In our previous paper, we gave a presentation of the torus-equivariant quantum $K$-theory ring $QK_{H}(Fl_{n+1})$ of the (full) flag manifold $Fl_{n+1}$ of type $A_{n}$ as a quotient of a polynomial ring by an explicit ideal. In this paper, we prove that quantum double Grothendieck polynomials, introduced by Lenart-Maeno, represent the corresponding (opposite) Schubert classes in the quantum $K$-theory ring $QK_{H}(Fl_{n+1})$ under this presentation. The main ingredient in our proof is an explicit formula expressing the semi-infinite Schubert class associated to the longest element of the finite Weyl group, which is proved by making use of the general Chevalley formula for the torus-equivariant $K$-group of the semi-infinite flag manifold associated to $SL_{n+1}(\mathbb{C})$.


A new approach to the study of nanoparticle systems has been introduced.

Nanoparticle systems in aqueous and organic solutions have been synthesized and studied by transmission electron microscopy. These systems include nanoparticles of gold, silver, palladium, ruthenium, and platinum which have been stabilized using various ligands. The particles were initially studied as deposited samples on carbon film by traditional transmission electron microscopy. It was observed that this type of sample preparation introduces artifacts due to the hydrodynamic effects in the solvent and interactions with the substrate upon drying.

A specific sample preparation method, plunge-freezing, was used in order to produce samples representative of the state of aggregation of the particles in solution. This sample preparation, which was previously mainly used on aqueous samples, has been adapted to organic solvent-based samples. Differences in electron beam sensitivity were noted between different solvents.

Observation of nanoparticle systems with this method allowed evidencing the presence of ordered aggregates of particles already in solution. These structures appear to be equilibrium structures. One specific ligand allowed the formation of interfacial films of nanoparticles between an aqueous phase and an organic phase. Using the plunge freezing technique, these films could be determined to be organized monolayers of particles, with some defects present.

The compatibility of this technique with energy-filtered imaging was demonstrated on bimetallic systems. High resolution capability of this technique was also demonstrated by recording images with structural resolution of better than 2 Angstrom.


Regarding the growing prevalence of tobacco use among adolescents and young people, particularly urgent question is the development and implementation of clinical guidelines for smoking cessation in adolescents. The cohort prospective randomized study involving 58 smokers adolescents, including 33 male and 25 female, aged 11-17 years (mean age 12,34±0,073 years) – was conducted. The study assessed the effectiveness of motivation programs to reduce the intensity of tobacco smoking among adolescent using as the target evaluation points: the number of cigarettes per day, the smoking index (SI), frequency of acute respiratory diseases, spirometry parameters and rates of carbon monoxide (CO) in exhaled air. Although the low motivation to quit tobacco use in adolescents was found out, along with significant number of the reasons that motivated them to continue smoking, assessed health indicators (basically and in 6 month)s- the number of cigarettes per day, the smoking index, the frequency of acute respiratory infections, spirometry parameters and carbon monoxide (CO) in exhaled air, - were objectively better in the experimental group of patients, which reduced the intensity of the area against the background of imotivation programs.


Internet The Internet is rapidly growing as a source of health-related information for patients, physicians, and other health care professionals. As persons interested in health care promotion and education realize the power of the computer and put its strengths to use, the Internet will become an important (and inexpensive) library of information. As recently noted by my colleague Dr Richard Friedman, there are a number of problems with using the World Wide Web as a source of medical education or information. 1 Although Mosby's Medical Surfari , a guide to exploring the Internet and discovering health care resources, cannot overcome the challenge of creating innovative, up-to-date, multimedia-based medical information, it does provide the user with a guide to how to best use the Internet for currently available health care resources. I found Medical Surfari to be an excellent resource for both the novice and more seasoned Internet user. For the beginner,


The article seeks to compare the effects of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related lockdowns across the museums in Central and Eastern Europe. Although studies and research were conducted on the closure of museums European-wide by many European agencies and associations, they are mostly occupied with the negative results on the socialization of the cultural heritage rather than the budgetary effects on museums. Measuring the economic effect would better serve budgetary planning related to funding from the European Union, national and regional sources. The effect of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) on the budgets of museums is sought to be estimated based on their lockdown period, the total lack of visitors during that time and the respective loss of entry fees. However, additional remarks on socialization are being presented by comparing the digital activity of selected national museums in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Poland.


Abstract In times of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-coronavirus (CoV)-2 infection on pregnancy is still unclear. The presence of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) 2 (ACE2), the main receptor for SARS-CoV-2, in human placentas indicates that this organ can be vulnerable for viral infection during pregnancy. However, for this to happen, additional molecular processes are critical to allow viral entry in cells, its replication and disease manifestation, particularly in the placenta and/or feto–maternal circulation. Beyond the risk of vertical transmission, COVID-19 is also proposed to deplete ACE2 protein and its biological actions in the placenta. It is postulated that such effects may impair essential processes during placentation and maternal hemodynamic adaptations in COVID-19 pregnancy, features also observed in several disorders of pregnancy. This review gathers information indicating risks and protective features related to ACE2 changes in COVID-19 pregnancies. First, we describe the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection having ACE2 as a main entry door and current evidence of viral infection in the placenta. Further, we discuss the central role of ACE2 in physiological systems such as the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) and the kallikrein–kinin system (KKS), both active during placentation and hemodynamic adaptations of pregnancy. Significant knowledge gaps are also identified and should be urgently filled to better understand the fate of ACE2 in COVID-19 pregnancies and the potential associated risks. Emerging knowledge will be able to improve the early stratification of high-risk pregnancies with COVID-19 exposure as well as to guide better management and follow-up of these mothers and their children.


A nonlinear self-consistent simulation code is employed to investigate the behavior of the slotted gyrotron traveling-wave amplifier (gyro-TWT), in which an axis-encircling electron beam synchronously interacts with a high-order azimuthal mode in a magnetron-type waveguide. The efficiency of a fourth-harmonic device with an ideal 60 kV, 5 A beam is shown to reach 30% for alpha identical to nu /sub perpendicular to // nu /sub z/=2. The growth rate for the pi mode is roughly 25% larger than for the 2 pi mode. The efficiency increases for lower voltage and the device is found to be moderately sensitive to the radial spread of the beam's guiding center position and extremely sensitive to the axial velocity spread. For an ideal 60 kV, 5 A beam with alpha =1.5, the efficiency of a second-harmonic gyro-TWT is 42% and falls to 10% for an eighth-harmonic device. The design of a 35 GHz, 60 kV, 5A, alpha =1.5, eight-vane, fourth-harmonic gyro-TWT with 7% axial velocity spread is presented. It is predicted that this design will yield a peak output power of 90 kW, a peak efficiency of 30%, and 6.3% saturated bandwidth. >


This paper describes critical multiplism from the perspective of the world views and models of scientific inquiry that frequently guide the work of nurse scientists. Nurse scientists may wish to consider critical multiplism as a research strategy within a dialectical model of scientific inquiry to study the multiple realities of interest to nurses. This approach to nursing knowledge development may enhance the usefulness of nursing research findings in nursing practice.


【Purpose : The purpose of this study was to analysis the effect of electrical stimulation for dysphagia caused by cerebral infarction. Methods : We recruited nineteen adults after cerebral infarction(14 male, 5 female; mean age, 69y) for our study. Electrical stimulation was used for participants with electrical stimulator connected to two pair of electrodes positioned on the neck for one hour a day and 5 times a week for 4 weeks. Maximum tolerated stimulation levels were applied at rest while participants held their mouth closed. Videofluoroscopic recordings, physical examination of swallowing, and swallow function score were used to evaluate swallowing state of participants. All evaluate items were evaluated before and after treatment. Results : There was no significance difference of swallowing stage. The swallow function score significantly increased from 1.8 to 5.3(p】


BACKGROUND
Bifurcated vein grafts have been described in reconstructive microsurgery. No comparative studies have been published in lower limb arterial revascularization. The aim of this study was to compare non-reversed bifurcated vs. single vein graft in patients with critical limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) undergoing lower limb distal bypass.

METHODS
Between January 2015 and December 2021 193 CLTI patients have been treated at our center with vein bypass, and distal anastomosis on infrapopliteal vessels; 137 patients (71%) received a single graft (Group SIN), and 56 patients (29%) had a bifurcated bypass (Group BIF). Primary outcomes measures were time to healing, primary patency, primary assisted patency, secondary patency, and limb salvage. Two-year outcomes according to Kaplan-Meier curves were evaluated and compared.

RESULTS
Both groups were homogeneous in terms of demographic data, preoperative risk factors, and clinical presentation except for an elderly age in Group BIF (77.5 vs. 71.5 years; P<0.001). Intraoperative technical success was achieved in all patients. Overall median duration of follow-up was 19 months (interquartile range 9-36). Wound healing did not differ between the two groups (77.4% Group SIN vs. 73.2% Group BIF; P=0.33). Mean time to healing was faster in Group BIF (2.4 vs. 6.8 months; P<0.001). At 2-year follow-up there were no differences between the two groups in terms of primary patency (71.4% Group SIN vs. 54% Group BIF; P=0.10), primary assisted patency (81.7% Group SIN vs. 76.4% Group BIF; P=0.53), secondary patency (85.1% Group SIN vs. 80.9% Group BIF; P=0.79), and limb salvage (92.3% Group SIN vs. 87.2% Group BIF; P=0.64).

CONCLUSIONS
Bifurcated graft improved time to healing in CLTI patients undergoing infrapopliteal non-reversed vein bypass. Two-year overall patencies and limb salvage did not differ accordingly to vein graft configuration (single vs. bifurcated).


