Background: Nausea and vomiting are the most common and unpleasant side effects of chemotherapy, and they may prevent successful treatment completion. Antiemetics not only cannot control nausea and vomiting completely but also have numerous side effects. So it is necessary to find other methods for a better control. This study aimed to assess the effect of massage therapy on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in pediatric cancer. Materials and Methods: In this randomized controlled clinical trial study, 70 patients (4-18 years of age) under chemotherapy were divided into two (massage therapy and control) groups randomly. In the massage group at 0.5 h and 24 h before and 24 h after chemotherapy, the patients were massaged (Swedish massage) for 20 min, respectively. All indices of nausea and vomiting (incidence, severity, time, and length) were assessed by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and BARF scales and other questionnaires and documented. Results: The results of Mann–Whitney and chi-squire tests indicated that in the massage group, the incidence of nausea was 25.7%, the severity, length, and times of nausea were 20%, 54 min, and 0.35 times, respectively, and the severity and times of vomiting were 0.24 scores and 0.31 times lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05), respectively. But vomiting incidence in the two groups showed no significant difference (P = 0.192). Conclusions: Massage therapy reduced chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. So, nurses can use it and educate it to the patients' families. Nurses, besides using it clinically, can provide instructions to families for involving them in the treatment process and they feel they are more efficate in care of their suffering children.


Cluster-based server architectures combine good performance and low cost, and are commonly used for applications that generate heavy loads. Essentially, a cluster-based server consists of a front-end dispatcher and several back-end servers. The dispatcher receives incoming requests, and then assigns them to back-end servers, which are responsible for request processing. The many benefits of cluster-based servers make them a good choice for e-commerce applications as well. However, applying this type of architecture to e-commerce applications is hindered by the fact that e-commerce clusters have additional task verifying that requests comply with contract terms. The problem is further complicated by the fact that contract terms may be expressed as functions of dynamic, mutable states. The problem addressed in this paper is the effective assignment of e-commerce requests, such that the load is balanced among back-end servers and request validation is efficient. To this end, we propose a policy called TDA (type dependent assignment), which takes account of the type of contracts. Under TDA, stateless contracts are replicated on all back-end servers. In contrast, a stateful contract, C, is preassigned to a designated back-end server, called the base of C, which is responsible for maintaining the state of C. The operations of TDA may be broadly outlined as follows. A request governed by a stateless contract is assigned to the least loaded server. In contrast, a request governed by a stateful contract is assigned to its base, if the base is not overloaded, and to the least loaded server, otherwise.


The Author of the article attempts to answer two fundamental questions: where and what are the limits of freedom in the mass media, and are there any limits of freedom in reception and usage of the mass media? The Author searches for the answer to the fi rst question on three planes. The fi rst one is the passing of information, which aims at accuracy and veracity of messages conveyed. On this plane the limit of freedom is, fi rst of all, the good of the very information, as well as the good of man, who is its receiver. It also important that the information passed respects human fundamental rights, including his dignity, and is useful for him. On the other hand, false information, violating fundamental rights and human dignity lies, according to the Author, beyond set limits of freedom of the mass media. Another plane, on which the limits of freedom should be set and preserved, is the plane of passing and disseminating knowled ge, where the aim is passing the truths concerning man, the sense of his life, his place in the world, and specifi c values. The Author indicates that these have to be substantiated and hard truths, truths, which will enrich man within the scope of his views and his outlook on life. Beyond aforementioned limits of freedom there is manipulation of man and his world of beliefs. The third plane determining the limits of freedom serving the mass media is moral sphere consisting in shaping hierarchies of moral values.


Mouse garlic (Allium angulosum L.) is economically important for its use as a spice, vegetable, and ornamental plant. During the monsoon (June to September) of 2015 and 2016, A. angulosum plants with symptoms of anthracnose were observed in the wild allium repository at ICAR-Directorate of Onion and Garlic Research, Rajgurunagar (18°84ʹ31″N, 73°88ʹ50″E), Pune, India. Disease severity was up to 30 to 45% during the two consecutive years. Initially, tips of older leaves showed prominent, white, sunken spots that converted to light brown necrotic lesions causing die-back of the whole leaf. On necrotic lesions, small, black fruiting bodies (acervuli) developed in concentric rings. As the disease progressed, plants dried completely. Three isolates (AAC-1, AAC-2, AAC-3) were collected from infected leaves of different plants. For isolation, infected leaves were cut into small pieces (5 to 10 mm²) and immersed in 1% NaClO solution for 2 min, rinsed three times in sterilized distilled water, and dried on sterilized filter paper. Infected pieces were then plated on oatmeal agar (OMA) for 4 days at 25 ± 2°C with a 12-h photoperiod. Purified isolates showing colony growth changed from grayish to dark gray with salmon color conidial masses at the center. After 7 days incubation on OMA, colonies from single spores had an average colony diameter of 59.2 mm. Microscopically, conidia were hyaline, single-celled, slightly curved with tapered tips and truncate bases, measuring (n = 20) 18.6 to 23.3 × 1.9 to 2.6 μm, originated from an acervular conidiomata delimited with dark brown, septate, straight, pointed setae measuring 72.5 to 126.2 × 3.1 to 5.8 μm. Appressoria formed in culture were light brown, single or in groups, lobate or round, and ranged from 7.5 to 20.5 × 3.9 to 7.3 μm. Morphological characteristics were consistent with Colletotrichum truncatum (Schwein.) Andrus & W.D. Moore (Damm et al. 2009). For molecular characterization of three isolates, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal DNA (rDNA), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene, and a partial sequence of the actin (ACT) gene were amplified with the primer pairs ITS1/ITS4, GDF1/GDR1, and ACT-512F/ACT-783R, respectively (Damm et al. 2009). The ITS sequence (KY611807) and GAPDH gene (MF282477) of these isolates shared 99% identity with C. truncatum from soybean (JQ9336249) and Capsicum annum (KY435779), respectively. Similarly, the ACT gene (MF582476) shared 98% identity with C. truncatum from Cynanchum paniculatum (KF488581). Koch's postulates of all the three isolates were completed on 45-day-old seedlings. Five seedlings were sprayed with conidia suspension (10⁶ conidia/ml) prepared from 15-day-old cultures. Control plants were sprayed with sterilized water. Plants were kept separately in a growth chamber at 25°C, 85% relative humidity, and 12-h photoperiod. Anthracnose (light brown necrotic patches) developed 5 days after inoculation; control plants remained symptomless. The fungus was successfully reisolated from symptomatic leaves and confirmed by morphological characters and molecular identification. The same experiment was repeated the following year. Results obtained on morphological characters, molecular data, and pathogenicity were matched with C. truncatum. Earlier, a severe outbreak of onion anthracnose due to C. truncatum and C. siamense was reported from southwest India (Chowdappa et al. 2015). Similarly, C. truncatum and C. theobromicola causing anthracnose of Welsh onion (A. fistulosum) was documented from Brazil (Matos et al. 2017). Identification of the cause of mouse garlic anthracnose now allows appropriate management measures. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. truncatum causing anthracnose on A. angulosum in the world.


The wall decoration of the Tomb of the Bulls (540–520 BCE) at Tarquinia is a well-cited example of Early Archaic Etruscan tomb painting, incorporating imagery from Orientalizing iconography and combining it with a new emphasis on figural representation emanating from the East Greek world. Most previous scholarship has suggested that the tomb's paintings cannot be read coherently and that they stand alone in the broader, more intelligible, tradition of Etruscan wall painting. This paper offers a fresh reading of the tomb's imagery through tracing the possible prototypes that the artist and patron used for formulating the iconography. Central to this reading is a consideration of the architecture of the tomb and the design of the imagery in relation to the architecture. New interpretations are proposed for the Achilles and Troilos scene and for the two representations of sexual activity on the rear wall of the tomb's antechamber. The paintings pertain to broader concerns relating to fertility and fecundity, which were critical issues in an aristocratic society. When the tomb is interpreted considering the influences underpinning its creation, namely vase painting and architectural iconography, it is possible to determine a coherent and rational message.1


The estimation method for the extraction yield of phenol on methanol-mediated extraction was developed using the kerosene fraction of Wyoming coal liquid. The extraction yield was estimated by Eq. 12 from the amounts of charged methanol (M) and water (W), and a partition coefficient (K), which was newly introduced.K depended on the percentage of water in the charged methanol and water (Xw), but independent of the amount of charged oil. A high extraction yield was expected at Xw≤45wt%, while it increased at Xw>45wt%, suggesting a decrease of the extraction yield. Similar results were obtained for the extraction of cresols and ethylphenols. The contamination of neutral oil was very low at Xw>60 wt%.From these results, several preliminary experiments are enough to estimate the extraction ratio using K, and the range of Xw=45-60wt% was adequate for practical processing. This estimation method is very useful for planning an extraction process.


Mechanosensitivity is hypothesized to participate in the regulation of ciliary beat frequency (CBF) in airway epithelia. To investigate this hypothesis, CBF in excised mouse trachea was monitored (microscopy image analysis) while varying mucosal shear (perfusate velocity and/or viscosity; planar flow). CBF increased within minutes of step increase to steady shear stress as small as 10(-3) Pa and decreased within minutes of shear reduction (<or=10(-4) Pa). CBF response was directional, being less with cephalad vs. caudal flow, and was reduced in trachea from mutant mice lacking P2Y2 receptors, as well as by administration of the Ca2+ chelator EGTA, the Ca2+ channel inhibitor La3+, the nucleotide phosphohydrolase apyrase, the metabolically stabilized adenosine receptor agonist 5'-(N-ethylcarboxamido)adenosine, the osmotic agent mannitol, and the viscosity modifier dextran. Brief exposure to exogenous ATP, a candidate mediator, augmented CBF response, although augmentation declined with higher ATP concentration (5.0 vs. 0.1 mM) or longer ATP exposure before shear (55 vs. 20 min). Prolonged extended exposure (45 min) to the metabolically stabilized ATP analog ATPgammaS [adenosine 5'-(3-thiotriphosphate), 0.1 mM] inhibited CBF response to shear. Furthermore, neither ATP nor ATPgammaS substantially increased CBF in the relative absence of shear. With viscosity increase or shear withdrawal apyrase evoked CBF stimulation, inhibitable by the adenosine receptor antagonist 8-(p-sulfophenyl)theophylline. Thus CBF response to shear is finely tuned, directional, La3+ sensitive, likely dependent on extracellular Ca2+ and ATP, involving P2Y2 and adenosine receptor activations, influenced by shear history, tonicity, viscosity, and metabolism/exposure of ATP, and thus reflective of a complex interplay of physical and biochemical actions.


