Proper dendritic elaboration of neurons is critical for the formation of functional circuits during brain development. Defects in dendrite morphogenesis are associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, and microRNAs are emerging as regulators of aspects of neuronal maturation such as axonal and dendritic growth, spine formation, and synaptogenesis. Here, we show that miR-214 plays a pivotal role in the regulation of dendritic development. Overexpression of miR-214 increased dendrite size and complexity, whereas blocking of endogenous miR-214-3p, a mature form of miR-214, inhibited dendritic morphogenesis. We also found that miR-214-3p targets quaking (Qki), which is implicated in psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia, through conserved target sites located in the 3′-untranslated region of Qki mRNA, thereby down-regulating Qki protein levels. Overexpression and knockdown of Qki impaired and enhanced dendritic formation, respectively. Moreover, overexpression of Qki abolished the dendritic growth induced by miR-214 overexpression. Taken together, our findings reveal a crucial role for the miR-214-Qki pathway in the regulation of neuronal dendritic development.


To clarify the characteristics of autobiographical memories of personally experienced social events, we examined visitors' long-term memories of the 1970 Japan World Exposition Osaka (Expo 1970) for 47 older adults and of Expo 2005 Aichi Japan (Expo 2005) for 42 older and 40 younger adults using the Memory Characteristics Questionnaire (MCQ). The factor structure of the MCQ was compared with that of a previous study on long-term memories of the graduation ceremonies of junior high-school students, which employed the MCQ and itself was used as a comparative data set (N = 1183). Thus, the long-term memory characteristics of four independent groups were considered for comparative analysis: Expo 1970-Older, Expo 2005-Older, Expo 2005-Younger, and Graduation-Younger. The mean scores for each of eight MCQ factors were calculated in each of the four groups. Significant differences of scores between the four independent groups were found on several factors of the MCQ. Based on these data, some issues of the context dependency of MCQ including the influence of retention interval, participant age, and the nature of experience are discussed.


Sheet metal forming is one of the most important and frequently used manufacturing processes in industry today. One of the key parameters affecting the forming process is the blank holder force (BHF). In the past, researchers have demonstrated the advantages of varying the blank holder force during the forming process, that is, the two primary modes of failure in sheet metal forming (wrinkling and tearing) are avoided. This gives rise to improved formability, higher accuracy and better part consistency. In recent years, researchers have also shown increasing interest in forming processes where the blank holder force is varied spatially with the help of segmented binders or flexible binders. In this paper, we have combined the above two aspects and used a robust method to deter, mine the blank holder force trajectories for a non-circular part using segmented binders. The proposed strategy is verified by implementing it into a finite element simulation. Binder force is treated as a system input. The displacement of the binder is used as a measure of the tendency to wrinkle, and is therefore treated as a system output. The parameters of the system are continuously identified and updated using a deterministic Auto-Regressive Moving-Average model (ARMA). The model is then used to control the binder displacement to a prescribed value by adjusting the system input, i.e., the binder force. In this manner, individual binder force profiles for each of the segmented binders are obtained. Due to the generic nature of the ARMA model, the strategy proposed in this paper can be applied to a variety of forming problems, making it a robust approach.


We design an adaptive framework for the detection of illegal trading behavior. Its key component is an extension of a pattern recognition tool, originating from the field of signal processing and adapted to modern electronic systems of securities trading. The new methodology combines the flexibility of dynamic time warping with contemporary approaches from extreme value theory to explore large-scale order book data and accurately identify illegal trading patterns without access to any confirmed illegal transactions for training. The method is shown to achieve remarkable improvements over alternative approaches in the identification of suspected illegal insider trading cases in a high-frequency dataset provided by an international investment firm.


Abstract The popularity of indoor tanning may be partly attributed to the addictive characteristics of tanning for some individuals. We aimed to determine the association between frequent indoor tanning, which we view as a surrogate for tanning addiction, and food addiction. A total of 67,910 women were included from the Nurses' Health Study II. In 2005, we collected information on indoor tanning during high school/college and age 25-35 years, and calculated the average use of indoor tanning during these periods. Food addiction was defined as ≥3 clinically significant symptoms plus clinically significant impairment or distress, assessed in 2009 using a modified version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale. Totally 23.3% (15,822) of the participants reported indoor tanning at high school/college or age 25-35 years. A total of 5,557 (8.2%) women met the criteria for food addiction. We observed a dose–response relationship between frequency of indoor tanning and the likelihood of food addiction (Ptrend < 0.0001), independent of depression, BMI, and other confounders. Compared with never indoor tanners, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of food addiction was 1.07 (0.99-1.17) for average indoor tanning 1-2 times/year, 1.25 (1.09-1.43) for 3-5 times/year, 1.34 (1.14-1.56) for 6-11 times/year, 1.61 (1.35-1.91) for 12-23 times/year, and 2.98 (1.95-4.57) for 24 or more times/year. Frequent indoor tanning before or at early adulthood is associated with prevalence of food addiction at middle age. Our data support the addictive property of frequent indoor tanning, which may guide intervention strategies to curb indoor tanning and prevent skin cancer.


This paper examines the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on restaurant marketing practices and outlines a two-pronged approach of analyzing digital marketing and social media platforms that restaurants use to market their product. The presence of COVID-19 information and practices in these marketing platforms is explored in a comparison model of restaurants between the United States and Canada. Understanding the marketing impact of these practices during a global pandemic can provide actionable insights to promote development and sustainability in the restaurant industry. Since very little research has examined the marketing strategies of restaurants during a pandemic as well as exploring a country comparison model to shed light on the global aspects of it, this paper is one of the frontier studies looking critically at the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the restaurant industry.


This work tackles the communication challenges posed by the latency-bound applications with irregular communication patterns, i.e., applications with high average and/or maximum message counts. We propose a novel algorithm for reorganizing a given set of irregular point-to-point messages with the objective of reducing total latency cost at the expense of increased volume. We organize processes into a virtual process topology inspired by the k-ary n-cube networks and regularize irregular messages by imposing regular communication pattern(s) onto them. Exploiting this process topology, we propose a flexible store-and-forward algorithm to control the trade-off between latency and volume. Our approach is able to reduce the communication time of sparse-matrix multiplication with latency-bound instances drastically: up to 22.6× for 16K processes on a 3D Torus network and up to 7.2× for 4K processes on a Dragonfly network, with its performance getting better with increasing number of processes.


Photovoltaic tweezers are a promising tool to place and move particles on the surface of a photovoltaic material in a controlled way. To exploit this new technique it is necessary to accurately know the electric field created by a specific illumination on the surface of the crystal and above it. This paper describes a numerical algorithm to obtain this electric field generated by several relevant light patterns, and uses them to calculate the dielectrophoretic potential acting over neutral, polarizable particles in the proximity of the crystal. The results are compared to experiments carried out in LiNbO₃with good overall agreement.


Between February and September 1997, 6588 blood cultures at the Instituto de Cardiología y Cirugía Cardiovascular and Hospital de Niños Ricardo Gutiérrez were studied by using the Bact-Alert system (Organon Teknika) 341 contaminants and 294 episodes of bacteremia (600 samples) were analyzed. From these samples, 280 (95.3%) were monomicrobial episodes and 14 (4.7%) polymicrobial episodes. Positive blood cultures detected by the Bact-Alert system were processed and then reincubated during 7 days, when they were Gram stained and subcultured in blood agar, chocolate agar (both in 5-10% CO2), laked blood agar supplemented with hemin and vitamin K in anaerobic atmosphere (only anaerobic bottles) and CLDE (aerobic conditions). Following reincubation, 3 out of 14 polymicrobial bacteremias were detected, rising the level of detection from 3.7% to 4.7%. Taking into account the total number of bacteremias, only in 3 out of 294 (1%), a second microorganism was detected. Otherwise, in blood cultures where a contaminating microorganism was initially isolated, no further isolates representing a true bacteremia were recovered. Reincubation and terminal subculture of initially positive blood cultures did not provide relevant data in order to change therapeutic measures in the studied population. Due to the increase in costs and labor we consider that this methodology is not routinely advised.


Small para-H2 clusters (pH2)N with N=2,...,8 have been identified by Raman spectroscopy in cryogenic free jets of the pure gas, near the Q(0) Raman line of the H2 monomer. The high resolution in space, time, and number size makes it possible to follow their growth kinetics with distance from the orifice. At lower source temperatures liquid clusters appear early in the expansion and then undergo a gradual phase transition to the solid state. The technique is very promising for exploring superfluidity in pure (pH2)N clusters.


The objectives of this research are 1) to find out and explain what is meant by the criminal act of control of land without a power permit or entitled and its elements, 2) Know and explain whether or not the criminal threat is relevant to the perpetrator in accordance with current developments. The results of this study concluded that: 1) Article 6 paragraph (1) letter a of the PRP Act No. 51 of 1960. The criminal act of using land without a permit with the right or legal proxy in the Criminal Code basically contains the following elements: as stellionate. b) It is known that there are other persons entitled to the land; The crime in this article is called Stellionate crime, which means "embezzlement of rights over immovable property", c) Failure to inform others that the land has been used as land for debt or has been mortgaged. 2) Factors Occurring Criminal Actions of Land Tenure Without Rights (a) Internal Factors 1) Educational Factors, 2) Individual Factors, (b) External Factors 1) Economic Factors 2) Environmental Factors, 3) Law Enforcement Factors, 4) Global Development Factors (Technology). 3) Based on the Supreme Court Decision Number 73 / Pid / 2015 / PT SMG has fulfilled the elements of error, the ability to be responsible, there is no excuse for forgiveness, against the law, and the manifestation of behavior and actions of subjective elements in error in practice is only aimed at everyone (whoever ) Article 6 paragraph (1) Act No. 51 Prp Of 1960 and no criminal threat against a legal entity or a corporation is regulated.