A method is proposed to center and align solenoids by means of a vibrating wire. The magnetic axis of a solenoid is defined as the path where the integral over the transversal field components takes its minimum. The wire, fed by an alternating current, oscillates in a plane that is perpendicular to the transversal magnetic field. When the wire position coincides with the magnetic axis, the transversal field components cancel out and therefore no motion is induced. To center and align the solenoid two wire resonance frequencies are excited for co- and counter-directional movements of the wire stages. The procedure to find the minimum oscillation amplitudes is sensitive to misalignment in the micrometer range. The experimental validation was carried out on a solenoid for the linear accelerator Linac4 at CERN.


The kidney is a highly polarized epithelial organ that develops from undifferentiated mesenchyme, although the mechanisms that regulate the development of renal epithelial polarity are incompletely understood. Partitioning-defective 1 (Par1) proteins have been implicated in cell polarity and epithelial morphogenesis; however, the role of these proteins in the developing kidney has not been established. Therefore, we studied the contribution of Par1a/b to renal epithelial development. We examined the renal phenotype of newborn compound mutant mice carrying only one allele of Par1a or Par1b. Loss of three out of four Par1a/b alleles resulted in severe renal hypoplasia, associated with impaired ureteric bud branching. Compared with kidneys of newborn control littermates, kidneys of newborn mutant mice exhibited dilated proximal tubules and immature glomeruli, and the renal proximal tubular epithelia lacked proper localization of adhesion complexes. Furthermore, Par1a/b mutants expressed low levels of renal Notch ligand Jag1, activated Notch2, and Notch effecter Hes1. Together, these data demonstrate that Par1a/b has a key role in glomerular and proximal tubule development, likely via modulation of Notch signaling.


Android robots that are close, but imperfect, likenesses of humans can provoke negative feelings of dislike and eeriness in humans ("Uncanny Valley" effect). We investigated whether category confusion between the perceptual categories of "robot" and "human" contributes to Uncanny Valley aversion. Using a novel, validated corpus of 182 images of real robot and human faces, we precisely estimated the shape of the Uncanny Valley and the location of the perceived robot/human boundary. To implicitly measure confusion, we tracked 358 subjects' mouse trajectories as they categorized the faces. We observed a clear Uncanny Valley and a pattern of categorization supporting a perceived categorical boundary. Yet, in contrast to predictions of the category confusion mechanism hypothesis, the Uncanny Valley and category boundary locations did not coincide, and mediation analyses further failed to support a causal role of category confusion. These results suggest category confusion does not explain the Uncanny Valley effect.


Introduction Children with congenital heart disease now survive well into adolescence and adulthood. As palliative procedures reach the end of their lifespan, chronic conditions related to heart failure such as cardiac cirrhosis are becoming more prevalent. Combined heart-liver transplantation is an uncommon procedure offered to patients with heart and liver failure. Materials and Methods Seven patients underwent combined heart and liver transplant between the years 2006 and 2017 at a single institution. Indications, technique, and outcomes were reviewed. Donor organs were procured en bloc and placed into the recipient in similar fashion. Immunosuppression consisted of a standard protocol utilizing anti-thymocyte globulin, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and steroids. Allograft ischemia, bypass, and total operative time, as well as blood product use, complications and length of stay were reviewed Results and Discussion Age at the time of transplant ranged from 8 to 23 years with a mean age of 17 years. Five patients had single ventricle physiology requiring Fontan procedures prior to transplant. Of the two remaining patients, one patient was diagnosed with teratology of Fallot and the other had double outlet right ventricle without a Fontan. All patients had findings of cirrhosis, portal hypertension and esophagogastric varices on pre-operative imaging and/or endoscopy. All patients had cirrhosis on their explant pathology. Graft and patient survival remains 100% with a mean follow-up of 5.2 years (8-4109d). There have been no episodes of rejection in either the cardiac or liver graft. One patient developed positive donor-specific antibodies (DSA) less than 10 days after transplant, which responded to IVIG and plasmapheresis. Conclusion Combined en bloc heart-liver transplant is a safe and effective procedure for those with end stage heart and liver disease. Advantages of the en bloc procedure include shorter ischemic times and brisk recovery of the transplanted organs. Patient selection relies on pre transplant biopsy and imaging in symptomatic patients. No long term or chronic rejection has been found as far as 10 years out from surgery suggesting an immune protective role of the liver.


Ejection of molecules from ice-covered dust exposed to ultraviolet photons, known as photodesorption, is summoned to account for gas abundances in cold regions. Carbon monoxide (CO) is the second most abundant ice component in interstellar clouds. Photon energy transfer between CO molecules can eventually excite molecules on the ice surface, allowing desorption. CO photodesorption drops linearly by a factor of 4 for increasing ice deposition temperature between 7 and 20 K. Because translation of molecules leading to crystallization occurs above 20 K, amorphous CO ice must hold another property that depends on deposition temperature and has an impact on photodesorption. CO ice molecules act as tiny dipoles weakly bonded to each other. We used colorimetry to trace variations of the relative orientations between CO molecules, a process not observed using other techniques. Color variations seen by eye at different deposition temperatures range from brown to translucent, or transparent when CO ice is deposited above 20 K and is nearly crystalline. As expected, apolar N2 ice did not display a visual color. Color temperature measurements allowed quantification of this phenomenon. The behavior of color temperature matches the photodesorption, allowing a better understanding of this process, and provides a method to monitor structural changes in molecular solids. An implication in astrophysics is that the albedo of icy bodies can be low in CO patches. A brownish color is not only indicative of organic matter, as it may be due to disordered solid CO, and allows to determine the build-up temperature of CO ice.


The Chalk River Tandem Accelerator Superconducting Cyclotron (TASCC) system uses a low-energy buncher (LER) and a high-energy rebuncher (HER) to prodtice the required bunched beam at the cyclotron injection stripper foil. The LEB modulates the < 300 keV beam from the negative ion source with a f¿undamental plus 2nd harmonic approximation to an ideal saw tooth to give a time focus at the stripper in the tandem accelerator terminal. The HEB, operating at the 2nd or 4th harmonic, corrects for debunching after the stripper and produces a new time focus at the cyclotron stripper. Transit time jitter through the tandem accelerator is corrected by a phase stabilizing circuit using both energy analysis after the HEB and a correlation with a capacitive phase probe signal . In the first experiments with a low energy 12C beam, the LEB produced bunch lengths of about 1.6 ns and the HEB produced the expected energy dispersion. Beam tests will be described.


Abstract It has been generally recognised that the workforce in its diversity is changing and that these changes affect the leaders and managers and increase the levels of complexity and diversity in organisations. In order to manage and optimise the increasingly diverse workforce, exceptional abilities of managers and leaders are required. The objective of this study is to establish the kind of leadership style that is needed in organisations in order to create a positive experience of diversity management. To meet this objective, an empirical research study was carried out in eleven workplaces in three businesses in South Africa using a diversity survey instrument. The results shed light on the kind of leadership style organisations require to continue to be successful in diversity management. An engaging leadership style appears to result in a more positive experience of diversity management. The findings and implications of the study are discussed.


Abstract In conventional IVF, a sperm penetrates an ovum through natural selection, and embryologists sort sperm for ICSI. The quality of the original ovum and sperm has the greatest effect on the quality of the fertilized egg (embryo). Therefore, the selection of superior sperm is critical for ICSI. Although sperm cells are 20-fold smaller than embryos or ova, they are observed and evaluated for ICSI using an inverted microscope at ×400 magnification usually used for observation of embryos or ova. Recently, a technique called intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI) has attracted attention. This technique uses an inverted microscope with higher magnification and resolution than that used for ICSI, which enables embryologists to precisely observe sperm morphology, particularly the presence or absence of vacuoles in the sperm head, and to sort sperm for microfertilization. Although IMSI has some technological problems, including a narrow microscopic field due to higher magnification that leads to delicate microscopic operation, its been recognized. In the present review, we describe the status of IMSI outside Japan and the current practice of IMSI at Kiba Park Clinic.


The processes leading to the assembly of supracrustal greenstone sequences and plutonic rocks of the trondhjemite-tonalite-granodiorite (TTG) suite, the two main building blocks of all Archean cratons, form a central aspect of our understanding of early continental growth. Key metamorphic and structural data are presented from granitoid-greenstone contacts in the Steynsdorp dome, the oldest and one of the best preserved parts of the Mesoarchean Barberton granitoid-greenstone in South Africa. Pressure and temperature estimates of P = 10–13 kbar and T = 640–660 °C from supracrustal rocks of the Steynsdorp dome indicate the burial of these rocks to depths >30–40 km during the main phase of collisional (D2) tectonics recorded in the terrane. Peak metamorphic assemblages define flattening-type fabrics, indicating crustal stacking of cool, rigid crust. The subsequent retrogression of rocks is associated with constrictional fabrics that are interpreted to have formed in response to the orogen-parallel extrusion and exhumation of rocks. The progressive retrogression of rocks and associated fabric development, unidirectional lineation and fold plunges, and consistent granitoid-up, greenstone-down kinematic indicators point to the exhumation of the TTG gneisses along an extensional detachment below the low-grade Barberton greenstone belt. The results are consistent with findings along the granitoid-greenstone contacts some 40 km west of the Steynsdorp area, and they indicate the regional extent of this metamorphic core complex and the allochthonous nature of the high-pressure, low-temperature terrane with respect to the rest of the greenstone belt. This also implies that the 3.45 Ga suite of TTG rocks south of the Barberton greenstone belt is unlikely to have represented the source of similar-aged volcanic rocks in the belt. More voluminous and larger extent of 3.45 Ga TTG plutonism represents a significant early crust-forming event in the Barberton terrain, the evidence of which has been obliterated during later episodes of tectonomagmatic recycling. The existence of the high-pressure, low-temperature terrane in the southern Barberton granitoid-greenstone terrain indicates the presence of a cool and rigid continental nucleus in the Mesoarchean around which plate-tectonic processes could initiate.


