Abstract Object : To assess the level of satisfaction among all registered nurses (RNs)(excluding anesthetic nurses) with the provision of ansesthetic service at Srinagarind Hospital, Knonkaen University, Thailand. Materials and Methods : Using purposive sampling, we selected 200 RNs (not anesthetic nurses) from all wards at Srinagarind Hospital. Questionnaires comprised three parts : Part 1 – demographics and work place; Part 2 – level of satisfaction among ward RNs vis-a-vis the provision of anesthetic service, c) knowledge, and d) personnel; and Part 3 – open-ended questions). Results : The reliability of the survey was 0.92. The data were analyzed and presented as percentages, means and standard deviations. The satisfaction among RNs from all of the wards vis-avis the provision of anesthetic service was high, namely: a)  administration 2.72 ±0.50; b) service 3.30±0.46;c) knowledge 2.90±0.45; and  , c) personnel 3.22 ±0.46. The open-ended questions indicated that RNs expected better communications and relationships amongst all of the members of the anesthetic team. They felt that the distribution of knowledge about anesthesiology was inadequate and would like to be better informed before serving with postoperative patients. Conclusion: Overall RN-satisfaction with anesthetic service in all wards was high (3.03±0.36). RNs valued good communications among the whole team and would like to be better informed about each patient's anesthesiology needs. In so doing,the RNs believed the delivery of anesthetic services would improve. Keywords : Vitamin D Deficiency; Calcidiol; PTH; Postmenopausal Women


Discriminating photorealistic computer graphics from natural images is an important problem in image forensics. A new distinguishing method using second-order difference statistics is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the second-order difference signals and predicting error signals of both original and calibrated images are extracted in the HSV color space, and then the variance and kurtosis of second-order difference signals and the first four order statistics of predicting error signals are extracted to be used as distinguishing features, the Fisher linear discrimination analysis is used to construct a classifier to do the differentiating job. Experimental results show that the proposed method exhibits excellent performance for the discrimination between natural images and photorealistic computer graphics, outperforms previous proposed approaches. Moreover, it has a low computational complexity.


Economic policy in the modern world is mostly an outcome of interaction of numerous territorial centers of authority (countries or regions). However, the borders between these regions and the degree of centralization of economic decision-making in the system are endogenous to the internal logic of its development. This book surveys the literature on economics of conflicts and endogenous decentralization, dealing with the structure and borders of jurisdictions.


A new diagnostic measurement technique is being developed that will enable the investigation of the dynamics of flowing wet solids. The technique involves the use of Laser Induced Photochemical Anemometry (LIPA), enhanced to enable two photochemical species to be excited. It uses laser induced photochromic and photo luminescent molecules to separately tag the two phases for times long enough for them to distort the tagging. Recording the distortions of the tagging caused by the movement of each phase enables us to obtain local characterization of flow properties of both phases of the wet solids at many positions simultaneously across a pipe.


Clinical education is an integral component of health-care professional education, providing an essential bridge between the academic and clinical environments. A soft systems methodology provided a conceptual framework for structuring an analysis of clinical education. The literature search encompassed all major databases and manual searching of key journals for health-care professions. Content analysis identified key themes, which included the balance between theoretical and clinical components of a course, timing of placements, assessment, models of placement, the supervisory process and the role of the clinical educator, student and the university tutor. The analysis identified a paucity of good quality research, with both theory–practice and literature–practice gaps in existence. The literature also highlighted the necessity for change, and the need to develop theory and research. The findings reflect that a structured approach to address the issues raised by clinical education at individual professi...


Introduction: Adjuvants are used in conjunction with local anaesthetics for brachial plexus block to quicken onset, prolong duration and augment the quality of anaesthesia.
Objectives: The study aims to evaluate the effect of adding ultra-low dose naloxone to bupivacaine on the duration of postoperative analgesia.
Methodology: A prospective, randomized, double-blind study was conducted including forty American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA PS) I and II patients of either sex between 15 and 65 years of age scheduled for upper limb surgery. They were randomized into two groups. Group BN received a mixture of 0.33% plain bupivacaine with ultra-low dose naloxone (100 ng) and group BS received 0.33% plain bupivacaine with saline. The procedure was standardized in both groups. The onset of sensory and motor block were assessed with pinprick sensation and muscle power respectively. Visual Analogue Score (VAS) was used to assess the pain at 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 hours postoperatively.
Result: The patients were comparable with respect to age, sex, ASA PS, baseline hemodynamic and respiratory parameters and duration of surgery. The mean duration of analgesia in group BN was significantly longer (610.7±125.4 mins) as compared to group BS (354.3±59.6 mins) (p<0.001). No complications were noted in both the groups.
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that 100 ng naloxone, when used with 0.33% plain bupivacaine for supraclavicular brachial plexus block, prolongs postoperative analgesia significantly after upper limb surgeries, without any significant side effects.


We report 2 cases of spontaneous thrombosis of the left internal spermatic vein causing acute development of a painful scrotoinguinal mass. Both patients were treated by surgical ligation and excision of the thrombosed vein. Venous congestion and testicular ischemia occurred in 1 patient who required orchiectomy for massive swelling and pain. Based on our recent experience, we recommend conservative management of spontaneous spermatic vein thrombosis with anticoagulation (and possibly antibiotics).


Apparent pKa values of active site residues Asp26, Cys32, and Cys35 in reduced thioredoxin have been characterized. Both wild-type thioredoxin and mutant D26A thioredoxin were selectively 13C-enriched on cysteine beta-carbons. In both proteins, the variation with pH of 1HB1, 1HB2, and 13CB NMR chemical shifts has been measured. In wild-type reduced thioredoxin, for both cysteines, the pH versus chemical shift plots of HB1 protons can be fit to one titration with pKa values of 7.0-7.1. In contrast, the HB2 protons and beta-carbons give pH--chemical shift plots that clearly reflect more than one titration; fits to the data give apparent pKa values of 7.0-7.3 and 9.5 for HB2 protons and 7.5-7.9 and 9.2-10.2 for CB carbons. In reduced D26A, all three probe chemical shifts have a pH dependence that is fit by one titration with pKa of 7.4-7.9. The absence of a titration with pKa > 9 in D26A, taken together with cysteine thiol pKa values of 7.1 and 7.9 determined by Raman spectroscopy [Li et al. (1993) Biochemistry 32, 5800-5808], indicates that the pKa > 9 in reduced thioredoxin is that of Asp26. This is highly significant in view of the previous observation that, in oxidized thioredoxin, Asp26 pKa is 7.5 [Langsetmo et al. (1991) Biochemistry 30, 7603-7609]. The very high pKa values of these carboxyls is consistent with their local environment in the three-dimensional structure; the Asp26 side chain in oxidized thioredoxin is almost but not completely buried, and in reduced thioredoxin it may be even more buried.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Background:Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) influences metabolic diseases and perhaps antiretroviral therapy (ART) complications. We explored associations between European mtDNA haplogroups and metabolic changes among A5142 participants. Methods:Seven hundred and fifty-seven ART-naive patients were randomized to one of three class-sparing ART regimens including efavirenz and/or lopinavir/ritonavir with or without nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). Nonrandomized NRTIs included stavudine, tenofovir, or zidovudine, each with lamivudine. Fasting lipid profiles and whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) were performed. Nine European mtDNA haplogroups were determined for 231 self-identified non-Hispanic white individuals. Metabolic changes from baseline to 96 weeks were analyzed by haplogroup. Results:Median age was 39 years, 9% were women, and 37, 32, and 30 were randomized to NRTI-containing regimens with either efavirenz or lopinavir/ritonavir, and an NRTI-sparing regimen, respectively. Among NRTI-containing regimens, 51% included zidovudine, 28% tenofovir, and 21% stavudine. Compared with other haplogroups, mtDNA haplogroup I (N = 10) had higher baseline non-HDL cholesterol [160 mg/dl (interquartile range 137–171) vs. 120 mg/dl (104–136); P = 0.005], a decrease in non-HDL cholesterol over 96 weeks [−14% (−20 to 6) vs. +25% (8 to 51); P < 0.001], tended to have more baseline extremity fat, and had more extremity fat loss by DEXA [−13% (−13 to 12) vs. +9% (−13 to 26); P = 0.08] and lipoatrophy (50 vs. 20%; P = 0.04). Haplogroup W (N = 5; all randomized to NRTI-sparing regimens) had the greatest increase in extremity fat [+35.5% (26.8 to 54.9); P = 0.02]. Conclusions:Lipids and extremity fat were associated with European mtDNA haplogroups in this HIV-infected population. These preliminary results suggest that mitochondrial genomics may influence metabolic parameters before and during ART.


This article is a discussion about some concepts and theories outlining foreign policy analysis. The author starts by showing the significance of foreign policy subject in International Relations study, followed by a summary on the development of foreign policy concepts and theories. It then highlights challenges to foreign policy subject concerning with the global transformation. As a conclusion, the author tries to prescribe the global and strategic approaches to the contemporary foreign policy.


