Background: Mucositis is a significant burden for cancer treatment patients. Due to suboptimal interventions mucositis remains an insurmountable challenge for oncologists forcing dose reductions, treatment postponement or cancellation all of which directly impact clinical outcomes and survival. New mucositis intervention with no clinical guideline status: Polymerized cross-linked sucralfate (PCLS) paste recently cleared by the US FDA for the management of oral mucositis. Mucositis registry data has been repeatedly associated PCLS with rapid reversal and complete prevention of oral mucositis. However the level evidence used are observational data from a mucositis registry. Evidence from randomized clinical trials is the goal standard of efficacy for inventions, except those interventions wherein the magnitude of clinical effect are dramatic, that is beyond 10 times that expected by placebo. In such circumstances efficacy of such interventions can be statistical assured with from non-randomized observational study, not level evidence commonly ranked high. Discussion: Observational data on interventions with dramatic clinical effects (10 times that of placebo) should be included as a superior level of evidence appropriate for guideline recommendations of the Multinational Association of Support in Cancer Care/International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ ISOO). This call for revision in the categories of evidence by the MASCC/ISOO could compel discussion and possible recommendation for the use of PCLS in the management of oral mucositis. In turn, such a recommendation may possibly impact cancer treatment outcomes in patients with mucositis. Conclusion: This article probes the pros and cons of this point decidedly in favor of establishing a Level IA evidence category for mucositis interventions. Repeated demonstrations of rapid, complete and simultaneous reversal of oral and alimentary mucositis within two to three days in 25 cancer treatment patient has prompted this suggestion.


In this paper, we apply a context-sensitive technique for multimodal emotion recognition based on feature-level fusion of acoustic and visual cues. We use bidirectional Long ShortTerm Memory (BLSTM) networks which, unlike most other emotion recognition approaches, exploit long-range contextual information for modeling the evolution of emotion within a conversation. We focus on recognizing dimensional emotional labels, which enables us to classify both prototypical and nonprototypical emotional expressions contained in a large audiovisual database. Subject-independent experiments on various classification tasks reveal that the BLSTM network approach generally prevails over standard classification techniques such as Hidden Markov Models or Support Vector Machines, and achieves F1-measures of the order of 72 %, 65 %, and 55 % for the discrimination of three clusters in emotional space and the distinction between three levels of valence and activation, respectively.


Underutilization of licensed spectrum stimulates the opportunistic spectrum access (OSA) paradigm that aims to enable unlicensed users to detect and access the temporarily unused spectrum bands so as to enhance overall spectrum utilization. However, the realization of these paradigms entails several difficulties such as self-organization of unlicensed users, self-regulation of communication parameters, and self-adaptation to time-varying radio environment. In nature, biological systems intrinsically have these great abilities that can be modeled and adopted to overcome the difficulties posed by opportunistic spectrum access. In this paper, a new Immune system-inspired Evolutionary Opportunistic Spectrum Access (ESA) protocol is introduced. Based on the self-nonself detection and clonal selection principles in immune system, ESA allows unlicensed users to separately detect, share, and access the available spectrum bands without interfering the licensed users. The overall ESA operations do not need for any priori information about the access statistics of licensed users and also do not need for any coordination and message exchanges among the network nodes. In addition, unlike the existing works, ESA does not require any dedicated control channel in the entire network. Furthermore, ESA also exploits the contention among the nodes and their mobility, if exists, towards accelerating the evolution in the system, and hence, yielding higher overall spectrum utilization. Performance evaluation results show that ESA achieves high throughput under various network conditions.


Future embedded and wireless devices will be increasingly powerful supporting many applications including one of the most crucial, security. Although many wireless and embedded devices offer more resistance to bus probing attacks due to their compact size, susceptibility to power/electromagnetic attacks must be analyzed. This paper presents optimized synthesis of new low energy masking countermeasures into cryptographic software. In particular a model for key masking with the objective of minimizing energy overhead is presented. Experimental results using real power measurements are shown to support up to 2.5 energy overhead savings and improved security compared to previous research. With the emergence of security applications in PDAs, cell phones, line card accelerators, etc, optimizing low energy countermeasures for resistance to power/ electromagnetic attacks is crucial for supporting future secure embedded devices.


The implications of the digitization process among a bevy of trends are definitely many and memorable. One is the abnormal growth in data generation, gathering, and storage due to a steady increase in the number of data sources, structures, scopes, sizes, and speeds. In this chapter, the author shows some of the impactful developments brewing in the IT space, how the tremendous amount of data getting produced and processed all over the world impacts the IT and business domains, how next-generation IT infrastructures are accordingly getting refactored, remedied, and readied for the impending big datainduced challenges, how likely the move of the big data analytics discipline towards fulfilling the digital universe requirements of extracting and extrapolating actionable insights for the knowledge-parched is, and finally, the establishment and sustenance of the dreamt smarter planet.


Insulin, the well-known hypoglycemic hormone, mimics progesterone in promoting the resumption of meiosis within the oocyte of Xenopus laevis. Both hormones exert their action through the inhibition of protein kinases and the activation of protein phosphatases. Because glycogen synthase is an enzyme regulated by a kinases/phosphatases cascade, we investigated the effect of insulin and progesterone on the regulation of glycogen synthesis and glycogen synthase throughout the oogenesis of Xenopus laevis oocytes. In this framework the maximal activity of synthase "a" is concomitant with the vitellogenic period characterized by a drastic increase in the amount of glycogen. Oocyte glycogen synthase is inhibited by cAMP-dependent phosphorylation and stimulated by 20 mM Mg2+. The magnesium effect is inhibited by mu molar concentrations of okadaic acid and suggests that oocyte glycogen synthase is activated by dephosphorylation achieved by protein phosphatase-1. The okadaic acid effect is itself thwarted by the specific inhibitor of protein kinase A, confirming the role of this kinase in the regulation of glycogen synthase. Finally, working on intact ripe oocytes, we showed that insulin but not progesterone increases glycogen synthesis and glycogen synthase "a" activity and lowers the rates of phosphorylation, especially in the glycogen-bound proteins.


Objective: To evaluate the characteristics of physical exercise programs for older adults and their effects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An integrative review was conducted between January and March 2022. A search was conducted in MEDLINE via PubMed, Lilacs via BVS, PEDro, and Cochrane Library. Experimental articles (randomized clinical trials, non-randomized trials, or quasi-experimental studies) published from 2019 to 2021, with no language restriction, and that used physical exercise programs for older adults (> 60 years) in their intervention were included. The studies were selected by reading the title, abstract, and full text. The selected articles had their results extracted using an online form, tabulated using an electronic spreadsheet, and analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Results: 113 studies were identified; 7 met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review, all randomized controlled trials. The multi-component exercise programs were more frequent (resistance, balance, flexibility, and aerobic), delivered remotely and performed 2 to 7 times a week, lasting between 30 and 50 minutes. Significant effects were observed on physical function, body composition, blood triglycerides, the incidence of falls, physical activity, and functional capacity. Conclusions: The physical exercise programs used during the COVID-19 pandemic showed promising results for older adults. The programs proved to be a viable alternative for maintaining the physical, mental, and cognitive functions of older adults in times of public calamity.


Aim: The quantitative aspects of radiation doses to critical organs can help the dental professionals to take the necessary radiation protective measures as deemed necessary and can help the general public to allay radiation exposure fear in dental radiography, if any. Our study determines the surface radiation dose to thyroid and gonads in full-mouth intraoral periapical (IOPA) and maxillary occlusal radiography. Materials and Methods: A total number of 120 subjects participated in the study. The surface radiation dose was estimated to the thyroid gland and the gonads in full-mouth IOPA radiography using 10 IOPA (E speed films) and in maxillary occlusal radiography. The measurements were calculated using a digital pocket dosimeter (PD-4507). Results: The average dose at the thyroid gland level during full-mouth intraoral and maxillary occlusal radiography was estimated to be 10.93 mRads (1.093 × 10-2 mGy) and 0.4 mRads (4.0 × 10-2 mGy), respectively. The average surface radiation dose at the gonadal region during a full mouth intraoral and maxillary occlusal radiography was estimated to be 1.5 mRads (1.5 × 10-2 mGy) and 0.15 mRads (1.5 × 10-3 mGy), respectively. Conclusion: Our results suggest that although the radiation exposure doses to critical organs namely thyroid and gonads is within the safe limits still precautionary measures for these organs are advocated.


The alarming increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics has demanded new strategies for microbial inactivation, which includes photodynamic therapy (PDT) whose activity relies on the photoreaction damage to the microorganism membrane. Herein, the binding mechanisms of the photosensitizer toluidine blue-O (TBO) on simplified models of bacterial membrane with Langmuir monolayers of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3- phosphoethanolamine (DOPE) and 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'-rac-glycerol) (DOPG) were correlated to the effects of the photoinduced lipid oxidation. Langmuir monolayers of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) were also used as a reference of mammalian membranes. The surface pressure isotherms combined with polarization-modulated infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) revealed that TBO expands DOPC, DOPE and DOPG monolayers owing to electrostatic interactions with the negatively charged groups in the phospholipids, with stronger adsorption on DOPG which has a net surface charge. Light irradiation made the TBO- containing DOPC and DOPE monolayers less unstable as a result of the singlet oxygen (1O2) reaction with the chain unsaturation and hydroperoxide formation. In contrast, the decreased stability for irradiated TBO-containing DOPG monolayer suggests the cleavage of carbon chains. The anionic nature of DOPG allowed deeper penetration of TBO into the chain region, favoring contact-dependent reactions between the excited triplet state of TBO and lipid unsaturations or/and hydroperoxide groups, which is key for the cleavage reactions and further membrane permeabilization.