This research was intended to identify the correlation between (1) creative thinking and science literacy and (2) scientific attitude and science literacy in the concept of environment pollution. Sample was consisted of 219 eleventh grade science student of MAN Medan that was taken by cluster random sampling method. This study was encompassed phases preparation, action, and post research. The instrument were included to scientific literacy test, creative thinking test and scientific attitude questionary. The results is indicated that (1) there is positive correlation between creative thinking and science literacy with r=0.433 (2) there is positive correlation between science attitude and science literacy with r=0.363. (3) there is positive correlation between creative thinking and science attitude with science literacy with r=0,59. This study implies that reading comprehension and science attitude have important role to improve science literacy skill.


This thesis primarily describes performance and decision heuristics of human operators intervention with an autonomous formation flight (AFF) system during monitoring of a station-keeping display. Due to mental and physical workloads, automation technologies have been applied to formation flight for precise station-keeping and resultant fuel reduction, shifting control authority from humans to machines. Accordingly, the human is not directly in the control loop, but just supervises whether or not the automation works as intended. One critical problem in AFF supervisory control is that the human pilot needs to intervene with AFF system when the automated systems malfunction or their functions degrade. Thus while monitoring a station-keeping display, operators should minimize incorrect decisions for safety and cost reduction. To examine design issues in such a display, a simulation was constructed that simulated two different control systems as well as the impact of different angles of bank. 20 subjects participated in the monitoring task simulation of the station-keeping display. During the experiments, subjects were asked to intervene with AFF system when the AFF system failed to keep the trailing aircraft in the vortex area. Subjects made the most incorrect decisions when the AFF system was operated with the oscillating controller and high angle of bank. Trust of the human in the AFF system was found to be influenced by the damping ratio of the AFF controller. Most significantly, results showed that humans developed biased decision criteria to execute interventions because velocity feedback of the wing tip on this display was not adequately provided. Thesis Supervisor: Mary (Missy) L. Cummings Title: Boeing Assistant Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics


We present the case of a 79- year- old woman with a medical history of mild symptomatic diverticular disease and recurrent episodes of urinary tract infection in the past 6 months with pneumaturia and faecaluria. Computed tomography confirmed the presence of pneumaturia and a colovesical fistula between the sigmoid colon (with diver-ticula) and the roof of the urinary bladder. Colonoscopy was unable to progress beyond the distal sigma due to extensive inflammation and cystoscopy showed a small hole in


Clayrock formations are under consideration to serve as host formation and geological barriers for radioactive waste repositories due to their favorable properties (low permeability, low diffusion coefficient, high retention capacity for radionuclides…). The currently on-going European CATCLAY project (EURATOM FP7) (www.catclay.org) is focused on understanding the fundamental processes governing the diffusion-driven transport of cationic species in natural clayrocks. The project combines modeling with experimental studies of migration of three cations (Sr +2 , Zn +2 and Eu +3 ) in a monophasic compacted clay (illite) system, considered to be an analogy for the clay matrix constituting clay-rocks, and three different clayrocks (Callovo-Oxfordian argilites (FR), Opalinus Clay (CH), Boom Clay (BE)). Part of the experimental studies are focused on the small scale structural (µm to nm) properties of the different materials in order to determine how the spatial distribution of mineral and pores at small scales can influence diffusion driven transport of cations. The present study focuses on compacted illite properties in hopes of extending this study to the natural clayrocks. Clayrocks are more complex and include other mineral phases such carbonates or quartz. Our approach is mainly based on imaging the small scale structural organization of compacted illite material and analyzing the resulting images in order to extract information on pore space geometry/morphology and mineral spatial distribution, in order to use them as input data for transport modelling. Small-scale investigations were performed using two high-resolution imaging techniques:


The study was carried out to investigate how the refining of pulps affects the stress-strain characteristics and physical properties of paper. SwBKP and HwBKP were refined with Hollender laboratory beater to obtain three levels of freeness(500, 400 and 300 ml CSF) at the different consistencies(0.5% and 1.0%). The effects of fines were also evaluated. The stresses and strains of papers made from SwBKP and HwBKP were increased with refining. The absolute value of strain in paper made from SwBKP was higher than those of paper made from HwBKP. We also found that the presence of fines increased the stress and strain significantly in both pulp types. The refining at lower pulp consistency gave higher stress and strain properties. Most physical properties of paper were improved with refining, but the effect of refining consistency depended on the characteristics of each physical properties.


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Complex systems often result in intractable mathematical models when classical methodological reduction methods are used in modeling. As a result, reduction methods more holistic in nature are normally used to avoid modeling on a component scale. In this dissertation, several new reduction methods are proposed with the intent of extending the application of classical methodological reduction methods to complex systems. As a motivating example, a large scale self-similar potential-driven tree network is used as a model complex system. In the linear case, the self-similarity present in the physical system is translated to a self-similarity in the mathematical model. This is in turn used to analytically reduce an otherwise intractable DAE system to a much simpler ODE. It is also shown that for very large systems, it can sometimes be advantageous to approximate the system as infinite in scale. In the non-linear case, two numerical algorithms are presented to simplify dynamic analysis of piping networks. These methods are based on Chorin's method multi-step projection method for solving the Navier-Stokes equations. In addition to the self-similar tree network, other self-similar network structures are considered. In particular, grid-like networks are considered and potential reduction methods are proposed. Finally, in the course of studying the self-similar potential-driven tree network the appearance of fractional-order derivatives is noted several times. Based on this observation, fractional-order system identification is proposed as an extension of typical black-box reduction methods and experimental data acquired from a shell-and-tube heat exchanger is used to demonstrate its usefulness.


Aggressive reductions of oil and gas sector methane, a potent greenhouse gas, have been proposed in Canada. Few large-scale measurement studies have been conducted to confirm a baseline. This study used a vehicle-based gas monitoring system to measure fugitive and vented gas emissions across Lloydminster (heavy oil), Peace River (heavy oil/bitumen), and Medicine Hat (conventional gas) developments in Alberta, Canada. Four gases (CO2, CH4, H2S, C2H6), and isotopic δ13CCH4 were recorded in real-time at 1 Hz over a six-week field campaign. We sampled 1,299 well pads, containing 2,670 unique wells and facilities, in triplicate. Geochemical emission signatures of fossil fuel-sourced plumes were identified and attributed to nearby, upwind oil and gas well pads, and a point-source gaussian plume dispersion model was used to quantify emissions rates. Our analysis focused exclusively on well pads where emissions were detected >50% of the time when sampled downwind. Emission occurrences and rates were highest in Lloydminster, where 40.8% of sampled well pads were estimated to be emitting methane-rich gas above our minimum detection limits (m = 9.73 m3d–1). Of the well pads we found to be persistently emitting in Lloydminster, an estimated 40.2% (95% CI: 32.2%–49.4%) emitted above the venting threshold in which emissions mitigation under federal regulations would be required. As a result of measured emissions being larger than those reported in government inventories, this study suggests government estimates of infrastructure affected by incoming regulations may be conservative. Comparing emission intensities with available Canadian-based research suggests good general agreement between studies, regardless of the measurement methodology used for detection and quantification. This study also demonstrates the effectiveness in applying a gaussian dispersion model to continuous mobile-sourced emissions data as a first-order leak detection and repair screening methodology for meeting regulatory compliance.


The theory of poetic syntax outlined, here is Austin's response to the skepticism toward the viability of stylistics currently expressed within the field by critics such as Barbara Herrnstein Smith and Stanley Fish. Austin argues that a sustained theoretical account of the discipline as a whole is needed to combat these attacks, and he sets about constructing one. In chapter I, the standards such a theory should meet are outlined, and a theoretical model is proposed. The technical level of the model (chapter 2) combines rules of the standard grammar with methodological principles for the analysis of nonstandard structures. A perceptual level (chapter 3) applies general aesthetic principles such as proportion, scale, and pattern to the analysis of linguistic material, and an interpretive level (chapter 4) links syntactic form with poetic meaning via the stylistic effects of mimesis, iconicity, and rhetoric. Austin illustrates his ideas with analyses throughout. Extended standard theory provides his linguistic framework; his examples are taken largely from the English Augustan and Early Romantic poets. In chapter 5, Austin draws his theoretical and pedagogical conclusions. Although he makes no claims that this work describes the process by which one reads a work of literature, the positing of an abstract "native reader" analagous to Chomsky's idealized "native speaker" helps him achieve a high degree of descriptive power. The model he outlines may also have useful applications in the teaching of literary comprehension.


Objective: Infertility is shown in approximately 10-15% of the couples. Male infertility is responsible for at least 50% of them. In these infertile couples, male is responsible alone in 30% while male and female are responsible together in 20%. The semen analysis is the first laboratory test which should be done to evaluate the male infertility. Heavy metals and trace elements affect sperm production, motility and morphology. The aim of this study is to determine zinc, copper, lead and cadmium levels in blood and seminal samples of men and to evaluate their relationship with sperm quality parameters. Material and Methods: Forty-two men with abnormal sperm quality parameters and 10 control subjects were included in the study. Zinc, copper, cadmium and lead levels were measured in blood and semen. The results were compared. Results: Lead levels in blood, cadmium levels both in blood and seminal plasma were significantly higher in men with abnormal sperm analyses (p<0.05). There was a positive correlation between seminal plasma zinc level and sperm count, motility and morphology (p<0.001) and between seminal plasma copper level and sperm count and morphology (p<0.05). There was a negative correlation between lead level and sperm count, motility and morphology (p<0.001). Likewise, there was a negative correlation between blood cadmium level and sperm motility and morphology (p<0.05) and between seminal plasma cadmium level and sperm motility (p<0.05). Conclusion: Zinc and copper affect sperm quality positively whereas lead and cadmium shows a negative effect. Exposure to heavy metals is an important etiology in the male infertility problem and should be treated seriously.


