A general inversion technique for the recovery of the underlying distribution function for observed galactic discs is presented and illustrated. Under the assumption that these discs are axisymmetric and thin, the proposed method yields a unique distribution compatible with all the observables available. The derivation may be carried out from the measurement of the azimuthal velocity distribution arising from positioning the slit of a spectrograph along the major axis of the galaxy. More generally, it may account for the simultaneous measurements of velocity distributions corresponding to slits presenting arbitrary orientations with respect to the major axis. The approach is non-parametric, i.e. it does not rely on a particular algebraic model for the distribution function. Special care is taken to account for the fraction of counter-rotating stars, which strongly affects the stability of the disc. An optimization algorithm is devised — generalizing the work of Skilling &38; Bryan — to carry this truly two-dimensional ill-conditioned inversion efficiently. The performance of the overall inversion technique with respect to the noise level and truncation in the data set is investigated with simulated data. Reliable results are obtained up to a mean signal-to-noise ratio of 5, and when measurements are available up to 4 Re. A discussion of the residual biases involved in non-parametric inversions is presented. The prospects of application of the algorithm to observed galaxies and other inversion problems are discussed.


AbstractThe aim of this study was to analyze the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP), with a view to improving the diagnosis of this kind of tumor.A total of 27 cases of histopathologically confirmed DFSP were analyzed retrospectively. Of these, 18 patients underwent a CT scan and 9 patients underwent an MRI. All patients underwent unenhanced and contrast-enhanced examinations; 1 patient underwent multiphrase CT enhancement examination. Imaging characteristics, including location, shape, size, number, edge, and attenuation or intensity of each lesion, both unenhanced and contrast enhanced, were analyzed.Of the 27 cases, 24 were solitary, 2 had 2 nodules, and 1 had multiple confluent tumors. The lesion with multiple confluent tumors was ill defined and irregular; the other lesions were oval or round, well-defined nodules or masses. The unenhanced CT images showed 19 homogenous isodense lesions. There was no calcification in any of the patients. The contrast-enhanced CT images showed intermediate and marked nonhomogeneous enhancement in 13 lesions, intermediate homogeneous enhancement in 4 lesions, and a mild heterogeneous enhancement in 2 lesions. MR T1-weighted images revealed 1 ill-defined and 9 well-defined homogeneous isointense lesions. T2-weighted images showed homogeneous hyperintensity to the muscles in 6 lesions, 3 mild hyperintense lesions with hypointense lesions, and 1 mixed, mild hyperintense and isointense lesion. Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images demonstrated intermediate and marked nonhomogeneous enhancement in 9 lesions and intermediate homogeneous enhancement in 1 lesion.DFSP is characterized by a subcutaneous well-defined soft tissue nodule or mass on plain CT/MR scans, and shows intermediate-to-marked enhancement on contrast-enhanced CT/MR scans. The imaging findings for DFSP are nonspecific, but may help to define the diagnosis in an appropriate clinical setting.


We collected from Italian organised cervical screening programmes data (a) on the correlation between colposcopic findings (according to the 1990 international classification) and histology and (b) on the treatment/management of screen-detected histologically confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Data routinely recorded by organised programmes was provided as aggregated tables. We obtained data on colpo-histological correlation from 41 programmes. Of the 16,292 reported colposcopies, 43% were classified as normal and 23 % as unsatisfactory. CINI or more severe histology was detected in 2278/4449 (51%) of colposcopies classified as grade 1. CIN2 or more severe histology was detected in 651/1033 (63%) ofcolposcopies classified as grade 2 or higher. Ofall colposcopies that found CIN2 or more severe histology, 41% had a colposcopy classified as grade 2 or higher. We obtained data on treatment from 71 programmes. Of the 2,895 women with CINI, 73.4% had follow-up only, 14 (0.5%) of them had cold-knife conisation, 170 (5.9%) were treated by diathermocoagulation and 4 (0.1%) had hysterectomy. Of the 1972 women with CIN2 or CIN3, 4.8% had not yet been treated when data were collected and no data was available for a further 12.9%. Excision by radio-frequency device was the most common treatment among these women (58.7% of those with known treatment). However, 0.8% of women with CIN2 and 4.2% of women with CIN3 had hysterectomy. Of the 76 women with invasive carcinoma, 19.8%, plausibly with microinvasive disease, had excisional treatment only reported.


Abstract Background and Aims: FibroScan is used to determine liver stiffness and controlled attenuation parameter (referred to as CAP) scores in patients, including those with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). We used FibroScan to detect the incidence of fatty liver and fibrosis in CHB patients, and to assess the correlation of FibroScan measurements with blood chemistry tests. Methods: CHB patients enrolled in this study were divided independently for three separate analyses (of fibrosis, cirrhosis, and fatty liver) based on FibroScan results. Basic information, blood chemistry test results, liver fibrosis parameters, and FibroScan results were collected. T-tests and Pearson's analyses were used to analyze the correlations between FibroScan liver stiffness measurement/CAP values and liver function, blood fat, uric acid metabolite, fibrosis, and hepatitis B virus load. Results: A total of 2266 CHB patients were enrolled in the study and divided into three groups: non-significant and significant fibrosis; non-cirrhosis and early cirrhosis; and non-fatty and fatty liver. Spearman's statistical analyses showed that liver stiffness measurement or CAP values correlated with sex (r=0.137), age (r=0.119),glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (r=0.082), glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (r=–0.172), gamma-glutamyltransferase (r=0.225), albumin (r=0.150), globulin (r=–0.107), total bilirubin (r=–0.132), direct bilirubin (r=–0.145), white blood cell count (r=0.254), hemoglobin (r=0.205), platelets (r=0.206), total cholesterol (r=0.214), high density lipoprotein (r=–0.243), low density lipoprotein (r=0.255), apolipoprotein B (r=0.217), hyaluronic acid (r=–0.069), laminin (r=–0.188), procollagen type IV (r=–0.067)and hepatitis B viral DNA load (r=–0.216). Conclusions: FibroScan is a non-invasive device that can detect the occurrence of fatty liver or liver fibrosis in CHB patients.


Abstract Noonan syndrome is the second most common genetic syndrome associated with congenital heart disease after Trisomy 21. The two most common cardiac lesions associated with Noonan syndrome are pulmonary stenosis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Although the incidence of mitral valve disease in Noonan syndrome ranges between 2 and 6%, rapid progression of mitral valve dysplasia causing severe mitral valve regurgitation and left atrial dilatation is seldom seen. Most cases of mitral valve disease have been diagnosed either on routine echocardiographic surveillance or when presented with heart failure symptoms. We describe an 18-month-old boy with Noonan syndrome presenting in atrial flutter due to a massively enlarged left atrium caused by severe mitral valve regurgitation which developed and progressed in less than 17 months.


Sialic acids were specifically labeled with o-phenylenediamine-2HCl (OPD) to yield stable fluorescent quinoxaline derivatives. The sialic acids were released from the glycoprotein in a NaHSO4 solution (0.25 M 80 degrees C, 20 min) and derivatized in the same solution with the OPD (10 mg/ml (final conc.) 80 degrees C, 40 min). Various sialic acids derivatized with the OPD were separated on a C-18 reversed-phase Ultrasphere-ODS column using the solvent systems and the detector conditions used for the determination of monosaccharides derivatized with anthranilic acid as reported earlier. The common N-acetyl- and N-glycolylneuraminic acids were separated within 20 min, and the other N- and O-acylated sialic acids were separated in 40 min. The OPD derivatives of mono-, di-, and triacylated sialic acid were separated into their respective groups in the present separation. The fluorescence maxima for the OPD-N-acetylneuraminic acid were 232 nm excitation and 420 nm emission and the limit of quantitation was < 2 pmol. The relative standard deviation was less than 3.0% for the sialic acid determinations using the glycoproteins. A common single HPLC system is used for complete carbohydrate composition analysis of glycoproteins, since both the sialic acid and the monosaccharide methods use the same solvent systems, column, and detector settings. Furthermore, in contrast to high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection, these methods are easy to set up for an analysis and offer the highest sensitivity for analyzing samples available in microgram amounts.


The experiments reported in this paper were undertaken to test the effect of an external irritating agent in the production of susceptibility to an inoculable tumor in non-susceptible strains of mice. The role played by irritation in the production of malignant growths de novo has been considered of great importance by clinicians and experimentalists alike. Thus Carrel (1) has stated … "it is certain that tumors practically always occur at the site of a chronic irritation, sarcoma appearing during youth, and carcinoma during old age. These simple observations indicate that two factors are necessary for the production of cancer—local irritation, and a certain condition of the tissues and the humors, such as takes place in old age and youth." The factor of chronic irritation in experiments with inoculable tumors has not been particularly stressed up to the present time. Such work has been primarily concerned with the problems connected with Carrel9s second factor, "the certain conditions of the tissues." These problems have been attacked from various angles, for instance, by means of tissue culture experiments, work on cell physiology, transplantation of normal and of malignant tissues. It is this last line of investigation which has led to the conception of an hereditary mechanism determining the ability or failure of an individual to grow a certain bit of transplanted tissue—or, in the usual terminology, the susceptibility or non-susceptibility of an individual.


This study evaluated the impact of geosynthetic interlayers on crack retardation and delamination within hot-mix asphalt mixtures. Five different geosynthetic interlayers (three geogrids, one geotextile, and one geocomposite) were considered in this study and varied in opening size, tensile strength, and bonding additive. Two asphalt binder tack coats—PG 64-22 and PG 76-22—were selected and applied at a rate of 0.95 L/m2 (0.21 gal/yd2) based on literature and manufacturer recommendations. Three-point bending (3PB) tests were conducted to assess the cracking and delamination resistance of geosynthetic interlayers. Digital images were recorded during 3PB testing and analyzed using digital image correlation to track specimen movements at the interface under flexural loading. The results showed that specimens with geosynthetic interlayers had higher fracture energy and slower crack propagation rates compared with control specimens. More specifically, fiberglass geogrid interlayers showed the greatest ability to retard crack propagation, with crack propagation rates of 0.07 mm per second (mm/s) compared with control (0.14 mm/s) and other geosynthetics (between 0.08 mm/s and 0.10 mm/s). With respect to delamination, control two-lift and geotextile interlayer (GTX-P) specimens showed the least amount of horizontal delamination. When evaluating the rate at which delamination spread, geotextile specimens (GTX-P) and geocomposite specimens showed slower spread of delamination compared with geogrid interlayers. Overall, the results from this study showed the use of geosynthetic interlayers improved cracking resistance and caused little to no delamination along the asphalt interface.