Background Females with cardiovascular disease seem more vulnerable to develop concomitant mental problems, such as depression and cognitive decline. Although exercise is shown beneficial in cardiovascular disease as well as in mental functions, these patients may be incapable or unmotivated to perform exercise. Whole body vibration (WBV) could provide a passive alternative to exercise. Aim of the present study was to compare WBV to exercise after isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial damage in female rats, regarding effects on heart, brain and behavior. Methods One week after ISO (70 mg/kg s.c., on 2 consecutive days) or saline injections, 12 months old female rats were assigned to WBV (10 minutes daily), treadmill running (30 minutes daily) or pseudo intervention for 5 weeks. During the last 10 days, behavioral tests were performed regarding depressive-like behavior, cognitive function, and motor performance. Rats were sacrificed, brains and hearts were dissected for (immuno)histochemistry. Results Significant ISO-induced cardiac collagen deposition (0.67 ± 0.10 vs 0.18 ± 0.03%) was absent after running (0.45 ± 0.26 vs 0.46 ± 0.08%), but not after WBV (0.83 ± 0.12 vs 0.41 ± 0.05%). However, WBV as well as running significantly reduced hippocampal (CA3) collagen content in ISO-treated rats. Significant regional differences in hippocampal microglia activity and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression were observed. Significant ISO-induced CA1 microglia activation was reduced after WBV as well as running, while opposite effects were observed in the CA3; significant reduction after ISO that was restored by WBV and running. Both WBV and running reversed the ISO-induced increased BDNF expression in the CA1, Dentate gyrus and Hilus, but not in the CA3 area. Whereas running had no significant effect on behavior in the ISO-treated rats, WBV may be associated with short-term spatial memory in the novel location recognition test. Conclusion Although the female rats did not show the anticipated depressive-like behavior or cognitive decline after ISO, our data indicated regional effects on neuroinflammation and BDNF expression in the hippocampus, that were merely normalized by both WBV and exercise. Therefore, apart from the potential concern about the lack of cardiac collagen reduction, WBV may provide a relevant alternative for physical exercise.


lH Spin-Lattice Relaxationtime Measurements on Alcohols *H spin-lattice relaxationtimes Ti have been measured on alcohols, ethers, acetylacetone and cyclohexandione-1,3, solved in CCI4 and pure. The relaxationtime T\ increases characteristically with decreasing chain length, molecular size and viscosity, as well as with the distance from the OH-group and CCI4 dilution. Segmental motions and the breaking of hydrogen bondings are determined as the reason of this behaviour. Deuteron substitution and T\ measurements at different temperatures show that the dipol-dipol interaction is the predominant mechanism of relaxation.


Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa) is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm characterized by expression of both melanocytic and smooth muscle markers. PEComas are rarely encountered in the female genital tract. We report a case of malignant primary PEComa of the ovary, and discuss the differential diagnosis. This represents the first case of primary typical malignant PEComa of the ovary.


Iron is an essential nutrient for most organisms, but its limited availability and inherent toxicity necessitate the strict regulation of iron homeostasis. In bacteria, iron starvation affects a broad range of phenotypes including virulence, motility and biofilm formation. For Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a marine bacterium and pathogen, iron limitation is a signal modulating swarmer cell differentiation. In this work, we show the iron regulation of swarming works through the ferric uptake regulator protein Fur. We identified a new Fur‐controlled regulator that is upregulated upon iron starvation. FcrX is a 144‐amino acid protein containing a domain of unknown function (DUF2753) with three tetratricopeptide repeats. We found that overexpressing fcrX+ was sufficient to induce swarming, luminescence and iron uptake gene expression in multiple Vibrio species; furthermore, ectopic expression increased the transcription of a Fur‐controlled gene in Escherichia coli. FcrX production increased intracellular iron. Thus, the overexpression of fcrX+ phenocopied a fur mutant and may prove a generally useful tool to ectopically derepress the Fur regulon. Both V. parahaemolyticus and E. coli Fur interacted with FcrX, and this interaction was altered by iron availability. These data support a model in which this new regulator of iron homeostasis limits the repressive action of Fur.


The spine, pelvic bones and long bones of the lower extremities are common sites for insufficiency fractures. Cases of sternum insufficiency fractures have been rarely reported in an elderly patient. Insufficiency fracture tends to occur in bones with decreased mechanical strength. It tends to occur in elderly patients, especially in postmenopausal women, with underlying diseases. We describe a case of sternum insufficiency fracture in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus on long-term corticosteroid therapy diagnosed in an emergency setting. Sternum insufficiency fracture is a rare cause of chest pain. This case serves to remind the emergency physician to remain vigilant for other noncardiac and nontraumatic causes of chest pain. If diagnosed accurately, these patients can be discharged and treated as outpatients.


Head rotation, shoulder extension and rotation, ankle plantar and dorsiflexion, hip flexion, and sit and reach (SR) scores were examined in 41 women and 39 men, aged 45-75 years. The SR gave more reproducible data than the other measurements (intraclass test/retest correlation over 8 months, r = .83). SR scores were independent of standing height (r2 = .068) but were greater in women (p less than .002). The flexibility at all joints was less than reported for young adults. There were age-related decreases of flexibility scores for the head and shoulder joints (p less than .01), with a parallel trend (p less than .05) for ankle plantar flexion and SR scores (the last only after inclusion of an age-gender interaction term). A principal components analysis identified three factors (tentatively identified as general trunk, ankle, and shoulder flexibility) accounting for 55.9% of total variance. SR scores had a moderate correlation with the first factor (r = .61) but only weak correlations with the second and third. Although the SR test is the most reliable simple instrument, it provides only limited information about the flexibility at other joints in an older population.


Structures in a nuclear power system are designed to be elastic even under an earthquake excitation. However a structural component such as an isolator shows inelastic behavior inherently. For the seismic assessment of nonlinear structures, response history analysis should be performed. In this study, the response of base isolation system was analyzed by response history analysis for the seismic performance assessment. Firstly, several seismic assessment criteria for a nuclear power plant structure were reviewed for the nonlinear response history analysis. Based on these criteria, the spectrum matched ground motion generation method modifying a seed earthquake ground motion time history was adjusted. Using these spectrum matched accelerograms, the distribution of displacement responses of the simplified base isolation system was evaluated. The resulting seismic responses excited by the modified ground motion time histories and the synthesized time history generated by stochastic approach were compared. And the response analysis of the base isolation system considering the different intensities in each orthogonal direction was performed.


This study aims to determine: (1) the effectiveness of the problem-based math module of zakat to improve students' mathematical problem solving skills in MA. The private Darul Mursyidi Sialogo Islamic Boarding School; (2) to determine the improvement of students' mathematical problem solving abilities by using the problem-based math module of zakat. This research is a development research using 4-D development developed by Thiagarajan. The stages are define (define), design (design), develop (development) and disseminate (spread). Research on the development of the problembased math module of zakat at the disseminate stage was carried out in a limited manner in schools which were the research subjects. The subjects in this study were students of class XI MA. Private Darul Mursyidi Sialogo Islamic Boarding School. From the results of the development test: (1) the problem-based zakat math module meets the validity criteria with a valid predicate, (2) the practical problem-based zakat math module based on the revision of the expert team and the results of interviews, and (3) the problem-based zakat math module is effectively used based on the results of the observation of the ideal time percentage achievement, the results of the test of mathematical problem solving abilities meet classical completeness, namely 80% of the test subjects, and (4) an increase in students' mathematical problem solving abilities using modules from test I to trial II and fulfill classical completeness.
Keywords: Zakat; mathematics module; problem solving


This paper presents a modeling approach to generate random flow breakdowns on congested freeways and capture the subsequent wave propagation among heterogeneous drivers. The approach is intended for predicting travel time variability caused by such stochastic phenomena. It is assumed that breakdown may occur at different flow levels with some probability, and would sustain for a random duration. This is modeled at the microscopic level by considering speed changes that are initiated by a leading vehicle and propagated by the following vehicles with correlated-distributed behavioral parameters. Numerical results from a Monte Carlo simulation demonstrate that the proposed stochastic modeling approach produces realistic macroscopic traffic flow behavior and can be used to generate travel time distributions.


Some results of thermal-oxidation and temperature stability testing of motor oils are presented. The catalytic influence of metals on oxidizing processes in lubricants with use of steel 45 was determined. The parameters for identification of oils by groups of operational properties and quantity indicators of the influence of metals on oxidizing processes of lubricants are offered.


