-DNA insertion lines, nuclei of little nuclei1 (linc1) and linc4 disruptants were more spherical than those of wild-type plants. Because A. thaliana harbors four LINC genes, we prepared all single and linc1/4 and linc2/3 double disruptants. In leaf epidermal cells, the circularity index of the nucleus in all linc disruptants except linc3 was significantly higher than that in the wild-type plants. The extent of the effects of LINC1 and/or LINC4 disruption was significantly higher than that of the effects of LINC2 disruption. The nuclear area was significantly smaller in the linc1, linc4 and linc1/4 disruptants than in the wild-type plants. Regardless of the defects in nuclear morphology, all linc disruptants exhibited a normal ploidy level. In interphase cells, LINC1 and LINC4 were mainly localized to the nuclear periphery, whereas LINC2 was in the nucleoplasm and LINC3 was detected in both regions. From prometaphase to anaphase in mitotic root tip cells, LINC1 was co-localized with chromosomes, whereas other LINCs were dispersed in the cytoplasm.


A method of measuring the peak value of the Faraday rotation induced by a sinusoidal magnetic field is described. No rotating part is needed. The method is general and may, in theory, be used at any frequency. An accuracy better than 1% is reached, for rotation between 0.2 degrees and 60 degrees , at frequencies below about 20 kHz. The device has been tested with a water Faraday rotator for two field amplitudes and at three frequencies. This device may also be of interest in building sinusoidal magnetic field sensors or in studying the variation of the Faraday effect with modulation frequency.


Reductive elimination of methane from methyl hydride half-sandwich phosphane complexes of the Group 9 metals has been investigated by DFT calculations on the model system [CpM(PH(3))(CH(3))(H)] (M = Co, Rh, Ir). For each metal, the unsaturated product has a triplet ground state; thus, spin crossover occurs during the reaction. All relevant stationary points on the two potential energy surfaces (PES) and the minimum energy crossing point (MECP) were optimized. Spin crossover occurs very near the sigma-CH(4) complex local minimum for the Co system, whereas the heavier Rh and Ir systems remain in the singlet state until the CH(4) molecule is almost completely expelled from the metal coordination sphere. No local sigma-CH(4) minimum was found for the Ir system. The energetic profiles agree with the nonexistence of the Co(III) methyl hydride complex and with the greater thermal stability of the Ir complex relative to the Rh complex. Reductive elimination of methane from the related oxidized complexes [CpM(PH(3))(CH(3))(H)](+) (M = Rh, Ir) proceeds entirely on the spin doublet PES, because the 15-electron [CpM(PH(3))](+) products have a doublet ground state. This process is thermodynamically favored by about 25 kcal mol(-1) relative to the corresponding neutral system. It is essentially barrierless for the Rh system and has a relatively small barrier (ca. 7.5 kcal mol(-1)) for the Ir system. In both cases, the reaction involves a sigma-CH(4) intermediate. Reductive elimination of ethane from [CpM(PH(3))(CH(3))(2)](+) (M = Rh, Ir) shows a similar thermodynamic profile, but is kinetically quite different from methane elimination from [CpM(PH(3))(CH(3))(H)](+): the reductive elimination barrier is much greater and does not involve a sigma-complex intermediate. The large difference in the calculated activation barriers (ca. 12.0 and ca. 30.5 kcal mol(-1) for the Rh and Ir systems, respectively) agrees with the experimental observation, for related systems, of oxidatively induced ethane elimination when M = Rh, whereas the related Ir systems prefer to decompose by alternative pathways.


The photoionization cross sections for the ground-state of a Mg-like Fe14+ ion converging to the Fe15+ 3l thresholds are calculated in LS coupling by using the variational eigenchannel R-matrix method, where is a much simpler technique than other extensive calculations such as the relativistic Breit-Pauli R-matrix method. The major approximation for this calculational formalism concerns the use of a Hamiltonian H that does not refer to the full atomic system, but represents only the valence electrons plus a central effective potential to represent the effects of the inner shell. The present calculational results are compared with the previous results obtained by considering the relativistic effects. With detailed descriptions for the resonances of the cross section across the Fe15+ 3l thresholds, we show that the relativistic effects are not so crucial in the energy range below the Fe15+ 3d threshold. The resonant states are identified and analyzed by using the resonance positions Er, effective quantum numbers n*, and widths Gr based on the idea of eigenphase gradients.