This study examined the body characteristics, perceived body size and body-cathexis according to the stature of women aged 18 to 59. Special focus was on women of short stature; in addition, the study searched for the proper clothing fit and satisfaction level for short women. The 2010 SizeKorea data of 2,586 women aged 18 to 59 was analyzed statistically to find the distribution of stature according to 4 age groups along with the body characteristics and proportion of 3 stature groups in each age group. A questionnaire was conducted with responses from 412 women aged 18 to 59, and the perceived body size and satisfaction with body size of 3 stature groups were studied with 5 Likert scales. Although the stature of Korean women has increased, short stature women (those under 155cm) still represent a high percentage of individuals in Korea. Short women (small in height and length) had unique body characteristics in width, depth, and girth that were distinguished from the characteristics of medium or tall women. Especially, the lower body part of short women had distinct characteristics. Accordingly, it is undesirable to reflect the same ease or same body proportion in clothing construction for the 3 stature groups. Short women perceived their stature and length of upper or lower body as too short and the satisfaction with their body size was lower than medium or tall women. To upgrade the clothing fit and satisfaction of short women, it is necessary to reflect the unique body characteristics of short women in clothing design and construction.


We have elucidated an origin of a temperature dependence of a center wavelength in an athermal AWG and demonstrated an ultra-wide temperature range (-30/spl sim/70 /spl deg/C) operation using a pure aluminum plate for the first time.


In three-dimensional domain, an identification problem of the source function for Hilfer type partial differential equation of the even order with a condition in an integral form and with a small positive parameter in the mixed derivative is considered. The solution of this fractional differential equation of a higher order is studied in the class of regular functions. The case, when the order of fractional operator is 0 < α < 1, is studied. The Fourier series method is used and a countable system of ordinary differential equations is obtained. The nonlocal boundary value problem is integrated as an ordinary differential equation. By the aid of given additional condition, we obtained the representation for redefinition (source) function. Using the Cauchy–Schwarz inequality and the Bessel inequality, we proved the absolute and uniform convergence of the obtained Fourier series.


Live shopping is an online shopping activity that is done directly and within a certain duration. This research discusses the live shopping process in the digital communication industry.. The theory used is the theory of marketing communication, social media, Instagram, and digital communication. This study discusses the phenomenon of live shopping activity in the digital communications industry. The method used is a case study with a qualitative approach and using the techniques of interview, observation, and documentation. The results of this study can be seen that the live shopping activity that uses social media to utilize the features of Instagram namely Stories. The birth of live shopping is based on the phenomenon that has been formed over a long time, namely 'jastip'. Goods sold in the live shopping activity are also more diverse than shop online as usual. It also offers more interactive shopping activities and fun so that buyers feel the thrill of shopping directly on the spot and the limited duration so that the buyers will be encouraged with time. Before live shopping, sellers will promote it by using Instagram Ads or endorsement to influencers. It can be concluded that the live shopping process starts with 3 main steps, promotion, interaction, and transaction.


It has been shown that spoilage of emulsion cutting oils is the result of the combined activities of two distinct types of microorganisms. The organisms involved were found to be anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria and a variety of heterotrophic aerobic bacteria the majority of which belong to the genus Pseudomonas. It was also shown that certain inorganic salts were essential for deterioration.


Micron Technology and Applied Materials engaged in a project to determine if Virtual Metrology (VM) is viable in a semiconductor manufacturing environment, focusing on six chambers of a CVD process with a target metrology parameter of thickness. An adaptive modeling process was utilized that related process fault detection data to metrology data. Results indicate that (1), VM models can be developed and used to improve productivity and reduce cost of the CVD process by providing data to support more intelligent strategies and possibly by supporting a move from lot level to wafer level run-to-run control, and (2) the adaptive component of the models makes the models robust to drift and shift in process characteristics. Model robustness could be improved by utilizing multiple adaptive techniques depending on the process dynamics.


Laser surface texturing is a widely accepted technique to alter the surface properties of different biomaterials. The present work investigates the influence of texture shape and texture area fraction on the wettability and bacterial adhesion properties of a metallic (Ti–6Al–4V), ceramic (hydroxyapatite, HAp), and polymeric (polymethyl methacrylate, PMMA) surfaces. A fiber laser (1040 nm wavelength) was utilized to generate patterns on Ti–6Al–4V, whereas a CO2 laser (1062 nm wavelength) was employed for patterning HAp, and PMMA surface. The average surface roughness (~ 10 s of µm) of textured surfaces have elicited corresponding enhancement in the feature of base wettability. A decreased surface energy of textured surfaces commensurate with decreased E. coli bacterial density (~ 30.1% in HAp, and by 53.7% in PMMA) in contrast to that of untextured samples. From the comparative study conducted in this work, among all the textured samples the triangular patterned HAp having 50.6% textured area, contact angle and surface energy of 103.2 ± 3° and 15.1 mN.m−2, respectively, showcased a significant decrease in E. coli adhesion (~ 1.67 ± 0.15 × 105 bacteria per mm2). Thus, laser surface texturing of scaffolds can potentially allow restricting the bacterial adhesion on various biosurfaces for bone replacement applications.


Computer system designers often use caches to solve performance problems. Caching in the World Wide Web has been both the subject of extensive research and the basis of a large and growing industry. Traditional Web caches store HTTP responses, in anticipation of a subsequent reference to the URL of a cached response. Unfortunately, experience with real Web users shows that there are limits to the performance of this simple caching model, because many responses are useful only once. Researchers have proposed a variety of more complex ways in which HTTP caches can exploit locality in real reference streams. This article surveys several techniques, and reports the results of trace-based studies of a proposal based on automatic recognition of duplicated content.


In this paper, we consider the optimal scheduling problem for a campus central plant equipped with a bank of multiple electrical chillers and a Thermal Energy Storage (TES). Typically, the chillers are operated in ON/OFF modes to charge the TES and supply chilled water to the campus. A bilinear model is established to describe the system dynamics. A model predictive control (MPC) problem is formulated to obtain optimal set-points to satisfy the campus cooling demands and minimize daily electricity costs. At each time step, the MPC problem is represented as a large-scale mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem. We propose a heuristic algorithm to search for suboptimal solutions to the MINLP problem based on mixed integer linear programming (MILP), where the system dynamics is linearized along the simulated trajectories of the system. Simulation results show good performance and computational tractability of the proposed algorithm.


The structural diversity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) offers exciting opportunities for their applications. Yet, selective synthesis of such conjugated networks poses a formidable challenge. Compared to the prominence of transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling and oxidative Scholl reactions, cationic rearrangement in the synthesis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon is an underexplored subject. In this study, we reveal that cationic intermediate generated from epoxy dibenzocycloheptanol can be transformed into acenes, azulene-embedded PAHs, and dibenzocycloheptanone derivatives. Reactive patterns, including Meinwald rearrangement, Nazarov cyclization, transannular aryl migration, and transannular Friedel–Crafts cyclization were identified. Both substrate structures and reaction temperature affect the reaction pathways in predictable and manageable manners. A mechanistic scheme was postulated as the working model to guide the reactivity for further application. Substrates containing heterocyclic and ferrocenyl groups exhibit similar reactivity profiles. The inquiry culminates in the selective synthesis of 5, 7, 12, 14-tetrasubstituted C2h and C2v pentacene derivatives. Our results demonstrate that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can be selectively prepared with this cation-initiated strategy by methodically tuning the reactivity.


This paper is concerned with the coupling of two models for the propagation of particles in scattering media. The first model is a linear transport equation of Boltzmann type posed in the phase space (position and velocity). It accurately describes the physics but is very expensive to solve. The second model is a diffusion equation posed in the physical space. It is only valid in areas of high scattering, weak absorption, and smooth physical coefficients, but its numerical solution is much cheaper than that of transport. We are interested in the case when the domain is diffusive everywhere except in some small areas, for instance non-scattering or oscillatory inclusions. We present a natural coupling of the two models that accounts for both the diffusive and non-diffusive regions. The interface separating the models is chosen so that the diffusive regime holds in its vicinity to avoid the calculation of boundary or interface layers. The coupled problem is analyzed theoretically and numerically. To simplify the presentation, the transport equation is written in the even parity form. Applications include, for instance, the treatment of clear or spatially inhomogeneous regions in near-infra-red spectroscopy, which is increasingly being used in medical imaging for monitoring certain properties of human tissues.


The aim of the experiments described here was to investigate cryopreservation of day-6 sheep embryos by vitrification methods in which the preliminary procedures can be performed at room temperature using VS1 (5.5 mol ethylene glycol l-1 and 2.5 mol glycerol l-1), VS11 (6.0 mol ethylene glycol l-1 and 1.8 mol glycerol l-1) and VS14 (5.5 mol ethylene glycol l-1 and 1.0 mol sucrose l-1). None of the day-6 sheep embryos vitrified with VS1 survived. Day-6 sheep embryos with the exception of blastocysts were vitrified with VS11 with no loss of viability in vitro. The viability of transferred day-6 embryos vitrified with VS11 was however extremely poor. Osmotic damage was avoided by initially exposing the embryos to one of four dilutions (20%, 30%, 40% and 50%) of VS11 for 5 min at 25 degrees C and then vitrifying with the undiluted VS11. The highest survival (88.2%) in vitro was obtained when embryos were exposed to 30% VS11 before vitrification with the undiluted VS11. Survival of transferred embryos exposed to 30% VS11 and then vitrified with undiluted VS11 was 55% (16 of 29) for morulae and 62% (18 of 29) for blastocysts. The pregnancy rate for recipients that received two vitrified sheep embryos of these developmental stages per ewe was 79% (22 of 28). In a small study performed with VS14 the survival of day-6 sheep embryos vitrified with VS14 (in one-step) was 100% in vitro and 50% after transfer.


