Causal discovery from interventional data is an important problem, where the task is to design an interventional strategy that learns the hidden ground truth causal graph $G(V,E)$ on $|V| = n$ nodes while minimizing the number of performed interventions. Most prior interventional strategies broadly fall into two categories: non-adaptive and adaptive. Non-adaptive strategies decide on a single fixed set of interventions to be performed while adaptive strategies can decide on which nodes to intervene on sequentially based on past interventions. While adaptive algorithms may use exponentially fewer interventions than their non-adaptive counterparts, there are practical concerns that constrain the amount of adaptivity allowed. Motivated by this trade-off, we study the problem of $r$-adaptivity, where the algorithm designer recovers the causal graph under a total of $r$ sequential rounds whilst trying to minimize the total number of interventions. For this problem, we provide a $r$-adaptive algorithm that achieves $O(\min\{r,\log n\} \cdot n^{1/\min\{r,\log n\}})$ approximation with respect to the verification number, a well-known lower bound for adaptive algorithms. Furthermore, for every $r$, we show that our approximation is tight. Our definition of $r$-adaptivity interpolates nicely between the non-adaptive ($r=1$) and fully adaptive ($r=n$) settings where our approximation simplifies to $O(n)$ and $O(\log n)$ respectively, matching the best-known approximation guarantees for both extremes. Our results also extend naturally to the bounded size interventions.


DISEASE of the coronary arteries alone or with angina pectoris is rarely found in children. For that reason it is thought of interest and importance to report the case of a boy 13 years of age who had xanthoma tuberosum, a typical history of angina pectoris and significant changes in the electrocardiogram, and to review similar cases from the literature. REPORT OF A CASE The patient, a boy 13 years old, was first seen at the Mayo Clinic on Aug. 22, 1945. Seven years previously soft, fluctuant, yellowish pink, circumscribed tumors had begun to develop on the elbows, knees, ankles, joints of the fingers and toes and the buttocks. On two occasions similar lesions had been removed surgically from the heel and knee, and they had been reported to contain white material "like cottage cheese." The masses had never been tender. For six to eight months before admission the patient


This brief paper presents an observer-based control approach for the acceleration control of tail-controlled skid-to-turn (STT) missiles. The proposed approach provides a solution to overcoming the drawbacks of existing nonlinear missile controllers that it is needed to know the values of wind angles (angle of attack and sideslip angle). A nonlinear observer for wind angles is designed using a parametric affine missile model developed by the authors, where the coupling term between the lateral and longitudinal motion is also considered. Using the wind angle estimate, we can design the observer-based controller to show the desired acceleration tracking performance. The performance and stability of the resulting overall missile system are analyzed by taking into account the effects of the wind angle estimator. Simulation results are also included to show that the proposed approach provides satisfactory performance for missile dynamics.


It is shown that the isospectral bi-equivariant spectral triple on quantum SU(2) and the isospectral equivariant spectral triples on the Podles spheres are related by restriction. In this approach, the equatorial Podles sphere is distinguished because only in this case the restricted spectral triple admits an equivariant grading operator together with a real structure (up to infinitesimals of arbitrary high order). The real structure is expressed by the Tomita operator on quantum SU(2) and it is shown that the failure of the real structure to satisfy the commutant property is related to the failure of the universal R-matrix operator to be unitary.


A growing body of research
has indicated the challenges and difficulties international students face
including but not limited to language barriers, academic struggles, social
isolation, discrimination, and psychological distress. Among international
students, East Asian international students represent a large subgroup and
report higher acculturative stress and struggles due to their deep and complex
cultural and language differences from the U.S. culture, compared to students
from other areas. Using Tweed and Conway's (2006) framework, the current
research examined a model to understand the roles of culturally relevant coping
strategies (e.g., perseverance, meaning-focused coping) and acculturative
stress in explaining well-being (e.g., life satisfaction, positive affect,
negative affect, and peace of mind) among 200 East Asian international
students. The
results indicated that acculturative stress was a strong predictor of all
well-being variables, perseverance was a predictor of well-being except for
negative affect, and meaning-focused coping was a predictor of life
satisfaction and positive affect. Tests of indirect effects revealed that
perseverance partially mediates the relationship between acculturative stress
and positive affect and peace of mind. The results also suggested that
meaning-focused coping does not mediate the relationships between acculturative
stress and well-being variables. The discussion addresses limitations of
the study, suggestions for future research, and implications for literature and
counseling psychology practice for East Asian international students.


Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) act within the synaptic terminal to block neurotransmitter release. The toxin enters the neuron by binding to neuronal membrane receptor(s), being taken up into an endosome-like compartment, and penetrating the endosome membrane via a pH-dependent translocation process. Once within the synaptic cytoplasm, BoNT serotypes A and E cleave separate sites on the C-terminus of the neuronal protein SNAP-25, one of the SNARE proteins required for synaptic vesicle fusion. In this study, we measured the effect of brief toxin exposure on SNAP-25 proteolysis in neuronal cell cultures as an indicator of toxin translocation. The results indicate that (1) uptake of both BoNT-A and -E is enhanced with synaptic activity induced by K+ depolarization in the presence of Ca2+ and (2) translocation of BoNT-A from the acidic endosomal compartment is slow relative to that of BoNT-E. Polyclonal antisera against each toxin protect cells when applied with the toxin during stimulation but has no effect when added immediately after toxin exposure, indicating that toxin endocytosis occurs with synaptic activity. Both serotypes cleave SNAP-25 at concentrations between 50 pM and 4 nM. IC50 values for SNAP-25 cleavage are approximately 0.5 nM for both serotypes. Inhibition of the pH-dependent translocation process by pretreating cultures with concanamycin A (Con A) prevents cleavage of SNAP-25 with IC50 values of approximately 25 nM. Addition of Con A at times up to 15 min after toxin exposure abrogated BoNT-A action; however, addition of Con A after 40 min was no longer protective. In contrast, Con A inhibited, but did not prevent, translocation of BoNT-E even when added immediately after toxin exposure, indicating that pH-dependent translocation of BoNT-E is rapid relative to that of BoNT-A. This study demonstrates that uptake of both BoNT-A and -E is enhanced with synaptic activity and that translocation of the toxin catalytic moiety into the cytosol occurs at different rates for these two serotypes.


To counter the high water-cut issues in the later production stage of horizontal wells in the western South China Sea, a water control technology that combines inflow control devices and light proppant has been developed. The development of the new technology combined both flow theory analysis and physical modeling methods, to reach a conclusion that the axial flow resistance of a gravel packed screen annulus is much higher than its radial flow resistance, utilizing this conclusion, the inflow control screens can be gravel-packed to balance the production profile along the horizontal wellbore, with a better sand control effect. Comparing to the conventional water control methods, the new technology's advantages include: no need to pin-point the water production location before water control jobs, little risk of damaging the reservoir during operations. The new technology has been applied in oilfields in western South China Sea, after implementation, the experimental well produced 30m3/D more oil at 20% less water cut, which provides a new option of water conformance technologies in offshore horizontal wells.


The authors have previously proposed the endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography as a technic to be used systematically in acute pancreatitis; it offers a precise diagnosis of microlithiasis and a possibility of an immediate endoscopic treatment. They have studied the pancreatographic patterns in 355 cases of clinical acute pancreatitis; the pancreatogramm allows the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis in acute phase in 1/3 of the patients; necrosis is present in 12% of the 240 patients without any radiological signs of chronic pancreatic disease. The computerized axial tomography gives a precise definition of the extra-pancreatic extension of the necrosis; the ultra-sound technic is better for the late complications of acute pancreatitis. The authors consider that these 3 examination technics must be performed at the admission or/and be part of the workup before surgery.


Background: Previous reports have been published on the use of recombinant Factor VIIa for intractable bleeding after cardiac surgery; however, there is limited information on the use of Factor IX Complex in this population. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery and experienced severe postoperative bleeding, defined as a mean chest tube output ≥300 mL/h. Primary outcomes were changes in chest tube output and blood product usage pre- and post-Factor IX Complex administration. Results: Eleven patients received Factor IX Complex for severe postoperative bleeding. The mean dose of Factor IX Complex was 35 (13–52) units/kg. Chest tube output was significantly reduced after Factor IX Complex administration (mean pre-Factor IX Complex 381 ± 49 mL/h, mean post-Factor IX Complex 151 ± 38 mL/h; P = 0.003). Blood product usage decreased after Factor IX Complex but was not statistically significant (mean pre-Factor IX Complex 373 ± 81 mL/h, mean post-Factor IX Complex 212 ± 48 mL/h; P = 0.669). Adverse events included 1 pulmonary embolism (postoperative day 43) and 2 episodes of acute renal failure requiring dialysis (postoperative days 2 and 5). Conclusions: In this small group of patients, Factor IX Complex effectively controlled severe bleeding after cardiac surgery preventing the need for re-exploration.


Antihuman leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies restrict the access to cardiac allografts. Desensitization therapy is a major challenge in patients with cardiogenic shock waiting for urgent heart transplantation (HT). We retrospectively reviewed six patients (mean age of 37.5 years [16–70]) who underwent plasmapheresis (PP) under extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) before transplant between January 2017 and September 2018. The average duration of follow‐up was 25 months [20–32]. Mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of HLA‐specific antibodies was reported as follows: score 4 for MFI < 1000, score 6 for 1000 < MFI < 3000 and score 8 for MFI > 3000. The mean duration of ECMO support was 29 days [1–74] and 6.8 [1–29] PP sessions were performed per patient before transplant. The mean number of HLA‐specific antibodies before HT was 9.6 for score 6 [4–13] and 5.8 for score 8 [1–12]. Four patients had major complications after transplantation (2 hemorrhagic shocks, 5 infectious events). Mean MFI reduction rate was 94% [79–100] for Class I and 44.2% for Class II [0–83]. Hospital survival was 100%, and early antibody‐mediated rejection was diagnosed in one patient at 7 days after HT. Plasmapheresis under ECMO support was associated with favorable early outcomes in highly sensitized candidates for urgent heart transplantation.