The circuit-design aspects of an integrated circuit to perform two-tone telephone dialing are described. The circuit is believed to be unique in that it combines both the crystal-controlled frequency synthesizer and the output amplifier on the same chip. Moreover, no external power supplies are required; the circuit is powered by the telephone-line current. Designed to require a minimum number of external components, the LSI chip provides an economical and accurate two-tone dialing unit. A typical application circuit for existing telephone apparatus is shown and aspects of future development are discussed.


The physical basis for the Lorenz equations for convective cells in stratified fluids, and for magnetized plasmas imbedded in curved magnetic fields, are reexamined with emphasis on anomalous transport. It is shown that the Galerkin truncation leading to the Lorenz equations for the closed boundary problem is incompatible with finite fluxes through the system in the limit of vanishing diffusion. An alternative formulation leading to the Lorenz equations is proposed, invoking open boundaries and the notion of convective streamers and their back-reaction on the profile gradient, giving rise to resilience of the profile. Particular emphasis is put on the diffusionless limit, where these equations reduce to a simple dynamical system depending only on one single forcing parameter. This model is studied numerically, stressing experimentally observable signatures, and some of the perils of dimension-reducing approximations are discussed.


The Seljuk period has been important in the urban history of Anatolia because of embodying the first Turkish-Islamic colonization and urbanization process in Anatolia. As a result of the foundation of the Anatolian Seljuk State, Turks participated in the settlement pattern of Anatolia in the beginning of the 12th century. The Anatolian Seljuk State was not only a tribal confederation comprised of Turcoman nomadic groups or subgroups from Central Asia and Iran, but also the synthesis of the Christian-Byzantine social, cultural, economic institutions with the synthesis of the social and cultural values which were based on the sedentary or nomadic life styles of Turks transferring from Central Asia and Iran to Anatolia. The Seljuks organized the urban network and transportation system in Anatolia taken over from Byzantine that they were based on the potentials and dynamics of the international and regional trading of Anatolia. In this point, it is considered that Anatolian Seljuk cities were organized as the spatial and functional components of urban network and transportation system set up in Anatolia, and the colonization or land use policies transferring from the traditions of Turkish-Islamic States in Central Asia and Iran to Anatolia. So, it can be said that Anatolian Seljuk cities were developed on the urban heritage inherited from Byzantine, and also organized spatially under the impact of Central Asia-Turkish before Islamic and Iran-Turkish in after Islamic urban cultures in many regards.1


A series of cationic tungsten oxo alkylidene N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes was synthesized and structurally characterized by single crystal X‐ray diffraction. The 13C NMR chemical shifts of the alkylidene C atoms of these complexes were correlated with the diamagnetic, paramagnetic and spin‐orbit chemical shifts calculated by DFT. A good correlation (R2=0.90) between the DFT isotropic chemical shifts and the experimental chemical shift as well as a strong correlation between the DFT isotropic chemical shifts and the TOF1min for the RCM of 1,7‐octadiene was found. Further, a comparison of the catalyst geometries allowed for assigning tetracoordinate pseudotetrahedral catalysts to the most deshielded alkylidenes and to the highest TOF1min, pentacoordinate square‐planar catalysts to the intermediate deshielded alkylidenes and intermediate TOF1min, and hexacoordinate and octahedral catalyst to the most shielded alkylidene and lowest TOF1min. Analysis of the magnetic shielding tensors allowed for ascribing variations in the chemical shifts to electronic transitions between occupied molecular orbitals corresponding to the alkylidene‐C and alkylidene‐H σ‐bonds and the empty molecular orbital corresponding to the W‐alkylidene σ*‐bond.


Data streaming enables online monitoring of large and continuous event streams in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs). In such scenarios, fine-grained backward provenance tools can connect streaming query results to the source data producing them, allowing analysts to study the dependency/causality of CPS events. While CPS monitoring commonly produces many events, backward provenance does not help prioritize event inspection since it does not specify if an event's provenance could still contribute to future results. To cover this gap, we introduce Ananke, a framework to extend any fine-grained backward provenance tool and deliver a live bi-partite graph of fine-grained forward provenance. With Ananke, analysts can prioritize the analysis of provenance data based on whether such data is still potentially being processed by the monitoring queries. We prove our solution is correct, discuss multiple implementations, including one leveraging streaming APIs for parallel analysis, and show Ananke results in small overheads, close to those of existing tools for fine-grained backward provenance.


Traumatic hip dislocations result from high-energy trauma. These dislocations are usually posterior in direction and have severe associated injuries. The less common anterior dislocation is usually of the inferior type. We report a case of an open anterior-inferior hip dislocation secondary to a high-speed motor vehicle collision. The wound was in the medial upper ipsilateral thigh. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of an adult with an open inferior-type anterior hip dislocation.


Abstract The ancient Algerian urban nuclei are composed of different kind of structural systems, such as unreinforced masonry building (URM) buildings, reinforced concrete (RC) buildings, steel buildings and last but not the least the reinforced masonry structures. This type of structure is one of the most vulnerable to seismic action, as they were not built to seismic codes and regulations. In this paper, a contribution for the safety assessment of reinforced masonry buildings under seismic loading is presented. With this purpose, a vulnerability index method has been applied to this type of buildings for the Algerian case according to the national seismic regulations (RPA), by identifying the most important parameters that have an influence on the seismic behaviour of such structures. Weighting factors are then assigned to each parameter in order to evaluate the vulnerability index, which allows classifying each assessed structure according to a suggested classification. The weighting factors were first estimated by a dynamic analysis using ten seismic records. Lastly this method was implemented in a Delphi program and performed using several examples to show its efficiency.


Clinical Observations and Emerging Questions.- The Contribution of Clinical Observation to Neurobiological Mechanisms in Manipulative Therapy.- Muscles, Central Nervous Motor Regulation, and Back Problems.- Manipulative Therapy in Relation to Total Health Care.- The Clinical Basis for Discussion of Mechanisms of Manipulative Therapy.- Discussion of Clinical Observations and Emerging Questions.- Impulse-Based Mechanisms.- Somatic Sources of Afferent Input as Factors in Aberrant Autonomic, Sensory, and Motor Function.- Discussion.- Traumatized Nerves, Roots, and Ganglia: Musculoskeletal Factors and Neuropathological Consequences.- Discussion of Excitation and Conduction in Traumatized Nerves.- Somatoautonomic Reflexology - Normal and Abnormal.- Autonomic System Reactions Caused by Excitation of Somatic Afferents: Study of Cutaneo-Intestinal Reflex.- Sustained Sympathicotonia as a Factor in Disease.- Discussion of Impulse-Based Mechanisms.- Nonimpulse-Based Mechanisms.- Axonal Transport: The Mechanisms and Their Susceptibility to Derangement Anterograde Transport.- Transfer of Information from Effector Organs to Innervating Neurons by Retrograde Axonal Transport of Macromolecules.- Discussion and Short Reports on Axonal Transport.- Impairment of Intraneural Microcirculation, Blood-Nerve Barrier, and Axonal Transport in Experimental Nerve Ischemia and Compression.- Discussion.- Calcium and the Mechanism of Axoplasmic Transport.- Discussion.- Trophic Changes in Afflictions of the Motor Unit.- Wing Flapping and Other Moving Topics: A Developmental Perspective.- Discussion of the Trophic Functions of Nerves and Their Mechanisms in Relation to Manipulative Therapy.- Concluding Discussion.- Clinical Observations and Emerging Questions.- Impulse-Based Mechanisms.- Nonimpulse-Based Mechanisms.- Chairman's Concluding Statement.


The electron energy loss spectra of gaseous thiophene and thiolane in the regions of S 2p, S 2s, and C 1s are presented along with the x‐ray photoelectron yield (NEXAFS) spectra of both gases in the region of S 1s excitation. The thiophene spectra are compared to the corresponding NEXAFS spectra of solid (multilayer) and monolayer thiophene on Pt (111). MS‐Xα calculations of the C 1s, S 2p, and S 1s excitation spectra of free thiophene are also reported. Intercomparison of the gas, surface, and calculated spectra allows a complete interpretation of the spectral features and facilitates determination of the molecular orientation of thiophene with respect to the surface in both the compressed [thiophene on Pt (111) at 150 K] and relaxed [thiophene on Pt (111) at 180 K] monolayer phases.