This paper addresses the tracking problem of the state variables of a nonlinear planar dynamic model of an overactuated electric vehicle with four-wheel independent drive (4WID) topology. In order to track the state variables of the system it is proposed a new sliding mode controller based on a nonlinear planar model. The controller explores the overactuated system in order to redistribute the control effort to the remaining actuators when a fault occurs. Although the system has multiple solutions due to the access of the torque applied in each wheel independently, there could be particular fault events where the remaining healthy actuators may not be able to maintain the system stability. In those particular cases the inclusion of the steering control variable is an important advantage as it allows the controller to manipulate the control effort in any directions. The proposed controller is validated in various driving scenarios with different fault schemes. The simulations are carried out with a high-fidelity vehicular model provided by the simulation software Carsim in co-simulation with Matlab/Simulink.


SEM review samples of bright field inspection results can be one or more orders of magnitude smaller than the defect count. Because of this, there is a risk of the sample set not adequately representing the actual yield risk of the defect population, especially if systematic defects are present. Furthermore, SEM review based on this method is often inefficient due to "SEM non-visual", nuisance defects, or dummy fill patterns dominating the sample Pareto. The quality of the defect Pareto can be significantly improved using design based binning, or DBB. DBB couples layout information from design data with the relative location of each detected defect. This enables binning by key features of the pattern geometry surrounding the defect, thus providing more information about the yield risk of that defect. This paper describes the various components of DBB technology, and shows examples of improving SEM review efficiency by employing DBB to effectively bin out nuisance and other systematic defect types.


The authors present a patient with Fanconi syndrome who demonstrated poor renal uptake of Tc-99m DMSA and high urinary concentration of the tracer. Tc-99m DTPA imaging was normal and the creatinine clearance was only minimally decreased. These findings suggest that Tc-99m DMSA may be accumulated in the kidney by glomerular filtration and subsequent tubular reabsorption. A Tc-99m MDP bone scan showed faint renal uptake, as well as diffuse high skeletal uptake, particularly in the spine, demonstrating that the metabolic bone disease associated with Fanconi syndrome can be one of the causes of poor renal visualization on a bone scan.


It is well known that compiler optimizations can significantly reduce the energy usage of a program. However, the traditional model of compilation imposes inherent limits on the extent of code optimization possible at compile time. In particular, analyses and optimizations are typically limited to individual procedures, and hence cannot cross procedural and module boundaries as well as the boundaries between application and library code. These limitations can be overcome by carrying out additional code optimization on the object file obtained after linking has been carried out. These optimizations are complementary to those carried out by the compiler. Our experiments indicate that significant improvements in energy usage can be obtained via post-link-time code optimization, even for programs that have been subjected to extensive compile-time optimization.


Purpose The purpose of this study is to verify whether the headless cannulated compression screw (HCCS) has higher biomechanical stability than the ordinary cannulated compression screw (OCCS) in the treatment of vertical femoral neck fractures. Materials and Methods 30 synthetic femur models were equally divided into 2 groups, with 50°, 60°, and 70° Pauwels angle of femoral neck fracture, under 3D printed guiding plates and C-arm fluoroscopic guidance. The femur molds were fixed with three parallel OCCSs as OCCS group and three parallel HCCSs as HCCS group. All specimens were tested for compressive strength and maximum load to failure with a loading rate of 2 mm/min. Results The result showed that there was no significant difference with the compressive strength in the Pauwels angle of 50° and 60°. However, we observed that the maximum load to failure with the Pauwels angle of 50°, 60°, and 70° and the compressive strength with 70° of HCCS group showed better performance than the OCCS group. Conclusion HCCS performs with better biomechanical stability than OCCS in the treatment of vertical femoral neck fracture, especially with the Pauwels angle of 70°.


Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC

One hallmark of high grade glioblastoma is invasive growth that is dependent on ability of the tumor cells to migrate from the tumor into surrounding brain tissue thus preventing complete surgical resection. Rsu1, a member of the Integrin Linked Kinase-PINCH1-Parvin (IPP) cell adhesion complex, is encoded by a gene on human chromosome 10p13 in a region frequently deleted in high grade gliomas. Previous studies from our lab demonstrated that ectopic expression of Rsu1 in a human glioma cell line inhibited the tumorigenicity of the cells. The current study addresses the effect of Rsu1 on adhesion and migration in human glioma cell lines. The results with stable Rsu1 transfectants in the U87 glioma cell line indicate that Rsu1 expression results in enlarged cells with increased filapodial extensions and an increase in the number of focal adhesions. This phenotype correlates with increased cell adhesion and 30-50% decreased cell migration in Boyden chamber assays using PDGF, TPA or HGF as inducers of migration. siRNA-mediated depletion of Rsu1 concomitantly reduces the level of other IPP proteins, particularly the Rsu1 binding protein PINCH1. This loss of cell adhesion proteins reduces adhesion and enhances in vitro migration of highly oncogenic tumor cells. Infection of U87 and U251 glioma cell lines or immortalized human astrocytes and their Ras-transformed counterparts with adenovirus encoding Rsu1 decreased or eliminated phosphorylation of Akt on serine 473 compared to control vector. This finding and previous work demonstrating that signaling through the JNK pathway can be influenced by Rsu1 and PINCH11,2,3 suggest that both JNK and PI-3-kinase pathways are regulated by Rsu1 to limit cell migration. These studies identify deletion of Rsu1 as a mechanism that inhibits the IPP complex -induced adhesion as a potential mediator of the migratory behavior of high grade gliomas exhibiting chromosome 10 loss or 10p13 deletion.

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Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5140.


Multi-user applications generally lag behind in features or compatibility with single-user applications. As a result, users are often not motivated to abandon their favorite single-user applications for groupware features that are less frequently used. A well-accepted approach, collaboration transparency, is able to convert off-the-shelf single-user applications into groupware without modifying the source code. However, existing systems have been largely striving to develop generic application-sharing mechanisms and undesirably force users to share the same application in cooperative work. In this paper we analyze this problem and present a novel approach (called intelligent collaboration transparency) to addressing this problem. Our approach allows for heterogeneous application sharing by considering the particular semantics of the applications and the collaboration task in question.


Classical descriptions of popular religion in China have noted how the pantheon of deities constitutes a celestial administration organized and approached much like a bureaucratic state. While the view of popular religion as a mere reflection of imperial rule seems inadequate, the idea of the imperial metaphor points to an intimate relation between religious practices and the state that merits attention. This article examines how the state—not only the long-defunct imperial bureaucracy but also the Maoist state—is imagined as a central provider of cosmic order in religious practices in a rural township in Hebei Province. Like many other places in the People's Republic of China, the township has seen a revival of popular religion in recent decades. This revival has often been described as a rebounding and selective adaptation of traditions that had been suppressed by the socialist state. Intellectuals tend to describe this development in terms of an increased tolerance for "cultural" practices; but the fact is that local cosmology puts the state at the very heart of popular religion. In terms of local cosmology, the state is an ideal cosmic order, an exemplary center responsive to the needs of ordinary people, and the present apparatus of governance is but an imperfect actualization of this ideal state that may just as well make itself manifest in the form of popular religion. The bifurcation of the state into two terms, a state idea and a state system, suggests that one might approach the state system and popular religion as both enactments of the state idea. Instead of presenting the relation between the state system and popular religion in terms of a metaphorical or oppositional logic between two terms, local cosmology offers a third term and claims that the state system and popular religion both embody, more and less successfully, a single principle of cosmic order. This article is an attempt to use the cosmological conception of the state as a basis for theorizing anew the relationship between the state system and popular religion. Describing how various manifestations of popular religion from Falungong to Christian sectarianism offer healing and social support in a Hebei township, the article suggests that popular religion does not so much stand for the state as a representation, as it stands in for the state as an alternative enactment.