The experiment was conducted aiming to compare the efficiency of the methods rising plate meter (RP), sward stick (SS), ruler and capacitance meter (CM), used to estimate herbage mass on pastures. The instruments were used in stargrass pasture (Cynodon nlemfuensis Vanderyst var. nlemfuensis) under continuous stocking, variable stocking rate, and sward heights. The design was completely randomized with two replicates and the treatments were sward heights: 5, 10, 15, and 20cm. The sward height at paddock was maintained by stocking rate adjustments using Nellore heifers (Bos indicus). The swards were evaluated monthly, from November 7th, 2007 to April 26th, 2008. The effectiveness of each method to quantify the herbage mass was evaluated by the regression equation. The capacitance meter did not show consistent results. The values of coefficient of determination for the evaluation of herbage mass were low and less than 0.63 with the SS, RP and the ruler. Measurements of herbage mass on swards of stargrass under continuous stocking can be performed preferably with the RP, or with the SS and the ruler.


Streptococcus pneumoniae, the pneumococcus, is an important pathogen globally, especially among children <5 years old. Pneumococcus colonises the human nasopharynx, and carriage is a prerequisite to disease. Understanding the concentration of pneumococcal colonisation may help us to better understand the pathogenesis of pneumococcal disease. We hypothesized that If increased nasopharyngeal pneumococcal concentration is important in the pathogenesis of pneumonia then the concentration would be lowest among well children, intermediate among children with symptomatic upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and highest among children admitted to hospital with WHO-defined pneumonia. We found that in fact, the nasopharyngeal pneumococcal concentration was of similar distribution among all three groups of children, and was highest among the group with URTI. We studied the nasopharyngeal concentration of pneumococcus among children <5 years old before, during and after episodes of symptomatic URTI with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) or rhinovirus. Nasopharyngeal pneumococcal concentration increased 4-fold with onset of the viral infection, which may contribute to risk. We examined the response of nasopharyngeal pneumococcal concentration to vaccination with the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-10) among children aged 12-23 months. Vaccine-type (VT) carriage concentration did not change, while nonvaccine-type (NVT) concentration increased over six months post vaccination, which may have been a vaccine effect on VT relative to NVT concentration. There were large differences in serotype-specific pneumococcal concentration within and between individuals. We investigated the performance of quantitative lytA PCR (qPCR) on blood samples in the diagnosis of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) among children <13 years old at Kilifi County Hospital, and among children 1-59 months old in a seven-country case-control study of pneumonia aetiology. lytA qPCR was not specific for the diagnosis of IPD, being positive among 5% of control participants. Pneumococcal DNA is more commonly found in the bloodstream of children in low and lower-middle income countries than has been appreciated. Studying nasopharyngeal concentration of pneumococcus demonstrated why it is difficult to diagnose pneumococcal disease among young children in high-burden countries. Total nasopharyngeal concentration of pneumococcus is similar in well children as in disease. Serotype-specific concentration varies widely within and between children. Pneumocodcal bloodstream invasion appears to be a frequent occurrence, without always leading to IPD.


Introduction Laboratory plays important part in screening, diagnosis, and management of thyroid disorders. The aim of this study was to estimate current laboratory preanalytical, analytical and postanalytical practices and policies in Croatia. Materials and methods Working Group for Laboratory Endocrinology of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine designed a questionnaire with 27 questions and statements regarding practices and protocols in measuring thyroid function tests. The survey was sent to 111 medical biochemistry laboratories participating in external quality assurance scheme for thyroid hormones organized by Croatian Centre for Quality Assessment in Laboratory Medicine. Data is presented as absolute numbers and proportions. Results Fifty-three participants returned the questionnaire. Response rate varied depending on question, yielding a total survey response rate of 46-48%. All respondents perform thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). From all other thyroid tests, most performed is free thyroxine (37/53) and least TSH-stimulating immunoglobulin (1/53). Laboratories are using nine different immunoassay methods. One tenth of laboratories is verifying manufacturer's declared limit of quantification for TSH and one third is verifying implemented reference intervals for all performed tests. Most of laboratories (91%) adopt the manufacturer's reference interval for adult population. Reference intervals for TSH are reported with different percentiles (90, 95 or 99 percentiles). Conclusion This survey showed current practices and policies in Croatian laboratories regarding thyroid testing. The results identified some critical spots and will serve as a foundation in creating national guidelines in order to harmonize laboratory procedures in thyroid testing in Croatia.


Consumption of a traditional Mediterranean diet and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) was shown to be effective in reducing the complications of coronary heart disease in randomised controlled trials. Epidemiological studies and controlled trials indicate that plant- and sea-derived n-3 PUFAs are likely to be important mediators of the protection provided by traditional Mediterranean diets. Of note, consumption of marine n-3 PUFAs from fish and other seafood is high in certain Mediterranean countries (Spain, Portugal), but quite low in others (Italy, Greece). A relative insufficiency of dietary marine n-3 PUFAs among Italians might in part explain the results of the GISSI-Prevenzione trial, in which a modest supplementation of eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid (∼850 mg/day) produced striking reductions in coronary heart disease death (−30%) and sudden cardiac death (−45%) among patients with known heart disease. The protection provided by n-3 PUFAs from both plant and marine sources may be partly dependent on other dietary factors. Plant and marine n-3 PUFAs are likely to be major mediators of the protective effect provided by traditional Mediterranean diets.


Unlike domesticated animals, which at common law are the absolute property of their owners, animals in the wild have no owner. In practice, some jurisdictions address this ownership 'gap' by vesting property in wild animals in the Crown. The first part of this chapter explores the nature of this claim to property in wild animals by the Crown, arguing that the claim may not be well-founded, and that it provides limited protection to, and does not prevent exploitation of, wild animals. Part II argues that animal welfare legislation fails in important ways to adequately protect the welfare of wild animals, with significant exemptions from the application of cruelty and other offences limiting the reach of such legislation. While nature conservation legislation is also relevant to the welfare of wild animals, it is limited by a focus on wild animal species as members of an ecosystem, rather than a focus on individual animal welfare. Part II seeks to demonstrate that, taken together, animal welfare and nature conservation legislation establishes a hierarchy of welfare protection, with endangered or rare native wild animals the most well-protected, and introduced wild animals the least well-protected. Part III then considers some justifications for a differential regulatory approach to the welfare of wild animals, including economic imperatives, environmentalism and issues of national identity. It is argued that none of these justifications adequately address the significance of sentiency, shared by all wild animals, and the ethical requirements sentiency demands.


The area ofcornea involved is the horizontal interpalpebral strip, with a tendency towards the lower half of the cornea. Although the majority of cases showed bilateral involvement, some cases of unilateral involvement were seen. An interesting feature was that, in bilateral cases, the left eye was always more severely involved and in uniocular cases the left eye was the one predominantly involved.


We report the description of nine new taxa of sabellid polychaetes belonging to the genus Amphiglena, of which diversity in the Mediterranean Sea has been widely underestimated. Examined material derived from both new collections along the Italian coast, including four CO2 vents/hydrothermal systems, and from a re-examination of older material previously attributed to A. mediterranera (Leydig, 1851) which was so far the only species of the genus reported for the Mediterranean area. The analysis revealed the presence of different taxa also consistent with a previous molecular analysis conducted on material from the Gulf of Naples and the Salento coast (Ionian Sea). This led to an increase in the number of species in the genus and to highlight the occurrence in the Mediterranean Sea of a high diversity within the genus. A key to the Mediterranean Sea species of Amphiglena is also provided. Some taxa, however, remain for the moment undescribed due to the poor preservation of the old material, and the lack of the type material for this taxon. A major revision of all the Mediterranean material previously attributed to A. mediterranea from both morphological and molecular points of view is needed.


The study focuses on the effects of the forces of globalisation on the funding of higher education in Africa. It posits that since the 1960s the human capitalist theory promoted the funding of education especially at the tertiary level both in the developed and developing countries. However at the turn of the 21st century, the forces of globalisation have brought to bear on the nation states (destabilised nation states) especially in Africa that educational policies have been redefined or reframed in such a manner that has negatively affected education. The inequalities created by the scapes and rifts of globalisation are glaring and damaging. The study recommends a rethinking of globalisation in such a way as to carry along every group, especially African nations. LWATI: A Journal of Contemporary Research , 8(2), 1-8, 2011


A 47-year-old man with a history of ESMC resection of the left chest wall seven years ago was admitted to our hospital due to mid-upper abdominal pain and jaundice for more than 10 days. Laboratory tests showed elevated direct bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase, and alkaline phosphatase. Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen revealed soft tissue mass in the head and body of the pancreas with irregularly shaped calcifications, and an enhanced scan showed heterogeneous enhancement. Combined with the patient's past medical history, the possibility of pancreatic metastasis of ESMC was considered. After anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and cholagogical treatment jaundice improved, and ultrasound endoscopy-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) was performed to clarify the nature of the mass, which showed a 4.1*4.2 cm mixed echogenic area with internal calcification in the head of the pancreas. Aspiration pathology showed proliferation of short spindle and round cells into nests, the immunohistochemistry stain showed CD99 (+); CD34, CD117, Dog-1, and S-100 were negative. Pancreatic metastasis of ESMC was diagnosed. Four months later, endoscopic biliary metal stent drainage (EMBD) was performed when the patient developed obstructive jaundice again due to lesion progression. PET/CT at a 2-year follow-up showed multiple high-density calcifications and abnormally increased FDG metabolism throughout the body.