Parametric feature-based CAD data exchange is one of the most important open problems in solid modeling. The problem is significant and challenging both scientifically and commercially. In this paper we present a very general outline of the Universal Product Representation (UPR) architecture, which provides universal support for all data levels employed by today's CAD systems. The architecture has been implemented with successful results.


A novel brushless ac permanent-magnet motor is described. This is intended for use as a highly efficient machine for a propeller-driven stratospheric aircraft. The machine is lightweight because of the use of plastics for the structural elements. A form of modeling is described in which the parameters for a decoupled equivalent circuit are calculated by three-dimensional finite-element analysis of a module of the machine. Matlab is then used to simulate the equivalent circuit action. It is shown that the fundamental component of the current waveforms agrees closely with a simple analysis approach.


This study was carried out at the General Al-Mohmmodia Hospital/ Al-Mohmmodia district/ Baghdad/Iraq. Ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale) has become a subject of interest due to its bioactive contents such as an antioxidant and androgenic affect in diseases treatment in more countries world-wide. As an antioxidants ginger has an effective role on spermatogenesis and blood biochemical parameters. Thirty women almost of them suffering from high blood lipid profile and cholesterol, some of them had kidney dysfunction were taken. All women were conducted to explore the consumption of about 1gm daily for complete month on the physiological performance, lipid profile, kidney function and testosterone and progesterone hormones. The result of BMI showed significant difference of all ages groups and for all the kind of overweight and obesity. However Hb level showed a significant differences (p<0.05) between different ages, Hb showed no significant differences within the same age before and after consumption the ginger powder (p˃0.05). Blood glucose was not differ significantly between the group ages, but it was significantly (p<0.05) difference before and after the ginger powder consumption. Serum cholesterol, total glyceride. LDL, HDL, and VLDL levels revealed significant (p<0.05) differences between group ages, but within group age 31-40 years were no significant (p˃0.05) differences. On the other hand, result of this study showed a significant (p<0.05) differences in kidney functions (urea, creatinine, and salts) when compared its with normal ranges. However serum testosterone showed a significant (p<0.05) differences with all ages of women, the progesterone showed no significant (p˃0.05) differences. Results revealed that consumption of 1gm daily of ginger powder significantly increased blood Hb, cholesterol, lipid profile, testosterone hormone, and improved kidney functions. So that we can suggest that ginger may be a promising in kidney and fertility function. In addition, its improve the biochemical parameters Keywords : ginger-biochemical parameter-lipid profile- kidney function- hormones


:  Contextualists offer "high-low standards" practical cases to show that a variety of knowledge standards are in play in different ordinary contexts. These cases show nothing of the sort, I maintain. However Keith DeRose gives an ingenious argument that standards for knowledge do go up in high-stakes cases. According to the knowledge account of assertion (Kn), only knowledge warrants assertion. Kn combined with the context sensitivity of assertability yields contextualism about knowledge. But is Kn correct? I offer a rival account of warranted assertion and argue that it beats Kn as a response to the "knowledge" version of Moore's Paradox.


In the early twentieth century, modernisation was underway in Australia. The social and political ruptures characteristic of that process resulted in many feeling the need for continuity between the past and the present. In New South Wales the desire for stability and continuity was actively represented through efforts to prevent the demolition a variety of historic places that held communal memories. The preservation of historic buildings began with pressure from local groups maintaining a sense of place, but took on a nationalist cast, when, in a climate of rising nationalism, environmental development began to remove buildings significant to powerful social groups and to a wider range of communities. This thesis investigates the history of the practice of preserving historic buildings in New South Wales from 1900 to the 1950s. It particularly pays attention to the positioning of historians within the emerging building-preservation movement, and takes note of historic preservation's relationship to the formation of national identities and to the diverse changes wrought by modernity on society and culture. From the early years of the twentieth century, amateur and then professional historians were positioned as experts and leaders in Australian history. The brief included active promotion of historic preservation. Thus began the transformation of buildings into historic monuments, that is, monuments not purpose-built, but chosen from existing building stock for those shared memories and historical associations, used to connect people to communal identities, including national identities. Monumentalisation, however, transforms old buildings into structures whose attachment to identity not only emerges from memorial associations but which is also substantially visual – that is, its role is to present as something of a spectacle. By the 1930s, at a time when modern visual technologies were producing a rising visual sensibility, many architects and artists were persuaded that some colonial buildings had aesthetic merit. Tensions arose between architectural factions on the question of preservation, as they also did within planning. Furthermore, unexplored differences between the communal meanings which architects assigned to historic buildings and those assumed by historians led to events that damaged the authority of the history profession over historic buildings. After World War II, artistic and aesthetic ideas came to dominate the


Background/Aim
This study investigated the impact of the extent of variant histology (VH) on the prognosis of patients with bladder cancer (BC).

Patients and Methods
We retrospectively evaluated consecutive patients with muscle-invasive BC who were treated with radical cystectomy (RC) at our institution between 2005 and 2018. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression.

Results
We identified 103 and 47 patients with pure urothelial carcinoma (UC) and a VH in UC, respectively. At the cutoff of 80%, univariate analysis identified significant differences in RFS (p=0.046) and OS (p=0.038) between patients with ≥80% VH (n=21) and those with <80% VH (n=26). Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of ≥80% VH was significantly associated with RFS and OS.

Conclusion
The presence of ≥80% VH in UC could be an independent predictor of recurrence and mortality after RC.


Here agent-based models are employed to explore the behavior of small communities and their associated economic systems within an area of climatically marginal environment in northern Syria and Iraq. The examples, drawn from late prehistoric and Bronze Age societies that developed at the onset of urbanization, show how small communities might respond to various resource stresses and environmental fluctuations. The computer simulations demonstrate that some households gain resources at the expense of others and the community becomes more economically differentiated through time with some households benefiting at the expense of others. The approaches discussed demonstrate that complex societies were capable of a wide range of responses to stresses that could be absorbed or amplified via a number of social, economic, or demographic processes.


The recent medical literature contains many reports dealing with the unusual manifestations1of that disease which is characterized by progressive enlargement of the fixed lymphatic tissue and a fatal termination. It has no doubt occurred to most clinicians who are interested in this subject that the unusual manifestations are being reported without any definite idea as to what comprises the usual. For this reason, we feel that the information derived from the study of 150 consecutive cases in the University Hospital might be worth recording. The data obtained in our study will be presented in tabular form, and the discussion of obvious facts will be avoided. No generally accepted terminology for the conditions under consideration exists. One finds clinical classifications and classifications based on pathologic histology as well as attempts to combine the two. Etiology remains a matter of opinion,2and pathologic concepts are often almost lost in a maze


This paper focuses on the problem of robust active control algorithm for the flexible air-breathing hypersonic flight vehicle in the presence of state, actuator constraints and input delays. Constraints in the model, as well as input time delays, are the highly challenging problem in the design of flight control system. Based on linear parameter varying (LPV) model obtained by Tensor-Product model transformation technology, a novel parameter dependent robust model predictive control (PD-RMPC) algorithm with explicit time-delay compensation is presented. Since developing the robust tracking controller with delay compensation, the proposed method is much less conservative and better performance. Finally, the numerical simulation results prove availability of the proposed method.


The growth of China's shadow banking industry has been a recent source of serious concern for the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. US shadow banking practices contributed to the 2008 financial crisis. The proliferation of these practices in China potentially threatens not only China but also economies that are intimately tied to China through trade, investment, and financial relationships such as the United States' economy. An investigation of Chinese shadow banking, in the context of China's post-1978 debt financing experience, reveals that China poses a challenge to the established theory that strong, formal financial systems are required for economic growth.

Contrary to expectation, China's outstanding economic growth in the last thirty-five years took place without a strong formal financial system that was easily accessible to private entrepreneurs. This article examines the remarkable story of how China, constrained by political and historical legacies, relied upon informal financing structures to fund Chinese private entrepreneurs who contributed significantly to China's stellar economic growth. China's story affirms the work of scholars who have emphasized the importance of sociopolitical structures and who have theorized that law does not necessarily precede economic development but is engaged in a complex relationship with other normative structures. An examination of the sociopolitical underpinnings of China's informal finance sector also reveals how shadow banking has grown to concerning levels in China and the challenges ahead that China faces as it attempts to use policy and legislative responses.

Interestingly, this examination also reveals commonalities between China and the United States and suggests that there is the potential for mutual enlightenment despite the vastly different political systems and histories of these two countries. Thus, China's shadow banking story advances our understanding on two fronts: (a) China's example challenges current theoretical understandings of law, finance and economic development and requires us to broaden our inquiry to include political history and informal societal structures and (b) a sociopolitically informed understanding of China also allows us to draw comparisons to the United States to isolate commonalities and differences that may inform future legislative responses and mutual understanding between both countries.


Soil columns (each one cubic meter) of eight soil series from Muda Irrigation Scheme were used to study the growth and nutrient uptake of direct-seeded MR 84 rice variety. Rice growth was determined by soil fertility status, which was classified as low, intermediate and high fertility as based on yield. Low soil fertility regardless of soil series affected rice crop growth significantly ( p <0.05). The variability in soil fertility status produced rice yield in the range of 3.8‐16 t/ha with a mean of 8.8 t/ha. The cumulative biomass accumulation over the growing period (105 days) resembled the sigmoid growth curve. The period of rapid growth lasted for about 4‐6 days between 60‐68 DAS, 59‐64 DAS and 57‐61 DAS for the low, intermediate and high-yielding crop respectively. Their respective maximum growth rates were 24.4, 42.7 and 52.7 g/m 2 /day. During the period of rapid growth, the high-yielding crop displayed SPAD values of Y-leaf in the range of 39‐ 40. Nutrient composition between high and low crop yield indicated significant variation in nutrient imbalance ( p <0.05). Hindrance to the achievement of high yield was due to the deficiency of Mg, P, Ca, S, Mn and Zn. The proportions of element taken up among nutrients of primer (N:P:K), secondary (Mg:Ca:S) and micro (Fe:Mn:Zn:Cu) throughout the entire growth period were 5.0:1.0:9.7; 1.2:1.0:1.5; and 48:46:27:1 respectively. The values of the important DRIS norms (N/S, N/K and Fe/Mn) at 60 DAS for high-yielding MR 84, were 10.6, 0.46 and 1.13 respectively. The concentration of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu in leaf at harvest were 1.58%, 0.21%, 2.95%, 0.64%, 0.24%, 0.16%, 131.65 ppm, 95.20 ppm, 27.56 ppm and 1.04 ppm, respectively for the crop that achieved yield greater than 10 t/ha. The total nutrient uptake, the quantity of nutrient removed by the grain, the mineral requirement indices and the harvest indices for the respective nutrients were also identified.