Psychiatric symptoms are sometimes the presenting features of patients with intracranial tumor. That some of these patients receive electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for their symptoms is not surprising. The danger of the treatment in these patients, however rarely performed, seems to be worthy of record. From the records of 250 consecutive confirmed intracranial meningiomas admitted to the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, Queen Square, three were found with a history of psychiatric disorder for which ECT was given before the correct diagnosis of intracranial tumor was made. In each case it was followed by deterioration in the patient's condition and the appearance of abnormal physical signs. The three case histories are presented in brief. Report of Cases Case 1.—A 42-year-old woman complained of frequent headaches with vomiting for 10 months. After five months she became moody, obstinate, and easily agitated. Her memory seemed normal and there were no abnormal


Cell‐to‐cell communication by gap junctions was investigated in the female rat anterior pituitary gland from 9 through 21 days of pregnancy and subsequently on days 2 and 20 of the lactational period. Compared with intact estrus females, the major morphological characteristics of the pituitary gland during pregnacy were remarkably developed prolactin cells and gonadotrophs. A close relationship of both cell types was clearly evident. Gap junctions were present at each of the time intervals studied; however, they were noted only between adjacent folliculo‐stellate cells. No remarkable changes were noted in the number of gap junctions during the middle stage of pregnancy (day 9 through day 15), with the relative number resembling that found in intact, 90‐day‐old controls during estrus (0.47 ± .01 junctions/follicle‐control vs. 0.50 ± 0.08—day 15 of pregnancy). In the later stages of pregnancy (day 17 through day 21), a demonstrable increase was observed (0.64 ± 0.10—day 17, 0.79±0.11—day 19 and 0.72±0.12—day 21), whereas during the lactation, this pattern returned to that seen at midpregnancy. Since both prolactin and the gonadal steroid hormones dramatically fluctuate during pregnancy and lactation, it is postulated that they may have an active role in gap junction formation during these two phase of reproductive life. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Robinson, Michael H., and Barbara Robinson. Ecology and Behavior of the Giant Wood Spider Nephila maculata (Fabricius) in New Guinea. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, number 149, 76 pages, 30 figures, 11 tables, 1973.-— Investigations of the seasonal, reproductive, and population ecology of Nephila maculata are reported in detail. In an investigation of feeding ecology over a one-year period, the discarded remains of the prey caught by a sample population of ten adult female spiders were collected daily. These remains were identified (where possible) and the accumulated weekly discards from each spider were dried and weighed. Data from this study are analyzed, tabulated, and compared with the catches from insect traps located in the study area. The study included an investigation of web structure, frequency of web renewal, and the number of kleptoparasites associated with Nephila maculata. Studies of behavior included courtship, mating, predatory behavior, and responses to predators, sunlight, and rainfall. Courtship behavior included a complex pattern of silk deposition by the male on the female, here reported for the first time for the Araneida. The predatory behavior of N. maculaia is analyzed in terms of behavior units and behavior sequences and is compared with that of other Nephila species, related species, and that of other araneids studied by the authors. The phenological aspects of the study are stressed and discussed. OFFICIAL PUBLICATION DATE is handstamged jji a limited .number of initial copies and is recorded in the Institution's annual report, Sm^tnsonian Year. SI PRESS NUMBER 4779. SERIES COVER DESICN: The coral Montastrea cavemosa (Linnaeus). Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Robinson, Michael H. Ecology and behavior of the giant wood spider Nephila maculata (Fabricius) in New Guinea. (Smithsonian contributions to zoology, no. 149) Bibliography: p. 1. Nephila maculata—Behavior. 2. Spiders—New Guinea. I. Robinson, Barbara, 1931— joint author. II. Title. III. Series: Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian contributions to zoology, no. 149. QL1.S54 no. 149 [QL458.A65] 591'.08s [595'.44] 75-1905 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C., 20402 Price $1.45 (paper cover)


The insects are probably the most hyperdiverse and economically important metazoans on the planet, but there is no consensus on the best way to model the dimensions of their diversity at multiple spatial scales, and the huge amount of information involved hinders data synthesis and the revelation of 'patterns of nature'. Using a sample of more than 600k insect species in the size range 1–100 mm, we analysed insect body sizes and revealed self-similar patterns persisting across spatial scales from several hectares to the World. The same patterns were found in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The patterns include: parallel rank-abundance distributions; flatter species–area curves in smaller insects—indicating their wider geographical distribution; the recurrence of the same species-rich family in the same body-size class at all spatial scales—which generates self-similar size-frequency distributions (SFDs)—and the discovery that with decreasing mean body size, local species richness represents an increasing fraction of global species richness. We describe how these 'rationalizing' patterns can be translated into methods for monitoring and predicting species diversity and community structure at all spatial scales.


Peer-to-peer support programs provide unique psychosocial and educational support for breast cancer patients. With the support of funding from the South Central Wisconsin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, we developed a Patient-Survivor Advocacy (PSA) program to complement University of Wisconsin Breast Center (UWBC) patient navigator to facilitate peer-to-peer support between those who have completed primary breast cancer treatment and those newly diagnosed patients. We evaluated the feasibility and utility of this peer-to-peer support program for both patients and advocates. Methods: We recruited advocates from the pool of women previously treated for breast cancer at UWBC. PSAs completed 3 training sessions over a 5 month period, including a volunteer orientation and the After Breast Cancer Diagnosis (ABCD) program. Training topics included a patient survivor advocacy orientation, guidance for communication with patient matches, and documentation and reporting of patient contact to the UWBC patient navigator. Following training, PSAs were matched to patients based on age, type of breast cancer and other life factors identified as important by each referee. PSAs contacted matches via phone and documented communication frequency and content. PSAs and patients then completed surveys describing their experience and satisfaction with the PSA program. Survey questions were tailored to the program strengths, deficits, and areas for improvement. PSAs were also surveyed regarding curriculum and the training process. Results: Between 11/2012 and 4/2014, 14 PSAs were recruited and trained, and 40 patients were referred to the program. Half of patient referrals (20) were from UWBC physicians, while 18 were from UWBC nursing staff, in addition to 9 self-referrals (this includes overlapping referrals from multiple providers). Six decided not to participate, and one was transferred to hospice before being matched, while 8 patients were referred to the ABCD program due to lack of suitable UWBC PSA matches. Twenty six patients were successfully matched to active PSAs. The number of patients matched to each PSA ranged from 1 to 8; an average of 3 phone and 4 email contacts were made by each PSA-patient dyad. Communication topics included the effect of diagnosis and treatment on mood and mental health, physical health, daily life, and interpersonal relationships, as well as additional community resources for support. Patients and PSAs expressed positive impressions of the program: feeling supported by UWBC staff, experiencing a sense of accomplishment (PSAs) or direct benefit (patients). Responses suggested new topics for PSA training and cancer education, including surgical interventions, radiology, chemotherapy, integrative medicine, medical updates, and new topics in social support. Conclusions: The first year of the UWBC PSA program saw a successful peer-to-peer psychosocial support infrastructure for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. PSA and patient survey responses provided useful feedback critical to development of the program. Future goals for this program include increased patient utilization, provision of additional education topics and materials during PSA training, and documentation of the impact of PSA program support on the UWBC nursing burden. Citation Format: Jennifer A Mirrielees, Lee G Wilke, Kayla R Breckheimer, Teresa A White, Deborah A DeNure, Michelle M Schroeder, Amye J Tevaarwerk. Breast cancer survivor advocacy at the University of Wisconsin Breast Center [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-15-16.


A seven-year-old girl presented ten years ago to our Pediatric Primary Care Clinic with a complaint of recurrent headaches. According to her description, an attack would start with the feeling of abdominal pain, leading to a frontal pressure headache which would get worse and worse. She would then turn pale, feel nauseated and vomit up to eight times per attack. She would become photophobic and prefer to be left alone quietly. She would then go to sleep and wake up feeling well. Between attacks she was healthy, but had mild learning difficulties. For these she was receiving help from a special education teacher.


A new spawning ground for flathead mullet (Mugil cephalus L.) in waters northeast (NE) of Taiwan was identified using comparisons of the maturation status of fish to that of well-known spawning grounds in waters southwest (SW) of Taiwan from 20 Nov. 2005 to 12 Jan. 2006. Similarities in hydrographical conditions between the NE and SW waters produced concurrent oceanic fronts with 20-23°C isothermal lines, temperatures which are suitable for mullet spawning in both areas. Mean fork length, body weight, the gonadosomatic index, and gonadal maturation of mullet in the NE waters were all comparable to those in the SW waters in the spawning season around the winter solstice (21 or 22 Dec.)±10 d. The gonadosomatic index of mullet in the NE waters significantly increased from < 0.5 at the beginning of the spawning season to greater than 21.0 for females and 19.0 for males at the peak of the spawning season. Oocytes were all either late-stage vitellogenic or post-vitellogenic from mid-Dec. to mid-Jan. In addition, a few individuals with hydrated oocytes or post-ovulatory follicles were also found. This evidence suggests that waters NE of Taiwan are a suitable spawning ground for the flathead mullet.


Untargeted metabolomics is the study of all detectable small molecules, and in geroscience, metabolomics has shown great potential to describe the biological age—a complex trait impacted by many factors. Unfortunately, the sample sizes are often insufficient to achieve sufficient power and minimize potential biases caused by, for example, demographic factors. In this study, we present the analysis of biological age in ~10,000 toxicologic routine blood measurements. The untargeted screening samples obtained from ultra‐high pressure liquid chromatography‐quadruple time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐ QTOF) cover + 300 batches and + 30 months, lack pooled quality controls, lack controlled sample collection, and has previously only been used in small‐scale studies. To overcome experimental effects, we developed and tested a custom neural network model and compared it with existing prediction methods. Overall, the neural network was able to predict the chronological age with an rmse of 5.88 years (r2 = 0.63) improving upon the 6.15 years achieved by existing normalization methods. We used the feature importance algorithm, Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), to identify compounds related to the biological age. Most importantly, the model returned known aging markers such as kynurenine, indole‐3‐aldehyde, and acylcarnitines along with a potential novel aging marker, cyclo (leu‐pro). Our results validate the association of tryptophan and acylcarnitine metabolism to aging in a highly uncontrolled large‐s cale sample. Also, we have shown that by using robust computational methods it is possible to deploy large LC‐MS datasets for metabolomics studies to reduce the risk of bias and empower aging studies.


With an enhanced expansion in the e-commerce business, it is easy to become victim to online shopping. Corporations utilise the information given by the consumers to make a revenue for their organisation. Making use of a recommender system in Facebook Commerce (f-commerce) is an entrancing and testing business. In the online business industry, achieving this test needs confronting different issues such as streamlining the searches, updating products, trust, and quality, that disappears in traditional business. Using the data provided from an end-user in their social media websites to consumers' emails and even browsing becomes data for the e-commerce company. With the help of this information, the end-users' data are gathered and turned as recommended products, discounts and many more. In conducting this research, the factors affecting and influencing end-users using social commerce is analysed...