PURPOSE: As the youngest ever Chairman of the Cass Real Estate Society, I am a 21-year-old passionate, well informed and driven Post Graduate student who has been granted the privilege of being an Ethiopian, whilst being born and educated in London. Holding a position such as the Chairman of the Cass Real Estate Society enables me to analyse and assess the appetite of investors, but one thing I have realised is that Ethiopia is the best kept secret within the global real estate industry, I believe it is my duty to invest the knowledge I have developed about the real estate investment industry for the primary development of the Ethiopian economy. The reason for this specific proposed topic, is firstly, due to my sincere passion as an Ethiopian to actually delve deeper into this growing industry of the private equity model in Ethiopian Real Estate, and whether there is actually growing benefit to the Ethiopian population both from an economic, and a social perception, whilst delving into the intriguing question, as to what this model of investment holds for Ethiopia in the next 10-20 years. It is a topic that has been expounded, but not by an actual Ethiopian who has a passion to understand how sustainable this investment model will be for the Ethiopian population. This coupled with my interest to see how a growing economic system such as Ethiopia's would react to such a specialised investment model into real estate investment, and whether the actual financial industry would embrace this level of investment sophistication.DESIGN / METHODOLOGY: From critically analysing various research sources, and consulting senior professionals within the Ethiopian real estate industry, the trend is that real estate private equity will reduce in the level of investment capital, until there is progressive development of the country's private sector. However, trends also highlight that private equity firms will begin to increase their investment in neighbouring countries, and this trend would also be assessed on the basis of comparison between different countries in Sub Saharan countries and their capacity to embrace real estate private equity investment. In addition, the question as to why the current governmental structure has not embraced and implemented investment friendly regulations creates a question as to whether investing into Ethiopia would be sustainable for private equity firms.The method I utilised is based on three key research techniques. Firstly, interviewing 70 active investors within the real estate industry within Africa, with 10 key contacts within the real estate private equity industry. From these sources, I conducted informal qualitative interviews, to assess how deals are structured differently within the Ethiopian real estate industry. I also gathered their thoughts on what developments would be needed for their current holdings within Ethiopia to enhance in investment value. I also have had access to the Ethiopian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, which shared invaluable information on the implications of private equity in Ethiopia.FINDINGS: There are various findings from this research, one of many is the sheer distance that real estate private equity investment creates for the Ethiopian, and how it adds to the class segregation, due to the sheer lack of understanding and the level of sophistication of the investment model. In addition, there were findings that highlighted how corruptive private equity could be, due to the method of foreign private equity firms holding knowledge only at the top hierarchy. There were findings that reinforced the benefits of foreign credible Universities which have developed finance teaching capacities, to conduct short courses in partnership with the Ethiopian Government on models such as private equity, which would create awareness, as well as develop the financial "intellectual capacity" of the country. For institutions such as Harvard University, Cambridge and Oxford University to partner with the domestic Universities in Ethiopia with the intention of developing the country's training of the financial world.RESEARCH QUESTIONS / LIMITATIONS: The key questions that would be answered by this body of research will be following:How is the real estate private equity market being structured, expanded and executed in Ethiopia, (the limitations and advantages of this model of investment into a growth nation)?Is the real estate private equity market actually a subsidy to the Ethiopian population (How can it be utilised to solve levels of deprivation within the country)?How sustainable is this current overflow in foreign capital into the Ethiopian real estate market, would it actually be economically beneficial to the country in the next 10-20 years, and whether the actual benefits are centralised?How can the Ethiopian Government create a private equity scheme which enables foreign private equity firms investing into Ethiopia, to provide community development as one form of paying corporate taxes i.e. enhancing the primary, secondary and graduate / post graduate educational system, i.e. training schemes for aspiring entrepreneurs, i.e. think tanks / idea incubators for the main purpose of inspiring creativity and developing a budding entrepreneurial nation?After thorough research, I have added the emergence of real estate venture capital investment into the research topic, as I believe that this would provide a more diverse method of comparing the emergence of real estate private equity against real estate venture capital. I can then utilise these two investment methods and assess which would be most sustainable for the Ethiopian economy in the long term, as one argues for more of a corporate and sophisticated investment approach, whilst the latter reinforces an entrepreneurial take on the Ethiopian start up enterprise industry.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The research reveals a numerous amount of practical implications. Firstly, how the private equity industry that is slowly progressing in Ethiopia must do more for the actual Ethiopian community, as opposed to capitalising on companies that lack knowledge of the private equity model. In addition, the need for robust financial education in the educational system. There must be an incorporation of how the financial system operates and how the financial dynamic of the country is changing. This will develop a level of understanding among graduates that can assist them to embark on interesting career paths. Also, the need for close inspection of private equity deals, and the need for private equity firms to actually conduct robust training and contribute to the employees, as a pose to keeping them lower down the hierarchy simply for man power.ORIGINALITY / VALUE OF WORK: The research project is highly original due to the fact that the concept of real estate private equity within Ethiopia has not been researched or written about within a research context. This provides a unique and compelling opportunity to shine the spotlight on the real estate private equity investment model and to answer the current debate in Sub Saharan Africa as to what the most sustainable investment models are for such a flourishing nation such as Ethiopia. The value of the work speaks of academic excellence. The sheer value that this piece of research could create can be judged from a political as well as an economic development perspective. The value of the research will be timely, as more than 40 conferences commence specifically regarding private equity in Africa per annum, and this research would provide an exceptional foundation to build upon whilst providing real estate investors with a more conscious understanding as to how they can develop the country as well as create wealth from it. The research will be presented more so as a guideline on how to actually utilise real estate private equity in Ethiopia. This is a one of the most sophisticated investment models, in such a delicate season of the Ethiopian economy, therefore concluding with the statement "are the two meant to be?". In simple terms, the research project would answer this question "how can we take real estate private equity in Ethiopia, and develop the lay man or lay woman in Ethiopia?". I believe by answering this question, we could utilise this investment model to pioneer the country with Ethiopians themselves pioneering the race.


This paper presents an integrated analysis of a nonlinear isolator-elastic beam interaction system to obtain extremely low or high supporting frequency. The nonlinear suspension unit consists of two vertical inclined springs and two horizontal springs, of which the vertical ones are to generate nonlinear effect while the horizontal one to provide a physical mean for realising required horizontal forces in reported nonlinear isolation systems. The dynamic equations of the system are derived, based on which three reduced models are obtained by introducing the related conditions. The nonlinear dynamic behavour on equilibria and stablities of the system are investigated. The dynamic interaction mechanism between the nonlinear suspension system and the eleastic structures are revealed. It is investigated the two application cases: one for aircraft ground vibration tests requiring an extreme low suporting frequency and another involving structure dynamic tests in laboratory where a rigid supporting foundation is expected. High performance vibration isolators with very low or very high stiffness are widely required in engineering. For ground vibration tests (GVT) of aircrafts, the supporting frequency have to be lower than one third of its first elastic natural frequency for flutter analysis. The weight of a large aircraft is huge but its first elastic natural frequency is quite low so that the stiffness of suportor must have a big static stiffness to support the large weight and also a very low dynamic stiffness for a very low supporting frequency [1]. In laboratories, dynamic tests of structures are often expected to be fixed on a rigid foundation, for which the stiffenss of supportor must be extremelly high. Experiments show a quite "rigid" foundation for static tests could be very soft for high frequency dynamic tests. To design this type of supportors, one approach is using active feedback controls in passive systems to modify its dynamic stiffness [2-3], which requires energy supply, so that it is difficult if the required energy is huge. Another approach is useing nonlinear spring [1]. The investigations on nonlinear isolatorss were reported [4-6] and their behaviour on stabilities, birfurcations and chaos are also given [7-8]. Available publications seem not tackling nonlinear isolator-structure interactions. As for structure control interactions [9], the dynamic characteristics of both structures and control system are affected each other. To assess the efficiency of a nonlinear isolator, interactions analysis is necessary. This paper intends to discuss this problem


CONTEXT
The National Collegiate Athletic Association held the first women's soccer championship in 1982; sponsorship and participation have greatly increased since.

BACKGROUND
Routine examinations of athlete injuries are important for identifying emerging temporal patterns.

METHODS
Exposure and injury data collected in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program during the 2014-2015 through 2018-2019 seasons were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics, and injury rate ratios were used to examine differential injury rates.

RESULTS
The overall injury rate was 8.33 per 1000 athlete-exposures. Lateral ligament complex tears (ankle sprains) (8.6%), concussions (8.3%), and quadriceps tears (5.0%) were the most commonly reported injuries. Rates of lateral ligament complex tears followed an increasing trajectory during the study period, whereas quadriceps tear rates fluctuated during the early years, and concussion rates decreased then increased.

SUMMARY
The findings of this study were mostly consistent with existing evidence; notable temporal patterns were observed with regard to lateral ligament complex tears and concussions.


Objectives To demonstrate the progression-free survival (PFS) of nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients with venous thrombus after radical nephrectomy and venous thrombectomy (RN-VT) and to develop and validate a nomogram to predict the PFS of patients after RN-VT. Materials and Methods We reported our prospective follow-up data of RCC patients with venous thrombus from January 2014 to September 2020 (n = 199). We used the Kaplan–Meier method to assess the PFS. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to determine the predictors. Nomograms predicting the PFS was established, and external validation was performed. Calibration curves and decision curves were generated to assess the predictive efficacy and clinical benefit. Results After a median follow-up of 32 months, 79 patients (39.7%) had disease progression and the median PFS was 41.0 months (95% CI 34.8–53.2 months). The 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year PFS rates were 78.4%, 45.4%, and 30.0%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that Fuhrman grade [grade 4: hazard ratio (HR) 1.92, 95% CI 1.10–3.34, P = 0.02], pathological type (papillary RCC: HR 3.02, 95% CI 1.79–5.10, P < 0.001), perinephric fat invasion (HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.12–2.10, P = 0.007), sarcomatoid differentiation (HR 2.97, 95% CI 1.24–7.13, P = 0.02) were associated with a worse PFS, and adjuvant therapy (HR 0.32, 95% CI 0.18–0.59, P < 0.001) could lead to a better PFS. A nomogram based on the predictors was externally validated to have good discrimination and calibration, and it could improve PFS prediction to obtain a clinical benefit. Conclusions We constructed and validated a nomogram to predict the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year PFS of M0 RCC patients with venous thrombus after surgery. The model can help identify patients who can benefit the most from surgery and develop the criteria for clinical trial enrollment.


