Soft computing is facing a rapid evolution thanks to the development of artificial intelligence especially the deep learning. With video surveillance technologies of soft computing, such as image processing, computer vision, and pattern recognition combined with cloud computing, the construction of smart cities could be maintained and greatly enhanced. In this article, we focus on the online detection of action start task in video understanding and analysis, which is critical to the multimedia security in smart cities. We propose a novel model to tackle this problem and achieves state-of-the-art results on the benchmark THUMOS14 data set.


One service provided by our application 'Speech Assistant System' assisting the teaching of the hearing impaired to speak is the automatic assessment of words and sentences in the course of practice and feedback to the person. Individual speech sounds can only be correctly evaluated if they are compared with the appropriate reference speech sounds. This requires segmenting the speech to be examined. The methods currently known do not give sufficiently accurate results for the speech of the hearing impaired, which is often so distorted and halting so that it prevents understanding. The paper presents a reference generation method suitable for segmenting distorted speech, a modification of dynamic time warping and its comparison with traditional methods. The procedure presented has been successfully used for the automatic assessment of the pronunciation of the hearing impaired.


A 43‐year‐old man with chronic back and shoulder pain was treated with hydrocodone. He began taking excessive amounts of the drug, so his physicians stopped prescribing it. The patient then obtained the muscle relaxant carisoprodol on his own from several sources. He was consuming up to 30 or more tablets/day (≥ 10,500 mg/day) for several weeks, then abruptly stopped taking the drug. Within 48 hours he developed anxiety, tremors, muscle twitching, insomnia, auditory and visual hallucinations, and bizarre behavior. The symptoms intensified and peaked on the fourth day after carisoprodol cessation. The patient required brief treatment with olanzapine and tapering dosages of lorazepam while the symptoms gradually resolved. To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of a withdrawal syndrome with carisoprodol. The symptoms most likely resulted because of accumulation of meprobamate, the active metabolite of carisoprodol in humans. Clinicians prescribing carisoprodol should be aware of the possibility for abuse or addiction. Further, we recommend that carisoprodol be designated a controlled substance at the federal level.


signal neurogenesis, microglia maturation and synaptic pruning; they also calibrate brain-gut-bladder axis communication through neurotransmission, synaptogenesis & the vagus nerve. CONCLUSIONS: Some neurotransmitter alterations seen with stress may not be caused directly by perceptions of stress, but rather by stress-related alteration in intestinal bacteria. The brain-gut-bladder axis has implications for research as well as novel prevention and treatment approaches. An intriguing area for research is how the microbiome may in fl uence the brain & bladder.


The sporadic E (Es) layer has been studied for a long time. Wind-shear theory is generally accepted about its generation mechanism. This theory explains an accumulation process of the electron density, but hardly gives information on thermal energy budget inside the layer.Although the electron temperature is the parameter for discussing the thermal energy budget inthe ionosphere, there were few data of reliable electron temperature in the Es layer in the past.Thus, few information on the electron temperature are only available, and there were very few discussions about the thermal energy budget inside the Es layer.The sounding rocket "S-520-29" was launched from Uchinoura Space Center at 19:10 JST on August 17, 2014. The purpose of this experiment is to elucidate spatial structure of the Es layer in the lower ionosphere.Langmuir probe installed on this rocket is capable of making high-speed sampling of probe current, and thereby it is possible to estimate the electron temperature and density more than 10 samples per second. In addition, it becomes possible to obtain the temperature and density in shorter time interval by adopting a new method of interpolation for obtained current –voltage relationship. Data calculated by using such an interpolation based on Langmuir probe measurements suggest that the electron temperature significantly decreased inside the Es layer with respect to the background temperature. Furthermore, the detailed trend of the electron temperature from its boundary toward the center of Es layer was revealed due to the interpolation.In this study, we will discuss a physical implication of the observed high electron temperaturefor energy budget inside the Es layer by conducting numerical calculation in which we consider electrons, ions, and neutrals in the vertical 1-D direction. The electron temperature distribution is estimated for various conditions of electron density using electron energy equation.The photoelectron heating and Joule heating are included in the calculation as a heating process, and the electrons' interaction with the neutrals and the ions is considered as a cooling process. It was found that the electron temperature tends to decrease inside the Es layer when


Genetic inactivation of Notch signaling in CD4−CD8− double-negative (DN) thymocytes was previously shown to impair T cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangement and to cause a partial block in CD4+CD8+ double-positive (DP) thymocyte development in mice. In contrast, in vitro cultures suggested that Notch was absolutely required for the generation of DP thymocytes independent of pre-TCR expression and activity. To resolve the respective role of Notch and the pre-TCR, we inhibited Notch-mediated transcriptional activation in vivo with a green fluorescent protein–tagged dominant-negative Mastermind-like 1 (DNMAML) that allowed us to track single cells incapable of Notch signaling. DNMAML expression in DN cells led to decreased production of DP thymocytes but only to a modest decrease in intracellular TCRβ expression. DNMAML attenuated the pre-TCR–associated increase in cell size and CD27 expression. TCRβ or TCRαβ transgenes failed to rescue DNMAML-related defects. Intrathymic injections of DNMAML− or DNMAML+ DN thymocytes revealed a complete DN/DP transition block, with production of DNMAML+ DP thymocytes only from cells undergoing late Notch inactivation. These findings indicate that the Notch requirement during the β-selection checkpoint in vivo is absolute and independent of the pre-TCR, and it depends on transcriptional activation by Notch via the CSL/RBP-J–MAML complex.


The eminent importance of snow cover for climatic, hydrologic, anthropogenic, and economic reasons has been widely discussed in scientific literature. Up to 50% of the Northern Hemisphere is covered by snow at least temporarily, turning snow to the most prevalent land cover types at all. Depending on regular precipitation and temperatures below freezing point it is obvious that a changing climate effects snow cover characteristics fundamentally. Such changes can have severe impacts on local, national, and even global scale. The region of Central Asia is not an exception from this general rule, but are the consequences accompanying past, present, and possible future changes in snow cover parameters of particular importance. Being characterized by continental climate with hot and dry summers most precipitation accumulates during winter and spring months in the form of snow. The population in this 4,000,000 km² vast area is strongly depending on irrigation to facilitate agriculture. Additionally, electricity is often generated by hydroelectric power stations. A large proportion of the employed water originates from snow melt during spring months, implying that changes in snow cover characteristics will automatically affect both the total amount of obtainable water and the time when this water becomes available. The presented thesis explores the question how the spatial extent of snow covered surface has evolved since the year 1986. This investigation is based on the processing of medium resolution remote sensing data originating from daily MODIS and AVHRR sensors, thus forming a unique approach of snow cover analysis in terms of temporal and spatial resolution. Not only duration but also onset and melt of snow coverage are tracked over time, analyzing for systematic changes within this 26 years lasting time span. AVHRR data are processed from raw Level 1B orbit data to Level 3 thematic snow cover products. Both, AVHRR and MODIS snow maps undergo a further post-processing, producing daily full-area mosaics while completely eliminating inherent cloud cover. Snow cover parameters are derived based on these daily and cloud-free time series, allowing for a detailed analysis of current status and changes. The results confirm the predictions made by coarse resolution predictions from climate models: Central Asian snow cover is changing, posing new challenges for the ecosystem and future water supply. The changes, however, are not aimed at only one direction. Regions with decreasing snow cover exist as well as those where the duration of snow cover increases. A shift towards earlier snow cover start and melt can be observed, posing a serious challenge to water management authorities due to a changed runoff regime.


Scholarship on prostitution in ancient Greece, specifically classical Athens, commonly ignores the violence surrounding sexual labor. Whereas violence is central to discussions of prostitution in the modern context, the focus on the ancient hetaira as a courtesan has obscured the reality of Greek prostitutes, many of whom were slaves and vulnerable to abuse. (1) It is not just the obvious fact that prostitution could at times be violent--women, girls, and household slaves in general were at risk for sexual violence more broadly (as comic plots attest and as ancient warfare demonstrates (2))--but that such violence was constructed differently for sex laborers than other social groups: the prostitute body is deemed an accessible body and that accessibility normalizes sexual violence against it and creates a double standard of violence. (3) It is this construction of violence that I begin to explore here by comparing two narratives of sexual assault as recounted by the sex slave Habrotonon in Menander's Epitrepontes. In comparing the two narratives, I place special emphasis on the narrative voice (a shift from third person to first person), the intended context for the narrative (a private conversation between slaves versus a conversation at the symposium), and the identity of the victim (a citizen girl versus a sex slave). Also important is the fact that the narrator of both accounts is the same person, the sex slave Habrotonon. The plot of Menander's Epitrepontes (The Arbitrators) is typical of New Comedy in that the plot hinges on the rape of a young citizen woman by an unknown and inebriated assailant at a night festival (in this case the Tauropolia). (4) The victim becomes pregnant from the rape. The rapist, discovered to be a wealthy young citizen, does the right thing by acknowledging his child and uniting with the mother. All ends happily. Specific to the plot of this play is the fact that when the action begins, the victim, Pamphile, is unknowingly married to her assailant. Charisius, her husband, has discovered the pregnancy, though not his role in it, and left the marriage to take up with a slave prostitute, Habrotonon. Habrotonon, in turn, discovers that the father of the child is Charisius. Hoping to acquire her freedom, she reveals the child to Charisius, who then happily reunites with his wife. As noted by Hunter Gardner (2013) and Sharon James (2014), the Epitrepontes is unique in that it presents details of a sexual assault and its effect on the victim. (5) Habrotonon recounts the event as follows (486-90): [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. Although being there with us, she [Pamphile] wandered off. Then suddenly she ran up alone crying and pulling out her hair [in grief]. Oh gods--she had totally ruined her light cloak, very beautiful and fine; for the whole thing was a tattered rag. Pamphile is described here as hysterical after the encounter, crying and pulling out her hair. The violence of the event and its effect on the victim are further highlighted by her torn clothing. This vivid account leads Gardner and James to conclude that Menander and most likely Athenian society more broadly recognized a "rape victim" and acknowledged sexual violence as an "embodied event" (Gardner 2013, 134; James 2014, 33). Ancient Athenians, they argue, had a concept of sexual assault akin to our modern understanding of rape. In addition to the absence of descriptive victim accounts, discussions of rape in classical Athens are hindered by the lack of specific terminology referring to it. (6) There is no single term for 'sexual violence' in classical Greek: bia (force), (7) hubris (outrage), and moicheia (adultery) are the legal categories under which sexual offences might fall. (8) Bia and hubris, however, also refer to other forms of violence and other types of crimes. In addition, rape victims are never noted as 'victims of hubris,' only the kurios (guardian) is. …