Radiation toxicity is a major obstacle to effective head and neck (HN) cancer treatment. Treatment-related toxicity to lymphatic tissues in the HN region could significantly diminish patient9s quality-of-life, with lymphedema resulting in more than half of HN cancer patients who undergo surgery and radiotherapy. Impairment of lymphatics due to radiotherapy may be expected because radiation exposures could cause tissue fibrosis and loss of capillary lymphatics. In this pilot study, we sought to visualize lymphatic architecture and contractile function before and after cancer treatments using near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) lymphatic imaging. The approach allowed us to longitudinally assess the effect of radiation or surgery on the lymphatics in HN cancer patients. Human subjects, who were diagnosed with HN squamous cell carcinoma and scheduled for radiotherapy or combination of surgery/radiotherapy, were recruited in this ongoing study under FDA approval (IND 102,765). Imaging sessions are conducted before and as late as one year after the treatments at several time points. After informed consent, ten injections of 12.5-25 mcg indocyanine green (off-label use) in 0.05-0.1 c.c. saline were each administered bilaterally in the oral cavity, oropharynx, and on the face (posterior auricular, preauricular, and submandibular) in each imaging session. Immediately after injections, the skin surface was illuminated with a diffused excitation light of 785 nm, and sequences of NIRF lymphatic images of 0.2 sec exposure time at 2 frames/sec were collected using a custom-built imaging system. Imaging was typically performed for an hour. While subject recruitment continues, NIRF images in all 13 subjects show the lymphatic draining vessels and nodes in the face and neck. Images acquired before treatment, post-surgery, and then post-radiation allowed us to document the change of lymphatics and investigate the response of lymphatics to the treatments. Propulsion of lymph in collecting lymphatic vessels were seen in some of subjects both pre- and post- surgery as well as after radiotherapy. To date, no major impairment of lymphatics has been noted in the first 13 subjects. Longitudinal imaging was accomplished for 3 out of 13 subjects. Extra-lymphatic leakage around the incision line was seen in some subjects post surgery. In one subject, lymphatic propulsion was seen before treatment and post- radiation, but not post-surgery. Preliminary results show the reformation of lymphatic architecture after surgery and radiotherapy. In conclusion, we have employed NIRF imaging to assess lymphatics in HN cancer patients, who underwent radiotherapy and/or surgery, and to visualize the response to the treatments. While longitudinal studies continue, the preliminary results show the reorganization of lymphatics after the treatments. Citation Format: I-Chih Tan, Ron J. Karni, John C. Rasmussen, Eva M. Sevick-Muraca. Assessing lymphatic response to treatments in head and neck cancer using near-infrared fluorescence imaging. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2052. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2052


Zerumbone, derived from tropical ginger (Zingibers zerumbet, Zingiberaceae), was found to suppress chemically-induced skin tumor formation in mice. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the chemopreventive effects of zerumbone on mouse skin carcinogenesis are poorly understood. Here, we report that topical application of zerumbone onto dorsal skin of HR-1 hairless mice induced expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) through activation of Nrf2, a major transcription factor that plays a pivotal role in regulating expression of several antioxidant/detoxifying enzymes. To verify the possible involvement of Nrf2 in zerumbone-derived induction of HO-1, we compared HO-1 protein levels in the zerumbone-treated skin of Nrf2 wild-type (+/+) and Nrf2 knock out (−/−) mice. Nrf2-deficient mice expressed HO-1 in the skin to a much lesser extent than did the wild-type animals following topical application of zerumbone (10 μmol). Moreover, zerumbone (10 μM) inhibited anchorage-independent growth as well as ROS production in mouse epidermal JB6 cells stimulated with 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA; 10 ng/ml). Likewise, treatment of JB6 cells with zerumbone resulted in a markedly increased nuclear translocation of Nrf2 as well as the promoter activity of HO-1. In addition, siRNA knock down of nrf2 in JB6 cells diminished the zerumbone-induced expression of HO-1. Using a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay, we confirmed that zerumbone induced the direct binding of Nrf2 to antioxidant response element (ARE). We hypothesized that the electrophilic α,β-unsaturated carbonyl moiety present in zerumbone could modify critical cysteine thiols of Keap1, a cytosolic repressor of Nrf2, thereby facilitating its dissociation from Keap1 for nuclear translocation. α-Humulene and 8-hydroxy-α-humulene, structural derivatives of zerumbone that lack the α,β-unsaturated carbonyl group, were unable to activate Nrf2 and induce HO-1 expression in both mouse skin in vivo and cultured mouse epidermal cells. Unlike zerumbone, these non-electrophilic analogs failed to suppress TPA-induced JB6 cell transformation and ROS accumulation. Interestingly, treatment of JB6 cells with 50 μM carbon monoxide-releasing molecule (CORM) markedly reduced ROS accumulation indicating that carbon monoxide formed as a consequence of zerumbone-induced HO-1 expression has an important role in abolishing TPA-induced ROS generation. Taken together, the above findings suggest that up-regulation of HO-1 by zerumbone is mediated via the Nrf2 signaling pathway, which provides a mechanistic basis for the anti-tumor promoting effects of this sesquiterpene on mouse skin carcinogenesis. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5665.


Depression is a well-known reaction to separation in all species of macaques studied except the bonnet (M. radiata), in whom this reaction has never before been observed. We have produced the depressive response of postural collapse and social withdrawal in a bonnet infant by altering the social structure of the group in which it lived in a way calculated to interfere whith the species-typical system of social support.


The optical absorption of exciton interstate transition in Zn1-xl Mg xl O/ZnO/Zn1-xc Mg xc O/ZnO/Zn1-xr Mg xr O asymmetric double quantum wells (ADQWs) with mixed phases of zinc-blende and wurtzite in Zn1-x Mg x O for 0.37 < x < 0.62 is discussed. The mixed phases are taken into account by our weight model of fitting. The states of excitons are obtained by a finite difference method and a variational procedure in consideration of built-in electric fields (BEFs) and the Hartree potential. The optical absorption coefficients (OACs) of exciton interstate transition are obtained by the density matrix method. The results show that Hartree potential bends the conduction and valence bands, whereas a BEF tilts the bands and the combined effect enforces electrons and holes to approach the opposite interfaces to decrease the Coulomb interaction effects between electrons and holes. Furthermore, the OACs indicate a transformation between direct and indirect excitons in zinc-blende ADQWs due to the quantum confinement effects. There are two kinds of peaks corresponding to wurtzite and zinc-blende structures respectively, and the OACs merge together under some special conditions. The computed result of exciton interband emission energy agrees well with a previous experiment. Our conclusions are helpful for further relative theoretical studies, experiments and design of devices consisting of these quantum well structures.


Abstract— Pyroxene structural data, along with analyses of titanomagnetite, fayalite and mesostasis of the new nakhlite Miller Range (MIL) 03346, define equilibration near 1 bar, 1100 °C, and oxygen fugacity near the FMQ buffer. There is a clear progression of oxygen fugacity (fO2) in Martian meteorites from reduced Allan Hills (ALH) 84001 to intermediate shergottites to oxidized nakhlites. This trend can be explained by polybaric graphite‐CO‐CO2 equilibria in the Martian mantle. Shergottites would have formed at pressures between 1.2 and 3.0 GPa, and nakhlite parent liquids formed at pressures >3.0 GPa, consistent with geochemical and petrologic data for the shergottites and nahklites. Carbon buffering in the Martian mantle could be responsible for variation in fO2 in Martian meteorites (rather than assimilation or crustal interaction), as well as C‐H‐O fluids that could be the source of ˜30 ppb CH4 detected by recent spacecraft missions. The conundrum of an oxidized current mantle and basalts, but reduced early mantle during core‐mantle equilibrium exists for both the Earth and Mars. A polybaric buffering role for graphite can explain this discrepancy for Mars, and thus it may not be necessary to have an oxidation mechanism like the dissociation of MgFe‐perovskite to account for the oxidized terrestrial mantle.


Abstract Organic carbon and nitrogen fixed in illite (I) clays were identified in a hydrothermal breccia structure from the Harghita Bãi area of the Neogene volcanism of the East Carpathians. The potassium-illite (K-I) alteration related to an early magmatic-hydrothermal event (9.5 ± 0.5 Ma) was later replaced by ammonium-illite (NH4-I) (6.2 ± 0.6 Ma) owing to circulation of an organic-rich fluid. Several textural evolutions of breccia structures were recognized, such as 'shingle', 'jigsaw', 'crackle' and hydraulic in situ fractures. The high-field-strength element behaviours of the K-I and NH4-I argillic altered andesite are close to chondritic ratios, indicating no contribution of hydrothermal fluid, especially on NH4-I andesite alteration and the CHArge-and-RAdius-Controlled (CHARAC) behaviour within silicate melts. The rare earth element normalized patterns show two distinct trends, one with a Eu* anomaly (K-I) and the other with a Nd* anomaly (NH4-I), indicating a boundary exchange with the organic-rich fluid. The strongly depleted δ13C (V-PDB) measured for the NH4-I clays reflects values (−24.39 to −26.67 ‰) close to CH4 thermogenic oxidation, whereas the δ15N (‰) from 4.8 to 14.8 (± 0.6) confirmed that the N2 originated from post-mature sedimentary organic matter. The last volcanism (6.3 to 3.9 ± 0.6 Ma) and simultaneous volcano-induced tectonics in the proximity of the eastern Transylvanian basin basement increased the heat flow, generating lateral salt extrusion, diapirism and increased pressure in the gas reservoir. New pathways were opened that provided new circulation routes for basinal fluids to new and old permeable zones and expelled seeps from the biogenic petroleum system.


The potentials of pilot-symbol-aided channel estimation in two dimensions are explored. In order to procure this goal, the discrete shift-variant 2-D Wiener filter is derived and analyzed given an arbitrary sampling grid, an arbitrary (but possibly optimized) selection of observations, and the possibility of model mismatch. Filtering in two dimensions is revealed to outperform filtering in just one dimension with respect to overhead, mean-square error performance and latency. However, two cascaded orthogonal 1-D filters are simpler to implement and virtually as good as true 2-D filters.


Very-large-scale integration (VLSI) architectures for finding the first W (W>2) maximum (or minimum) values are required in the implementation of several applications such as nonbinary low-density-parity-check decoders, K-best multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) detectors, and turbo product codes. In this brief, a parallel radix-sort-based VLSI architecture for finding the first W maximum (or minimum) values is proposed. The described architecture, called Bit-Wise-And (BWA) architecture, relies on analyzing input data from the most significant bit to the least significant one, with very simple logic circuits. One key feature in the BWA architecture is its high level of scalability, which enables the adoption of this solution in a large spectrum of applications, corresponding to large ranges for both W and the size of the input data set. Experimental results, achieved by implementing the proposed architecture on a high-speed 90-nm CMOS standard-cell technology, show that BWA architecture requires significantly less area than other solutions available in the literature, i.e., less than or about 50% in all the considered cases and about 50% in the worst case. Moreover, the BWA architecture exhibits the lowest area-delay product among almost all considered cases.