The majority of patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis will benefit from early intervention with carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Carotid artery stenting (CAS) can be an alternative to CEA in selected cases. This paper will deal with the technical aspects of CAS in the emergency setting, including the use of embolic protection devices and will also discuss the pharmacologic management and treatment of complications. A review of the literature will be presented.


Comparison of transcriptome sequences of the BALB/c mouse fibrosarcoma Meth A with the normal BALB/c genome led to identification of 1528 heterozygous tumor-specific point mutations, which, using the NetMHC algorithm, generated 203 Kd-restricted potential neoepitopes1. BALB/c mice were immunized with each of 11 candidate-neoepitopes which had a high binding affinity to Kd (IC50 <500 nM), and were challenged with live Meth A cells. Not a single candidate-neoepitope elicited tumor rejection. Mice were then immunized with the same candidate-neoepitopes in combination with 9D9, an antagonistic antibody to CTLA-4 (mouse anti-mouse IgG2b). In preliminary results, a small number of candidate-neoepitopes that did not elicit tumor rejection on their own appear to be active in tumor rejection, when combined with checkpoint blockade of CTLA-4. These results as well as a mechanistic dissection of this un-covering of latent immunogenicity by checkpoint blockade shall be presented. 1Duan F, Duitama J, Al Seesi S, Ayres CM, Corcelli SA, Pawashe AP, Blanchard T, McMahon D, Sidney J, Sette A, Baker BM, Mandoiu II, Srivastava PK. Genomic and Bioinformatic Profiling of Mutational Neoepitopes Reveals New Rules to Predict Anticancer Immunogenicity." J Exp Med. 211 (2014): 2231-248. PMID: 25245761


Reservoir heterogeneity is one of the most challenging problems facing the hydrocarbon industry nowadays. It results in excess water production and a substantial reduction in oil recovery from water flooding applications. Gel treatment is one of the most successful applications to overcome reservoir heterogeneity problems by plugging high permeability features in a reservoir. One of the most widely used gels is the Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide-Chromium Acetate Gel (HPAM/CrAc). This research uses data from 70 sources, including more than 1050 experiments, to perform a thorough data analysis to understand the conditions under which this gel is mainly applied. Histograms, and boxplots were generated revealing the ranges under which this gel can be applied, and the frequency of each range. The histograms and boxplots are each divided into the gel properties, and the core and sand pack properties, thus revealing both the chemical and rock properties' ranges. Three dendrograms were also developed based on their equivalent cluster plots generated. The dendrograms can show the different ranges at which the data was distributed and also tell the extent to which each range is related to the other. A mathematical model was also generated and validated in this study. This model gives a relation between the polymer concentration and the oil residual resistance factor (Frro). This model is extremely important since it can predict the effect of polymer concentration on the reduction of the oil permeability, which can help avoid the excessive reduction in oil permeability. The gel was found to have very good disproportionate permeability reduction (DPR), which indicates that it can reduce the permeability of water much more that the permeability of oil. This research can help in revealing the conditions under which the HPAM/CrAc gel can be applied, which in turn can significantly improve the design of field projects.


Tree islands are centers of biodiversity within the Florida Everglades, USA, but the factors controlling their distribution, formation, and development are poorly understood. We use pollen assemblages from tree islands throughout the greater Everglades ecosystem to reconstruct the timing of tree island formation, patterns of development, and response to specific climatic and environmental stressors. These data indicate that fixed (teardrop-shaped) and strand tree islands developed well before substantial human alteration of the system, with initial tree island vegetation in place between 3500 and 500 calibrated years before present (cal yr BP), depending on the location in the Everglades wetland. Tree island development appears to have been triggered by regional- to global-scale climatic events at ;2800 cal yr BP, 1600- 1500 cal yr BP, 1200-1000 cal yr BP (early Medieval Warm Period), and 500-200 cal yr BP (Little Ice Age). These periods correspond to drought intervals documented in Central and South America and periods of southward displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The records indicate a coherence of climate patterns in both subtropical North America and the Northern Hemisphere Neotropics. Water management practices of the 20th century altered plant communities and size of tree islands throughout the Everglades. Responses range from loss of tree islands due to artificially long hydroperiods and deep water to expansion of tree islands after flow reductions. These data provide evidence for the rapidity of tree island response to specific hydrologic change and facilitate prediction of the response to future changes associated with Everglades restoration plans.


2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT), 2-aminodinitrotoluene (2ADNT), 4-aminodinitrotoluene (4ADNT), and diamino-6-nitrotoluene (DA6NT) in a variety of matrices (including chemical, microbial, and plant extract) were successfully separated and quantified using micellar electrokinetic capillary electrophoresis (MEKC). The method used a buffer solution of 20 mM in borax, 50 mM in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and of pH 8.5. Voltage applied across the capillary was 20 kV and temperature was maintained at 25 degrees C. Compounds eluted within approximately 6-11 min and were identified by both their migration times and spectra.


The infrequency of serious nerve injury as a complication of a closed fracture or dislocation adds to the anxiety with which these lesions are properly regarded. Even in a busy fracture service the incidence of grave nerve injury is so comparatively low (table 1) that there is barely sufficient material on which to base a firm policy. Everyone knows that spontaneous recovery occurs more often than not, but this is of no comfort to the patient or to the surgeon when, as sometimes happens, the paralysis fails to clear up. If a purely expectant policy is pursued the most favorable time for operative intervention will always be missed; on the other hand, routine exploration is unjustifiable. I think it would be useful to give an account of observations made at the Oxford Peripheral Nerve Injuries Centre over a period of six years. Over 2,500 nerve injuries of every kind have


Abstract— Born in Red Oak, Iowa, in 1906, Fred Lawrence Whipple earned his Ph.D. in astronomy at the University of California at Berkeley in 1931. He immediately accepted a position at the Harvard College Observatory and remained at Harvard throughout his career. In 1950, he was appointed to the Phillips Professorship in the Department of Astronomy, and in 1955, he began serving concurrently as the Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory when it moved from Washington, D.C. to Cambridge, Massachusetts. In the 1930s, Whipple established the Harvard Meteor Project in which two cameras, 26 miles apart, simultaneously photographed the same meteors, for which he invariably derived elliptical orbits indicative of their origin within the solar system. In 1950, Whipple introduced his "dirty snowball" model of comet nuclei, which soon became widely accepted and was fully confirmed in 1986 by close‐up images of comet Halley taken by the European Space Agency's Giotto spacecraft. Keenly anticipating the orbiting of satellites during the International Geophysical Year (July 1, 1957‐December 31, 1958), Whipple won contracts to build a worldwide network of telescopic cameras for satellite tracking. At least one of the cameras was ready in time to photograph the Soviet Union's Sputnik I satellite in October 1957, and all 12 stations were in operation by midsummer of 1958. For his leadership role in this project, President John Kennedy honored Fred L. Whipple in June 1963 with the President's Award for Distinguished Public Service. In the 1960s, Whipple collaborated with astronomers at the University of Arizona to build a new observatory on Mt. Hopkins, 40 miles south of Tucson. Two of the most innovative instruments installed there for astrophysical research were the world's largest gamma‐ray detector and the Multiple‐Mirror Telescope. In 1982, the Mt. Hopkins Observatory was rededicated as the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory. Although he retired in 1973, Whipple was present at the dedication and until 2003, he continued to actively participate in research projects. At present, he is anticipating the return of the Stardust mission to comet Wild 2, which will bring back to Earth samples of the comet and of interstellar dust. It is scheduled to arrive in 2006, the year of Fred Whipple's 100th birthday. Among his many honors, Fred Whipple received the Leonard Medal from the Meteoritical Society in 1970 at its meeting hosted by the Goddard Space Flight Center, in Skyland, Virginia.


Growth and properties of the self‐catalyzed heterostructured GaP nanowires (NWs) with GaP1 − xAsx insertions in the form of nanodiscs (NDs) grown by means of molecular‐beam epitaxy on Si (111) substrate are studied. To obtain the NDs with the different composition and optoelectronic properties, the ratio of As and P fluxes is varied. Structural properties of the synthesized heterostructures are characterized by means of transmission electron microscopy. Energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy is used to study chemical composition of the NDs. The maximum achieved fraction x in the NDs is nearly 60%. Sublinear dependence of As concentration in the ND on the As/P flux ratio is observed and theoretical description for the observed phenomenon is provided. The proposed model can be used to estimate the predicted As/P ratio for the synthesis of GaPAs NDs as well as NWs of the required composition. Microphotoluminescence (μPL) studies demonstrate the appearance of broadband PL signal in the spectral range between 600 and 700 nm, corresponding to the NDs with different compositions. Spectra intensity modulation is found due to longitudinal Fabry–Pérot‐type resonances in the individual NWs.


Summary
An angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory enzyme-modified cheese (EMC) was spray-dried at different inlet drying air temperatures, feeding pump rates and spraying air flow rates. Powder moisture content, bulk density, porosity, production yield and particles size were responses of interest measured. Response surface optimisation determined that if the cheese paste is pumped at feeding pump rate of 5%, sprayed with the compressed air at rate of 400 L h−1 and dried by an air at temperature of 154 °C, minimum moisture content is achieved for the produced powder. Spray drying decreased the ACE-inhibitory of EMC significantly, but the powder was still extremely bioactive. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that inlet drying air temperature of 150 °C yielded a powder with relatively well-separated particles. Higher drying air temperatures resulted in lower browning indices for the EMC powder.


