Particle in cell (PIC) methods are effective in computing Vlasov-Poisson system of equations used in simulations of magnetic fusion plasmas. PIC methods use grid based computations, for solving Poisson's equation or more generally Maxwell's equations, as well as Monte-Carlo type methods to sample the Vlasov equation. The presence of two types of discretizations, deterministic field solves and Monte-Carlo methods for the Vlasov equation, pose challenges in understanding and optimizing performance on today large scale computers which require high levels of concurrency. These challenges arises from the need to optimize two very different types of processes and the interactions between them. Modern cache based high-end computers have very deep memory hierarchies and high degrees of concurrency which must be utilized effectively to achieve good performance. The effective use of these machines requires maximizing concurrency by eliminating serial or redundant work and minimizing global communication. A related issue is minimizing the memory traffic between levels of the memory hierarchy because performance is often limited by the bandwidths and latencies of the memory system. This paper discusses some of the performance issues, particularly in regard to parallelism, of PIC methods. The gyrokinetic toroidal code (GTC) is used for these studies and a new radial grid decomposition is presented and evaluated. Scaling of the code is demonstrated on ITER sized plasmas with up to 16K Cray XT3/4 cores.


The tumor microenvironment has a characteristic low pH due to inadequate blood perfusion, hypoxia, altered cellular metabolism, and inflammation. The effects of acidic pH on cancer progression are complex. It has been shown that low pH increases the metastatic spread of cancer by assisting in the degradation of extracellular matrix. Other studies show that acidic microenvironments decrease metastatic potential in B16F10 melanoma cells upon activation of the GPR4 receptor and also inhibit Akt activity in breast cancer cells. In this study we have investigated the attachment, spreading, and migration of B16F10 cells that have been genetically modified to express the GPR4 receptor at a high level (named B16F10/GPR4 cells). The results showed that upon stimulation of GPR4 in B16F10/GPR4 cells with low pH, cell spreading, membrane ruffling, and migration were significantly decreased. The phosphorylation levels of paxillin Y118 and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) Y397 following one-hour cell attachment were also decreased, and the spatial localization of the phosphorylated paxillin and FAK was substantially altered. Further tests were performed to identify the G-protein signaling pathway responsible for this effect. By using a G13 dominant negative construct or inhibiting Rho activation with C3 transferase (CT04) in B16F10/GPR4 cells, the cell spreading and membrane ruffling abilities were almost completely restored back to the level of B16F10/vector control cells, whereas the inhibition of the Gs and Gq pathways had little effect. These results suggest that activation of the GPR4 receptor and subsequently the G13/Rho downstream pathway are responsible for decreased cell attachment, spreading and membrane ruffling, which may cause decreased metastatic potential of B16F10/GPR4 cells found previously. Citation Format: Calvin R. Justus, Li V. Yang. Regulation of tumor cell attachment, spreading and migration by the GPR4 receptor and related G protein pathways. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2799. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2799


Radiologists often need to localise corresponding findings in different images of the breast, such as Magnetic Resonance Images and X-ray mammograms. However, this is a difficult task, as one is a volume and the other a projection image. In addition, the appearance of breast tissue structure can vary significantly between them. Some breast regions are often obscured in an X-ray, due to its projective nature and the superimposition of normal glandular tissue. Automatically determining correspondences between the two modalities could assist radiologists in the detection, diagnosis and surgical planning of breast cancer. This thesis addresses the problems associated with the automatic alignment of 3D and 2D breast images and presents a generic framework for registration that uses the structures within the breast for alignment, rather than surrogates based on the breast outline or nipple position. The proposed algorithm can adapt to incorporate different types of transformation models, in order to capture the breast deformation between modalities. The framework was validated on clinical MRI and X-ray mammography cases using both simple geometrical models, such as the affine, and also more complex ones that are based on biomechanical simulations. The results showed that the proposed framework with the affine transformation model can provide clinically useful accuracy (13.1mm when tested on 113 registration tasks). The biomechanical transformation models provided further improvement when applied on a smaller dataset. Our technique was also tested on determining corresponding findings in multiple X-ray images (i.e. temporal or CC to MLO) for a given subject using the 3D information provided by the MRI. Quantitative results showed that this approach outperforms 2D transformation models that are typically used for this task. The results indicate that this pipeline has the potential to provide a clinically useful tool for radiologists.


A multi-function superconducting device is proposed in this paper, which can act as a fault current limiter and SMES to two unattached AC systems respectively and effectively. This combined equipment SMES-SFCL is mainly consisted of diodes, DC/AC converter, control circuit and a superconducting coil. The coil is made of Nb-Ti and the SMES is 150 kVA/0.3 MJ. The circuit topology is shown in the paper, and the simulation results made by PSCAD are presented. It turns out to be that the equipment can act as what we expected. Some problems needed to be considered carefully in the future research are discussed at the end of the paper.


This paper tracks the process through which FIAS, the investment climate advisory service of the World Bank Group advised the government of Latvia from 1998 to 2004 on ways to improve the business environment, achieve higher rates of economic growth, and thereby alleviate poverty. This case study shows that it is reasonable to describe how assistance by FIAS led to an improved business environment. The role that FIAS advice played may be discerned at the level of benefits accruing to the target population (i.e., the amount of resources freed up by lower costs associated with administrative procedures). Whether these benefits accruing to the business community translated into higher rates of investment and productivity, and thus to higher economic growth and reduced poverty, is a function of the entire political, social, and economic structure in Latvia. It is evident that there are many links in the chain of causation, and that the direct attribution FIAS can claim diminishes at every step downstream from its activities. Credit for success must be shared with the Government of Latvia and its immediate stakeholders (i.e., the businesses and their associations), the European Union accession process, the input of many other complementary projects, market forces, and fortuitous timing.


History. —The patient's family history was negative She Was 37 years old and had menstruated regularly every four weeks, the menstrual period lasting about four days. She had had six living children before present labor, and three miscarriages. I curetted one of the patient's uteri about two years ago and did not discover anything unusual about her anatomy. Present Pregnancy and Labor. —I was called on the morning of May 27, 1911, to see patient. Pains were coming about every fifteen minutes. Vaginal examination revealed dilatation to about the size of a dollar. At this time I noticed that the cervix was unusually high. Upon external examination I found two distinct tumors, one to the left and one to the right of the abdomen. The right was considerably higher than the left. On palpation I discovered small parts and distinct motion on each side. The diagnosis of twins was made.


An operational definition of consciousness is not easy. Consciousness is something we never completely understand. The word 'consciousness' derives from two words: the Latin verb scire, which means to know, and the Latin preposition cum, which means with. Thus, consciousness, etymologically means "to know with". Consciousness is also the totality of impressions, thoughts, feelings and awareness which make up a person's conscious being. It may be even said that only man has real existence in this world in so far as he alone possesses consciousness and self-awareness. Without fellow human beings, we should experience a sense of enormous emptiness. Every improvement we make in our private world improves the world at large for everyone. In a way we all float on the collective level of consciousness of mankind so that any increment we add comes back to us. What we do to serve, life automatically benefits all of us because we are all included in that loop of life. We are life. But the individual is like a cork in the vast sea of consciousness - he doesn't know where he is, where he came from, or where he is going, and he doesn't know why. Human beings wander around in their endless conundrums, asking the same question century after century, and, failing a quantum leap in consciousness (Hawkins David, 2012). Against this backdrop, suppose we start asking a question: What of a true teacher? A true teacher explains how to advance consciousness of his students. Is there any substantial gain by being conscious? Can there be a conscious teachership and learning? How can a conscious teacher contributes to the creation of a congenial environment for learning? An attempt will be made in this paper to understand the power of mindfulness for effective teaching and learning. Mindfulness is both a process (mindful practice) and an outcome (mindful awareness). It begins with the simple act of paying attention with care and respect (Barbezat and Bush, 2014). Mindfulness is a particular degree and strength of awareness. Mindful awareness allows us to observe our mental state without over identifying with them, creating an attitude of acceptance that can lead to greater curiosity and better self understanding. Awareness is the feeling of seeing everything as though it was for the first time and the last time and at the same time. Mindfulness is, indeed, a capability we can all cultivate. As management education teachers, can we teach mindfulness in the classrooms as a human activity? Can we guide and support our management students to become good independent reflective thinkers and doers through consciousness and mindfulness? As teachers, how can we unleash the power of consciousness and mindfulness for effective teaching and learning? A modest attempt will be made to answer these questions in this paper.


Loss of stature in certain elderly subjects can be attributed to diseases such as osteoporosis, as well as to age and generational effects. In addition, many elders cannot stand straight for accurate measurement. For these cases, total height can be estimated with regression equations based on knee height. The aims of this study were, firstly, to evaluate the applicability of regression equations based on knee height for estimation of stature and, secondly, to document the differences between measured and estimated height in a group of elderly Hispanics with postural problems (n = 166) in comparison with a group of elderly Hispanic without postural problems (n = 270). Using both, estimated and measured height, we also calculated the body mass index (BMI) of both groups of elders. Statistical analyses were done with paired t-tests, within sex and study group. Within the group with postural problems, estimated height was higher than the measured height for both men (p < or = 0.001) and women (p < or = 0.001). There were no significant differences between measured and estimated height in the group without postural problems. Furthermore, in the group with postural problems, BMI values calculated with estimated height were lower than those estimated with the measured height, and these differences were also significant for both men (p < or = 0.001) and women (p < or = 0.001). With the aging of the Latin American population, there is a need for more nutrition and health research among elders. In order to do this we need to develop and use methods and criteria appropriate for each population.