We report a case of late vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) in a two-month-old girl who had not received prophylaxis at birth. She was exclusively breastfed without oral vitamin K supplement. She presented with catastrophic central nervous system bleeding when laboratory findings revealed mild cholestasis and coagulopathy compatible with vitamin K deficiency. She died despite intensive care and correction of coagulopathy. VKDB remains an uncommon but significant risk to infants without vitamin K prophylaxis. The current medical literature supports that intramuscular vitamin K injection given at the time of birth is the most effective and reliable means of prophylaxis. The risk of childhood cancer associated with parenteral vitamin K injection at birth has not been proven and is unlikely to be clarified in the near future. If a regimen of oral prophylaxis is adopted, the physicians and the parents must closely follow the drug administration and accept the slightly increased risk of VKDB.


Budgerigars (Melopsittacus) exposed to male vocalizations will breed in total darkness, and the possibility arises that darkness is stimulatory. The present experiments showed that the availability of a nest-box accelerates egg-laying, and that relative darkness is an important property of a nest-box. Furthermore in the absence of a nest-box breeding occurs sooner in continuous darkness than on 14 L: 10 D. Intermittent periods of darkness imposed in the light period of a 14 L: 10 D regime accelerate egg-laying somewhat.


In total, 158 chemotherapy courses containing cisplatin for 37 pediatric cases of newly diagnosed cancer were divided into 2 groups depending on whether magnesium (Mg) supplementation was administered (Mg+: 92 courses) or not (Mg−: 66 courses). Renal impairment was defined as grade 2 or higher creatinine elevation (CE) after each chemotherapy course. The incidence of CE in the Mg+ was significantly lower than in the Mg− (9.8% vs. 22.7%; P=0.025). Multivariate analysis revealed that Mg supplementation significantly reduced the incidence of CE (odds ratio, 0.36; confidence interval, 0.13-0.99). In pediatric patients, Mg supplementation during cisplatin-containing chemotherapy was associated with less cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity to prevent cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity.


The problem of building and maintaining distributed large-scale software applications is really a serious challenge. The processes concerned are hampered by the avalanche of bulky data, which is heterogeneous in structure and architecture. Therewith, an integral methodological approach (which includes not only CASE-level software and technologies, but also rigorous and uniform mathematical models) is required to conquer the complexity and challenges. The approach embraces the entire enterprise software development lifecycle. The methodology suggested simplifies system maintenance due to component-level metadata pattern management, which increase high artifacts reuse, and easily adapt to changeable business requirements. The paper presents the approach outline, and discusses a number of successful implementations based on the pattern management methodology.


In this study, we report an increase of the number of antibody‐secreting cells and the augmentation of antibody production against unrelated antigens in mice infected with the fungus P. brasiliensis, as well as in mice inoculated with cell wall preparation isolated from P. brasiliensis (CW). The immunomodulatory effect of the live fungus and the CW preparation was dose‐dependent, and their actions were mainly restricted to the i.v. or i.p. inoculation simultaneously with the sheep erythrocyte challenge by the i.v. route or restricted to i.p. inoculation of CW when bovine serum albumin (BSA) antigen was used. The dependence of antibody production on different routes of CW inoculation was correlated with the number of antigen‐specific B cells in the spleen as determined by direct and reverse plaque‐forming cell assays. The immunization schedules using CW preparation caused a preferential production of IgM and IgG3 antibodies. The results also showed that the hyperactive humoral immune response of mice induced by i.p. inoculation of CW was devoid of polyclonal B cell activation compared with the effects observed for the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐treated groups. Paracoccidioides brasiliensis CW components may have potent immunological properties related to the non‐specific B cell activation found in paracoccidioidomycosis.


Abstract Our work provides refined tests of the source of merger gains in a neglected industry: utilities. Utilities offer fertile ground for analysis of traditional theories: synergy, collusion, hubris, and anticipation. Utility mergers create wealth for the combined firm, consistent with both the synergy and collusion hypotheses. To distinguish between these hypotheses, we study rival stock returns across dimensions related to collusion: deregulation, geography, and horizontal and withdrawn deals. We also find that the impact of mergers on consumer prices is consistent with synergy rather than collusion. Analysis of industry rivals that become targets also rejects collusion and is consistent with anticipation.


In this paper, the upper bound limit analysis of thin plates in bending is addressed using various types of triangular finite elements for the generation of velocity fields and second‐order cone programming for the minimization problem. Three different C1‐discontinuous finite elements are considered: the quadratic six‐node Lagrange triangle (T6), an enhanced T6 element with a cubic bubble function at centroid (T6b) and the cubic Hermite triangle (H3). Through numerical examples involving Johansen and von Mises yield criteria, it is shown that cubic elements (H3) give far better results in terms of convergence rate and precision than fully conforming elements found in the literature, especially for problems involving clamped boundaries. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


We are grateful for the interest from Hu et al. in our article. There are different ways to select variables to be selected in a regression model, and there are different preferences among researchers. In general, p-values driven selection of covariates, such as stepwise selection of covariates, are being criticized by an increasing number of analysts, see Lydersen (2015) and references therein. Our initial list of candidate preventable risk factors were based on apriori judgment and potential clinical relevance, with use of conceptual frameworks as directed acyclic graphs to identify possible confounders. Then, we kept as candidate preventable risk factors only those that were statistically significant in the univariate analysis. For the rest, we have refrained from p-value driven selection of additional covariates. We did also ensure that no pairs of variables in the presented multivariable models were correlated to an extent that would lead to multicollinearity. We regard the step 2 and 3 proposed by you as having the potential to introduce similar problems as stepwise selection of covariates. We agree that the associations between postoperative haemoglobin and albumin and acute kidney injury are interesting. However, inclusion of postoperative albumin in a large multivariable model might have led to collider bias as several other covariates and the outcome all could lead to low albumin. Details of postoperative sepsis were unfortunately not available in our data set. We apologize for not clarifying these aspects clearly enough in the original article and once again want to express our gratitude to Hu et al. for their good questions.


Genetic divergence among 40 ashwagandha (Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal) accessions of different geographic origin was assessed using Mahalanobis D 2 statistics. Observations revealed significant genotypic differences and accordingly genotypes were classified into six clusters. Cluster I was the largest with thirty genotypes followed by II and III clusters which have four and three genotypes, respectively. Cluster IV, V and VI contained only one most divergent genotype. The maximum inter-cluster distance (1538.09) was found between cluster II and VI, followed by that between II and III (983.03). The minimum inter-luster distance was observed between cluster Iand II (285.09). Theintra-cluster distance (D) ranged from 142.22 (cluster-III) to 192.10 (cluster-I). The three clusters (IV, V and VI) contained single genotype each and therefore, their intra-cluster distances were zero. The genotype of cluster VI was unique as it was having highest values for leaf width, diameter of root at collar region with high dry root yield. The cluster II was desirable in respect of days to flower initiation and days to maturity and also had highest value for number of primary branches per plant, withanoloide content (%) and starch content. The cluster III exhibited highest value for plant height and leaf length. The cluster IV had highest mean values for number of secondary branches per plant and root length. Thus, hybridization among these genotypes can generate desirable transgressive segregants.


Using the method of colony formation, the modifying effect of methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) (MGBG) was examined on 44 degrees hyperthermia- and/or radiation-induced cell killing and on thermotolerance development after 44 degrees exposure in Chinese hamster V-79 cells. After exposure to MGBG (10 microM) for more than 6 hr, cells became more sensitive to 44 degrees hyperthermia. When an interval at 37 degrees (up to 24 hr) was interposed between MGBG and hyperthermic treatments, cell survival was not significantly increased, as compared with that for MGBG immediately followed by 44 degrees. Cells treated with MGBG remained more thermosensitive, even after a 24 hr interval. On the other hand, when cells were exposed to split dose 44 degrees hyperthermia in the presence of MGBG during an interval of 6 hr at 37 degrees, the development of thermotolerance was not inhibited. After the combined treatments of MGBG followed by X-ray irradiation and hyperthermia, cell survival was markedly decreased, as compared with that in the case of X-ray irradiation alone or in combination with hyperthermia.


Mesoporous TiO2 doped with manganese were prepared by sol-gel method using tetrabutylorthotitanate(TBOT) as precursor and tri-block copolymer as a template. The samples were characterized by using LAXRD, XRD and TEM. The results showed that the Mn doping could inhibit the phase transformation of TiO2 and enhance the thermal stability of TiO2 structure. The degradation rate of the P-chlorophenol (the initial concentration is 60 mg/L) with oxygen ultraviolet irradiation, reaction time 3h and using 2% Mn(superscript 2+)-TiO2 as catalyst is up to 81.7%.


The present work, with its interest focusing on the elastic scattering of energetic electrons, provides a novel formulation that is demonstrated to give accurate values of the screening parameter. This is a matter considered vital in obtaining transport cross-sections, the work herein covering not only a wide range of electron energies popular in applications (1–3000  keV) but also a comprehensively wide range of target atomic numbers (Z: 1–94). Such ability has hitherto not been commonly available in making use of existing formulations. Results from the proposed formula together with comparisons made against previously published results are presented for seventeen representative elements, covering the energy range 1  keV to 3 MeV, providing a representative condensation from the 94 elements for which we have made comparable calculations. The new formulation is seen to offer a viable and accurate approximation, being both simple to apply and devoid of limitations within the bracketed electron energy and target atomic number ranges.