Objective: The Impella heart pump is an intravascular microaxial device that provides short-term mechanical circulatory support and can be placed through the femoral, axillary, or central vessels. One of the most feared complications is stroke. It is unclear if patient stroke risk varies based on access vessel. Methods: A retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent Impella placement at an academic institution from January 1, 2007, through September 15, 2018, was performed. Four groups were compared: (1) minimally invasive Impella (femoral or axillary access), (2) minimally invasive Impella upgraded to another minimally invasive Impella, (3) minimally invasive Impella upgraded to a central Impella (ascending aorta), and (4) central Impella. Patient charts were reviewed to identify baseline characteristics. Outcome measures included length of stay, stroke, and mortality. Results: A total of 349 patients (or 407 Impellas) were identified, and the majority of the devices were inserted through a minimally invasive approach (n = 248, 60.9%), while the remainder were implanted via central access (n = 159, 39.1%). Minimally invasive Impellas were upgraded in 44 patients. The risk of stroke for the entire cohort was 10.3% (n = 36), with no difference observed in any particular group. Overall mortality was 44.4% (n = 155). Of the patients who initially received a minimally invasive Impella, those who were upgraded had higher rates of mortality (56.8% vs 39.4%, P = 0.03), postoperative dialysis (50.0% vs 27.4%, P < 0.01), and sepsis (43.2% vs 20.0%, P < 0.01). Conclusions: This study found no statistically significant difference in rates of postoperative stroke based on initial access vessel.


We present the exact rogue wave solutions of the quasi-one-dimensional inhomogeneous Gross-Pitaevskii equation by using similarity transformation. Then, by employing the exact analytical solutions we have studied the controllable behavior of rogue waves in the Bose-Einstein condensates context for the experimentally relevant systems. Additionally, we have also investigated the nonlinear tunneling of rogue waves through a conventional hyperbolic barrier and periodic barrier. We have found that, for the conventional nonlinearity barrier case, rogue waves are localized in space and time and get amplified near the barrier, while for the dispersion barrier case rogue waves are localized in space and propagating in time and their amplitude is reduced at the barrier location. In the case of the periodic barrier, the interesting dynamical features of rogue waves are obtained and analyzed analytically.


We consider prior-free auctions for revenue and welfare maximization when agents have a common budget. The abstract environments we consider are ones where there is a downward-closed and symmetric feasibility constraint on the probabilities of service of the agents. These environments include position auctions where slots with decreasing click-through rates are auctioned to advertisers. We generalize and characterize the envy-free benchmark from Hartline and Yan [2011] to settings with budgets and characterize the optimal envy-free outcomes for both welfare and revenue. We give prior-free mechanisms that approximate these benchmarks. A building block in our mechanism is a clinching auction for position auction environments. This auction is a generalization of the multi-unit clinching auction of Dobzinski et al. [2008] and a special case of the polyhedral clinching auction of Goel et al. [2012]. For welfare maximization, we show that this clinching auction is a good approximation to the envy-free optimal welfare for position auction environments. For profit maximization, we generalize the random sampling profit extraction auction from Fiat et al. [2002] for digital goods to give a 10.0-approximation to the envy-free optimal revenue in symmetric, downward-closed environments. Even without budgets this revenue maximization question is of interest and we obtain an improved approximation bound of 7.5 (from 30.4 by Ha and Hartline [2012]).


Recently, Saleem and Haque [Phys. Rev. E 60, 7612 (1999)] concluded that in the presence of a perturbed electron current parallel to an external magnetic field, the dispersion relation of the electrostatic convective cell and the magnetostatic modes is not modified. In the present Comment, the properties of electromagnetic as well as electrostatic waves in a nonuniform dusty magnetoplasma are reexamined, to demonstrate that Eq. (13) of the paper by Saleem and Haque as well as their conclusions are erroneous.


Magnetic field fluctuations (and the associated current perturbation) have been measured in the core of a high-temperature reversed-field pinch using a newly developed fast-polarimetry system. Radial magnetic field fluctuation levels of approximately 1% are measured in standard-reversed-field pinch discharges which increase to approximately 4% during the sawtooth crash (enhanced dynamo). The fluctuation level is reduced fourfold for high-confinement plasmas where the core-resonant tearing modes are suppressed.


We give a modern exposition and an elementary proof of the topological equivalence between periodic homeomorphisms of the disc and the sphere and euclidean isometries.


This research gives consideration to the legal status of artificial intelligence technology. Artificial intelligence as a future technology is actively expanding its capabilities at the present stage of development of society. In this regard, the concept of 'artificial intelligence' and the application of the rule of right in resolving issues of legal responsibility for the operation of artificial intelligence technologies require definition. The main purpose of this study is to define the concept of 'artificial intelligence' and determine whether artificial intelligence technologies are the object or subject of right. The article provides the analysis of possible approaches to the disclosure of the concept of 'artificial intelligence' as a legal category and its relationship with the concepts of 'robot' and 'cyberphysical system'. The issues of legal responsibility for the operation of artificial intelligence are revealed. For the purposes hereof, the methods of collecting and studying the singularities; generalizations; the methods of scientific abstraction; the methods of cognition of consistent patterns, as well as the method of objectivity, concreteness, pluralism and a whole range of other methods were used. The study has concluded that the artificial intelligence technology is an autonomous self-organizing computer-software or cyberphysical system with the ability and capability to think, learn, make decisions independently, perceive and model surrounding images and symbols, relationships, processes and implement its own decisions. The following general properties of artificial intelligence technologies have been defined: autonomy; the ability to perceive the conditions (situation), make and implement own decisions; the ability to adapt own behavior, to learn, to communicate with other artificial intelligence, to consider, accumulate and reproduce experience (including human experience). Within the present historical period, artificial intelligence technology should be considered as the object of right. The legal responsibility for the operation of artificial intelligence lies with the operator or another person who sets the parameters of its operation and controls its behavior. The creator (manufacturer) of artificial intelligence is also recognized as a responsible person. This conclusion makes it possible to enter the category of artificial intelligence in the legal field and determine the persons responsible for its poor-quality operation.


Dental implant is an artificial tooth root fixed into the jaws to hold a replacement tooth or bridge. Functional surface modifications by organic material such as amelogenin/propolis coating seem to enhance early peri-implant bone formation. The aim of the study was to evaluate the expression of osteocalcin  as bone formation markers in amelogenin/propolis coated and uncoated implant in interval periods(1,2 and 4 weeks). Commercially pure Titanium(cpTi) implants , coated with amelogenin/ propolis, were placed in the tibias of 30 New Zealand white rabbits, histological and immunohistochemical tests for detection of expression of osteocalcin were performed on all the implants of both control and experimental groups for (1,2 and 4 weeks) healing intervals. Histological finding for coated titanium implant with amelogenin/ propolis illustrated an early bone formation, mineralization and maturation in comparison to control. Immunohistochemical finding showed that positive reaction for osteocalcin was expressed by osteoblast cells (OB)at implants coated with amelogenin/ propolis, indicating that bone formation &maturation was accelerated by adding biological materials as a modification modality of implant surface. The present study concludes that coating of implants with amelogenin/ propolis showed increment in osseointegration in short interval period. Keywords : amelogenin, propolis, dental implant, biochemical bone markers, osteocalcin and osseointegration.


Abstract: The aims of this research are to know: (1) the establishment background of Batik Ismoyo Campany at Butuh, Gedongan, Plupuh, Sragen, (2) the making process of batik tulis in Batik Ismoyo Company, (3) the kinds of product of batik tulis produced by Batik Ismoyo company, (4) the special characteristics of batik tulis in Batik Ismoyo company, (5) the marketing system of batik tulis in Batik Ismoyo Company, (6) the positive and negative impacts that felt by people around Batik Ismoyo Company. The method used in this research is a descriptive qualitative method. The research strategy used is stake-single case study. The sources of data are informant, place and research, result of work, archives, and documents. The sampling technique is purposive sampling. The trustworthiness techniques used are triangulation and review informant. There are three main components to analyze the data; they are data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing. The researcher uses four stages of the research procedures; they are preparation, field work, analysis data, and final result of the report. Based on this research, the researcher can conclude: (1) Marjiyanto motivation to improved the economic condition of his family is the background of establishment Batik Ismoyo Company. The name of Ismoyo chosen as the name of the company taken from one of the puppet characters, (2) the making process of batik tulis in Batik Ismoyo Company begins with the design, nyorek, ngengrengi, ngisen, Isen, nyolet, ngeblok, coloring and nglorod and owners directly involved in the process in order to remain control the quality of batik, (3) Products in Company Batik Ismoyo such as clothing for men and women ready to wear as well as in the form of batik cloth sheet, from fabric Primissima, dobi and silk ATBM, (4) batik tulis produced by Batik Ismoyo Company doesnt have special characteristics (5) Batik Ismoyo Company focus on marketing through an owned showroom in Central Jakarta Tamrin's market, (6) The Company Batik Ismoyo gives positive impact to people around the company. Many people around who make membatik as a side job and the company provides opportunities to islamic elementary school to learn about membatik. Keyword : Batik Tulis, Plupuh, Sragen


It is not necessary to remind you that American education in general is just now on a rising tide of interest in our scholastic standards. How long that tide has been rising was shown to me a few weeks ago when I was present, by invitation, at a meeting of the senate of the Methodist Episcopal Church. I found there a body of men, engaged in fixing, at a high level, the standard for collegiate institutions to be recognized and in a measure supported by that religious society, and I learned that the far-reaching action of this senate at its latest meeting is the culmination of labors in which the same body has been engaged for twenty years. There are, of course, other endeavors of a somewhat similar character which have been in progress over much longer periods. Good movements do not begin and end. They arise


In this study, Fe-based amorphous/nanocrystalline coatings with a composition of Fe53Cr19Zr7Mo2C18Si have been fabricated by high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) spray. Postspray annealing treatment at 750°C was employed to enhance the amorphicity of the as-sprayed coatings. The microstructure, corrosion resistance and algal adhesion behaviors of the as-sprayed and annealed coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, laser confocal scanning microscopy, X-ray diffraction and electrochemical methods. Results show that the as-sprayed coatings exhibited excellent corrosion resistance and decreased algal adhesion, while the annealed coatings exhibited compromised anticorrosion performance but significantly reduced adhesion of algae.