The aim of the present work was to design and development of hydro dynamically balanced tablet of Cefuroxime Axetil to enhance the bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy of the drug. Cefuroxime Axetil is classified as a second-generation cephalosporin antibiotic and beta lactum antibiotics based on spectrum activity. Tablets are prepared by the wet granulation technique by using Eudragit RL 100, Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose and their combination as polymers along with sodium bicarbonate as gas generating agent. Formulations were evaluated for in vitro buoyancy and drug release stu using up dissolution apparatus using 0.1N HC The result indicate that floating tablets of Cefuroxime Axetil containing combination of HPMC K4M: 100 provides a better option for control release action and improved bioavailability than Plain polymers containing formulations such as Eudragit RL. respectively. ISSN: 2277-8713 IJPRBS


The Radium (British Columbia) and Miette (Alberta) hot springs occasionally produce "dirty" water that carries varying amounts of solid particles in suspension. Dirty-water events in the period 1959–1983 were caused either by heavy rains (or rapid snowmelt) or by earthquakes with magnitudes of 6.9 or greater, between 740 and 2300 km distant from the springs, in Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Rainfall-induced events at Miette appear to require at least 34 mm of rain within a 48 h period. Associated decreases in water temperatures and dissolved-solids concentrations and changes in the ionic and isotopic compositions of the spring waters result from mixing of deep thermal water with cooler, less mineralized shallow water. By contrast, the earthquake-triggered events did not have significant thermal or geochemical effects. Suspended solids in the dirty waters represent surficial materials (including vegetation debris) and possibly residues from dissolution of carbonate rocks. At Miette Hot Springs the dirt conta...


OBJECTIVE
To compare the effects of the three manipulative methods in treating vertebral artery type of cervical spondylosis.

METHODS
From December 2006 to December 2008, 300 patients (male 138 and female 162, the age from 18 to 76 years with an average of 38.6 years) with vertebral artery type of cervical spondylosis were randomly divided into group A, B, C (100 cases each group). Patients in group A, B were respectively treated with rotation-traction and rotation-turn manual reduction (one time per week, 30 min per time, 4 times a course of treatment; patients in group C were treated with traction (one time per day, 30 min per time, 10 times a course of treatment). Therapic time was a course of treatment in all groups. At 6 months after treatment, the clinical effects, cervical curvature, change of blood flow were respectively observed according sympotoms, X-ray, transcranial doppler sonography (TCD).

RESULTS
All patients were followed up more than 6 months. The improving average of cervical curvature (C2-C7 Cobb angle): group A, B, C was respectively 1.82 +/- 0.88, 0.12 +/- 0.06, 0.56 +/- 0.22; group A was better than group B (P < 0.01) and group C (P < 0.05). There was no significantly difference between group B and C (P > 0.05);and there was significantly difference in three groups (P < 0.05). TCD detection: LVA, RVA, BA improving significantly in group A than group B (P < 0.01) and group C (P < 0.05); there was no significantly difference between group B and C (P > 0.05) and there was significantly difference among three groups (P < 0.05). Clinical effects: in group A, 36 cases obtained curing results, 36 excellent, 20 utility, 8 ineffective, the rate of excellent and good was 92%; in group B: 6 cases obtained curing results, 20 excellent, 10 utility, 64 ineffective, the rate of excellent and good was 36%;in group C,10 cases obtained curing results, 26 excellent, 8 utility, 56 ineffective, the rate of excellent and good was 44%; there was significantly difference in three groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
All three methods can significantly relieve headache and vertigo through improving cervical curvature and VA, BA blood flow, but its long-term effect should be observed.


The problem of two-dimensional recursive digital filtering of large images by the sectioning (or block-mode) technique has been considered. It has been stated that, if the impulse-response sequence of the recursive digital filter dies down relatively sharply, by a suitable truncation, the available sectioning techniques can be used to perform the filtering operation, as with nonrecursive filters. An analytical approach is presented which formulates the upper bound on the norm of error resulting from the application of truncation. This bound is found to be independent of the size of blocks. In addition, an expression for the computation time is obtained, when a mixed radix two-dimensional FFT is used. Using these expressions, a simple procedure for minimising the truncation error and computation time is suggested which determines suitable values of the parameters involved. The effectiveness of the optimisation procedure developed here has been examined for smoothing operation of an X-ray image on a CDC 6500 computer.


This paper aims to overview the hydrodynamic characteristics of storm surges and waves induced by Typhoon Haiyan around Leyte and Samar, Philippines, especially based on the results of the post disaster joint survey of PICE and JSCE. A number of local residents remained along the coast when inundation started and, based on intensive interviews of those local residents, the survey team obtained information of not only the heights of inundation and runup, but also other hydrodynamic features such as timings and durations of inundations, flow directions and the level of surface water fluctuations. Comparisons of these findings of the disaster survey and numerical analysis clearly indicated that the wind-induced stormy waves had significant impact on inundations especially along the east coast of Leyte and Eastern Samar.


To secure the safe and efficient mining at the conditions of shallowand hard coal and roof in the first face of Zhangjiamao coal mine with large mining height, the mechanical parameters for accurately building 6.0 m mining height roof migration lawthat are adopted in numerical model is obtained by using rock mechanics experiments, and numerical calculation of 6.0 m mining height is done based on this parameter, numerical simulation analysis of shallow, hard coal seam and roof conditions, roof mining methods migration law. Research suggests that, in the process of mining method with 6.0m height, with the face forward, advanced abutment pressure in roof changes. The scope of abutment pressure becomes narrow, the peak shifts to the working face. The abutment pressure are higher than the value without the influence of mining at the scope of 25m away from rip line.


CP (Commercially Pure) titanium has been widely used in various industries such as in energy plants and bio-materials because of an excellent corrosion resistance and its non-toxicity to the human body. But there are limitations for usage as structural materials due to low strength. The tensile properties of CP titanium could be improved by microstructure refinement such as in a SPD (Severe Plastic Deformation) process. However, high strengthening of CP titanium wire is impossible by SPD processes like ECAP (Equal Channel Angular Pressing), HPT (High-Pressure Torsion), and the ARB (Accumulative Roll Bonding) process. The study purposes are to increase the strength of CP titanium wire by optimization of the cold drawing process and the harmonization with mechanical properties by heat treatments for the next forming process. The optimization process was investigated with regard to the design of drawing dies and the reduction ratio of cross sections. The elongations of high strength CP titanium were controlled by heat treatment.


PURPOSE
Acute annular outer retinopathy is a rare entity. There are only a few cases in the world's literature. Our study is the first to describe the spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings in the acute presentation of this disease and to follow the disease in convalescence.

METHODS
This article is a descriptive case report. We used Spectralis OCT to image the transient intraretinal whitening that is initially seen in this disorder, and the OCT changes during follow-up.

RESULTS
Our article provides additional information about the natural history of this uncommon disease, and its varied presentation and prognosis. We were able to document the initial white line seen in the acute phase of the disease and correlate it anatomically by using OCT. We found hyperreflectivity in the outer nuclear layer and the Henle fiber layer along with marked atrophy of the outer retina within the white ring. We documented restoration of foveal photoreceptors, which corresponded with visual recovery. We also noted progressive atrophy in areas where the white ring was previously visible.

CONCLUSION
We describe a single case of acute annular outer retinopathy with the corresponding spectral domain OCT findings during the acute phase of the disease and during subsequent follow-up demonstrating progressive atrophy of the outer retina. This may shed insight into possible causation for this rare disease.


In the United States there has been a recent movement to expand access to preschool for children ages 3 and 4 through ΓC£universal pre-kΓC¥ where states fund programs for all age-eligible students. This has caused an increasing number of preschool programs to be housed in public schools and led by principals, though school leaders are unlikely to have any experience or training in early childhood. At the same time, the Global Education Reform Movement (GERM) is taking hold and pressuring schools to utilize educational practices that are opposed to best practices in early childhood education. In response to current research about teaching and learning and challenges facing schools, the Professional Standards for Educational Leadership 2015 (PSEL 2015) were created to influence how leaders are prepared, hired, evaluated, and supported in their work. This article brings together these three current forces in public education in the US, and describes how they compliment and contrast each other. The fundamental logic behind this work is (a) to meet the PSEL 2015, principals will need a greater understanding of early childhood education; (b) by understanding early childhood education, leaders will have a better framework from which to make decisions about how to address GERM; and (c) leaders need to implement GERM properly in order to meet the PSEL 2015. Thus, developing a force of school leaders who understand and support best practices in ECE may ultimately improve learning outcomes for all students.


Abstract Raman analyses of single crystals of ikaite, CaCO3·6H2O, synthesized in a diamond-anvil cell at ambient temperature yield spectra from 0.14 to 4.08 GPa; the most intense peaks are at 228 and 1081 cm-1 corresponding to Eg (external) and A1g (internal) modes of vibrations in CO3 2. ions, respectively. These are in good agreement with Raman spectra previously published for ikaite in powder form at ambient temperature and pressure. Visual observations of a sample consisting initially of a mixture of calcite + water in a hydrothermal diamond-anvil cell yielded a P-T phase diagram up to 2 GPa and 120 °C; the boundary for the reaction ikaite ↔ aragonite + water has a positive slope and is curved convexly toward the aragonite + water field similar to typical melt curves. This curvature can be explained in terms of the Clapeyron equation for a boundary between a solid phase and a more compressible liquid phase or largely liquid phase assemblage.