In this paper, we consider continuous wire-sizing optimization for delay minimization and ringing control. The optimization is based on a fast and accurate delay estimation method under a finite ramp input, where an analytical expression is also derived to estimate overshoot/undershoot voltage. In this paper we specify the wire shape to be of the form f(x)=ae/sup -bx/, since previous studies under the Elmore delay model suggest that exponential wire shape is effective for delay minimization. The relevant transmission line equations are solved by using the Picard-Carson method. The transient response in the time domain is derived as a function of a and b. The coefficients a and b are then determined such that either the actual delay (50% delay) is minimized, or the wiring area is minimized subject to a delay bound. At the same time, the overshoot/undershoot voltage is bounded to prevent false switching. Our method for delay estimation is very efficient. In all the experiments we performed, it is far more accurate than the Elmore delay model and the estimated delay values are very close to SPICE's results. We also find that in determining the optimal shape which minimizes delay, the Elmore delay model performs as good as our method in terms of the minimum actual delay it achieves, i.e. the Elmore delay model has high fidelity. However, in determining the optimal shape which minimizes area subject to a delay bound the Elmore delay model performs much worse than our method. We also find that the constraint for overshoot/undershoot control does affect optimization results for both delay and area minimization objectives.


The problems which arise when Noether's theorem is applied to the Lagrangian of the electromagnetic theory are investigated. They are shown to be related to the gauge dependence of the standard transformation properties of the potential Aμ. An alternative transformation equation, which in a certain sense is gauge independent, is introduced for infinitesimal space-time transformations. This transformation leads, by Noether's theorem, directly to the continuity equations for the symmetric energy-momentum tensor and the gauge independent angular momentum tensor. The consequences of the transformation formula for finite space-time transformations are discussed.


We studied the co-adsorption of hydrogen molecule and ions (Li,K,Mg,Ca) inside the single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) by using density-functional theory (DFT).The band structures (BS),density of states (DOS),charge transfer and difference charge density are presented.We discussed the interaction between the ions (Li,K,Mg,Ca) and H 2.Meanwhile,the binding energy indicates that ionization can increase the adsorption energy of H 2 in CNT.


Age adjustment, using the direct method, is the application of observed age-specific rates to a standard age distribution to eliminate differences in crude rates in populations of interest that result from differences in the populations' age distributions. This adjustment is usually done when comparing two or more populations at one point in time or one population at two or more points in time. Age adjustment is particularly relevant when populations being compared have different age structures, for example, the U.S. white and Hispanic populations. The classic literature on age adjusting, as well as more recent National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) publications, has focused on adjusting death rates and provides comprehensive discussions of age-adjustment techniques. However, age adjustment can be applied to any population-based event. This report describes several sets of age-adjustment weights, based on the year 2000 projected U.S. population, that were used to generate age-adjusted baseline data for a number of Healthy People 2010 objectives. This work builds on the foundation set by the Department of Health


We propose to determine the absolute magnitude of the end of the white dwarf cooling sequence in the nearest globular clusters. Cooling models of white dwarfs predict ∼ 1 mag difference between an age of 10 and 15 Gyr. The end of the disk cooling sequence is known to occur at Mbol = +17; in the nearest globular clusters, this would be at H=30-31, reachable in a 30 hour exposure. Since the faintest WD are both red and faint, the infrared imaging capability of NGST is ideal for this task. Diffracted light from relatively bright (20th mag) main sequence stars must be controlled. This experiment would be the first measurement of the ages of the oldest stars that is independent of the main sequence turnoff and stellar evolution theory. ASWG DRM Proposal The Age of the Oldest Stars from the Faint End Slope of the White Dwarf LF in Globular Clusters Observing Summary: Target RA Dec KAB Configuration/mode Days NGC 6752 19 10 -59 58 32.0 NIR/CAM R10 6 NGC 104 00 24 -72 04 32.0 NIR/CAM R10 6 NGC 6397 17 40 -53 40 32.0 NIR/CAM R10 6


The Internet and connected technology platforms have enabled an increase of cyber influence activity. These actions target a range of personal to national level security and privacy attributes related to cybercrime, behavior, and identities. These emerging threats call for new indicators for improved awareness, decisions, and action. This research proposes a cyber-physical-human spectrum of identification with a prototyped classification method. Classifier goals are to aid in awareness of activity and potential harmful intent such as detection of identity feature acquisition, fraudulent identities and entities, and targeting or influential behavior. Emerging malicious influence actors prey on human social demographic groups and trends using the Internet infrastructure with social network platform access to large target populations as their attack surface. The methodology discusses how this problem could benefit from a combined human-technical approach to understand indicators of influencing human perception that persuade someone perform a desired action. This method is designed to aid in rapid influence awareness and introduce a counter-influence concept. A prototyped experiment trial demonstrates how awareness may be beneficial to balancing national security with personal privacy.


Mobile virtual private networks (MVPNs) can provide remote users with easy, secure high-speed access to their enterprise network resources. There is a tremendous market opportunity for operators who can meet the needs of these users. Third-generation (3G) systems, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and IEEE 802.11b wireless local area network (WLAN) systems have complementary strengths. For end users, integrating these systems provides ubiquitous high-speed data coverage, continuous selection of the highest possible data rates and seamlessly maintained user VPN sessions when moving between air interface technologies. For operators, they enable integrated billing and offload UMTS network capacity for higher revenue voice subscribers. In this article we discuss interworking architecture for providing integrated service capability across UMTS and 802.11b based networks. We present tight and loose coupling choices for integration, recommend the loosely-coupled interworking approach, and show how it offers a comprehensive and secure transport layer solution across UMTS and WLAN air interface technologies.


In order to get more accurate movement information of moving objects, and to capture the temporal trajectory of the spatial uncertainty, This article describes the uncertain trajectory model of the moving objects in the road networks databases, and extends the structure of the MON-tree index based on the road network. The uncertain geometry between two sampling points is divided into pieces, which are stored into the uncertain area list according to time sorting. To enable them to effectively support the uncertainty of moving objects in the road network, and the probabilistic query of the uncertain region of the moving objects trajectory is carried out on this basis of them. The experiment shows that the index structure as well as the probabilistic query with a better performance and higher accuracy inquiries


Book synopsis: Nietzsche challenges the tenets of received political wisdom in a number of ways and his thinking contains resources for revitalising political thinking. Nietzsche and Political Thought offers fresh insights into Nietzsche's relevance for contemporary political thought in light of recent advances in research in the field and key topics in contemporary theorising about politics.

An international team of leading scholars provide vital new perspectives on both core and novel topics including justice, democratic theory, biopolitics, the multitude, political psychology, and the Enlightenment. In spite of the controversies, what becomes clear is that Nietzsche is vital for political thought and a more sensitive and nuanced approach than conventional understandings allow is required. Nietzsche continues to have a lively presence in contemporary philosophy and this book reawakens interest in the political dimension of his thinking.


Specificity is one of the most important and complex properties that is central to both natural antibody function and therapeutic antibody efficacy. However, it has proven extremely challenging to define robust guidelines for predicting antibody specificity. Here we evaluated the physicochemical determinants of antibody specificity for multiple panels of antibodies, including >100 clinical-stage antibodies. Surprisingly, we find that the theoretical net charge of the complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) is a strong predictor of antibody specificity. Antibodies with positively charged CDRs have a much higher risk of low specificity than antibodies with negatively charged CDRs. Moreover, the charge of the entire set of six CDRs is a much better predictor of antibody specificity than the charge of individual CDRs, variable domains (VH or VL) or the entire variable fragment (Fv). The best indicators of antibody specificity in terms of CDR amino acid composition are reduced levels of arginine and lysine and increased levels of aspartic and glutamic acid. Interestingly, clinical-stage antibodies with negatively charged CDRs also have a lower risk for poor biophysical properties in general, including a reduced risk for high levels of self-association. These findings provide powerful guidelines for predicting antibody specificity and for identifying safe and potent antibody therapeutics.


In the paper by Marcu Brucker: Studies on the Incidence and Cause of Dental Defects in Children, IX. The Deciduous Molars: Fissures and Caries, J. D. Res. 29: 325-330, 1950, the words LEFT and RIGHT under LOWER MOLARS in Table IV, page 327, should be transposed. In the paper by Loren W. Gruber: Preliminary Report on the Use of Xylocaine as a Local Anesthetic in Dentistry, J. D. Res. 29: 137-142, 1950, the fourth paragraph on page 137 should read "In the course of study of Xylocaine, Gordh has noticed only two cases of toxic reactions after deliberate overdosing (1.35 and 3.0 Gm., respectively, as compared with 40 mg. used in dentistry)." In the original 4 mg. inadvertently appeared instead of 40 mg.


The task of manipulating correlated random variables in a distributed setting has received attention in the fields of both Information Theory and Computer Science. Often shared correlations can be converted, using a little amount of communication, into perfectly shared uniform random variables. Such perfect shared randomness, in turn, enables the solutions of many tasks. Even the reverse conversion of perfectly shared uniform randomness into variables with a desired form of correlation turns out to be insightful and technically useful. In this survey article, we describe progress-to-date on such problems and lay out pertinent measures, achievability results, limits of performance, and point to new directions.