The first case of blackwater fever was reported in Cuban medical literature. It is an uncommon complication of paludism due to Plasmodium falciparum, characterized by fever, hemoglobinuria, and kidney failure, with dramatic development and high mortality. The patient came from the People's Republic of Angola, where he stayed 7 years, with history of various episodes of malaria. He was admitted with fever, icterus and thick film test positive for P. falciparum. Treatment with quinine was started, but dark red urine and an increase of icterus were observed 12 hours later. Treatment with quinine was suspended. Red blood cells and platelets were transfused and hemodialysis and plasmapheresis were performed. The patient was discharged 2 weeks later asymptomatic and with negative thick film test. The pathogeny of this disease was discussed, specially kidney failure, making emphasis on the importance of the symptomatic and maintenance treatment in the patient's evolution.


Two open, multicentre studies were performed to evaluate the efficacy of 1% tioconazole cream (Trosyd®, Pfizer) as a once daily treatment for patients with common superficial dermatophyte and yeast infections (t. Pedis, t. versicolor, t. corporis, t. cruris, candidiasis). In Study I, forty-eight patients were treated once daily and forty-nine were treated twice daily. The clinical response rate at the last treatment visit was 96% and 98%, respectively, in the two treatment groups. In Study II, all 107 patients were treated once daily, and the clinical response rate was 95% at the last treatment visit. The mycological cure rates were 85% and 91% in the Study I groups, and 94% in Study II. At the long-term follow-up evaluation (approximately 4 weeks after treatment) favourable clinical responses were seen in 88% of patients in both the Study I groups, and in 94% of patients in Study II. Long-term mycological cures were seen in 80% of patients in both groups of Study I, and in 94% of patients in Study II. Side effects of treatment were generally transient, mild and coincident with disease symptoms, and occurred in six patients (6%) in Study I and in four patients (4%) in Study II. The results of both studies have shown no clinically or statistically significant differences in toleration or efficacy between once daily and twice daily treatment regimens with 1% tioconazole cream for the treatment of superficial dermatophyte infections.


Since passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2002, state
departments of education across the U.S. have been busy creating or modifying school accountability systems to meet NCLB guidelines. Ultimately, NCLB seeks to have all public school students proficient in English/Language Arts and mathematics by 2014. To identify schools in danger of not meeting this goal, states must establish student performance benchmarks and identify
schools not making adequate yearly progress (AYP). Those consistently failing to make AYP can be ordered into "radical restructuring," which may include having the state intervene in running the school (U. S. Department of Education, 2002). Given these NCLB provisions and the growing number of schools not meeting AYP, the number of state interventions in low-performing
schools will certainly increase. Accordingly, this article explores two questions about state-led interventions. First, how have teachers and administrators in underperforming schools in Massachusetts perceived state intervention? In addition, based on their perceptions, what might be done to make the process more effective? At three schools that experienced interventions from the Massachusetts Department of Education, a qualitative study explored the process of state intervention. A survey to principals in
22 of the 23 schools deemed underperforming by the state between 2000 and 2004 supplemented the in-depth qualitative work. Drawing on these mixed methods data sources, this article offers a series of proposals aimed at informing future state interventions in Massachusetts and elsewhere.


This paper examines the labour market integration of immigrants who have entered Germany since 1990, and compares their situation with that of their predecessors. The analyses based on the cumulative micro-census data reveal that recent immigrants into Germany are on average bettereducated than their earlier counterparts, and some ethnic groups are even better- educated than the national average. Despite their high levels of formal education, these immigrants coming mostly from Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East face severe integration problems in the German labour market. Thus, after taking into account the value of human capital represented by these immigrants, their ethnic disadvantages appear to increase. This stands in sharp contrast with the disadvantages faced by classic immigrants who arrived in Germany during the 1960s and 1970s, for whom lack of human capital had been identified as the main obstacle to labour market integration.


Adult T-cell lymphoma/leukemia (ATLL) is a T-cell malignancy caused by the human T-lymphotrophic virus type I (HTLV-I), and its therapeutic outcome still remains extremely poor. Therefore, novel therapeutic strategies are needed to improve treatment outcomes. In this study, we elucidated the therapeutic potential of targeting the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins for the treatment of ATLL using ABT-737 (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL, USA), a small molecule inhibitor of Bcl-2, Bcl-X L and Bcl-w. We first validated the rationale of this study by immunohistochemically assessing the expression of Bcl-2 family proteins in 25 lymph-node specimens derived from ATLL patients. The Bcl-2 and/or Bcl-X L proteins were expressed in 80% of specimens. We next examined the cytotoxicity of ABT-737 against three ATLL cell lines by the Colorimetric method. ABT-737 significantly inhibited growth of MT-1, MT-2 and HuT 102 cells with concentrations of 50 percent inhibition of 2.4, 0.23 and 0.008μM at 72 h, respectively. We then tried to clarify the mechanism of growth inhibition induced with ABT-737 using MT-1 and MT-2 cells. ABT-737 induced apoptosis in both cells with cleavage of caspases 9 and 3, and PARP. ABT-737 also induced apoptosis in fresh tumor cells derived from patients with ATLL. We also tested if ABT-737 enhances the cytotoxicity induced by conventional chemotherapeutic agents or novel agents. The interactions between them were evaluated using the Chou-Talalay method. ABT-737 synergistically enhanced the cytotoxicity and apoptosis induced by doxorubicin, vincristine or etoposide and bortezomib or suberolyanilide hydroxamic acid, which are current key drugs and promising candidates for the treatment of ATLL, respectively. Finally, we investigated the growth inhibition of ABT-737 in ATLL-xenografted mice. The mean tumor volume and weight, and mean serum level of soluble interleukin-2 receptor α at day 21 of the treated mice with ABT-737 (100mg/kg/day) were significantly lower than those of vehicle-treated mice. Moreover, massive induction of apoptosis was observed in tumors treated with ABT-737 by the TUNEL assay. These results suggest that the use of ABT-737, either alone, or in combination with other conventional cytotoxic and novel drugs, represents a promising novel targeted approach to overcome drug resistance and to improve patient outcome in ATLL. 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 4524.


Summary SV-40 virus elicits a fulminant cytolytic effect in a serial line of rabbit kidney cells (MA-111). One AGMK infective dose is sufficient to produce definite CPE in MA-111 within an incubation time similar to or even shorter than in AGMK cells. Virus and CF antigen yields in MA-111 approach those in cells of African green monkey origin.


Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) materials, also known as inverse opals, have been extensively investigated for use as photonic crystals that operate in the visible and near-IR region of the spectrum. Because the template for 3DOM materials is made by a colloidal self-assembly process, they can easily incorporate defects that degrade or eliminate their desired light-restricting properties. We have developed a method that uses transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to probe the interior of individual sections of 3DOM photonic crystals by bright-field imaging followed by two-dimensional Fourier image analysis. The technique permits the viewing of stacking faults in the crystal. Analysis of samples of 3DOM ceramics has allowed us to confirm that the voids in the structures are arranged on the points of a face-centred cubic lattice.


INTRODUCTION Although the administration of free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is effective in helping smokers quit, the feasibility, acceptability and safety of this practice have not been examined in the emergency setting of the pediatric emergency department (PED) or urgent care (UC). We examined the characteristics of parental smokers who were interested and eligible for free NRT during their child's emergency visit and the uptake, usage, and associated side effects of NRT use. METHODS We analyzed data from 377 parental smokers who were randomized to receive cessation counseling and free NRT as part of an emergency visit-based randomized controlled trial. Parents interested in NRT were screened for medical contraindications; eligible parents were given a 6-week supply of NRT patches or lozenges during their child's emergency visit and offered another supply 6 weeks later. We conducted Wilcoxon rank-sum tests and chi-squared tests to address our main study objective. RESULTS The majority of parents were female (87.5%), non-Hispanic Black (52.5%), and mean (SD) age was 33.1 (8.2) years. A total of 252 (66.8%) parents were interested in receiving NRT. Compared to uninterested parents, interested parents were more likely to: be older [33.6 (8.2) vs 31.9 (8.2), years]; be non-Hispanic Black (54.0% vs 49.6%); have older children [5.5 (5.0) vs 4.2 (4.6)]; have a higher readiness to quit [7.0 (2.4) vs 5.2 (2.6)]; and have a child being evaluated in UC compared to the PED (72.4% vs 56.5%). A total of 53 (21%) interested parents had >1 NRT contraindications. At 6 weeks, 94 (79.0%) parents reported some ≥NRT usage and 50 (53.2%) requested an additional 6-week supply. There were no serious adverse events and 5 (5.3%) reported minor side effects. CONCLUSIONS Parental smokers in the emergency setting are interested in receiving free NRT, the majority use it, and use is not associated with adverse side effects. The emergency visit may be an optimal time to offer NRT to parental smokers.


We report an unusual case of genitourinary malignancy in
an otherwise asymptomatic elderly male, which was discovered via workup of a
supraclavicular neck mass. We present his clinical workup as well as the
pathological workup and how it influenced our decision-making. A review of the
literature is also discussed and demonstrates how uncommon it is for seminomas
to present in this manner.


The International Panel on the Regulation of Autonomous Weapons (iPRAW) is an independent, interdisciplinary group of scientists working on the issue of lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS). It aims at supporting the current debate within the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) with scientifically grounded information and recommendations looking at a potential regulation of LAWS from different angles.