High-throughput HPV typing assays with increased automation, faster turnaround and type-specific digital readout would facilitate studies monitoring the impact of HPV vaccination. We evaluated the NanoString nCounter® platform for detection and digital readout of 48 HPV types in a single reaction. NanoString (NS) used proprietary software to design CodeSets: type-specific probe pairs targeting 48 HPV types and the globin gene. We tested residual DNA extracts from epidemiologic specimens and defined samples (HPV plasmids at 10 to 104 copies/reaction) directly (No-PCR) as well as after L1 consensus PCR of 45 (PCR-45) or 15 cycles (PCR-15). Assay and interpretation followed NS recommendations. We evaluated analytic performance by comparing NanoString results for types included in prior assays: Roche Linear Array (LA) or HPV TypeSeq assay. No-PCR results on 40 samples showed good type-specific agreement with LA (k = 0.621) but sensitivity was 65% with lower limit of detection (LOD) at 104 plasmid copies. PCR-45 results showed almost perfect type-specific agreement with LA (k = 0.862), 82% sensitivity and LOD at 10 copies. PCR-15 results on 75 samples showed substantial type-specific agreement with LA (k = 0.796, 92% sensitivity) and TypeSeq (k = 0.777, 87% sensitivity), and LOD at 10 copies of plasmids. This proof-of-principle study demonstrates the efficacy of the NS platform with HPV CodeSet for type-specific detection using a low number of PCR cycles (PCR-15). Studies are in progress to evaluate assay reproducibility and analytic validation with a larger number of samples.


In modern computers information is processed through binary switches, usually realized with transistors, i.e. Microelectronic devices. Thus binary switches represent a paradigmatic example of "small scale physical systems" employed in the processing of information. In the last forty years the semiconductor industry has been driven by its ability to scale down the size of the CMOS devices, to increase computing capability and reducing the power dissipated in heat. Thus we assisted to a continuous reduction in the supply voltage and electrical noise induced errors became an important issue to take into account for the performance of the device. Here we discuss the relationship between the energy required by an advanced ultra low power logic gate and the associated error rate at different operating frequencies.


The aim of this study was to determine electroencephalogram (EEG) in a session of heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV BF) in adolescents with different Internet addiction (IA) risks. In total, 100 healthy adolescents aged 16–17 years with minimal risk of IA (Group I, 35%), pronounced risk of IA (Group II, 51%), and stable pattern of IA (Group III, 14%) using the Chen Internet Addiction Scale were examined. HRV and EEG parameters were determined at baseline (5 min), and then during the short-term HRV BF session (5 min), in order to increase the total power (TP, ms2) of the HRV spectrum. Against the background of an increase in the TP and a decrease in sympathetic activity, an increase in alpha EEG was revealed, especially in Groups I and II. The greatest increase in the power of beta1-activity of EEG in the frontal, central, and temporal brain regionswas found in Groups I and II. In adolescents with a pronounced risk of IA, HRV BF is accompanied by a severe activation of the brain systems, while in persons with a stable type of IA, the least brain reactivity is shown, especially in the beta1 EEG band.


Copper surfaces that exhibit a wide range of achromatic colors while still metallic have not been studied, despite advancements in antireflection coatings. A series of achromatic copper films grown with [111] preferred orientation by depositing 3D porous nanostructures is introduced via coherent/incoherent atomic sputtering epitaxy. The porous copper nanostructures self‐regulate the giant oxidation resistance by constructing a curved surface that generates a series of monoatomic steps, followed by shrinkage of the lattice spacing of one or two surface layers. First‐principles calculations confirm that these structural components cooperatively increase the energy barrier against oxygen penetration. The achromaticity of the single‐crystalline porous copper films is systematically tuned by geometrical parameters such as pore size distribution and 3D linkage. The optimized achromatic copper films with high oxidation resistance show an unusual switching effect between superhydrophilicity and superhydrophobicity. The tailored 3D porous nanostructures can be a candidate material for numerous applications, such as antireflection coatings, microfluidic devices, droplet tweezers, and reversible wettability switches.


Abstract Objective To assess the efficacy of using a bone substitute material (BSM) in the fixture–socket gap in patients undergoing tooth extraction and immediate implant placement. Materials and methods MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). RCTs were screened for eligibility, and data were extracted by two authors independently. Risk of bias (ROB) was assessed using Cochrane's ROB tool 2.0. Primary outcomes were implant failure, overall complications, and soft‐tissue esthetics. Secondary outcomes were vertical buccal bone resorption, vertical interproximal bone resorption, horizontal buccal bone resorption, and mid‐buccal mucosal recession. Meta‐analysis was performed using random‐effects model with generic inverse variance weighing. GRADE was used to grade the certainty of the evidence. Results After screening 19 544 potentially eligible references, 20 RCTs were included in this review, with a total of 848 patients (916 sites). Most included RCTs were deemed of some concerns (53%) or at low (38%) risk of bias, except for overall complications (high ROB). Implant failure did not differ significantly RR = 0.92 (confidence intervals [CI] 0.34 to 2.46) between using a BSM compared with not using a BSM (NoBSM). BSM use resulted in less horizontal buccal bone resorption (MD = −0.52 mm [95% CI −0.74 to −0.30]), a higher esthetic score (MD = 1.49 [95% CI 0.46 to 2.53]), but also more complications (RR = 3.50 [95% CI 1.11 to 11.1] compared with NoBSM. Too few trials compared types of BSMs against each other to allow for pooled analyses. The certainty of the evidence was considered moderate for all outcomes except implant failure (low), overall complications (very low), and vertical interproximal bone resorption (very low). Conclusion BSM use during immediate implant placement reduces horizontal buccal bone resorption and improves the periimplant soft‐tissue esthetics. Although BSM use increases the risk of predominantly minor complications.


26 This study utilized qualitative methods to explore the stressors, appraisal mechanism, 27 emotional response, and effective / ineffective coping strategies experienced by elite rugby 28 union referees during pressurized performances. Participants included seven male rugby 29 union referees from the United Kingdom (Mage = 27.85, SD = 4.56) who had been officiating 30 as full-time professionals for between 1 and 16 years (M = 4.85, SD = 5.42). Data revealed 31 that the referees encountered a number of stressors, which were appraised initially as a 32 'threat', and elicited negatively-toned emotions. The referees were able to maintain 33 performance standards under pressure by adopting proactive, problemand emotion-focused 34 coping strategies which managed effectively the stressors and their emotions. However, the 35 use of avoidance-coping, reactive control, and informal impression management were 36 perceived as ineffective coping strategies, and associated with poor performance and choking. 37 Recommendations are offered to inform the psychological skills training of rugby union 38 referees. 39


Prevention of movement during intrauterine transfusion is important to facilitate the procedure and to prevent injury to the fetus. We administered atracurium besylate to the fetus via the umbilical vein during 12 intrauterine intravascular transfusions. A dose of 0.2-0.4 mg/kg of estimated fetal weight was administered after needle entry into the umbilical vein. With a dose of 0.2 mg/kg, fetal movement was slowed transiently. Thereafter, 0.4 mg/kg was administered. All recipients were paralyzed for the duration of the procedure. Fetal activity returned 20-130 minutes later.


This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Vibrio spp. in retail seafood in Berlin, Germany. A total of 160 raw seafood samples from supermarkets and seafood shops, consisting of shrimp ( n = 80) and bivalves ( n = 80), were investigated for the presence of Vibrio spp. using the International Organization for Standardization ISO/TS 21872 method and a multiplex PCR. The overall prevalence of Vibrio spp. in retail seafood was 55% (95% CI: 47.2 to 62.8%). The prevalence of Vibrio spp. in shrimp was slightly higher than in bivalves (57.5 versus 52.5%); however, the difference was not statistically significant. Vibrio alginolyticus was the most prevalent species (35.6%), followed by Vibrio parahaemolyticus (27.5%), Vibrio cholerae (6.3%), and Vibrio vulnificus (0.6%). None of the V. parahaemolyticus ( n = 110) isolates encoded tdh/ trh genes, whereas all V. cholerae isolates ( n = 27) were lacking ctxA. Among the chilled samples ( n = 105), the prevalence of Vibrio spp. in unpacked samples was significantly higher than in packed samples ( P = 0.006). Among the packed samples ( n = 55), no significant difference in the prevalence of Vibrio spp. was observed between chilled or frozen products. The results of this study indicated a high prevalence of Vibrio spp. in retail seafood in Germany; positive samples were detected in all types of seafood investigated. The detection of tdh/ trh-negative V. parahaemolyticus isolates should not be neglected because of previous findings on pathogenic strains lacking these virulence markers. Even though thorough cooking might limit the risk of foodborne illness caused by Vibrio, potential cross-contamination during preparation or consumption of raw and undercooked seafood might represent a risk of Vibrio infections.


The continuing micro-miniaturization of components has moved high-powered, microprocessor-based machines from the desktop, to the laptop, to notebook-sized, and now to palmtop computers. These machines are distinguished in their hardware technology, but supporting software has not kept pace: the predominant operating system on such machines is MS-DOS, absent integrated support for distributed computing. With the LITTLE WORK project, I propose to close this gap in the information technology environment. The LITTLE WORK prototype will be a notebook computer well-endowed with memory and local disk. It will run the Mach operating system and an AFS cache manager, operating predominantly in a dataless mode. The network interface will be the serial port, attached to a fixed or cellular phone attached to a high-speed modem. To economize on limited network bandwidth and substantial cellular phone charges, AFS will be engineered to support compressed headers and to operate in a disconnected mode. Other technical challenges abound, such as congestion avoidance and control for AFS, application-level support for network reconfiguration, dynamic IP address assignment, X windows over VGA, operating system support for battery power management, etc . The underlying thesis of the LITTLE WORK project is that mobile computers are capable of supporting the kind of distributed computing environments common in academia and industry. The LITTLE WORK prototype will make a powerful statement in what is achievable today. Furthermore, it positions CITI and its partners to take advantage of further enhancements in computing technology: faster notebook computers, better screens, denser memory and disks, digital cellular communications, etc.


Graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) is most commonly seen as a complication of bone marrow transplantation, although it can occur whenever tissue or blood products are given whereby immunologically competent donor lymphocytes react against host tissues. A 65‐year‐old man with non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma developed a severe widespread erosive eruption of the skin and mucosal surfaces. Clinically and histologically it was identical to cutaneous GVHD even though the patient had never received tissue or blood products. He failed to respond to conventional therapy for GVHD, but his skin improved significantly on treating his underlying lymphoma, which eventually proved fatal. There are two previous reports of GVHD associated with malignancy but we believe this to be the first case secondary to a lymphoma.