We examined factors and experiences associated with parents' use or non‐use of genetic counseling services within 5 years of the diagnosis of a birth defect in their child. Eligible parents were identified using birth defects data for births in 2004 in Victoria, Australia, and invited to complete a written questionnaire and optional telephone interview. Participants were asked about sources of genetic information, experiences and satisfaction with obtaining this information, and impressions of genetic services. Reasons given for not attending genetic counseling services included not knowing the service was available, or not feeling a need to attend. Non‐users commonly stated they would not consider termination of pregnancy for the type of birth defect experienced or that they obtained information from other sources, such as pediatricians. This study indicates that parents, whose child has been diagnosed with a birth defect, could benefit from being informed about available genetic counseling services. The results show that some non‐users of genetics services may have misconceptions about the purpose of genetic counseling and correcting these may increase utilization. This is important in order to ensure all parents receive sufficient information and support after diagnosis of a birth defect in their child. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


De sign t ools are used by i ndustrial desi gners t o em body design i deas. It can be a challenge for novice or less experienced design students to understand the relationship between the character of the design tool and its application during practice. This is because practice is dynamic and progresses from conceptualisation towards the development and detailing of design ideas. The paper proposes a fram ework f or t he t axonomy of desi gn t ools a nd t he m easurement o f t heir character. T he aim is to provid e n ovice designers with a m ore in formed understanding of the relationship between th e idio syncratic character of design too ls and th ere use in su pporting practice.


The paper deals with the determination of optimal force-closure grasps for 2D polygonal objects. The problem is analyzed and some intrinsic properties of grasps are determined. The approach is applied to the determination of the position of a fourth finger given the positions of three other fingers. Moreover, the range of solutions that allow the force-closure property as well as the optimal value are analytically determined, checking only four points in the worst case. The algorithm has been implemented and numerical examples are included in the paper.


In the rotational spectroscopy community, several popular codes are available to treat multiple internal rotors in a molecule. In terms of the pros and cons of each code, it is often a difficult task to decide which program to apply to a specific internal rotation problem. We faced this issue when dealing with the spectroscopic fingerprint of 4-methylacetophenone (4MAP), recently investigated in the microwave region, which we here extended into the millimeterwave region. The methyl group attached to the phenyl ring in 4MAP undergoes internal rotation with a very low barrier of only 22 cm-1. The acetyl methyl group features a much higher barrier of about 580 cm-1. The performances of a program using the so-called "local" approach in terms of Herschbach's perturbative treatment, SPFIT, as well as three programs XIAM, ERHAM, and ntop, representing "global" fits, were tested. The results aim at helping spectroscopists in the decision on how to tackle their own internal rotation problems.


We analyzed relationship soil distribution and climatic factors using temperature, precipitation and evapotranspiration maps in Jeju island. The whole area was divided into 5 groups - mesic high moisture region(group1), thermic high moisture region(group2), thermic balanced moisture region(group3), thermic short moisture region(group4), thermic very short moisture region(group5), by soil temperature and monthly moisture balances. By the sequence from group1 to group5, the occupation ratio of soils was increased in order of andisols, inceptisols, alfisols, ultisols in soil orders, and of black soils, very dark brown soils, dark brown soils in soil colors.


Hormone-stimulated lipolysis in adipose tissue was inhibited by fluoroacetate and there was a concomitant decrease in both the basal and hormone-stimulated cyclic AMP levels. Adenylate cyclase (EC 188.8.131.52) activity in membrane preparations was inhibited by fluoroacetate. There was no influence of fluoroacetate on the low Km cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase (EC 188.8.131.52) activity. The rate of glucose conversion to fatty acids was increased when adipose tissue was incubated in the presence of fluoroacetate. The outputs of pyruvate and lactate into the incubation medium were decreased at this time, suggesting decreased tissue pyruvate levels and a site of activation of lipogenesis distal to pyruvate formation. Pyruvate dehydrogenase (EC 22.214.171.124) activity was increased twofold in adipose tissue incubated in the presence of fluoroacetate. This was attributed to a fluoroacetate-induced inhibition of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, the enzyme responsible for inactivating the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Glucose transport was increased to a small but significant degree by fluoroacetate. In addition, both the tissue content of citrate and its release into the incubation medium were increased, suggesting that fluoroacetate resulted in an inhibition of aconitase (EC 126.96.36.199). The tissue ATP content was unchanged. Because the antilipolytic and lipogenic effects of fluoroacetate parallel those of insulin, they may share a common mechanism.


In college EFL learning, teachers have commonly attracted significant attention to improve 5 skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating instead of pronouncing when students are taught EFL in the classroom. As a matter of fact,most students have serious trouble in pronunciation before entering college due to their enjoying involving in reading comprehension for English silently in their spare time. Teachers in college trust their students who have the ability to pronounce precisely any English so that they ignore seriously to enhance their basic value of the perfect and standard speech sounds. Teachers believe the acceptable pronunciation is the best way to learn foreign language. It gives a comprehensive opinion on phonetics during the process of learning EFL in college in order to potentially impede that teachers in college recognize its basic and important position so that they can help their students improve the ability of pronouncing to practice 5 advanced skills.


Demutualization is a term used to describe the transition of a securities exchange from a mutual association of exchange members operating on a not-for-profit basis to a limited liability, for-profit company accountable to shareholders. Demutualization challenges the traditional approach to supervision of securities exchanges and raises issues regarding their role in the regulation and supervision of capital markets. Domowitz and Steil (1999) propose that demutualized exchanges have better incentives to provide innovative services that increase the value of the exchange. 1'hcir proposition implies that demutualized exchanges are superior to mutualized exchanges in governance. Another inference that can be drawn from Domowitz and Steil's work is that a demutualized exchange, due to its superior governance structure, should provide a better quality market. This paper reports the findings of a survey of stakeholders' opinions on the effectiveness of demutualization in solving agency problems at the Nairobi Stock Exchange. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires that were completed by respondents. The questionnaires comprised both open and closed ended questions and were administered through drop and pick. Some were sent to the respondent via electronic mail. The Microsoft Excel Program was used to carry out tests and derive frequency tables, mean score tabulations, and percentages to represent the response rate and information on the variables under study. Demutualization being a new concept in our local market, it can not eliminate all the agency problems at the NSE hence a lot needs to done especially on the enforcement of capital market rules and regulation in order to climinate/reduce agency problems.


The problem: Motivating and retaining staff had become an ongoing problem at the student newspaper. Student staffers would quit abruptly when overwhelmed or dissatisfied, leaving the newspaper with critical positions vacant. This affected the performance of the newspaper. Method: The newspaper was organized into self directed work teams (SDWTs). Staffers completed measures of ambiguity tolerance, locus of control, and Big Five personality dimensions (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience). The newspaper editor (a student) and the staff advisor (who also works as a professional journalist) evaluated the performance of each staffer following the reorganization. Outcome variables were employee performance as measured by this evaluation, number of newspaper pages per issue, and advertising revenue dollars. Results: Following the reorganization, the paper saw an increase in page count and advertising dollars. Internal locus of control was the sole significant predictor of employee performance under the SDWT structure. Unexpectedly, neither conscientiousness nor agreeableness correlated with employee performance. Conclusion: Self-directed work teams can improve the performance of student organizations, but the SDWT structure is not right for everyone. Internal locus of control is the strongest predictor of individual performance under the SDWT structure. Self directed work teams (SDWTs) have been used to improve manufacturing performance. In this study we describe the implementation of SDWTs at the student newspaper of a public university. The organization is over 40 years old and has a staff of around 30, including writers, editors, advertisers and graphic designers, all students. Motivating and retaining staff had been an ongoing issue. With no concrete consequences for quitting, student staffers could easily walk away when overwhelmed or dissatisfied, leaving the newspaper with important job functions vacant. This affected on the performance of the newspaper with regard to page count and advertising revenue. In the Fall of 2010, the new editor, in consultation with faculty from the College of Business and Economics, set out to address the problem by reorganizing the newspaper into self directed work teams (SDWTs). The purpose of this was twofold: To improve the functioning of the student newspaper, and to engage in an applied management research project. Student clubs are an often untapped source of opportunity for student-led research (Norvilitis, 2000). The editor divided the organization into teams for each distinct sector (News, AE Kulisch & Banner, 1993) where members are responsible not only for executing the work but also for monitoring and managing their own work and interpersonal processes (J. R. Hackman, 1987). The use of self-directed teams in the workplace represents a departure from the classical management approach first popularized by mechanical engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor, who developed a systematic approach to management in the early 20th Century (Rosen, 1993). Taylor's work with the Ford Motor Company allowed him to establish scientific management in American industry (Taylor, 1911). …


Chemical constituents of the essential oil from the leaves of Minthostachys mollis (Kunth) Griseb Vaught var. mollis collected in January 2008 at Tuñame, Trujillo State, Venezuela, were separated and identified by GCMS analysis. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and thirteen components (98.5% of the sample) were identified by comparison with the Wiley GCMS library data base. The two major components were pulegone (55.2%) and trans-menthone (31.5%). The essential oil showed a significant inhibitory effect against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, especially Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella typhi (4 μg/mL).


People have recently started to show a particular interest for the link existing between economy and ecology, including the environmental protection. This way, a new domain, called ecologic economy or eco-economy, has sprung into existence, aiming at the ensuring of the puttinginto- practice of the decisions regarding productive and social capital, while taking into account the characteristics of the natural capital, by using an ecological, economic and social accounting, both on a short and on a long term.There is a significant interest for reaching a balance between the degree of environmental deterioration the level of economic development, and also for getting over the touchy elements of the link between economy and ecology so as to achieve a peaceful relation between humanity and environment, seen as a main goal for ensuring the continuity of the human race in the geosistema planetary space.