The calcareous nannofossil stratigraphy of four sections in the Great Valley Sequence of the Sacramento Valley, California, has been investigated in detail. These sections include Grindstone and Stony Creeks (Glenn County) and McCarty Creek and the Vestal Road segment of Dry Creek (both in Tehama County). The ages of the sections investigated, which have independently been studied by ammonite, pelecypod, and radiolaria biostratigraphers, range from Berriasian to Albian. Nannofossils occur rarely in these sediments and are restricted largely to mudstone deposited in the most distal portions of turbiditic sequences. Approximately 5% of the samples collected are nannofossiliferous. Assemblages contain some elements of Boreal floras but are dominated by Tethyan taxa. These assemblages are more directly comparable to those of stratotype sequences in Europe than are the other fossil groups, but the ages given are generally similar. However, two major discrepancies do exist. The results of this study indicate that the pelecypod, Buchia aff. B. okensis zone is Berriasian in age, not Tithonian as previously believed and the B. pacifica zone is not entirely Valanginian but partly Berriasian. Nannofossil data provide useful age calibrations for ammonite stratigraphy. The stratigraphy obtained supports structural interpretations based upon Buchia, in particular that the Paskentamore » fault zone remained active throughout the Early Cretaceous. The study illustrates that nannofossil biostratigraphy can be effectively used to date sediments deposited in convergent margin settings.« less


Results of numerical modelling of short-wavelength, internal quantum efficiency of two types of p+ nn+ silicon photodiode are presented. The important conclusions are: (1) interpreting the data obtained from oxide-bias experiments with the help of numerical quantum efficiency models will provide higher accuracy than can be obtained from the conventional self-calibration formula; (2) for high-quality silicon photodiodes, the spectral shape of the internal quantum deficiency (one minus the quantum efficiency) is virtually independent of the density of charge trapped in the oxide, and of the surface-recombination velocity at the oxide-silicon interface.


Eight mutants with less than 25% of the wild-type level of β-N-acetylglucosaminidase activity have been isolated from Escherichia coli K-12. Studies on these mutants suggest that less than 1% of the wild-type level of this enzyme may be adequate for the normal growth and division of E. coli cells.


ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to identify whether or not the dual users of conventional cigarettes and e-cigs were naturally reducing the amount of their cigarette smoking while they were using e-cigs, and whether their urine cotinine level became similar or less compared to conventional cigarette-only smokers. We used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), a nationally representative sample collected in 2014–2016. We selected 2,442 participants who were over 19 years old and were current users of conventional cigarettes and e-cigs. Among the total sample, 12.8% were dual users of e-cigs and conventional cigarettes. Conventional cigarette-only users smoked 14.26 (±23.19) cigarettes a day, while dual users of electronic and conventional cigarettes smoked 14.46 (±7.88) cigarettes a day (p < .001). Means of urine cotinine level in conventional cigarette-only users and dual users were 1250.35 ng/mL (±832.75) and 1364.95 ng/mL (±827.96), respectively (p < .001). The result of a multiple linear regression analysis identified that dual users' cotinine level was 136.80 ng/mL higher, compared to conventional cigarette smokers' one (p = .011). Unlike the argument that e-cigs can be used as a smoking cessation aid, we found that using e-cigs might be less likely to support quitting smoking or reducing cigarette consumption.


An overview is given of the utilization of strategic market games in the development of a game theory based theory of money and financial institutions.


A new grayscale-based block scrambling image encryption scheme is presented to enhance the security of Encryption-then-Compression (EtC) systems, which are used to securely transmit images through an untrusted channel provider. The proposed scheme enables the use of a smaller block size and a larger number of blocks than the conventional scheme. Images encrypted using the proposed scheme include less color information due to the use of grayscale images even when the original image has three color channels. These features enhance security against various attacks, such as jigsaw puzzle solver and brute-force attacks. Moreover, it allows the use of color sub-sampling, which can improve the compression performance, although the encrypted images have no color information. In an experiment, encrypted images were uploaded to and then downloaded from Facebook and Twitter, and the results demonstrated that the proposed scheme is effective for EtC systems, while maintaining a high compression performance.


—Dependency-aware job scheduling in the cluster is NP-hard. Recent work shows that Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) is capable of solving it. It is difficult for the administrator to understand the DRL-based policy even though it achieves remarkable performance gain. Therefore the complex model- based scheduler is not easy to gain trust in the system where simplicity is favored. In this paper, we give the multi-level explanation framework to interpret the policy of DRL-based scheduling. We dissect its decision-making process to job level and task level and approximate each level with interpretable models and rules, which align with operational practices. We show that the framework gives the system administrator insights into the state-of-the-art scheduler and reveals the robustness issue in regards to its behavior pattern.


Abstract. This paper introduces the OpenWebGlobe project ( www.openwebglobe.org ) and the OpenWebGlobe SDK (Software Development Kit) – an open source virtual globe environment using WebGL. Unlike other (web-based) 3d geovisualisation technologies and toolkits, the OpenWebGlobe SDK not only supports the content authoring and web visualization aspects, but also the data processing functionality for generating multi-terabyte terrain, image, map and 3d point cloud data sets in high-performance and cloud-based parallel computing environments. The OpenWebGlobe architecture is described and the paper outlines the processing and the viewer functionality provided by the OpenWebGlobe SDK. It then discusses the generation and updating of a global 3d base map using OpenStreetMap data and finally presents two show cases employing the technology a) for implementing an interactive national 3d geoportal incorporating high resolution national geodata sets and b) for implementing a 3d geoinformation service supporting the real-time incorporation of 3d point cloud data.


The study aims to demonstrate the impact of fiscal and the quantitative monetary policy on the domestic and Foreign Direct Investment in Jordan during the period (2000-2011), where the study used two models, the first model is to assess the impact of the fiscal and quantitative monetary policy on the domestic investment, the study found that there is a negative relationship between the re-discount rate and the domestic investment, but not statistically significant, while there is a positive relationship with a statistically significant between the mandatory cash reserve and domestic investment, due to the presence of excess cash reserves at banks in Jordan. The study also showed a negative relationship between taxes and domestic investment, and a positive relationship between governmental capital spending and the domestic investment, this means the political effectiveness of the fiscal impact is greater than the monetary policy effectiveness on the domestic investment. The second sample demonstrates the impact of the fiscal policy and the quantitative monetary on Foreign Direct Investment, The study showed that there a presence of a statistically significant negative relationship between the rediscount rate and Foreign Direct Investment, while it showed a positive relationship between taxes and Foreign Direct Investment, the reason is that the government grant a tax exemptions to encourage Foreign Direct Investment.


Objective: To describe the process of developing an educational technology for patients and health professionals with the purpose of preventing infection in health services. Methodology: Methodological study developed in 2019 in two stages: selection of content and construction of educational technology. Results: The technology called "Preventing at all times" has a dimension of 10.5 x 14.8 cm, has 7 front and back pages, containing: cover, information panel, and the organization of the content, starting on page 3 , was organized through ludic activities, being: maze game, game of seven errors, memory game, word search, game of 5 moments, crosswords, direct figure and information of the correct sequence for hand hygiene. Final Considerations: The product of this technology is expected to awaken knowledge about hygiene, thus, leading to good adherence to services so that better quality of care is sought.


Background and aims: Several studies investigated the possible role of adipokines during chronic viral hepatitis, not producing defined results neither clearly establishing their behavior in course of anti-viral treatment. Our study evaluated blood concentrations of adiponectin and resistin in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), B (CHB), and D (CHD) receiving anti-viral treatment, at baseline and after therapy. Methods: We examined 122 subjects, divided into two groups: 64 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (38 males and 26 females, mean age 47.25 yr) and 58 patients including 39 ones with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (26 males and 13 females, mean age 48.46 yr) and 19 ones with chronic HBV-hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection (15 males and 4 females, mean age 45.79 yr). Serum levels of adiponectin and resistin were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: In the group of CHC patients we observed a significant decrease in resistin after therapy (p=0.006), while not a significant increase in adiponectin after treatment (p=0.32). Evaluation of changes in adiponectin and resistin levels after anti-viral treatment, both in responders and non-responders, revealed no significant variations. In the group of HBV+ and HBV-HDV+ patients, we found a decrease in resistin after therapy (p=0.0016) and a not significant reduction in adiponectin after treatment (p=0.13). Furthermore, we noticed a significant reduction of resistin (p=0.006) in the sub-group of responders. Conclusions: Our data suggested the possible marker role of adiponectin and resistin in the inflammatory process in course of chronic viral hepatitis.


This case report describes the treatment of peri-implantitis lesions through a minimally invasive surgical procedure using a peri-implant excisional procedure and access surgery (PEAS). The prosthesis was disconnected and the peri-implant granulation tissue removed following a peri-implant circular incision. Chemical debridement with hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball and then mechanical debridement with a rotary round titanium brush and tufted brush with titanium bristles were conducted. The surgical intervention was effective in arresting the peri-implantitis. No further radiographic bone loss was observed over the 2-year follow-up period. This technique effectively cleans the contaminated implant surface, minimizes surgical morbidity and allows for prosthesis delivery on the day of surgery. However, further studies with a larger sample size are needed to identify the reliability and validity of this novel technique.