In this study, the effect of salinity (150 mM NaCl) compared to a control (9 mM NaCl) on growth, quality and shelf-life of fresh-cut sea fennel was evaluated. For that, sea fennel plants were cultivated in a hydroponic floating system and the sea fennel leaves were stored for 12 days at 5 °C. At harvest, leaves from plants grown in salinity had a lower content of NO3−, K+ and Ca2+ and an increased Cl− and Na+ concentration when compared to the control. There was a positive effect in the aerial part with increased fresh weight due to salt stress, but a reduction in the root biomass. During storage, weight loss and colour changes were not significant while leaves' firmness was higher for control and increased during storage, probably due to lignification. Microbial growth (psychrophiles, yeast and moulds and enterobacteria) was higher at harvest for control and increased during storage, with no differences between treatments after 12 days at 5 °C. Sensory quality was similar for both treatments but leaves from NaCl treatment had a salty taste that was easily detected by panelists. These results show that saline-nutrient solution applied in hydroponics is a suitable system for sea fennel growth. It gives a slightly salty but high-quality product, acceptable as a "ready-to-eat" vegetable.


SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) could cause significant human and economic damage owing to increased infectivity and transmissibility, and understanding their characteristics is crucial for infection control. Here, we analyzed differences in viral stability and disinfection efficacy between the Wuhan strain and all VOCs. On plastic and skin surfaces, Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants exhibited more than two-fold longer survival than the Wuhan strain, and the Omicron variant had the longest survival time. Specifically, survival times of the Wuhan strain, Alpha variant, Beta variant, Gamma variant, Delta variant, and Omicron variant on skin surfaces were 8.6 h (95% CI, 6.5–10.9 h), 19.6 h (95% CI, 14.8–25.3 h), 19.1 h (95% CI, 13.9– 25.3 h), 11.0 h (95% CI, 8.1–14.7 h), 16.8 h (95% CI, 13.1–21.1 h), and 21.1 h (95% CI, 15.8– 27.6 h), respectively. In vitro, disinfectant effectiveness evaluations showed that Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron were slightly more resistant to ethanol than the Wuhan strain. However, ex vivo evaluation showed that on human skin, all viruses were completely inactivated by exposure to 35 w/w % ethanol for 15 s. The high environmental stability of these VOCs could increase transmission risk and contribute to spread. Additionally, the Omicron variant might have been replaced by the Delta variant due to its increased environmental stability and rapid spread. To prevent VOC spread, it is highly recommended that current infection control practices use disinfectants with appropriate ethanol concentrations.


The Importing of Sinopean Amphorae into Thracian TerritoryThis article is based on collections ‐ both published and unpublished ‐ of amphora stamps from Sinope stemming from settlements in the West Pontic region and from centres of consumption within Thrace. The conclusions presented bear upon the chronology of imports from Sinope, their development and their intensity. A commentary is provided on the data relating to the fluctuating presence of merchandise from Sinope transported in amphorae to territories in the South and North of the Haemus Mons and these are viewed in the context of the commercial activity of the settlements of the West Pontic region.


The air quality (AQ) in urban contexts is a major concern, especially in the developing world. The environmental and social challenges created by poor AQ have continued to increase despite improvements in monitoring AQ using earth observation (EO) satellites, static and mobile ground-based sensors and models. However, these types of equipment can be expensive to purchase, operate, and maintain, especially for cities of the developing world, and, as a result, there is growing interest in the elicitation of residents' perceptions of AQ. However, there is a need to analyse how the results obtained from sensor measurements and models match the AQ as perceived by residents. This study explored AQ in multiple locations in two developing world cities (Abuja and Enugu) in Nigeria by analysing the perceptions of 262 residents and how these compared with findings obtained from ground-based instruments. The results suggest that the perceived AQ of the locations broadly matches those obtained using instruments, although there were statistically significant differences between respondent groups based on the demographic factors of income-education (Abuja) and age (Enugu). This research supports the contention that perceptual AQ assessment provides a valuable source of data for policy and decision-makers when addressing poor AQ and can support action in the absence of instrument-based measurements.


The Condition factor (k) of the Clarias gariepinus species in Oluwa River, Nigeria was done. Samples were collected monthly over a two-year period from July 2010 to June 2012 and were identified using standard method. They were subjected to morphometric studies including determination weightand lengths. Condition factor was calculated in relation to sex and sizes. The mean condition factor for males exhibited a range of 0.81±0.03 - 1.97±0.33 (mean 1.34±0.10) while those of females exhibited a range of 0.64±0.00 - 2.00±0.21 (mean 1.31±0.09)and that for combined sexes ranged from 0.54±0.27 to 1.94±0.11 (mean 1.31±0.10). In relation to total length range (TLR), males had the highest condition factor at 34.00 - 36.90cm while the least was recorded in 70.00-72.90cm range. Females had the highest condition factor in the range 37.00- 39.90cm and the least at range 70.00-72.90cm. For the combined sexes, highest condition factor was recorded in the TLR 37.00-39.90cm while the least was also recorded in the TLR 70.00-72.90cm. The mean 'k' indicated that male fishes were not in good condition in the months of July, August and November. Generally, male fishes and smaller sized fishes were found to be better suited to the environmental condition than the female and bigger fishes.


To realize more sustainable and resilient urban social-ecological systems, there is great need for active engagement from diverse public agencies, non-profit organizations, businesses, natural resource managers, scientists, and other actors. Cities present unique challenges and opportunities for sustainability and resilience, as issues and organizations are frequently intertwined in networks of relations. Understanding and leveraging the range of knowledge types, motivations, skills, and goals of diverse participants and their networks is fundamental to sustainable and resilient cities. As efforts to examine and understand urban stewardship networks continue to emerge, it is increasingly clear that there are no structured or systematic frameworks to guide the integration of social and ecological phenomena. Such a framework could facilitate planning new urban stewardship network research, and provide a basis for comparisons among cities and their urban stewardship networks. In this paper, we develop and present a social-ecological framework for examining and understanding urban stewardship networks. To illustrate this framework and provide examples of its prospective and evaluative utility, we use examples from the U.S. Forest Service's Stewardship Mapping (STEW-MAP) network in the United States from Baltimore, MD, USA, New York City, NY, USA, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA, and Seattle, WA, USA.


We empirically evaluate a stochastic annealing strategy for Bayesian posterior optimization with variational inference. Variational inference is a deterministic approach to approximate posterior inference in Bayesian models in which a typically non-convex objective function is locally optimized over the parameters of the approximating distribution. We investigate an annealing method for optimizing this objective with the aim of finding a better local optimal solution and compare with deterministic annealing methods and no annealing. We show that stochastic annealing can provide clear improvement on the GMM and HMM, while performance on LDA tends to favor deterministic annealing methods.


The Intelligent Space is a space where we can easily interact with computers and robots, and get useful service from them. To achieve such a space, a distributed intelligent networked device (DIND) has been proposed. Many DINDs are installed in a space and they cooperate each other to make the space to become an Intelligent Space. In this paper, an optimal DIND placement, self-calibration of DIND and handover protocol for cooperation among DINDs, are described.


The minimally invasive surgery (MIS) approach has been popularised as an alternative to the standard open approach in acute Achilles tendon repair. Advocates of MIS suggest earlier functional recovery, due to reduced trauma to adjacent soft tissues. Critics, however, argue that due to inadequate surgical exposure, complications of such surgery are higher compared to an open technique. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised, prospective studies weas conducted to compare MIS and open surgery in acute Achilles tendon ruptures. Thirteen studies were included in the meta-analysis with a total of 854 patients. Although re-rupture rates were not significantly different between the groups (P = 0.43), there were significantly more complications in the open surgery group (P = <.00001). MIS in acute Achilles tendon ruptures result in similar re-rupture rates, sural nerve injury rates and return to sport time in comparison with open surgical method, but with significantly less post-operative complications.


Aim. To establish a quasiattractors of the behavior of the autonomic nervous system Ugra residents living in the North of Russia. Matherial and method. We examined 235 patients aged 23 to 55 who went into 8 groups: two groups by gender, each of which was divided by age at 21—35 years and 36—55 years, in turn, each group was divided by the time of residence in the North to 10 years and more than 10 years. The studies used the technique of pulse oximetry, pulseoximeter based ELOKS01SZ designed and manufactured by JSC IMC «New Devices», Samara. We have performed a comparative analysis of the parameters of quasi-attractors of the state vector in 13-dimensional FPS of the subjects. Results. Calculation of matrix mezhattraktornyh distances for quasiattractors functional status (FSO) of the subjects showed an increase in the distance between the centers of the chaotic quasi-attractors in the phase space of states, reflecting the stabilizing ability of the autonomic nervous system, and consequently increased adaptability of the subjects. Conclusion. New methods for the study of mechanisms of state FSO can be used to assess the adequacy and effectiveness of the system of longterm homeostasis of the population living in the North of Russia, using the methods of system analysis and synthesis.


The  purpose  of  the study. The aim of this study is to identify the prevalence of participants in physical activities, the motivation needed by the students to engage in the activity, challenges encountered by the implementors, health benefits, and recommendations and suggestions needed for the improvement of the implementation.
Materials and methods. Using Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) scoping review framework, a systematic analysis of the data of different articles was conducted.
Results. It was found out that the implementation of active recreational activities offers different health benefits to the youth, physical literacy and orientation and motivation played a vital role in the implementation of the recreational activities.
Conclusions. Therefore, the implementation of the active recreational activities must be strengthened in schools not just for the sake of participation but because they are motivated to. And the engagement of these activities must not only limit to school grounds but also engaged even at home and in the community.