Do you want to know what is really going on in someone else's head? Are you looking for answers as to what makes people tick, whether they're lying or telling the truth, or what their real relationship status is? Find out all this and more with The Body Language Advantage, your secret weapon to understanding and using non-verbal communication for improved relationships, personal success, and more. Author and world-renowned body language and communication expert Dr. Lillian Glass shows you how to accurately analyze a person's behavior and character in just a few simple, subtle steps, so in no time at all, you'll know more about that complete stranger across the room than his friends and family probably do-and he'll be none the wiser! And you can use your skills anywhere-from the interview room, to the bar, to your own home. Through full-color photos and straightforward instruction, Dr. Glass will teach you how to expertly examine all aspects of body language, from facial expression and movement, to body posture and behavior, to other elements such as voice tone and speech content, so you can get the whole picture quickly and efficiently, and use it to inform your own reactions and decisions. Get the answers you're looking for and learn how to communicate more powerfully and pointedly than ever before with The Body Language Advantage.


ABSTRACT Surface mass balance (SMB) is the net input of mass on a glacier's upper surface, composed of snow deposition, melt and erosion processes, and is a major contributor to the overall mass balance. Pine Island Glacier (PIG) in West Antarctica has been dynamically imbalanced since the early 1990s, indicating that discharge of solid ice into the oceans exceeds snow deposition. However, observations of the SMB pattern on the fast flowing regions are scarce, and are potentially affected by the firn's strain history. Here, we present new observations from radar-derived stratigraphy and a relatively dense network of firn cores, collected along a ~900 km traverse of PIG. Between 1986 and 2014, the SMB along the traverse was 0.505 m w.e. a−1 on average with a gradient of higher snow deposition in the South-West compared with the North-East of the catchment. We show that along ~80% of the traverse the strain history amounts to a misestimation of SMB below the nominal uncertainty, but can exceed it by a factor 5 in places, making it a significant correction to the SMB estimate locally. We find that the strain correction changes the basin-wide SMB by ~0.7 Gt a−1 and thus forms a negligible (1%) correction to the glacier's total SMB.


Mining users'= topics of interest is one of the most important tasks for social media services. Given known topic associations for some fraction of the users in an online microblogging platform, our goal is to infer the topics of interest for the remaining users in the same site. Specifically, we proposed a novel bi-relational graph model to capture the interactions among users and their shared topics of interests. The proposed graph model contains two sub-graphs: one corresponds to users and the other corresponds to topics. Such a representation allows for effective exploitation of both user homophily relation and topic correlation simultaneously. This is in contrast with previous work where these two factors are considered in isolation. Subsequently, the user interest discovery problem is formulated as a multi-label learning problem on the bi-relational graph, with the goal to estimate the optimized associations between user nodes and topic nodes across the two sub-graphs. Our experiment is carried out with a complete month-long data collected from Twitter and Tumblr via GNIP Decahose1 and Firehose2 respectively. The large-scale studies shed light on the effectiveness of inferring user interests based on the underlying social connections.


The objective of the study is to determineto what extent the existence, history and character values bind the activity of traditional sport Barapan Kebo(buffalo race) in Sumbawa regency. The type of this research was descriptive qualitative research. This research was conducted in Sumbawa namely in Empang sub-district. The instruments used to collect the data were observation, interview, and documentation. The analysis data of this research employed descriptive inductive method. The results of this researchdemonstrate that the traditional sport BarapanKebohas appearedsince Sumbawa's people who worked as farmers and ranchers knew the processing of agricultural land technically. Barapankebois currently special since it becomes the icon of tourismespecially cultural tourism in Sumbawa. Since 2005, moreover, Ikatan Penggemar Barapan Kebo (Fan Association of Barapan Kebo) has been formed as the follow-up effort by the government for cultural preservation grounded on the decree issued by the Regent of Sumbawa. BarapanKebohas important roles in the social life of Sumbawa's people. In addition, Barapankebo itself contains high philosophy values and emerges as the activity of the people's custom in Sumbawa based on the high sense of their broherhood. In addition to being the activity of generating togetherness, the event of Barapan keboserves as charitable activities such as fundraising for building a mosque, musholla (prayer space), and some other kinds of charities.


John Tyrrell's biography of the Leos Janacek is the culmination of a life's work in the field. It stands upon his existing documentary studies of Janacek's operas and translations of other key sources and his examination of thousands of still unpublished letters and other documents in the Janacek archive in Brno. Altogether it provides the most detailed account of Janacek's life in any language and offers new views of Janacek as composer, writer, thinker and human being. Volume 1, which goes up to the outbreak of the First World War and Janacek's sixtieth birthday in the summer of 1914, consists of chronological chapters providing a straightforward account of Janacek's life year by year and another forty contextual chapters. Topics include on-going sequences ('Music as autobiography I', etc.; 'Janacek's knowledge of opera I', etc.) and individual chapters on Janacek as a teacher, as a theorist, as an music ethnographer, on his speech-melody theory, his relationship to particularly influential operas (Tchaikovsky's Queen of Spades, Charpentier's Louise), on his mentors (such as Antonin Dvorak) and his betes noires (such as Karel Kovarovic). This is a particular feature are the specially commissioned chapters on Janacek's health by Dr Stephen Lock (one of the editors of the Oxford Illustrated Companion to Medicine, OUP 1994 and 2001, editor of the British Medical Journal, 1975-91, and a Janacek enthusiast since the early postwar broadasts on the Third Programme), and on Janacek's earnings and finances by Dr Jiri Zahradka (curator of the Janacek archive in Brno, and editor of authentic editions of Sarka and The Excursions of Mr Broucek).


The legal protection of GIs has become an important concern of both developed and developing countries. Due to the flexibility in the TRIPs Agreement as to the modes of protection, diverse approaches have been adopted by several countries for the domestic protection of GIs. In Ethiopia, despite the existence of the need for the protection of GIs, the issue of GIs has not been given due attention. The legal protection of GIs has not been expressly regulated by any specific legislation. The existing collective trademark system cannot adequately encompass most GIs. It can accommodate most descriptive GIs only in so far as the requirement of distinctiveness under the law is dispensed with for registration of GIs as collective trademarks. Furthermore, the existing system needs to be redefined in light of the notion of GIs. Accordingly, the first section of this thesis depicts an overview on the international and national protection of GIs. More importantly, the second section dwells on elaborating the legal protection of GIs under the existing trademark law and rules of unfair competition. In particular, it figures out the major pitfalls in the collective trademark system under the law. In view of the lacunae in the existing system, the subsequent section highlights the possible modifications to the existing collective trademark system for GIs in Ethiopia. It also shades a light on the pros and cons of the major possible systems for protection of GIs. The final section winds up the discussion with concluding remarks and recommendations to revisit the existing trademark law to ensure adequate protection of GIs in Ethiopia. Based on academic quality and relevance of topic, this paper has been selected for inclusion in the 2010/11 Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC) Master Thesis Series.


Osteosarcoma is characterized by high malignancy and high metastasis rate, resulting in high mortality and disability. MiR-663a has been reported in a variety of tumors to promote tumorigenesis. However, miR-663a has not been reported in the pathogenesis of osteosarcoma. Bioinformatics analysis and experiments including real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), luciferase reporter, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, Western blot, RNA immunoprecipitation, and flow cytometry assay were applied to explore the function and mechanism of miR-663a in MG63, U2OS, Saos-2, SF-86, and hFOB1.19 cells. In this study, we found that miR-663a is highly expressed in osteosarcoma. At the same time, we discovered that miR-663a facilitates cell proliferation and migration, whereas suppresses cell apoptosis in osteosarcoma. Through a series of biological experiments, it was found that miR-663a regulates the cellular process in osteosarcoma by modulating the expression of MYL9. In addition, we also found that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) GAS5 serves as a molecular sponge for miR-663a and regulates the progression of osteosarcoma via the ceRNA mechanism. We uncover that miR-663a promotes osteosarcoma development through targeting MYL9, which was regulated by lncRNA GAS5.


Information and communication technology (ICT) might play an important role in development. There are many failed implementations as there is limited knowledge of how to apply ICT in a development context. The Roundtable (RT) workshop is a participatory approach based on constructive technology assessment. This paper develops an evaluative framework to assess the effectiveness of the RT workshop. It is an interpretive study based on quantitative and qualitative data from case studies. It is a rare and detailed study on the process and output of a participatory exercise. It shows that the RT workshop is a useful and robust methodology to integrate ICTs in priority areas of sector development like agriculture, education, health, etc. Empowerment, reflexive learning, and networking are key elements to generate owned up ICT projects that are moulded to local needs. In a cross-case analysis relevant contextual factors are identified.