This work is concerned with the exploration of ideas in the realm of technology for peace, produced by small groups of students working around an interactive tabletop. A collaboration-enforcing tabletop application was used to mediate dialog and collaborative construction of a taxonomy of ideas based on the participants' consensus. The scenarios for discussion concerned the promotion of global peace and the social integration of immigrants in the society. The participants' dialog and interactions were video-recorded and analyzed. The study contributes a systematically developed coding scheme capturing the cognitive and physical elements of problem-based group collaboration around the interactive tabletop. Also, the consistent themes and ideas contributed across the participating groups highlight a number of areas where research could focus in terms of using technology for peace.


The worldwide need for rapid expansion and diversification of medical devices and the corresponding requirements in industry pose arduous challenges for educators to train undergraduate biomedical engineering (BME) students. Preparing BME students for working in the research and development (R&D) in medical device industry is not easily accomplished by adopting traditional pedagogical methods. Even with the inclusion of the design and development elements in capstone projects, medical device industry may be still experience a gap in fulfilling their needs in R&D. This paper proposes a new model based on interdisciplinary project-based learning (IDPBL) to address the requirements of building the necessary skill sets in academia for carrying out R&D in medical device industry. The proposed model incorporates IDPBL modules distributed in a stepwise fashion through the four years of a typical BME program. The proposed model involves buy-in and collaboration from faculty as well as students. The implementation of the proposed design in an undergraduate BME program is still in process. However, a variant of the proposed IDPBL method has been attempted at a limited scale at the postgraduate level and has shown some success. Extrapolating the previous results, the adoption of the IDPBL to BME training seems to suggest promising outcomes. Despite numerous implementation challenges, with continued efforts, the proposed IDPBL will be valuable n academia for skill sets building for medical device R&D.


Background

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is caused by hantaviruses presenting with high fever, hemorrhage, acute kidney injury. Microvascular injury and hemorrhage in mucus was often observed in patients with hantavirus infection. Infection with bacterial and virus related aortic aneurysm or dissection occurs sporadically. We present a previously unreported case of hemorrhagic fever with concurrent Stanford B aortic dissection.
Case presentation:

A 56-year-old man complained of high fever, generalized body ache, with decreased platelet counts of 10 × 10^9/L and acute kidney injury. The ELISA test for Hantaan virus of IgM and IgG antibodies were both positive. During the convalescent period, he complained sudden onset acute chest pain radiating to the back and the CTA revealed an aortic dissection of the descending aorta extending to iliac artery. He was diagnosed with Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and Stanford B aortic dissection. The patient recovered completely after surgery with other support treatments.
Conclusion

We present a case of HFRS complicated with aortic dissection,and no study has reported the association of HFRS with aortic disease. However, we suppose that hantavirus infection not only cause microvascular damage but may be risk factor for acute macrovascular detriment. A causal relationship has yet to be confirmed.


Radars and their applications were, for a long time, reserved to national defense, air security or weather service domains. For a few years, with the emergence of new technologies, radar applica- tions have been developed and have become known in the civil domain. In particular, the arrival of UWB—Ultra-Wideband technology allows the design of compact and low-cost radars with multi- ple fields of application. In this paper, we focus on road applications, such as driving assistance with the objective of increasing safety and reducing accidents. In classical UWB radar systems, Gaussian and monocycle pulses are commonly used. In previous works, original waveforms based on orthogonal functions (Hermite and Gegenbauer) were proposed. These provide a good spatial resolution, suitable for radar detection. Another advantage of these waveforms is their multiple access capability, due to their orthogonality. The aim of the study presented in this article is to compare simulation and experimental results obtained, especially for short-range anticollision radar application, using these waveforms in one part and Gaussian and monocycle pulses in the other part. The originality of this paper relies on the new approach. Indeed, this comparison study using these waveforms has never been done before. Finally, some examples of real experiments in a real road environment with different waveforms are presented and analysed.


miR-146b-5p is overexpressed in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and is thought to be a related diagnostic marker. Previous studies have indicated the effects of iodine on oncogenic activation. However, the effect of iodine on the proliferation of PTC cells and the associated underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We found that miR-146b-5p was downregulated and smad4 was upregulated in patients exposed to high iodine concentration by in situ hybridisation (ISH) and immunohistochemical (IHC). NaI (10-3 M) treatment downregulated miR-146b-5p and upregulated Smad4 in PTC cell lines. Luciferase assay was used to confirm that Smad4 is a target of miR-146b-5p. Furthermore, MTT assay and cell cycle analysis indicated that 10-3 M NaI suppressed cell proliferation and caused G0/G1 phase arrest. Real-time PCR and western blotting demonstrated that 10-3 M NaI increased p21, p27, and p57 levels and reduced cyclin D1 levels in PTC cells. Our findings suggest that 10-3 M NaI increases Smad4 levels through repression of miR-146b-5p expression, curbing the proliferation in PTC.


Background: The epidemic of COVID-19 has rapidly spread worldwide, with millions of confirmed cases and related deaths. Numerous efforts are being made to clarify how the infection progresses and potential factors associated with disease severity and mortality. We investigated the mortality in Greek hospitalized COVID-19 patients and also the predictors of this mortality. Methods: Study population included 512 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospitals of the Attica region of Greece. Patients demographic characteristics, comorbidities, allergies, previous vaccination for seasonal influenza virus, admission to ICU, intubation, and death were recorded. Potential predictors of in-hospital mortality were identified by regression analysis. Results: The mean age of hospitalized patients was 60.4 years, and was higher in patients who deceased. The most common comorbidities were respiratory diseases, hypertension, gastrointestinal disorders, dyslipidemia, mental health diseases, asthma, diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. The need for ICU care and intubation was significantly higher among patients who died. The mortality rate was 15.8% (81 out of 512). Age [≥]65 years, cancer, chronic kidney disease, endocrine diseases, central nervous system disorders, anemia, and intubation were independently associated with increased in-hospital mortality, while allergies and previous influenza vaccination were associated with decreased in-hospital mortality. Conclusion: Our finding of a beneficial effect of allergies and influenza vaccination against COVID-19 infection merits further investigation, as it may shed light in the mechanisms underlying disease progression and severity. Most importantly, it may assist in the implementation of efficient protective measures and public healthcare policies.


PURPOSE
Propagation of contours from high-quality magnetic resonance (MR) images to treatment planning ultrasound (US) images with severe needle artifacts is a challenging task, which can greatly aid the organ contouring in high dose rate (HDR) prostate brachytherapy. In this study, a deep learning approach was developed to automatize this registration procedure for HDR brachytherapy practice.

METHODS
Because of the lack of training labels and difficulty of accurate registration from inferior image quality, a new segmentation-based registration framework was proposed for this multi-modality image registration problem. The framework consisted of two segmentation networks and a deformable registration network, based on the weakly-supervised registration strategy. Specifically, two 3D V-Nets were trained for the prostate segmentation on the MR and US images separately, to generate the weak supervision labels for the registration network training. Besides the image pair, the corresponding prostate probability maps from the segmentation were further fed to the registration network to predict the deformation matrix, and an augmentation method was designed to randomly scale the input and label probability maps during the registration network training. The overlap between the deformed and fixed prostate contours was analyzed to evaluate the registration accuracy. Three datasets were collected from our institution for the MR and US image segmentation networks, and the registration network learning, which contained 121, 104 and 63 patient cases, respectively.

RESULTS
The mean Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) results of the two prostate segmentation networks are 0.86±0.05 and 0.90±0.03, for MR images and the US images after the needle insertion, respectively. The mean DSC, center-of-mass (COM) distance, Hausdorff distance (HD) and averaged symmetric surface distance (ASSD) results for the registration of manual prostate contours were 0.87±0.05, 1.70±0.89 mm, 7.21±2.07 mm, 1.61±0.64 mm, respectively. By providing the prostate probability map from the segmentation to the registration network, as well as applying the random map augmentation method, the evaluation results of the four metrics were all improved, such as an increase of DSC from 0.83±0.08 to 0.86±0.06 and from 0.86±0.06 to 0.87±0.05, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
A novel segmentation-based registration framework was proposed to automatically register prostate MR images to the treatment planning US images with metal artifacts, which not only largely saved the labor work on the data preparation, but also improved the registration accuracy. The evaluation results showed the potential of this approach in HDR prostate brachytherapy practice.


This article deals with living systems at the organizational and individual levels of analysis. We examine compatibility and conflict among outcomes of three organizational entry strategies—personnel selection, vocational guidance, and realistic job previews. Mechanistic and social systems perspectives of organizational entry strategies have different implications for single versus multiple outcomes, conflict among outcomes, and compatibility among strategies. We use experimental and correlational procedures with 164 newly hired bank employees to examine these issues. The results show that strategies have multiple outcomes, outcomes of a single strategy can conflict, and multiple strategies can have incompatible outcomes. The study suggests that organizational entry is a complex process that is best approached from a social systems perspective. Implications of a social systems perspective on organizational entry include shifting the focus of organizational entry from techniques to goals, reconciling multiple and conflicting goals, and adapting strategies to changes in the environment.


One of the main limitations in the field of audio signal processing is the lack of large public datasets with audio representations and high-quality annotations due to restrictions of copyrighted commercial music. We present Melon Playlist Dataset, a public dataset of mel-spectrograms for 649,091 tracks and 148,826 associated playlists annotated by 30,652 different tags. All the data is gathered from Melon, a popular Korean streaming service. The dataset is suitable for music information retrieval tasks, in particular, auto-tagging and automatic playlist continuation. Even though the latter can be addressed by collaborative filtering approaches, audio provides opportunities for research on track suggestions and building systems resistant to the cold-start problem, for which we provide a baseline. Moreover, the playlists and the annotations included in the Melon Playlist Dataset make it suitable for metric learning and representation learning.