It is shown that spontaneous emission of an excited atom is suppressed, and electromagnetic instability of the ground state is possible, if an atom is located in the vicinity of an active medium which amplifies the propagating radiation. The effect is due to a modified and phase-shifted near field of an oscillating atomic dipole, which prevails over the usual radiation reaction field related to the wave zone. The necessary conditions for the reversal of the total electromagnetic back reaction are found, and possible experimental realizations are discussed. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}


Over the last decade DLW employing ultrafast pulsed lasers has become a well-established technique for the creation of custom-made free-form three-dimensional (3D) microscaffolds out of a variety of materials ranging from proteins to biocompatible glasses. Its potential applications for manufacturing a patient's specific scaffold seem unlimited in terms of spatial resolution and geometry complexity. However, despite few exceptions in which live cells or primitive organisms were encapsulated into a polymer matrix, no demonstration of an in vivo study case of scaffolds generated with the use of such a method was performed. Here, we report a preclinical study of 3D artificial microstructured scaffolds out of hybrid organic-inorganic (HOI) material SZ2080 fabricated using the DLW technique. The created 2.1 × 2.1 × 0.21 mm3 membrane constructs are tested both in vitro by growing isolated allogeneic rabbit chondrocytes (Cho) and in vivo by implanting them into rabbit organisms for one, three and six months. An ex vivo histological examination shows that certain pore geometry and the pre-growing of Cho prior to implantation significantly improves the performance of the created 3D scaffolds. The achieved biocompatibility is comparable to the commercially available collagen membranes. The successful outcome of this study supports the idea that hexagonal-pore-shaped HOI microstructured scaffolds in combination with Cho seeding may be successfully implemented for cartilage tissue engineering.


The hazardous effects of pesticides on various metabolic pathways are a great problem for environmental health and should be well determined. In the present study, the authors treated rainbow trout with 0.6 μg/L deltamethrin for 28 days and 1.6 mg/L 2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate for 21 days. After this time period, the authors observed alterations in mRNA expression levels of MT-A, MT-B and CYP-1A. Chronic exposure to low levels of pesticides may have a more significant effect on fish populations than acute poisoning. While both pesticides caused a significant increase on mRNA levels of MT-A and CYP-1A, MT-B mRNA levels were increased significantly only upon deltamethin administration. The significant increase in mRNA levels of the corresponding genes may be considered as a defence mechanism in addition to the antioxidants against oxidative stress, as well as a detoxification mechanism against adverse effects of pesticides.


Experiment searching for atomic electric-dipole moments (EDM) can set limits on various P- and T-violating properties. In this work we describe calculations of sensitivities of caesium and thallium to a possible P- and T-violating scalar-pseudoscalar electron-nucleon interaction. Combination of our Tl result with the most recent experimental limit for the Tl EDM gives CS = (2 ± 7) · 10-7, which is the lowest limit so far obtained for this interaction constant.


A retrospective study of 36 cases of retinal detachment with vitreoretinal retraction, greatly improved immediately after intravitreal cavity injection of silicone was definitely responsible for two complications: cataract and chronic corneal edema. Their onset requires routine extraction of the silicone, recurrence of the retinal detachment developing in only 50% of cases. Used as a transient procedure, the injection of silicone into the vitreal cavity appears to be a relatively simple surgical procedure for detachments requiring prolonged internal tamponade.


Past research indicates that parents often have difficulty in assessing centre quality and accessing desired care when choosing early care for their children. This study surveyed parents whose children would qualify for state-funded pre-kindergarten in the following school year. Surveys were completed by 203 parents from varying socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds at 20 centres. Exploratory factor analysis identified two highly correlated categories of considerations: (1) characteristics that described programme quality and (2) characteristics that designated practical features of care. A series of hierarchical regressions indicated a combination of cultural, family and child factors that are important when assessing parents' considerations for pre-kindergarten. In particular, socioeconomic status, parents' beliefs about childrearing, parent involvement, only child status and children's school readiness skills were uniquely related to parental endorsement of quality and practical considerations.


Homotopy methods are known to be effective methods for finding dc operating points of nonlinear circuits with the theoretical guarantee of global convergence. There are several types of homotopy methods; as one of the efficient methods for solving bipolar circuits, the variable gain homotopy (VGH) method is well-known. However, in the conventional VGH method, the initial point is sometimes far from the solution because it is given as a solution of a diode circuit. In this brief, we propose an efficient VGH method using the SPICE-oriented approach. The proposed method can be easily implemented on SPICE without programming, although we do not know the homotopy method well. Moreover, since we can use a good initial point, the path following tends to become smooth and efficient.


Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability, necessitating adjustments in tax and benefit policies. However, the eventual outcome of these modifications remains uncertain. To evaluate possible changes, we conducted a comparative analysis of current instruments in CEE countries vis-a-vis Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Our research discovered that tax and benefit systems in both CEE and Scandinavian countries are built on the same foundational principles, yet differ significantly in their specific solutions and approaches. Notably, benefits systems in CEE countries are considerably more intricate and inclined toward means-tested benefits and specialized instruments dedicated solely to individuals with disabilities. We posit that changes arising from the convention's implementation will streamline the benefits system, incorporating more generalized instruments with disability added as supplementary eligibility conditions or income parameters. The velocity of this transformation will be influenced by the pace of economic growth, as evidenced by the strong positive correlation between disability expenditure's proportion in gross domestic product and the European Union countries' level of economic development. JEL classification D61, H51, O52


Non-linear stochastic systems driven by white noise are analysed from the viewpoint of non-linear oscillation theory. Under various familiar hypotheses concerning dissipative and restorative dynamical forces, the existence and uniqueness, asymptotic growth, and oscillatory behavior of the solutions are demonstrated.


To know something of the district in which we reside, the historical events of which it has been the theatre, or the various peoples and races who have preceded us, ought to be subjects of deep interest to every thinking mind. For what can be a more interesting or instructive study than to compare the present with the past, even as regards the various phases in the history of the human family since their first occupation of Britain ?

It is true, much information as to the past is already placed on record. But it is equally true that much which is prehistoric remains to be collected and collated by those of the present generation, or the materials now accessible will be irretrievably lost; and although the surface of the country, on the one hand, may have undergone many and mighty changes, thus leaving little to mark the actual site of memorable occurrences which are presumed to have taken place in particular localities, its primeval inhabitants, on the other, have left us only their burial-mounds, the sites of their Oppida or fortified villages, to indicate the tribe or nation to which they belonged; yet even these memorials, after the lapse of many centuries, furnish so many faithful records or pages in the history of the people to whom they refer; and though at best but scanty, are all the materials we have to guide us in compiling the earliest and most important chapters in the chronicles of the nation to ...


In 2020, Kazan University received a notable token of recognition for its work in teacher education in the past five years. According to the Times Higher Education, our university is now among the top one hundred in the Education subject rankings. Currently, this is the best position among the universities of Russia, CIS, and Eastern Europe. This validates the strategy in teacher education that the university has been implementing over the past years. 2020 is also a special year because it marks ten years of our federal status – the status granted by an executive order of the President of Russia. Currently, KFU is among the ten largest Russian universities; we have about 50,000 students in the majority of the existing higher education specializations. The University collaborates in many scientific and educational programs, including a federal project for boosting the international competitiveness of Russian universities.


Recent public controversies, ranging from the 2014 Facebook 'emotional contagion' study to psychographic data profiling by Cambridge Analytica in the 2016 American presidential election, Brexit referendum and elsewhere, signal watershed moments in which the intersecting trajectories of psychology and computer science have become matters of public concern. The entangled history of these two fields grounds the application of applied psychological techniques to digital technologies, and an investment in applying calculability to human subjectivity. Today, a quantifiable psychological subject position has been translated, via 'big data' sets and algorithmic analysis, into a model subject amenable to classification through digital media platforms. I term this position the 'scalable subject', arguing it has been shaped and made legible by algorithmic psychometrics – a broad set of affordances in digital platforms shaped by psychology and the behavioral sciences. In describing the contours of this 'scalable subject', this paper highlights the urgent need for renewed attention from STS scholars on the psy sciences, and on a computational politics attentive to psychology, emotional expression, and sociality via digital media.


Progress in the theory of magnetic reconnection in the solar corona is reviewed. In particular, the following topics are discussed in detail: (i) the eruptive behavior of a highly sheared magnetic arcade configuration with formation and ejection of plasmoids-a possible model for solar flares. (ii) the heating of the coronal plasma by dissipation of spontaneously formed current sheets and by turbulent reconnection leading to Taylor's (1986) relaxation.


The one-step synthesis of methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) from acetone and hydrogen over Cu-on-MgO catalysts was studied at atmospheric pressure in a fixed bed continuous flow reactor. Catalysts with various copper loadings were prepared by impregnation and coprecipitation and characterized by BET and Cu(0) surface area measurements, XRD, SAXS, thermal analysis, and basicity measurements. A 3.46% Cu-on-MgO prepared by coprecipitation, calcined at 723 K for 4 h, and pretreated in hydrogen (673 K, 1 h) showed high and stable activity and selectivity in the production of MIBK. Under the best conditions (553 K reaction temperature, 15% molar excess of hydrogen to acetone, and 1920 ml h−1gcat−1space velocity) MIBK is formed in 45–48% yield (60–80% conversion and 60–75% selectivity) over a period of 24 h-on-stream. The results of deuterium labeling studies point to metallic sites catalyzing deuterium exchange and basic sites catalyzing dimerization of acetone, leading eventually to MIBK with high deuterium content. A comparison of deuterium contents of acetone, mesityl oxide (MO), and MIBK shows that the surface deuterium pool is highly diluted with hydrogen, formed during the exchange process. Deuterium incorporation during the saturation of the carbon–carbon double bond of MO to form MIBK, therefore, is less than expected. Formation of diisobutyl ketone with very low deuterium content is suggested to result from the involvement of strongly bound surface intermediates with long residence time not allowing exchange process.