The connection between the letters of Pliny the younger – first of all his descriptions of villas – and renaissance architecture is well known. In Hungarian scholarship Rózsa Feuerné tóth pointed out that in describing the palaces of Buda, Visegrád and Esztergom, Bonfini also used Pliny's terminology. It is, however, strongly questionable that the adoption of the terminology also meant practical connections of construction between Pliny's accounts and the Hungarian buildings, as the art historian hypothesized.The paper is meant to provide addenda to this problem with the help of a concrete source, a Pliny codex of János Vitéz, which is annotated throughout in Vitéz' hand. the focus is on the two most important texts, the description of Pliny's villa in Laurentum (II.7, V.6), with an intention to explore whether inferences could be made from the paratexts by the high priest's hand. the unfolding picture suggests a theoretical impact in the first place: apparently, what the Hungarian high priest particularly highly appreciated in the accounts was the formulation of space for the ideal humanist way of life, for absorbed studying. Library, bath, covered corridor, heated room, garden, quiet studies – these captured Vitéz' attention during reading the text. the villa at Laurentum thus mainly epitomized a space as the venue of the ideal humanist life in Vitéz' interpretation, serving otium, psychic and intellectual re creation. It is noteworthy that Bonfini lists the same elements – library, covered corridor, bath, garden – in his account of Esztergom castle in connection with János Vitéz, while it is only an unanswered question based on this source and our current knowledge of the Esztergom residence whether the Pliny studies of the lord of the castle did contribute to the high priest's constructions or not. At any rate, the careful annotation of the Pliny text supports a positive answer to this assumption.


The following proposal is inspired by the idea of a Leitmotif as used in Richard Wagner's operatic cycle The Ring of the Nibelungs . The Ring (which takes over twenty hours to perform) is tightly unified by the use of Leitmotifs, musical motives which represent persons, places, things and ideas. Leitmotivs are easily remembered melodic elements associated either with a character or object in the opera, or with a specific emotion or feeling. They are used to illustrate and represent a variety of characters, symbolic objects and themes of easily recognizable melodic, rhythmic or harmonic identity. The melodic fragments acquire symbolic meaning in the music-dramas and serve an integrative structural purpose. Extended symphonic passages are built up on them and they are combined, contrasted and superimposed, one on another, in a manner to suggest the development sections of symphonies. The relevance of Leitmotifs in popular culture is explored in a powerful comparison with their use in the Star Wars film series (Kristian Evensen, 1999). Such a "pattern language" is consistent with that developed by Christopher Alexander (1977) as a participative design tool, and subsequently adapted as a guide for computer programming.


The via media technique of characterisation in private international law, as proposed by the Canadian author Falconbridge, was – over a period of three decades – gradually adopted by the courts in Lesotho, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and, more recently, Eswatini. In a particular dispute, which is used as angle of incidence for the discussion below, the High Court of Swaziland (now Eswatini) applied the rules of the lex fori pertaining to liberative prescription (the limitation of actions) against the background of the via media technique. The decision was overruled by the Supreme Court of Eswatini, which – using the same technique – applied the proper law of the contract in this regard. In this contribution, the Canadian doctrine and its application by the Eswatini and other Southern African courts is critically discussed. The scenario in the Eswatini cases provides an example of what the author calls the phenomenon of dual cumulation. He attempts to provide guidance for the development of Southern African private international law in this regard beyond the via media technique.


Charcot knee is a rare condition with few reported cases in the literature. Although the clinical presentation is highly variable, Charcot knee classically presents with painful arthropathy in addition to instability and decreased range of motion. Herein, we describe the case of a 72-year-old man with idiopathic Charcot knee. The diagnosis was established on the basis of history of neuropathic arthropathy of the knee, supported by knee radiographs and the exclusion of all known etiologies of Charcot knee. Because of a highly destructed knee joint, the patient underwent a total knee arthroplasty using the Global Modular Replacement System proximal tibial prosthesis. The surgery was done without any major complications, resulting in symptomatic and functional improvements.


We have overproduced and purified the carboxy-terminal transactivation domain of Vmw65 (VP16) of herpes simplex virus, and studied potential folding of the domain by 1H NMR. Two species of the acidic domain were obtained from the bacterial expression system, and we demonstrate that one of these represents read-through of the natural amber termination codon of the Vmw65 reading frame producing a larger polypeptide. Additional residues in the read-through product were identified by total amino acid analysis and by NMR. Study of the correctly terminated product by 1D NMR gave resonances which were clustered into groups around their random-coil chemical shift positions, and 2D NMR demonstrated that, even in mixed solvents containing up to 80% MeOH, there was very little evidence of secondary structure. Together these results indicate that the isolated acid domain has little if any alpha-helical content of any stable nature. We discuss these results with reference to the demonstrated activity of the acidic domain in a wide variety of polypeptide contexts.


[1] As part of the Radiance in a Dynamic Ocean (RaDyO) program, we have developed a numerical model for efficiently simulating the polarized light field under highly dynamic ocean surfaces. Combining the advantages of the three‐dimensional Monte Carlo and matrix operator methods, this hybrid model has proven to be computationally effective for simulations involving a dynamic air‐sea interface. Given water optical properties and ocean surface wave slopes obtained from RaDyO field measurements, model‐simulated radiance and polarization fields under a dynamic surface are found to be qualitatively comparable to their counterparts from field measurements and should be quantitatively comparable if the light field measurement and the wave slope/water optical property measurements are appropriately collocated and synchronized. This model serves as a bridge to connect field measurements of water optical properties, wave slopes and polarized light fields. It can also be used as a powerful yet convenient tool to predict the temporal underwater polarized radiance in a real‐world situation. When appropriate surface measurements are available, model simulation is shown to reveal more dynamic features in the underwater light field than direct measurements.


The current world situation is both frightening and alarming due to the massive disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The next few days are censorious as we need to be very precautious in our daily regimen as well as dietary habits. Ayurveda offers knowledge about food based on certain reasoning. Indecent food custom is the chief cause for the rising development of health disorders in the current era. In classical texts of Ayurveda, the concept of diet explained well, ranging from their natural sources, properties and specific utility in pathological as well as physiological manner. In this work, the review of the relevant literature of Ahara (Diet) was carried out from Charak Samhita and other texts, newspapers, articles, web page related to the same.  Every human being is unique with respect to his Prakriti (Physical and mental temperament), Agni (Digestive capacity), Koshtha  (Nature of bowel) etc. For that reason, the specificity of the individual should be kept in mind. Ahara, when consumed in the appropriate amount at the right moment following all Niyamas (Guidelines) given in Ayurveda texts, gives immunity and keeps the body in a healthy state during pandemics such as Covid-19. Ultimately, this will help the human body to maintain its strength for life. This article reviews the concept of diet viz. combination of foods, their quantity and quality, methods of preparation and processing, which are to be followed during pandemics and are essential in maintenance and endorsement of health and preclusion of diseases.


At present the main sources of tritium detectable in basins of the Ukrainian SSR are NPPs. Tritium control in waters is one of the most sensitive methods of environmental radio monitoring in the regions of NPPs sites and may serve as indicator of nuclear technology stability.


The Scalable Visual Analytics seminar was a fertile meeting in which researchers from diverse backgrounds met. It included industry and academia, senior and junior researchers, multi-national representation, and people coming from several disciplines. The diversity resulted in interesting and useful discussions, which will help to shape the future of the versatile research area of Visual Analytics.
The seminar included multiple presentations and discussions which helped to exchange domain knowledge and steer future research activities. Besides, several working groups during the seminar not only identified future research directions in the field of scalable visual analytics but also initiated new joint projects. In total, plans for three position papers, two overview papers to outreach to other communities, and three EU FET Open Projects were drafted. Furthermore, three workshops as satellites of conferences that cover specific application areas were planned to further disseminate the work and provide a platform for ongoing discussions and activities.


The efficiency of a sandstone reservoir is a function of the initial depositional parameters (grain-size, sorting and composition) and of the post-depositional evolution. The depositional parameters are related to the sedimentary environment and the post-depositional evolution depends on the paleo-dynamic geological setting. The reservoir quality of sandstone is currently appraised in Eni with two methodologies. The first is based on the Reservoir Efficiency Index© (REI), a quantitative indicator of the quality of a clastic reservoir calculated on the petrographic data as obtained from thin sections. The values of REI at calibration wells are mapped through a dedicated geostatistical tool (Softkrig). The second methodology is based on a reservoir quality modelling software (Touchstone™), able to predict the mechanical compaction, the quartz cement precipitation and the illite formation. Both methodologies have been applied to an African reservoir. The reservoir is of Cretaceous age and the main reservoir quality reducing factor is the cementation by quartz, linked to the burial/thermal histories in the different zones of the basin. The case-study shows the pros and cons of the methodologies. The REI mapping is recommended in the play fairway analysis, while Touchstone is suitable for the determination of porosity and permeability on prospect/leads.


The rapid expansion of cities led to the shortage of housing in urban areas. The government compensated for this shortage through large scale residential developments that increased the housing supply. The supply of condominium apartments remains above 83% of the entire housing supply, and the proportion of apartments are at a steady increase, at about 50%. Due to the increase, illegally parked cars resulting from the shortage of parking spaces within the apartment complex have become increasingly problematic as they block the transit of emergency vehicles, and heighten the tension among neighboring residents in obtaining a parking space. Especially, the future residents are considered to plan the parking based on the estimated demand for parking. However, the parking unit method utilized to estimate the parking demand accounts for the exclusive use of space, which is believed to be far from the parking demands in reality. The reason for this discrepancy is that, as the number of households decrease, and area of exclusive space is expanded, the planned parking increases. On the other hand, when the number of households increase, and the area of exclusive space is reduced, the planned parking decreases, thus methods to recalculate the parking units based on estimated parking demand is an urgent concern. To estimate the parking units based on condominium apartments, this study first examined the existing research literature, and appointed th field of investigation to collect the necessary data. In addition, field study data and surveys collected and analyzed, in order to identify the problems underlying parking units, and problems regarding the current traffic impact assessment parking unit calculation method were deduced. Through identifying the influential factors on parking demand estimates, and performing a factorial analysis based on the collected data, the variables were selected in relation to the parking demand estimates, to develop the parking unit estimate model. Finally, through comparing and verifying the existing traffic impact assessment parking unit estimate against the newly developed model using collected data, a far more realistic parking unite estimate was suggested, reflecting the characteristics of the residents. The parking unit estimate model developed in this study is anticipated to serve as the guidelines for future parking lot legislature, as wel as the basis to provide a more realistic estimate of parking demands based on the resident characteristics of an apartment complex.