Background There is substantial evidence that treatment with lipid-lowering agents can decrease cardiovascular morbidity and total mortality in patients with elevated serum lipid values and/or prior ischaemic heart disease. However, only a minority of these high-risk patients are believed to receive treatment, and among those who do receive pharmaceutical treatment the majority do not reach the therapeutic goal. Our goal was to investigate if this translates to a higher risk of cardiovascular events in real clinical practice. Design A retrospective cohort study using linkage of electronic medical records, the Swedish national inpatient registry and cause of death registry was performed, enrolling a total of 4976 patients who received treatment with a lipid-lowering agent at any time between 1 January 1993 and 1 December 2001. Methods Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate the impact of goal attainment along with potential confounding factors. Results Patients who reached treatment goals were 24% less likely to suffer a cardiovascular event (relative risk: 0.76, 95% confidence interval: 0.60–0.96) than patients who did not reach treatment goals. A substantial proportion of patients treated with lipid-lowering agents do not achieve the treatment goals. Conclusions Failure to reach treatment goals translates into a higher risk of cardiovascular events, and it is thus of importance to ensure that patients reach goals.


Problems on Stewart formula and inequalities for the areas of the bisection planes of the dihedral angles of a simplex are studied with the theory and method of distance geometry. Stewart formula and some inequalities for the areas of the bisection planes of the dihedral angles of a simplex inare established.


The optimal power flow (OPF) problem is nonconvex and generally hard to solve, see e.g. [1], [2]. In this tutorial, we will provide an overview of two different solution approaches. The first uses the bus injection model, which is the standard model for power flow analysis and optimization. It focuses on nodal variables such as voltages, current and power injections and does not directly deal with power flows on individual branches. A key advantage is the simple linear relationship I = Y V between the nodal current injections I and the bus voltages V through the admittance matrix Y. Recently, it has been observed that this form of OPF can be reformulated as a nonconvex QCQP (quadratic constrained quadratic program), which leads to a standard convex relaxation through semidefinite programming [3]-[5]. For radial networks, different sufficient conditions have been derived under which the semidefinite relaxation turns out to be exact [6]-[8]. The second solution technique employs the branch flow model, which focuses on currents and powers on the branches rather than the nodal variables. The branch flow model has been historically used primarily for modeling distribution circuits, which tend to be radial. It has therefore received far less attention. A branch flow model has recently been proposed for the analysis and optimization of mesh as well as radial networks. The model leads to a new approach to solving OPF that consists of two relaxation steps. The first step eliminates the voltage and current angles and the second step approximates the resulting problem by a conic program that can be solved efficiently. For radial networks, both relaxation steps are always exact, provided there are no upper bounds on loads [9]. For mesh networks, the conic relaxation is always exact and we provide a simple way to determine if a relaxed solution is globally optimal. We describe a simple method to convexify a mesh network using phase shifters so that both relaxation steps are always exact and OPF for the convexified network can always be solved efficiently for a globally optimal solution. We prove that convexification requires phase shifters only outside a spanning tree of the network graph and their placement depends only on network topology, not on power flows, generation, loads, or operating constraints [10]. The tutorial will describe precisely the bus injection model and the semidefinite relaxation of OPF as well as the branch flow model and its associated relaxations. We prove sufficient conditions for exact relaxations and verify our results on simulations of various IEEE test systems. Finally we explain the equivalence between the bus injection model and branch flow model.


Fine structure in the arrival time spectra of ions in their parent gases argon and krypton has been shown to be due to secondary electrons produced from impact of quasi thermal ions with metal surfaces. These electrons may form a Townsend avalanche, provided E/N (E is the electric field strength and N is the neutral gas density) and N are sufficiently large. The arrival time spectra of ions is formed by the avalanche overlaps with those of primary ions. This effect was observed at high values of E/N at high pressures in argon and krypton.


The « Habilitation a Diriger des Recherches » is the occasion to look back on my research work since the end of my PhD thesis in 2006. I will not present all my results in this manuscript but a selection of them: this will be an overview of eleven papers which have been published in international journals or are submitted and which are included in annexes. These papers have been done with different coauthors: Marthe Bonamy, Daniel Goncalves, Benjamin Leveque, Amanda Montejano, Mickael Montassier, Pascal Ochem, Andre Raspaud, Sagnik Sen and Eric Sopena. I would like to thanks them without whom this work would never have been possible.
I also take this opportunity to thank all my other co-authors: Luigi Addario-Berry, Francois Dross, Louis Esperet, Frederic Havet, Ross Kang, Daniel Kral', Colin McDiarmid, Michael Rao, Jean-Sebastien Sereni and Stephan Thomasse. Working with you is always a pleasure !

Since the beginning of my PhD, I have been interested in various fields of graph theory, but the main topic that I work on is the graph coloring. In particular, I have studied problems such as the oriented coloring, the acyclic coloring, the signed coloring, the square coloring, . . . It is then natural that this manuscript gathers results on graph coloring. It is divided into three chapters. Each chapter is dedicated to a method of proof that I have been led to use for my research works and that has given results described in this manuscript. We will present each method, some extensions and the related results. The lemmas, theorems, and others which I took part are shaded in this manuscript.

# The entropy compression method.
In the first chapter, we present a recent tool dubbed the entropy compression method which is based on the Lovasz Local Lemma. The Lovasz Local Lemma was introduced in the 70's to prove results on 3-chromatic hypergraphs [EL75]. It is a remarkably powerful probabilistic method to prove the existence of combinatorial objects satisfying a set of constraints expressed as a set of bad events which must not occur. However, one of the weakness of the Lovasz Local Lemma is that it does not indicate how to efficiently avoid the bad events in practice.
A recent breakthrough by Moser and Tardos [MT10] provides algorithmic version of the Lovasz Local Lemma in quite general circumstances. To do so, they used a new species of monotonicity argument dubbed the entropy compression method. This Moser and Tardos' result was really inspiring and Grytczuk, Kozik and Micek [GKM13] adapted the technique for a problem on combi- natorics on words. This nice adaptation seems to be applicable to coloring problems, but not only, whenever the Lovasz Local Lemma is, with the benefits of providing better bounds. For example, the entropy compression method has been used to get bounds on non-repetitive coloring [DJKW14] that improve previous results using the Lovasz Local Lemma and on acyclic-edge coloring [EP13].
In this context, we developed a general framework that can be applied to most of coloring problems. We then applied this framework and we get the best known bounds, up to now, for the acyclic chromatic number of graphs with bounded degree, non-repetitive chromatic number of graphs with bounded degree, facial Thue chromatic index of planar graphs, ... We also applied the entropy compression method to problems on combinatorics on words: we recently solved an old conjecture on pattern avoidance.

# Graph homomorphisms and graph colorings
In this chapter, we present some notions of graph colorings from the point of view of graph homomorphisms. It is well-known that a proper k-coloring of a simple graph G corresponds to a homomorphism of G to Kk. Considering homomorphisms from a more general context, we get a natural extension of the classical notion of coloring. We present in this chapter the notion of homomorphism of (n,m)-colored mixed graphs (graphs with arcs of n different types and edges of m different types) and the related notions of coloring. This has been introduced by Nesetril and Raspaud [NR00] in 2000 as a generalization of the classical notion of homomorphism. We then present two special cases, namely homomorphisms of (1, 0)-colored mixed graphs (which are known as oriented homomorphisms) and homomorphisms of (0,2)-colored mixed graphs (which are known as signed homomorphisms).
While dealing with homomorphisms of graphs, one of the important tools is the notion of universal graphs: given a graph family F, a graph H is F-universal if each member of F admits a homomorphism to H. When H is F-universal, then the chromatic number of any member of F is upper-bounded by the number of vertices of H. We study some well-known families of universal graphs and we list their structural properties. Using these properties, we give some results on graph families such as bounded degree graphs, forests, partial k-trees, maximum average degree bounded graphs, planar graphs (with given girth), outerplanar graphs (with given girth), . . .
Among others, we will present the Tromp construction which defines well known families of oriented and signed universal graphs. One of our major contributions is to study the properties of Tromp graphs and use them to get upper bounds for the oriented chromatic number and the signed chromatic number. In particular, up to now, we get the best upper bounds for the oriented chromatic number of planar graphs with girth 4 and 5: we get these bounds by showing that every graph of these two families admits an oriented homomorphism to some Tromp graph. We also get tight bounds for the signed chromatic number of several graph families, among which the family of partial 3-trees which admits a signed homomorphism to some Tromp graph.

