Drawing upon naturalistic contextualized data, this study aims to expand current understanding of power and politeness in three higher education classrooms in the Philippines. It is particularly concerned to explore the usefulness of a politeness theory in describing the linguistic strategies that professors and students use when performing potentially face threatening acts. On the basis of data consisting of observation notes and audio recording, it is argued that (1) the difference in power between professors and students influences their choice of linguistic strategies. Professors used bald on-record language to ask lesson-related questions but oriented towards positive politeness rather than negative politeness when performing potentially face-threatening acts; students invoked negative politeness markers such as formal address forms, deference and hedging; (2) Pedagogical goals, lesson content, interactional context, and the presence and/or number of over hearers also exert pressure on the linguistic realisation of politeness. (3) The authoritative and discursive power of the professor over the students appears to be relatively fixed and unchallenged. But as the current investigation finds, there is another dimension to the professor-student relationship outside of the four walls of the classroom, where students, through one-to-one consultations, on-line discussions and journaling are afforded a less exposed, less face-threatening space.


Objective To investigate whether enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) can promote rehabilitation of patients after neurosurgical craniotomy. Methods The clinical data of 100 patients with brain tumor undergoing craniotomy in the Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, from January 2018 to August 2020 were collected, including 50 patients in the ERAS group and 50 patients in the control group. t-Test, Wilcoxon's rank sum test, and chi-square analysis were used to compare the clinical characteristics, prognosis, and hospitalization time between the two groups. Results There was no significant difference in gender, age, and other general clinical data between the two groups (p > 0.05). The days of antiemetic drugs applied in the ERAS group were less than those in the control group (1.00 vs. 2.00 days, p = 0.003), and the proportion of patients requiring analgesics was lower than that of the control group (30% vs. 52%, OR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.18–0.93, p = 0.031). The time of urinary catheter removal and that of patients starting ambulation in the ERAS group were shorter than those in the control group (16.00 vs. 24.00 h, and 1.00 vs. 2.00 days, p < 0.001, respectively); and the hospital length of stay (LOS) in the ERAS group was shorter than that in the control group (Total LOS, 13.00 vs. 15.50 days; Postoperative LOS, 7.00 vs. 10.00 days, p < 0.001). By analyzing the prognosis of patients in the ERAS group and control group, we found that there was no significant difference in postoperative complications and Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score 1 month after operation between the two groups. Conclusion The application of ERAS in craniotomy can accelerate the postoperative recovery of patients without increasing the perioperative risk, which is worthy of wide application. However, whether the ERAS measures can reduce the postoperative complications and improve the prognosis of patients still needs more large-scale case validation and multicenter collaborative study.


We demonstrated the effectiveness of introduction of charged nanoparticle-DNA conjugate for detection sensitivity of the genetic field effect transistor (FET), of which the principle is based on the potentiometric detection of charge density change on the gate surface. The large amount of negative charges on the gate insulator induced strongly the electrostatic interaction with electrons in silicon crystal by field effect resulting in the bigger shift of threshold voltage. The genetic FET platform combined with the charged nanoparticle-DNA conjugate is suitable for a simple, sensitive, accurate and inexpensive system for DNA analyses in clinical diagnostics


Methodologies to improve Landsat TM forest classifications of alpine regions through the removal of some radiometric and geometric distortions are tested. Besides correcting for sensor and system induced errors, geometric corrections are performed using a digital elevation model. Then scene related effects such as differences in illumination as well as the height dependent atmospheric influence and adjacency effects are corrected.The obtained improvement of the forest classification accurary can be. demonstrated against excellent ground truth.


In this article, I start by asking whether the entropy metaphor could shed a kind of integrative light on the diversity of religious traditions – This will lead to new questions, one of which is whether something so vast as a religious tradition can meaningfully be reduced  to a set of principles (i.e., ordered) in the first place.  Does the very attempt to order what is inherently not subject to order increase the amount disorder in the universe? Is order with respect to matters of the spirit hopelessly caught up with human subjectivity?  Finally, are such questions, no matter how challenging, the spark to new levels of creativity, to ecumenical visions of order that can scarcely yet be imagined?


Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEAs) are not easy to use because they require parameter tunings of three main parameters---population size, crossover probability, and mutation probability---in order to achieve desirable solutions and performance for an arbitrary complex problem. Moreover, the use of fixed parameter settings may lead to slow convergence and sub-optimal solutions. This dissertation develops a MOEA with self-adaptive crossover, self-adaptive mutation, and adaptive population size parameters for automating the process of adjusting appropriate parameter values in order to make the MOEA more efficient, simple to use and available to more users. The MOEA with adaptable parameters is built on the NSGA-II (Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II) and named as ANSGA-II (Adaptable NSGA-II). The NSGA-II is chosen because it is one of the best-known MOEAs. In the ANSGA-II, the crossover and mutation parameters are attached to each solution in the population and allowed to co-evolve with each solution. This enables the algorithm to carry prior successful crossover and mutation for creating children solutions and for adaptation of the parameters. Since good parameter values are associated with good candidate solutions, better parameter values will survive because they produce better solutions. The ANSGA-II selects the right population size by running several populations with different population sizes simultaneously and allows the smaller populations more time to run. Smaller populations may find diverse non-dominated solution sets close to the Pareto-optimal front faster than the larger populations. If a subsequent larger population identifies a better non-dominated solution set then the algorithm stops running the smaller population since it is unlikely to identify better solutions than the larger one due to genetic drift. Two performance metrics are investigated for their effective use in comparing non-dominated solution sets among different populations during the execution of the ANSGA-II. The dissertation evaluates and discusses the performance of the ANSGA-II, in terms of finding a diverse non-dominated solution set and converging to the true Pareto-optimal front, by comparing the results obtained on a suite of thirteen benchmark multi-objective problems with those obtained by the original NSGA-II. The results demonstrate that the ANSGA-II out-performs the NSGA-II. The improvement comes with the cost of longer execution time due to overheads of finding good non-dominated solutions and learning good parameter values at the same time. However, the execution time appears to be acceptable on all thirteen benchmark multi-objective problems.


Background To date, the choice of optimal anesthetic management during endovascular therapy (EVT) of acute ischemic stroke patients remains subject to debate. We aimed to compare functional outcomes and complication rates of EVT according to the first-line anesthetic management in two comprehensive stroke centers: local anesthesia (LA) versus general anesthesia (GA). Methods Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected databases, identifying all consecutive EVT for strokes in the anterior circulation performed between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018 in two EVT-capable stroke centers. One center performed EVT under LA in the first intention, while the other center systematically used GA. Using propensity score analysis, the two groups underwent 1:1 matching, then procedural metrics, complications, and clinical outcomes were compared. Good outcome was defined as 90 days modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ≤2, and successful recanalization as modified Thrombolysis In Cerebral Ischemia (mTICI) 2b-3. Results During the study period, 219 patients were treated in the LA center and 142 in the GA center. Using the propensity score, 97 patients from each center were matched 1:1 according to the baseline characteristics. Local anesthesia was associated with a significantly lower proportion of good outcome (36.1% vs 52.0%, OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.87; p=0.039), lower rate of successful recanalization (70.1% vs 95.8%, OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.39; p<0.001), and more procedural complications (14.4% vs 3.0%, OR 3.44, 95% CI 1.09 to 14.28; p=0.018). There were no significant differences in 90-day mortality or symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation rates. Conclusions In this study, systematic use of GA for stroke EVT was associated with better clinical outcomes, higher recanalization rates, and fewer procedural complications compared with patients treated under LA as the primary anesthetic approach.


A comparison of velocity(-derived) quantities is made in the slipstream of a turboprop equipped transport aircraft between phase-locked experimental Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) data and unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (uRANS) calculations. Velocity results indicate a high level of agreement between the numerical and experimental
results. In addition to velocity vector data, also derived quantities, such as vorticity, allow a verification and validation of the modeling in CFD. Although a good agreement is
achieved, future needs for the comparison and validation of computational (CFD) and experimental (PIV) data are highlighted.


We demonstrate a photonic routing system that resolves the contention between bursty optical packets. The circuit is realized exclusively with integrated photonic components through the interconnection of semiconductor optical amplifier Mach-Zehnder interferometers gate arrays and optical flip-flops. The system resolves the contention - without burst segmentation - in the wavelength domain with a low power penalty ( < 1 dB).