Aim To evaluate mortality among Japanese Olympic athletes compared with the general population and also evaluate their mortality based on total number of Olympics participation and intensity of sports disciplines. Methods Information on biography, vital status, date of birth, date of death and latest follow-up date on Japanese Olympians was retrieved from six online databases and compared. Standardised mortality ratio (SMR) was estimated according to observation periods and years from last participation in the Olympics. To further evaluate the association between mortality and total number of Olympics participation/intensity of sports disciplines within the study population, rate ratios (RRs) adjusted by sex, observation period and attained age group were estimated by a Poisson regression model. Results A total of 3381 Olympians were included in the analysis. The total person years was 94 076.82. The deaths of 153 (4.53%) Olympians were confirmed, and the overall SMR was 0.29 (95% CI, 0.25 to 0.34). SMRs categorised by years from last participation did not differ significantly. Higher mortality was observed among those who participated in the Olympics twice (RR: 1.52; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.23) and three times or more (RR: 1.87; 95% CI, 1.08 to 3.25) compared with those who participated just once. Compared with combination of low static and low dynamic intensity category, higher mortality was observed in most combinations of middle-intensity or high-intensity categories. Conclusion Japanese Olympians lived longer than the general population. More frequent participation in the Olympics and higher intensity of sports disciplines were associated with higher mortality.


Pacing tactics in the swimming bout notably influences the overall triathlon performance. Besides, the swimming velocity affects the energy expenditure (EE). Based on our previous works to estimate the swimming velocity, here we propose a system to measure the cycle velocity variation (CVV) (important factor that governs the swimming EE) using one body-worn inertial measurement unit (IMU). We have previously shown that our system is capable of measuring cycle mean velocity (CMV) with an RMS error of 9.0 cm/s.


Background and Objectives: There is growing interest in containing cost and decreasing waste in the operating room. As part of a quality improvement initiative, we redesigned the supply kit used for 2 common surgical procedures (carpal tunnel release and trigger finger release) performed under local anesthesia. Methods: A hand surgeon, a medical student, and an operating room nurse examined each item that would be necessary for performing carpal tunnel release and trigger finger release. A new disposable supply kit was formulated on the basis of their recommendations and was implemented over a 7-month period. Cost savings and waste avoidance were calculated. Results: The streamlined kit ($43.40) produced a 53% cost savings relative to the standard hand pack ($92.83) per case. The local pack (2.896 kg) was 41% lighter than the standard pack (4.938 kg), translating to significant waste avoidance. The local hand pack was used for 46 cases from September 2020 to April 2021, saving a total of $2246.78 and avoiding 94 kg of waste. There have been no noted interruptions in delivery of surgical care. Conclusion: Our redesign of the local hand pack led to substantial cost savings and waste avoidance. We believe there are many opportunities for surgical teams to use similar strategies to decrease cost and environmental waste.


A numerical analysis was carried out on the heat and mass transfer, and pressure drop characteristics of the modular tube bundle heat exchanger. The finite volume method with a turbulence model was used for the analysis. Due to condensation, the total heat transfer rate is observed about higher than that on dry surfaces. Total heat transfer rate increases with increase in the velocity, temperature and relative humidity of incoming air. It also increases with decreasing the aspect ratio of heat exchanger tube. The inlet velocity of cooling water has little effect on the total heat transfer when the other conditions are fixed.


The Mediator is a multi-protein complex that plays a key role in modulating gene expression. Our previous studies suggested that the MED10a, MED28, MED32 complex subunits could be subject to redox regulation. In this study we tested the capacity of different thioredoxins (TRXs) from poplar (TRX-H3 and TRX-H5) and Arabidopsis thaliana (TPR repeat-containing thioredoxin, TDX) as well as glutaredoxins (GRXs) from poplar (GRX-C3 and GRX-C4) to reduce MED28 oligomers in vitro and found that these proteins were less efficient than the the previously tested poplar TRX-H1 and Arabidopsis GRX-C1. Concerning the susceptibility of MED28 to oxidation, both hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) are efficiently mediating the formation of intermolecular disulfides. In fact, MED28 forms homo- oligomers in vivo as assessed by yeast two-hybrid experiments but also in vitro in solution as shown by size-exclusion chromatography, the latter also demonstrated the formation of noncovalent homo-oligomers. These findings suggest that both the redox-dependent and - independent MED28 oligomerization could regulate its biological activities, could it be linked or not to the Mediator. In particular, it would be important to assess MED28 oligomerization state during senescence considering the previously observed phenotype of med28 plants.


Background
As one of the most common intracranial tumors, pituitary adenomas, especially the Cushing's disease subtype, have been studied for many years. However, at present, effective methods for the early diagnosis of pituitary adenomas are very limited, especially for subtypes such as Cushing's disease. Therefore, it is of urgent importance to find effective molecular targets to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic methods for pituitary adenomas.

Methods
We showed the abnormally high expression of miR-30d in pituitary adenomas by analyzing data in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and revealed a novel molecular mechanism of miR-30d in regulating the proliferation and invasion of a pituitary adenoma cell line (AtT-20). Cell culture and transfection, and RNA interference (RNAi) were used to treat AtT-20 cells to test the effects of miR-30d and TIMP3 on cells. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to determine the messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions. We used 3-(4,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) (MTT) to determine cell viabilities. An invasion assay was performed using Transwell chambers. Luciferase activity was tested with a dual-luciferase assay.

Results
We found that the expression of miR-30d in pituitary adenoma was higher than that in normal pituitary tissues. It was revealed that miR-30d promoted the proliferation and invasion of AtT-20 cells by inhibiting the expression of TIMP3. In the above process, miR-30d could bind to the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of TIMP3 mRNA.

Conclusions
The mir-30d/TIMP3 signaling pathway plays an important regulatory role in pituitary adenomas. These new discoveries may reveal more functions of miR-30d and lay the foundation for future clinical development of new drug targets.


Composite event processing systems are useful in various application domains such as stock data stream monitoring, RFID data management, web access pattern monitoring, etc. The tree-based method is a typical method for implementing composite event processing system. In this paper, we introduce an optimization method called "condensed composition" for the tree-based composite event processing. "Condensed composition" divides the events in groups to participate the composition. We analyze the reason why the performance is improved and utilizes the statistics of the "condensation degree" to dynamically decide using condensed composition or not for different data characteristics. In the experiments, the "condensed composition" method significantly improved the performance on the real stock data.


To investigate whether the type and duration of activity influences corticomotor excitability following fatiguing exercise, we compared motor evoked potential (MEP) responses of the biceps brachii to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) during recovery from two different exercise regimens. Responses were recorded in both the resting state and during a weak contraction. Ten subjects performed a 60‐s maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) and, on a subsequent occasion, a sustained 20% MVC to the point of exhaustion. Resting MEP amplitude declined following maximal and submaximal protocols, reaching 34% and 31% of pre‐exercise means, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). In contrast, mean facilitated MEP amplitude showed a smaller and more transient decrement following the sustained submaximal effort (64%; P < 0.05), but not the 60‐s MVC. Abolition of the postexercise depression in resting MEP amplitude by a weak tonic contraction indicates that decreases in excitability at the spinal level contribute to the reduced corticomotor excitability observed after fatiguing exercise. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 23: 1840–1846, 2000


We sampled Larix sp. individuals over Eurasia and conducted genotyping at four chloroplast microsatellite and 253 newly developed SNP loci. Both marker types showed a very clear geographical pattern corresponding in Russia to different Larix species. The best SNP loci were selected to develop next sets of 76 and 13 loci for respectively cost-effective MassARRAY and SNaPShot genotyping. Genetic assignment tests provided theoretical success rates between 73 and 90% according to the marker set used. An analysis of timber samples showed varying amplification success rates, but demonstrated the feasibility of larch timber tracking with molecular markers at the regional level. We further discussed statistical improvements needed for forensic applications.


We present the discovery of [O III] λ5007 emission associated with the black hole X-ray binary recently identified in a globular cluster in the Virgo elliptical galaxy NGC 4472. This object is the first confirmed black hole X-ray binary in a globular cluster. The identification of [O III] λ5007 emission from the black hole hosting globular cluster is based on two independent fiber spectra obtained at the VLT with FLAMES, which cover a wavelength range of 5000-5800 Å at a spectral resolution of about 6000. In each of these spectra we find an emission line at 5031.2 Å with an uncertainty of several tenths of an angstrom. These are consistent with [O III] λ5007 emission at the 1475 ± 7 km s-1 radial velocity of the globular cluster previously determined from an analysis of its absorption lines. This agreement within the small uncertainties argues strongly in favor of the interpretation of the line as [O III] λ5007 emission from the black hole hosting globular cluster. We also find that the emission line most likely has a velocity width of several hundred km s-1. Such a velocity width rules out a planetary nebula explanation for the [O III] λ5007 emission and implicates the black hole as the source of the power driving the nebular emission.


We establish the (non-lattice) local limit theorem for products of i.i.d. random variables on an arbitrary simply connected nilpotent Lie group $G$, where the variables are allowed to be non-centered. Our result also improves on the known centered case by proving uniformity for two-sided moderate deviations and allowing measures with a moment of order $2(\dim G)^2$ without further regularity assumptions. As applications we establish a Ratner-type equidistribution theorem for unipotent walks on homogeneous spaces and obtain a new proof of the Choquet-Deny property in our setting.


Perceptual evaluation tests where subjects assess certain qualities of different audio fragments are an integral part of audio and music research. These require specialised software, usually custom-made, to collect large amounts of data using meticulously designed interfaces with carefully formulated questions, and play back audio with rapid switching between different samples. New functionality in HTML5 included in the Web Audio API allows for increasingly powerful media applications in a platform independent environment. The advantage of a web application is easy deployment on any platform, without requiring any other application, enabling multiple tests to be easily conducted across locations. In this paper we propose a tool supporting a wide variety of easily configurable, multi-stimulus perceptual audio evaluation tests over the web with multiple test interfaces, preand post-test surveys, custom configuration, collection of test metrics and other features. Test design and setup doesn't require programming background, and results are gathered automatically using web friendly formats for easy storing of results on a server.