Acknowledgments We were pleased to have had the opportunity to work for Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The authors would also like to extend their sincerest gratitude for all the people in government , non-government, bilateral and UN agencies, as well as private institutions, who contributed to the preparation of this document. Special thanks goes to Wz. Lenesil Asfaw who contributed greatly to the procurement of reference materials. Executive Summary This country gender profile provides comparative information on men and women in Ethiopia covering a wide range of issues, with particular reference to poverty and other economic, political, legal socioeconomic and socio-cultural factors. Three topics namely, the girl child, HIV/ AIDS and human rights and governance are given separate coverage, because of the need to give special attention to the issues. The paper is an outcome of a gender equality assessment undertaken, that enabled the examination of existing situation, actions taken to address disparities, stakeholders involved, and identification of opportunities for intervention. The objective of the exercise was provision of information on Ethiopia for the facilitation of gender aware country strategies and projects development, as well as policy dialogue. The document covers three broad areas presented in six chapters. Chapter one provides brief background, chapter two examines existing situation of gender equality in the areas cited above, chapters three, four, and five present efforts made nationally, in terms of policy formulation and implementation, and interventions by national and international actors. In chapter six, opportunities for intervention have been identified and presented. The country is diverse in topography, people, temperature ethnic groups and cultures. The population projection for 2002, according to the 1994 census was 67.7 million 50.2% male and 49.8% female, 84.1% residing in the rural areas. There is a large number of female headed households up to 22.2% in Cities. An interesting male majority is observed , with a wide gap in Afar. Pastoralists form 12% of the population occupying 60% of the land, that are least developed. Population growth rate has decreased from 3.1% to 2.9% in the last decade. Life expectancy estimated to have gone down from 51–53 years to 47– 49 years because of HIV/AIDS. Harmful traditional practices like female genital mutilation , early marriage, abduction are rampant in the country. The economy is mainly based on agriculture, and food insecurity is a common phenomenon. Industry is not developed. The leading industry is food and …


Abstract The pion masses and the pion decay constant are calculated to 1-loop order in SU(2) twisted mass Wilson chiral perturbation theory, assuming a large pion mass splitting and tuning to maximal twist. Taking the large mass splitting at leading order in the chiral expansion leads to significant modifications in the chiral logarithms. For example, the result for the charged pion mass contains a chiral logarithm that involves the neutral pion mass instead of the charged one. Similar modifications appear in the results for the neutral pion mass and the decay constant. These new results are used in fits to lattice data obtained recently by the European twisted mass collaboration. The data can be fitted well, in general better than with the standard chiral perturbation theory expressions that ignore the mass splitting. The impact on the extraction of low-energy couplings is briefly discussed.


Maximal length linear congruential sequence (MLLCS) based LDPC codes have the advantage that the LDPC code graph can be generated at the receiver without having to explicity store the graph. Hence, these codes are advantageous when the same hardware needs to be used for different sets of rates and lengths. In this paper, we reveal an inherent structure in these codes that facilitates parallel implementation of the decoding algorithm. Based on this, we present an architecture for the MLLCS-LDPC decoder that facilitates parallel scalable implementation and joint code-decoder design.


Sustainable planning of water allocation in the agricultural sector requires attention to soil, plant, climate and their limitations. This study was conducted in order to develop a real-time framework for simulating soil–water balance in the root zone, crop growth curve and irrigation planning of rapeseed cultivation in Henan Province, China during a cropping season from March to October 2022. Simulation of production functions with field information calibration at daily time step was developed to accurately estimate the simulation of crop growth and soil water balance. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is incorporated as an efficient tool to evaluate the water productivity as objective function in a self-organizing framework. Choosing the appropriate planting date for rapeseed cultivation at the beginning of the growing season was evaluated to increase the use of precipitation for canopy cover growth and thus reduce irrigation water consumption. The results showed that the proposed model increased water productivity by 23% as the objective function, and evaporation from the soil surface decreased by 16%. The maximum difference between the irrigation depth in the optimal and existing strategies was 41 mm in the germination stages until the seed-filling stage, which caused a decrease in final biomass and plant transpiration.


. — Structure, terminology and possible homology of female genitalia in flea beetles (Alticinae) are discussed. The relative position of the male and female genitalia was examined in a pair of Aphthona formosana Chen preserved in copulation. It is spec-ulated that the vaginal palpi of the female genitalia and the median lobe of the male genitalia function together during copulation as an "intemal courtship device" to regulate sperm transfer and egg fertilization.


Due to novel mechanical and electrical properties of nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes and semiconducting oxide nanobelts, utilizing nanomaterials in micro electromechanical structure to improve performances of sensors has attracted many interests. In this paper, we report a novel micro/nano cantilever structure applying to sense accelerations based on resonant detection. The structure is comprised of a seismic micromachined inertial mass supported by two parallel ZnO nanobelts as doubly-clamped nano-cantilevers suspending between two metal electrodes located over a micromachined trench. Another bottom electrode located underneath the mass is utilized to apply electrostatic force on the mass. The acceleration normal to the mass plane induces electrostatic stiffness change and, in turn, a change in the resonant frequency. We propose design and an effective fabrication for this sensor structure.


The largest ever research project into the causes and treatment of cleft lip and palate has been launched in the UK.

A cohort study hosted by the universities of Bristol and Manchester aims to recruit 3500 children born with cleft lip or palate over the next few years and follow them to adulthood.

Despite its frequency—more than 1000 cases a year in the UK, and one every three minutes worldwide—cleft is poorly understood, with little known about its causes and differences of opinion over the best treatments. For affected children, it can have profound effects with a heavy burden of care over many years …


Excellent outcomes have been reported with primary antireflux surgery; however, some patients require reoperation. Of the patients who undergo reoperation, a select few are at higher risk for poor outcomes after redo fundoplication. The high-risk group includes patients who are morbidly obese; those with a short esophagus, poor esophageal motility, or patients who have undergone; multiple (i.e., more than 2) reoperative procedures; and those with delayed gastric emptying. These patients are better served with Roux-en-Y (RNY) gastrojejunostomy, with or without gastrectomy. In this article, we summarize our approach for reoperative intervention after antireflux surgery has failed, and discuss criteria for patient selection, operative technique, and outcomes of RNY reconstruction as a remedial antireflux procedure.


Two subclones of Swiss mouse cells infected with Moloney murine leukemia virus (M-MuLV) were tested for their response to interferon (IFN). Whereas M-MuLV production in the two subclones was inhibited to the same extent, one of the subclones was significantly more sensitive to IFN when the antiviral effect was measured by replication of encephalomyocarditis (EMC) virus. The same subclone was also more sensitive to the anticellular activities of IFN. Additionally, NIH 3T3 cells infected with M-MuLV were completely resistant to IFN actions when EMC virus replication or the anticellular activities were tested. However, under the same conditions, M-MuLV production was completely inhibited by IFN. These results indicate that IFN may affect cell growth functions and EMC replication through mechanisms different from those by which MuLV production is inhibited.


We studied the distributional ecology of the anemone shrimp Periclimenes rathbunae associating with the anemone Stichodactyla helianthus in Tobago, West Indies. The shrimps occupied 83.1% of the anemones (n = 83), with mean densities of 2.8 shrimps per anemone in the population and 3.4 shrimps per occupied anemone, and up to 11 inhabiting a single anemone. Shrimp density was significantly correlated with anemone size. Because the density of shrimps was not significantly correlated with the distance to the nearest neighboring anemone or the number of anemones in a cluster, colonization appears to be related to chance or some unknown factor rather than degree of isolation. The significantly negative correlation between density and mean size class of shrimps suggests that adult shrimps may limit juveniles from colonizing an anemone. The high frequency of cohabitation between P. rathbunae and other decapod crustaceans, coupled with the lack of correlation between density of P. rathbunae and the number of individuals or species of other decapod crustaceans, suggests that the density of P. rathbunae was unaffected by interspecific competition.


In order to meet the TETRA linearity specification the power amplifier (PA) linearisation methods in common usage today usually have low efficiencies (e.g. Cartesian loop and adaptive predistortion). The market drivers for lightweight terminals and long talk-time are directly related to transmitter efficiency. Techniques that make the radio more power efficient allow smaller (lower capacity) batteries or a longer useable time between battery charge-cycles. The transmitter places a heavy demand on the battery and therefore utilising more efficient transmitters can increase talk-time or reduce the battery size. Firstly it is shown that to obtain a high transmitter efficiency (>50%) the PA needs to be biased as class-C. The effect power amplifier efficiency has on talk-time is demonstrated for a handportable with fixed power overhead owing to the digital processing required to transmit a burst. It is shown that the PA efficiency for a transmitter operating backed off (under power control), has a marginal impact on the talk-time and that the PA efficiency effects on talk-time are largest at higher output powers. This is put in context by a review of the various linearisation schemes such as Cartesian loop, polar loop, 2nd harmonic injection, envelope elimination and restoration (EER), predistortion methods, and synthesis techniques (e.g. LINC and CALLUM). The review also discusses which methods are not suitable for handportable design, and documents the strengths and weaknesses of the remaining methods. The paper shows that to increase the power efficiency and (thus talk-time) hybrid solutions to power amplifier linearisation are required. Finally, existing hybrid solutions and their shortfalls are discussed. (22 pages)


Composite tubular structures have shown promise as energy absorbers in the automobile industry. This paper investigates the energy absorption characteristics of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) tubes with pre-existing holes. Holes may represent an extreme case of impact damage that perforates the tube, e.g., stones from road surface impacting the tubes. Tubes with holes represent more conservative performance characteristics, since impact damage of the same size will have residual material, which may carry some load. Tubes with holes can provide the lower limit of CFRP tube performance under axial crushing relative to impact damaged tubes with perforation diameter close to the hole diameter. In this study, tubes with lay-up of [05/902/04] with one and two holes in defined locations and different diameters are experimentally studied under quasi-static loading. It was found that specific energy absorption (SEA) reduces by 50% with one or two holes of 15 mm size, 100 mm from top of the tube. The SEA reduction is about 60% lower than the regular tube when the diameter of the hole is 20 mm located at 100 mm from top. The most severe reduction occurs if the location of single or double holes are 75 mm from the top. In this case, a SEA reduction of 75% can be expected. Results indicate that holes can significantly alter the energy absorption capability of the tubes. It is also clear that in axial crushing of composite tubes, the location of the hole (100 to 75 mm) appears to create more pronounced effect than the size of the hole itself (15 vs. 20 mm) for the cases investigated. The failure modes for tubes with holes seem to preserve similar damage modes with delamination, frond creation, and brittle fracture, which is typically observed in regular composite tubes under axial crushing load. This is due to primarily front end crushing, which dominates the failure modes, while hole induced damage occurs later.