Team cognition has been identified as a key component to achieve mission goals in dynamic, team-based, stressful, distributed and multicultural operations. Effective team performance in complex environments requires that team members hold a shared understanding of the task, their equipment, and their teammates. So, many of the simulation-based training (SBT) systems and programs have been designed (partly) to enhance shared/team cognition. However, these simulation systems lack the sufficient robustness in their performance assessment tools or capabilities (if they have any) to allow for a rich and deep understanding of team cognition. Therefore, the purpose of this article is fourfold: I) to present a brief account of team cognition; 2) to develop the concept of performance diagnosis and present SBT as an approach to the performance diagnosis of team cognition; 3) to present a set of illustrative behavioral markers of team cognition; and 4) to explicate how these elements (performance diagnosis, team cognition, and SBT) can be leveraged to increase training effectiveness through the development of performance profiles--a rich, detailed, and informative set of metrics--and cognitive and behavioral indicators or illustrative markers of team cognition. Research needs are discussed in terms of realizing the potential of this approach in operational and embedded training contexts.


The paper discusses the problem of supervised and unsupervised discretization of continuous attributes – an important pre-processing step for many machine learning (ML) and data mining (DM) algorithms. Two ML algorithms Simple Bayesian Classifier (SBC) and Symbolic Nearest Mean Classifier (SNMC)) essentially using attribute discretization have been selected for empirical comparison of supervised entropy-based discretization versus unsupervised equal width and equal frequency binning discretization methods. The results of such evaluation on 13 benchmark datasets do not confirm the widespread opinion (at least for SBC) that entropybased MDL heuristics outperforms the unsupervised methods. Based on analysis of these results a modification of the entropy-based method as well as a new supervised discretization method have been proposed. The empirical evaluation shows that both methods significantly improve the classification accuracy of both classifiers.


BACKGROUND
The number of young volunteers in international social projects has increased significantly with governmental and non-governmental project support. This paper investigates the hypothesis that the preventative medical advice currently given prior to departure is inadequate because the risk profile of young persons (<30 years) differs from that of the general population.

METHODS
A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed with participants of international social projects. A specific questionnaire was developed; inclusion criteria were age between 18 and 30 years at departure and a duration with the project of at least 6 months.

RESULTS
One hundred and fifty-three data sets could be evaluated. Fifty-three percent were females; the destinations were as follows: 65.4% to Asia, 14.4% to Africa, and 10.5% to Latin America. The mean age was 20 years. Ninety percent of the participants received some kind of advice in travel medicine prior to departure. The vaccination rate was quite good, but pertussis (13.7%), yellow fever (80%), typhoid fever (54%), and rabies (49.7%) should be improved when travelling to high-risk regions. Food is a very important potential source of problems as 66% receive catering by the project, 56.2% from street stalls, and 44% were regularly invited to dine with locals. In Africa, only two-thirds of the participants of projects had regular access to safe water and the sanitary facilities were also poor; 51.7% of respondents reported new sexual contacts (one to more than six new partners). In most cases, condoms were used, but there were two unintended pregnancies.

CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that young people need to be targeted with specialized advice for health and safety while abroad. This should highlight age-specific risks compared to advice for a more general population. Vaccination status should be improved for some regions and diseases.


The radial flow of an inviscid heat conducting gas, with gravitational effects, is considered. The gas is assumed non-monatomic, but the limit to the monatomic state is considered in great detail. It is shown that the results of Roberts & Soward (1972) can be predicted from the present analysis, and further that considerable light is shed on their results. For the non-monatomic gas, the various asymptotic regions (obtained when the energy flux at infinity approaches zero) are far simpler in their details than those encountered by Roberts & Soward.


Background/introduction Pharyngeal testing for CT/GC is generally not recommended for heterosexual men whose only sexual exposure is cunilingus. However, some clinicians in this service also started sending self-taken swabs from heterosexual men when self-taken swabs became routine practice for MSM in 2014. Aim(s)/objectives To measure the utility of pharyngeal CT/GC swabs in heterosexual men Methods A retrospective case-note review of all heterosexual men who had been coded as having had a pharyngeal swab for CT/GC NAAT between July 2014 and August 2015. Results 1374 eligible patients were identified. 25/1374 (1.8%) of these were GC NAAT +ve of which 4/25 (16%) were +ve in the pharynx, the others being +ve in the urine. 3/4 pharyngeal +ve specimens were GC NAAT +ve in the pharynx only, 1 was positive in the urine also. 110/1374 (8%) patients were CT NAAT +ve of which 1/110 (0.9%) was in the pharynx only, the rest being from urine specimens Discussion/conclusion Out of 1374 pharyngeal swabs sent, only 5 (0.4%) were CT or GC +ve, of which 1 was also +ve in the urine. The 3 lone +ve pharyngeal GC NAAT specimens could be false-positive e.g. due to a cross-reaction with non-pathogenic Neisseria sp. Similarly the single CT+ve may be a false +ve assay. Alternatively, some of those patients with a +ve test may be MSM who had not revealed their status. Whatever the explanation, the very low pick-up rate does not justify taking pharyngeal CT/GC swabs in men who identify as being exclusively heterosexual.


Controversy exists concerning the effect of pre-existing renal disease on aminoglycoside nephrotoxicity. Since nephrotoxicity appears to be related to gentamycin concentration in the renal tissue, we studied the effect of renal mass reduction on renal tissue gentamycin concentration. Four groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats, who had undergone progressive renal mass reduction, were studied after injection with a single dose of gentamycin. As expected, serum gentamycin concentration was increased in nephrectomized animals and showed significant inverse correlation with the weight of the residual renal tissue. However, urinary gentamycin secretion rate was proportional with the weight of the residual renal tissue. Renal tissue gentamycin concentrations in the nephrectomized animals were significantly higher than that found in the sham-operated controls. The data indicate that renal tissue gentamycin concentration attained after a single dose of the drug is higher in the presence of reduced renal mass.


The scope for this thesis was to design a debug interface for a DSP (digital signal processor). The DSP is a research version of a Motorola 56000 that is designed for a project on asynchronous processor and for use in education.The DSP and debug interface are controlled via a standard PC with RS232 interface equipped with Linux operation system.In the project 4 blocks has been designed:The first block can set the DSP core in debug mode or run mode. The second block sends a debug instruction to the DSP core, these debug instructions were prerequisite to the project. The third block enable read and write connection to the memory buses between the DSP core and the three memory blocks. The forth block can override the control signals to the memories from the DSP core.The project also uses an UART for interpreting and sending control signals and data between the different blocks and the computer.A text terminal program for Linux has also been programmed for handling the PC side communication.The hardware has been constructed and tested together with a dummy DSP core and dummy memories, but it has not been tested together with the live DSP core.The Linux program has been tested the same way and seems to do what it's supposed to, though it leaves a lot work to be easy to handle.


Purpose: To assess the risks of digestive surgery in patients under antiplatelet therapy. Increasing numbers of patients requiring a surgical digestive procedure are on APT. Several studies have shown that APT interruption during the perioperative period increased thrombotic risks, while in the case of maintaining APT, hemorrhagic complications were not increased. Methods: We included prospectively all patients under APT who were operated on from September 1, 2010 to October 31, 2011. Two groups were defined: patients who interrupted APT and those who maintained APT. Three surgical categories were distinguished, with Group I involving parietal surgery, Group II common abdominal surgery, and Group III complex abdominal surgery. The primary endpoints were hemorrhagic and thrombotic risks. Results: Among the 2047 patients undergoing digestive surgery, 130 (6.5%) were on APT, with 32 in Group APT- and 98 in Group APT+. In the overall series, patients taking APT did not receive significantly more transfusions. APT was significantly associated with a higher rate of bleeding complications and transfusion requirement in patients undergoing complex and major abdominal surgery (0% vs. 28%, p = 0.03). In Group APT-, only one patient out of 32 (3.1%) suffered from a thrombotic event involving a myocardial infarction. Conclusions: This study suggests stopping APT at least 5 - 7 days in patients undergoing complex and major abdominal surgery. In this other case, APT may be maintained without an increased risk of hemorrhage.


In this paper, we propose a variable grouping method based on cooperative coevolution for large-scale multi-objective problems (LSMOPs), named Linkage Measurement Minimization (LMM). And for the sub-problem optimization stage, a hybrid NSGA-II with a Gaussian sampling operator based on an estimated convergence point is proposed. In the variable grouping stage, according to our previous research, we treat the variable grouping problem as a combinatorial optimization problem, and the linkage measurement function is designed based on linkage identification by the nonlinearity check on real code (LINC-R). We extend this variable grouping method to LSMOPs. In the sub-problem optimization stage, we hypothesize that there is a higher probability of existing better solutions around the Pareto Front (PF). Based on this hypothesis, we estimate a convergence point at every generation of optimization and perform Gaussian sampling around the convergence point. The samples with good objective value will participate in the optimization as elites. Numerical experiments show that our variable grouping method is better than some popular variable grouping methods, and hybrid NSGA-II has broad prospects for multi-objective problem optimization.