The article develops a new experiment to evaluate asphalt mixture's shear stress,by which the law of asphalt mixture's shear stress is evaluated based on different grade and bitumen.They constitute important values for asphalt mixture designing in the future and also have practical merties for our next research.


Introduction: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) can give regression of NSCLCs with mutations of EGFR, HER2 & BRAF and fusion genes for ALK, ROS1 & RET, but resistance develops in most patients. Methods: We reviewed available clinical data for insights on potential approaches to delay resistance. Results: Target absence is a major cause of intrinsic resistance. Most NSCLCs with target undergo at least some regression although the degree varies between patients due to largely unexplored factors. Many mechanisms of acquired resistance have been defined, including outgrowth of subclones with secondary mutations or alternative pathways, and pharmacological effects & sanctuaries. Available data suggest that resistant cells are present in small numbers in the initial tumor but that their growth is suppressed by the more rapidly growing parent tumor cells until this parent population is itself suppressed by TKI initiation. If TKI is stopped due to progression, there can be tumor flare as the initial parent cell population regrows rapidly. Exponential decay nonlinear regression analysis of patient survival curves suggests that TKI discontinuation at time of progression may partially "synchronize" patient deaths. Initial tumor progression may occur in a single site. Available data indicate that focal treatment (eg, radiation) to that site combined with continuation of initial TKI may give optimal control and reduce tumor flare. Of interest, progression may occur in many sites concurrently. Since there are many potential resistance mechanisms one might expect substantial discordance of resistance mechanisms between these sites, but preliminary data with 2nd line agents (eg, anti-T790M agents in EGFR-mutant patients and 2nd generation anti-ALK agents for acquired resistance to crizotinib) indicate response in most sites if any are sensitive, suggesting that all or most sites have a common resistance mechanism. This raises the possibility that an initial resistant site is seeding other distant tumor sites with resistant cells, in keeping with animal data. The probability of a resistant cell being present in an individual tumor deposit is proportional to the total number of tumor cells in that deposit. If 1 area of resistant tumor can seed other tumor areas with resistant cells, then (particularly in oligometastatic disease) we should consider clinical trials exploring: 1) at initiation of TKI therapy treating as many tumor sites as possible (particularly large tumors) with a modality (eg radiation) that is "indifferent" to the factors giving TKI resistance; 2) treating any progressing lesions as early as possible with intensive focal therapy, if feasible, rather than waiting until symptomatic or rather than treating only with low palliative doses. Conclusion: Extrapolation from available data suggests we should explore trials using multifocal radiation at initiation of TKIs for advanced NSCLC and early, intense treatment of areas of isolated progression. Citation Format: David J. Stewart, Paul Wheatley-Price, Rob MacRae, Jason Pantarotto. Implications of resistance patterns with NSCLC targeted agents. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 763. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-763


Abstract There has been a constant interest in Shakespeare in the last twenty years among playwrights, critics, directors and actors. The revival of Shakespeare studies, the multitude of interpretations, theatre productions, research studies of doctoral type have been not just a reconsideration of texts, but also an attempt to modernise them. These findings and many other reflections on Shakespearean theatre and an amazing diversity, on which it had been founded, are the result of the doctoral research done by Antonella Cornici on the Shakespearean soliloquy and its diverse Romanian stage versions appeared in performances between 1990-2015.


Gold nanoparticles have wide range of applications in the field of sensing, imaging, cancer therapy, and other biomedical applications. It is desired to have monodisperse and atomically precise gold nanoparticles to have better control and effective utilization of that nanoparticle. The nanoparticles that are less than 2 nm in size with precise number of atoms and ligands (± 0 atoms) which exhibit unique physical, chemical and optoelectronic properties are called as gold nanomolecules. This thesis presents the synthetic methodology and isolation of various monodisperse atomically precise nanomolecules and their characterization.
UV-vis spectroscopy, Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS), Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-MS), Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV), and Single Crystal - X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) are the commonly used characterization techniques for the analysis of nanomolecules. In this work, UV-vis spectroscopy, ESI-MS and MALDI-MS are the ones extensively used for the characterization.
Thermochemical treatment of nanomolecules is a well-known technique for narrowing down the size distribution of a polydisperse crude mixture to obtain the most stable species. Au133(SPh-tBu)52 an ultra-stable nanomolecule was synthesized using the thermochemical treatment technique via core size conversion. The atomic structure of Au133(SPh-tBu)52 is found using SC-XRD. Theoretical analysis on the stability of Au133(SPh-tBu)52 over Au133(SPh)52 was also performed and concluded that the type of ligand plays a vital role in the formation of nanomolecules of specific sizes.
Au36(SPh-X)24 is one of the widely studied small aromatic thiolate protected nanomolecules, however, there is a need for a straight forward and reproducible synthetic procedure. Hence, a large-scale synthetic protocol for the synthesis of monodisperse Au36 nanomolecule with a yield of ~42% (Au mole basis) was designed and time-consuming separation techniques such as size exclusion chromatography has been eliminated.
Alloying of gold thiolate nanomolecules is an excellent way of tuning the unique properties of the monometallic counterparts. Au36-xAgx(SPh-tBu)24 was synthesized and characterized using UV-vis spectroscopy, ESI-MS and MALDI-MS spectrometry. Theoretical analysis was performed to predict the preferable sites of incorporation of silver atoms into the atomic structure of Au36(SPh-tBu)24 and it is concluded that the outer core sites are the kinetically favored sites for incorporation.


Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic pan-enteric inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. Although treatment of CD of small intestine is at present principally medical, in the majority of cases surgical intervention is unavoidable, essentially to treat complications such as occlusion, intra- and/or extra-abdominal abscess, certain fistulae, intraperitoneal perforation, profuse hemorrhage and neoplastic degeneration. Surgery may also be indicated during acute episodes of corticotherapy resistant CD, and as a valid alternative to only partially effective long term corticoid treatment of an active chronic disease. Experience has shown that surgery should be as conservative as possible, "stricturoplasty" being the treatment of choice for stenotic lesions. Postoperative follow-up conditions have still to be formulated because of the marked variations in manifestations of recurrence of the disease.


In this study, mitotic metaphase chromosomes of Solanum surattense Burm ., Solanum lyratum Thunb. and Solanum photeinocarpum Nakam. were well prepared using an advanced chromosome preparation method. The chromosomes were distinguished by combined PI-DAPI (CPD) staining and double fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with 45S and 5S rDNA probes and their molecular cytogenetic karyotypes were established. Although, the karyotype of S. surattense Burm. and S. photeinocarpum Nakam was first established, the karyotype formulas of the three Solanum plants ( S. surattense Burm., S. lyratum Thunb. and S. photeinocarpum Nakam) can be described as follows: 2n=24=18m +4sm+2st (2SAT), 2n=24=18m +4sm+2st (2SAT) and 2n=24=18m +6sm (2SAT). Moreover, the karyotype asymmetry of the three species belongs to 2A type. After CPD staining, the centromeres of all chromosomes in the three species were shown as red CPD bands, indicating the presence of GC-rich DNA sequences in the chromosomes. Subsequential double FISH shows that S. surattense Burm., S. lyratum Thunb. and S. photeinocarpum Nakam, all have a pair of 45S rDNA sites located on chromosomes, and all of these 45S rDNA sites correspond to the respective prominent CPD banded regions. S. surattense Burm., S. lyratum Thunb. and S. photeinocarpum Nakam correspond to the CPD banded regions at the ends of chromosomes 8, 10 and 12, respectively. The three Solanum plants all have a pair of 5S rDNA sites. In S. surattense Burm., the 5S rDNA sites are located on the long arm of the 6th chromosome pair, while the 5S rDNA sites of S. lyratum Thunb. and S. photeinocarpum Nakam are all located on the short arms of the 4th chromosome pair. Our study shows that the CPD bands and rDNA FISH signals provide effective chromosome markers allowing us to establish accurate molecular cytogenetic karyotypes of the three species tested. Key words: Solanum surattense Burm. Solanum lyratum Thunb., Solanum photeinocarpum Nakam , karyotype, CPD staining, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).


This study was conducted to investigate use of artificial nest boxes of the forest-dwelling birds. The Jusan-reservoir located in Juwangsan-National Park is the main installation area of the 30 artificial nest boxes. In our study, varied tit Parus varius , great tit P. major , and marsh tit P. palustris used the artificial nest boxes at the study area. The used rate of the artificial nest boxes was 46.6% (n=14). There are differences in use among heights of the artificial nest boxes used by three species respectively (One-way ANOVA, F =14.536, p <0.05). According to the direction of the entrance of used artificial nest boxes, the used rate of them showed nonsignificant difference (Chi-square test, χ 2 =5.606, p =0.132), but appeared to be preferred of the south. Our results suggest that use of the artificial nest box can be correlated with heights of artificial nest boxes (Binominal logistic regression, Wald=7.626, df =1. p <0.05). Correlation analysis between minimum temperature and date of egg-laying showed significant differences ( t -test, t = - 2.259, p <0.05).


Background: The primary function of the abundant and highly conserved protein TCTP is not clear. Results: TCTP binds to a conserved central acidic region of eukaryotic elongation factor 1Bα/β/δ. Conclusion: The binding of TCTP to eukaryotic elongation factor 1B is evolutionarily conserved. Significance: The interaction with eEF1B represents a primary function of TCTP. Translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) is an abundant protein that is highly conserved in eukaryotes. However, its primary function is still not clear. Human TCTP interacts with the metazoan-specific eukaryotic elongation factor 1Bδ (eEF1Bδ) and inhibits its guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) activity, but the structural mechanism remains unknown. The interaction between TCTP and eEF1Bδ was investigated by NMR titration, structure determination, paramagnetic relaxation enhancement, site-directed mutagenesis, isothermal titration calorimetry, and HADDOCK docking. We first demonstrated that the catalytic GEF domain of eEF1Bδ is not responsible for binding to TCTP but rather a previously unnoticed central acidic region (CAR) domain in eEF1Bδ. The mutagenesis data and the structural model of the TCTP-eEF1Bδ CAR domain complex revealed the key binding residues. These residues are highly conserved in eukaryotic TCTPs and in eEF1B GEFs, including the eukaryotically conserved eEF1Bα, implying the interaction may be conserved in all eukaryotes. Interactions were confirmed between TCTP and the eEF1Bα CAR domain for human, fission yeast, and unicellular photosynthetic microalgal proteins, suggesting that involvement in protein translation through the conserved interaction with eEF1B represents a primary function of TCTP.