# Coloring the square of graphs with bounded maximum average degree using the discharging method
The discharging method was introduced in the early 20th century, and is essentially known for being used by Appel, Haken and Kock [AH77, AHK77] in 1977 in order to prove the Four- Color-Theorem. More precisely, this technique is usually used to prove statements in structural graph theory, and it is commonly applied in the context of planar graphs and graphs with bounded maximum average degree.
The principle is the following. Suppose that, given a set S of configurations, we want to prove that a graph G necessarily contains one of the configuration of S. We assign a charge ω to some elements of G. Using global information on the structure of G, we are able to compute the total sum of the charges ω(G). Then, assuming G does not contain any configuration from S, the discharging method redistributes the charges following some discharging rules (the discharging process ensures that no charge is lost and no charge is created). After the discharging process, we are able to compute the total sum of the new charges ω∗(G). We then get a contradiction by showing that ω(G) = ω∗(G).
Initially, the discharging method was used as a local discharging method. This means that the discharging rules was designed so that an element redistributes its charge in its neighborhood. However, in certain cases, the whole graph contains enough charge but this charge can be arbitrarily far away from the elements that are negative. In the last decade, the global discharging method has been designed. This notion of global discharging was introduced by Borodin, Ivanova and Kostochka [BIK07]. A discharging method is global when we consider arbitrarily large structures and make some charges travel arbitrarily far along those structures. In some sense, these techniques of global discharging can be viewed as the start of the "second generation" of the discharging method, expanding its use to more difficult problems.
The aim of this chapter is to present this method, in particular some progresses from the last decade, i.e. global discharging. To illustrate these progresses, we will consider the coloring of the square of graphs with bounded maximum average degree for which we obtained new results using the global discharging method. Coloring the square of a graph G consists to color its vertices so that two vertices at distance at most 2 get distinct colors (i.e. two adjacent vertices get distinct colors and two vertices sharing a common neighbor get distinct colors). This clearly corresponds to a proper coloring of the square of G. This coloring is called a 2-distance coloring. It is clear that we need at least ∆ + 1 colors for any 2-distance coloring since a vertex of degree ∆ together with its ∆ neighbors form a set of ∆ + 1 vertices which must get distinct colors. We investigate this coloring notion for graphs with bounded maximum average degree and we characterize two thresholds. We prove that, for sufficiently large ∆, graphs with maximum degree ∆ and maximum average degree less that 3 − epsilon (for any epsilon > 0) admit a 2-distance coloring with ∆ + 1 colors. For maximum average degree less that 4 − epsilon, we prove that ∆ + C colors are enough (where C is a constant not depending on ∆). Finally, for maximum average degree at least 4, it is already known that C′∆ colors are enough. Therefore, thresholds of 3 − epsilon and 4 − epsilon are tight.


Fatty acid oxidation disorders (FAODS) consist of rare diseases which affect the energy production of the mitochrondria by disrupting the β-oxidation of fatty acid, resulting in energy deficiency and toxic acumulation in the patient's body. Typical clinical symtoms of FAODS include rhabdomyolysis, myoglobinuria, cardiomyopathy, hypoketotic hypoglycemia and liver dysfunction on the newborns and could lead to mortality in most of the cases. Mutations occur in different genes in the enzymatic pathway of the mitochrondria may cause diffirent types of FAODS.The objective of this study was to screen and identify genetic mutations associated with fatty acid oxidation disorders in Vietnamese patients through whole exome sequencing analysis. The result revealed a reported homozygous c.199-10T>G mutation in the position of 10 nucleotides before the exon 3 of the SLC25A20 gene. The SLC25A20 gene encodes the carnitine acylcarnitine translocase (CACT), which plays an important role in transporting acylcarnitine and carnitine in the mitochondria. Genetic mutations in this gene often lead to carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase deficiency (CACTD) - a rare form of FAODs. By in silico analysis, the c.199-10T>G mutation was predicted as a splite site mutation that could lead to exon skipping during the creation of mature mRNA. Genetic analysis of the patient's family showed that both parents had the mutation c.199-10T>G in heterozygous form. This result suggests that every mutant allele in the patient is inherited from parents. Our finding not only improved our understanding of the c.199-10T>G mutation in SLC25A20 gene of our patient but also provides important information for future research, diagnosis and genetic counseling of FAOS in Vietnamese patients.


Purpose: This study was a cross-sectional study done to determine the relevance and impact factors of nursing practice environment and self-esteem on critical thinking disposition in clinical nurses. Methods: A survey was conducted from March to May 2015 with self-report questionnaire. Participants were 281 registered nurses working in one tertiary hospital. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression with SPSS/WIN 21.0. Results: Factors affecting the nurses' critical thinking disposition included age (F=7.23, p<.001), educational background (F=7.82, p<.001), position (F=14.95, p<.001), clinical career (F=7.66, p<.001). Further, critical thinking disposition had a positive correlation with nursing practice environment (r=.60, p<.001) and selfesteem (r=.41, p<.001). Self-esteem and nursing practice environment accounted for 43% of the variance in critical thinking disposition. Conclusion: The study findings show that critical thinking disposition is influenced by nursing foundations for quality of care and the collegial nurse-physician relations of nursing practice environment. Therefore, it's necessary to provide continuing education for clinical nurses to reconstruct the organizational culture of nurses and physician partnerships. In addition, increasing self-esteem through various motivational programs should increase critical thinking disposition.


Background Despite the growing interest in developing and using mobile health (mHealth) and digital technologies in mental health, little is known about the scope and nature of virtual community inclusion. Objective The overarching goal of this study was to understand and conceptualize virtual community inclusion of individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). Specific objectives of this study were as follows: (1) mapping the prevalence, trends, and experiences related to mHealth and digital technology use among individuals with SMI; (2) comparing patterns of technology use by individuals with and those without SMI; and (3) examining whether use of mHealth and digital technologies predicts recovery among individuals with SMI. Methods A web-based survey of technology use and virtual participation was developed and distributed among adults with and those without SMI via social media, national email discussion lists, nonprofit organizations, and advocacy groups. Results A total of 381 adults aged 18 years or older participated in the survey, of whom 199 (52%) identified as having a SMI. Participants with SMI reported significantly greater access to technology and significantly fewer days of face-to-face participation in community activities than those without SMI. Among participants with SMI, greater technology use was positively associated with positive emotions and significantly predicted recovery. Conclusions This study is the first to explore, map, and conceptualize virtual community inclusion among adults with SMI. Our findings indicate a gap in the literature and research on community inclusion and participation, and emphasize the need for virtual community inclusion, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and its future implications.


A new species of Columnea belonging to section Collandra (Gesneriaceae) is described and illustrated. The species is found in the Eastern Andes of Colombia (Cordillera Oriental), in the Departamento of Santander.


Paratropomyosin is a minor myofibrillar protein which in freshly prepared myofibrils is exclusively localized at the A-I junction region of sarcomeres. We investigated the ultrastructural localization of paratropomyosin in intact and postrigor myofibrils by immunoelectron microscopy. Paratropomyosin was localized as two distinct stripes at the A-I junction in intact myofibrils. It also was localized at the position corresponding to the original A-I junction in thick filament-free myofibrils (I-Z-I brushes). However, following postmortem storage, paratropomyosin was found broadly distributed in thin filaments of myofibrils.


Cadmium (Cd), as a common ingredient in the production process of nickel cadmium batteries, can lead to functional disorder in kidneys, liver, lungs, cardiovascular, immune and reproductive systems. Previous studies have shown that cadmium can be stabilized in ceramic systems using clay as precursor, but the excessive exploitation of nonrenewable clay resources has caused great concerns. Hence, it is essential to find alternatives to substitute nonrenewable clay minerals. Sewage sludge incineration residues, with oxides of aluminum and silicon as major component, have attracted much attention because of the potential resource utilization. In this study, CdO and CdNO 3 was used to simulate cadmium-bearing industrial waste, and the stabilization of cadmium was achieved in ceramic matrix provided by the residues of sewage sludge incineration. Through a 2-hour sintering procedure at temperatures ranging from 800°C to 1000°C, cadmium was found to be incorporated into CdAl 2 Si 2 O 8 . The leachability of cadmium significantly declined in sintered samples when extracted in acidic environment. Meanwhile, samples that were pressed into pellets showed better cadmium stabilization efficiency, compared with powder samples. Therefore, this study suggests a promising technique to stabilize cadmium by the utilization of sewage sludge incineration residues as ceramic precursors. The success implementation of current study will further reduce the environmental burden caused by the release of heavy metals from industrial waste. Moreover, the recycling of sewage sludge incineration residues can be realized, and a waste-to-resource strategy is expected.


This note is purely expositional and is a complement to math review MR2730150 to the paper Bel'kov, S. I.; Korepanov, I. G. Matrix solution of the pentagon equation with anticommuting variables, Teoret. i Matemat. Fizika, 163:3 (2010), 513-528. The authors consider purely mathematical problems of finding an invariant of a 3-manifold and finding certain identities. I tried to present in a clear way the statement of Theorem 1 and main definition from that paper. I bear no responsibility for results of that paper.


Abstract Early Proterozoic chemical sediments of the Birimian Supergroup in northern Ghana host several types of metamorphosed manganese-bearing rocks. Differences in the mineralogy and geochemistry can be attributed to facies changes in a mixed volcanic-volcaniclastic depositional environment. Manganese oxide-bearing phyllite, which is enriched in transition metals (Cu, Ni, Co, Zn), formed on the flanks of submarine volcanic edifices above an oxidation boundary. Towards the deeper basin, manganese silicate-rich gondites occur. These consist either of spessartine + quartz + ilmenite, or of spessartine + quartz + Mn amphiboles ± rhodonite ± hyalophane ± Mn stilpnomelane ± ilmenite. The Mn amphiboles are identified as manganoan actinolite, tirodite, and dannemorite. Sulphides are widespread as premetamorphic inclusions in Mn garnet grains. In the basin centre, chlorite schist containing garnet with 50-60 mol.% spessartine represents the most distal manganese-bearing rock which is highly diluted by volcanogenic background sedimentation. The origin of Mn-rich rocks is explained by heat-driven seawater convection systems active in submarine volcanic centres that provided hydrothermal solutions. Precipitation of different minerals depended on the geochemical conditions prevailing on the seafloor. During the Eburnean event (around 2000 Ma), the chemical sediments were metamorphosed to upper greenschist or lower amphibolite facies. Mineral assemblages in the gondites point to metamorphic conditions in the range of 450-500°C at 2-3 kbar.