Crystalline bacterial cell surface layer (S-layer) proteins are composed of a single protein or glycoprotein species. Isolated S-layer subunits frequently recrystallize into monomolecular protein lattices on various types of solid supports. For generating a functional protein lattice, a chimeric protein was constructed, which comprised the secondary cell wall polymer-binding region and the self-assembly domain of the S-layer protein SbpA from Bacillus sphaericus CCM 2177, and a single variable region of a heavy chain camel antibody (cAb-Lys3) recognizing lysozyme as antigen. For construction of the S-layer fusion protein, the 3'-end of the sequence encoding the C-terminally truncated form rSbpA(31)(-)(1068) was fused via a short linker to the 5'-end of the sequence encoding cAb-Lys3. The functionality of the fused cAb-Lys3 in the S-layer fusion protein was proved by surface plasmon resonance measurements. Dot blot assays revealed that the accessibility of the fused functional sequence for the antigen was independent of the use of soluble or assembled S-layer fusion protein. Recrystallization of the S-layer fusion protein into the square lattice structure was observed on peptidoglycan-containing sacculi of B. sphaericus CCM 2177, on polystyrene or on gold chips precoated with thiolated secondary cell wall polymer, which is the natural anchoring molecule for the S-layer protein in the bacterial cell wall. Thereby, the fused cAb-Lys3 remained located on the outer S-layer surface and accessible for lysozyme binding. Together with solid supports precoated with secondary cell wall polymers, S-layer fusion proteins comprising rSbpA(31)(-)(1068) and cAbs directed against various antigens shall be exploited for building up monomolecular functional protein lattices as required for applications in nanobiotechnology.


Dear Sir, We read with interest the recent report by Fox et al. [Br J Obstet Gynaecol (1991) 98, 400-4021. However, we would like to question the rationale for treating the thrombocytopenia on the second postpartum day. It is our experience that the nadir of the platelet count in these cases is usually reached at this time and thereafter rises, spontaneously, exceeding 100 x 109/1 by the fourth or fifth postpartum day. Our observations are consistent with two recent reports (Neiger et al. 1991, Katz etal. 1990). A platelet count of 49 X 109A on the second postpartum day would not therefore be a cause for undue concern. The thrombocytopenia would almost certainly have resolved spontaneously, requiring no more than close observation, supportive therapy and a steady nerve. Ravi Chandran Commonwealth Medical Fellow C. W. G. Redman Clinical Reader Nufleld Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology John Radclqfe Maternity Hospital Headington Oxford OX3 9DU


In this article, I examine how Syrian refugee men and women shifted their household divisions of labor in their initial years of resettlement in the United States. I combine and extend relational approaches from gender theory and economic sociology to examine how men's and women's behaviors shifted, the resources engendered by behavioral shifts, and how they interpreted and compensated for new behaviors and resources. I show that shifts in Syrian household divisions of labor occurred at the intersection of inequalities in social policies, labor markets, and households. As a result of limited social assistance, the refugee families needed to earn an income within months of their arrival. The Syrian men entered the labor market, in keeping with a breadwinning expectation for their labor, but could only access menial jobs that limited their time and opportunity to learn English. Women, meanwhile, did not enter the labor market full-time and could attend English classes. By observing this divergence in men's and women's language learning, I theorize human capital as a gendered outcome of household divisions of labor.


A retrospective analysis was undertaken to examine the influence of calcium-channel blocking drugs on early renal allograft function. Delayed function was defined as the need for dialysis or a reduction in serum creatinine of less than 15% within 4 days of transplantation. The drug histories of 172 patients were examined. After exclusions, the data from 138 patients were analysed. No patient was taking any calcium-channel blocking drug other than nifedipine. Thirty-one patients were taking nifedipine at the time of transplantation and these had a delayed function rate of 16% compared with 40% for 107 patients not taking nifedipine (chi 2, P less than 0.05). Delayed function occurred in 61% of cases when the donor age was over 50 years compared with 29% with younger donors (chi 2, P less than 0.05). A total ischaemic time of longer than 24 h and administration of inotropic support to the donor were associated with delayed function (chi 2, P less than 0.05). Administration to the donor of mannitol, steroids, phenoxybenzamine and heparin had no effect on the rate of delayed function. Recipients treated with low-dose dopamine in the perioperative period had no advantage. Elevated trough whole blood concentrations of cyclosporin in the first week after transplant were associated with delayed function (Mann-Whitney U, P less than 0.05).


SUMMARY: We report a small cohort of patients with severe osteoporotic fractures treated with vertebroplasty. We note a high prevalence of small, central, intraosseous clefts in these severe fractures. Rather than filling the small amount of residual bone marrow around the periphery of these severe fractures, as suggested by previous authors, we suggest central needle placement to fill these central clefts.


Electron collision cross sections for silane in the energy range 0–5 eV are presented. We show that the conventional two‐term solution of the Boltzmann equation is not correct for unfolding the cross sections from swarm data in pure silane, silane‐Ar, and silane‐Kr mixtures. A Monte Carlo method is used to derive the cross sections for the these systems and the two‐term solution is used in silane‐He mixtures. It is shown that experimental drift velocity data for the silane‐He system is a valuable adjunct for unfolding the silane cross sections from existing swarm data.


The oxidation process is one of the most important natural processes. Oxidative change in diabetes is believed to be an important process in the pathogenesis. Here, the author determines the oxidation flux change in diabetic nephropathy. A simulation test to determine the oxidation flux change based on nano medicine technique is used. An increase in oxidation flux in the diabetic nephropathy can be derived. Therefore, this work can support the finding that the oxidation flux change plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. Conclusively, the oxidative stress can bring glomerulus thickness, and the thickness glomerulus can further amplify the oxidative injuries.


Marking for Wedging Fractures SIR,-Wedging of plaster casts to correct minor degrees of deformity following the manipulative reduction of fractures, in particular of the tibial shaft, is a common practice in the treatment of fractures. To ensure success it is essential to cut the wedge at the level of the fracture, and attempts to do this by guesswork are usually unsuccessful. Surprisingly enough the following method, for which I claim no originality, is not as widely known as it might be, and I feel is worth recording. A number of metal strips-the files supplied for opening ampoules are very satisfactory-are stuck to a piece of adhesive strapping. This strip is then placed on the plaster cast at the


—The rising number of technological advanced de- vices making network coverage planning very challenging tasks for network operators. The transmission quality between the transmitter and the end users has to be optimum for the best performance out of any device. Besides, the presence of coverage hole is also an ongoing issue for operators which cannot be ignored throughout the whole operational stage. Any coverage hole in network operators' coverage region will hamper the communication applications and degrade the reputation of the operator's services. Presently, there are techniques to detect coverage holes such as drive test or minimization of drive test. However, these approaches have many limitations. The extreme costs, outdated information about the radio environment and high time consumption do not allow to meet the requirement competently. To overcome these problems, we take advantage of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Q-learning to autonomously detect coverage hole in a given area and then deploy UAV based base station (UAV-BS) by considering wireless backhaul with the core network and users demand. This machine learning mechanism will help the UAV to eliminate human-in-the-loop (HiTL) model. Later, we formulate an optimisation problem for 3D UAV-BS placement at various angular positions to maximise the number of users associated with the UAV-BS. In summary, we have illustrated a cost-effective as well as time saving approach of detecting coverage hole and providing on-demand coverage in this article.


This study is a replication of European studies conducted with Turkish university students. The purpose is to investigate the effect of the conventional lecturing that is widely used in universities on freshmen students' misconceptions in an introductory mechanics course. The Mechanics Misconception Test that contains Turkish multiple-choice items was administered to 946 freshmen students as a pre-test and to 506 freshmen students as a post-test in an introductory mechanics course. Statistical analyses were done on 435 students who took both the pre-test and the post-test. Gender differences were analyzed by independent t-test, the effect of conventional lecturing on students' misconceptions was analyzed by dependent t-test, and the correlation between students' misconceptions and achievement in physics was analyzed by correlation analysis. The statistical results showed that there are statistically significant mean differences or correlations as follows: 1. Male students show fewer miconceptions and higher achievement than female students. 2.The correlation between students' misconceptions and achievement in physics (measured by students'grade in the mechanics course) is statistically significant. The fewer the students' misconceptions are,the higher the students' achievement are. 3.Although there was a statistically significant effect of conventional lecturing on students' misconceptions, this effect was far from being great enough to have a practical significance. After the findings were compared and contrasted with the findings in other countries, what could be done to decrease or dispell students' misconceptions in physics was discussed.


Objective: The objective of the study is to compare computed tomography (CT)-based I125 radioactive seed brachytherapy (RSB) joint three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) and stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SBRT) on early nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: The study involved 30 Stage I and II NSCLC patients from March 2014 to June 2017. The patients were divided into two groups: 20 cases with CT-based RSB–3D-CRT (300 cGy × 10) (Group A) and 10 cases with SBRT (8 cGy × 6) (Group B). Their local control rates, 1-year survival rates, and toxic and side effects were compared. Results: The median time of follow-up was 20 months (3–51 months). The 1-year local control rate in Groups A and B was 90% and 80%, respectively (P = 0.70). The 1-year survival rate in Groups A and B was 90% and 90%, respectively (P = 1.00). The indicator of radioactive pneumonia V20 and V30 in Groups A and B was 6.06% and 4.207%, and 11.32% and 7.111%, respectively (P = 0.000024 and 0.00090). Conclusion: Compared with SBRT, RSB–3D-CRT was more aggressive on early NSCLC. It remarkably reduced the indicators (V20 and V30) and the incidence of radioactive pneumonia.