While bronchodilator (BD) reversibility is a feature of asthma, the relative contributions of small and large airways to BD is unclear, and the effect of small-airway heterogeneity on respiratory system impedance, Zrs has not been directly quantified. Furthermore while short-term variability in Zrs has been contentiously ascribed to asthma, how it may relate to airway pathology is unclear. This thesis addresses these questions, and contributes a novel method to remove transient artifacts. I found that while respiratory system resistance Rrs decreased due to BD in both health and asthma, elastance, Ers derived from the reactance (Xrs) decreased only in asthma. Using a multi-branch airway tree model, the large airway response in Rrs to BD was nearly identical in both healthy and asthmatic subjects, while the small airways accounted for nearly all the differences in Rrs and Xrs in asthma, suggesting that Xrs may be a sensitive measure of small-airway function in asthma. When comparing Ers to the frequency dependence of Rrs in graded heterogeneity, I found as expected the frequency dependence of Rrs increased with heterogeneity, but depended largely on the frequency range, while Ers also increased with heterogeneity, but independent of frequency. Thus, Ers may be a more useful measure of small-airway dysfunction and asthma. I also developed an automated technique based on the discrete wavelet transform to eliminate transient artifacts in Zrs which achieved sensitivity and specificity greater than 95%. While Rrs and Xrs responded significantly to bronchonstriction and BD in both health and asthma, variation in Rrs and Xrs were altered only in asthma, but the changes in variation did not exceed the changes in Rrs and Xrs, and variability was not associated with lack of asthma control. Thus, confirming that while variability in Rrs and Xrs may be distinguishing features of asthma, they may not have much more clinical significance than Rrs and Xrs. This thesis has shown that while Rrs, its variability, and the frequency dependence of Rrs, and its responses to agonists are altered in asthma, Ers may be a better distinguishing measure of asthma because it can be mechanistically related to smallairway dysfunction.


Health care students, particularly pharmacy students, are believed to experience a higher level of stress as compared to their age-matched peers. This cross-sectional study determined the sources and predictors of stress among 273 undergraduate pharmacy students at a Malaysian public university using the Derogatis Stress Profile instrument. The response rate was 100%. Pearson's correlation was used to examine the association between Grade Point Average (GPA) and stress levels. Paired and Independent t-tests as well as ANOVAs were used to compare the mean stress scores on various variables.Our findings showed that these students did not demonstrate significantly higher levels of stress than the general population, even though their perceived stress levels were significantly higher (mean=53.55 ± 7.87; p< 0.001). The most frequently reported stress was related to academic matters. Additionally, there was a weak, statistically significant negative correlation between stress level and GPA (r=-0.159, p=0.009) indicating that as stress levels increases, students' GPA decreases. Second year students were found to be the most stressed although stress levels were not statistically different among students across the various academic years. Thus, targeted interventions such as redesigning the curricula may be an effective way of alleviating stress to provide a favourable learning environment for pharmacy students.


ABSTRACTInfonie was launched as a company offering online services in France in October 1995. Aimed at a limited group of affluent and, above all, inexperienced consumers, the new company saw itself as an alternative to the Internet, offering targeted content in French. Subscribers would be provided with a connection to specific services established by Infonie, together with French partners. However, the development of the Internet and in particular the range of services offered by French Internet Service Providers (ISPs) obliged Infonie to rethink its strategy and look increasingly to the Internet, integrating its services with the norms of the latter and acquiring the search engine Lokace, along with shares in Caramail, a specialist site providing free email addresses. The emergence of free service providers from 1999 onwards reinforced this trend and Infonie finally became just another ISP. We analyse this process by examining both the company's communications strategy, in particular its TV advertising...


Respiratory control mechanism of the medullary raphe nuclei were studied with some references to their serotonergic mechanisms. Anesthetized, paralyzed and artificially ventilated cats were used and their phrenic nerve efferent activity was always observed as an indicator of central respiratory activity. Following results were obtained. 1) Electrical stimulation of medullary raphe nuclei, namely, nucleus raphe magnus, obscurus and pallidus, produced dominantly inhibitory responses in the phrenic nerve activity, while raphe stimulation in the pons and more rostral portion did not produce any respiratory responses. The blood pressure was depressed by raphe stimulation, too, almost in parallel to the respiratory inhibition. These inhibitory responses in respiration and blood pressure were partially antagonized by cyproheptadine (0.3-0.5 mg/kg i.v.) and methysergide (0.3-0.5 mg/kg i.v.). 2) Raphe stimulation inhibited remarkably activities of the medullary inspiratory and expiratory neurons, similarly. 3) In the experiment, where single shot stimulus was added to the raphe nuclei at the various time point in the respiratory phase, raphe stimulation showed the retardative effect of inspiratory switching, in addition to the inhibitory effect of phrenic burst activity. 4) The mechanism of respiratory inhibition produced by raphe stimulation was analyzed by evoked potentials in the averaged phrenic nerve activity. The post-stimulus averaged potentials of the phrenic nerve consist of the depolarizing potentials of about 10 msec duration and the subsequent hyperpolarizing potentials of several 10 msec duration, the duration time depending on the stimulus intensity. When stimulation was given in high frequency, the post-stimulus averaged potential became flattened, and the phrenic burst activity was inhibited almost completely. But in the case of stimulation in ventral parts of the raphe nuclei, the initial depolarizing potential was comparatively more prominent, and when high frequency stimulation was given, continuous firing was observed in the phrenic nerve activity. At the time of the continuous firing, respiratory rhythmicity was disappeared completely. 5) Propranolol (0.3-1.0 mg/kg i.v.), which have been recognized to have 5-HT1 antagonistic activity, reduced the hyperpolarizing potentials of the post-stimulus averaged potentials, and methysergide (0.3-1.0 mg/kg i.v.), 5-HT1 and 5-HT2 antagonist, reduced both depolarizing and hyperpolarizing potentials. These phenomena would suggest strongly that hyperpolarizing and depolarizing potentials are related to the 5-HT1 and 5-HT2 receptors, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


In California, the whitefly-transmitted yellowing viruses, cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV) and cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus (CCYV), both genus Crinivirus, fam. Closteroviridae, have been limited to the Sonoran Desert production regions of Imperial and Riverside counties since their emergence in 2006 and 2014, respectively (Kuo et al., 2007; Wintermantel et al., 2009, 2019) where losses to these viruses have nearly eliminated fall melon production. CYSDV and CCYV have never been identified in the Central Valley, but the aphid-transmitted cucurbit aphid-borne yellows virus (CABYV; genus Polerovirus, fam. Luteoviridae) which produces symptoms nearly identical to those induced by CYSDV and CCYV (Lemaire et al. 1993) is common. As part of a larger study to monitor for whitefly-transmitted yellowing viruses in the southwestern United States, melon leaves exhibiting foliar mottling and interveinal chlorosis beginning near the crown and spreading outward along vines (e-Xtra 1), typical of symptoms caused by yellowing viruses, were collected from 106 melon plants in four commercial fields and a research plot in Fresno County, California, during October 2020. Whiteflies (B. tabaci) were present in all fields and confirmed as MEAM1 (biotype B) by PCR. Total RNA and DNA were extracted separately from the same leaf from each plant to determine the presence of RNA and DNA viruses. Total RNA was extracted as described in Tamang et al. (2021), and was used in RT-PCR with primer sets designed to amplify a 277 nt portion of the CABYV RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene (CABYV RdRp-F - 5' AAGAGCGGCAGCTACAATAC 3', CABYV RdRp-R - 5' TGCCACATTCCGGTTCATAG 3'), and portions of the CCYV and CYSDV RdRp genes encoded on RNA1 of the latter two viruses (Kavalappara et al., 2021). In addition, each CYSDV and CCYV infection was confirmed using a second set of primers that amplified 394 and 372 nt portions of the coat protein gene of each virus, respectively, encoded on RNA2 (Wintermantel et al., 2009; 2019). The 953 nt CCYV RdRp and 394 nt CYSDV CP amplicons were sequenced and found to share greater than 98% sequence identity to CCYV RNA1 (Accession No. MH477611.1) and CYSDV RNA2 (Accession No. LT992901.1), respectively. The CABYV infections were secondarily confirmed using a second set of primers designed to the CP gene (Kassem et al. 2007). Furthermore, four RNA samples from two separate fields that previously tested positive for CYSDV and CABYV and the only CCYV infection were confirmed using a recently developed multiplex RT-qPCR method (Mondal et al. 2021, submitted). Total DNA was extracted using methods described in Mondal et al. (2016) and was used in PCR to test for the presence of the whitefly-transmitted begomovirus, cucurbit leaf crumple virus (CuLCrV) which also occurs in the Sonoran Desert melon production region (Hagen et al, 2008), and is capable of inducing yellowing and leaf curl symptoms in melon. CABYV was by far the most prevalent virus, infecting 34/106 plants tested (32%) among the five fields. Four plants from three fields were infected singly with CYSDV (4%), and three more CYSDV infected plants from two fields were co-infected with CABYV (3%). Only one plant was found to be infected with CCYV as a single virus infection (1%). No triple infections nor any CuLCrV were detected in any of the plants sampled. This is the first report of CYSDV and CCYV in the Central Valley of California. In this survey, although CABYV was the predominant yellowing virus infecting melons in the Central Valley (32%), detection of CYSDV in fields distant from one another and the presence of CCYV even in a single field warrant more extensive monitoring of cucurbit crops and known alternate hosts of these viruses in the Central Valley.