'Tough Choices' introduced under the Drugs Act 2005 moved the point at which a drug test for the Class A drugs heroin, cocaine or crack cocaine, could be carried out in the custody suite from post-charge to post-arrest. It also gave the police new powers to require those who tested positive to be assessed for a drug problem rather than allowing them to seek assessments voluntarily. Those who tested positive were referred to the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) which was introduced in April 2003 to direct adult drug-using offenders into drug treatment with a view to reducing their level of offending. This research into 'Tough Choices' looks in particular at rates of re-offending and levels of attrition from treatment programmes. The research examined two cohorts in the DIP intensive areas in England during two time frames: the 'Testing on Charge' cohort which consisted of 7727 individuals who tested positive at the point of charge during the period 1 July to 31 October 2005; and the more recent 'Testing on Arrest' cohort which consisted of 11,015 individuals who tested positive at the point of arrest during the period 1 April to 30 June 2006. The Testing on Charge cohort had an average of 5.7 offences in the three years before their positive test. The Testing on Arrest cohort had an average of 4.1 offences for the same period. The mean age for both cohorts was 30 years. Given that treatment retention has been recognized as a key factor in reducing the criminal activity of drug users and was a particular problem in the earlier DTTO it was encouraging to discover that treatment retention for DIP clients was 79 per cent before the introduction of 'Tough Choices' and 74 per cent following. This compares very well with retention for those engaged in treatment voluntarily which is around 76 per cent. Interestingly, retention for those identified as 'high crimecausing users' in the Testing on Arrest cohort was lower than for the Testing on Charge group (64% compared to 87%), although this report is unable to draw any firm conclusions as to why that might be, due to the low numbers involved. The data also shows that offending levels six months following the DIP were lower than in the six months before DIP. However, this is a small period of time and based upon actual convictions which represent a small proportion of actual criminal activity. Further methodological limitations in terms of the absence of any control group also preclude drawing any causal relationship between the intervention from the DIP and possible changes in patterns of offending.


In this paper, we introduce a design methodology of data-centroid Radial Basis Function neural networks with extended polynomial function. The two underlying design mechanisms of such networks involve K-means clustering method and Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO). The proposed algorithm is based on K-means clustering method for efficient processing of data and the optimization of model was carried out using PSO. In this paper, as the connection weight of RBF neural networks, we are able to use four types of polynomials such as simplified, linear, quadratic, and modified quadratic. Using K-means clustering, the center values of Gaussian function as activation function are selected. And the PSO-based RBF neural networks results in a structurally optimized structure and comes with a higher level of flexibility than the one encountered in the conventional RBF neural networks. The PSO-based design procedure being applied at each node of RBF neural networks leads to the selection of preferred parameters with specific local characteristics (such as the number of input variables, a specific set of input variables, and the distribution constant value in activation function) available within the RBF neural networks. To evaluate the performance of the proposed data-centroid RBF neural network with extended polynomial function, the model is experimented with using the nonlinear process data(2-Dimensional synthetic data and Mackey-Glass time series process data) and the Machine Learning dataset(NOx emission process data in gas turbine plant, Automobile Miles per Gallon(MPG) data, and Boston housing data). For the characteristic analysis of the given entire dataset with non-linearity as well as the efficient construction and evaluation of the dynamic network model, the partition of the given entire dataset distinguishes between two cases of Division I(training dataset and testing dataset) and Division II(training dataset, validation dataset, and testing dataset). A comparative analysis shows that the proposed RBF neural networks produces model with higher accuracy as well as more superb predictive capability than other intelligent models presented previously.


The COVID-19 pandemic has brought drastic changes in the way people purchase goods/products. The behavior of people shifted to online shopping and an increase in electronic transactions. In the present, the e-commerce industry in the Philippines continues to grow; however, it is still not as established as developed countries. For online businesses to succeed in the highly competitive online environment, a better understanding of the different factors affecting consumer behavior is vital. This study investigated the e-commerce sector wherein the focus is the online shopping factors that affect the repurchase intention of consumers from multiple generations, namely Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z. Seven online shopping experience factors were determined in the study affecting consumers' repurchase intention. The study used stepwise linear regression and Cronbach's alpha for data analysis, and the predictive models were validated. The results show that Customer Satisfaction and Perceived Usefulness affect the online repurchase intention for Baby Boomers. At the same time, Perceived Security, Transactionality, and Website Quality are the factors that affect Generation X's repurchase intention. Furthermore, Availability, Perceived Usefulness, and Website Quality affect repurchase intention for Generation Y. Lastly, Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Security and Customer Satisfaction affects the repurchase intention for Generation Z. Aside from repurchase intention, these factors also significantly affect online store revisit. These results will be helpful for e-commerce company owners in improving the features of their platforms based on consumers' preferences. Recommendations include for e-commerce sites to improve cybersecurity, and user-friendly interface, convenient payment methods, clear refund or return policies, and consistent monitoring and updating of product stocks.


This translation clearly fulfils the authors' aim of providing researchers in English-speaking countries with rapid and convenient access to extensive information on total and extractable trace elements in soils, compiled from world-wide sources by roffice de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique Outre-Mer, and mainly for the thirteen elements-boron, chromium, cobalt, copper, iodine, lead, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, titanium, vanadium, and zinc. It differs from the original I97I French edition by the inclusion of over 3o0 bibliographic references for the period I968-75 and by the introduction of the 7th Approximation (U.S.D.A.) Soil Classification System into the Synoptic Tables as an additional means of identifying the types of soil studied. The newer references, however, have only been listed without critical comment in the general text, forming the first section of the book, and have not been summarized in the very useful Synoptic Tables that occupy the remaining two-thirds. The book is intended for pedologists and agronomists, but the price may well deter many of them from placing it on their shelves. J. C. BURRIDGE


Background: The extract and hemiterpene glycosides of Ilex Rotunda Thunb exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The effect of rotundarpene on apoptosis in neuronal cells caused by the 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP) has not been reported previously. Methods: Using differentiated PC12 cells and human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, we investigated the effect of rotundarpene on MPP-caused apoptosis in relation to the cell death process. Results: MPP-induced cell death was identified using the MTT and neutral red uptake tests. Apoptosis was induced by eliciting decreases in the cytosolic levels of Bid and Bcl-2 proteins, increases in the cytosolic levels of Bax and p53, disruption of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential, and the release of cytochrome c and the activation of caspase-8, -9, and -3 in differentiated PC12 cells and SH-SY5Y cells. Treatment with rotundarpene reduced the MPP-induced changes in the levels of apoptosis-regulated proteins, formation of reactive oxygen species, depletion and oxidation of glutathione, and cell death in both PC12 and SH-SY5Y cells. Conclusions: Rotundarpene may reduce MPP-induced apoptosis in neuronal cells by suppressing the activation of the mitochondria-mediated pathway and the caspase-8 and Bid pathways. Rotundarpene appears to act by inhibiting the production of reactive oxygen species and by the depletion and oxidation of glutathione. J Korean Neurol Assoc 34(4):324-332, 2016


In this study, the performance analysis of the recently proposed Hexagonal Square Amplitude Modulation Spatial Modulation (HQAM-SM) system on Nakagami-m fading channels is presented. Performance analysis was performed considering the most general state of the Nakagami-m channel distribution phase for the phase without uniform-distribution. HQAM optimizes the assignment of code words to points in the form of a hexagonal constellation to minimize the average Hamming distance. This arrangement always uses energy more effectively than conventional quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and performs almost the same performance as QAM at higher SNRs. In this study, a more energy-efficient system was proposed for Nakagami-m fading channels compared to conventional SM, where SM will carry data with HQAM instead of carrying data with conventional modulated symbols in addition to the antenna index. Performance analysis of the proposed system was carried out in Nakagami-m fading channels.


Abstract More than 15 sedimentary cycles dated to the last glacial period (53-10 ka BP) have been recognized in a contourite deposit on the Faeroe Drift in the southern part of the Norwegian Sea. Each cycle consists of a silty, basaltic lower part and a clayey, acidic (siliceous) upper part. The sedimentary cycles can be accurately correlated with the Dansgaard-Oeschger temperature cycles in the Greenland ice cores, and it appears that the cyclic sedimentation was controlled by climatic and palaeoceanographic changes. The basaltic layers were deposited during warm interstadial periods in a current regime that resembles the modern circulation system in the North Atlantic region. Deep bottom-water created by thermohaline convection in the Norwegian-Greenland Seas flowed along the Iceland-Faeroe Ridge into the Atlantic Ocean, with the Faeroe-Shetland Channel as the main gateway. The source of the basaltic sediments was the volcanic rocks and detritus on the Iceland-Faeroe Ridge and on the shelf of eastern Iceland. The fine-grained acidic (siliceous) layers were deposited during intervening cold periods, in which convection took place in the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean and the circulation was reversed in the Faeroe-Shetland Channel. The acidic deposits were carried into the Norwegian Sea from the Hebrides and West Shetland shelves and the northeastern Atlantic Ocean.


Because they are due to economic contingencies rather than to unfavourable natural conditions, present-day regional disparities compel the geographer to modify his concept of the region. Whereas in the past the region was considered essentially as a physical entity, to many authors it appears today to be « a functional area, based on communication and exchange, and as such defined less by its limits than by its centre » (Juillard). It is this concept which will be used in regional planning. Taking the city of Sherbrooke as a nodal centre, the author attempts to define such a region through an analysis and graphical representation of the complementary roles in influence and attraction played by the city in the fundamental aspects of employment, trade, finance, education, communication, health and government. Although it is already well-developed in the secondary sector, with more than 9,000 workers employed in industry and an annual production worth more than $100 million, Sherbrooke bas a power of attraction and influence which is due essentially to its tertiary sector : wholesale trade, insurance, education, communication. Ac-cording to the criteria mentioned above, the area dominated by Sherbrooke includes the whole of the following counties : Sherbrooke, Stanstead, Richmond, Wolfe and Compton ; and the greater part of Frontenac, Megantic, Artbabaska, Drummond and Brome counties. Shefford and Bagot counties are dominated by Montreal to the west and by Sherbrooke to the east.