Abstract. Coastal oceans emit bromoform (CHBr3) that can be transported rapidly to the upper troposphere by deep convection. In the troposphere, the spatial and vertical distribution of CHBr3 and its product gases (PGs) depend on emissions, chemical processing, transport by large scale flow, convection, and associated washout. This paper presents a modelling study on the fate of CHBr3 and its PGs in the troposphere. A case study at cloud scale was conducted along the west coast of Borneo, when several deep convective systems triggered in the afternoon and early evening of November 19th 2011. These systems were sampled by the Falcon aircraft during the field campaign of the SHIVA project. We analyse these systems using a simulation with the cloud-resolving meteorological model C-CATT-BRAMS at 2 × 2 km resolution that describes transport, photochemistry, and washout of CHBr3. We find that simulated CHBr3 mixing ratios and the observed values in the boundary layer and the outflow of the convective systems agree. However, the model underestimates the background CHBr3 mixing ratios in the upper troposphere, which suggests a missing source. An analysis of the simulated chemical speciation of bromine within and around each simulated convective system during the mature convective stage reveals that > 85 % of the bromine derived from CHBr3 and its PGs is transported vertically to the point of convective detrainment in the form of CHBr3 and that the remaining small fraction is in the form of organic PGs, principally insoluble brominated carbonyls produced from the photo-oxidation of CHBr3. The model simulates that within the boundary layer and free troposphere, the inorganic PGs are only present in soluble forms, i.e., HBr, HOBr, and BrONO2, and consequently, within the convective clouds, the inorganic PGs are almost entirely removed by wet scavenging. For the conditions of the simulated case study Br2 plays no significant role in the vertical transport of bromine. This likely results from the small simulated quantities of inorganic bromine involved, the presence of HBr in large excess compared to HOBr and the less soluble BrO, and the relatively quick removal of soluble compounds within the convective column. This prevalence of HBr is a result of the wider simulated regional atmospheric composition whereby background tropospheric ozone levels are exceptionally low.


The Lockheed-Georgia Company has recently constructed a one-piece molded front spar for the vertical fin of the L-1011 airplane (Fig. 1). The 26-ft-long graphite-epoxy spar contains integrally molded caps, webs, stiffeners, and rib attachments. This spar was fabricated as part of a contract sponsored by NASA-Langley Research Center with Lockheed-California Company to demonstrate production readiness and provide confidence in the use of composite primary structures. The spar is molded of T300/5208 graphite/epoxy. It replaces 39 metal parts, eliminates almost 1000 fasteners, and weighs about half as much as the metallic counterpart. The caps and webs vary in thickness and ply orientation along the length of the spar. These variations are achieved by build-up and deletion of the plies, all the while maintaining a balanced laminate to avoid warpage in the finished spar. Selected areas of this spar were fabricated separately and tested before the full-size 26-ft-long spar was fabricated. These tests demonstrated that the static strength, fatigue endurance, and damage resistance of the spar exceed all requirements.


We propose a General Markov Framework for computing page importance. Under the framework, a Markov Skeleton Process is used to model the random walk conducted by the web surfer on a given graph. Page importance is then defined as the product of page reachability and page utility, which can be computed from the transition probability and the mean staying time of the pages in the Markov Skeleton Process respectively. We show that this general framework can cover many existing algorithms as its special cases, and that the framework can help us define new algorithms to handle more complex problems. In particular, we demonstrate the use of the framework with the exploitation of a new process named Mirror Semi-Markov Process. The experimental results validate that the Mirror Semi-Markov Process model is more effective than previous models in several tasks.


For several future imaging spacecraft, vibration isolation and suppression of its optical payloads have become a challenging problem. These spacecraft have increased performance requirements for the payload, resulting in increased fine steering and vibration isolation requirements. The vibration sources on the spacecraft, however, are increased due to the new large flexible structures and addition of rotating devices. One promising way to address both issues is through the Stewart platform. By using a hexapod with six actuated struts, it is possible to achieve both fine pointing and vibration control. Traditional vibration control algorithms rely on the knowledge of the plant and are usually computationally intensive. This paper applies a computationally efficient vibration control to the Stewart hexapod problem. This algorithm does not rely on the knowledge of the plant other than to find the adaptation rate coefficient and performs well on highly non-linear plants. A convergence analysis is presented. Results are shown for a voice-coil actuated hexapod.


From pairwise mixed infections of different reovirus wild-type isolates (T3 Dearing plus T1 Lang or plus T2 Jones) the progeny virus is phenotypically mixed, i.e., progeny viral particles contain proteins derived from both parents but the corresponding genes derived from only one parent. Experiments with differential inactivation of virus progeny of mixed infections by monoclonal antibodies or by 33% ethanol reveal phenotypic mixing of two outer shell proteins, sigma 1 and probably mu 1. Phenotypic mixing of the mu 1 protein, the product of the M2 gene, is a possible explanation for the recent observation of M2 gene-linked dominant interference between reovirus isolates.


Abstract:Korean writers living in the United States and Korea translated the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1930s, a decade in which the so-called New Negro Movement in northern American cities was declining and Japanese assimilation policies in colonial Korea were accelerating. For their work of translation, Han Hŭkku (1909–1979) used the original text of The New Negro (1925) by Alain Locke, and Han Sŏrya (1900–1976) and No Ch'unsŏng (1898–1940) drew on Japanese sources on the literature and history of the African diaspora. I argue that these Korean intellectuals explored the sense of nostalgia and the idea of class consciousness in the black literary tradition to articulate their diasporic, socialist, and utopian visions. By examining the roles of Korean and Japanese knowledge production in disseminating black culture, this essay attempts to expand the scope of American studies into a multilingual and transpacific context and thereby reconsiders a US-centric understanding of cultural circulation.


Understanding the process of communication is important because communication is critical to all forms of psychotherapy. A proper understanding of communication is particularly important in marital therapy because communications is often a treatment target. A central question of this paper is whether or not communication training (CT) programs in marital therapy have been sufficiently sensitive to the complexities of gender in communication. A critical review of research on the role of gender in communication is presented. Existing data indicate that individuals tend to hold stereotypes of gender differences in language, but many of these purported differences have not been supported in empirical investigations. However, gender has been found to be linked to variables such as amount of conversation elicited, length of utterance, use of qualifying phrases, swearing, use of back channel cues, breaking of silences, function of tag questions, and compliment style. Numerous limitations of the empirical literature exploring gender differences in communication behavior are described. This paper advocates the development of models of communication in which gender is recognized as having significant implications.


Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) has been used successfully in many conventional machine learning applications and is considered to be a useful alternative to Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) as a deep learning optimizer. However, as an emerging domain, several challenges remain, including 1) The lack of global convergence guarantees, 2) Slow convergence towards solutions, and 3) Cubic time complexity with regard to feature dimensions. In this paper, we propose a novel optimization framework for deep learning via ADMM (dlADMM) to address these challenges simultaneously. The parameters in each layer are updated backward and then forward so that the parameter information in each layer is exchanged efficiently. The time complexity is reduced from cubic to quadratic in (latent) feature dimensions via a dedicated algorithm design for subproblems that enhances them utilizing iterative quadratic approximations and backtracking. Finally, we provide the first proof of global convergence for an ADMM-based method (dlADMM) in a deep neural network problem under mild conditions. Experiments on benchmark datasets demonstrated that our proposed dlADMM algorithm outperforms most of the comparison methods.


Introduction and importance: Autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 2 (APS-2) features autoimmune Addison's disease, autoimmune thyroid disease, and/or type 1 diabetes mellitus. Addison's disease is occasionally associated with depressive symptoms, therefore patients with APS-2 might present primarily in a psychiatric clinic. Such atypical primary presentation can possibly lead to delayed and/or inadequate diagnosis and management. Case presentation: A 57-year-old female patient was referred to our psychiatric clinic from an internal medicine hospital presenting severe depressive symptoms. Upon admission, she complained of sadness, loss of interest (anhedonia) and drive, nausea, and loss of appetite. Physical examination revealed generalized hyperpigmentation. Laboratory investigations revealed hyponatremia, hypocalcemia, macrocytic anemia along with treated hypothyroidism, and partially treated adrenal insufficiency. Clinical discussion: A diagnosis of the APS-2 was made. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was mandatory and a complete regression of the affective symptoms was achieved. Conclusion: Organic workout in psychiatry is essential to detect diseases symptomatically or semiologically related to depression. In our case, hyperpigmentation, hypothyroidism, and adrenal insufficiency linked to depressive symptoms led to APS-2 diagnosis. ECT was challenging due to the avoidance of etomidate by the anesthesiologists, due to adrenal insufficiency. The adjustment of ECTs' energy dosage (to avoid too short and ineffective seizures) and optimization of adrenal and thyroid function was essential to reverse the severe depressive syndrome.


The Universal Networking Language (UNL) is an interlingua designed to be the base of several natural language processing systems aiming to support multilinguality in internet. One of the main components of the language is the dictionary of Universal Words (UWs), which links the vocabularies of the different languages involved in the project. As any NLP system, coverage and accuracy in its lexical resources are crucial for the development of the system. In this paper, the authors describes how a large coverage UWs dictionary was automatically created, based on an existent and well known resource like the English WordNet. Other aspects like implementation details and the evaluation of the final UW set are also depicted.