Gene therapy is a promising strategy in cancer treatment. However, efficient gene translation still remains challenging. In the previous work, a hydrolytically degradable poly(aminoester) with good biocompatibility was synthesized. Herein, the poly(aminoester) was explored as a vector for gene delivery and cancer therapy. The experiments revealed that the poly(aminoester) condensed plasmid DNA into nanosized particles via electrostatic interaction. The pEGFP-N1 and pGL-3 were first used as two reporter genes to study intracellular transfection. The poly(aminoester) showed higher GFP expression (33%) than PEI 25 kDa (21%). Intracellular trafficking of Cy3-labelled pGL-3 also indicated that the poly(aminoester) showed superior DNA delivery ability to nucleus compared to PEI 25 kDa. Furthermore, the therapeutic gene (p53) was translated into the breast cancer cell line (MCF-7), and then induced cell apoptosis. These results suggested that the degradable poly(aminoester) is a promising and efficient gene delivery vector for gene therapeutic applications.


. This study attempts to identify Plant Functional Types (PFTs) within the scrub vegetation of the stabilized sand dunes of the Donana National Park (southwestern Spain) and to explore possible links with ecosystem function. Two 10-km long transects were sampled along a gradient of water table depth from elevated and dry dunes to a border area close to the salt marsh.

A matrix of cover values for 20 woody species × 58 plots and a matrix of 24 morphological and physiological traits × 20 species were analysed by means of DCA and TWINSPAN to identify the main vegetation types and PFTs. In order to know the predominant plant traits, the matrix of 20 species × 58 plots was multiplied by the 24 traits × 20 species matrix. The resulting 24 traits × 58 plots matrix was analysed by means of DCA.

The main vegetation types coincide with the previous descriptions of the Park with Juniperus phoenicea woodland and xerophytic species dominating the top of the dunes and hygrophytic species with isolated Quercus suber trees in the depressions. Previous classifications of Mediterranean woody plants resulted in two main PFTs. The present analysis confirmed these two groups: maquis versus garrigue, but added four new groups. The analysis of the traits × plots matrix revealed that the main trend of variation is related to the water table gradient, while the traits related to the species of mature plant communities had little weight in the analysis because these communities are restricted to isolated patches.


Nalpha-glycyl-glycyl-glycyl-(8-lysine)-vasopressin, a hormone analogue with prolonged pharmacological action due to slow release of active nonapeptide by enzyme action in vivo, has been administered to 5 control subjects and to 14 patients actively bleeding from upper gastrointestinal sites. The control subjects showed a prolonged pressor response to 100mug/kg body weight associated with a rise in cardiac output, with no ECG signs of myocardial toxicity. 13 of the 14 bleeding patients showed not only pressor responses and haemodynamic and clinical improvement when administering doses of 20-100 mug/kg, but clear signs of standstill of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.


Mechanical alloying of iron and chromium powder mixtures was performed from 0 to 190 h milling times. X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectrometry and differential scanning calorimetry were used to determine the structural and magnetic properties of the intergranular zone, which was associated with a very disordered grain boundary structure, paramagnetic at 300 K. This structure is assumed to be due to the presence of oxygen and nitrogen atoms, forming a mixture of amorphous FeCr + O + N alloy. Between 21 and 85 h, the hyperfine parameters of the magnetic contribution, and therefore the properties of the Fe60Cr40 nanograin cores, are constant, but the paramagnetic fraction associated with the intergranular zone increases. At 85 h, the paramagnetic contribution represents 100% of the Mössbauer spectrum. Moreover, after very long milling times, we have evidenced a de-mixing reaction which results in preferential oxidation and nitrogenation within the very disordered structure.


Although there are a number of different microgrippers that have been produced for use in SEM, most of these are made using expensive and time consuming microfabrication techniques such as lithography. In this work a novel type of microgripper has been developed that avoids lithography. Instead, the end-effecters of the gripper are made from a single piece of tungsten wire which is electrochemically thinned and then cut in two with a focused ion beam. Alignment of the two end-effecters is not an issue since they both come from the same wire, so the whole gripper is straightforward and quick to produce and it is possible to shape the end-effecters as desired. Independent electrical connections to each of the end-effecters allow them to be grounded to prevent charging in the SEM beam and give the option of applying a voltage across an object that is picked up. Furthermore, unlike lithographically produced grippers, if the end-effecters become too dirty or damaged it is possible to mount a new piece of tungsten wire and form new end-effecters without having to throw away the whole system. Actuation of the gripper is accomplished using a trimorph bender actuator giving very good resolution (typically ~170nm/V) and a maximum possible span range of over 20μm. The gripper has been successfully demonstrated in picking up and placing copper microspheres in-situ in the SEM.


This report was prepared in accordance with Section 2013 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The report summarizes a series of studies undertaken by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to acquire the information needed to address the general problem of drug-impaired driving. The report describes the research conducted on prevention, detection, and prosecution of driving under the influence of drugs; issues associated with determining what drugs impair driving; difficulties in relating blood levels of drugs and impairment; lack of information about what drugs are frequently used by drivers and what drugs elevate crash risk; problems in obtaining representative data about current enforcement, prosecution, and adjudication of drug-impaired driving; training for law enforcement officers in recognizing drug-impaired drivers; review of drug-impaired driving laws; and what is known about the role of drugs as causal factors in traffic crashes. It highlights the need for further research and concludes with recommendations to better address the problem of drug-impaired driving.


The last decade has seen a surge in biomedical research advancing the evidence base for the effective clinical management and study of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The authors review the literature describing ethical issues in conducting PTSD research; controversies over the role of preventive pharmacotherapy for PTSD; and ethical quandaries in the identification, treatment, or empirical investigation of PTSD in postdisaster settings. Findings are synthesized within an ethics framework that utilizes major constructs in the biomedical literature: beneficence/nonmaleficence, informed consent, and autonomy. Gaps and weaknesses in the current evidence base are highlighted. The authors conclude by considering priorities for future empirical ethics investigation in this field.


The aim of the study is to present Gerstmann syndrome, manifested as a neuropsychological deficit resulting from the damage to the parietal lobe of the left hemisphere. Here it is discussed based on the studies conducted mainly since the 1950's when it attracted considerable interest, as well as and controversy at the same time. The classic symptoms are briefly described, including the clinical tasks useful in any the diagnosis for during the neuropsychological assessment. The paper also presents recent studies and a alternative different proposal for the understanding of this clinical syndrome. Josef Gerstmann described a clinical tetrad in his patients, which was later to be known as Gerstmann syndrome. The symptoms included finger agnosia, agraphia, acalculia and left-right disorientation. He associated the above symptoms with damage to the left angular gyrus, hence the alternative a different name for of the syndrome i.e., the angular gyrus syndrome. The existence of the syndrome was questioned for some time, something which was never approved by Gerstmann. Currently, the occurrence of the syndrome is confirmed by studies. However, the full and pure tetrad of the classic symptoms as observed is not common. The clinical picture of the syndrome often usually remains incomplete and is related to other neuropsychological deficits such as aphasia, which frequently occurs. In modern considerations, the language deficiencies of semantic aphasia are not treated as non-Gerstmann syndrome, disturbing its pure form, but are considered to be a part of Gerstmann syndrome as such. DOES GERSTMANN SYNDROME EXIST?


Abstract. The sensitivity of modelled ozone depletion in the winter Arctic stratosphere to different assumptions of prevalent PSC types and PSC formation mechanisms is investigated. Three-dimensional simulations of the winter 1995/96 are performed with the COlogne Model of the Middle Atmosphere (COMMA) by applying different PSC microphysical schemes. Model runs are carried out considering either liquid or solid PSC particles or a combined microphysical scheme. These simulations are then compared to a model run which only takes into account binary sulfate aerosols. The results obtained with the three-dimensional model agree with trajectory-box simulations performed in previous studies. The simulations suggest that conditions appropriate for type Ia PSC existence ( T T NAT ) occur over longer periods and cover larger areas when compared to conditions of potential type Ib PSC existence. Significant differences in chlorine activation and ozone depletion occur between the simulations including only either liquid or solid PSC particles. The largest differences, occurring over large spatial scales and during prolonged time periods, are modelled first, when the stratospheric temperatures stay below T NAT , but above the threshold of effective liquid particle growth and second, in the case of the stratospheric temperatures remaining below this threshold, but not falling below the ice frost point. It can be generally concluded from the present study that differences in PSC microphysical schemes can cause significant fluctuations in ozone depletion modelled for the winter Arctic stratosphere. Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (aerosols and particles; cloud physics and chemistry; middle atmosphere composition and chemistry)


Introduction - THE MAKING OF A PALESTINIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT - The PLO and the Politics of Ethnonational Mobilization E.Sahliyeh - The Armed Struggle and Palestinian Nationalism Y.Sayigh - A Study of PLO Peace Initiatives M.Muslih - From Palestinian Liberation Organization to Palestinian Authority: The Territorialization of 'Neopatriarchy' H.Frisch - Policy and Attitude Changes in the PLO M.Hassassian - REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ARENAS - The PLO in Arab Regional Politics: Taming a Non-State Actor A.Sela & M.Ma'oz - Moscow and the PLO: The Ups and Downs of a Complex Relationship G.Golan - Misperceptions and Perfect Understanding: The United States and the PLO B.Rubin - THE RISE AND INFLUENCE OF LOCAL ACTIVISTS - Mental Health Challenges for the Palestinian Authority: The Psycho-Political Legacy of the Intifada E.Sarraj - Inside vs Outside: The Challenge of the Local Leadership M.Litvak - Intifada Discourse: The Hamas and UNC Leaflets S.Mishal - The Role of Women and Female Leadership in the Intifada and the Peace Process N.Chazan ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN RELATIONS: BETWEEN PAST AND FUTURE - The Power-Oriented Settlement: PLO and Israel - The Road to the Olso Agreement and Back B.Kimmerling - Israel's Policy Toward the PLO: From Rejection to Recognition S.Hattis Rolef - The PLO and Israel: The Strategic Transition from Confrontation to Reciprocity L.Binder - Index