The activity of selected antimicrobial agents was determined against strains of Staphylococcus aureus that were isolated from bovine intramammary infections and that were positive or negative for beta-lactamase. A total of 107 S. aureus strains (70 that were positive for beta-lactamase and 37 that were negative for beta-lactamase) were used in the study. Production of beta-lactamase was determined using a chromogenic cephalosporin disk method. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for each test strain were determined using a commercially available microdilution panel. The following compounds were tested: penicillin, ampicillin, oxacillin, cephapirin, ceftiofur, penicillin plus novobiocin, erythromycin, and pirlimycin. Of the five beta-lactam compounds tested, penicillin and ampicillin were most affected by beta-lactamase activity, but oxacillin, cephapirin, and ceftiofur were not affected. Penicillin plus novobiocin also demonstrated excellent activity against strains of S. aureus that were both positive and negative for beta-lactamase. Erythromycin and pirlimycin demonstrated good activity against the S. aureus strains that were negative for beta-lactamase; 90% of the isolates had an MIC of < or = 0.5 microgram/ml (MIC90). The MIC90 for erythromycin and pirlimycin for strains that were positive for beta-lactamase was > 64.0 micrograms/ml. However, 8 strains, in addition to producing beta-lactamase, were also resistant to macrolides and lincosaminides. Recalculation of the MIC90 without these 8 strains yielded equivalent values for both erythromycin and pirlimycin with strains that were positive or negative for beta-lactamase (MIC90 < or = 0.5 microgram/ml).


Using data from the Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS) database (N = 884), this study shows that lack of identification with the American belief and social value system, and group grievance, are both significant predictors in explaining why individuals reach out to ideological, extremist groups, prior of showing violent behavior. This means that low levels of identification with socially shared norms, values, narratives and beliefs and the attachment to a group that is believed to be under threat, increase the chance that individuals question the established systems in the United States and search for alternative, even extremist, worldviews.


An applied problem facing all areas of data science is harmonizing data sources. Joining data from multiple origins with unmapped and only partially overlapping features is a prerequisite to developing and testing robust, generalizable algorithms, especially in health care. We approach this issue in the common but difficult case of numeric features such as nearly Gaussian and binary features, where unit changes and variable shift make simple matching of univariate summaries unsuccessful. We develop two novel procedures to address this problem. First, we demonstrate multiple methods of"fingerprinting"a feature based on its associations to other features. In the setting of even modest prior information, this allows most shared features to be accurately identified. Second, we demonstrate a deep learning algorithm for translation between databases. Unlike prior approaches, our algorithm takes advantage of discovered mappings while identifying surrogates for unshared features and learning transformations. In synthetic and real-world experiments using two electronic health record databases, our algorithms outperform existing baselines for matching variable sets, while jointly learning to impute unshared or transformed variables.


The nurse has a key role in involving parents in the care of newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit. The aim of this study was to comprehend how the nurses experience the care provided to newborns in the presence of the parents. This is a qualitative study using social phenomenology, with the participation of seven nurses, interviewed between January and February 2009. The nurses perceived the needs of parents; had positive expectations regarding the care provided and acknowledge themselves to be the link between them, helping them to live with the hospitalized child. However, in emergencies, the nurses had difficulties in caring for the neonate in the presence of the parents. The nurses positively evaluated the presence of parents in the neonatal intensive care unit, involving them permanently in the care of the newborn. The study evokes the emergence of a care context (nurse/neonate/parents) that precedes the proximity between the subjects and the demands presented by them.


Due to the increasing environmental awareness, the tendency to develop sustainable buildings has also increased interest in using renewable energy or energy-efficient technologies in recent years. Integrating a photobioreactor, an innovative building element on the façade, has received attention as an alternative approach to renewable energy systems for its potential to reduce the carbon footprint and energy consumption of a building without compromising thermal and visual comfort. This study aims to improve the performance of the building by using a façade integrated photobioreactor system. Implementing photobioreactors on the building façades raises the following benefits a) regulating the indoor temperature swings and improving thermal comfort, b) blocking the excess daylight thanks to the increasing concentration during the algae growth, c) reducing the energy consumption of the building, and d) producing energy from the harvested biomass (algae). The photobioreactor is integrated on the south façade of an existing office building in Izmir and comprises two glasses and a growth medium of photosynthesizing microalgae between the glasses. The method is simulation-based optimization that maximizes useful daylight illuminance and minimizes thermal comfort violation and energy use intensity. The performance of the existing building was compared with two photobioreactor alternatives. Rhino Grasshopper software with the Octopus plugin was used for the optimization study. The optimization results show that the photobioreactor integrated façade system performed better than the currently used one. The photobioreactor integrated façade can reduce the number of uncomfortable hours during the year. For the investigated photobioreactor configurations, there was no significant difference between 100% photobioreactor façade and 80% photobioreactor façade, except for partial improvement in daylight illumination.


The National Health Family Survey (NFHS) is one of the largest cross-sectional surveys in the world and plays a very important role in seeing the health sector's growth in India. Its comprehensiveness in data points serves as a baseline for policymakers to amend or continue the health policy at the national and state levels. It is also imperative to look up the survey's major findings and compare the same with the previous survey finding to obtain a trend (positive/negative) of the placed data indicators. In writing this information, we aim to provide a researched paper to undergraduates and postgraduates in medical education to identify the trends or gap pockets in NFHS-4 and NFHS-5. These findings might help them as an educational piece of work and further research evidence in their local community. Also, the present work is the compilation of demographic characteristics and major health indicators.


Stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes offer promise for treating damage caused by heart attacks, but through different mechanisms than originally believed. Of the many diseases discussed in the context of stem cell therapy, those concerning the heart account for almost one-third of the publications in the field. However, the long-term clinical outcomes have been disappointing, in part because of preclinical studies failing to optimize the timing, number, type, and method of cell delivery and to account for shape changes that the heart undergoes during failure. In situations in which cardiomyocytes have been used in cell therapy, their alignment and integration with host tissue have not been realized. Here we review the present status of direct delivery of stem cells or their derivative cardiomyocytes to the heart and the particular challenges each cell type brings, and consider where we should go from here.


SHRIMP U–Pb zircon ages are reported from a paragneiss, a pegmatite, a metasomatised metasediment and an amphibolite taken from the upper amphibolite facies host sequence of the Cannington Ag–Pb–Zn deposit at the southeastern margin of the Proterozoic Mt Isa Block. Also reported are ages from a middle amphibolite‐facies metasediment from the Soldiers Cap Group approximately 90 km north of Cannington. The predominantly metasedimentary host rocks of the Cannington deposit were eroded from a terrane containing latest Archaean to earliest Palaeoproterozoic (ca 2600–2300 Ma) and Palaeoproterozoic (ca 1750–1700 Ma) zircon. The ca 1750–1700 Ma group of zircons are consistent with sedimentary provenance from rocks of Cover Sequence 2 age that are now exposed to the north and west of the Cannington deposit. The metasedimentary samples also include a group of zircon grains at ca 1675 Ma, which we interpret as the maximum depositional age of the sedimentary protolith. This is comparable to the maximum depositional age of the metasediment from the Maronan area (ca 1665 Ma) and to previously published data from the Soldiers Cap Group. Metamorphic zircon rims and new zircon grains grew at 1600–1580 Ma during upper amphibolite‐facies metamorphism in metasedimentary and mafic magmatic rocks. Zircon inheritance patterns suggest that sheet‐like pegmatitic intrusions were most likely derived from partial melting of the surrounding metasediments during this period of metamorphism. Some zircon grains from the amphibolite have a morphology consistent with partially recrystallised igneous grains and have apparent ages close to the metamorphic age, although it is not clear whether these represent metamorphic resetting or crystallisation of the magmatic protolith. Pb‐loss during syn‐ to post‐metamorphic metasomatism resulted in partial resetting of zircons from the metasomatised metasediment.


Background and Aims: Nearly 50 % of male infertility is idiopathic and to date there is still no proven therapy. We evaluated the effect of a non-prescription nutraceutical containing eight micronutrients on sperm quality in males with idiopathic sub-fertility. Methods: This open comparative pilot study was carried out at the Fertility Centre IMI, Vienna, Austria. A total of 132 sub-fertile males (active treatment group) were invited to participate and take two daily capsules of the active compound for a three-month period between the first and the follow-up semen analysis. Each capsule contained L-carnitine, L-arginine, zinc, vitamin E, glutathione, selenium, co-enzyme Q10 and folic acid. Sub-fertile men receiving no active treatment served as controls (n=73). The main outcome measure was the standardised semen analysis. Results: All parameters evaluated by semen analysis significantly increased after three months of treatment with the active compound. Median ejaculatory volume, sperm cell density, sperm motility (progressive and total) and normal morphology rate increased by 33.3, 215.5, 83.1, 36.4 and 23.0 %, respectively. These increments were significantly higher than those observed among controls. In the active treatment group no side effects were encountered and a total of 34 pregnancies were reported after six months' follow-up, whereas 11 were reported in the control group. Conclusion: Semen analysis results significantly improved in sub-fertile men after treatment with an active micronutrient compound, leading to pregnancies without any adverse effects.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to compare the ability of CT angiography to depict the pancreaticoduodenal arcades and the dorsal pancreatic artery using the techniques of three-dimensional (3D) volume rendering, maximum intensity projection (MIP), and shaded-surface display (SSD).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS
Twenty-seven patients were selected at random from a group of 42 patients undergoing arterial-phase helical CT angiography before liver transplantation. CT angiograms were constructed from identical data sets using 3D volume rendering, MIP, and SSD.