Calcium ions regulate almost all cellular processes. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) are ubiquitous calcium channels which mediate calcium release primarily from endoplasmic reticulum stores. IP3Rs are activated by the soluble second messenger inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), which is produced in response to various stimuli by the action of phospholipase C enzymes. Very soon after the discovery that IP3 is a calcium mobilizing second messenger, it was found that T-cell receptor signaling is dependent upon IP3R activity. It is now known that cell signaling throughout the immune system is dependent upon IP3R-dependent calcium release for many critical processes, including cellular activation, proliferation, and death. This channel plays a critical role in orchestrating the immune response in health and disease and thus offers potential as a therapeutic target in immune-related disorders. WIREs Membr Transp Signal 2012,1:329–339. doi: 10.1002/wmts.27

For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.


Three dinuclear Dy(III) complexes, [Dy2(tfa)4L2] (1), [Dy2(TTA)4L2] (2) and [Dy2(dbm)4L2·2CH3CN·0.5H2O] (3) (tfa = trifluoroacetylacetonate, TTA = 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone, dbm = dibenzoylmethane and HL = 2-[((4-bromophenyl)-imino)methyl]-8-hydroxyquinoline, have been synthesized, and structurally and magnetically characterized. The Dy(III) ions are eight-coordinated with two bidentate β-diketonate and two μ2-O bridging 8-hydroxyquinoline Schiff base ligands. Magnetic studies reveal that 1–3 exhibit different magnetic relaxation behaviors with the anisotropic barriers of 9.61 K (1), 54.81 K (2) and 30.98 K (3), respectively. The different magnetic relaxation behaviors of the three Dy2 complexes originate from the different chemical environments of the central Dy3+ ions with different β-diketonate coligands.


Hydrochloride of 5'-chloro-5'-deoxy-cyclocytidine (Cl-cC) is an analogue of cyclocytine hydrochloride (cC), a prodrug of the compound with the strong antileukemic activity arabinosylcytosine (araC). This paper is devoted to the study of its cytotoxic activity in vitro and to the effect of acid and alkaline conditions and temperature on its stability. Cl-cC inhibits not only the growth of L1210 leukemia cells in vitro and the DNA synthesis (IC50 = 0.09 mumol/l) but, at the same time, it has a weak effect on RNA synthesis (IC50 > 250 mumol/l) and no effect on proteosynthesis. In alkaline conditions Cl-cC is transformed to 5'-chloro-araC and 2',5'-anhydro-araC but is more stable in acid solutions.


The aim of the present paper is to investigate the possibility of adapting the translation of a Swedish Government Official Report for a wider group of readers, more specifically, the readers of a British political journal. Two research questions are posed and the first one addresses the pragmatic adaptations required to allow the new readership to set all information in its context and to draw inferences. The adaptations that were implemented in the translation include a number of additions and omissions and special attention is given to the translation of proper names and terms denoting different kinds of reports. The second research question pertains to the aspects that make the source text more or less suitable for the intended adaptation. Aspects that make the Source Text suitable for the readers of a political journal are its topic and certain aspects of its content. Aspects that make the source text less suitable for the envisaged target reader pertain to terminology and, also, to certain aspects of its content.


A B S T R A C T Climatic change will affect crop yields and management. By the year 2050, the mean temperature could increase by 1.5 oC; and by the year 2100 between 1.0 to 3.5 oC. There are few studies on this subject in Chile. At the international level, estimated climatic changes in temperate and tropical zones could negatively affect wheat (Triticum vulgare L.) and corn (Zea mays L.) production, as examples. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between agricultural systems and climatic change by using the Ricardian Method. Specific objectives were to evaluate and quantify the relationship of climatic variables (precipitation and temperature) with economic variables under several realities of farms, to simulate the impact of scenarios of climatic change, to propose general orientations of adaptation and to evaluate the Ricardian Method with Chilean data. Economic and productive information from farmers belonging to Technological Transfer Groups (GTT) of the Agricultural Research Institute (INIA) was collected. The Ricardian Method explained 37.6% of land value variation. The highest values were in areas with moderate temperatures and precipitation. Temperature had a lower relationship to land value than precipitation. Under specific conditions (type of producer, irrigation, extension) were detected behaviors that require further analysis. Upon simulating change of temperature and precipitation, the negative impacts on land value tended to be of lower magnitude than in other warmer regions. A tendency was observed for increased temperature to be beneficial, and a neutral to positive effect with less precipitation. The outputs could initially guide specific strategies of adaptation and mitigation.


Optical and photoelectric properties of Mn-doped ZnS thin films on indium–tin–oxide (ITO)/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) were investigated. The XRD patterns revealed that the thin film deposited at room temperature (RT) had a wurtzite phase, which changed to a sphalerite phase at a substrate temperature of approximately 100 °C. The transmittance of the films was approximately 87% in the visible range. The optical bandgap of the film deposited at RT was 3.29 eV, which increased to 3.361 eV with increasing substrate temperature to 200 °C. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity at 468 nm and the photocurrent by UV irradiation increased in proportion to the substrate temperature. The present results imply that Mn-doped ZnS films deposited on flexible PET substrates are useful for fabricating flexible optoelectronic devices such as flexible UV detectors.


Objective: To clarify the morphological characteristics of hemifacial microsomia (HFM) by quantitative analysis of cephalometric radiographs. Design: Retrospective study of imaging data. Setting: Imaging data were obtained from the records of Sapporo Medical University Hospital. Patients: A total of 183 patients with HFM. Main Outcome Measures: We used linear and angular measurements and analyzed the middle face and lower face. Results: The ratios of the affected side to the unaffected (A/U) side of the lateral distance of the mandibular condyle, the mandibular ramus height, and the length of the body of the mandible in the HFM group were significantly lower than in the control group. The inclination of the body of the mandible was significantly larger in the side with HFM than in the unaffected side, and the extent of the mandibular ramus was significantly lower than in the unaffected side. The A/U ratios of the extent of the angle of the mandible and the inclination of the body of the mandible in the HFM group were larger than in the control group. Moreover, the length and the inclination of the body of the mandible had significant correlations with the distance of the shift of the menton. Conclusions: It is suggested that improving the hypoplasia of the length of the body of the mandible and the extent of the angle of the mandible on the affected side will lead to more effective treatment of jaw deformity in patients with HFM.


The operator manifold formalism (part I) enables the unification of the geometry and the field theory, and yields the quantization of geometry. This is the mathematical framework for our physical outlook that the geometry and fields, with the internal symmetries and all interactions, as well the four major principles of relativity (special and general), quantum, gauge and colour confinement, are derivative, and come into being simultaneously in the stable system of the underlying ``primordial structures''. In part II we attempt to develop, further, the microscopic approach to the Standard Model of particle physics, which enables an insight to the key problems of particle phenomenology. We suggest the microscopic theory of the unified electroweak interactions. The Higgs bosons have arisen on an analogy of the Cooper pairs in superconductivity. Besides of microscopic interpretation of all physical parameters the resulting theory also makes plausible following testable implications for the current experiments: 1. The Higgs bosons never could emerge in spacetime continuum, thus, they cannot be discovered in these experiments nor at any energy range. 2. For each of the three SM families of quarks and leptons there are corresponding heavy family partners with the same quantum numbers lying far above the electroweak scale, respectively, at the energy threshold values: $E_{1}>(419.6 \pm 12.0)GeV, \quad E_{2}= (457.6 \pm 13.2)GeV$ and $E_{3}=(521.4 \pm 15.0)GeV.$


In this paper, the study of methods to minimise SOx , NOx and particulate matter is done using a catalytic convertor. The dilution has been done for the emissions from an compression ignition engine i.e, a diesel engine . The validation of the diluted emissions gives a clear picture that the catalytic converter used is in compliance with the MARPOL Regulations . All the necessary equipment is a replica of a compression ignition engine that may be used onboard a ship and the fuel used in this engine is the similar fuel that is used onboard a ship for a diesel engine. The validation has been carried out in two different stages i.e, first for the emissions before dilution and second after the dilution and hence the results are compared to show the effectiveness of the current catalytic convertor.


The tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in tumor growth and progression. However, its impact on response to endocrine therapy has not been fully addressed in the literature. From the estrogen-dependent M05 mouse mammary tumor we established a bicellular cell line, LM05 MIX, which is composed of an epithelial and a fibroblastic cell population which were separated to generate the LM05-E and LM05-F cell lines respectively. Previous work demonstrated that the LM05-E cells, which are positive for estrogen and progesterone receptors, are sensitive to 4-OH-tamoxifen (TAM; 10 -6 M) being this effect reverted when cells are co-cultured with the fibroblastic LM05-F cell population. Our working hypothesis is that extracellular matrix components and soluble factors produced by the fibroblastic cells may induce tamoxifen resistance on the otherwise sensitive epithelial LM05-E tumor cells. Immunofluorescence staining for the extracellular matrix component laminin (LN) was found to be associated to the fibroblastic cells in mixed cultures. To investigate whether LN conferred TAM resistance, LM05-E cells were cultured on recombinant LN and treated for 48 hours with TAM. We found that LN conferred resistance (P≤ 0.001) to TAM treatment. We used the specific inhibitors PD98059 (ERK ½ inhibitor, 10μM) and LY294002 (PI3K inhibitor, 10μM) to determine which signaling pathways were involved. Only LY294002 reverted TAM resistance, implicating the participation of the PI3K/AKT but not the ERK pathway. Next, to study whether soluble factors secreted by LM05-F cells were mediating TAM resistance we tested the effect of their conditioned media on LM05-E cells in the presence of TAM. We found a decreased number of apoptotic cells in conditioned media-treated cells, as compared to cells treated with non-conditioned media. Treatments with AG1478 (EGFR inhibitor, 6.4 μM), GM6001 (MMP inhibitor, 10 μM), PD98059, LY294002 and AIIB2 (β1-integrin blocking antibody) were used to elucidate which pathways were involved in the protective effect conferred by the conditioned media. The resistance to TAM treatment was reverted with AG1478, GM6001, AIIB2 and LY294002 (P≤ 0.001) but not with PD98059. MMPs or membrane-associated MMP activities have been reported to activate EGFR by shedding EGFR ligands from plasma membrane. Moreover activation of β1-integrin by fibroblast-conditioned media, as suggested by the detection of FAK phosphorylation by western blot, might collaborate with the EGFR signaling pathway. Our results suggest that TAM resistance may be the result of the modulation of epithelial cell responses by tumor fibroblasts via microenvironmental cues such as extracellular matrix components and soluble factors. Targeting the interaction of breast cancer cells with the microenvironment could be a novel and future alternative for patients with breast cancer whose tumors progress to TAM resistance. This work is supported by a grant from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation to MS (BCTR0600341). Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 5133.


Replication in grid file systems can significantly improve I/O performance of data-intensive grid applications, but its manual creation and placement would be impractical in a real grid environment involving thousands to millions of files accessed per application. Although automatic determination of where and how many replicas should be created should be decided with regards to application access patterns and network throughputs, thereby achieving high application throughput and minimizing replica space overhead, previous studies have focused on limited parameter spaces in their algorithmic optimizations. We propose an automated replication algorithm that allows most of I/O accesses to be performed within a given time threshold, while simultaneously minimizing the space overhead by replication. Our algorithm models the replication problem as a combinatorial optimization problem, where the constraints are derived from the given access time threshold and various system parameters, while the objective function being to minimize file replication costs. We solve the optimization problem by dynamically monitoring and estimating inter-node link throughputs and file access patterns of running applications. Our simulation-based studies suggest that the proposed algorithm can achieve higher performance than simple techniques, such as ones that always or never create replicas, while keeping storage usage very low. The results also indicate that the proposed automated algorithm can perform comparably with manual replica placement.


Objectives-Guidelines for lowering cholesterol have focused on total and lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Although the emphasis remains on LDL-C, more attention is now being given to apolipoprotein B (apo B) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C). This report presents trends in mean apo B, non-HDL-C, and LDL-C in adults aged 20 and over from 2005-2006 through 2015-2016. Methods-Data from the 2005-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were used to conduct trend analyses. Means and standard errors of the mean for apo B (n = 13,802), non-HDL-C (n = 30,921), and LDL-C (n = 13,559) are presented overall and by sex, stratified by age, race and Hispanic origin, and body mass index (BMI) category for each 2-year survey cycle. Trends over time were tested using orthogonal contrast matrices and piecewise and multiple linear regression. Results-In men, apo B declined from 98 mg/dL in 2005-2006 to 93 mg/dL in 2011-2012, but did not change after 2011-2012. Declining trends were also seen for men in non-HDL-C (147 to 141 mg/dL) and LDL-C (116 to 114 mg/dL) from 2005-2006 to 2015-2016. For women, age-adjusted mean apo B declined from 94 mg/dL in 2005-2006 to 91 mg/dL in 2015-2016. Non-HDL-C and LDL-C in women did not change significantly from 2005-2006 to 2011-2012, but non-HDL-C declined from 141 mg/dL in 2011-2012 to 133 mg/dL in 2015-2016, and LDL-C declined from 117 mg/dL in 2011-2012 to 111 mg/dL in 2015-2016. With the exception of LDL-C in men, these trends persisted after controlling for age, race and Hispanic origin, BMI, and lipid-lowering medication use. Conclusions-From 2005-2006 to 2015-2016, significant but different declining trends in apo B, non-HDL-C, and LDL-C were seen in men and women. In general, differences in age, race and Hispanic origin, BMI category, and lipid-lowering medication use did not explain the trends.


Biochemical pathways of noradrenaline conversion into free and bound forms of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl ethyleneglycol (MOPEG) in central and peripheral noradrenergic neurones, content of free and bound forms of MOPEG in various biological fluids as well as relative amount of the substance in central and peripheral pools and, at last, clinical importance of the noradrenaline metabolite study are reviewed. The first part of the review considers the experimental data of noradrenaline metabolism in animal brain, the second and third parts deal with experimental and clinical studies of content, role and importance of MOPEG in a human body. Perspectives of MOPEG studies for diagnostic purposes as well as for the more accurate analysis of catecholamine metabolism and of sympathoadrenal system functional state under clinical and experimental conditions are considered.


The concept of normalisation and the definition of third normal form occupy a central place in the relational model of database. Normalisation has been described as an analytic process in which an initially unconstrained collection of relations is successively decomposed into a collection of smaller relations satisfying the constraints of the three normal forms. Normalised relations constitute the basis on which data manipulation languages - relational algebra, relational calculus and others - have been defined. As yet, however, there is no generally recognised data definition language for the relational model. A pre-requisite for this would be a constructive definition of third normal form, that is, a definition in terms of rules for building normalised relations from simple domains. This paper considers how such a definition may be achieved by applying two ideas derived from the study of programming languages; the notion of data type, and the notion of a selector as used in formal language definition. The result is an abstract syntax of relations. This is compared with the standard definition of normalisation and its completeness is critically examined.


Metal-chelating polymer-based radioimmunoconjugates (RICs) are effective agents for radioimmunotherapy but are currently limited by nonspecific binding and off-target organ uptake. Nonspecific binding appears after conjugation of the polymer to the antibody and may be related to random lysine conjugation since the polymers themselves do not bind to cells. To investigate the role of conjugation sites on nonspecific binding of polymer RICs, we developed a microbial transglutaminase reaction to prepare site-specific antibody-polymer conjugates. The reaction was enabled by introducing a Q-tag (i.e., 7M48) into antibody (i.e., Fab) fragments and synthesizing a polyglutamide-based metal-chelating polymer with a PEG amine block to yield substrates. Mass spectrometric analyses confirmed that the microbial transglutaminase conjugation reaction was site-specific. For comparison, random lysine conjugation analogs with an average of one polymer per Fab were prepared by bis-aryl hydrazone conjugation. Conjugates were prepared from an anti-frizzled-2 Fab to target the Wnt pathway, along with a nonbinding specificity control, anti-Luciferase Fab. Fabs were engineered from a trastuzumab-based IgG1 framework and lack lysines in the antigen-binding site. Conjugates were analyzed for thermal conformational stability by differential scanning fluorimetry, which showed that the site-specific conjugate had a similar melting temperature to the parent Fab. Binding assays by biolayer interferometry showed that the site-specific anti-frizzled-2 conjugate maintained high affinity to the antigen, while the random conjugate showed a 10-fold decrease in affinity, which was largely due to changes in association rates. Radioligand cell-binding assays on frizzled-2+ PANC-1 cells and frizzled-2- CHO cells showed that the site-specific anti-frizzled-2 conjugate had ca. 4-fold lower nonspecific binding compared to the random conjugate. Site-specific conjugation appeared to reduce nonspecific binding associated with random conjugation of the polymer in polymer RICs.


Research concerning the experiences of autistic women and nonbinary people has been identified as a gap in the literature of autism studies, despite growing evidence suggesting that these groups may have unique experiences compared to autistic men, particularly in the domain of education. This article attempts to address this gap in the literature of autism research by elucidating the education experiences of autistic women and nonbinary people. To address this research aim, a methodology of interpretive phenomenological analysis was adopted, and interviews were conducted with autistic female and nonbinary participants concerning their experiences throughout education. From these participants' experiences, broad themes of discussion emerged, concerning the challenges and triumphs participants experienced in education. These findings are discussed within the context of existing literature concerning both autism in education and the experiences of autistic people of marginalized genders.


Article history: Micro-EDM is one of the recent fine-machining technologies. Micro–EDM is widely used in precision processes because products manufactured via EDM are free from workpiece hardness. However, the debris produced during the process cause many problems such as reduced precision of the process. The first solution of this problem involves using the milling hole process. Micro-EDM hole process involves an electrode moving rapidly in the vertical direction via a servo system to disperse debris. However, this process can cause reduced work efficiency owing to contact between the electrode and workpiece. In this study, ultrasonic vibration is added to micro-EDM channel machining. Ultrasonic vibration removes the debris during machining and enables precision machining. Consequently, a clean work environment for the subsequent processes is maintained. Received 7 November 2016 Revised 12 December 2016 Accepted 14 December 2016