The Hubble tension has now grown to a level of significance which can no longer be ignored and calls for a solution which, despite a huge number of attempts, has so far eluded us. Significant efforts in the literature have focused on early-time modifications of ΛCDM, introducing new physics operating prior to recombination and reducing the sound horizon. In this opinion paper I argue that early-time new physics alone will always fall short of fully solving the Hubble tension. I base my arguments on seven independent hints, related to (1) the ages of the oldest astrophysical objects, (2) considerations on the sound horizon-Hubble constant degeneracy directions in cosmological data, (3) the important role of cosmic chronometers, (4) a number of "descending trends" observed in a wide variety of low-redshift datasets, (5) the early integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect as an early-time consistency test of ΛCDM, (6) early-Universe physics insensitive and uncalibrated cosmic standard constraints on the matter density, and finally (7) equality wavenumber-based constraints on the Hubble constant from galaxy power spectrum measurements. I argue that a promising way forward should ultimately involve a combination of early- and late-time (but non-local—in a cosmological sense, i.e., at high redshift) new physics, as well as local (i.e., at z∼0) new physics, and I conclude by providing reflections with regards to potentially interesting models which may also help with the S8 tension.


In prospective studies, the prevalence of undiagnosed subclinical hypothyroidism in pregnant women ranges from 3% to 15%. Subclinical hypothyroidism is associated with multiple adverse outcomes in the mother and fetus, including spontaneous abortion, pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery, and decreased IQ in the offspring. Only two prospective studies have evaluated the impact of levothyroxine therapy in pregnant women with subclinical hypothyroidism, and the results were mixed. Subclinical hypothyroidism is defined as raised thyrotropin combined with a normal serum free thyroxine level. The normal range of thyrotropin varies according to geographic region and ethnic background. In the absence of local normative data, the recommended upper limit of thyrotropin in the first trimester of pregnancy is 2.5 mIU/L, and 3.0 mIU/L in the second and third trimester. The thyroid gland needs to produce 50% more thyroid hormone during pregnancy to maintain a euthyroid state. Consequently, most women on levothyroxine therapy before pregnancy require an increase in dose when pregnant to maintain euthyroidism. Ongoing prospective trials that are evaluating the impact of levothyroxine therapy on adverse outcomes in the mother and fetus in women with subclinical hypothyroidism will provide crucial data on the role of thyroid hormone replacement in pregnancy.


Festivities not always are taken seriously as objects of study, but they have long attracted the attention of social scientists and other researchers. However, its analysis tends to be restricted and enclosed in some classical conceptions that, although relevant and useful, have become mere buzzwords and do not live up to the richness and complexity of this field of study. This article aims to provide some insights for the analysis of the festivities, focusing particularly on carnival and the way it has been treated by Social Sciences. It begins by exposing and discussing some theoretical recurrences – namely the theories of inversion, escape valve, resistance and communitas – and then presents other analytical perspectives that look at different facets of the festivities – cultural, social, economic and political – thus suggesting more in-depth and committed approaches to social reality and less hostage to the abstraction and dryness of theoretical models.


Magnetic force microscopy has been used to characterize the paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition caused by carbide precipitation in a HPM alloy used in ethylene production. The MFM images are compared to conventional atomic force microscope micrographs. The element segregation in the alloy is quantified using scanning electron microscope energy dispersive x-ray analysis linescans, and compared to Curie temperature data for iron, nickel and chromium alloys.


Landraces of commonb ean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) from Chile are
a phenotypically diverse group whose relationship to the two major
gene pools (Andeana nd Mesoamericani)s unclear. The genetic composition
of 69 Chileanl andraces, 15 commerciaclu itivars growni n Chile,
and 11 previously characterized check accessions was examined using
RAPDs (random amplified polymorphic DNA). The 25 primers used
generated 106 polymorphic bands. A genetic distance (GD) matrix
based on simple matching of RAPD phenotypes was converted to a
two dimensional plot using multidimensional scaling (MDS). Two
major clusters, encompassing most of the accessions, were apparent
on the resulting plot and were identified with the Andean and the
Mesoamericagne ne pools. No obvious signs of introgression or hybridization
between gene pools were observed. Clustering analysis using
bootstrap samples of the RAPD bands showed that as few as 20
randomlyc hosen bands could classify the accessions into the correct
gene pools nearly as well as all 106 bands. In general, the Andean
landraces were collected at more northerly latitudes and higher altitudes
than the Mesoamerican landraces. Morphological data were
collected for 63 landraces for seven numerical traits and 13 categorical
traits. The morphological data used were to create a distance matrix
and analyzed as with the RAPDd ata, but no clear separation of the
groups was seen. Accessions from the two groups identified by RAPDs
differed significantly for 11 of the 20 traits examined. It was concluded
that by RAPDst, he Chilean landraces could be readily classified into
the Andeana nd Mesoamericang ene pools. Morphological traits were
less effective at classification.