RESULTS
Seventy-two vessels were evaluated in 27 patients. Three-dimensional volume rendering depicted 24 anterior and 22 posterior arcades and 26 dorsal pancreatic arteries; combined MIP and SSD depicted 14 anterior and 13 posterior arcades and 19 dorsal pancreatic arteries. Thirty vessels with diameters of between 2 and 3 mm were well seen with 3D volume rendering but were incompletely depicted with MIP and SSD. Sixteen vessels with diameters of greater than 3 mm were well seen using all three techniques. Twenty-six vessels with diameters of less than 2 mm were faintly seen with 3D volume rendering but were unidentifiable with MIP and SSD.

CONCLUSION
Three-dimensional volume rendering is superior to MIP and SSD in the depiction of pancreaticoduodenal arcades and dorsal pancreatic arteries. Unlike the other rendering techniques, 3D volume rendering can also show relationships between these vessels and pancreatic parenchyma and adjacent structures.


The importance of mechanical activity in the regulation of muscle progenitors during chick development has not been investigated. We show that immobilization decreases NOTCH activity and mimics a NOTCH loss-of-function phenotype, a reduction in the number of muscle progenitors and increased differentiation. Ligand-induced NOTCH activation prevents the reduction of muscle progenitors and the increase of differentiation upon immobilization. Inhibition of NOTCH ligand activity in muscle fibers suffices to reduce the progenitor pool. Furthermore, immobilization reduces the activity of the transcriptional co-activator YAP and the expression of the NOTCH ligand JAG2 in muscle fibers. YAP forced-activity in muscle fibers prevents the decrease of JAG2 expression and the number of PAX7+ cells in immobilization conditions. Our results identify a novel mechanism acting downstream of muscle contraction, where YAP activates JAG2 expression in muscle fibers, which in turn regulates the pool of fetal muscle progenitors via NOTCH in a non-cell-autonomous manner. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15593.001


Introduction Sport-related repetitive subconcussive head impacts (RSHIs) are increasingly thought to be associated with adverse long-term outcomes. However, owing to potentially subtle effects, accurate assessment of harm to the brain as a consequence of RSHI is a major challenge and an unmet need. Several studies suggest that biofluid markers can be valuable objective tools to aid the diagnosis and injury characterisation and help in medical decision-making. Still, by and large, the results have been limited, heterogeneous and inconsistent. The main aims of this scoping review are therefore (1) to systematically examine the extent, nature and quality of available evidence from studies investigating effects of RSHI on fluid biomarkers and (2) to formulate guidelines and identify gaps with the aim to inform future clinical studies and the development of research priorities. Methods and analyses We will use a comprehensive search strategy to retrieve all available and relevant articles in the literature. The following electronic databases will be systematically searched: MEDLINE (EBSCO host; from 1809 to 2020); Scopus (from 1788 to 2020); SPORTDiscus (from 1892 to 2020); CINAHL Complete (from 1937 to 2020); PsycINFO (from 1887 to 2020); Cochrane Library (to 2020); OpenGrey (to 2020); ClinicalTrials.gov (to 2020) and WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (to 2020). We will consider primarily biomedical studies evaluating the biofluid markers following RSHI. Two independent reviewers will screen articles for inclusion using predefined eligibility criteria and extract data of retained articles. Disagreements will be resolved through consensus or arbitrated by a third reviewer if necessary. Data will be reported qualitatively given the heterogeneity of the included studies. In synthesising the evidence, we will structure results by markers, sample types, outcomes, sport and timepoints. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval is not required. We will submit results for peer-review publication, and present at relevant conferences.


Objectives: To explore the protective effect of curcumin against cyclophosphamide-induced sperm DNA damage in mice.Method: We divided adult Kunming mice into four groups randomly.Those are normal group,model group,low curcumin treatment group,high curcumin treatment group.As for the model group,low curcumin treatment group and high curcumin treatment group,we performed 40mg/kg intraperitoneal injecton of cyclophosphamide(cp) for five days.At the same time,we performed 100mg/kg curcumin suspension gavage to low curcumin treatment group and 200mg/kg to high curcumin treatment group every day.As for the normal group and model group,we performed the same amount of 0.5% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose gavage.The process lasted for 28 days.Then we observed the sperm hypotonic swelling rate.We detected superoxide dismutase(SOD),glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px),malondialdehyde(MDA),reactive oxygen species(ROS) content and mouse sperm DNA integrity.Result: Compared with the model group,the curcumin groups have significantly higher testicular tissue SOD and GSH-Px content(P0.05,P0.01),have significantly lower MDS and ROS(P0.05,P0.01).Acridine orange staining(AOT) showed that compared with the model group,the mouse sperm DNA integrity of the curcumin groups increased obviously and the increase was statistically significant(P0.01).Conclusion: Cyclophosphamide can damage the mouse sperm DNA integrity which leads the decreased sperm nuclear maturity rate.Curcumin can improve the oxidation of cyclophosphamide in mice sperm DNA,and improve sperm DNA integrity.


Far infrared spectra of charge-transfer complexes between iodine and substituted pyridines, dissolved in cyclohexane, have been measured in the region 20 to 200 cm-1. Bands have been assigned to the modified iodine molecule stretching vibration near 180 cm-1, and to the stretching of the intermolecular bond in the range 65 to 95 cm-1. The shifts of the vibration frequencies, and force constants calculated using a simple valency force field, have been discussed in relation to the mass, electronic and steric effects of substituent groups. Equilibrium constants for the formation of the complex have been determined. From the intensities of the absorption bands, further evidence has been found for a vibronic interaction, leading to a delocalization of the transition moment in the vibrations of the complexes, and to an enhancement of the intensity of absorption.


Creola bodies (CrBs) have been shown to be present specifically in the sputum of adults with asthma, and are clinically useful in the estimation of airway hyper‐responsiveness through correlation with the levels of eosinophil cationic protein in the sputum. Our aim was to investigate whether CrBs can be detected in the sputum of wheezing infants, and the clinical significance of CrBs in wheezing infants in the development of asthma. Twenty‐three wheezing infant patients, mean age 5.3 months, were studied. The presence of CrBs in the sputum was determined by Papanicolau's stain. The patients were divided into two groups: CrB positive [CrB(+)] and CrB negative [CrB(−)]. In addition, we examined the relationship between the presence of CrBs and the asthma symptom scores that occurred during a 1‐month post‐discharge period. The following results were obtained: (i) CrBs were detected in 15 of 23 (65%) wheezing infants; (ii) the asthma symptom scores after discharge was significantly higher in the CrB(+) group than in the CrB(−) group (p < 0.001); (iii) in the infants experiencing their first episode of wheezing, the asthma symptom scores during the post‐discharge period was also significantly higher in the CrB(+) group than in the CrB(−) group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, infantile asthma was diagnosed in 12 (80.0%) infants in the CrB(+) group during the following 2‐yr period, but none in the CrB(−) group. These findings suggest that CrBs detected in the sputum of wheezing infants may be used to identify the progression to infantile asthma.


Innumerable research has been done on perceived benefits in transnational higher education, such as Desire, career aspirations, and Diverse Program Options, and how these facts could affect Student Enrollment Intentions. The concept of factors persuading students to select a TNHE program has always discussed several other factors such as Facilitating Conditions, Institutional Reputation, Perceived Price Value, Convenience, and so on. However, this study discovers the relationship between Perceived Benefits and Student Enrollment Intention with three dimensions in place, such as Desire for a western-based education, Diverse program options, and Career Prospects and the author would conduct a much more extensive literature review with a combination of statistical analysis that discusses the relationship. It was also identified with the literature support that Educational Aspirations mediate between Career Prospects and Student Enrollment Intention for which a thorough statistical backing would be discussed in this chapter. Since it is easy to understand by internal and external stakeholders and has theoretical, literary, and statistical support, the study "Perceived Benefits and Student Enrolment Intention Framework" is topical and pertinent. The framework guides those wishing to develop curricular and pedagogical initiatives to increase student enrollments in TNHE.


We study a distributed algorithm for adjusting beamforming vectors in a peer-to-peer wireless network with multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels. Each transmitter precoding matrix has rank one, and a linear minimum mean squared error (MMSE) filter is applied at each receiver. Our objective is to maximize the total utility summed over all users, where each user's utility is a function of the received signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). Given all users' beamforming vectors and receive filters, each receiver announces an interference price, representing the marginal cost of interference from other users. A particular transmitter updates its beamforming vector to maximize its utility minus the interference cost to other users. We show that if the utility functions satisfy certain concavity conditions, then the total utility is non-decreasing with each update. We also present numerical results that illustrate the effect of ignoring interference prices from all but the closest users, and relaxing requirements on the frequency of beam and price updates.