Abstract The Neoproterozoic peridotites of Abu Dahr, Eastern Desert of Egypt, consist mainly of highly depleted harzburgites that have experienced multiple stages of serpentinization (lizarditization and antigoritization) and carbonation/listvenitization in a forearc environment. The Abu Dahr forearc harzburgites are more oxidized than oceanic mantle, with the oxygen fugacity (fO2) values ranging from FMQ+0.41 to FMQ+1.20 (average = +0.60 FMQ), and were equilibrated at temperatures of 910–1217 °C and pressures of 4.1–7.8 kbar. This study has documented for the first time the presence of various Ni-rich Ni-Fe (-Co) sulfide and metal phases along with Fe-oxides/oxyhydroxides in serpentinized-carbonated peridotites of the Abu Dahr forearc. Here I concentrate on the relationship between redox state and Fe-Ni-Co-O-S minerals with emphasis on the role of hydrothermal processes in upgrading magmatic sulfide tenors, desulfurization (sulfur-loss) of magmatic pentlandite and hydrothermal upgrading of the sulfide phases in Abu Dahr forearc environment. The minerals involved are high-Ni pentlandite (Fe4Ni5S8), cobaltian pentlandite (Fe3.47Ni4.78Co0.75S8), heazlewoodite (Fe0.07Ni2.93S2), godlevskite (Fe0.26Ni8.73Co0.01S8), millerite (Fe0.01Ni0.98Cu0.01S), awaruite (Ni75Fe21) and native Ni (Ni93Fe5), and nickeliferous magnetite and goethite. Chalcopyrite is a rare mineral; other Cu-phases, Fe-sulfides and Ni-arsenides/phosphides are not present. Texturally, Ni-sulfide and alloy minerals occur as interstitial disseminated blebs of either solitary phases or composite intergrowths with characteristic replacement textures, documenting strong variations in oxygen and sulfur fugacities (fO2-fS2). Sulfide assemblages are divided into three main facies: (1) pentlandite-rich; (2) godlevskite-rich; and (3) millerite-rich. Textural relationships imply the following sequence: (a) primary pentlandite → cobaltian pentlandite, with partial replacement of the latter by awaruite and/or heazlewoodite along with magnetite; (b) heazlewoodite is replaced by godlevskite, which in turns is replaced by millerite; (c) Ni-rich awaruite breaks down to millerite; and finally, (d) magnetite is completely replaced by goethite. The sulfide mineralogy reflects the magmatic and post-magmatic evolution of the complex. The primary magmatic processes gave rise to pentlandite, whereas the secondary Ni-sulfides together with the metallic alloys formed in response to changing fO2 and fS2 conditions associated with post-magmatic serpentinization and carbonation. Serpentinization-related Ni-Fe-Co remobilization from magmatic olivines resulted in; (1) upgrading the Ni-Co tenors of pre-existing primary pentlandite, and desulfidation to form low-sulfur sulfides (mainly heazlewoodite) and awaruite under extremely low fO2 and fS2 conditions; (2) in situ precipitation of secondary Ni-sulfides in the presence of extra sulfur as aqueous H2S derived from the desulfurization of magmatic pentlandite or native Ni when fS2 approaches 0; (3) transformation from low-sulfur pentlandite- and godlevskite-rich assemblages to the high-sulfur millerite-rich assemblages related to later carbonation with increasing fO2; and (4) partial dehydration of antigorite serpentinites under high-pressure conditions (>1 GPa) generated Ni-rich awaruite in equilibrium with the prograde assemblage antigorite-metamorphic olivine at higher fO2 and fS2 within subduction channel. The mineralogical, chemical, and thermal similarities with other serpentinite-related Ni-sulfides worldwide suggest that Ni minerals in the Fe-Ni-Co-O-S system record changing fO2 and fS2 during progressive serpentinization and carbonation.


Objective: Different methods have been suggested to overcome the polymerization shrinkage of composite restorations. Changing the light curing protocol to improve polymerization by using new light curing units is among these methods. The new devices are more efficient, portable and durable and produce less heat. This study aimed to assess the marginal microleakage of class V composite restorations subjected to three different light curing protocols and mechanical cycles. Methods: This was an in-vitro experimental study. Class V cavities measuring 2x3x1.5 mm were prepared on the buccal and lingual surfaces of 90 extracted human premolar teeth 1.5 mm above and below the cement enamel junction (CEJ). The samples were selected using convenience sampling and divided into 9 experimental groups of 10 each by using the Table of Random Numbers to control for the bias. The cavities were restored with packable composite resin along with Tetric-NBond and cured using three light curing protocols of conventional (680 mW/cm for 30s), soft-start (380 mW/cm for 10s followed by 680 mW/cm for 20s) and pulse (680 mW/cm for 30s,1s interval and 1s of lighting). The teeth were then subjected to mechanical cycles of 0, 500,000 and 1,000,000 and immersed in 2% Fuchsin for 24h. The teeth were then sectioned in half from the middle of the restoration buccolingually and the degree of microleakage was evaluated under a stereomicroscope (Zeiss, Germany) with 40X magnification. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal Wallis and the Mann-Whitney tests. Results: Despite the structural differences between the enamel and dentin margins, no significant difference was found in the degree of microleakage between the enamel (occlusal wall, p>0.05) and dentin (gingival wall, p>0.05) margins among the understudy groups. Conclusion: The degree of marginal microleakage in soft-start (SS) polymerization was not significantly different from that in conventional and pulse polymerizations of class V composite restorations.


A study was made of the influence of rad mutation, leading to radiosensitivity increase, on the effect of additional growth in diploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast exposed to gamma-radiation. The most radiosensitive mutants of this series, rad52/rad52 and rad54/rad54, did not virtually vary from the wild type cells in the value of the additional growth effect. Some other mutants, for instance, rad53/rad53 and rad55/rad55, exhibited a significantly lesser effect of additional growth. It was shown that the effect of additional growth did not depend upon the rate of rapid and slow postirradiation recovery of the wild type cells. The results of the studies prompt the conclusion that the processes responsible for the additional growth effect and those responsible for recovery of cells from radiation damages are mutually independent.


We describe a patient with Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) who developed bilateral chronic anterior uveitis and neuroophthalmologic manifestations 20 years after the onset of asthma and sinus disease. The patient was treated successfully with a combination of cyclophosphamide and prednisone, after other immunomodulatory strategies, aside from systemic prednisone, had failed.


The still unmet ability of following the fate of specific cells or molecules within the whole body would give an outstanding breakthrough in the comprehension of disease mechanisms and in the monitoring of therapeutic approaches. Our idea is to push forward the bio-nanotechnology to a level where it serves the most advanced 3D bio-medical imaging to provide a multi-scale imaging ranging from the whole organ down to the cellular level, enabling high-resolution visualization of disease-relevant cells within the whole disease-altered biological context. We present here the first proof-of-concept of a novel tomography procedure, Immuno-Histo-X-ray Phase Contrast Tomography (XPCT) that combines cutting-edge XPCT, which provides detailed image of the whole organ, with molecular imaging at the cellular level, identifying the relevant cells via an immunohistochemistry-based approach. We combine metal nanoparticles and a single-domain antibody that target relevant cells. Our results lay the foundation for a new generation of 3D-bio-medical X-ray imaging.


This study aimed to evaluate five corn varieties for baby corn yield and post-harvest quality under organic crop. The experimental design was completely randomized with four replications to evaluate the yield components and post-harvest of the studied product in 5 x 2 x 4 factorial, five varieties (IPR 114, PC 0402, PC 0404, BR 106 and BRS Angela) and two conditioning ways in the refrigerator (with and without straw) and four storage periods (0, 4, 8 and 12 days). Yield components such as spikes number per plant, plant height, height first spike, spike length without straw and with straw, spike diameter with straw and without straw, spike with straw weight and without straw, baby corn yield with straw and without straw, commercial production of baby corn without straw, commercial yield of baby corn were evaluated. For its post-harvest of product were analyzed weight loss and color parameters (L*, a*, b*, C* and H*) in 0, 4, 8 and 12 day storage periods. The results showed that the varieties were classified according to the commercial standards for both diameter and length. Thus, PC 0404 was the most suitable for obtaining baby corn. The PC 0402 showed the best results for color parameters L*, a*, b*, C*, H* and the lowest weight loss during storage periods.


Genome of PRSV pathotypes P (10317 nt) and W (10335 nt) from India were completely sequenced. Their genome architecture was similar to other 15 isloates from the rest of the world. Comparative sequence analysis revealed that pathotypes P and W shared high degree of sequence identity both at nucleotide (89%) and aminoacid (94%) levels. Sequence comparison of individual cistrons (except P1) also revealed similar trend. The P1 region was most divergent (upto 33%) and this could be attributed to geographical and host adaptation of PRSV. Cistron by cistron sequence comparison of PRSV pathotypes P and W from India with available 15 sequences and phylogenetic analysis based on full genome polyprotein revealed two distinct groupings of Asian and American isolates, although PRSV India clustered along with the American isolates. Putative recombination sites (24) were available through out the genomes, except in small 6K2 region. Maximum numbers of recombination sites were seen in 5′UTR and P1 region and has been speculated to be the most vulnerable region in shaping PRSV genome.


TO THE EDITOR: Dr. Farrellet al. are to be commended for their insightful case report, which describes a patient with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who developed reversible mesalamine-induced thrombocytopenia (1). Our concern relates to the authors' strong recommendation that "all patients receiving mesalamine therapy, either orally or topically should have regular, complete blood profiles." We believe the authors would agree that aminosalicylateinduced hematological toxicity is an uncommon event in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. In the discussion section of their paper, Dr. Farrell et al. have accurately summarized the literature relating to this relatively infrequent problem. Our major question revolves around the issue of routine hematological monitoring in this situation, and whether there is firm evidence to support that this approach is clinically beneficial and economically worthwhile. The purist might argue that even the patient under study did reasonably well without having her thrombocytopenia detected by regular "hematological surveillance," as she presented with petechiae, and appropriate withdrawal of the offending agent led to rapid resolution of her presenting symptom. Furthermore, a less expensive and perhaps equally effective strategy might be to advise routinely patients who take aminosalicylates to be vigilant to report any symptoms that might suggest a hematological complication (e.g., the evolution of fatigue, dyspnea, infection, petechiae, bleeding, etc.). If any symptoms occur, expedient clinical and hematological evaluation could then ensue. Our suspicion is that all gastroenterologists appropriately inform their patients of the possible aminosalicylate-induced side effects and encourage them to report any unusual or new symptoms they experience while on this or any other class of medication. Such an approach might be equally effective in diagnosing clinically significant cytopenias, while being less expensive and invasive. Until data are available that clearly prove that routine hematological monitoring is beneficial in patients with IBD who require treatment with aminosalicylates, we would be concerned that such a firm recommendation could have unanticipated clinical, economic, and medicolegal ramifications.