Development of the serotonin type 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonists has facilitated a new understanding of the physiology of emesis. Three new agents, ondansetron, granisetron and tropisetron, are currently available in several countries and this review will focus on the characteristics of ondansetron and granisetron, so that a perspective of the data for tropisetron can be presented by other authors. Preclinical data indicate some possible differences among these new compounds. They differ in pharmacokinetic terms. Efficacy and a good safety profile for acute emesis control have been demonstrated for both agents, although there may be some debate as to the best schedule of ondansetron. Delayed emesis does not seem to be adequately controlled by these drugs, and they may also lose some efficacy during multiple-day chemotherapy or after several cycles of chemotherapy. While the addition of corticosteroids seems to increase the response rate to ondansetron, no such data are yet available for granisetron. Finally, considerations pertinent to the cost of these new agents are discussed.


ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has likely substantially compounded hardships for people experiencing homelessness. In addition to their already heightened health risks, shelter-in-place orders and recommended physical distancing have constrained available services. Though people experiencing homelessness have surely also been impacted economically, the extent of these impacts remains unclear. This study documents self-reported disease and economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic for people experiencing homelessness in Sacramento, California. The study analyzes survey data from 198 people experiencing homelessness, collected in collaboration with a homelessness services agency in October 2020. The article contextualizes these data with comparisons to Sacramento's point-in-time survey of homelessness and a sample of low-income housed Californians. The results suggest relatively limited exposure to COVID-19 among people experiencing homelessness in Sacramento. Income and employment losses were more common, but still less pronounced for people experiencing homelessness than for low-income housed Californians. However, these lower economic losses mainly reflect enduring deprivation prior to the pandemic. People experiencing homelessness also received stimulus funds in the spring of 2020 at much lower rates than low-income housed Californians. Overall, the study adds to an emerging empirical literature on the diverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for people experiencing homelessness.


Polyglycerolteichoic acid:glucosyl transferase (TAG transferase), one of the three enzymes involved in the pathway leading to the glucosylation of teichoic acid in Bacillus subtilis 168, was investigated. During the early stages of the growth of B. subtilis, TAG transferase is predominantly a soluble enzyme found in the cytoplasm. As growth proceeds, the amount of soluble enzyme decreases and the proportion of insoluble, membrane-bound TAG transferase increases, reaching a maximal value at the close of the logarithmic phase. Data are presented which suggest that these are two forms of the same enzyme, or have some common component. The effects of chaotropic agents, such as sodium trichloroacetate and sodium perchlorate, on the cytoplasmic membrane were also studied. These data show that such compounds can effectively remove the TAG transferase from the membrane in a water-soluble form. A study of some of the physical properties of this solubilized enzyme suggests that there is little difference between the two forms of the enzyme. Experiments are described which indicate that the glucosyl transfer by both the membrane-bound and soluble enzymes is not mediated by lipids.


The integrin receptor alphavbeta3 has been shown to play a critical role in several distinct processes, such as angiogenesis, osteoclast-mediated bone resorption and tumor metastasis. Its expression is upregulated in newly synthesized blood vessels produced in response to a variety of tumors and purified angiogenic factors. Studies show that alphavbeta3 is a critical target downstream from perhaps all angiogcnic factors. Proof-of-principle that alphavbeta3 antagonists such as monoclonal antibodies and small molecules block angiogenesis and tumor growth has been obtained in several animal models. Many endogenous inhibitors of angiogenesis such as angiostatin, endostatin and tumstatin seem to work through the alphavbeta3 receptor further emphasizing the critical role of this receptor in angiogenesis. In addition, the alphavbeta3 receptor has been clearly implicated in several pathological processes such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and metastasis of prostate cancer to bone. Thus alphavbeta3 may prove to be an important target for pharmacological intervention in more than one clinical setting.


The assignment of the absolute configuration (AC) of two conformational flexible organic molecules by means of TD-DFT simulation of the electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra is presented. The factors leading to a reliable assignment were evaluated in the various steps of the process. The effects of different functionals and basis sets in the geometry optimization step is very limited in terms of the resulting optimized geometries, whereas the inclusion of the solvent in the calculations has a much larger effect on the correct evaluation of the conformational ratio. B3LYP and M06-2x were found to be the most accurate functionals for geometry optimization. CAM-B3LYP and uB97X-D provided the best results in the TD-DFT simulations.


The harlequin-staining method has been used to study the cell kinetic of goat peripheral blood lymphocytes stimulated by phytohemagglutinin and to assess their radiosensitivity. At 48 h, the standardized culture time employed for human lymphocytes, 71% of the goat lymphocytes are in first mitosis, 23% are in second mitosis and 5% in third. Irradiation with 200 rads X-rays induces an average of 24.5 dicentric chromosomes per hundred cells in first mitosis.


The family doctor plays a very important role in the life of the patient who is going through separation or divorce. Separation is a form of mourning. People go through the stages of grief, including surprise, anger, depression, and acceptance. The physician must anticipate a wide range of emotions including disbelief and shock, anger, fear, uncertainty and depression. `Involved neutrality' is his most useful stance. It allows him to be inquiring, solicitous and concerned but to refrain from giving direct advice or from trying to slant the outcome of counselling sessions. Worthwhile intervention goals include promoting reconciliation; offering a forum in which couples can be sure that they understand where each stands and what each wants; assessing the need for individual therapy, and smoothing separation by providing a forum in which the couple focuses upon matter-of-fact arrangements. This can save the couple and their children anguish, and ultimately save them money by decreasing litigation. The physician can also advise separating parents to reassure their children they have a continuing commitment to parenting.


Due to the reasons such as the rapid growth and spread of network services, mobile devices, and online users on the Internet leading to a remarkable increase in the amount of data. Almost every industry is trying to cope with this huge data. Big data phenomenon has begun to gain importance. However, it is not only very difficult to store big data and analyse them with traditional applications, but also it has challenging privacy and security problems. For this reason, this paper discusses the big data, its ecosystem, concerns on big data and presents comparative view of big data privacy and security approaches in literature in terms of infrastructure, application, and data. By grouping these applications an overall perspective of security and privacy issues in big data is suggested.


Models for predicting properties/activities of materials based on machine learning can lead to the discovery of new mechanisms underlying properties/activities of materials. However, methods for constructing models that exhibit both high prediction accuracy and interpretability remain a work in progress because the prediction accuracy and interpretability exhibit a trade-o ff relationship. In this study, we propose a new model-construction method that combines decision tree (DT) with random forests (RF); which we therefore call DT-RF. In DT-RF, the datasets to be analyzed are divided by a DT model, and RF models are constructed for each subdataset. This enables global interpretation of the data based on the DT model, while the RT models improve the prediction accuracy and enable local interpretations. Case studies were performed using three datasets, namely, those containing data on the boiling point of compounds, their water solubility, and the transition temperature of inorganic superconductors. We examined the proposed method in terms of its validity, prediction accuracy, and interpretability.


This study reports on a government funded empirical investigation into UK managers' export behaviour and assistance requirements and focuses on one aspect of the research, namely perceptions towards selected export assistance programmes. Specifically, it investigates whether differences exist between managers of UK small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) owned by executives from particular ethnic origins, i.e. Asian and indigenous (white)‐owned firms, in relation to their awareness and frequency of use of the programmes, together with their perceptions towards the availability of the assistance schemes. The paper presents statistical differences between the two ethnic groups leading to the recommendation that public policy makers may need to rethink their approach towards the delivery of assistance in order that scarce resources are allocated more efficiently and effectively.


We present RXTE and BeppoSAX observations of the Intermediate Polar V 709 Cas acquired in 1997 and 1998 respectively. The X-ray emission from 0.1 to 30 keV is dominated by the strong pulsation at the rotational period of the white dwarf (312.8 s) with no sign of orbital or sideband periodicity, thus conrming previous ROSAT results. However, we detect changes in the power spectra between the two epochs. While the second harmonic of the spin period is present during both observations, the rst harmonic is absent in 1997. An increase in the amplitude of the spin pulsation is found between 1997 and 1998 together with a decrease in the X-ray flux. The average X-ray spectrum from 0.1 to 100 keV is well described by an isothermal plasma at 27 keV plus complex absorption and an iron K fluorescent line, due to reflection from the white dwarf surface. The rotational pulsation is compatible with complex absorption dominating the low energy range, while the high energy spin modulation can be attributed to tall shocks above the accreting poles. The RXTE spectrum in 1997 also shows the presence of an absorption edge from ionized iron likely located in the pre{shock accretion flow. The variations along the spin period of the partial covering absorber and of reflection are compatible with the classical accretion curtain scenario. The variations in the spin pulse characteristics and X-ray flux indicate that V 709 Cas experiences changes in the mass accretion rate on timescales from months to years.


The position of radiological diagnostics in the context of the diagnosis of echinococcosis was discussed on the basis of 11 examined cases of Echinococcus cysticus (9) and Echinococcus alveolaris (2). General thoracic x-rays as well as radiological examination of the gastrointestinal track and the kidneys were used to establish the extent of echinococcosis and to determine the involvement of neighboring organs. Diagnosis of the liver is generally of major interest diagnostically. With a scintigram of the liver, parenchymatous lesions of 2-4 cm and larger can be diagnosed with an optimal examination technique. The scintigram used in connection with the arteriogram can clarify the extent of the parenchymatous lesions. The celiacogram is the most important of the morphological liver diagnostic methods. It can be augmented by the selective hepaticogramm. An exact localization and the relationship of the process to the vessels is possible only with the celiacogram. In addition, the exclusion of other liver processes for the differential diagnosis is possible with the angiogram. The direct splenoportography is for the most part, replaced today by the indirect splenoportogram, it is only used now for special problems.