The adhesion of a graphene monolayer onto terminated or 2x1-reconstructed diamond (111) surfaces has in the present study been theoretically investigated by using a Density Functional Theory (DFT) method. H, F, O, and OH species were used for the surface termination. The generalized gradient spin density approximation (GG(S)A) with the semiempirical dispersion corrections were used in the study of the Van der Waals interactions. There is a weaker interfacial bond (only of type Wan-der-Waals interaction) at a distance around 3 Å (from 2.68 to 3.36 Å ) for the interfacial graphene//diamond systems in the present study. The strongest binding of graphene was obtained for the H-terminated surface, with an adhesion energy of -10.6 eV. In contrast, the weakest binding of graphene was obtained for F-termination (with an adhesion energy of -2.9 eV). For all situations in the present study, the graphene layer was found to retain its aromatic character. In spite of this, a certain degree of electron transfer was observed to take place from graphene to Oontop-, Obridge-, and OH-terminated diamond surface. In addition, graphene attached to Oontop-terminated surface showed a finite band gap.


Column-oriented stores, known for their scalability and flexibility, are a common NoSQL database implementation and are increasingly used in big data management. In column-oriented stores, a "full-scan" query strategy is inefficient and the search space can be reduced if data is well partitioned or indexed; however, there is no pre-defined schema for building and maintaining partitions and indexes at lower cost. We leverage an accumulative and high-dimensional data model, a sophisticated linearization algorithm, and an efficient query algorithm, to solve the challenge of how a pre-defined and well-partitioned data model can be applied to flexible and time-varied key-value data. We adapt a high-dimensional array as the data model to partition the key-value data without additional storage and massive calculation; improve the Z-order linearization algorithm, which map multidimensional data to one dimension while preserving locality of the data points, for flexibility; efficiently build an expansion mechanism for the data model to support time-varied data. The result is Haery, a column-oriented store, based on a distributed file system and computing framework. In experiments, Haery is compared with Hive, HBase, Cassandra, MongoDB, PostgresXL, and HyperDex in terms of query performance. With results indicating Haery on average performs 4.57x, 4.23x, 3.55x, 1.79x, 1.82x, and 120.6x faster, respectively.


The East Anglian witchcraft trials of 1645–7 constitute one of the most remarkable episodes in the history of the European witchcraze. Despite the survival of a large body of relevant source material, there are sufficient gaps in the records to make it unlikely that the full story of what happened during this outbreak of witch hunting will ever be completely reconstructed. Let us remind ourselves, however, of the main outlines. Over the winter of 1644–5 Matthew Hopkins, an obscure petty gentleman living at Manningtree in north-east Essex, became worried about witches in his neighbourhood. His worries bore fruit in the prosecution of thirty-six witches, of whom perhaps nineteen were executed, at the summer 1645 assizes in Essex. Accusations spread rapidly over the Suffolk border, and we know of 117 witches who were examined or tried in that county. A stray reference suggests that another forty were tried at the Norfolk assizes, while it seems that a further six were tried (and five subsequently executed) at the Great Yarmouth borough sessions. Further trials (we have no way of calculating their total, although they were probably not numerous) occurred in Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire during 1645–6, while a body of depositions in the records of the Isle of Ely assizes reveals that a further seventeen suspected witches were examined there in 1646–7. Altogether we have references to some 240 alleged witches who came before the authorities during this episode, over 200 of them between July and December 1645.


In an e-Learning environment, before a student moves on to the next module a diagnostic test Is given from which a grade is provided. However, it is far more useful to the student 1f he is given some Indication as to his actual capability In relation to the instructor's expectations. A letter grade or a numerical score (except at the extreme ends of the range) while desirable, does not provide sufficient insight into how the student lairs. What is needed is feedback Lo the student that helps him in his continual Improvement in the subject matter. It is the myriad of variables such as, the student's speed in working out the problems, guessing, and the fraction of correctly answered problems. A careful consideration of these new variables gives this investigation a fresh outlook to the problem of diagnosis that has not been previously addressed. This article presents an application of Fuzzy Logic to diagnose a student's mastery of a narrow sliver of subject matter that he has studied. Recommendations are then given as to how he should proceed with his studies. The power of this approach lies in the ability of the computer administrating the diagnostic test to track a student's problem-solving speed for each and every problem that is attempted. Interestingly it is also possible to determine if (he student made guesses Instead of actually working out the correct answers to the problems. For diagnostic purposes, a correct answer from exercising a guess should not count towards the number of correct answers but as an unanswered question, Such a capability is not available for in-class tests because the actual answering speed for each question Is not tracked, nor is it possible to determine if a correctly answered problem comes from guessing at the answer. This article describes the workings of a Fuzzy Logic diagnostic program and how it addresses all these interesting variables and incorporates them into a useful tool for assisting e-Iearning students in determining their mastery of the subject matter.


This article presents a finite-time heterogeneous cyclic pursuit scheme that ensures consensus among agents modeled as integrators. It is shown that for the proposed consensus scheme, even when the gains are nonidentical, consensus results within a finite time, provided all the gains are positive or even if one gain is negative, subject to a lower bound. An algorithm is presented to compute the consensus value and consensus time for a given set of positive gains and initial states of the agents. The set of values, where consensus can occur, by varying the gains, has been derived and a second algorithm aids in determining the positive gains that enable consensus at any point in the aforementioned set, at a given finite time. As an application, the finite-time consensus in line-of-sight rates, over a cycle digraph, for a group of interceptors is shown to be effective in ensuring co-operative collision-free interception of a target, for both constant speed as well as realistic time-varying-speed models of the interceptors. Simulations the theoretical results.


Mucormycosis is the name for invasive fungal infection caused by mucorales. The disease is uncommon and produces serious and rapidly fatal infection in patients with serious pre-existing illness. The classical presentation of rhinocerebral mucormycosis is involvement of nasal mucosa with invasion of paranasal sinuses and orbit. We report a case of mucormycosis in an otherwise healthy female who had developed acute renal failure following gastroenteritis.


We provide two different neighborhood construction techniques for creating exponentially large neighborhoods that are searchable in polynomial time using dynamic programming. We illustrate both of these approaches on very large scale neighborhood search techniques for the traveling salesman problem. Our approaches unify previously known results and offer schemas for generating additional exponential neighborhoods that are searchable in polynomial time. The first approach is to define the neighborhood recursively. In this approach, the dynamic programming recursion is a natural consequence of the recursion that defines the neighborhood. In particular, we show how to create the pyramidal tour neighborhood, the twisted sequences neighborhood, and dynasearch neighborhoods using this approach. In the second approach, we consider the standard dynamic program to solve the TSP. We then obtain exponentially large neighborhoods by selecting a polynomially bounded number of states, and restricting the dynamic program to those states only. We show how the Balas and Simonetti neighborhood and the insertion dynasearch neighborhood can be viewed in this manner. We also show that one of the dynasearch neighborhoods can be derived directly from the 2-exchange neighborhood using this approach. Subject classifications: Traveling Salesman: Very large scale neighborhood search for the TSP. Heuristics: Very large scale neighborhood search for the TSP. Dynamic Programming: Two DP methodologies for heuristic search for the TSP.


By the late sixties, combined studies proposed that both the sensitivity and specificity of infrared imaging of the breast was approximately 85%. This data justified its introduction into the Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project. The initial enthusiasm for this technique rapidly waned in North America. The Ville Marie Breast Center has continued to use this technique as a component of our multi-modality imaging strategy in the detection of breast cancer. The recent acquisition of high resolution digital infrared technology along with the development of a standard protocol for image production and interpretation by qualified physicians has given us an opportunity to better assess its complementary role to clinical exam and mammography. In a recent series of early breast cancer patients, the combined use of both infrared imaging and mammography was particularly useful in the patients in whom mammography, though done in a fully accredited center, was uninformative. Adding infrared imaging to mammography increased the detection rate. When infrared imaging benefits from the same quality control recently imposed on mammography, it constitutes a safe and practical imaging modality that in some cases promoted an earlier detection of breast cancer than did mammography.


With limited US federal leadership on closing and re-opening strategies to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic, cities and states were left to enact their own policies. This article examines two key sets of policies—in-person learning in public elementary schools and indoor dining—across 30 of the largest US cities in the summer, fall, and winter of 2020. We review indoor dining and in-person elementary education policy decisions between 1 May 2020 and 14 December 2020 across 30 US cities. We review the public health evidence, political power, and jurisdictional challenges that cities faced, and the policy implications of these factors. Overwhelmingly, indoor dining re-opened in cities while in-person elementary schools were kept closed; indoor dining re-opened in all cities in fall 2020, while only 40% of public elementary schools re-opened for in-person instruction. Looking ahead to fully bringing students back for in-person learning, and considering future potential community outbreaks, this retrospective analysis can help inform city and state governments on policy decisions around indoor dining and reopening/closing schools for in-person learning.