Hebrew and Arabic in Asymmetric Contact in Israel Israeli Hebrew (IH) and Palestinian Arabic (PA)1 have existed side by side for well over a century in extremely close contact, accompanied by social and ideological tension, often conflict, between two communities: PA speakers, who turned from a majority to a minority following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, and IH speakers, the contemporary majority, representing the dominant culture. The Hebrew-speaking Jewish group is heterogeneous in terms of lands of origin and includes a large community of Judeo-Arabic speakers. In this paper I discuss the 'when,' 'where,' how,' and especially 'why' of mutual borrowing2 between Hebrew and Arabic in Israel since the 1880s. I stress that the contact is asymmetric. The majority of Hebrew speakers today do not speak Arabic. They do, however, have access to borrowed lexicon in the domain of slang and vernacular speech that both enriches these registers and provides the speakers with a feeling of being 'indigenous' and 'belonging' to the social and cultural milieu of the larger environment. In contrast, most young adult PA-speakers are bilingual. For this minority, borrowing fulfills fundamental sociolinguistic and pragmatic needs. IH lexical items have permeated all areas of professional, educational, administrative, and social activities in everyday life discourse in all styles and registers of the spoken language and, to a lesser extent, written language. They fill lexical gaps and lacunae representing modern and western concepts that did not exist in PA. They also symbolize modernism, education, and social mobility. In other words, borrowing serves as a means of 'stepping in' for the Jewish majority and conversely as a means for 'stepping out and up' for the Arab minority.


Our measurement system is far from being static. It is continually evolving in response to the ever more sophisticated demands of our civilisation. The accuracy of measurement depends on the state of science and technology and consequently there are trends that are well beyond the capabilities of the individual metrologist. It is therefore rewarding to look from time to time at the fascination of our measurement system as a whole. The general developments in metrology will be reviewed, from early times through our present system towards that of the next century.


The benefit of multi-task learning over single-task learning relies on the ability to use relations across tasks to improve performance on any single task. While sharing representations is an important mechanism to share information across tasks, its success depends on how well the structure underlying the tasks is captured. In some real-world situations, we have access to metadata, or additional information about a task, that may not provide any new insight in the context of a single task setup alone but inform relations across multiple tasks. While this metadata can be useful for improving multi-task learning performance, effectively incorporating it can be an additional challenge. We posit that an efficient approach to knowledge transfer is through the use of multiple context-dependent, composable representations shared across a family of tasks. In this framework, metadata can help to learn interpretable representations and provide the context to inform which representations to compose and how to compose them. We use the proposed approach to obtain state-of-the-art results in Meta-World, a challenging multi-task benchmark consisting of 50 distinct robotic manipulation tasks.


Burning incense and scented candles indoors has been shown as a punctual but significant source of volatile and particulate compounds. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of testing emissions from incense and candles burning under realistic conditions in the CSTB experimental house. Particular effort was given to the use of adequate on-line and off-line measurement techniques to precisely describe volatile and particulate compounds emitted during combustions of those products. This information is particularly relevant for the implementation of the labelling of emissions from candles and incense and for risk assessment studies related to the use of those products.


Conflict resolution in the construction industry is the informal or formal procedure that two or more construction professionals use to find a peaceful solution to their misunderstanding. The resolution of conflict can be beneficial to construction professionals, if it is resolved or managed appropriately. Therefore, this study aimed to examine various benefits of conflict resolution among construction professionals in Nigeria. On the research methodology used in this research, a quantitative research method was used. A total number of 150 questionnaires were sent out and 135 were received back from the construction professionals in Nigeria. The construction professionals are quantity surveyors, architects, builders, construction managers, civil engineers, and project managers. The research data that was collected underwent cleaning and screening before the commencement of the analysis. Also, the data collected pertaining to this study was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 21). This research made use of descriptive and exploratory factor analysis. The study found that conflict resolution could assist in the generation of new insights and perception. This was ranked the highest followed by other benefits of conflict resolution like: reduction in tension, helps professionals to accomplish their ambitions, improves workplace conflicts, and reduces task ambiguity of professionals for construction professionals to enjoy the benefits of conflict resolution they must resolve conflicts among themselves as early as possible.


Levodopa therapy of Parkinson's disease(PD) was considered to have effects on dopamine and norepinephrine levels therefore tending to alter the cardiovascular circulation. To find how cerebral perfusion changes in the levodopa process among PD patients, both perfusion capacity and spatial patterns computations were performed in this study. The initial conclusion is no obvious evidence supporting that cerebral perfusion alternation was effected in levodopa process. Further investigations were required to validate this point of view.


A study of events with Z={gamma}* bosons and hadronic jets produced at the Tevatron in p{bar p} collisions at a center of mass energy of 1.96 TeV is presented. The data consist of approximately 14,000 Z/{gamma}* {yields} e{sup +}e{sup -} decay candidates from 343 pb{sup -1} of integrated luminosity collected with the D0 detector. Cross sections and jet production properties have been measured for Z/{gamma}* + {ge} 0 to 5 jet events. This measurement represents a significant improvement over previous measurements at the Tevatron, and it is the first at this center of mass energy with the D0 detector. The results are in good agreement with QCD predictions.


This study was conducted to assess household dietary diversity and nutritional status of children and women in Madizini township and its surrounding 3 hinterland villages of Manyinga, Lungo and Mhonda. A total of 160 women with their children between 12-59 months old were randomly sampled from village registers. Data were collected by using a structured questionnaire. A 24-hours recall on household dietary intake was conducted from which dietary diversity score (DDS) was calculated using the FAO-Protocol. Heights and weights measurements of the sampled children and their respective mothers were taken where-by data were analyzed by using the Anthro 2005 and SPSS software to obtain nutritional status. Mean DDS showed that Lungo village had the lowest level (2.33±0.09) compared to the Manyinga (2.65±0.08) and Mhonda (2.72±0.07) villages as well as Madizini township (2.61±0.06). The most commonly consumed food groups in hinterland villages and Madizini township were cereals, dark green leafy vegetables, vitamin A rich vegetables, other vegetables, legumes, oils and fats. The least consumed foods included eggs, fish, flesh meat, organ meat, milk and milk products, other fruits and vitamin A rich fruits. Most of the householdsin Lungo and Manyinga villages (hinterland)and Madizini township depends on market for procuring most of the food items for family consumption while own production dominated the households in Mhonda village. Mean BMI values of women in the hinterland villages (Manyinga22.10±0.63, Lungo 22.37±0.53 and Mhonda 22.7±0.56) were significantly lower than those of Madizini township (mean BMI = 26.41) at p<0.05. It is not surprising therefore that overweight and obesity rates were higher in Madizini township than in the hinterland villages. Stunting, underweight and wasting were higher among children in the hinterland


BACKGROUND
The prevalence of adolescent obesity is rising in all parts of the world, but only very few studies have considered factors influencing obesity among Nigerian adolescents. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity and its association with sociodemographic profile, lifestyle factors, dietary patterns, and physical activity patterns among in-school adolescents in Southwest Nigeria.

METHODS
A total sample size of 400 in-school adolescents were selected through a multi-stage sampling technique from secondary schools in Ile-Ife. The dietary patterns were assessed using a 92-item FFQ, while the activity patterns were assessed using the physical activity questionnaire for older children and adolescents. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS.

RESULTS
There were 211 (52.8%) males and 189 (47.3%) females, with mean ages of 14.8 ± 2.1 and 14.4 ± 1.9 years, respectively. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 12.8%. The associated factors were age, sex, class, the number of children in the family, birth orders and the dietary pattern dominated by starchy foods, roots and tubers (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION
The prevalence of overweight/obesity was relatively high among the respondents. It was associated with age, the number of children in the family, and adolescents' birth order. WAJM 2022; 39(2): 119-126.


was hardly noticeable. Examination with the visuscope shows that there is a primary form of microstrabismus, which may develop into macrostrabismus, and a secondary residual strabismus resulting from surgery and orthoptic treatment of a higher degree of squint. Heredity plays a significant role. The author considers microstrabismus to be a separate entity. To an oculist, who has been imbued with the teaching of Worth, microstrabismus is evidence of fusion deficiency. Even when the images presented to both eyes are superimposed by prisms, no perfect vision results. Failure to obtain normal binocular vision may be compared with the failure of speech training to produce normal natural speech.


The development of a current controller with inherent integral action for a full-bridge boost rectifier is presented. The main control objectives are to achieve dc output voltage regulation and near-unity power factor in the presence of unknown load. The stability analysis of the current-controlled rectifier system is carried out using Floquet theory. Some experimental results are also presented to verify the effectiveness of the control method.


Bayesian networks are not well-formulated for continuous variables. The majority of recent works dealing with Bayesian inference are restricted only to special types of continuous variables such as the conditional linear Gaussian model for Gaussian variables. In this context, an exact Bayesian inference algorithm for clusters of continuous variables which may be approximated by independent component analysis models is proposed. The complexity in memory space is linear and the overfitting problem is attenuated, while the inference time is still exponential. Experiments for multibiometric score fusion with quality estimates are conducted, and it is observed that the performances are satisfactory compared to some known fusion techniques.


Background. Domiciliary bi-level ventilators have specific software that estimates residual Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI). The accuracy of this data is important to achieve optimal ventilatory parameters.

Objectives. Compare the residual AHI from the software of ventilator with the residual AHI obtained by a Domiciliary Respiratory Poligraphy (DRP) in patients with Chronic Respiratory Failure (CRF).

Methods. Patients newly diagnosed with CRF and eligible for Home Mechanical Ventilation (HMV) were included. All patients were treated with BiPAP A30 (Phillips Respironics®). By 3rd month all performed DRP (Alice 5, Phillips Respironics®, 10 channels, including z-Rip (Pro-Tech) and TcCO2 (Sentec®)). The residual AHI obtained from the ventilator software ( EncoreAnywhere , Phillips Respironics®) was compared with the residual AHI from DRP reviewed manually.