Introduction: Nail psoriasis (NP) disproportionally affects quality of life in females versus males. Demographics of NP research cohorts are not well characterized. In this systematic review, we characterize the representation of racial/ethnic groups and women in NP randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Methods: A systematic search of MEDLINE was performed; RCTs of NP pharmacologic treatments or cutaneous psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis with the number of NP patients described were included. Results: Overall, 45 RCTs were analyzed, with 91.1% reporting sex, and 67.9% of participants were men. 7/41 (17%) studies reporting sex included ≥45% female participants. Of 45 RCTs, 35.6% reported race and/or ethnicity. Of the 22 studies with ≥1 US-based site, 13 (59%) reported race/ethnicity; 3 out of 23 (13%) studies with <1 US-based site reported these data. Enrollment of nonwhite participants was significantly lower than representation within the US census (13.4% vs. 39.9%; p < 0.001). Treatment type, route of administration, location with ≥1 US-based site, funding, and journal type were significantly associated with race/ethnicity reporting (p < 0.05 all comparisons). Discussion/Conclusion: Reporting of racial/ethnic demographics is lacking in NP RCTs. Women and racial/ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in NP research. There is a need for increased reporting and diversification of NP clinical trial participants.


Heart disease is a deadly disease that large population of people around the world suffers from. When considering death rates and large number of people who suffers from heart disease, it is revealed how important early diagnosis of heart disease. Traditional way of diagnosis is not sufficient for such an illness. Developing a medical diagnosis system based on machine learning for prediction of heart disease provides more accurate diagnosis than traditional way. In this paper, a heart disease prediction system which uses artificial neural network backpropagation algorithm is proposed. 13 clinical features were used as input for the neural network and then the neural network was trained with backpropagation algorithm to predict absence or presence of heart disease with accuracy of 95%.


Bamboo-bundle laminated veneer lumber (BLVL) was produced by veneer lengthening technology. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different veneer-joint forms and allocations on the mechanical properties of BLVL. Four veneer-joint forms, i.e., butt joint, lap joint, toe joint, and tape joint, and three lap-joint allocations, i.e., invariable allocation (Type I), staggered allocation (Type II), and uniform allocation (Type III), were investigated in laminates. The results revealed that the mechanical properties of veneer-joint BLVL were reduced in comparison with that of un-jointed BLVL. It was found that the best veneer-joint form was the lap joint laminate, of which the tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and modulus of rupture values were reduced by 38.41%, 0.66%, and 10.92%, respectively, when compared to the un-jointed control samples. Type III showed the lowest influence on bending and tensile properties, followed by Type II.


The forced response of structures with complex geometry and intermittent contacts is nonlinear due to contact breathing phenomena that occur during vibration. Therefore, calculation times to predict such responses can be extremely long especially because highly refined finite element models are necessary to properly model geometrically complicated structures. To alleviate this issue, reduced order models can be very beneficial as they can dramatically speed up the analysis process by reducing the size of the system and thus the calculation times. In this paper, a reduced order modeling method for the forced response of structures with intermittent contacts is developed. The proposed approach assumes that the dynamics of the nonlinear system in the frequency range of interest is spatially correlated. The spatial correlation can be dominated by normal modes of the open (or sliding) linear system. Nonetheless, the boundary conditions of a vibrating structure with intermittent frictionless contacts vary in time (i.e. at any time t the contacts are partly open and closed), and the actual extent of the contact area changes over time. Here, this observation is complemented by the assumption that, given the frequency range of the harmonic excitation force, the system dynamics is dominated by one of the modes of either the open or the sliding system, and thus the time evolution of the contact area can be estimated by knowing (a) the normal penetration at the contact node pairs at rest due to pre-stress, and (b) the vector of normal relative displacements at the contact nodes of that dominant mode. As a result, a set of normal modes – referred to as piecewise linear modes – is computed, by imposing special boundary conditions at the nodes lying on the contact surfaces, and a reduction basis is selected and used to reduce the size of the model of the system. Two numerical test cases, specifically a cracked plate and two coaxial cylinders are used for validation. Results show that the proposed method allows to accurately compute the nonlinear forced response of structures with intermittent contacts both in case of zero gap and in case of initial pre-stress at the contacts.


We present first measurements of the pseudorapidity and azimuth (?, ) bin-size dependence of event-wise mean transverse-momentum pt fluctuations for Au?Au collisions at GeV. We invert that dependence to obtain pt autocorrelations on differences (??, ?) interpreted to represent velocity/temperature distributions on (?, ). The general form of the autocorrelations suggests that the basic correlation mechanism is parton fragmentation. The autocorrelations vary rapidly with collision centrality, which suggests that fragmentation is strongly modified by a dissipative medium in the more central Au?Au collisions relative to peripheral or p?p collisions.


The current pandemic of Severe Acute Syndrome (SAR-CoV-2) is a public health problem with implications for mental health. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of suicide risk and its association with fatalism and emotional regulation during SARS-CoV-2 in Colombia's adult population. A cross-sectional study was designed, an online format was used, which evaluated sociodemographic variables, CES-D-SI, the Fatalism Questionnaire against COVID-19, and the Emotional Regulation Scale. 435 Colombian adults participated, aged between 18 and 79 years. A prevalence of suicide risk was found in 5.3%, and it was associated with the interaction between living in rural area and less education (OR = 5.60, 95%CI 1.28-24.53), emotional dysregulation (OR = 3.54, 95%CI 1.77-7.09), and fatalistic beliefs (OR = 3.09, 95%CI 1.53-6.27). 5.3% of the population presented an elevated suicide risk. It was associated with less education, rural areas, fatalistic beliefs, and emotional dysregulation in the Colombian population during mandatory confinement due to SAR-CoV-2.


The study was concerned with benzo(a)pyrene (BP) mutagenicity tests involving induction of direct genetic mutations in hypoxanthin-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) loci in Chinese hamster cells V-79. Tests were carried out under the conditions of metabolic activation by mouse liver microsome enzymes. Micronuclei in polychromophilic erythrocytes of mouse bone marrow were counted. The number of genetic mutations induced by a mean toxic dose (TD50) of BP was 10 times the level of spontaneous mutations in cultured cells. Micronuclei in mouse polychromophilic erythrocytes were twice the number in controls following BP treatment in a dose amounting to one-third of the least lethal doses reported so far. In vitro and in vivo evaluation of BP mutagenicity was carried out in V-79/HGPRT system after Wood et al (1976).


Transformer is one of the vital components in electrical network which play important role in the power system. The continuous performance of transformers is necessary for retaining the network reliability, forecasting its costs for manufacturer and industrial companies. The major amounts of transformer costs are related to its no-load loss, so the cost estimation processes of transformers are based on reduction of no-load loss. This paper presents a new method for classification of transformer no-load losses. It is shown that ANNs are very suitable for this application since they present classification success rates between 78% and 96% for all the situations examined. The method is based on Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network (MPNN) with sigmoid transfer function. The Levenberg-Marquard (LM) algorithm is used to adjust the parameters of MPNN. The required training data are obtained from transformer company.


This study explored the growth experiences of women abused by their intimate partner, specifically focusing on the associations between social services and empowerment, perceived changes of self, and life satisfaction. The potential effects of demographic variables, social support, coping, and experience of partner abuse were also explored. A survey study was conducted through the collaboration of social workers in the Centers of Prevention and Intervention for Domestic Violence and private sectors in Taiwan. Through contact by their social workers, 191 participants completed the questionnaires. The results revealed that the participants had growth mainly in their psychological and interpersonal domains. The independent variables in the regression model explained 45.3% (adjusted) variance in perceived changes of self. In addition to empowerment and negative impact of violence, intensity of contact and professional relationship were two important service variables that directly and significantly correlated with perceived changes of self. A significant amount of variance (adjusted R2 = .556) in life satisfaction could be explained by the independent variables. Social support and empowerment directly correlated with life satisfaction. The findings also supported the mediation effect of empowerment. Seven variables (e.g., social support, coping method, and professional relationship) indirectly associated with perceived changes of self and life satisfaction through empowerment.


In case of emergency, we need to grasp the situation and make correct assessment quickly. The video data taken from monitoring cameras are important information in the emergent situation. In our research, we built a support system for identifying video data of monitoring cameras. The system collects video data from the net-cameras through the Internet and deals with them as spatiotemporal data. To search video data, we proposed an intuitive search method for users. In the method, we assume a virtual wall in the city. This method allows users to search for the video data, which is recorded during a period, and records a virtual wall in a certain direction. The users set the above search-key on the map, and it will be transformed to the search-key for the spatiotemporal access structure to proceed the search. When the system shows the search result, the video data, which is easy to understand the whole scene, will be displayed first. As the horizontal direction of the screen corresponds to the virtual wall's direction in the real world, the user can narrow down the search result in the horizontal direction of the screen. We built a prototype in Java, Javaservlet and C++.


The new milliped genus Gonoessa (Xystodesmidae: Rhysodesmini) is proposed for 5 new species--clavata, aciculata, cingulata, dentata, and furcata--in the Coastal Plain of Alabama. It is characterized by a variably elongate prefemoral process, which may also be absent, and a long, slender telopodite, which overlaps 2 pregonopodal segments. Specific differences involve the distal configuration of the acropodite and the length of the prefemoral process if present. Like Caralinda, Gonoessa appears to be cold adapted and most abundant in winter and early spring. Phylogenetic affinity is with Parvulodesmus in South Carolina, and Gonoessa seems divisible into 2 lineages based on the presence or absence of the prefemoral process.