For visually impaired people (VIPs), the ability to convert text to sound can mean a new level of independence or the simple joy of a good book. With significant advances in optical character recognition (OCR) in recent years, a number of reading aids are appearing on the market. These reading aids convert images captured by a camera to text which can then be read aloud. However, all of these reading aids suffer from a key issue—the user must be able to visually target the text and capture an image of sufficient quality for the OCR algorithm to function—no small task for VIPs. In this work, a sound-emitting document image quality assessment metric (SEDIQA) is proposed which allows the user to hear the quality of the text image and automatically captures the best image for OCR accuracy. This work also includes testing of OCR performance against image degradations, to identify the most significant contributors to accuracy reduction. The proposed no-reference image quality assessor (NR-IQA) is validated alongside established NR-IQAs and this work includes insights into the performance of these NR-IQAs on document images. SEDIQA is found to consistently select the best image for OCR accuracy. The full system includes a document image enhancement technique which introduces improvements in OCR accuracy with an average increase of 22% and a maximum increase of 68%.


the arm on the robot arm. Eight targets were arranged symmetrically in a circle (14 cm radius) on a screen facing the participant. During each session, the p articipant controlled the robot arm with his affected arm to move a cursor from the center of the circle to each of the eight targets, for 960 arm movements. The robot captured kinematic measures of all movements. Outcomes were measured before, after, and six months after therapy. To assess motor function, hand function was tested with the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) and Fugl-Meyer (FM). To test neurophysiology, single-pulse TMS was used to map the motor representation of the affected hand. Results: Reaching accuracy on the robot task improved significantly (p < 0.01) after therapy. The WMFT and FM improved statistically significant (p < 0.01) and clinically meaningful amounts after therapy. The motor map of the affected hand expanded after therapy. Improvements were maintained six months after therapy. Conclusions/Significance: Combined tDCS and robotic therapy safely improved upper limb function in adults with CP. This innovative therapy should be tested in a greater number of participants.


Stimulated by recent problems in the theory of iterated function systems, we provide a variant of the Banach converse theorem for multivalued maps. In particular, we show that attractors of continuous multivalued maps in a metric space are stable. Moreover, such attractors in locally compact, complete metric spaces may be obtained by means of the Banach theorem in the hyperspace.


particularly damaging if projections from the dashboard are not at a good distance from it. Thus it is necessary to complete belts of this type either by moving the seat back, so preventing the passenger from hitting the dashboard or the windscreen, or by adequate padding of the point of impact, which can easily be calculated. In conclusion, the authors insist on the need for a solid head-rest to give protection against trauma from behind, against which the safety belt gives no protection.


The Spitzenberg conglomerate caps the conical hill of that name near Greenawald on the Hamburg, Pennsylvania, topographic map. No other outcrop of similar rock has been found in the surrounding region. Although actual contacts are buried, it seems that the conglomerate rests unconformably upon the Martinsburg shales, the conglomerate being in the form of a gently dipping spoon-shaped syncline, whereas the underlying Martinsburg is highly folded and has steep dips in all adjacent outcrops. The lithology of the conglomerate is variable. Beds of arkosic sandstone, shale, and conglomerate are found, cross-bedding is common, most beds are gray, but some are reddish. The lithology is very similar to that of the Triassic fanglomerates of the Delaware Valley. No fossils have been found in the matrix or pebbles. The pebbles have been studied in an effort to determine their sources. While the Martinsburg and older formations seem to be lithologically incapable of furnishing the pebbles, numerous younger formations could have provided them. The location of the Spitzenberg in relation to the outcrops of these younger formations would require drainage from the north or west to bring the pebbles to their present location. Drainage in this direction is not believed to have existed in the Paleozoic, but it did exist in the Mesozoic. The fanglomerate type of lithology is common in the Triassic, but unknown in the Paleozoic of this part of the country. Although no paleontologic proof is available the Triassic age seems to be the most likely. If the Spitzenberg conglomerate is a Triassic outlier it becomes highly significant in the discussion of Triassic sedimentation in Pennsylvania.


Gentisate:oxygen 1,2-oxidoreductase (decyclizing) (EC 22.214.171.124; gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase) from Moraxella osloensis was purified to homogeneity as shown by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme has a molecular weight of about 154,000 and gives rise to subunits of molecular weight 40,000 in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase showed broad substrate specificity and attacked a range of halogen- and alkyl-substituted gentisic acids. Maleylpyruvate, the product formed from gentisate, was degraded by cell extracts supplemented with reduced glutathione, but substituted maleylpyruvates were not attacked under these conditions.


Currently, health research increasingly involves diverse groups of stakeholders. Such collaborations occur on various levels, where in some cases, stakeholders become co-researchers. However, these stakeholders (e.g. patients) are not always trained in the necessary research skills. On the other hand, researchers are not trained to collaborate with stakeholders. While there is agreement that skill training should be offered as an integral part of participatory health, so far knowledge is lacking on what such a training should look like. This workshop aims to collect experiences from those who have either previously implemented stakeholder skill training or have experiences where stakeholder skill training was lacking but would have been beneficial, and facilitate the exchange of ideas between participants who are interested in the topic. The outcomes will be communicated in ways that are accessible for academic and non-academic stakeholders and will provide them with guidance for conducting stakeholder skill training.


This paper presents a solution for real-time satellite image processing. The focus is on the detection of changes in MODIS images. We present a distributed algorithm for change detection which is based on extracting relevant parameters from MODIS spectral bands. The algorithm detects the changes between two images of the same geographical area at different time moments. The algorithm, able to run in a Grid system, is scalable, fault-tolerant. We present the experimental results of this algorithm considering three spectral bands and different input images. We also propose a method to integrate applications based on this algorithm into the MedioGRID architecture.


Knight, Ronald Frank, MB, BS, FFARCS, DA, DTM & H, formerly Consultant Anaesthetist a t Wycombe General Hospital. Qualified from Charing Cross Medical School in 1956. Roper, Richard Edward, MB, ChB, FFARCS, formerly Consultant Anaesthetist a t Whiston Hospital. Qualified from the University of Liverpool in 1968. Todd, Christopher Granville, MB, BCH, FFARCS, formerly Consultant Anaesthetist at Craigavon Area Hospital. Qualified from the Queen's University, Belfast in 1982.


ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa ED-1, isolated from a pulmonary brush of a patient hospitalized in a suburb of Paris, France, was resistant to ceftazidime and of intermediate susceptibility to ureidopenicillins and to cefotaxime. Cloning and expression of the β-lactamase gene content of this isolate in Escherichia coli DH10B identified a novel OXA-10 variant, OXA-28, with a pI value of 8.1 and a molecular mass of 29 kDa. It differed from OXA-10 by 10 amino acid changes and from OXA-13 and OXA-19 by 2 amino acid changes, including a glycine instead of tryptophan at position 164, which is likely involved in its resistance to ceftazidime. Like OXA-11, -14, -16, and -19 and as opposed to OXA-17, OXA-28 predominantly compromised ceftazidime and had only marginal effect on the MICs of aztreonam and cefotaxime in P. aeruginosa. Once expressed in E. coli, OXA-28 raised the MIC of ceftazidime to a much higher level than those of amoxicillin, cephalothin, and cefotaxime (128, 16, 8, and 4 μg/ml, respectively). OXA-28 β-lactamase had a broad spectrum of activity, including ceftazidime. Its activity was partially antagonized by clavulanic acid (50% inhibitory concentration, 10 μM) and NaCl addition. The oxa28 gene cassette was inserted in the variable region of a class 1 integron, In57, immediately downstream of an amino 6′-N-acetyltransferase gene cassette,aac(6′)Ib. The structures of the integrons carrying eitheroxa28, oxa13, or oxa19 gene cassettes were almost identical, suggesting that they may have derived from a common ancestor as a result of the common European origin of theP. aeruginosa isolates. In57 was located on a self-transferable plasmid of ca. 150 kb that was transferred fromP. aeruginosa to P. aeruginosa.


The effectiveness of early intensive interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is now well-established, but there continues to be great interindividual variability in treatment response. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify putative predictors of response to two different approaches in behavioral treatment: Early Intensive Behavioral Interventions (EIBI) and the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM). Both are based upon the foundations of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), but the former is more structured and therapist-driven, while the latter is more naturalistic and child-driven. Four databases (EmBase, PubMed, Scopus and WebOfScience) were systematically screened, and an additional search was conducted in the reference lists of relevant articles. Studies were selected if participants were children with ASD aged 12–48 months at intake, receiving either EIBI or ESDM treatment. For each putative predictor, p-values from different studies were combined using Fisher's method. Thirteen studies reporting on EIBI and eleven on ESDM met the inclusion criteria. A higher IQ at intake represents the strongest predictor of positive response to EIBI, while a set of social cognitive skills, including intention to communicate, receptive and expressive language, and attention to faces, most consistently predict response to ESDM. Although more research will be necessary to reach definitive conclusions, these findings begin to shed some light on patient characteristics that are predictive of preferential response to EIBI and ESDM, and may provide clinically useful information to begin personalizing treatment.


Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a potential candidate material for optoelectronic applications, especially for blue to ultraviolet light emitting devices, due to its fundamental advantages, such as direct wide band gap of 3.37 eV, large exciton binding energy of 60 meV, and high optical gain of 320 cm−1 at room temperature. Its luminescent properties have been intensively investigated for samples, in the form of bulk, thin film, or nanostructure, prepared by various methods and doped with different impurities. In this paper, we first review briefly the recent progress in this field. Then a comprehensive summary of the research carried out in our laboratory on ZnO preparation and its luminescent properties, will be presented, in which the involved samples include ZnO films and nanorods prepared with different methods and doped with n-type or p-type impurities. The results of ZnO based LEDs will also be discussed.