Predicting the cheapest sample size for the optimal stratification in multivariate survey design is a problem in cases where the population frame is large. A solution exists that iteratively searches for the minimum sample size necessary to meet accuracy constraints in partitions of atomic strata created by the Cartesian product of auxiliary variables into larger strata. The optimal stratification can be found by testing all possible partitions. However the number of possible partitions grows exponentially with the number of initial strata. There are alternative ways of modelling this problem, one of the most natural is using Genetic Algorithms (GA). These evolutionary algorithms use recombination, mutation and selection to search for optimal solutions. They often converge on optimal or near-optimal solution more quickly than exact methods. We propose a new GA approach to this problem using grouping genetic operators instead of traditional operators. The results show a significant improvement in solution quality for similar computational effort, corresponding to large monetary savings.


A lot of research has studied how to optimize inverted index structures in search engines through suitable reassignment of document identifiers. This approach was originally proposed to allow for better compression of the index, but subsequent work showed that it can also result in significant speed-ups for conjunctive queries and even certain types of disjunctive top-k algorithms. However, we do not have a good understanding of why this happens, and how we could directly optimize an index for query processing speed. As a result, existing techniques attempt to optimize for size, and treat speed increases as a welcome side-effect.
 In this paper, we take an initial but important step towards understanding and modeling speed increases due to document reordering. We define the problem of minimizing the cost of queries given an inverted index and a query distribution, relate it to work on adaptive set intersection, and show that it is fundamentally different from that of minimizing compressed index size. We then propose a heuristic algorithm for finding a document reordering that minimizes query processing costs under suitable cost models. Our experiments show significant increases in the speed of intersections over state-of-the-art reordering techniques.


After prolonged exploitation under service conditions heat resisted steels that are used for power plant boiler components are exposed to microstructure evolution. As a result of material changed microstructure significance decrease of mechanical properties is expected and critical components must be removed before failure. Results of some published investigations with low alloyed Cr-Mo-V cast steels reports about possibility of regenerative heat treatment after prolonged exploitation and influence of microstructure on mechanical properties. Considering assumption that post service regenerative heat treatment could change microstructure and improve decreased mechanical properties, heat resisted steel 14MoV6-3 is investigated in this paper. This steel was in exploitation as a main steamline in power plant boiler almost 200.000 hours under service conditions. Exploited material is exposed to regenerative heat treatment and microstructure of virgin, exploited and regenerative heat treated material 14MoV6-3 is presented in comparative way.


Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) has existed as a separate field of scientific research for almost a decade. It is therefore surprising that very few studies to date have been concerned with the identification of the scope and boundaries of the field, as well as the sub-topics and research themes that constitute it. This chapter reports on the results of an empirical analysis of more than 200 research projects in Knowledge and Information Management. Using an inductive methodology of pattern matching analysis, a more accurate definition of knowledge management is attempted, and an innovative taxonomy of research sub-themes within the 'umbrella' area of Knowledge and Information Management is proposed. Furthermore, a trend towards a gradual maturation of the presently prevailing research paradigm is identified, indicating a need for a 'paradigm shift' that will provide a new direction and vision for future research in the area. We suggest that targeted future research efforts in the area of knowledge technologies will contribute to the development of the 'next generation' knowledge management systems that will transform the existing 'passive' knowledge repositories into 'active' learning environments.