In 2000, the United Nations passed Security Council Resolution 1325, calling for the inclusion of women in peace negotiations. Although preliminary research has found positive outcomes from peace processes where women's groups have had influence, the mechanisms to explain how women's inclusion can positively contribute to peace remain undefined. This paper examines existing "women and peace" theories, and proposes a theory to explain how including women, giving them influence, and including feminist perspectives can lead to more lasting peace. This theory is then tested using the case of the Israel/Palestine conflict, incorporating the results of interviews conducted by the author with Israeli peace activists from October 2015 to January 2016. The paper examines, in the context of this theory, why feminist Israeli peace activists and groups such as Jerusalem Link and the International Women's Commission have struggled to obtain influence in past peace processes, and what contemporary women's groups such as Women Wage Peace and Itach-Maaki have been doing to change that in the next one.


This paper proposes the foundations for a definition of digital tourist survey field based on the study of social networks. Several social network provide essential information on the perceptions of tourist destination. Nevertheless to operate correctly, several points should be discussed. This article provides multiple ideas for reflections on the challenges and opportunities offered by these new media.


Black Lives Matter is a clarion call for racial equality and racial justice. With the arrival of Africans as slaves in 1619, a racial hierarchy was formed in the United States. However, slavery is commonly dismissed as that less than noble aspect of the United States' history without really confronting the legacies of racial inequality and racial injustice left in its wake. White supremacy, based on the myths of white superiority and Black inferiority, have obscured racial inequality and racial injustice, resulting in blaming the victims. Using Black Lives Matter as a platform, we focus on some key considerations for theory, research, education, training, and practice in clinical, community, and larger systems contexts. Broadly, we focus on Black Lives Matter, literally; Black dehumanization; historical oppression; healing; and implications for the field of family therapy. More specifically, we draw attention to health disparities, mass incarceration and aggressive policing, intergenerational racial trauma, restorative justice, and antiracist work.


Background. C‐reactive protein (CRP) levels are modulated by endogenous and exogenous factors independently of inflammation. The present study investigated the impact of oral contraceptives, endogenous oestrogens, age, gender, smoking, body mass index (BMI) and lipid levels on CRP concentrations in a healthy collective. Methods. Highly sensitive CRP, total cholesterol, HDL‐cholesterol and LDL‐cholesterol levels were measured in 850 blood donors (438 M, 412 F); 227 women in this group used oral contraceptive formulations (OC). Additionally, serum samples from 58 women undergoing in vitro fertilization cycles (IVF) were tested for CRP. Results. The 97.5th percentile of CRP levels of the blood donors was 4.91 mg/L in men, 7.52 mg/L in OC non‐users and 11.95 mg/L in OC users. Overweight gives a 2‐fold increase of median CRP levels in men and women. The combination of overweight and OC use in women resulted in 6‐fold median CRP levels. Age, smoking and lipid levels were influencing factors of lower significance. In IVF patients the elevated oestradiol levels had no influence on CRP concentrations in multivariance analysis. Conclusion. The diagnostic and predictive value of CRP levels is most affected by BMI and oral contraceptive use, which suggests the need for further investigations into the role of CRP modulating factors in monitoring infectious diseases.


In TV Snapshots, Lynn Spigel explores snapshots of people posing in front of their television sets in the 1950s through the early 1970s. Like today's selfies, TV snapshots were a popular photographic practice through which people visualized their lives in an increasingly mediated culture. Drawing on her collection of over 5,000 TV snapshots, Spigel shows that people did not just watch TV: women used the TV set as a backdrop for fashion and glamour poses; people dressed in drag in front of the screen; and in pinup poses, people even turned the TV setting into a space for erotic display. While the television industry promoted on-screen images of white nuclear families in suburban homes, the snapshots depict a broad range of people across racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds that do not always conform to the reigning middle-class nuclear family ideal. Showing how the television set became a central presence in the home that exceeded its mass entertainment function, Spigel highlights how TV snapshots complicate understandings of the significance of television in everyday life.


This evaluation is presented as part of the Effectiveness Review Series 2015/16, randomly selected for review under the good governance thematic area. This report documents the findings of a qualitative impact evaluation, carried out in March 2016. The evaluation used process tracing to assess the effectiveness of the regional GROW campaign in West Africa, exploring the effectiveness of the work done by the Campaign and partners to influence the ECOWAP+10 revision process. The GROW West African Campaign was launched in 2011 working to influence regional level policy processes and practices so that: a) agricultural policies are gender responsive; b) regional agricultural policies recognise the role and importance of small-scale farmers (SSF) and respond to their needs and concerns; c) budget commitments are met and adequate investment in small-scale farming is secured; d) social protection and crises prevention mechanisms are in place; and e) access of SSF to productive resources is secured. Read more about Oxfam's  Effectiveness Reviews .


In the search for new and more active anticancer drugs, light-activated compounds are emerging as effective drugs to be used in photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT). These clinical treatments are able to overcome severe side effects caused by the conventional Pt(II) complexes in chemotherapy, since the cytotoxic species are released directly into the target regions, reducing toxicity in healthy tissues. The curcumin cis-diammineplatinum(II) complex has been proposed for PACT as it allows the controlled release of aquated diammine–platinum(II) species as a DNA cross-linking agent and curcumin as a potential photosensitizer, thus working as a dual action anticancer agent. The curcumin ligand dissociation upon irradiation with visible light was examined by means of DFT and TD-DFT calculations. The outcomes clearly unraveled the metal-centered triplet states 3MC as active species involved in the photocleavage of curcumin that lead to the formation of aquated platinum species and ruled out the potential activity of such a complex in the dark.


1,2,3,4-Dibenzocyclo-octa-1,3-diene (systematic name: 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrodibenzo[a,c]cyclo-octene) and a number of its 6-monosubstituted and cis- and trans-6,7-disubstituted derivatives have been resolved into enantiomers and diastereoisomers by chiral chromatography. 3JHH-values and empirical force-field calculations indicate that the preferred conformation of the cyclo-octadiene ring is a twist boat-chair (TBC) form with twist boat (TB) forms 4–12 kJ mol–1 higher in energy. In the TBC form, the C-6 (-7) substituents can be oriented in equatorial (e) and axial (a) directions. The monosubstituted compounds appear as e(major) and a forms, the trans-disubstituted as e,e(major) and a,a forms, and the cis-disubstituted as enantiomeric e,a and a,e forms. The e–a, e,e–a,a and e,a–a,e interchanges involve inversion of the biphenyl moiety with barriers in the range 95–102 kJ mol–1, determined by 1H NMR band shape analysis and by following the thermal racemization or epimerization by CD spectroscopy. The free-energy differences between e and a or e,e and a,a forms are reproduced by standard MMP2-85 calculations, except for a few compounds, among them the trans-disubstituted compounds with halogen substituents. For these, replacement of bond dipoles by atomic charges in the calculations led to more realistic results. The e,e–a,a equilibrium of the trans-dibromo compound is remarkably insensitive to solvent polarity.


The idea of power electronic transformer is known already over 20 years. There are numerous papers written about power electronic transformers. In the literature one can find tens on different topologies, control methods, standards, requirements etc. It is easy to loose insight what topology to use and where. In this paper a general overview of the power electronic transformer technology in terms of smart grids is presented. The information collected from the literature is classified and organized. In conclusion some generalizations are made and development trends are shown.


This paper develops a proposal of guidance for young people between 18 and 25 years old about to be released from the prison units of the city of La Plata. Using tools derived from the field of psychology together with strategies from other complementary disciplines, the project is aimed at providing tools that will enable these young people to outline a plan of life that will facilitate their social, personal and community re-integration. It aims to help these young people to challenge their detention conditions and can be aware of their social reality in the construction of an alternative life plan before being discharged. Our guidance plan takes into account their relational contexts to help evaluate the feasibility of projects to be developed individually, and it tries to have an impact on minimizing the inmates' socio-criminal vulnerability. We aim at the co-construction of life strategies that break with prejudices which derive from stigmatization. The project will probably contribute to the restoration of socially positive self-esteem, to increased awareness of potentialities that the experience of confinement has debased or distorted and to the redefinition of personal, family and social histories minimizing the chances of being involved in conflict with the law again.


ABSTRACT Context. Cultivation of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is rapidly expanding worldwide. Characterisation of populations of Chenopodium hircinum Schard., its wild ancestor, which thrives in some of the hottest environments in South America, may provide adaptations to new environments. Aim. This study evaluated the developmental patterns of populations of C. hircinum collected from a range of agroecological environments in Argentina, in order to quantify variability among sites of origin and to explore the association between climatic data from environments of provenance and variation in development. Methods. Thirty-three populations of C. hircinum from contrasting sites of origin in Argentina were multiplied in a common-garden experiment under non-limiting conditions of water and nutrient availability. Plants were sampled once or twice weekly (according to parameter) for estimation of the duration of developmental phases, leaf number, and dates of initiation of branching on the main stem. Key results. Significant variation was detected for all phenological traits, and populations were categorised into six groups based on similarity of patterns of variation. We found positive association of the duration of development phases and the number of leaves on the main-stem with maximum temperature during the growing season, and negative association with altitude of origin, consistent with variation in growing-season duration. Conclusions. The finding that late-flowering populations are associated with warmest climates reveals that longer vegetative growth is an adaptive strategy to cope with heat stress in Chenopodium spp. Implications. Time to flowering should be considered in attempts to improve quinoa performance under heat-stress conditions. Further work is needed to understand the genetic basis controlling this response in wild populations of C. hircinum.