Abstract : Historically, our society requires computational memory media to support the development of our civilization. It is likely that our society will keep demanding larger capacity memory. However, conventional memory technologies are facing many challenges such as difficulties of miniaturization and guarantee of good reliability. For this reason, alternate memory device designs are proposed to overcome the conventional memory device technologies. For DRAM technology, a double-gate array having vertical channel structure (DGVC) with 4F2 cell size is proposed, which can be fabricated on a bulk silicon wafer using the conventional memory process flow for stand-alone DRAM application. The operation and scalability of the DGVC cell are demonstrated via TCAD device simulations. For Flash Memory technology, a new backside charge storage non-volatile memory (BCS-NVM) cell design is proposed. A NAND flash array of the BCS-NVM cells can be fabricated on a modified SOI substrate. TCAD device simulation show that this design allows for a relatively high cell read current and steep sub-threshold slope to enable lower voltage operation in comparison with conventional NAND flash memory devices. As a new concept of non-volatile memory technology, a nano-electro-mechanical (NEM) diode non-volatile memory cell design is proposed. This design eliminates the need of a selector device to form a cross-point array, by leveraging the gap closing actuator. The electro-mechanical diode cell design can be scaled to 20 nm minimum lateral dimension by following an appropriate scaling methodology in consideration of various practical and fundamental limits. Low-voltage ( 2 V) and high-speed (sub-nanosecond) operation are projected using a calibrated analytical model as well as 3-D FEM simulation. These findings indicate that electro-mechanical diode technology is promising for high density storage beyond the limits of conventional flash memory technology.


The main objective of this work is to adapt Laser Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT), a well-known laser direct writing technique for material transfer, to define metallic contacts (fingers and busbars) onto c-Si cells. A layer of a commercial silver paste (viscosity around 30-50 kcPs), with thickness in the order of tens of microns, is applied over a glass substrate using a coater.. The glass with the silver paste is set at a controlled gap over the c-Si cell. A solid state pulsed laser (532 nm) is focused on the glass/silver interface producing a droplet of silver that it is transferred to the acceptor substra.te The process parameters (silver paste thickness, gap and laser parameters -spot size, pulse energy and overlapping of pulses) are modified and the morphology of the voxels is studied using confocal microscopy. Long lines are printed with a scanner and their uniformity, width, and height are studied. Examples of metallization of large areas (up to 10 cm x 10 cm) over c-Si cells are presented.


As shown by theoretical and experimental results in this thesis, a carefully designed UV-IMS coupling with oa-TOFMS was successfully self set up. It offers high transmission, simple spectrum, high speed and it is able to record the whole mass spectrum quasi simultaneously. These features make it attractive to identify ions, fragments or ion clusters in IMS and to conduct high-throughput molecular analysis of large libraries for compound confirmation and purity assessment. By simulation with SIMION v. 7.0 it was proved that the configuration of the three stage differential pump system and the Einzel lens was suitable for an orthogonal design of an interface between atmospheric pressure and the TOFMS. The pinhole interface system to the UV-IMS -TOF was characterized by studying a two and a three stage interface. They are optimized and proved to be able to identify ions that has been ionized in IMS. This device has been proved to have unique benefits for volatile organic compounds analysis. The utility of the UV-IMS-TOF for high-speed and high throughput analysis of different groups of chemicals, including ketones, alcohols and aromatics were studied. The detection limits are in the range of 0.8 μg/L for acetone, 8.6 μg/L for ethanol and 17.2 μg/L for benzene with direct permeation sampling. The instrument has a dynamic range of about 3 decades for all detected compounds. A wide range of applications including chemical weapon simulation substances detection as well as fungal analysis were achieved with this device. It yields simple spectra that facilitate analysis. Compared the results of TOF spectra with UV-IMS spectra, most VOCs appearing in UV-IMS are monomer or protonated monomer ions. For the selected ketones from acetone to nonanone, the most abundant ions are protonated molecular ions and beginning from hexanone, the fragmentation is evident and can be detected in IMS. In the case of selected alcohols, not all of them have base peak corresponding to protonated molecule ions. Some of them such as 3-methyl-2-butanol and 2-hexanol the fragment ion are most abundant. These two groups of compounds all have obvious water adducts peaks because of high proton affinities. For aromatic substances the major ion is the molecular ion.


The tube of the laryngeal mask airway is frequently protected by foil during ablative laser procedures. The pilot balloon, however, is often left exposed. The effect of firing seven different cutaneous lasers at the pilot balloon of a disposable laryngeal mask airway was examined to assess its susceptibility to accidental laser strikes. The time taken for each laser to penetrate the pilot balloon was calculated from an average of five laser strikes. The carbon dioxide and erbium YAG lasers punctured the pilot balloon in a mean (SD) of 0.07 (0.02) s and 0.7 (0.1) s, respectively, with the neodymium YAG laser the next quickest to puncture at 3.3 (1.0) s. All other lasers punctured the pilot balloon in less than 15 s. These data suggest that protection of the pilot balloon of the LMA is necessary when using carbon dioxide and erbium YAG lasers.


The effects of lesions to the mesolimbic dopamine system on maternal and sexual behaviors in the female rat was assessed. Rat dams that were given ventral tegmental area microinfusions of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) during lactation showed a persistent deficit in pup retrieval but were not impaired with respect to nursing, nest building, or maternal aggression. In addition, 6-OHDA-lesioned females failed to respond to amphetamine by showing locomotor hyperactivity. Administration of the dopamine blocker raclopride to neurologically intact dams also inhibited pup retrieval but had no effect on nursing. Females given 6-OHDA during pregnancy appeared completely unresponsive to pups, whereas no maternal deficits were seen in females that received 6-OHDA 8 weeks before parturition. Proceptive (hopping and darting) and receptive (lordosis) components of sexual behavior, assessed after ovariectomy and exogenous steroid hormone treatment, were not affected by mesolimbic 6-OHDA lesions.


In this paper, the influence to the transmission characteristics of the magnetic powder size in the lossy composite substrate of ultra wide-band pass filter (UWBPF). Results show that the diameter of the metal magnetic particle contained in the magnetic lossy substrate of BPF has contributed to the low-pass filter characteristics. By making the diameter of a particle small, the roll-off frequency of BPF shifted to high frequencies side. Also, the S21 level in both the lower frequency range of 3.1 GHz or less and the higher frequency range of 10.6 GHz or more is found to be less than -20 dB for the BPFs.


Abstract Observation was made to understand the spectral behavior of aerosol from the NASA moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS-Aqua) sensor data. The 869 nm central wavelength band MODIS-Aqua-derived images were retrieved and interpreted. The aerosol concentration was found to be higher during December (Northeast monsoon) over the Bay of Bengal (BoB). Its characterized distinct plume with higher aerosol optical depth (AOD) ranged between 0.05 and 0.25. The coastal aerosol concentration was higher than the offshore region, with decreasing trend ( AOD ∼ 0.05 ). To understand aerosol's link with ocean biological productivity in terms of phytoplankton pigment, the ocean surface chlorophyll was retrieved from 8-years monthly datasets (2002 to 2010). MODIS-Aqua-derived monthly scale aerosol and chlorophyll data were analyzed in the northern Indian Ocean (NIO) region during July 2002 to June 2010. Their interrelationship was found to be significant ( r 2 = 0.663 and 0.584) over pockets in the BoB and Arabian Sea. Land to seaward movement of wind and aerosol plays a significant role to increasing ocean productivity. This study is very important and interesting to understand the precise composition of aerosol dust like iron (Fe) and increase in sulfate ions, nitrates, etc., and their link to phytoplankton biomass and the related productivity in the Indian water and attempted for the first time in the NIO water.


In January 2012, a review of the cases of chromosome 15q24 microdeletion syndrome was published. However, this study did not include inferential statistics. The aims of the present study were to update the literature search and calculate confidence intervals for the prevalence of each phenotype using bootstrap methodology. Published case reports of patients with the syndrome that included detailed information about breakpoints and phenotype were sought and 36 were included. Deletions in megabase (Mb) pairs were determined to calculate the size of the interstitial deletion of the phenotypes studied in 2012. To determine confidence intervals for the prevalence of the phenotype and the interstitial loss, we used bootstrap methodology. Using the bootstrap percentiles method, we found wide variability in the prevalence of the different phenotypes (3–100%). The mean interstitial deletion size was 2.72 Mb (95% CI [2.35–3.10 Mb]). In comparison with our work, which expanded the literature search by 45 months, there were differences in the prevalence of 17% of the phenotypes, indicating that more studies are needed to analyze this rare disease.


Starting from a diachronic analysis regarding the passage from distance education to elearning, the paper aims to analyze the theme of e-tutoring both from a theoretical and a practical point of view. In drawing up a summary of the e-tutoring strategies and possible educational consequences, the advantages derived from the functions performed by the e-tutor in the learning process emerge, which derive from different styles of etutoring. To different pedagogical reference paradigms (behaviorist, constructivist or socio-constructivist), in fact, correspond dissimilar ways of designing e-learning environments, based on instructor centered or learning team centered teaching models. From the analysis carried out, therefore, the crucial role of the e-facilitator emerges, as it greatly affects the training success of the participants, reducing the spatial distance of the online environments and limiting possible e-dropouts.


Background: Available data on growth hormone (GH) therapy in glucocorticoid-treated children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) suggest a satisfactory safety profile. There have been few reports of adverse effects on the course of the joint disease (e.g., inflammatory flare-ups or osteoarticular complications). Despite strong concern that combined glucocorticoid and GH therapy might impair glucose tolerance, this has been uncommon in clinical trials. This article briefly reviews the published data and offers recommendations for monitoring patients with JIA who are receiving GH replacement therapy. Conclusions: The safety of GH therapy in children receiving glucocorticoid therapy for JIA seems satisfactory with few serious adverse events reported to date; however, given the small number of treated patients and the short periods of follow-up in each individual patient, the decision to initiate GH therapy in patients receiving glucocorticoids should be made cautiously.