There is much talk on recycling organic effluents, closing nutrient cycles, maximising energetic efficiency, maintaining equilibriums between humans and nature, etc., even for lakes and estuaries. Aquatic systems provide us (humans) the service of recycling decomposable organics and deliver fish at the same time, notably, as long as the system (nature) is not out of order. The potential of an aquatic system to provide nature services depends on maintaining the specific equilibrium of that system. We explore the dependency of this equilibrium on human activities that help to improve eco-system functioning; though human activities are costly and nature is not for free. As will be shown, only costly oxygen provision and labour as input improve the system. However, it is difficult to evaluate services correctly. If catch from outside is cheap and if, as major objective of societies, labour productivity has to be increased, it may not pay to maintain nature services. It is against this background, that we show how nature services can be evaluated more correctly on the basis of an exchange between humans and aquatic systems. We will see how a framework of humans as principle and nature as agents provides a better concept for services evaluation. Humans have to scarify labour for recycling and nature may "require payments". In a suggested new perspective on closing nutrient cycles in aquatic systems, which is based on a system approach where nature provides services to humans, nature has to be paid. Implicitly, we hypothesise that entropy optimised systems may be more sustainable.


Abstract Complete 121,123Sb NQR spectra of crystalline rate earth antimonites Ln3Sb5O12 (Ln = La, Nd, Er, Lu) were recorded at 77 K. The quadrupole coupling constants and asymmetry parameters of the electric field gradient were measured. A "lanthanide compression" effect on the antimony NQR was observed. Using relations found for the antimonites under study, the Sb spectral parameters of other lanthanide compounds can be predicted.


Herbal extracts are used in dentistry for treatment of various dental disorders. The natural photochemical could offer an effective alternative to antibiotics and represent a promising approach to prevention and therapeutic strategies for various oral infections. The herbal remedies have an edge over conventional antibiotic treatment that suffer the limitation of low benefit to high risk as compared to herbal treatment that possess high benefit to low-risk ratio. The literature shows that several herbal formulations have the capacity to control the production of proinflammatory mediators, thereby managing many inflammatory processes. The use of such herbal anti-inflammatory formulations for a longer period of time was found to be safer than that of chemical anti-inflammatory drugs.Studies for assessment of safety and efficacy of herbal remedies are in its infancy. These herbal remedies are expected to widely use in future. There are much more opportunities for further research in the utility of herbal remedies for oral diseases.


Introduction: One of the main tools for Hospital-Based Health Technology Assessment (HB HTA) is the preparation of a mini-health technology assessment (HTA) report. Despite the high value of the results of mini-HTA reports for hospital decision-makers, the classical mini-HTA report does not allow a direct comparison of several health technologies among themselves. Methods: Based on the analysis of international experience of using the principles of multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) in the field of HB HTA, we created and approved our own managerial decision-making model which includes five standardized multiple criteria. The value (weight) of each criterion was defined as the arithmetic mean obtained as a result of interviewing hospital decision-makers and an HTA expert group. Results: Five standardized multiple criteria were included in the structure of our mini-HTA report. These criteria presented the main results of assessment of the viability of implementing new health technologies (HTs) in hospital practice and contain the following: i) Novelty/innovation; ii) Comparative clinical effectiveness and safety; iii) Relevance (demand); iv) Economic effectiveness; and, v) Payback period. We conducted the modeling of various options of HTA results by using multiple criteria, which allowed us to determine the threshold values of the evaluated HTs corresponding to their priority for implementation: i) High priority - HTs are recommended for implementation; ii) Medium priority - HTs can be recommended only if there are sufficient financial resources in hospital; and, iii) Low priority - HTs may be recommended only if there are strong reasons for their need. Conclusions: Integration of the principles of MCDA in the structure of mini-HTA reports gives the opportunity to i) make comparative assessments of implementing new health technologies based on standardized criteria; ii) determine the priority for implementation of newly evaluated health technologies; iii) avoid the influence of subjective factors on the managerial decision-making in hospitals.


This article deals with the validation of approaches to coordinating activities in mobile ad hoc networks. Previous studies relied on simulations that paid little attention to how well these networks perform the tasks for which they can be deployed. Indeed, many authors employed random mobility models, although the hosts rarely move at random in real applications. Here, we assess the main ideas in the coordination literature in the context of extinguishing forest fires, with movements driven by application-level concerns and an eye on overall performance. The results reveal strengths and weaknesses of the most recent trend in coordination, knowledge exploitation.