Adenomyosis is a common gynecological disease, characterized by the existence of endometrium in the myometrium. The pathogenesis of adenomyosis is not fully understood. P21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) is an effector of small Rho GTPases including CDC42 and RAC1 and plays various roles in cellular biology, especially cytoskeletal remodeling. This study aimed to evaluate whether the expression and activation of PAK1 in adenomyosis were different from normal. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate the expression of PAK1 and its active form phosphorylated-PAK1 (pPAK1) semi-quantitatively in women with and without adenomyosis. Immunofluorescence was performed to locate the distribution of pPAK1. This study found that PAK1 in eutopic endometrium of adenomyosis was overactivated compared to normal. Phosphorylated-PAK1 assembled along the apical surface of glandular cell membrane. In ectopic lesions, PAK1 expression decreased and its activation returned to the baseline. The expression of pPAK1 correlated with the frequency of reproduction. These findings suggest that PAK1 overactivation in the endometrium may be an important event during the development of adenomyosis, meanwhile, decreased phosphorylation may assist to form lesions.


In our paper, individual programmers participate in OS programming to signal their programming skills to commercial software companies and companies use OS projects as a screening device for hiring new workers. The key feature of the model is that the signaling activity itself creates a market externality affecting the commercial software companies profi…ts as the signaling activity creates a program that will be freely available to consumers. We show that in the least cost separating equilibrium, the programming credential in the case of a free substitute (complement) OS software is lower (higher) than in the case of independent programs. We also show that for the software companies' management, OS projects may function as clever screening mechanisms for new workers without committing to hire anyone before they have actually shown their capability as a programmer. Finally, there is a conflict of interest between the private and social incentives over the choice of an OS project when the size of the market for consumer software is small; the society would prefer a substitute OS project rather than complement.


1. The etiology of osteitis that is characterized by a fibroblast and giant-cell proliferation with bone destruction and new bone formation has been discussed.

2. A case was reported in which a strain of green-producing streptococcus grew in cultures of a lesion in the neck of the astragalus, which presented a microscopic picture similar to that of localized osteitis fibrosa without cyst formation. Clinically and bacteriologically it was a lowgrade pyogenic infection and has been classed as streptococcus viridans osteomyelitis.

3. A second case, which was clinically and pathologically similar to the first, except for bone proliferation, but in which the cultures were negative, was also reported.

4. That trauma may be a factor in localizing the infection is again suggested by these cases, but the opinion is expressed that reaction to trauma and hemorrhage could not alone account for the cortical absorption and the extensive new bone formation noted in Case 2.


In this research, a bench-scale filter is designed and constructed in order to compare the performance of different media namely, sand, crushed marble stone and crushed red brick. The filters are operated under various operating conditions such as filter depth, raw water turbidity, pretreatment, effective size and uniformity coefficient.        These filters are operated under conventional and direct filtration modes with different doses of alum. Statistical methods had been used to determine the best media using  Duncan multiple range test.  The result showed the superiority of crushed red brick media in the  removal of turbidity and total bacteria. The results also indicated that filters operated under direct filtration mode show better performance than that operated under conventional filtration mode. The pH of treated water show slight increase for the two modes of filtration.


Introduction coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness which epidemiologically linked to the seafood and wet animal wholesale market in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Since there is paucity of research on characteristics and treatment outcomes of COVID-19, the finding of this study will helps to provide insight for the effectiveness of measures to fight against coronavirus disease in resource-limited countries. Methods a retrospective review of released data about cases in daily bases and documents from Ethiopian public health institute website. In this article, we included and analyzed data of cases from 13 March to 13 May 2020 which were available at the time of the review. Results a total of 263 cases were included (median age, 34 years [range, 0.9-85 years]; 76% male). COVID-19 cases among age group 15-24 years and 25-34 years were 92(35%) and 76(28.9%) respectively. More than half (55.5%) of cases had travel history abroad and African countries are the leading 64(24.3%). About 167(63.5%) cases were identified based on symptom-based surveillance and the finding confirmed an interrupted kind of epidemiological curve. Whereas, one-third (41.1%) were recovered and the overall case fatality rate was 1.9%. Four out of five patients in ICU were deceased after 2-6days spent in critical care. Conclusion an integrated action includes the provision of health education to youths, taking measures to rise up treatment outcomes, enhancing ICU care quality. Moreover, tightening prevention and restriction measures to flattening the curve and also establishment of fast detection and advanced treatment of cases were critically requires through the patriotic efforts of frontline health workers, leaders, and stakeholders.


This thesis develops a numerical simulation environment as a management support tool applicable to the selection and scheduling of multiple, concurrent research and development projects under conditions of constrained resources and uncertain program requirements. A prototype version of this software tool, called SEMPRO (Simulation Environment for Multiple Project Resource Optimization), is developed to capture an operational model of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center flight and a representative research project portfolio. An attribute-driven Work Breakdown Schedule generates resource-loaded activity networks for each entry in the research project portfolio. The project selection and project coordination problems are formulated as Binary Integer Linear Programming problems, as extensions of the traditional Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Problem (RCPSP). To alleviate the computational obstacles associated with these NP Hard problems, a Lagrange Relaxation formulation is used to generate a near-optimal, time-phased sequence for execution of the selected project activity networks. Stochastic, non-linear, discrete-event simulation dynamics are then employed to validate these linear optimization solutions against a representative model of the organization's research and development project operational processes. The SEMPRO prototype is written in the Microsoft Excel Visual Basic Application language to facilitate project management visualization and knowledge transfer.


This paper makes use of spaceborne observational data sets in order to characterize radiative processes involved in spring time heat waves in the Sahel. Spring corresponds to the hottest period of the year, with a high aerosol load, a gradual moistening, and the presence of clouds contributing to greenhouse effect. Heat waves are defined as synoptic events that have a large spatial extent and a duration longer than 3 days. Two types of heat waves are studied: daytime heat waves, detected with the daily maximum temperature and nighttime heat waves, detected with the daily minimum temperature. Daytime heat waves correspond to situations where cloud optical thickness is lower than the climatology and a large number of these situations are also associated with a lower aerosol load and a drier atmosphere. Nighttime heat waves correspond to a moister atmosphere compared to the climatology. In a large fraction of them, an increase in aerosol loading is also observed. This study, only based on observational data sets, highlights the subtle but different radiative balance at play in both types of events.


Retrospective analysis of 256 medical records of children with confirmed diagnosis of hepatitis B virus infection was done. The study focused on significance of patient's age and sex in the course of the disease, on circumstance accompanying the HBV infection and on course of infection, especially a chronic HBV infection. It has been found that factors increasing the risk of infection include: former hospitalizations, surgical procedures, malfunctions of an immune system and familial contacts. Hepatitis occurred more frequently in infants and young children and in this age it more often converted into a chronic form. The course of hepatitis infection depended on dynamics of the disease process. Seroconversion occurred more often after acute phase of the disease and asymptomatic course of infection most often resulted in chronic form. Treatment with immuno-potent (TFX, isoprinosine) had no effect on the course of hepatitis B infection. It should be recommended to extend prophylaxis to children of the risk group and to introduce routine test for HBs antigen in each inpatient child.


Based on the interface element proposed for crack propagation problems, a finite element method (FEM) using a temperature dependent interface element is developed. The proposed method is applied to the analysis of the formation and the propagation of hot cracking in welding. In particular, the hot cracking extending from the starting edge of the narrow trapezoidal plate under bead welding is examined using the proposed method. From the present study, the following conclusions are drawn. In case of the trapezoidal specimen with welding from the narrower side, the crack length becomes longer when the welding speed and the heat input is large. This agrees with the phenomenon observed in experiments. In the case of the specimen with welding from the wider side, the welding speed and the heat input influence in the opposite manner.


Rationale: Allergic sensitization is associated with poor clinical outcomes in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cystic fibrosis; however, its presence, frequency, and clinical significance in non‐cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis remain unclear. Objectives: To determine the frequency and geographic variability that exists in a sensitization pattern to common and specific allergens, including house dust mite and fungi, and to correlate such patterns to airway immune‐inflammatory status and clinical outcomes in bronchiectasis. Methods: Patients with bronchiectasis were recruited in Asia (Singapore and Malaysia) and the United Kingdom (Scotland) (n = 238), forming the Cohort of Asian and Matched European Bronchiectasis, which matched recruited patients on age, sex, and bronchiectasis severity. Specific IgE response against a range of common allergens was determined, combined with airway immune‐inflammatory status and correlated to clinical outcomes. Clinically relevant patient clusters, based on sensitization pattern and airway immune profiles ("immunoallertypes"), were determined. Measurements and Main Results: A high frequency of sensitization to multiple allergens was detected in bronchiectasis, exceeding that in a comparator cohort with allergic rhinitis (n = 149). Sensitization was associated with poor clinical outcomes, including decreased pulmonary function and more severe disease. "Sensitized bronchiectasis" was classified into two immunoallertypes: one fungal driven and proinflammatory, the other house dust mite driven and chemokine dominant, with the former demonstrating poorer clinical outcome. Conclusions: Allergic sensitization occurs at high frequency in patients with bronchiectasis recruited from different global centers. Improving endophenotyping of sensitized bronchiectasis, a clinically significant state, and a "treatable trait" permits therapeutic intervention in appropriate patients, and may allow improved stratification in future bronchiectasis research and clinical trials.


In this paper we discuss the development of tools to support a system for e-democracy that is based upon and makes use of existing theories of argument representation and evaluation. The system is designed to gather public opinions on political issues from which conclusions can be drawn concerning how government policies are presented, justified and viewed by the users of the system. We describe how the original prototype has been augmented by the addition of well motivated tools to enable it to handle multiple debates and to provide analyses of the opinions submitted, from which it is possible to pinpoint specific grounds for disagreement on an issue. The tool set now supports both argumentation schemes and argumentation frameworks to provide representation and evaluation facilities. We contrast our system with existing fielded approaches designed to facilitate public consultation on political issues and show the particular benefits that our approach can bring in attempting to improve the quality of such engagement online.