While studies of early Supreme Court clerks have focused on the scholarly Justices (Horace Gray, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Louis Brandeis, Benjamin Cardozo) who hired clerks from elite law schools and mentored them on to successful careers after one or two terms, most Justices in the White Court era employed private secretaries, who, although graduates of local D.C. law schools, performed mainly clerical work and often stayed with their Justice for many years before becoming government lawyers. Wide variations in tenure, promotion, and remuneration existed for the White Court era clerks while they served the Supreme Court.


NIPPON DATA is a prospective observation study named "National Integrated Project for Prospective Observation of Non-communicable Disease And its Trends in the Aged", and it consists of two collaborators: NIPPON DATA80 and 90. The first follow-up was carried out in 1994 for NIPPON DATA80 and in 1995 for NIPPON DATA90, and both of them are followed up to the present time. The data set is unique due to its representativeness of Japanese people with randomly selected participants numbering around 10 and 8 thousand for NIPPON DATA80 and NIPPON DATA90, respectively. During the past 15 years, the NIPPON DATA80/90 Research Group has published work on many important topics not only for conventional risk factors, but also for current issues such as metabolic syndrome, risk factor clustering, and factors relating to the decline of activity in daily living. They have also published risk assessment charts for myocardial infarction, stroke, and all cardiovascular diseases. These are used in guidelines for the prevention of atherosclerotic diseases, and are now also used as patient education tools. NIPPON DATA80/90 Nutrition Research is now facing the second phase of NIPPON DATA80/90. It is epoch making that the nutrition and dietary data of the National Nutrition and Health Survey in Japan has been merged with NIPPON DATA80/90. The previous NIPPON DATA80/90 data sets had only individual data of dietary intake obtained from food frequency questionnaires. Therefore, if NIPPON DATA80/90 could also integrate dietary data, a new era would be born because risk assessment would be possible from the points of food and nutrient intake. In this special issue, we showed the detailed process of how to combine both of the data files: NIPPON DATA80/90 and its relevant year of nutrition data. Then, its validation of using the method of weighing assignment for individual dietary intake from the whole family of dietary intake has been done in this combined data set. Some basic data analyses on nutrient and food intake have been conducted for better understanding of these two unique and fascinating data sets. After these basic analyses, topics related to nutrient and food intake will be done at the next step. The new data set for NIPPON DATA80/90 Nutrition Research will provide us with many important clues on dietary intake and cardiovascular disease prevention, and also on healthy and sound aging.


The expression of Boltzmann S = k In W differs in principle from the entropy as defined by Clausius because it is not strictly extensive. It becomes strictly extensive when the number W of all possible molecular arrangements is replaced by a normalized value - N A N B… where 1) the standardized probability that characterizes one particle A is the same for all the NA particles; 2) the possibilities for the particles of a given kind are considered separately from the possibilities of the particles of another kind. In contrast to W that characterizes the whole system, is a product of as many factors as there are particles of different kinds in the different phases. Examples are given for the entropy of mixing of mixed crystals and the entropy of expansion of real gases.


The customer relationship focus for banks is in development of main competencies and strategies of building strong profitable customer relationships through considering and managing the customer impression, influence on the culture of the bank, satisfactory treatment, and assessment of valued relationship building. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are used after data segmentation and classification, where the designed model register records into two class sets, that is, the training and testing sets. ANN predicts new customer behavior from previously observed customer behavior after executing the process of learning from existing data. This article proposes an ANN model, which is developed using a six‐step procedure. The back‐propagation algorithm is used to train the ANN by adjusting its weights to minimize the difference between the current ANN output and the desired output. An evaluation process is conducted to determine whether the ANN has learned how to perform. The training process is halted periodically, and its performance is tested until an acceptable result is obtained. The principles underlying detection software are grounded in classical statistical decision theory.