We examined the effect of morpholino (MOR) backbone modification of triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO) on the pyrimidine motif triplex formation at neutral pH, a condition where pyrimidine motif triplexes are unstable. The binding constant of the pyrimidine motif triplex formation at pH 6.8 with MOR-modified TFO was approximately 60 times larger than that observed with unmodified TFO. Kinetic data demonstrated that the observed increase in the binding constant at neutral pH by the MOR backbone modification resulted mainly from the considerable increase in the association rate constant. The present results certainly support the idea that the MOR backbone modification of TFO could be a key modification and may eventually lead to progress in therapeutic applications of the antigene strategy


An embedding cell approach for design of a filter with ultrawide-band rejection and compact size is introduced and investigated. A bandpass filter (BPF) topology design based on the transformed radial stub (TRS) cell embedded resonator (CER) is proposed for the high-performance filter design. The implemented 1.7-GHz BPF with a fractional bandwidth of 1.2% using the TRS CER demonstrates more than 45 dB rejection up to 10.8f0 i.e., 18 GHz. The implemented 1.9-GHz BPF with fractional bandwidth 21% demonstrates 40-dB rejection from 4 to 19 GHz (10f0). The measured passband insertion loss is 2.7 dB, and group delay is around 2.5 nS. The size of the 1.9-GHz fourth-order filter is only 0.408g×0.33 λg, (λg is the guide wavelength at center cutoff frequency) without using any lumped elements.


We investigated the role of IFN-gamma and MAPKs on the expression and activity of the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-beta (C/EBP beta) in the T84 colon epithelial cell line. IFN-gamma induced the expression and activity of C/EBP beta and subsequently increased the secretion of IL-6 from these cells. Treatment with the p38 inhibitor SB-203580, the MEK1 and MEK2 inhibitor U-0126, or the translational inhibitor cycloheximide inhibited the induction of C/EBP beta and IL-6 by IFN-gamma, whereas the MEK1 inhibitor PD-98059 or the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein had no effect. These results suggest a role for MEK2 and p38 in IFN-gamma-mediated signal transduction and induction of C/EBP beta expression and activity associated with interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion in colon epithelial cells.


Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as a novel messaging system of the organism, mediating cell-cell and interorgan communication. Through their content of proteins and nucleic acids, as well as membrane proteins and lipid species, EVs can interact with and modulate the function of their target cells. The regulation of whole-body metabolism requires cross-talk between key metabolic tissues including adipose tissue (AT), the liver and skeletal muscle. Furthermore, the regulation of nutrient/energy allocation during pregnancy requires co-ordinated communication between the foetus and metabolic organs of the mother. A growing body of evidence is suggesting that EVs play a role in communication between and within key metabolic organs, both physiologically during metabolic homoeostasis but also contributing to pathophysiology during metabolic dysregulation observed in metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. As obesity and its associated metabolic complications are reaching epidemic proportions, characterization of EV-mediated communication between key metabolic tissues may offer important insights into the regulation of metabolic functions during disease and offer global therapeutic opportunities. Here, we focus on the role of EVs in metabolic regulation and, in particular, EV-mediated cross-talk between cells of the AT.


This study investigates child heritage speakers' Spanish direct objects. A task designed to elicit direct objects was completed in Spanish and English by 40 child heritage speakers of Spanish in the U.S., and in Spanish by 24 monolingual children in Mexico. Both participant groups varied their direct object forms, following the same ranking: clitics>lexical NPs>omission>doubling. Animate referents promoted clitics; inanimate referents promoted lexical NPs. Among the heritage speakers, more Spanish experience and Spanish lexical proficiency predicted more clitic use (less omission and lexical NP use). We also argue that the child heritage speakers' production of strong pronouns, more lexical NPs, and masculine clitic lo with inanimate feminine referents suggest English influence. The study underscores the importance of examining structured variation, which revealed both similarities and differences between heritage and monolingual speakers.


Aerobic respiration in Corynebacterium glutamicum involves a cytochrome bc1–aa3 supercomplex with a diheme cytochrome c1, which is the only c-type cytochrome in this species. This organization is considered as typical for aerobic Actinobacteria. Whereas the biogenesis of heme–copper type oxidases like cytochrome aa3 has been studied extensively in α-proteobacteria, yeast, and mammals, nothing is known about this process in Actinobacteria. Here, we searched for assembly proteins of the supercomplex by identifying the copper-deprivation stimulon, which might include proteins that insert copper into cytochrome aa3. Using gene expression profiling, we found two copper starvation–induced proteins for supercomplex formation. The Cg2699 protein, named CtiP, contained 16 predicted transmembrane helices, and its sequence was similar to that of the copper importer CopD of Pseudomonas syringae in the N-terminal half and to the cytochrome oxidase maturation protein CtaG of Bacillus subtilis in its C-terminal half. CtiP deletion caused a growth defect similar to that produced by deletion of subunit I of cytochrome aa3, increased copper tolerance, triggered expression of the copper-deprivation stimulon under copper sufficiency, and prevented co-purification of the supercomplex subunits. The secreted Cg1884 protein, named CopC, had a C-terminal transmembrane helix and contained a Cu(II)-binding motif. Its absence caused a conditional growth defect, increased copper tolerance, and also prevented co-purification of the supercomplex subunits. CtiP and CopC are conserved among aerobic Actinobacteria, and we propose a model of their functions in cytochrome aa3 biogenesis. Furthermore, we found that the copper-deprivation response involves additional regulators besides the ECF sigma factor SigC.


Background: Patient safety and optimisation of worker performance are high current priorities. Arguments over employee drug testing have been debated over the past two decades. Aims: To review prior information to reveal how current principles and practices regarding pre-employment drug testing of health care workers evolved, and to explore pressing current and future issues. Methods: A literature search of Medline from 1980 to 1999 was performed. This yielded seven citations that reported results of pre-employment drug testing of health care workers, which we critically reviewed. Results: The process by which a rational testing process was developed for pre-employment urine drug screening in the health care field is illustrated. Also depicted are some important principles, inequities, and shortcomings of the system. The range of positive tests was wide, from 0.25% to 12%. Testing was not always applied uniformly to all health care workers. It became apparent that positive tests also require medical review to determine if they were truly due to illicit substance use. Conclusions: Although pre-employment drug testing programmes in the health care industry have been firmly in place for many years, it is unclear whether such strategies have achieved their stated purposes. The next step is to study whether such programmes are effective at accomplishing specific goals, such as decreasing absenteeism, turnover, accidents, and medical errors, in order to justify continuing pre-employment testing versus changing to an alternative testing strategy.


This thesis examines the effects of hydrodynamic and mechanical compression on process chromatography. Poorly packed columns can have serious consequences on the performance of chromatography and efforts to understand the impact of different methods of compression on protein separation is limited in the literature. By understanding this impact, there is significant potential for facilitating better decisions in chromatographic operations, minimising batch failures while achieving high chromatographic performance.
Conventional methods were used to quantify five different structural properties of chromatographic resins; the column efficiency was used to assess the quality of packing and porosity tests was used to determine the interparticle and intraparticle porosity of the packed bed. The influence of bed length, column diameter, and average particle size on the extent of bed compression were examined. The results showed better asymmetry and reduced plate height with both increasing levels of hydrodynamic and mechanical compression.
There were practical limitations in using the conventional approaches to investigate the quality of packing; column efficiency and porosity tests only provide an overall indication of the whole column. The reverse-flow technique using an acetone tracer was therefore developed as a novel technique in this field to quantify the microscopic dispersion effects due to bed compression on defined axial sections within a packed bed. This technique allows reversible macroscopic factors to be separated from irreversible microscopic factors. The results showed higher levels of compression towards the bottom of the column with hydrodynamic compression and higher levels of compression towards the top of the column with mechanical compression. This technique has shown to be a simple, non-intrusive method for investigating microscopic factors along the different sections of the column.
The breakthrough curves were used to determine the dynamic binding capacities for three different anion exchange resins using BSA as a model protein. Q Sepharose Fast Flow, Q Sepharose High Performance and Capto Q were selected to cover a range of bead rigidity and particles sizes. The shape and position of the breakthrough curves were used to assess quantitatively the impact of bed compression on binding capacity and mass transfer properties. In particular, a range of rigidity and particle sizes of AEX chromatography resins were examined. The results showed the overall impact of compression on breakthrough performance depended heavily on the method of compression applied to the bed. For both hydrodynamic and mechanical compression, the dynamic binding capacity (DBC) increased by 60% for Capto Q. However, when Q Sepharose FF, a softer resin was hydrodynamically compressed the DBC decreased by 10% at 0.15 CF. By contrast, when Q Sepharose HP (2 – 3 times smaller than Q Sepharose FF) was hydrodynamically compressed to the equivalent compression factor, the DBC increased by 20%. This suggests that the particle size distribution (PSD) also influenced changes in breakthrough behaviour when compressed. For all three resins tested, mechanical compression produced the largest increases in DBC.
Finally, purification factor vs. yield (PFY) diagrams were used to relate directly the effects of bed compression to the maximum purity and yield at each compression factor. In this study, fractionation diagrams were adapted to describe the elution profiles of the product and its various impurities to show the relationships between bed compression and overall chromatographic performance. A protein mixture was used to challenge three AEX resins (Q Sepharose Fast Flow, Q Sepharose High Performance, and Capto Q) and subsequently a gel filtration resin (Sepharose CL-6B). In particular, the effects of one-step vs. multiple incremental step compression were also examined. The results showed one-step hydrodynamic compression caused flow instability, due to the formation of regions of higher compaction towards the bottom of the packed bed which together resulted in poor protein separation. With mechanical compression via multiple incremental steps, an even distribution of pressure was applied from the top column diameter which gave greater levels of product purity and yield for all resins.