According to WHO, Dengue fever is the most critical and most rapidly mosquito-borne disease in the world over 50 years. Currently, the presence and detection of Aedes aegypti larvae (dengue-mosquitoes vector's) are only quantified by human perception. In large-scale data, we need to automate the process of larvae detection and classification as much as possible. This paper introduces the new method to automate Aedes larvae. We use Culex larva for comparison. This method consists of data acquisition of recorded motion video, spatial movement patterns, and image statistical classification. The results show a significant difference between the biological movements of Aedes aegypti and Culex under the same environmental conditions. In 50 videos consisting of 25 Aedes larvae videos and 25 Culex larvae videos, the accuracy was 84%.


Many of the Ags recognized by human melanoma-reactive CTL are derived from proteins that are also expressed in melanocytes. The possibility of self-tolerance to these epitopes has led to questions about their utility for antitumor immunotherapy. To investigate the issue, we established a preclinical model based on transgenic mice expressing a recombinant HLA-A*0201 molecule and B16 melanoma transfected to express this molecule. HLA-A*0201-restricted epitopes from the melanocyte differentiation proteins (MDP) tyrosinase and gp100 are expressed in both tumor cells and melanocytes, and the former is associated with self-tolerance. However, adoptive transfer of tyrosinase or gp100-reactive CTL developed from tolerant mice delayed tumor outgrowth, as did immunization with MDP peptide-pulsed dendritic cells. Protection was enhanced by the use of peptide ligands containing conservative substitutions that were cross-reactive with the original Ags. These data establish that CTL populations reactive against MDP-derived self-Ags can be activated to mount effective antitumor immunity and strongly support their continued development for tumor immunotherapy in humans.


An efficient, numerical local upscaling technique for estimating elastic geomechanical properties in heterogeneous continua is proposed. The upscaled anisotropic elastic properties are solved locally with various boundary conditions and reproduce the anisotropic geomechanical response of fine-scale simulations of sand–shale sequence models with horizontal and inclined shale bedding planes. The algorithm is automated in a parallel program and can be used to determine optimum upscaling ratios in different regions of the reservoir. The successful application of the proposed upscaling method in a field-scale coupled reservoir–geomechanics simulation demonstrates an improvement in overall computational efficiency while maintaining accuracy in the geomechanical response and reservoir performance.


The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires each state to submit an annual Highway Safety Plan as a prerequisite for obtaining federal ℗ʹ402 safety monies. The Highway Safety Plan serves as more than a mechanism for obtaining funds; it induces planning, programming, and budgeting of highway safety projects at both the state and local levels. Virginia's highway safety planning process has evolved over the past 10 years to become an organized, efficient system which applies the "Problem Identification/Management by Objectives" concept to the requirements of the Highway Safety Plan. Towards strengthening this process, the master file project was initiated in 1976 to supply timely data to the state agencies and local transportation safety commissions for use in their problem identification, countermeasure development, and program evaluation activities. Since that time, the activities involved in preparing the Highway Safety Plan have been refined and streamlined to effect a more efficient system of retrieving, assimilating, and disseminating the highway safety program data. This report outlines the recent progress of the master file project, and describes advancements towards automating the information that have been achieved in the state agencies in conjunction with the Highway Safety Plan.


OBJECTIVES
To explore the perceptions of parents caring for a child with a life-limiting condition on approaches to communication used by clinicians engaging in routine serious illness communication.

METHODS
An exploratory qualitative design was used, employing a thematic analysis of data derived through semi-structured interviews which presented hypothetical vignettes of serious illness conversations to elicit parental perspectives. Adult parents of children with a life-limiting condition, in a stable phase of care, known to the Neurodevelopment and Disability Department of a tertiary Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, were purposively sampled to achieve a broad representation of relevant clinical and sociodemographic factors.

RESULTS
Eleven parents (72% female) of children aged 7 months to 18 years participated. Two major themes characterized parental perspectives on serious illness communication: "Approaches clinicians can use to lay the foundation for quality communication" including checking in, validation, aligning with hopes and a commitment to listening and being present; and "Approaches clinicians can use to aid the delivery of information" including honesty and compassion, presenting possibilities, providing a plan, and conveying the clinician's experience.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS
This study provides novel insights into the perspectives of parents of children with life-limiting conditions that inform how clinicians may best approach serious illness communication. The findings highlight the need for clinicians working in pediatric health care to be cognizant of parents' needs before and during conversations. Laying the foundation for quality communication is important alongside the approaches outlined that aid in the delivery of information.


This paper describes the design of novel base-discriminating fluorescent (BDF) nucleobases and their application to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing. We devised novel BDF nucleosides, (Py)U and (Py)C, which contain a pyrenecarboxamide chromophore connected by a propargyl linker. The fluorescence spectrum of the duplex containing a (Py)U/A base pair showed a strong emission at 397 nm on 327 nm excitation. In contrast, the fluorescence of duplexes containing (Py)U/N base pairs (N = C, G, or T) was considerably weaker. The proposed structure of the duplex containing a matched (Py)U/A base pair suggests that the high polarity near the pyrenecarboxamide group is responsible for the strong A-selective fluorescence emission. Moreover, the fluorescence of the duplex containing a (Py)U/A base pair was not quenched by a flanking C/G base pair. The fluorescence properties are quite different from previous BDF nucleobases, where fluorescence is quenchable by flanking C/G base pairs. The duplex containing the C derivative, (Py)C, selectively emitted fluorescence when the base opposite (Py)C was G. The drastic change of fluorescence intensity by the nature of the complementary base is extremely useful for SNP typing. (Py)U- and (Py)C-containing oligodeoxynucleotides acted as effective reporter probes for homogeneous SNP typing of DNA samples containing c-Ha-ras and BRCA2 SNP sites.


The impact homelessness has on the lives of young people has been the subject of a number of studies in Australia. Perhaps the best known is the Project i study, which was based on a longitudinal survey covering the health and social circumstances of young people experiencing homelessness in Melbourne (for example, Rosenthal et al, 2008, Rosenthal et al, 2007). The Project i study results revealed and reinforced the importance of including a broad range of health and lifestyle factors into any attempt to comprehensively document the often complex and precarious lives of young people experiencing homelessness. For example, significant proportions have mental health issues, engage in illicit substance use and associated high-risk behaviours, and experience violence (including sexual violence and violence in the family home) in comparison to their home-based peers.


This paper summarizes the 37 year history of net accumulation measurements at the geographic South Pole obtained by numerous investigators using a variety of techniques. These data lead to the conclusion that annual net snow accumulation has increased in the vicinity of South Pole Station (SPS) since 1955. The records were examined for evidence of a "station effect" and it is concluded that not all of the observed increase can be attributed to snow drift associated with the presence of the station. Furthermore, the accumulation increase at the South Pole appears consistent with increases observed at other locations on the East Antarctic Plateau, and in the Peninsula region as well. These data suggest that the recent accumulation increase at SPS may be regionally extensive over the East Antarctic Plateau.


The occurrence of bound muramic and alpha, epsilon-diaminopimelic acids in soil, both within and without the bacterial biomass has been studied. The obtained results show that both compounds occur in this environment mainly extracellularly; they also occur in humic acids, into which they are easily incorporated from dead bacterial cells in the processes of humus synthesis and then released during its mineralization.


Summary form only given. In order to provide consummate instructions in the field of Semiconductors/VLSI, a series of courses were developed within the department. The courses embrace the fields of chip design and fabrication, including semiconductor theory along with details of processing techniques. The model, which acclaimed wide support of educators and field engineers, delineates five steps in the hierarchical order: (1) Fundamentals, (2) Materials, (3) Devices, (4) Circuits, and (5) Systems. In order to succeed in this discipline, therefore, one has to master all four steps in sequence before system integration as depicted diagrammically. For developing the appropriate workforce of the 21st Century for semiconductor industry, the VLSI Design and Fabrication Laboratories were established along with integration of the curricula. Distributed Semiconductor Instructional processing laboratory (DSIPL) was established in 1986, as a result of the proposal submitted to Massachusetts Microelectronics Center (M2C) by the author in 1984. After dissemination of M2C, this clean room facility is being supported by many industries. However, for equipping the workforce for Semiconductor/VLSI industry adequately, the following four state-of-the-art laboratories are needed. (1) chip design lab, (2) mask fabrication lab, (3) wafer processing lab, and (4) die packaging lab. The DSIPL usage has already been extended to Middlesex and Mass Bay Community colleges. Under a research grant, students from Alabama A&M University will receive theoretical instructions of practical training. A proposal is underway to the NSF for funding, wherein a laboratory will be established at Alabama A&M, and another at UMASS Lowell, which will be shared jointly. This will provide us with a consummate theoretical and practical framework for preparing the workforce for the semiconductor/VLSI industries not only regionally, nationally but internationally also.