The rational design of molecules and materials is becoming more and more important. With the advent of powerful computer systems and sophisticated algorithms, quantum chemistry plays a decisive role in the design process. While traditional quantum chemical approaches predict the properties of a predefined molecular structure, the goal of inverse quantum chemistry is to find a structure featuring one or more desired properties. Herein, we review inverse quantum chemical approaches proposed so far and discuss their advantages as well as their weaknesses. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The muscular reactions of the mammalian ventricles to localized artificial stimuli have not been studied with the degree of precision that the subject merits. This is due partly to the fact that, until recently, we have possessed no graphic appliances capable of recording the ventricular contractions in an accurate manner. The details of the premature contraction curve, the latent period, the extent of the refractory phase, the physiological conditions affecting it, the factors determining effectiveness or ineffectiveness of premature beats, etc., can be accurately analyzed only when a contraction curve is recorded on which the beginning and end of systole are clearly indicated and on which the separate phases of systole and diastole are clearly demarcated as well. Such a record is supplied by the optically recorded intraventricular pressure curve supplemented for special purposes by similar pressure curves from the auricle and aorta (Wiggers, 1921). Experimental procedures. The heart was exposed in dogs under morphine and chloretone anesthesia and after the institution of art.ificial respiration. Whenever possible, the pericardium was left intact and small slits were made for the insertion of the optical manometer and the application of electrodes. One optical manometer was inserted into the left ventricle and another was introduced into the aorta so that the cannula was placed just outside of the semilunar valves. For special purposes, the experiments were varied by recording the second pressure curve from the other ventricle or from the left auricle. The theory, construction and application of these instruments as well as the nature of the optical curves recorded and the criteria that they contain for determining the consecutive phases of the heart cycle have been previously described (Wiggers, 1914, 1921 a, b, 1924). A reasonable familiarity with these communications is essential in order to follow the data and conclusions presented in this paper. Induction shocks were applied to the left ventricle by means of two small hook-electrodes, well insulated except for their ends. These were


The objective of the study is to evaluate the natural history of the medial epicondyle avulsion in children with nonoperative treatment (NOPT) on different magnitude of displacement and long-term follow-up. A prospective study of 34 patients with medial epicondyle avulsion with (NOPT) was performed. Clinical test (stability, strength, atrophy, tenderness, Tinel test, and range of motion), subjective scores [Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Likert scale, side-to-side valgus test], and objective four scores were performed. Age at the time of injury was 8.9 ± 2.81 years. Follow-up was 7 ± 2.81 years. Four of the patients had anterior displacement. Displacement varied between 3 and 26 mm (10.49 ± 6.16 mm). Subjective: VAS and ordinal three-point Likert scale were excellent. Objective results were also excellent Mayo Elbow Score: 98.67 ± 4.31 (85-100), Oxford Elbow Score: 59.35 ± 1.68 (51-100), Elbow Assessment Score System: 96.27 ± 9.77 (57-100), Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score 0.64 ± 1.001 (0-4.16). We did not find any differences in strength or forearm diameter. There was an extension deficit in seven cases with a significant association with the magnitude of displacement (P = 0.02) and with the presence of concomitant lesions or anterior displacement of the medial epicondyle >5 mm. All except one were stable clinically on valgus stress. There is a significant association between the objective outcomes (scores) and concomitant lesions but not with regards to the DASH score P = 0.102). There is no association between the magnitude of medial epicondyle displacement or the follow-up and the objective outcomes. Instability was associated with valgus stress activities. There is no association between the magnitude of displacement of the medial epicondyle or the follow-up and the objective outcomes. NOPT produces excellent subjective and objective outcomes that worsened when there were associated lesions, anterior medial epicondyle displacement, or in patients who performed activities with repeated valgus stress. Based on our study, NOPT is suitable except for Open Reduction Internal Fixation indications: absolute indications, high energy injury with associated lesions, medial humeral epicondyle fracture in the dominant elbow in patients subject to activities with chronic valgus stress, and anterior displacement.


The authors reviewed cases investigated by the Palm Beach Medical Examiner's Office in which postmortem toxicologic studies indicated the presence of methadone over the period from 1998 to 2002, to examine the role of the drug in these deaths. There were 139 methadone-positive cases, including 75 in which the death was attributed to combined drug toxicity and 23 to methadone toxicity alone. Methadone was most frequently used in conjunction with other prescription or illicit drugs, most commonly benzodiazepines and/or cocaine. There was considerable overlap in the postmortem blood methadone concentrations among the groups. Concentrations ranged from 0.114 mg/L-1.939 mg/L (mean .0559 mg/L) in cases where death was attributed to methadone toxicity; 0.050 mg/L-1.903 mg/L (mean 0.411 mg/L) in cases of combined drug toxicity; 0.069 mg/L-0.644 mg/L (mean 0.224 mg/L) in deaths attributed to other drugs; 0.062 mg/L-1.090 mg/L (mean 0.344 mg/L) among deaths attributed to natural causes and 0.072 mg/L-2.7 mg/L (mean 0.605 mg/L) among deaths due to trauma. The concentrations of methadone detected indicate that it may not be possible to establish a lethal methadone range because some deaths occurred at methadone concentrations below previously reported lethal ranges, and because of the presence of other drugs. Determining the cause of death in methadone-positive cases necessitates correlation with autopsy results and investigative findings.


Objective. We evaluated the T-SPOT.TB assay to identify latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in patients with rheumatic disease receiving immunosuppressive medication including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists. Methods. A total of 200 patients seen in the Arthritis Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital were enrolled for study. Most patients were US-born women with rheumatoid arthritis. A medical history was obtained using a questionnaire, whole blood was drawn for the T-SPOT.TB assay, and tuberculin skin testing (TST) was performed. Results. Both tests were performed on 179 subjects, who had no history of a positive TST. All subjects had a strong response to the T-SPOT.TB test positive control, and there were no indeterminate results. Among these 179 subjects, 2 had a positive TST and 10 had a positive T-SPOT.TB test. No subject was positive for both tests. Patients with a positive T-SPOT.TB test did not have typical risk factors for LTBI based on clinical evaluation. Conclusion. The lack of concordance between the TST and the T-SPOT.TB assay may indicate that the immunoassay is more sensitive, particularly in a patient population taking immunosuppressive medications. It is equally likely that the low prevalence of LTBI in this low-risk population led to an increase in the false-positive rate despite the high sensitivity and specificity of the T-SPOT.TB assay. In the context of our patient population, the T-SPOT.TB assay is likely to be most useful in evaluation of patients with a positive TST, since these patients have a higher pretest probability of having LTBI.


Five patients with renal insufficiency were studied with T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging before and after intravenous administration of gadopentetate dimeglumine (0.1 mmol/kg) to characterize renal lesions that were detected with nonenhanced computed tomography (CT) and were considered indeterminate. Four patients demonstrated renal lesions that enhanced after gadolinium administration. A total of five lesions in these four patients were surgically resected and found to be renal cell carcinoma at pathologic examination. The fifth patient was spared surgery because a hyperattenuated lesion noted at nonenhanced CT did not enhance with intravenous gadolinium, indicating a benign cyst. Five incidentally occurring benign cysts removed at the time of nephrectomy in two of the patients did not demonstrate enhancement with gadolinium on MR images. Serial serum creatine levels were obtained before and after gadolinium administration in all patients; no changes were noted after gadolinium administration. Gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging is an effective method for characterizing renal lesions in patients with renal insufficiency. At the usual dosage, there appears to be no nephrotoxic reaction in these patients.


Purpose
This paper aims to investigate how apparel product presentation influences consumer decision-making and whether there are any differences between age groups.

Design/methodology/approach
A mixed methodology was used including eye-tracking and qualitative in-depth interviews, with a purposive sample of 50 participants between age 20 and 70.

Findings
A higher number of product presentation features resulted in increased positive visual, cognitive and affective responses as consumers wanted as much visual information as possible to aid decision-making. Images of models attracted the most attention and were the most influential product presentation feature, followed by mannequin images and the zoom function. The 20 s spent much less time viewing and interacting with the product presentation features than middle age groups (30 s-50 s), had minimal fixations on mannequin images and had a much quicker decision-making process than other age groups.

Practical implications
The research informs retailers which product presentation features are the most effective for their target market to aid consumer decision-making with the aim of reducing returns.

Originality/value
The paper contributes to the literature by providing more in-depth insights than previous studies into the impact of online product presentation on consumer decision-making by using qualitative research and eye-tracking. The research also explores more product presentation features than previous research and investigates the presentation of apparel products, which are notoriously the most difficult products for consumers to assess online. The research is unique in its exploration of age differences in relation to product presentation features.


In 1995, the University of Arizona installed and publicized new policies to provide better alcohol control during its annual homecoming event. Systematic observation at pregame tents revealed that, compared to 1994, these policies led to a lower percentage of tents selling alcohol, elimination of beer kegs, greater availability of food and nonalcoholic beverages, the presence of hired bartenders to serve alcohol, and systems for identification checks. These changes were still in evidence through 1998. In 1995, campus police also saw a downward shift in the number of neighborhood calls for complaints related to homecoming activities, which was maintained through 1998. Statistics on law enforcement actions were inconsistent. There was a sharp drop in 1995, but 1996 and 1998 saw enforcement levels similar to what was seen prior to the new policies. This case study underscores the importance of environmental management strategies for campus-based alcohol and other drug prevention.


Self‐detection of suspicious pigmented skin lesion combined with rapid referral to dermatologic centres is the key strategy in the fight against melanoma. The investigation of factors associated with pattern of detection of melanoma (self‐ vs. nonself‐detection) may be useful to refine educational strategies for the future. We investigated the frequency of melanoma self‐detection in a Mediterranean population at intermediate melanoma risk. A multicentric survey identified 816 consecutive cases of cutaneous melanoma in the period January to December 2001 in 11 Italian clinical centres belonging to the Italian Multidisciplinary Group on Melanoma. All patients filled a standardized questionnaire and were clinically examined by expert dermatologists. Self‐detected melanomas were 40.6%, while the remaining lesions were detected by a dermatologist (18.5%), the family physician (15.2%), other specialists (5%), the spouse (12.5%), a friend or someone else (8.2%). Variables associated with self‐detected melanomas were female sex, young age, absence of atypical nevi, knowledge of the ABCD rule, habit of performing skin self‐examination. Self‐detected melanomas did not differ from nonself‐detected tumours in term of lesion thickness; however, patients with self‐detected melanomas waited a longer period before having a diagnostic confirmation (patient's delay) (> 3 months: odds ratio, 3.89; 95% confidence interval, 2.74–5.53). In order to reduce the patients' delays, educational messages should adequately stress the need for a prompt referral to a physician once a suspicious pigmented lesion is self‐detected.