Cigarette smoking is one of the major causes of mortality involving respiratory and cardiovascular illness in developing countries. Cigarette smoking is known to contain abundant of free radicals, which is able to cause tissue oxidative damage at various levels and to the alterations which induce the arteriosclerotic process. The body has the ability to produce hepatic antioxidants such as Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), Glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) and Glutathione reductase (Gred). When there are excessive free radicals generated due to smoking, the available tissue antioxidants may become depleted, leading to oxidative stress. In this study we investigate the efficacy of antioxidant and hypolipidemic agent Tocotrienols by analyzing all the parameters in plasma lipoprotein lipids, TL, TC, TG, VLDL-C, LDL-C, HDL-C, as well as hepatic antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, Gpx and Gred), as investigated in smoke exposed control rats. All the plasma lipids parameters as well as hepatic antioxidant enzymes were significantly increased/decreased in smoke exposed control rats. After 4 weeks administration of Tocotrienols, significantly restore the above altered parameters. In conclusion, Tocotrienols may be useful in the prevention and treatment of tobacco-induced dyslipidemia/hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis


This letter presents a novel high-efficiency linear transmitter using pulse-width modulation (PWM). An envelope of radio frequency (RF) input signal is modulated by the PWM. The modulated signal is applied to the gate bias of a class F injection-locked power oscillator and switches it on and off. By filtering the pulsed oscillating output signal of the injection-locked oscillator using high-Q bandpass filter, the input signal is restored. This technique enables the transmitter to have high efficiency with good linearity. Also, there is little distortion near saturation point of an active device. The measured results show efficiency of 54.6% and very good linearity in PCS band at 26.4-dBm output power.


Japanese businessmen in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACandR) industry consider the monitoring of technical and market developments in the United States to be a normal part of their business. In contrast, efforts by US businessmen to monitor Japanese HVAC and R developments are poorly developed. To begin to redress this imbalance, this report establishes the groundwork for a more effective system for use in monitoring Japanese HVAC and R literature. Discussions of a review of the principal HVAC and R publications in Japan and descriptions of the type of information contained in each of those publications are included in this report. Since the Japanese HVAC and R literature is abundant, this report also provides practical suggestions on how a researcher or research manager can limit the monitoring effort to the publications and type of information that would most likely be of greatest value.


The right strategy execution by business and commercial organizations expected to improve performance, however the current corporate strategy is viewed no longer enough, and should start paying attention to imaging as a means to seize the market, the brand can also be seen as something that can strengthen or weaken the positioning in the eyes of the market. Mapping of corporate  brand Is reviewed from the point of evalution and relevance should be right on target and should be used as supportive data for making short and long term strategy of the organizations. This research discussed about how mapping the universities brand, mapping activities was divide in to three measurement, which is Brand Awareness, Brand Preference and Brand Perception. This research also segementing respondents in two segments, senior high school students and parents, this research located in West Jakarta, research target is mapping universities brand in national context, thus universities in answer separate in national universities. Result from this research showing that University of Indonesia is Top of Mind in senior high school students Brand Awareness with 19,17% and Tarumanagara University is Top of Mind in parents brand awareness with 28,33%. Whereas brand preference result in University of Indonesia is the most preference in students and parents perpectives with 24,17% and 27,5%. Keywords : Brand, Universities, Brand Awareness, brand preference, brand perception


The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of job stress on job satisfaction and life satisfaction of police officers participating in leisure sports. To accomplish this goal, 478 police officers working in Seoul and Seoul metropolitan area from September 2016 to August 2017 were surveyed and multiple regression analysis was conducted. The following conclusions were drawn. Job stress, job demands, and job satisfaction were positively influential on job satisfaction. Relationship conflict, organizational system, inadequate compensation, and job instability were the factors that affected negatively. Job stress, job duties, organizational system had a positive influence on life satisfaction, relationship conflict, inadequacy of compensation, and job instability were negative factors. Job satisfaction, self- pay, level of interpersonal relationship had a positive influence on life satisfaction and self-esteem and arrest were negative factors.


Fueled by the widespread use of the internet, more and more ordinary people have now become merchandise sellers who sell their own possessions, such as antique collections and limited souvenirs, to buyers who are interested in such goods via online auctions. This study examines the decision making related to the bidding strategies used in online auctions by both sellers and buyers. When selling goods for which there is a limited supply, sellers consider whether to sell the single homogenous items in multiple, simultaneous auctions or all the items in a single auction. Moreover, when selling heterogeneous but associated goods, sellers may decide to bundle the items for sale or not with an aim of increasing the potential buyers' willingness to make a purchase. We investigate the effects that various factors related to the bidding strategies used in online auctions, such as the base price and duration of the auction determined by the seller and the bidding price decided by the buyer, have on the seller's profit, and the utilities of both parties are considered to derive the equilibrium solutions. This study contributes to the literature by proposing an online auction framework that focuses more on individual sellers selling a limited quantity of items with an aim to establish a favorable online auction for both sellers and buyers and earn more profits for sellers. The results show that the base prices and direct purchase prices should be unestablished to achieve the most attractive characteristics of online auctions, which would encourage more buyers to freely place bids. As a result, the bidding items would have more chances to be eventually obtained by the buyer who places the highest bid, which, thus, maximizes the seller's profit.


: The Mobile Ad hoc Network or popularly known as the MANET has been a prevalent concept in the past two or three decades or so. This network formation strategy is arbitrary - initiated and maintained without the help of any other representative node or pre-existing network configuration or hierarchy. Though in some protocols there may be an arrangement for some form of leaders, but the more distributed is the task of routing among all the nodes, the better is the performance of the protocol. Reliable and Density-aware Routing Protocol for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks with Novel Power Conservation Scheme is an expanded routing protocol that incorporates all aspects of mobile ad hoc networks, including adaptability to network size and density and enhancing power-conservativeness of the system. The protocol utilizes a very unique geographic forwarding scheme with the location information of the nodes involved from the Global Positioning System, GPS. The forwarding is greedy and mostly depends upon reactive network formation strategy, reducing much of the complexity and overhead of proactive strategies. In time when the system stabilizes, the protocol gradually builds up a locally stored but globally available reliability factor for each node which on one hand allows the packets to avoid non-reachable zones and on the other hand distributes forwarding tasks to prevent bottlenecks. The protocol also provides a very innovative means to minimize system's overall power dissipation.


Mączyński P. 2019. Remarks on using tools with truncated edges in the Lublin-Volhynian culture on the example of materials from site no. 7 in Las Stocki, Puławy County. Analecta Archaeologica Ressoviensia 14, 41–56 This article tackles the issue of the use of truncations by the population of the Lublin-Volhynian culture. The corpus of sources for their analyses is a group of 27 tools discovered during the research of the Las Stocki settlement, site 7. Microscopic observation made it possible to separate a considerable group of artefacts bearing use-wear traces on their surfaces. The most numerous were items used for processing plant material and wood. Other activities, like processing stone/pottery, hide, and other unspecified materials were recorded sporadically. Another research problem was the attempt to reconstruct the biographies of the stone tools. The analyses indicated that the materials were only partly useful in the research. This was caused by the poor preservation state of the artefacts and of the recorded use-wear traces. Tackling this issue gave the best results in the case of items used for cutting siliceous plants, which undoubtedly resulted from the distinct character of such use-wear patterns.


In the current industrial era, there is a lot of emerging competition in technology and information. The increase in information causes the growth of technology to be faster. This study aims to determine whether the application of internal control accounting information systems for credit and cash sales at PT Wings Surya in Surabaya is in accordance with the theory. This research method uses descriptive method. The data collection used were interviews, observations, documentation, and literature studies. The credit and cash sales accounting information system implemented at PT Wings Surya has used a computerized system well. Namely by using the SmartOpr system and SAP System. The results of the study show that the internal control of the credit and cash sales accounting information system at PT Wings Surya in Surabaya is in practice in accordance with existing theory.


The objective of this work is to develop a methodology to estimate the fraction of Reserves assigned to each Reserves category (1P, 2P, and 3P) of the PRMS resources classification matrix using a cumulative distribution function (CDF). Previous published work has often used Swanson's Mean (SM) as the basis for allocating Reserves to individual categories, but we found that this method, which relates the Reserves categories through a CDF for a normal distribution, is an inaccurate means to determine the relationship of the Reserves categories with asymmetric distributions, and our work identified a better method, Gaussian Quadrature (GQ).
 Production data are lognormally distributed, regardless of basin type, and thus are not compatible with the SM concept. The GQ algorithm provides a methodology to estimate the fraction of Reserves that lie within the 1P, 2P, and 3P categories — known as their weights. GQ is a numerical integration method that uses discrete random variables and a distribution that matches the original data. For this work, we associate the lognormal CDF with a set of discrete random variables that replace the production data, and determine the associated probabilities. The production data for both conventional and unconventional fields are lognormally distributed, thus we expect that this methodology can be implemented in any field.
 We selected 38 wells from a Permian Basin dataset available to us, and we performed probabilistic decline curve analysis (DCA) using the Arps Hyperbolic model and Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) to obtain a probability distribution of the 1P, 2P, and 3P volumes. We considered this information to be our "truth case," to which we compared relative weights of different Reserves categories from the GQ and SM methodologies. We also performed probabilistic rate transient analysis (RTA) using the IHS Harmony software to obtain the 1P, 2P, and 3P volumes, and calculated the relative weights of each Reserves category. Once we completed these first two steps, we implemented a 3-point GQ to obtain the weights and percentiles for each well. We analyzed the GQ results by calculating the percentage differences between the probabilistic DCA, RTA, and GQ results.
 The probabilistic DCA results indicated that the SM method is an inaccurate method for estimating the relative weights of each Reserves category. Our results show that the GQ method was able to capture an accurate representation of the Reserves weights, we note that we assumed an expected lognormal CDF for Reserves. We believe that 1C, 2C, 3C, and 1U, 2U, and 3U Contingent and Prospective Resources are distributed in a similar way (i.e., as a lognormal CDF) but have greater variance.
 Based on our results, we conclude that the GQ method is accurate and can be used to approximate the relationship between the relative weights of resources in PRMS categories. This relationship will aid entities in reporting Reserves of different categories to regulatory agencies because it can be recreated for any field, play, or region. These distributions of Reserves and Resources Other than Reserves (ROTR) are important for planning and for resource inventorying. The GQ method provides a measure of confidence in our prediction of the Reserves weights because of the relatively smaller percentage differences between the probabilistic DCA, RTA, and GQ weights than those implied by the SM method. For reference, our proposed methodology can be implemented in both conventional and unconventional reservoirs.