Results. Data is presented as median (per 25-75). 16 patients were studied, 9 (56,25%) with restrictive disease and 7 (43,75%) with obstructive disease with a FVC of 68,5 (50-81,1)%, FEV1 of 57,9 (28,3-73)%, PaCO2 of 51,1 (45,4-59,5) mmHg, PaO2 of 63,5 (56,2-71,5) mmHg. SpO2 of 93,5 (91,7-95,3)%. Measured by the DRP baseline AHI improved in all patients (18 (7,8-50,8) vs 2,9 (0,9-8,1), p<0,01) /h. When compared with residual AHI of ventilator software 3,4 (0,8-5,5) /h no significant differences were found (p=0,5).

Conclusion. Although further research is warranted, the results of this pilot study suggest that the AHI obtained by the ventilator software can be used to achieve optimal ventilatory parameters in patients with CRF of varying severity.


The study proceeded by broadly categorizing the various defects of the economy as manifestations of two disequilibria in the system. The first disequilibrium pertains to the internal imbalances as reflected mainly by the stagnation in economic growth, the decline in the per capita output of food and related items, and the growing budget deficits of the public sector. The other disequilibrium is the external imbalances and is chiefly reflected in the system's inability to eliminate the balance of payment deficits. This latter disequilibrium was the subject matter of this paper.


Plants continuously evolve new defense compounds. One class of such compounds is triterpenoid saponins. A few species in the Barbarea genus produce saponins as the only ones in the large crucifer family. However, the molecular mechanism behind saponin biosynthesis and their role in plant defense remains unclear. We used pathway reconstitution in planta, enzymatic production of saponins in vitro, insect feeding assays, and bioinformatics to identify a missing gene involved in saponin biosynthesis and saponin-based herbivore defense. A tandem repeat of eight CYP72A cytochromes P450 colocalise with a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for saponin accumulation and flea beetle resistance in Barbarea vulgaris. We found that CYP72A552 oxidises oleanolic acid at position C-23 to hederagenin. In vitro-produced hederagenin monoglucosides reduced larval feeding by up to 90% and caused 75% larval mortality of the major crucifer pest diamondback moth and the tobacco hornworm. Sequence analysis indicated that CYP72A552 evolved through gene duplication and has been under strong selection pressure. In conclusion, CYP72A552 has evolved to catalyse the formation of hederagenin-based saponins that mediate plant defense against herbivores. Our study highlights the evolution of chemical novelties by gene duplication and selection for enzyme innovations, and the importance of chemical modification in plant defense evolution.


Objective The purpose of this study is to describe the current clinical situation of patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and related anxiety, depression, and the quality of life of patients in mainland China, and to report the current status of the use of analgesics. Methods Between June 15, 2021, and October 15, 2021, a total of 401 participants participated in the study. Recruitment was carried out using a multi-level sampling method. Participants' demographics, medical history, analgesic use, Michigan Symptom Score (MNSI), Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) pain score, Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) score, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD) -7) Score, quality of life score (SF-12) and diabetes treatment status were collected. Results Among the participants, there were 236 male patients and female patients. Participants were 322 patients over 40 years old. Regarding the use of analgesics: 132 patients reported using analgesics, 221 patients reported not using analgesics, and 48 patients reported having used analgesics. The results of the scale showed that the scores of NRS, GAD-7, PHQ-9 and SF-12 were 5.12 ± 2.15, 6.33 ± 3.67, 8.46 ± 4.07 and 47.84 ± 19.92 for patients who used analgesics, Compared with patients who did not use analgesics (NRS: 1.99 ± 1.7, GAD-7: 1.81 ± 2.81, PHQ-9: 3.13 ± 4.10, SF-12: 78.34 ± 21.66) there are significant differences (p< 0.001). In addition, patients' NRS scores are also closely related to GAD-7, PHQ-9 and SF-12 scores. Conclusion The severity of symptoms, mental status and quality of life of patients who used analgesics were more severe than those of patients who did not use analgesics. Pregabalin is still the preferred analgesic for patients with painful DPN, and the use of opioids in my country is extremely low, which is consistent with current international guidelines. Age, diabetic duration, DPN duration, PHQ-9 score, GAD-7 score and SF-12 scores are closely related to NRS pain scores. In addition, there are still a considerable number of patients who have not used analgesics due to financial burdens and other reasons, suggesting that China still has insufficient pain management in DPN patients.


After a brief review of the literature on self-inflicted violence, a practical approach to the treatment of patients who show self-injurious behavior and self-mutilation is developed. The treatment model uses therapeutic interventions based on a biopsychosocial understanding of the person and applies knowledge from the biological, psychological-behavioral, and social fields. Interventions discussed include ego strengthening, planning for substitute behaviors, therapeutic imagery, ego-state therapy, refraining, cognitive syllogism, behavioral reinforcement and extinction, and use of behavioral contracts. The case examples presented illustrate the importance of the therapist/patient relationship, which is based on trust, respect, and caring but also on patient responsibility for change.


Purpose: We describe the "double zipper" mechanism of human male urethral formation, where the distal zipper opens the urethral groove through canalization of the urethral plate, and a second closing zipper follows behind and closes the urethral groove to form the tubular urethra. Materials and Methods: Anonymous human fetal genital specimens were acquired and gender was determined by polymerase chain reaction of the Y chromosome. Specimens were processed for optical projection tomography, stained with E-cadherin, Ki67 and caspase 3, and imaged. Results: Eight developing male fetal specimens from 6.5 to 16.5 weeks of gestation were analyzed by optical projection tomography, and an additional 5 specimens by serial sections. Phallus length ranged from 1.3 to 3.7 mm. The urethral plate canalized into a groove with 2 epithelial edges that subsequently fused. Ki67 staining was localized to the dorsal aspect of the urethral plate. In contrast, caspase 3 staining was not observed. The entire process was completed during a 10-week period. Conclusions: The human male urethra appears to form by 2 mechanisms, an initial "opening zipper" that facilitates distal canalization of the solid urethral plate to form the urethral groove, which involves a high rate of epithelial proliferation (apoptosis not observed), and a "closing zipper" facilitating fusion of the 2 epithelial surfaces of the urethral groove, and thus extending the penile urethra distally. Improved knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of these processes is critical to understanding mechanisms of abnormal urethral development, such as hypospadias.


Initially, the present paper aims at conceptualizing self-efficacy as an important psychological construct put forth more than 30 years ago by the most cited living psychologist, Albert Bandura. The concept has been tested and confirmed by many researchers in different disciplines and recently in the web environment. Furthermore, web literacy is also a significant skill that is of high importance in using web resources. Using evaluation criteria traditionally applied to print sources combined with new strategies for making sense of contents in hypertext and multimedia formats is considered the main skill in web literacy. However, the two concepts of self-efficacy and web literacy have not been given full consideration in related literature jointly. Such subject areas as adaptation and application of information technologies; information-related skills and research competencies are dependent on users' psychological characteristics such as self-efficacy in the web environment. Following a conceptualization related to the concept of web selfefficacy, some of the most important types of it ranging from computer to research self-efficacy are explored at the end of the paper.


We are, of course, flattered by this amount of interest in our article1 and would like to respond as follows to the multitude of interesting arguments. Spinal manipulation was first described in 1895 by the `magnetic healer' D D Palmer as a treatment of `subluxations' of the spine and other joints. Early chiropractors believed that `subluxations' were the cause of all diseases—to quote Palmer: `95% of all diseases are caused by displaced vertebrae, the remainder by luxations of other joints'.2 Today, 89.8% of (USA) chiropractors feel that spinal manipulation should not be limited to musculoskeletal conditions.3

It is thus not `methodologically unsound', as D Byfield and P McCarthy assume, but necessary to conduct a health technology assessment of spinal manipulations for the full range of conditions for which adequate data are available. Similarly, global assessments exist also in the chiropractic literature and are acclaimed by chiropractors—as long as they are not truly critical of their practice.4

Of course, Byfield and McCarthy are right, the majority of chiropractic patients suffer from musculoskeletal problems, but are they suggesting one must not ask questions about the rest? And, of course, the `straight' chiropractors adhering to Palmer's gospel are in the minority; but, in the UK, the influence of those `vitalists', who insist spinal manipulation is a panacea, is growing.5

It is not correct that we have `aggregated' different conditions. In fact, we assessed systematic reviews pertaining to different conditions quite separately.1 A systematic review is an accepted method for minimizing bias, the argument that our article maximized bias seems therefore illogical and has no basis. In this context it is worth noting that most of the commentators are affiliated with chiropractic or osteopathic organizations, while neither of us is on the payroll of an interested party. Byfield and McCarthy's claim that our approach `lacks statistical validity' is embarrassing—we did not use any statistics in this paper.

Systematic reviews inevitably require some inclusion/exclusion criteria. Thus, some articles will always be omitted which others would have liked to include—perhaps because of their favourable results. It is, however, misleading to imply that we systematically excluded studies of `manipulation as used in practice'. Most of the 16 evaluated reviews included such trials.

B J Lewis and G Carruthers are mistaken when stating that four of the systematic reviews included were `reviews of reviews'. In fact, they all were reviews of controlled clinical trials. Similarly, it is disingenuous to imply that we merely evaluated reviews of our `own opinion'. The fact that four of the 16 included articles were our own simply shows that we are research-active in this area. To exclude one's own work in systematic reviews would be woefully unscientific.

Several comments note that our conclusions are not in line with current guidelines. We also make this point in our article and suggest `... that these guideline be reconsidered in the light of the best available data'.1 Surely this is sensible? Yet Breen et al. categorically state `... there is enough evidence about manipulation in the back pain area', providing no reference in support of this statement. One could therefore be forgiven for concluding that it is more the result of wishful thinking than of critical evaluation.