ABSTRACT The Digital Construction Cooperative, or DigiConCo-Op, is a digital 'virtual main contractor' platform, able to support the collaboration of local micro-SMEs and SMEs (MSMEs) in the delivery of micro-projects. The design of the platform reflects and is intended to instantiate the theory and practice of cooperativism. Cooperativism is an organizational, economic and contractual model which assumes that humans work best when working together collaboratively and in contexts were they share ownership of the enterprise at hand. In Cooperatives, management responsibilities, profits and risks are fully shared between those doing the work. Following the theoretical detailing of the DigiConCo-Op platform, its fit with practice is explored through interviews with n = 25 MSMEs as to the potential benefits and challenges these future users perceived within the platform, and cooperative working generally. Findings show that there is an appetite for construction cooperatives among construction MSMEs, and for supporting digital technology, but also a concern for how responsibility and risk are shared in practice, and whether membership can be open without some form of pre-existing personal relationship.


This article examines a hitherto unexplored area of British television history: the relationship between telefantasy (a term that encompasses fantasy, science fiction and horror on television) and British television drama for children during the 1980s and early 1990s. It suggests that British telefantasy can be conceptualized as a broken tradition, with peaks marked not only in the family- and adult-orientated productions of the 1970s and late 1990s, but in children's drama from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. Analysing the BBC serials The Box of Delights (1984), Dark Season (1991) and Century Falls (1993) in relation to their aesthetic, economic and generic contexts, this article explores a lost history of British telefantasy, not only adding to the existing literature on telefantasy, but also transforming it.


Based on a large number of data gathered through monitoring and surveying, this paper gives modifica-tion and calculation formulas of the movement and deformation of the dike slope. The variation of subsidence andhorizontal movement in the dike interior is analyzed. And from the geological condition of the dike, the interrela-tion between the subsidence, horizontal movement and the stratum structure and the basic laws are discussed.


We studied the thermoelectric and thermophysical properties of TiCoSb-ZrCoSb-HfCoSb pseudo ternary system. Polycrystalline samples were prepared by a spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique, and their thermoelectric properties above room temperature and thermophysical properties at room temperature were measured. All the samples were identified as a half-Heusler compound by the X-ray diffraction analysis. The lattice parameter, electrical resistivity and thermoelectric power systematically change with the composition in the pseudo ternary phase diagram. All the samples indicated negative values of the thermoelectric power. Low thermal conductivity was achieved in the samples with the composition near the center of the pseudo ternary phase diagram where the effect of the alloy scattering becomes large. The maximum value of ZT was obtained to be 0.073 at 790 K for Ti0:25(Zr0:5Hf0:5)0:75CoSb. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.47.1445]


THE FORMER RAND AFRIKAANS UNIVERSITY, now University of Johannesburg, has acted against its own and the South African national interest by terminating the 25-year-old collaboration with the Ben Gurion University of the Negev (Around the World item "End to partnership with Israeli university," News of the Week, 1 April, p. 19). Boycotts of Israeli scientists, science institutions, and worse, research cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis [e.g., (1)] are counterproductive—they deprive those less fortunate of a chance for improvement in education, and they promote confrontation and tension between Arab and Israeli societies. Because of the political pressure they face, collaborative programs are dwindling. We should show strong support for the excellent examples of peaceful collaboration between Israeli and Palestinian scientists [e.g., (2–4)] as well as with scientists of other nations [e.g., (5, 6)]. WLADYSLAW ALTERMANN


General properties of ouabain-sensitive K+ binding to purified Na+,K+-ATPase [EC 184.108.40.206] were studied by a centrifugation method with 42K+. 1) The affinity for K+ was constant at pH values higher than 6.4, and decreased at pH values lower than 6.4. 2) Mg2+ competitively inhibited the K+ binding. The dissociation constant (Kd) for Mg2+ of the enzyme was estimated to be about 1 mM, and the ratio of Kd for Mg2+ to Kd for K+ was 120 : 1. The order of inhibitory efficiency of divalent cations toward the K+ binding was Ba2+ congruent to Ca2+ greater than Zn2+ congruent to Mn2+ greater than Sr2+ greater than Co2+ greater than Ni2+ greater than Mg2+. 3) The order of displacement efficiency of monovalent cations toward the K+ binding in the presence or absence of Mg2+ was Tl+ greater than Rb+ greater than or equal to (K+) greater than NH4+ greater than or equal to Cs+ greater than Na+ greater than Li+. The inhibition patterns of Na+ and Li+ were different from those of other monovalent cations, which competitively inhibited the K+ binding. 4) The K+ binding was not influenced by different anions, such as Cl-, SO4(2-), NO3-, acetate, and glycylglycine, which were used for preparing imidazole buffers. 5) Gramicidin D and valinomycin did not affect the K+ binding, though the former (10 micrograms/ml) inhibited the Na+,K+-ATPase activity by about half. Among various inhibitors of the ATPase, 0.1 mM p-chloromercuribenzoate and 0.1 mM tri-n-butyltin chloride completely inhibited the K+ binding. Oligomycin (10 micrograms/ml) and 10 mM N-ethylmaleimide had no effect on the K+ binding. In the presence of Na+, however, oligomycin decreased the K+ binding by increasing the inhibitory effect of Na+, whether Mg2+ was present or not. 6) ATP, adenylylimido diphosphate and ADP each at 0.2 mM decreased the K+ binding to about one-fourth of the original level at 10 microM K+ without MgCl2 and at 60 microM K+ with 5 mM MgCl2. On the other hand, AMP, Pi, and p-nitrophenylphosphate each at 0.2 mM had little effect on the K+ binding.


Radioembolization is an emerging treatment modality in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is a form of brachytherapy in which intra-arterially injected Ytrrium-90 microspheres are used for internal radiation purpose. Ytrrium-90 is a high energy beta particle-emitting radioisotope. Ytrrium-90 microspheres administered via arterial route direct the highly concentrated radiation to the tumor while normal liver parenchyma is relatively spared due to its preferential blood supply from portal venous blood. Main complications do not result from the microembolic effect, even in patients with portal vein thrombosis, but rather from an excessive irradiation to the non-target tissues including the liver. All the evidence that support the use of radioembolization in HCC is based on retrospective series or non-controlled prospective studies. However, reliable data can be obtained from the literature, particularly since the recent publication of large series. When compared to the standard of treatment for the intermediate and advanced stages (TACE and sorafenib), radioembolization consistently provides similar survival rates. Many randomized controlled trials using radioembolization are underway and will provide optimal evidences as standard treatment for unresectable HCC.


During the ARTIST (Arctic Radiation and Turbulence Interaction Study) experiment, conducted at the Svalbard islands in the spring of 1998, some measurements of radiative balance at the surface and temperature gradients within the ice and snow cover were collected. The analysis of the radiation data allowed calculation of the surface radiation budget of the short- and long-wave radiation as well as the net availability of energy at the surface. Because of the crucial role played by the Arctic on the global climate results of paramount importance to assess the both the radiative and the energy balance of the entire area. Satellite data were utilised to obtain further information about cloud amount, sea-ice extent and radiation balance. In order to upscale the local findings a parameterisation scheme was developed to compare surface with satellite measurements.


Domestic robots have the potential to become of great importance within the lives of consumers. With the use of novel technology, domestic robots are introduced within real-life settings such as: hospitals, nursing homes and domestic environments. However, when domestic robots have to become a success, it is needed to investigate whether consumers will accept these products within their personal domestic environment. Existing literature on robotic research have focused mainly on technology issues, design and the human-robot interaction. Especially human-robot interaction has gained a lot of attention, because this is based on the high expectations of people towards human-like capabilities. The present will take another view. The present study will therefore examine consumers' acceptance of domestic robots by using the technology acceptance model (TAM), introduced by Davis (1989). Basic principle of TAM is that this model proposes that consumers' perception of usefulness and ease of use are related to consumers' behavioural intentions to use a certain system, such as domestic robotics.
Furthermore, existing research on robotics posit that the success of domestic robots is dependent of overcoming design and technical challenges. However, the present study takes another view by examining psychological factors that are important for the success of domestic robots. Young et al. (2009) have mentioned that subjective perceptions and associations of consumers towards robots are also important of the success of the introduction of domestic robotics. This study is therefore proposed to administer both implicit and explicit measures towards robots. Implicit measures will be measured with the use of the IAT (Greenwald et al., 1998), which measures consumers implicit associations towards domestic robots. Explicit measures will be measured with the use of NARS, which measures the explicit attitudes towards robots (Nomura et al., 2005). Furthermore, assessing implicit and explicit measures towards robots could be useful, because these measures could be used as control variables for the measurement of robot anxiety.
Results indicate that respondents perceive domestic robotics as being useful and easy to use, and therefore they have intentions to use them. Furthermore consumers have rather positive than negative associations towards robotics and associate robotics with household tasks rather than industrial tasks. Results also indicate that implicit measures correlate with explicit measures, which indicate that implicit measures relate to explicit measures. Results also provide more insight whether implicit or explicit measures are more relevant when assessing associations. Findings also indicate that both measures are related with robot anxiety.


We propose a simple yet efficient scalable scheme for improving the performance of Delay Tolerant Networks (DTNs) with data mules by using XOR network coding. We carry out a theoretical analysis based on a model abstracted from the Village Communication Networks (VCNs), beginning with two villages and then extending to N villages. We also examine how the delivery probability is affected by the different overlapping intervals of two data mules. The theoretical analysis indicates that the maximum delivery probability increases by 50% and our simulation results illustrate this point, showing that the overhead ratio and average delay are reduced as well. Finally, our scheme is applied to a real network, the Toulouse public transportation network. We analyze the dataset, calculate the overlapping intervals of inter-vehicles and the amount of data that transit vehicles can exchange in one day, showing a 54.4% improvement in throughput.