Abstract Given the close anatomical and physiological links between the exocrine and endocrine pancreas, diseases of 1 compartment often affect the other through mechanisms that remain poorly understood. Pancreatitis has been associated with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, but its association with monogenic diabetes is unknown. Patients heterozygous for pathogenic CFTR variants are cystic fibrosis carriers and have been reported to have an increased risk of acute pancreatitis. We describe a 12-year-old patient with monogenic neonatal diabetes due to a pathogenic heterozygous paternally inherited mutation of the insulin gene (INS), c.94 G > A (p.Gly32Ser), who experienced 3 recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis over 7 months in conjunction with poor glycemic control, despite extensive efforts to improve glycemic control in the past 4 years. Intriguingly, the maternal side of the family has an extensive history of adult-onset pancreatitis consistent with autosomal dominant inheritance and the proband is heterozygous for a maternally inherited, CFTR variant c.3909C > G (p.Asn1303Lys). Paternally inherited monogenic neonatal diabetes may have promoted earlier age-of-onset of pancreatitis in this pediatric patient compared to maternal relatives with adult-onset acute pancreatitis. Further study is needed to clarify how separate pathophysiologies associated with INS and CFTR mutations influence interactions between the endocrine and exocrine pancreas.


The quality gap in the management of chronic disease is an issue which must be addressed if we are to achieve sustainability of our health system and optimal health outcomes for Canadians. The delivery of quality care needs to be a fundamental expectation of providers, professional regulators, institutional leaders and senior government leaders. Success in the arena of quality improvement comes from clarity of accountability, "obsessive" tracking and action on key performance indicators, and results-based teamwork. Strong leadership, identification of shared priorities across the country, full transparency, and an engaged public are all key to moving ahead in this critical area of Canadian healthcare.


This is the second edition of a book first published in 1994. The book is aimed primarily at students with no knowledge of geology and attempts to provide a distillation of the fundamental information in an easy-to-read and very visual format. The book can be considered as a springboard by which the reader may be launched into the complexities of topics presented in more weighty tomes, armed with sufficient basic knowledge to provide a better understanding of them.

The book …


By specializing in preventative oral healthcare, dental hygienists (DHs) have the potential to improve oral health in the United States. DHs decrease the cost and increase the availability of oral healthcare beyond what would be provided by dentists alone. Yet laws and regulations in many U.S. states prevent DHs from fulfilling their potential. A prior study by Wing et al. (2005) found that states that impose more restrictions on the functions DHs are permitted to perform resulted in lower DH wages and poorer oral health outcomes. This study adds entry restrictions, including educational and licensure requirements, to the analysis by developing a model in which a state's entry and practice restrictions jointly affect the DH labor market and access to care. After evaluating anecdotal evidence from four case studies, we estimate the effect of variations in entry and practice restrictions across the U.S. using a three stage least squares (3SLS) estimation method. The results are consistent with the hypotheses that entry restrictions reduce employment rates, practice restrictions reduce productivity and wage rates, and wage and employment rates are endogenous to each other and jointly influence access to care. The implication for states seeking to improve oral health is that both entry and practice laws and regulations must be considered jointly in order to significantly improve access to care.


The April 2015 release of the RDA Toolkit includes major content updates to RDA: Resource Description and Access. Several of the revisions included in the release modify instructions that are used by music cataloguers on a regular basis. This article reviews the most important of these changes with the purpose of making it easier for music cataloguers to navigate the various changes that have taken place in relation to music cataloguing. It examines specifically the impact of the revisions regarding the statement of responsibility, the extent of notated music, the duration, preferred titles of musical works, abbreviations in titles for parts of musical works, and access points representing musical expressions. The article illustrates some of the changes by including examples that were revised or added. It also includes a table which is a comparison of the structure of 6.14.2 instructions before and after the April 2015 update, because of the numerous changes in this area. While this article is aimed primarily at music cataloguers, it could also be of interest to music librarians concerned with cataloguing issues.


This study examined infant response and recovery from a social challenge and parent responses. Behavioral and physiological responses were measured from forty-three 5- and 6-month-olds infants during a modified still-face procedure that used an additional still-face reunion sequence. Results confirm the hypothesis that infants of more responsive parents show more regulation than infants of less responsive parents. Infants of more responsive parents showed greater regulation of heart rate and negative affect during the final episode of the procedure than infants of less responsive parents. In addition, this procedure elicited a cortisol response (from .22 microg/dl to .31 microg/dl). Findings suggest important links between parent behavior and infant stress reactivity and regulation.


The aim of the study was to prepare and evaluate beads of chitosan-carregeenan, chitosanalginate for the controlled release of nateglinide, an oral antidiabetic agent used in the management of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Preparation of alginate-chitosan beads and hydrogel beads of chitosan-carrageenan was carried out using ionic gelation technique. The beads were evaluated for their properties like particle size distribution, drug loading, swelling behavior etc., Surface characteristics were determined using SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy). FT-IR and XRD analysis was carried out to determine the chemical compatibility of the polymers with the drug. The polymers alginate and carrageenan showed considerable controlled release in the presence of the polymer chitosan. The ability of these polymers to retard the release of drug can be attributed to gelation medium concentration, the pH of dissolution medium and curing times. The beads were incubated in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) for the first 4 h then the SGF was replaced using simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) and the drug release was observed for the next 20 h. The chitosan coated alginate and carrageenan beads showed a release of 70% and 76% of the drug in the first 6h itself. The beads continued to release the drug for the reminder of the time.


ABSTRACTThe objective of this study was to investigate the airborne pollutant emission sources and fluctuations around the indoor and outdoor environments of a semiconductor manufacturing plant using monitoring data that were collected over 4 consecutive days via three Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers located near an outdoor make-up air unit and an indoor Fab and sub Fab. Based on a total of 1,032 five-minute-interval records, fourteen chemicals were detected. Six of these chemicals, namely, carbon tetrafluoride, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, silane, sulfur hexafluoride, and methane, had significant concentration correlations between the indoor and outdoor environments. With the exception of silane and sulfur hexafluoride, the percentage of indoor/outdoor concentration ratios that were greater than one ranged from 62.2% to 73.1%, indicating that the indoor chemical concentrations were typically higher than the outdoor concentrations.
Based on the regression models derived for the indoor and outdoor nitrous oxide concentrations, the nitrous oxide was believed to be originally emitted from the sub Fab vented to the outdoors and then partially returned to the Fab. It was estimated that for one ppb of nitrous oxide detected in the Fab, 2.58 ppb of nitrous oxide could be detected at the make-up air unit, which might result from the sub Fab emission being at a high level of 6.60 ppb. Furthermore, elevated outdoor concentrations of chemicals, such as carbon tetrafluoride, nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide, were observed without previous indoor emission peaks, indicating that these chemicals might accumulate in the outdoor surrounding area.
This study successfully illustrated the dynamically changing relationship between indoor and outdoor chemical concentrations in a semiconductor clean room. These results can be used to prevent subtle and potential adverse impacts of airborne molecular contaminant (AMC) in various manufacturing facilities of technological industries, including the semiconductor and optoelectronics industries.


Although the COVID-19 pandemic was initially manifested as a contagious respiratory infection, its other aspects quickly became apparent. Accordingly, the disease could affect various organs such as skin, digestive system, and the central nervous system. Apart from these diverse manifestations, it was rapidly cleared that the virus could potentially play a role in causing a wide range of autoimmune diseases. Moreover, various anthropological aspects of COVID-19 and its effects on human life were considered. In this regard, one of the important issues is its psychological effects, not only on the population of healthy people, but also on people suffering from underlying diseases. Inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system are included as one group of these diseases. Since these diseases can cause many psychological problems in patients, it is very important to pay attention to them during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the following section, the psychological aspects of COVID-19 in patients with neuroinflammatory diseases are described.


The bric à brac (bab) locus acts as a homeotic and morphogenetic regulator in the development of ovaries, appendages and the abdomen. It consists of two structurally and functionally related genes, bab1 and bab2, each of which encodes a single nuclear protein. Bab1 and Bab2 have two conserved domains in common, a BTB/POZ domain and a Psq domain, a motif that characterizes a subfamily of BTB/POZ domain proteins in Drosophila. The tissue distribution of Bab1 and Bab2 overlaps, with Bab1 being expressed in a subpattern of Bab2. Analysis of a series of mutations indicates that the two bab genes have synergistic, distinct and redundant functions during imaginal development. Interestingly, several reproduction-related traits that are sexually dimorphic or show diversity among Drosophila species are highly sensitive to changes in the bab gene dose, suggesting that alterations in bab activity may contribute to evolutionary modification of sex-related morphology.