The present paper reports the occurrence of Tellin clam Serratina ostracea (Lamarck, 1818) from the Indian mainland. It was collected from the Talsari coast of Odisha state. This species was earlier reported from Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the probable reason for the dispersal of veliger larvae from its previous locality, Andaman, and Nicobar Islands to present locality Talsari (Odisha) coast was discussed here.


The Gigatracker (GTK) is a hybrid silicon pixel detector developed for NA62, an experiment studying ultra-rare kaon decays at the CERN SPS. The main characteristics are a time-tagging resoluion of 150ps, with low material budget per station (0.5% X0) and a fluence comparable to the one expected for the inner trackers of LHC detectors in 10 years of operation. To compensate the time-walk, two read-out architectures have been designed and produced. The first architecture is based on a Constant Fraction Discriminator (CFD) followed by an on-pixel Time-to-Digital-Converter (TDC). The second architecture is based on a on-pixel group shared TDC. The GTK system developments are described: the integration steps (assembly and cooling) and the results obtained from the prototypes fabricated for the two read-out architectures.


Although bioavailability is an important issue, the scientific basis for its adequate use in the assessment of ecological risks is weak. What is often ignored is that bioavailability should be handled as a dynamic process that comprises two distinct phases: a physicochemically driven desorption process (also referred to as "environmental availability") and a physiologically driven uptake process (also referred to as "environmental bioavailability"). Since the internal concentration of the organism (also referred to as "toxicological bioavailability") is related with organ-effect levels, it is the latter that is determinant for the actual bioavailability. On the basis of contemporary ideas on equilibrium partitioning both within soils and between soils and organisms combined with a detailed literature review, in this contribution a framework is presented aimed at providing a guidance to necessary components of risk assessment procedures that take bioavailability into account. The framework provides suggestions with regard to the design and scope of studies to be carried out. It is based on knowledge on physico-chemical metal partitioning, in combination with models and concepts applied to analyse toxico-kinetics in exposed organisms. The conceptual dynamic framework boils down to a description of the system in the form of equilibria. It is assumed that each biotic species can be considered as one of the soil phases next to the particulate phase and the liquid phase. Each phase has a characteristic set of exposure routes. Equilibration processes are assumed to take place between all phases present. Essential is that the plan should result in validated procedures that, because they will explicitly address the issue of availability, will be predictive of effects in systems that have not been biologically tested.


In prior work we described
techniques used to capture, store, and retrieve narrative data forms from a
database using widely available off the shelf software. This concept makes use
of the security and versioning features of database architecture together with
those of image-supported electronic document information capture. We present
herein the security and audit trail features of our construct. Unique usernames
and passwords are used at the operating system level to enforce client
validation and control access to the database system via an electronic
signature using a Boolean logic algorithm. We used the database domain to
capture original data and any changes to the data, developing an audit trail
displaying identification information. Version controlled and change tracked
electronic documents can be retrieved through the client side web interface to
enable direct search operations, thus uncoupling the client from database query
languages.


This study allowed us to measure poverty in terms of living conditions by using the fuzzy sets theory and breaking down this poverty by household characteristics. Subsequently, we evaluated the impact of the administration of land and the type of practiced cultures on the living conditions of cocoa farmer households. To make this, we have constructed a multidimensional poverty index with Multiple Component Analysis (MCA) and the fuzzy set theory. By using data from departments of Soubre and Gueyo from the survey on cocoa production systems and livelihoods of populations in areas of cocoa production, conducted by National School of Statistics and Applied Economics (NSSAE) of Abidjan, we evaluated to 43.25% the level of deprivation of the households in these cocoa farmer two cities. We also found that the main dimensions of displacement, ownership of durable goods, education, agricultural equipment, access to finance and training are the key drivers of poverty in households of cocoa farmers of Soubre and Gueyo. Similarly, associating other cultures to cocoa and the fact to own their land improve the living conditions of households cocoa farmers in these two cities.


Building block and circuit simulation concepts are discussed with their advantages for the design and the production of photonics integrated circuits. Two examples are presented to demonstrate the validity of the circuit-based simulation in the prediction of the behaviour of the real circuit. Final results are comparable to those obtained through an electromagnetic simulation, also when spurious effects as mode coupling or chip facet induced cavities are taken into account.


A vector-sensor consisting of a monopole sensor collocated with orthogonally oriented dipole sensors can be used for direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation. A method is proposed to estimate the DOA based on the direction of maximum power. Algorithms mentioned in earlier works are shown to be special cases of the proposed method. An iterative algorithm based on the principal of gradient ascent is presented for the solution of the maximum power problem. The proposed maximum-power method is shown to approach the Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB) with a suitable choice of parameter.


Despite the accent on the various aspects of scleral surgery today, the basic necessity in curing a retinal detachment is still to reestablish the integrity of the fluid barrier of the retina so that the form, function, and tissue relationships of the ocular tissues may be restored. Since neither the choroid nor the retina has the structural strength to be held to the other by sutures, we are forced to employ a method of creating our pressure seal which, we may say, employs its result as its means; that is to say, the retina and choroid must be held together by the pressure from the vitreous chamber, so that the exudate from the treatment reaction may effectively seal the retinal defect, but if the defect is not sealed we cannot reestablish the pressure factor. Fortunately, Nature is tolerant of our surgical blunderings and allows us to escape from this surgical


Objective To examine the association between glycemic control and the new onset of macroangiopathy in Japanese subjects with type 2 diabetes. Methods We examined seven-year follow-up data for 572 patients. We divided the subjects by the average of seven-year glycemic control based on the guidelines. First, we excluded the subjects with a past history of macroangiopathy and then examined the incidence of the new onset of macroangiopathy. Results The incidence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) was 1.0% per year, and that of cerebral vascular disease (CVD) was 1.0% per year. However, IHD events were not observed at all for five years in the most intensive glycemic control group (HbA1c<6%). Similarly, CVD events were not observed at all for seven years in the most intensive glycemic control group (HbA1c<6%). In addition, the cumulative incidence rate of IHD tended to increase as the glycemic control became poorer (HbA1c<6%, 4.5%; 6%≤HbA1c<7%, 6.0%; 7%≤HbA1c<8%, 7.2%; HbA1c≥8%, 10.7%). Furthermore, a logistic regression analysis showed that the duration of diabetes and HbA1c level were independent risk factors contributing to the onset of IHD, but not to the onset of CVD. Conclusion This seven-year observational study showed the possible association between glycemic control and the onset of macroangiopathy in a total of 572 Japanese subjects with type 2 diabetes.


Typhoid fever being a systemic infection can present in a multitude of ways, involving various systems. Here we describe a case of typhoid fever presenting with acute cerebellar ataxia and marked thrombocytopenia. This atypical presentation is not common in typhoid fever and can lead to misdiagnosis as well as a delay in the initiation of appropriate therapy. Prompt clinical improvement and the return of platelet counts to normal were noted after the patient was started on IV Ceftriaxone.


Abstract:The sixteenth-century Florentine philologist Vincenzo Borghini provides a model for our own examination of the influence of print as we consider the challenges, opportunities and responsibilities of producing digital editions and archives. Briefly examining several emended passages in the 1573 expurgated edition of Boccaccio's Decameron, the essay turns to Borghini's reliance in his 1574 Annotationi on his extensive studies of fourteenth-century Italian vernacular in manuscripts and their contrasts with the printed editions of his own day often edited—he fears—simply to sell books. Turning from Borghini's skepticism to his own editorial work for the 2003–2004 facsimile and commentary, the author reflects upon the failures of his own edition for the print medium and how they led to the founding and development of the Petrarchive's rich-text edition and commentary. Reflecting on two examples of the representation of the use of space in Petrarch's medieval holograph possible only in a born-digital edition, the essay concludes its brief demonstration of the deep structuring of print in philological thinking as we develop new strategies for digital philology.


Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long-term health condition that in many cases is preventable. Many people do not know they have kidney disease, because up to 90% of kidney function can be lost before symptoms are evident. Fortunately, simple tests performed by a general practitioner can identify most cases of CKD when the disease is in its early stages, enabling treatment to prevent or slow progress. Objective: To evaluate the risk factors for the development of CKD. Methods: A case-control study conducted to 300 persons (150 cases and 150 controls) selected from Medical Wards, Dialysis Kidney Unit and in Outpatient Clinic at Ibn Sina Teaching Hospital in Mosul City. Results: Diabetes mellitus (DM) had 12.9 folds risk for developing of CKD and both type 1 and type 2 D.M. had significant role for developing CKD. Diabetic patients for (> 15 years) had 29.8 times risk for development of CKD. Hypertension (HT) had 3.5 folds risk for CKD and those having HT more than 15 years had 12.9 times risk for CKD. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) had 13.6 folds risk for CKD and having more than one type of CVD had 37 times risk for CKD than heart failure, ischemic heart disease. Family history of renal diseases had 7.1 times risk for CKD and there was statistically significant role of having family history of CKD that had more than 22 times risk for CKD. Statistically significant role of having proteinuria with 383 times risk for CKD. Conclusion: There are many risk factors significantly contributing to the development of CKD in Mosul especially DM, HT, CVD, family history of renal disease, family history of chronic diseases, and from this study it has been concluded that proteinuria plays a major role for the development and progress of CKD. Keywords: Chronic kidney disease, risk factors Citation: Khaleel FF, Hussain SS, Hmood AH. Risk factors of chronic kidney disease among patients attending Ibn Sina Teaching Hospital in Mosul City. Iraqi JMS. 2019; 17(1): 24-31. doi: 10.22578/IJMS.17.1.5


This paper reports an accurate design of Er3+-Yb3+-Ce3+ doped ZrF4-ErF3-LaF3-AlF3 (ZELA) fluoride glass channel amplifier operating in the third window of the telecommunication systems. By considering measured spectroscopic and optical parameters, we demonstrate the feasibility of a novel optical waveguide amplifier exhibiting high gain and low noise figure. The electromagnetic investigation has been carried-out by employing a full-vector Finite Element Method (FEM) solver. The mode electromagnetic field, calculated at different wavelengths, constitutes the input data for the home-made numerical code which solves both the power propagation and population rate equations via a Runge-Kutta based iterative algorithm. The dependence of the up-conversion coefficients on erbium concentration are taken into account. In the simulations, the core shape, the waveguide length, the input pump and signal powers, the erbium and the ytterbium concentration are varied with the aim to optimize the amplifier performance. The goal of achieving high gain with a short device length is demonstrated. In particular, the simulation results show that the waveguide amplifier exhibits an optimal internal gain value close to 22.5 dB and a noise figure of 4.1 dB for a waveguide amplifier 5.5 cm long, an erbium concentration of NEr=2.5×1026 ions/m3, ytterbium concentration NYb=2.4×1026 ions/m3, NCe=6×1026 ions/m3, an input pump power Pp=100 mW and an input signal power Ps=1 μW.


The behavior of a three-dimensional pure rectangular water jet with aspect ratio of 10 was experimentally investigated based on the results of the mean velocity field obtained by PIV. The saddle back distribution was observed in the lateral distribution along the major axis. The theoretical centerline velocity equation derived from the point source concept using the spreading rate for the axisymmetric jet was in good agreement with the measured centerline velocity and gave the division of the potential core region, two-dimensional region, and axisymmetric region. The range of the two-dimensional region divided by the criterion of the theoretical centerline velocity decay for the aspect ratio of 10 was observed to be smaller than that of the transition region. The applicability of the two-dimensional model to the behavior of the rectangular jet with low aspect ratio or the wastewater discharged from a multiport diffuser in the deep water of real ocean may result in significant error in the transition and axisymmetric regions after the two-dimensional region. In the two-dimensional region, the Gaussian constant tended to be conserved, and the spreading rate slightly decreased at the end of the two-dimensional region. The normalized turbulent intensity along the centerline of the jet initially abruptly increased and showed relatively higher intensity for higher Reynolds number.


The publishing value chain has remained relatively consistent since the invention of the printing press. Robert Darnton's influential model of the communications circuit of the book, which tracks how intellectual property circulated in 18th century France, has been a largely accurate representation of the publishing industry until the late 20th century. This article examines changes to the publishing industry, particularly as a result of the disruptions and disintermediations of the digital age, and proposes a re-drawing of the communications circuit for the 21st century. The research in this article was supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council grant number AH/J01317X/1 The Book Unbound: Disruption and Disintermediation in the Digital Age.


Interpersonal conflict poses a serious threat to social justice activism. In the context of indigenous solidarity activism in southern Arizona, conflicts are often born of the challenges accompanying differentials in social privilege due to differences in race and ethnicity relative to white supremacist settler colonialism. This paper examines activ- ist collaboration between Tohono O'odham and non-Native anarchist activists in south- ern Arizona, arguing that a topological activist polis is a useful lens through which we can better understand the roots of conflict in social justice activism. Non-Native activists are often aware of the ways white supremacist settler colonial society privileges particular identities while marginalizing others. Nonetheless, settler and white privilege give rise to tensions which can be seen topologically through the very different relationships non-Na- tive and indigenous activists have to ongoing processes of white supremacy and to histo- ries of the genocide of indigenous peoples.


Abstract Purpose Radiation therapy remains part of the standard of care for breast, lung, and esophageal cancers. While radiotherapy improves local control and survival, radiation-induced heart dysfunction is a common side effect of thoracic radiotherapy. Cardiovascular dysfunction can also result from non-therapeutic total body radiation exposures. Numerous studies have evaluated the relationship between radiation dose to the heart and cardiotoxicity, but relatively little is known about whether there are differences based on biological sex in radiation-induced heart dysfunction (RIHD). Materials and Methods We evaluated whether male and female inbred Dahl SS rats display differences in RIHD following delivery of 24 Gy in a single fraction to the whole heart using a 1.5 cm beam size (collimater). We also compared the 2.0 cm vs. 1.5 cm collimator in males. Pleural and pericardial effusions and normalized heart weights were measured, and echocardiograms were performed. Results Female SS rats displayed more severe RIHD relative to age-matched SS male rats. Normalized heart weight was significantly increased in females, but not in males. A total of 94% (15/16) of males and 55% (6/11) of females survived 5 months after completion of radiotherapy (p < .01). Among surviving rats, 100% of females and 14% of males developed moderate-to-severe pericardial effusions at 5 months. Females demonstrated increased pleural effusions, with the mean normalized pleural fluid volume for females and males being 56.6 mL/kg ± 12.1 and 10.96 mL/kg ± 6.4 in males (p = .001), respectively. Echocardiogram findings showed evidence of heart failure, which was more pronounced in females. Because age-matched female rats have smaller lungs, a higher percentage of the total lung was treated with radiation in females than males using the same beam size. After using a larger 2 cm beam in males which results in higher lung exposure, there was not a significant difference between males and females in terms of the development of moderate-to-severe pericardial effusions or pleural effusions. Treatment of males with a 2 cm beam resulted in comparable increases in LV mass and reductions in stroke volume to female rats treated with a 1.5 cm beam. Conclusion Together, these results illustrate that there are differences in radiation-induced cardiotoxicity between male and female SS rats and add to the data that lung radiation doses, in addition to other factors, may play an important role in cardiac dysfunction following heart radiation exposure. These factors may be important to factor into future mitigation studies of radiation-induced cardiotoxicity.


Rev. Abstract Little research has been done concerning the nuances related to paralleling the higher speed SiC MOSFET devices compared to Si devices. This paper deals with the parallel operation of packaged silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs. The parameters that affect the static and dynamic current sharing behavior of the devices have been studied. We also investigate the sensitivity of those parameters to the junction temperature of the devices. The case temperature difference for paralleled MOSFETs has been experimentally measured on a SEPIC converter for different gate driver resistance and different switching frequency, the results show the current and temperature can be well balanced for the latest generation of SiC MOSFETs with low gate driver resistance.


We study the effects of carbon taxation and revenue recycling across the income distribution in Ireland. Price changes of fuels and all other final goods and services are taken into account. If applied only to the emissions not covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, a carbon tax of €20/tCO2 would cost the poorest households around €3.5/week and the richest ones €5/week. The tax is regressive, therefore. However, if the revenue is used to increase social benefits and tax credits, households across the income distribution can be made better off without exhausting the total carbon tax revenue.


Considerable controversy has emerged as to whether tight glucose control (TGC) is warranted in all critically ill adult patients. Recently, a new blood glucose upper limit (10 mmol/L) has been assessed as more appropriate. Rather than blood glucose target ranges, algorithms used to achieve TGC should be numerically evaluated before initiating clinical trials (preclinical validation test). Our purpose was to assess performances of TGC algorithms in realistic virtual ICU patients.


Background Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is reported as an aggressive cancer which leads to high mortality and no effective therapeutic target has yet been discovered. Surgical resection is the main method to treat patients with CCA. However, only one-third of CCA patients have the opportunity to accept the operation, leading to poor prognosis for CCA patients. Therefore, it is necessary to search for new therapeutic targets of CCA or core genes involved in the happening and growth of CCA. Aim In this study, we utilized bioinformatics technology and accessed to several medical databases trying to find the core genes of CCA for the purpose of intervening CCA through figuring out an effective curative target. Methods Firstly, three differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were discovered from GEPIA, and by further observing the distribution and gene expression, CHST4 was obtained as the core gene. Afterwards, correlated genes of CHST4 in CCA were identified using UALCAN to construct a gene expression profile. We obtained PPI network by Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Networks Genes (STRING) and screened core genes using cytoscape software. Functional enrichment analyses were carried out and the expression of CHST in human tissues and tumors was observed. Finally, a CCA model was established for qPCR and staining validation. Results Three differentially expressed genes (DEGs), CHST4, MBOAT4 and RP11-525K10.3, were obtained. All were more over-expressed in CCA samples than the normal, among which the change multiple and the gene expression difference of CHST4 was the most obvious. Therefore, CHST4 was selected as the core gene. We can see in our established protein–protein interaction (PPI) network that CHST4 had the highest degree of connectivity, demonstrating its close association with CCA. We found that genes were mainly enriched in CCs in the PPI networks genes which shows functional enrichment analysis results, including golgi lumen, extracellular space and extracellular region. CHST4 was found very specifically expressed in the bile duct and was significantly different from that in normal tissues. The overexpression of CHST4 was further verified in the established animal model of TAA-induced CCA in rats. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) demonstrated that CHST4 was significantly overexpressed in tumor tissues, verifying the role of CHST4 as the core gene of CCA. Conclusion CHST4 was increasingly expressed in CCA and CHST4 is worth being studied much further in the intervention of CCA.