The Illawarra Mercury will be 150 years old on October 8, but it was a Johnny-come-lately among the daily newspapers in NSW. The Wollongong title did not become a daily until January 9, 1950.


In health care, interoperability--the ability of healthcare information systems to work together and share information within and across organizational boundaries--involves: Data exchange, Infrastructure interoperability, User interface interoperability, Process interoperability.


Broadcast encryption provides an efficient way to encrypt a message for a large number of receivers. This paper investigates whether it is possible to further improve efficiency of an existing state-of-the-art broadcast encryption scheme by reusing a some of the random choices among different encryptions, without compromising the security of the original scheme. We introduce two schemes: the first allows a transmitter to efficiently encrypt several messages to a set of users; the second scheme extends the first by allowing the transmitter to efficiently send independent messages to different groups at once. We illustrate two scenarios where our schemes provide significant advantages compared to existing solutions.


Teaching problem: Immersive pedagogies-including real-world or client-based projects, case studies, and simulations-have long been used to encourage student problem-solving, analytical thinking, and teamwork in professional communication. Building a connection to the real world has real challenges, however, for both instructors and students. How can we better prepare students for their future careers in our technical communication courses? Situating the case: This paper draws on three areas in the literature to situate the Arisoph case study: First, we discuss the work that has been done with client-based projects and the problems and challenges researchers have found with incorporating these projects into the classroom. Second, we discuss a newer model of workplace simulations, particularly focusing on the work done by Fisher and Russell. Third, we discuss the psychological theories of attribution and reattribution, which provided a foundation for our development of the Arisoph case study. How this case was studied: This paper describes the development of the Arisoph case study, an online client-based simulation course designed for engineering students to learn and practice technical communication. Course development and collection of instructor and student responses took place from 2010 to 2014. About the case: This paper details the development and implementation of the Arisoph case study, which brought the workplace realities of a variety of engineering professions into a classroom filled with engineering majors. The Arisoph simulation was designed to manage student attribution and reattribution, particularly to help engineering students connect the principles and skills learned in technical communication courses with their future careers. The Arisoph case study is a full-semester simulation, where students apply for work in a fictional company and fulfill different roles on professional teams. Each assignment during the semester is situated in the context of the simulation. The major projects for the simulation, however, come from a real client in the engineering field. This unique combination of simulation and client-based projects provides students with greater opportunities for successful reattribution. Conclusions: Initial student reactions to the course show an increased understanding of workplace communication and a greater motivation to produce the best possible product for the client. We hope that long-term studies will show significant carryover of those attitudes into students' careers.


BACKGROUND
Oxaliplatin (L-OHP), active in a wide range of human and animal tumours, also CDDP-resistant, possesses unique molecular characteristics of action. However, the mechanisms by which the damage induced by L-OHP triggers a death signal are not yet fully defined.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
After L-OHP treatment of the HCT15 human colon cancer cell line, apoptosis was evaluated by DNA laddering detection and by flow cytometry; the effect on specific caspase-3, -8 and -9 inhibitors, mitochondrial membrane permeability transition, cytochrome C release and expression of CD95 and CD95L were also assessed.

RESULTS
HCT15 cells underwent apoptosis when treated with all used drug concentrations (7-25 microM). Treatment of cells with L-OHP resulted in the activation of caspase-8, -9 and -3, in a mitochondrial membrane depolarisation, and in an increase of CD95 receptor and CD95 ligand levels.

CONCLUSION
The results correlated well with the ability of L-OHP to induce apoptosis and give further insights into the mechanisms underlying the L-OHP-induced apoptosis of tumor cells.


Recently, programming by examples (PBE) technique achieves a great success in processing and transforming data entities, yet existing approaches generally fall short on the tasks concerning entity relations. This paper presents ENTER, a domain-agnostic language for relation-aware entity transformation synthesis. It leverages the combination of two basic relations, the equivalence relation and the total order relation, to succinctly express complex entity relations. ENTER can be instantiated with domain-specific elements to solve a wide range of entity transformation tasks.


In addition to traumatic aortic injuries (TAI), blunt chest trauma may damage other structures in the mediastinum, including the tracheobronchial tree, the heart and pericardium, and rarely the esophagus. Tracheobronchial injuries may be difficult to separate radiographically from accompanying parenchymal lung injuries. Experience with diagnosis by computed tomography (CT) is still limited. Cardiac injuries often require emergent surgery before extensive imaging can be done. Some patients, usually those with chamber ruptures of the right heart, survive long enough to receive a chest CT, at which time hemopericardium can be detected. Upper esophageal injuries may occur in conjunction with lower cervical or upper thoracic spine injures. Distal esophageal injuries are rarely caused by blunt trauma.


BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder of the brain. Clinically, epileptic seizures are usually detected via the continuous monitoring of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals by experienced neurophysiologists. OBJECTIVE: In order to detect epileptic seizures automatically with a satisfactory precision, a new method is proposed which defines hybrid features that could characterize the epileptiform waves and classify single-channel EEG signals. METHODS: The hybrid features consist of both the ones usually used in EEG signal analysis and the Kraskov entropy based on Hilbert-Huang Transform which is proposed for the first time. With the hybrid features, EEG signals are classified and the epileptic seizures are detected. RESULTS: Three datasets are used for test on three binary-classification problems defined by clinical requirements for epileptic seizures detection. Experimental results show that the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the proposed methods outperform two state-of-the-art methods, especially on the databases containing signals from different sources. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method provides a new avenue to assist neurophysiologists in diagnosing epileptic seizures automatically and accurately.


Prosopopeia Bardo 2: Momentum was a five-week larp featuring double-layered character model. Every player was expected to larp a diegetic copy of himself, and the spirit of a deceased revolutionary possessing the diegetic larper. The combination of these twin roles, long game duration and a design where players had to interact with non-players lead into interesting types of social interaction in the game. In this paper we describe how the players experienced some of the various play modes provided, and introduce a model for interaction modes in pervasive larps.


BACKGROUND
We have previously shown that eradication of Helicobacter pylori increases acid secretion in H. pylori-associated enlarged fold gastritis.

AIM
To investigate whether locally produced interleukin-1 beta is possibly involved in the inhibition of acid secretion in H. pylori gastritis.

METHODS
IL-1 beta release from the gastric body mucosa was determined by short-term culture of biopsy specimens in 13 patients with enlarged fold gastritis (all H. pylori-positive), five H. pylori-positive and 10 H. pylori-negative patients without enlarged folds. The acid-inhibitory effect of locally produced IL-1 beta was examined by [14C]-aminopyrine uptake assay using isolated rabbit gastric glands.

RESULTS
IL-1 beta release was significantly greater in patients with enlarged fold gastritis, significantly correlated with both basal and tetragastrin-stimulated acid outputs in the H. pylori-positive patients (r = -0.591 and r = -0.641, respectively; P < 0.01), and significantly decreased with concomitant increases in acid secretions after eradication of H. pylori. [14C]-aminopyrine uptake was inhibited by IL-1 beta in a dose-dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONS
Increased production of IL-1 beta caused by H. pylori infection is possibly involved in the inhibition of acid secretion in enlarged fold gastritis.


Abstract We studied the impact of proximity to human concentrations, hikers, and field vehicles on mountain gazelles (Gazella gazella gazella) space-use patterns, flight distance, and visibility in the southern coastal plain of Israel. We collected data on gazelle behavior and human disturbance from fixed observation sites, drive counts, and pellet counts. The density of pellets was positively correlated with the distance to human concentrations, and the flight distance was positively correlated with human disturbance level, suggesting mountain gazelle space use and flight distance were affected by human disturbance. Gazelles were less visible in the more disturbed areas. Our findings provide a framework for conservation measures such as determining the size of buffer zones and where and when enforcement efforts should take place to keep mountain gazelle populations viable in spite of the ecological impacts of human encroachment on mountain gazelle habitat.


The EU food entrepreneurs are facing dramatic changes in the competition arena. Globalization and liberalization processes are offering cheaper food products in international markets, either from countries with better comparative advantages or with more efficient marketing strategies. At the same time, food markets are in a process of continuous segmentation and changes. Consumers are located in different niches, according to socio-demographic variables, cultures and traditions. Some of them respond to price changes while others are more concerned with quality control and food safety. It is on this segment where typical products, traceability and denominations of origin have significant values. SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) have to survive on this competitive scenario using several strategies : focusing their attention on specific consumer segments (aged people, gourmets or ethnic groups), products (typical, denomination of origin) or with more personal attention. Their flexibility to adapt the production process should compensate the lack of economic and human resources and specialization activities. In the 21st century they may survive through adequate strategies, most of them based on several pillars : innovation, tradition and adequate network.


Southern Poland Epidemiological Survey (SPES) was carried out in 1997 in the former Katowice and Bielsko voivodeships with the aim of cardiovascular disease prevention. One of the objectives of SPES was to establish the prevalence of the risk factors for atherosclerosis. This paper describes a group of 41,927 adults (24,985 women and 16,942 men) with no signs and symptoms of ischaemic heart disease who participated in the study, comprising 83.7% of all the examined cohort. Hypercholesterolemia and hypertension, present in 55.8% and 45.3% of subjects respectively, were found to be the main risk factors in both men and women. Hypercholesterolemia was more prevalent in older age groups. 33.7% of women and 46.3% of men were overweight, 23.9% and 17% respectively were obese. 22.4% of women and 31.9% of men were active smokers. Smoking was more common in younger age groups. 25.3% of women and 21.5% of men had a positive family history for ischaemic heart disease before the age of 60 years. High prevalence of classical risk factors in the examined group indicates that population strategy should be introduced in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in this area.