Despite the pursuit for increased realism in VR training simulations and massively multiplayer online games, we find little deployed capability to modify terrain. Usually, terrain is stored in a static database and then preprocessed to support multiple levels of detail and to rectify features with the ground. Also, dynamic-terrain research has concentrated on graphics simulations for single users; we've found no research on systems that can support 500 or more user systems. Many obstacles to implementing large-scale dynamic-terrain simulations are hardware based such simulations need large amounts of memory and computing power. However, recent advances in computer hardware can help ameliorate these problems. In particular, high-performance computing clusters (HPCCs) offer an expandable set of computing elements, large amounts of memory and storage, and high-speed connections that remove many of the hardware limitations. Additionally, the industry's movement toward multi- or many-core machines indicates that research done today on high-performance computers (HPCs) could find its way into future commodity systems.


Prion diseases remain a challenge to modern science in the 21st century because of their capacity for transmission without an encoding nucleic acid. PrPSc, the infectious and alternatively folded form of the PrP prion protein, is capable of self‐replication, using PrPC, the properly folded form of PrP, as a template. This process is associated with neuronal death and the clinical manifestation of prion‐based diseases. Unfortunately, little is known about the mechanisms that drive this process. Over the last decade, the theory that a nucleic acid, such as an RNA molecule, might be involved in the process of prion structural conversion has become more widely accepted; such a nucleic acid would act as a catalyst rather than encoding genetic information. Significant amounts of data regarding the interactions of PrP with nucleic acids have created a new foundation for understanding prion conversion and the transmission of prion diseases. Our knowledge has been enhanced by the characterization of a large group of RNA molecules known as non‐coding RNAs, which execute a series of important cellular functions, from transcriptional regulation to the modulation of neuroplasticity. The RNA‐binding properties of PrP along with the competition with other polyanions, such as glycosaminoglycans and nucleic acid aptamers, open new avenues for therapy. WIREs RNA 2012, 3:415–428. doi: 10.1002/wrna.118


In software ecosystems (SECO), requirements engineering (RE) activities and process require the collaboration of several stakeholders such as requirements engineers, users, third-party developers, collaborators etc. Therefore, it is a highly human-dependent process. Identifying how human and social factors can influence RE-related activities and process would improve RE in SECO. In this context, this study aims to identify which human and social factors influence RE activities in SECO. To do, we conducted a rapid review, supplemented with the snowballing technique to retrieve published studies. A total of 673 studies were returned, of which 12 were included and analyzed from three research questions that provided us with an understanding of the human and social factors of RE in SECO. The results indicate that decision making, multiple actors, geographic distance/time, and negotiation skills are important human and social factors when involved in RE activities in SECO. Finally, the results of this study can help practitioners and researchers define mechanisms to enhance the positive and decrease the negative influence of these factors.


Abstract : This program addressed the effects of biodiesel (methyl soyate) and blends of biodiesel with petrofuels on fuel system component and material compatibility, fuel storage stability, and fuel lubricity. Biodiesel was found to have excellent lubricity properties and was effective at 1 volume percent (vol %) blend in improving the lubricity of Jet A-1 fuel. The following potential problem areas associated with methyl soyate use were identified: storage stability, compatibility with some metals, and compatibility with nitrile elastomers.


Zoonotic parasites can infect fish and be a serious threat to human health. The objective of this research was to estimate the prevalence for the main fish-borne zoonotic parasitic diseases of freshwater fish marketed in Colares Island and Vigia, Para, Brazil. In February, 2012, 85 (40 of Colares and 45 of Vigia) fish were randomly sampled by means of net fishing. Eighty and 76% of fish sampled were parasitized, being silver croacker (Plagioscion squamosissimus), kumakuma (Brachyplatystoma filamentosum), and gilded catfish (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii ) the species most parasitized. The most prevalent parasites were Anisakis (50% in Colares and 49% in Vigia) and Contracaecum (60% in Colares and 40% in Vigia), followed by Pseudoterranova (2% in Colares and 11% in Vigia), Eustrongylides (10% in Colares and 0% in Vigia) and Hysterothylacium (2% in Colares and 7% in Vigia) in the species: silver croacker, kumakuma and gilded catfish, in both cities. Mesentery (55%) was the organ with highest level of intense infestation. A greater proportion of massive infestation was observed in females (57%) than in males (12%). Results of this study indicate that fish caught in Colares and Vigia could be of high risk for consumer.


Electricity demand is increasing with the development of technology in various fields, such as agriculture, medicine, automotive and others. But for controlling electricity in a room or building there are still found to be less efficient.
In controlling electricity or remote control using SMS need to pay attention to the signal that is on the SIM800L sms module. The way to get a signal is the need for power supply above 2 amperes for this SIM800L module.
This final project produces a tool that can control electricity in a room that is connecting and disconnecting the electricity supply using an RFID card which can turn on and off each room, even more than two outputs at once, and use SMS media for remote control.


Objective: To determine the success rate of cervical cerclage at Siriraj Hospital and the associated factors. Methods: The study included 90 pregnant women who received cervical cerclage procedures at Siriraj Hospital during 2007-2016. Clinical information and the cerclage procedures were evaluated. Successful cervical cerclage was defined as delivery at 34 weeks' gestation or more. Results: The mean maternal age was 31.8 ± 5 years. The most common indication was history of second trimester abortion (76.7%). The mean gestational age (GA) at cervical cerclage was 18.0 ± 4.3 weeks. The mean cervical length was 25.2 ± 12.0 mm. Most of the patients had no cervical dilatation (76.7%). Almost all the cervical cerclage procedures were performed using McDonald's technique (98.9%). Of the 90 women, 66 (73.3%) delivered at >34 weeks' gestation, while 59.9% delivered at >37 weeks' gestation. The mean birth weight was 2404.9 ± 991.7 grams. The success rate of cervical cerclage increased significantly among women with greater cervical length (28.2±10.5 vs. 18.0±14.9 mm., p=0.002), without cervical dilatation (83.3% vs. 58.3%, p=0.046), without bulging of membranes (92.5% vs. 66.7%, p=0.002), and prophylactic operations (89.4% vs. 58.3%, p=0.001). Maternal complications were significantly lower in women with successful cervical cerclage (9.1% vs. 45.8%, p<0.001). Conclusion: The success rate of cervical cerclage at Siriraj Hospital was 73.3%. Possible associated factors included cervical length, cervical dilatation, bulging of membranes, and the prophylactic procedure.


The experience of transitioning into adulthood is a critical phase in life. The navigation of government benefits adds further complexity that can affect employment outcomes for youth with disabilities. Some individuals hesitate to work out of fear to losing access to monetary, disability, and related health care benefits. However, using available work incentives while pursuing employment and career paths can provide opportunities to work and address poverty without forgoing needed services. The Wisconsin Promoting Readiness of Minors in Supplemental Security Income (PROMISE) research grant aimed to positively change youth readiness to work through the use of Motivational Interviewing, work incentive benefits counseling, financial capability building, shifting expectations, and help in navigating transition resources. To measure the impact on readiness to work, 126 transition-age youth receiving supplemental security income (SSI), 188 of their family members, and 411 Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) counselors working with the youth and families completed a modified Stages of Change Scale survey. Results indicated that youths' work readiness and positive feelings about work significantly increased from baseline to follow-up, along with an increase in employment rates. The implications of these findings highlight the utility of incorporating the stages of change theory into the design and implementation of services and supports to increase work readiness for youth with disabilities in transition.


To increase their usefulness to educators, workshop facilitators should be familiar with terms and concepts now used to describe Florida's professional development. These terms should be incorporated into inservice programs. This fact sheet defines the terms that are most helpful and provides suggestions for planning, advertising, delivering, and evaluating workshops to meet the needs of our teachers. Project Learning Tree (PLT) workshops are used as an example of how nonformal education facilitators could adapt their workshops to better address the new professional development system. This document is FOR 109, one of a series of the School of Forest Resources and Conservation Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date February 2005.


Cyan fluorescent proteins (CFPs) are variants of green fluorescent proteins in which the central tyrosine of the chromophore has been replaced by a tryptophan. The increased bulk of the chromophore within a compact protein and the change in the positioning of atoms capable of hydrogen bonding have made it difficult to optimize their fluorescence properties, which took approximately 15 years between the availability of the first useable CFP, enhanced cyan fluorescent protein (ECFP), and that of a variant with almost perfect fluorescence efficiency, mTurquoise2. To understand the molecular bases of the progressive improvement in between these two CFPs, we have studied by incoherent neutron scattering the dynamics of five different variants exhibiting progressively increased fluorescence efficiency along the evolution pathway. Our results correlate well with the analysis of the previously determined X-ray crystallographic structures, which show an increase in flexibility between ECFP and the second variant, Cerulean, which is then hindered in the three later variants, SCFP3A (Super Cyan Fluorescent Protein 3A), mTurquoise and mTurquoise2. This confirms that increasing the rigidity of the direct environment of the fluorescent chromophore is not the sole parameter leading to brighter fluorescent proteins and that increased flexibility in some cases may be helpful.


Recent approaches to relation extraction following the distant supervision paradigm have focused on exploiting large knowledge bases, from which they extract substantial amount of supervision. However, for many relations in real-world applications, there are few instances available to seed the relation extraction process, and appropriate named entity recognizers which are necessary for pre-processing do not exist. To overcome this issue, we learn entity filters jointly with relation extraction using imitation learning. We evaluate our approach on architect names and building completion years, using only around 30 seed instances for each relation and show that the jointly learned entity filters improved the performance by 30 and 7 points in average precision.