The regioselective direct C3-esterification of indoles with OXA is developed in an efficient reaction with carboxylic acids using the catalyst CuBr2 and oxidants Ag2CO3 and K2S2O8. The simple experimental procedure is proved to be broadly applicable to a range of substrates, including aromatic and aliphatic acids, and the corresponding products were obtained in good yields up to 87%. At the same time, it provides a valuable approach to produce C3-benzyl derivatives of indoles through reaction with benzyl carboxylic acid under the same reaction conditions.


In this study, a dual-component charge-transfer (CT)-induced supramolecular hydrogel was fabricated using pyrene-tailored pyridinium (PYP) and 2,4,7-trinitrofluorenone (TNF) as the electron donor and acceptor, respectively. Its thermal stability and mechanical property have been modulated effectively by altering the concentration or molar ratio of PYP and TNF. Moreover, this CT hydrogel exhibited a distinct injectable self-healing property that could be utilized to create desired patterns on substrates. Such property holds potential for this CT hydrogel in fields like three-dimensional printing and surface coating.


We developed a new piezoelectric microactuator for dual-stage actuator systems in magnetic disk drives. This actuator exploits the shear mode of piezoelectric elements and drives the head suspension assembly. This paper describes the structure of our piezoelectric actuator, its mechanical characteristics, and the experimental results of a life test after driving the piezoelectric elements in an atmosphere of high temperature and humidity.


Backgrounds/Aims Anatomical resection has superior oncologic outcomes over non-anatomical resection in hepatocellular carcinoma, and left lateral sectionectomy is the simplest and easiest perform anatomical resection procedure among liver resections. The purpose of this study was to find out the safety and feasibility of pure laparoscopic left lateral sectionectomy (PLLLS) for hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods Patients who underwent left lateral sectionectomy at a tertiary referral hospital, from August 2007 to April 2019 were enrolled in this retrospective study. After matching the 1 : 3 propensity score, 17 open and 51 pure laparoscopic cases were selected out of 102 cases of total left lateral resection for hepatocellular carcinoma. The group was analyzed in terms of patient demographics, preoperative data, and postoperative outcomes. Results During the study period, there was no open conversion case. The mean operative time and complication were not statistically significant different between the two groups. There was no statistically significant difference in disease-free survival and overall survival had no statistical between the two groups. There were no mortality cases, and postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter in the PLLLS group than in the open left lateral sectionectomy (OLLS) group. Conclusions The oncologic outcomes and complication rate were the same in the PLLLS and OLLS groups. However, the hospital stay was shorter in the PLLLS group than in the OLLS group. The present study findings demonstrate that the PLLLS is a safe and feasible procedure for hepatocellular carcinoma.


OF DOCTORAL DISSERTATION AALTO UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY P.O. BOX 11000, FI-00076 AALTO http://www.aalto.fi Author Minna Lappalainen Name of the dissertation Melting behaviour and quantification of low amorphous levels in sugars and sugar alcohols with DSC techniques Manuscript submitted 28.4.2010 Manuscript revised 29.6.2010 Date of the defence 20.8.2010 Monograph Article dissertation (summary + original articles) Faculty Faculty of Chemistry and Material Sciences Department Department of Chemistry Field of research Inorganic Chemistry Opponent(s) PhD Kirsi Jouppila Supervisor Academy prof. Maarit Karppinen Instructor Docent Ilkka Pitkänen Abstract The present thesis consists of six publications and a summary of the experimental results reviewed together with relevant literature data. The research was divided into three parts: the melting behaviour and the preparation of amorphous samples as well as the development of a method for quantification of low amorphous content. The melting behaviour of sucrose, glucose, fructose and xylose was investigated. The melting peaks were determined with DSC and the start of decomposition was studied with TG at different rates of heating. In addition, melting points were determined with a melting point apparatus and some StepScan DSC measurements were carried out. There were differences between the different samples of the same sugar and the rate of heating had a remarkable effect on the melting behaviour. The main objective of this thesis was to develop a method for quantification of low levels of amorphous content in sugars (sucrose) and sugar alcohols (maltitol). The techniques chosen were HyperDSC and StepScan DSC, some of the newest DSC techniques. The amorphous maltitol was prepared from crystalline material by melting followed by rapid cooling and the amorphous sucrose was prepared by spray drying. In DSC, detection of low concentrations of amorphous components is based on detection of changes in specific heat capacity (∆Cp) associated with the glass transition. The effects of time and temperature of the lowtemperature annealing (below Tg) on the ∆Cp of amorphous samples was studied. The annealing had notable effect on the change in specific heat: as the annealing time was increased, the glass transition temperature moved to a higher temperature and the change of the specific heat increased. The ∆Cp was shown to be a good indicator for the degree of amorphicity in sugar and sugar alcohol samples that are mostly crystalline. With both HyperDSC and StepScan DSC methods experimental conditions were found under which the degree of amorphicity linearly depends on ∆Cp and low limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values were achieved. In addition, the effect of mechanical treatment was tested for sucrose and a correlation between grinding time and amorphous content was found.


In many respects, information and communication technologies (ICTs) pose new challenges to society. It is worth recognizing what ICTs represent within the urban space because of their widespread use and increasing presence in people?s daily lives. ICTs allow new ways of interaction between citizens and communities and, according to many authors, their use can improve not only communication within society, but also public management as a whole. Their use, therefore, favors greater social and economic development.


Energy resolved neutron transmission techniques can provide high-resolution images of strain within polycrystalline samples allowing the study of residual strain and stress in engineered components. Strain is estimated from such data by analysing features known as Bragg-edges for which several methods exist. It is important for these methods to provide both accurate estimates of strain and an accurate quantification the associated uncertainty. Our contribution is twofold. First, we present a numerical simulation analysis of these existing methods, which shows that the most accurate estimates of strain are provided by a method that provides inaccurate estimates of certainty. Second, a novel Bayesian non-parametric method for estimating strain from Bragg-edges is presented. The numerical simulation analysis indicates that this method provides both competitive estimates of strain and accurate quantification of certainty, two demonstrations on experimental data are then presented.


"We need to entertain every prospect of novelty, every chance that could result in new combinations. But at the same time we need to entertain those with sceptical examination, and subject them to the most impartial scrutiny, for the probability is that nine hundred and ninety-nine of them will come to nothing, either because worthless in themselves or because we shall not know how to elicit their value; but we had better entertain them all, however sceptically, for the thousandth idea may be the one that will change the world."


Ocular manifestations of systemic vasculitides are extraordinarily pleomorph and have been described for many decades. In the introduction the special interaction of the immune system and the eye is outlined. Thereafter diagnostic procedures of patients suffering from systemic vasculitides are shown from an ophthalmological view point. Many examples, which show multiple possibilities of ocular manifestations on systemic vasculitides, are given. With regard to the anatomy of the eye, a review is given on the involvement of the 1) outer eye and a tear film, 2) lacrimal duct diseases, 3) diseases of the lid, 4) diseases of conjunctiva, 5) diseases of sclera, 6) diseases of the cornea, 7) diseases of the lens, 8) intraocular inflammation, 9) retinal affections, 10) optic nerve inflammation, and 11) orbiota involvement. Frequencies of these structures involved in the various systemic vasculitides are outlined. Principally every systemic vasculitis can induce every eye manifestation; however, larger patient groups show characteristic features of eye manifestations in systemic vasculitides. Special reference is given to Wegener's granulomatosis, giant-cell arteritis and Behcet vasculitis.


Background: Efforts to help the success of government programs related to exclusive breastfeeding must be done as early as possible from 36 weeks of gestation. Massage done in the area around the spine in pregnant women will help the secretion of the hormones oxytocin and prolactin. The oxytocin released after the massage process will stimulate labor contractions and prepare for the breastfeeding process, so it is hoped that regular stimuli given in the form of oxytocin massage will affect the production of milk produced. So it is important to introduce oxytocin massage from an early age to cadres, pregnant women, and nursing mothers. Through cadres, pregnant and lactating mothers will always be reminded to prepare for milk production from pregnancy. The purpose of this activity are to optimize the production of breastmilk in post partum mothers through mentoring health cadres. Methods: Method this study is used oxytocin massage intervention and health education. Results: Of this activity are health education and oxytocin massage intervention can increase knowledge cadre skills to help post partum mothers succeed in exclusive breastfeeding. Conclusion: Oxytocin massage can be an intervention alternative to optimize the production of breastmilk in post partum mothers.


Clinical trials and observational studies provide evidence for a wide range of interventions of proven value for preventing a first or recurrent stroke. The available data indicate that strategies for primordial, primary and secondary stroke prevention are not being optimally implemented. Although specific estimates are difficult to calculate, the impact of improving the use of the wide array of effective stroke preventive interventions would be substantial.


Summary form only given. High power microwave discharges in S/sub 2/ vapour at pressures of several bars have been discovered previously as a highly efficient white light source. The discharge spectrum is originating mainly from bound-bound transitions in the S/sub 2/ B/sup 3//spl Sigma//sub u//sup -/-X/sup 3//spl Sigma//sub g//sup -/ band system. At such high S/sub 2/ pressures re-absorption is an essential mechanism shifting the spectral maximum from the UV into the visible region. Assuming spherical symmetry, local thermal equilibrium and a cubic temperature profile the one-dimensional radiation transport equation is solved for each of the 330 vibronic bands connecting the niveaus /spl nu/'=0...9 and /spl nu/''=0...32 yielding a quantitative description of the spectrum with only two free parameters: the maximum discharge temperature T/sub max/ and the mean width /spl delta//spl nu//sub vib/ of a vibronic band. The response of the spectrum to variations of experimental conditions (S/sub 2/ pressure, input power, ...) may be expressed by very reasonable changes of these model parameters: The input power determines the total amount of radiation (via the value of T/sub max/) and the S/sub 2/ pressure influences the position of the spectral maximum (reflected by the value of /spl delta//spl nu//sub vib/). In the red and IR the experimental spectrum is higher than the simulation indicating contributions of continuum radiation or other molecular transitions which are not included in the model.