Long‐term data are often lacking to effectively assess patterns of lake acidification and recovery. Fortunately, paleolimnological techniques can be used to infer past changes in lakewater acidity and related variables by means of biological indicators, such as diatom valves and chrysophyte scales, preserved in 210Pb‐dated sediment cores. We summarize paleolimnological data that we have gathered from 36 Sudbury (Ontario) and 20 Adirondack Park (New York) lakes to estimate the magnitude of lake acidification and any subsequent recovery in these lake systems. In both regions, many lakes were shown to have acidified considerably, some over two pH units, since the 1850s. Although some recovery was noted in both lake regions, Sudbury lakes generally showed larger increases in inferred lakewater pH with recent declines in sulfur emissions. Possible explanations of these differences include the greater decrease in sulfate deposition in the Sudbury area, as well as generally longer residence times of lakes in Sudbury, perhaps allowing for more in‐lake alkalinity generation. In addition, Sudbury lakes generally had higher pre‐industrial pH levels, suggesting that lakes with higher natural buffering capacities are more likely to recover more quickly with declines in deposition, even if they had been acidified to a great extent.


On 1st February 2018, the French Competition Authority ("FCA") unconditionally cleared in Phase II proceedings the planned acquisition of sole control of French company Concept Multimedia - which…


Pier 27 is a world-class waterfront condominium development located right on the shoreline of Lake Ontario at the foot of Yonge Street in downtown Toronto. The original Lake Ontario shoreline was located approximately along Front Street. The area from Front Street to the current shorelines was backfilled with landfill in order to create new piers and industrial development. Toronto shoreline's main uses were for waste disposal, fuel storage, and heavy manufacturing. In 1972, Canada's Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau announced the seizure of the south industrial lands from Bathurst Street to York Street West through the new Harbourfront Project. The project would convert the land into residential and cultural districts for Toronto including performance stages, art galleries, parks, and boating areas. In 1986, the Toronto Harbour Commission (now the Toronto Port Authority) sold the industrial property east of Yonge Street to private developers. The land has since been converted into Pier 27, a series of condominium towers, overlooking the Harbourfront Project and Lake Ontario. During Phase 1 and 2 of the development, many costly setbacks were encountered during the shoring installation including water issues, drilling of lateral supports into the timber dock wall, and soil issues related to the backfilled landfill including the discovery of a military artillery cartridge. The following paper will highlight the issues with developing the downtown Toronto shoreline, a brief history of the shoreline, the shoring design for Pier 27, the challenges encountered during below grade construction, and the recent and future developments.


Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) is a fungicide and a pollutant of increasing concern in industrialized regions of the world. Reproductive failure is one of the effects of HCB upon mammals. Alteration of cell shape in the ovary surface epithelium (OSE) of Cynomolgus monkeys following oral administration of HCB was observed in this study. At the lowest dose used, 0.1 mg/kg body weight, a dosage that is associated with follicular degeneration, HCB caused quantifiable changes in length-to-width ratios of OSE. Measurement of cell shape by light microscopy offers a reliable indication of OSE changes induced by HCB.


Optimal port wine stain treatment requires the selective absorption of light by the ectatic blood vessels. We investigated whether deeper blood vessels can be coagulated, without damaging other cutaneous structures, by varying the laser beam diameter. The penetration of the light was simulated with a random walk (Monte Carlo) program. Scattering of the light plays a major role: practically all light that is absorbed in a blood vessel in the dermis is scattered light. In the epidermis, where the distribution is more centered, a larger beam diameter does not increase the energy density as much as deeper within the dermis where the blood vessels lie and where the light is totally diffuse. Increasing the laser beam diameter from 200 μm to 1 mm or more, makes a typical blood vessel absorb 2.5 times more energy, while the energy absorbed by the epidermis remains the same. The larger the laser beam diameter the better the treatment.


Literature suggests that games can support learning in schools by enabling creative problem solving, allowing dynamic resource allocation, by providing a motivating, immersive activity, and by supporting explorations of identity. A descriptive, inductive study was carried out to identify how high school students in a school setting make use of the video game interface and its representations. Results demonstrate that specific cues direct attention, helping to focus efforts on new or underutilized game tasks. In addition, consistent and well-organized visualizations encourage learning and collaboration among students by providing shared referential resources and scaffolding coordinated sequences of problem solving acts during gameplay. Conversely, when affordances are inconsistently represented, students' focus can shift from problem solving at the goal level (game strategy, etc.) to problem solving why the game interface is frustrating their goals. In general, the design of game representations and behaviors can help guide or hinder student learning. [Article copies are available for purchase from InfoSci-on-Demand.com]


The title story, Supertoys Last All Summer Long, soon to be a major film directed by Steven Spielberg, tells of a young boy who, whatever he does, cannot please his mother. He is puzzled by this, not realising that he is an android, a cunning construct of artificial intelligence - as is his one ally, his teddy bear. It was a story that hugely affected Stanley Kubrick (director of 2001) and Steven Spielberg (who perhaps saw in his forthcoming movie AI (Artificial Intelligence) a complement to his ET!). The other stories in the collection, whether SF, utopian fantasy or dark fable show a master writer at the peak of his considerable powers.


ABSTRACT We investigate price clustering of intraday trades and negotiated block trades on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) from 2003 to 2009. Prices of traded assets tend to cluster on certain final digits, such as 0 and 5. In Chinese culture, 8 is associated with good luck and 4 with death so these numbers may be attractive or avoided. We find that price clustering on the final digit of 0 is significantly higher during the morning call auction and early in the trading day. We find no evidence of price clustering for the digit 8, but there is a significant dearth of prices ending in the inauspicious number 4. Price clustering is significantly higher for negotiated block trades, for which about 28% end with 0. Multivariate analysis shows that price clustering is lower for more liquid firms, but higher for firms with higher return volatility, a higher price level, or when the market is volatile. Our evidence supports the costly negotiation hypothesis. Our results also support the attraction hypothesis in that we document significant price clustering at round numbers and even numbers even after controlling for factors that are associated with price uncertainty.


Gregory Dix, who did more than anyone to rescue liturgy from the specialists, insisted that the proper study of the liturgist was 'people praying'. Fifty years on, the subject now needs rescuing from the suburban captivity of the churches. Kenneth Stevenson, liturgist and parish priest, is well fitted to take up this challenge. Accept This Offering (SPCK [1989], £3.95, pp. 88, ISBN 0-281-04405-8) presents to the general reader the main findings of his earlier 'Eucharist and Offering' (1986). His argument is that sacrifice, so far from being barbaric and outmoded, is still sufficiently embedded in general human experience to offer a powerful metaphor for our understanding of eucharistic worship, and that therefore the problems of New Testament silence and continuing Christian conflict ought neither to be ducked nor temporarily shelved. His strategy is to extend its application to cover in effect the whole liturgy: the word proclaimed (requiring the 'sacrifice of attention'); the intercession (which he would like


Atherosclerotic plaques can gradually develop in certain arteries. Disruption of fibrous tissue in plaques can result in plaque rupture and thromboembolism, leading to heart attacks and strokes. Collagen fibrils are important tissue building blocks and tissue strength depends on how fibrils are oriented. Fibril orientation in plaque tissue may potentially influence vulnerability to disruption. While X-ray scattering has previously been used to characterize fibril orientations in soft tissues and bones, it has never been used for characterization of human atherosclerotic plaque tissue. This study served to explore fibril orientation in specimens from human plaques using small angle X-ray scattering. Plaque tissue was extracted from human femoral and carotid arteries, and each tissue specimen contained a region of calcified material. 3D collagen fibril orientation was determined along scan lines that started away from and then extended towards a given calcification. At locations several millimeters or more from a calcification, fibrils were found to be oriented predominantly in the circumferential direction of the plaque tissue. However, in a number of cases, the dominant fibril direction changed markedly near a calcification, from circumferential to longitudinal. Further study is needed to elucidate how these fibril patterns may change plaque tissue behavior.


A 45 years old male presented to the emergency department with palpitations, headache and apprehension. His electrocardiogram revealed bidirectional ventricular tachycardia. He remained vitally stable and responded to intravenous beta-blocker. Initially digitalis toxicity was suspected but history was negative for digitalis intake. The cause remained unidentified in patient despite detailed investigations. During a short follow-up (of 6 months) he remained asymptomatic and no cause was further identified during this period. Some other unseen causes of bidirectional ventricular tachycardia need to be explored.


LTCC and thick-film technologies constitute excellent platforms for hermetic and controlled-atmosphere packaging, for applications in MEMS, space, micro/nanofabrication and biological fields. This work presents an active oxygen getter module, based on an integrated LTCC micro-hotplate coated with an oxygen-reactive metal in thick-film form. Gettering is activated by heating the platform, and getter consumption is monitored by the increase of its electrical resistance. Different reactive metals, ceramics or polymers may be used in order to getter / control other gases such as nitrogen, vapour, etc. This technique is a simple way to sense / react with oxygen in integrated packages, which does not require a vacuum environment and heating up the whole package. Also, the sensing / getter material can be tailored for reactivity with other gases, a specific oxygen pressure (buffer), etc. Also, gettering and reactivity may be controlled by setting the temperature of operation. terials


A critical issue in perception is the manner in which top-down expectancies guide lower-level perceptual processes. In speech, a common paradigm is to construct continua ranging between two phonetic endpoints and to determine how higher level lexical context influences the perceived boundary. We applied this approach to music, presenting subjects with major/minor triad continua after brief musical contexts. Two experiments yielded results that differed from classic results in speech perception. In speech, context generally expands the category of the expected stimuli. We found the opposite in music: the major/minor boundary shifted toward the expected category, contracting it. Together, these experiments support the hypothesis that musical expectancy can feed back to affect lower-level perceptual processes. However, it may do so in a way that differs fundamentally from what has been seen in other domains.