In a recent paper, the canonical forms of a new multi-parameter class of Abel differential equations, so-called AIR, all of whose members can be mapped into Riccati equations, were shown to be related to the differential equations for the hypergeometric 2F1, 1F1 and 0F1 functions. In this paper, a connection between the AIR canonical forms and the Heun General (GHE), Confluent (CHE) and Biconfluent (BHE) equations is presented. This connection exists after fixing the value of one of the Heun parameters and expressing another one in terms of those remaining. The resulting GHE, CHE and BHE families respectively depend on four, three and two irreducible parameters. This connection provides closed form solutions in terms of pFq functions for these Heun equation families, shows that the problems formulated in terms of Abel AIR equations can also be formulated in terms of these linear GHE, CHE and BHE equations, and suggests a mechanism for relating linear equations with N and N-1 singularities. Introduction The Heun equation [1] is a second order linear equation of the form y′′ + ( γ x + δ x − 1 + ǫ x − a ) y′ + α β x − q x (x − 1) (x − a) y = 0, (1) where {α, β, γ, δ, ǫ, a, q} are constant with respect to x, are related by γ + δ + ǫ = α+β +1, and a 6= 0, a 6= 1. This equation has four regular singular points, at {0, 1, a,∞}. Through confluence processes, equation (1), herein called the General Heun Equation (GHE), transforms into four other multi-parameter equations [2], so-called Confluent (CHE), Biconfluent (BHE), Doubleconfluent (DHE) and Triconfluent (THE). Through transformations of the form y → P (x) y, these five equations can be written in normal form, using the notation of [2], in terms of arbitrary constants {a, A, B, C, D, E, F}; for the 6-parameter GHE (1) we have y′′ + ( A x + B x − 1 − A + B x − a + D x2 + E (x − 1) + F (x − a) ) y = 0 (2) The 5-parameter CHE,


The construction industry played a central role in supporting the national economy as
a developing country and as an archipelago. However, the role of the organization of the
construction was not maximized. This is because the function of the organization of materials
and construction equipment (MCE) national had not been fully able to be integrated as part
of the implementation of the system of national construction and also as part of the national
economic system. This condition was due to some functions on the basis of implementation
of the MCE which was still part of the institutional authority and regulation of products
outside the construction sector (law construction services) as supporting sector.
This encouraged researcer to propose a comprehensive study to fill the gap related to
the implementation of MCE. The purpose to be achieved in this study was to obtain
formulation conceptualization MCE implementation in Indonesia, whereas the objectives to
be achieved include: (1) to map existing condition supply chain (SC) implementation of MCE
in Indonesia; (2) To build a conceptualization of the SC implementation of MCE in Indonesia;
(3) To measuring the maturity level of the implementation of the SC implementation of MCE
in Indonesia; and (4) to formulate a description of relationship between MCE system
implementation SC as part of the implementation of construction (industrial economic
activity), and also as a part of the implementation of the Indonesian economy. Methods used
to achieve the purpose and objectives was a qualitative approach in the form of a mixture
approach of qualitative descriptive analysis, Grounded Theory (GT) and case studies.
The results showed that (1) The scope of implementation MCE direct contact with
upstream sector in the 3rd tiers (suppliers of materials and components) and became one of
the links in moving MCE on across regulation and authority. (2) Institutional and regulatory
aspects governing SC MCE has no implementation of existing and new arrangements of
components which were part of the SC (logistics and transport systems). Formal regulation
of the national logistic system (presidential regulation) had not power at laws level, whereas
the transport systems that were part of the logistics and had its own laws and did not refer to
the logistics system. (3) The spirit of establishing the regulation and the formal institutions
under the president was not yet exist, so it had not been able to discipline the implementation
MCE from upstream to downstream. (4) The formulation of five stages (elementary,
structured, visionary, integrated, collaborative) the maturity of the SC as an integral part of
the roadmap the government as the organizer of the construction that had a life cycle that
could be defined, managed, measured and controlled at all times. (5) Achieving maturity level
in Indonesia was different in each region, on a case study of this research was obtained level
of SC maturity MCE nationally are at the 2nd stage (44.38%), to Central Java province was
at the 2nd stage (49.44%) while for East Nusa Tenggara Province was at the 1st stage (18.7%).
(6) Description linkage MCE implementation in Indonesia resulted in conditions which were
more mature a SC implementation MCE, the greater a capacity of the construction industry
in a region and vice versa, but these conditions were not always followed by the type of MCE
market that increasingly competitive (the transition from monopoly to free competition).
However, the type of MCE market increasingly led to free competition (the transition from
monopoly to free competition) would be followed by the maturity of the SC implementation
MCE and followed by the growing strength of a capacity of the construction industry.

Keywords: Construction Industry, Industry Capacity, Materials and Construction Equipment,
Maturity, Market Structure, Supply Chain


Background and importance Corneal ulcers are a common problem that may appear more frequently in patients with inappropriate use of contact lenses. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to diagnose; its cause can be elusive and the consequences of an error in diagnosis or treatment can be severe. Aim and objectives To describe the development of 0.5% imipenem–cilastatin eye drops and to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of this master formula. Material and methods In February 2019, a 41-year-old woman presented to the emergency department for severe pain in the right eye. Commercial eye drops (0.3% tobramycin and 0.5% moxifloxacin) were being applied. The ophthalmology department diagnosed an infiltrated corneal ulcer with an epithelial defect. Microbiological culture of the contact lenses was requested and Enterococcus faecalis and Achromobacter xylosoxidans were isolated. The antibiogram revealed sensitivity to β-lactams and resistance to tobramycin and quinolones. The ophthalmologist contacted the pharmacy service to select the most appropriate treatment, deciding on the development of 5% ceftazidime and 0.5% imipenem fortified eye drops (1 drop every 2 hours). A corneal scraping was also carried out where growth of Fusarium spp was found. Therefore, therapy was completed with 1% voriconazole (1 drop every 2 hours) and 5% natamycin (1 drop every 4 hours). A bibliographic search was made in PubMed and in the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy, focusing on organoleptic characteristics, stability and pH. Effectiveness and safety were evaluated in the medical history (Selene). Results We manufactured 5 mg/mL imipenem–cilastatin eye drops from the vial for intravenous use and water for injection, working in a horizontal laminar flow cabinet and following the standardised work procedure. A 0.22 µm filter was used. We established stability at 2–8°C for 2 days, protected from light. It was verified that a completely transparent liquid with pH 7 had been obtained. Conclusion and relevance Imipenem–cilastatin 0.5% eye drops proved to be a novel alternative in the treatment of corneal ulcers caused by Enterococcus faecalis and Achromobacter xylosoxidans. It produced a rapid and intense antibiotic effect that resulted in a reduction in eye inflammation. It was also easy to apply, which facilitated therapeutic compliance and contributed to a shorter hospital stay. Its safety and tolerance profiles were adequate. References and/or acknowledgements No conflict of interest.


Every day there is lots of information obtained via the Internet. The problem of information overload is becoming increasingly serious, and we have all experienced the feeling of being overwhelmed. Many researchers and practitioners more attention on building a suitable tool that can help users conserve resources and services that are wanted. Personalized recommendation systems are used to make recommendations for the user invisible elements get to their preferences, which differ in the position, a user from one another in order to provide information based. The paper presented a personalized recommendation approach joins item feature technology and self-organizing map technology. It used the item feature to fill the vacant where necessary, which employing the collaborative recommendation. And then, the presented approach utilized the user based collaborative recommendation to produce the recommendations, which employing the self-organizing map clustering. The recommendation joining item feature and self-organizing map can alleviate the data sparsity problem in the collaborative recommendations.


Two-way liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC) – organic molecules that store hydrogen as reversible chemical bonds – is an emerging concept for on-demand storage and transportation of hydrogen (and thereby energy). Given the large chemical universe, a plethora of potential LOHCs exist, however, the optimal candidate depends on satisfying a variety of constraints on physicochemical and thermochemical properties. Computational high-throughput screening of a subspace of this universe can, in principle, reveal several LOHC candidates which can then be experimentally verified; however, to achieve this, the hydrogen rich and lean forms of the LOHC pair have to be simultaneously identified based on a plausible connecting chemical pathway. Here, using a combination of data-driven molecular property models and a cheminformatics-based reaction network generation tool, viz. RING, we develop a novel computational workflow to identify promising LOHC pairs (i.e. hydrogen-rich and hydrogen-lean forms) and the dehydrogenation pathways connecting them. Starting from over 1 million small (containing less than 14 heavy atoms) molecules in the PubChem database as seed, we applied this framework as proof of concept to identify several LOHC pairs that have promising properties in terms of melting point, boiling point, dehydrogenation enthalpy, hydrogen storage capacity, and synthetic accessibility; we further analyze the thermochemistry of dehydrogenation pathways of the top five candidates. We finally show that this screening provides a rich dataset that can be harnessed via supervised learning algorithms to infer descriptive features that determine if a molecule is a good LOHC candidate. We posit that the proposed workflow can be used to scalably analyze a much larger molecular space and multiple classes of dehydrogenation chemistries to discover novel LOHC pairs.


Abstract Use of the concept of morality allows anthropologists to avoid the difficulties of their traditional concepts of culture, society, and power, and provides an intimate perspective on the everyday lives of subjects and interlocutors. Yet the very concept of morality remains undertheorized by anthropologists. As a result there is little agreement or coherence among those anthropologists who study moralities regarding what it is they are attempting to study and how to do so. In this article I contribute to the current debate by presenting a moral portrait of a Moscow man, in which I hope to show that life-historical methods and hermeneutic analysis of narratives allow for a deep and rich description of individuals' moral conceptions as emergent within their social milieu. This is so because the narratives reveal the ways in which personal experiences play a significant role in shaping personal morality. This methodological approach is supported by an anthropological theory of morality that posits a distinction between morality and ethics, and focuses on moral breakdowns as the primary context that makes possible the experiences that shape personal morality. [morality, ethics, experience, narrative, life history, Russia]


The concept of virtual communities and organizations has received much attention in recent times as a new organizational form which increases the independence and flexibility of individuals. However, these communities present challenges with regards to management, social interaction and structure which could affect the overall satisfaction levels of participants within these communities. The goal of this study is to identify some factors related to member satisfaction in open source projects. We investigate the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors, project coordination, project characteristics and group trust, on the intrinsic and extrinsic levels of satisfaction of members in the community. A pilot study was conducted in which members of open source software communities were surveyed via a questionnaire. The results offer some insights into the attitudes and behaviors of members of the communities. Practical implications, limitations and future research are provided.