A new semiclassical method is presented for evaluating zeros of wave functions. In this method, locating zeros of the wave functions of Schrödinger equation is converted to finding roots of a polynomial. The coefficients of this polynomial are evaluated using WKB and semi quantum action variable methods. For certain potentials WKB expressions for moments are obtained exactly. Almost explicit formulae for moments are obtained for the potential . Examples are given to illustrate both methods. Using semi quantum action variable method, complex zeros of the wave functions of the PT symmetric complex system are obtained. These zeros exhibit complex version of interlacing.


Keratoacanthoma is a common skin lesion of the head and neck region, particularly of the central face. Although it is a benign tumor, it may mimic a well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma in its clinical and particularly its histologic appearance. Two cases of squamous cell carcinoma are presented in which the histologic diagnosis of keratoacanthoma was made. Serious errors in treatment may arise from reliance on the histologic characteristics alone. Conservative treatment of keratoacanthomas should be avoided. Prompt and total excision is the treatment of choice.


Abstract This paper is research on the distribution system's simulation of large company's logistics under Internet of Things (IoT) based on traveling salesman problem solution. The authors claim that the real-time traffic synergy is better than traditional distribution strategy in general, verifying and comparing the simulation results in different situations of goals and starting time distribution. The simulation method used in this paper makes the result more scientific and reliable. The simulation truly reflects the degree of influence of information synergy to improve the efficiency of logistics system. The information synergy had an obvious enhancing effect on system operation efficiency. Taking full advantage of the value of information and improving the information synergy to the best level have irreplaceable effect on system operation efficiency.


Actin has been purified from amoebae of Dictyostelium discoideum by a procedure which is notable in that proteolysis has been diminished to undetectable levels and "selective" purification steps have been avoided. The overall yield of this procedure is 5- to 10- fold greater than that of a previous report (Spudich, J. A. (1974) J. Biol. Chem. 249, 6013-6020). The detailed biochemical and structural properties of this new preparation (preparation B) have been compared to those of Dictyostelium actin prepared by the previous procedure (preparation A) as well as to rabbit skeletal muscle actin. Preparation B actin is similar to muscle actin in its molecular weight, ability to activate myosin, filament structure, and polymerization properties. Preparation B actin has the same molecular weight and isoelectric point as preparation A actin, which is more acidic than that of skeletal muscle actin. However, preparation B actin and muscle actin form longer filaments than preparation A actin, as judged by viscometry and electron microscopy.


This paper presents as a proof-of-concept (POC) the design, integration, and performance of a novel reconfigurable S-/X-band Gallium Nitride (GaN) based fully solid-state microwave power module (SSMPM) for the role as the transmit module in a cognitive radio (CR). The SSMPM synergistically integrates multiple amplifiers through diplexing and high power switches to enable a single SSMPM capable of functioning as both S-/X-band amplifiers for telemetry, tracking, and command (TT&C), telecommunications, and science data downlink or as X-band radar for proximity sensing onboard a planetary exploration spacecraft. Integration of an electric field shaping field plate (FP) onto the GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) in this SSMPM provides increased performance and reliability for operation in the harsh conditions of space. This SSMPM is capable of delivering saturated power (Psat) of 39 dBm (8 W continuous wave (CW)) at S-band, Psat of 43 dBm (20 W CW) at X-band, and Psat of >50 dBm (>100 W Pulsed) at X-band.


Summary form only given. The ability to describe motion is a fundamental skill needed by kinesiologists. The basics of motion analysis are taught in the required biomechanics course. Previously, these concepts were conveyed in a traditional lecture format. Now, active learning using instructional technology is incorporated into the course project. Students learn to analyze human motion by capturing movements of their choice onto videotape and then transferring the images to digital format on the computer. Once in digital format, the students conduct biomechanical analyses to determine the essential elements of human performance. The final projects are published on the web. Although formal evaluation is not yet complete, students report that they value the hands-on learning experience and the acquisition of new computer skills.


OBJECTIVEIntraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is found in approximately 40% of intracerebral hemorrhages and is associated with increased mortality and poor functional outcome. Cognitive impairment is one of the complications and occurs due to various pathological changes. Amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulation and neuroinflammation, and the Alzheimer disease-like pathology, may contribute to cognitive impairment. Iron, the degradation product of hemoglobin, correlates with Aβ. In this study, the authors investigated the correlation between Aβ accumulation with enhanced neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment in a rat model of IVH.METHODSNine male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent an intraventricular injection of autologous blood. Another 9 rats served as controls. Cognitive function was assessed by the Morris water maze and T-maze rewarded alternation tests. Biomarkers of Aβ accumulation, neuroinflammation, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation were examined.RESULTSCognitive function was impaired in the autologous blood injection group compared with the control group. In the blood injection group, Aβ accumulation was observed, with a co-located correlation between iron storage protein ferritin and Aβ. Beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme-1 (BACE1) activity was elevated. Microgliosis and astrogliosis were observed in hippocampal CA1, CA2, CA3, and dentate gyrus areas, with elevated proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1. Protein levels of phosphorylated JNK were increased after blood injection.CONCLUSIONSAβ accumulation and enhanced neuroinflammation have a role in cognitive impairment after IVH. A potential therapeutic method requires further investigation.


The FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) was used for management of failure risks of the sewerage system of Algiers. It's based on a multi criteria analysis of failures risks of principal structures, their effects and their criticality. The implementation of criteria is based on the knowledge gained in previous phases of investigations. A criticality index "I c " has been estimated to highlight the most sensitive structures to previously identified risks. This index is calculated based on three parameters: a "risk", a "severity", and a "detectability period" of the failure. Multi criteria analysis was performed to select and rank the criteria on the basis of scores assigned to each of them (from 0 to 7 according to the defined performance states). Four performance classes were defined according to the values of I c . Classification scale and graphs representing criticality indices were established. A case study is presented. The results highlight the "black points" of the sewerage system. The most sensitive structures have been identified and the targeted interventions in the medium and long terms have been proposed. The weak points of FMEA were also highlighted.


BACKGROUND
Diabetes mellitus is a common disease, comprising 4-8% of the general population and up to 45% of new dialysis patients in industrialized countries.

METHODS
We performed a nationwide study with the aim of analysing the approach of various centres to diabetic patients and to gather data on the epidemiology, clinical characteristics and complications of type 1 and type 2 diabetics.

RESULTS
We acquired the data from 513 dialysis centres, 3665 prevalent diabetic patients and 4337 diabetic patients who started dialysis in the previous 10 years. Patient education and dialysis initiation: Sixty percent of the centres educate the patient regarding diet, pharmacological therapy and prevention of diabetic complications; in 245 centres (48%), this task belonged exclusively to the nephrologist and not to a multidisciplinary team. Seventy percent of the centres reported planning the initiation of dialysis and preparing the fistula between 1 and 3 months (78.5%) before the initiation of dialysis. Epidemiological and clinical data: Diabetic patients (56.9% males) represented 12.5% of the total dialysis population in Italy. The ratio between diabetes type 2 and type 1 was 5.3. The initial treatment was haemodialysis (HD) in 2533 patients (bicarbonate HD 88.8%) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) in 405 patients (CAPD 82.2%). During their dialytic life, 383 patients (226 from HD and 157 from PD) changed treatment modality, mainly because of cardiocirculatory instability (158 cases) or infection of the catheter tunnel/peritoneum (89 cases). The changes were mainly directed from bicarbonate HD and CAPD towards diffusive-convective extracorporeal techniques. Blood glucose (mean 154 +/- 56.8 mg/dl) exceeded 200 mg/dl in 15.2% of patients; serum cholesterol was >200 mg/dl in 39.3% of patients; serum triglycerides exceeded 200 mg/dl in 39.2% of patients and mean values for glycosylated haemoglobin was 7.2 +/- 1.8%. The nutritional state was judged to be normal in 59.6% of patients, 16.2% appeared to be mildly malnourished and 3% severely malnourished; 21.1% of subjects were obese. Echocardiography showed left ventricular hypertrophy in 90% of patients and echocolordoppler examination of the great vessels showed pathological findings (plaques and stenoses) in 73%. Pharmacological therapy. Sixty-nine percent of patients were treated with antihypertensive drugs, mainly calcium antagonists (50%) and ACE inhibitors (27%). Nitrates were prescribed for 33% of patients; antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs were prescribed for 37% of patients.

CONCLUSIONS
The present study demonstrates that the prevalence of diabetics in dialysis continues to increase in Italy, but remains less than that in Northern European countries. Type 2 diabetes is as dangerous as type 1 in terms of serious complications. There appears to be a greater awareness on the part of nephrologists of the serious problems associated with the care of diabetic patients in dialysis. The ideal dialytic modality has not been determined, dialysis is often not initiated in a timely manner and optimal drug therapy is not always prescribed. The aspirations to treat the diabetic dialysis patient according to currently accepted best practice guidelines still need to be fully realized.


Hence, this book is addressed, in part, to that vital aspect of raising healthy, responsible, respectful children. The topics are compiled to provide illustrative materials in any easy- to-use handy book for teachers, parents, students, workers, counselors, preachers, psychologists, etc as an invaluable aid. In these days, pleasure seems to be actively promoted as the main object of life. People consider the highest good to be pleasure. Discipline is discouraged. But whatever society says, there is no doubt about what society needs, discipline must be pursued. The person who likes excitement tends to throw off-self-restraint. Society needs self-disciplined people. Only those in command of themselves can command others. The goal of most parents and teachers is to get children to act and behave in socially, acceptable and appropriate ways. Since this goal is never really fully achieved, we should view discipline as a process of learning by doing. A child cannot learn to discipline himself by being told to sit still and have. Just as no one learns to ride a bicycle by reading a book on the subject, children do not learn to discipline themselves by being told.