This article analyzes the general situation of 2,233 cases of invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae infection and 2,141 isolated strains nationally and locally in Taiwan from January of 2008 to December of 2010. The majority of cases are situated in northern Taiwan with 27% of the national numbers, followed by middle Taiwan with 21%. The main epidemic season of Streptococcus pneumoniae infection each year starts from December and lasts until March of the following year, whereas the period between June and September has the lowest incident rate. As of March, 2010, the number of infections in Taiwan has shown increase, especially in northern Taiwan, and among children below 5 years of age. The yearly incident rate in each region is approximately 3 cases in every 100,000 persons, mainly infecting subjects below 5 years of age and above 65 years of age with a total of more than 10 cases per 100,000 persons each year. By analyzing the serotypes of these isolated strains, it is found that the serotype 19A strain cases has mostly increased among children in the northern region and has become the main epidemic serotype of strain in the nation as of 2010; therefore, influencing the protection effectiveness of the currently used 7-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV7). As of 2010, the coverage rate of PCV7 among children under 5 years of age in northern Taiwan and Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli areas has dropped to less than 35%. The change in the serotype of the strain caused the drop in the vaccine coverage rate, has also greatly impacted the infection of invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae. Thus, the continuous monitoring of this isolated strain can provide immediate and effective epidemic data for preventive strategy reference.


The article is devoted to the issue of waste management in the mining regions, as the problems of industrial waste or waste products will always be relevant in nowadays. The most experts focus on urbanization processes, on increasing the resources' requirements, which in turn will increase the needs of the population and environmental pollution. The processing of waste in the mining regions can be achieved through the use of elements of the circular economy, which will lead to the economic use of natural resources and the interaction of economic, environmental and social development. The building of Eco-Industrial Park using a sector-clustered approach to waste management is suggested in the conclusions. The Eco-Industrial Park will allow related industries to work in symbiosis, where secondary raw materials can be involved in recycling, remanufacturing, recovery, regeneration.


Solubility of nitrogen in liquid Fe–Cr–Ni–Mo stainless steel was measured by sampling method in the temperature range from 1 723 K to 1 923 K under a N2 gas of 1 atm. As a result, the solubility increased with increasing Cr, Mo and Mn content, whilst it decreased with increasing Ni content. In addition, the solubility increased with decreasing temperature. Thermodynamic analysis was carried out taking Fe20 mass% Cr alloy as a solvent referring to the manner proposed by Anson. The first attempt showed that the calculated solubility, applying the reported first-order interaction coefficients of N against Cr, Ni, Mo and Mn, did not agree with the measured values. This inconsistency was found to be attributed to the interaction coefficient of N against Ni ( ). Therefore, reassessment to derive available up to 30 mass% Ni has been made with the data obtained by us and Anson. Thereby the corresponding coefficient was derived as 0.0063 with which the solubility could be well predicted.


A coding theorem for the discrete memoryless broadcast channel is proved for the case where no common message is to he transmitted. The theorem is a generalization of the results of Cover and van der Meulen on this problem. The result is tight for broadcast channels having one deterministic component


Development of an optical sensor for measuring overall direction-of-action is treated. The measurement principle is based on distortions found in the projected image of a ball moving freely in a spherical vessel under the influence of the acceleration of gravity and motion. The measurement is carried out in a static condition. Thus, the sensor output stands for the direction of the gravitational field. Experimental results are presented to show that the angular errors are within 12 degrees for the overall direction. This sensor can be widely applied for measuring angular variations from the direction of the gravitational field.


This research investigates the socio-economic implications and effect of government policy initiative of coronavirus on developing economies from a neoliberalist theoretical perspective using a pragmatist approach and mixed method research. Quantitative and qualitative data have been employed to evaluate the effect of the virus on developing economies. The findings of this research reveal the following: that the coronavirus caused significant mortality and morbidity in developing countries and its rapid spread of across countries, and across borders led to a global economic recession. Several drastic government measures were taken to curb the spread of the virus through restriction of individual freedom and movement. These measures include social distancing, and isolation; closures of educational institutions, religious institutions, and businesses, prohibition of public events, and restriction of domestic and foreign travel. Furthermore, the prolonged lockdown measures taken by developing countries to contain the spread of the virus worsened their economic crises. It is expected that the pandemic will reduce economic growth, worsen government debt, increase inflation and worsen current account deficits. The long-term effect of the pandemic in developing countries is the worsening of inequality and poverty and wiping off the economic development strides gained in the last two decades.


Public funding for basic research rests on a delicate balance between scientists, governments and the public. COVID could further shift this equilibrium towards translation and application.


In this paper, we introduce a new blind fractionally spaced equalizer based on the fourth-order statistics of the input symbol sequence. The input symbol sequence is assumed to come from an independent identically distributed finite alphabet with nonzero fourth-order cumulants. We formulate the equalizer as a column vector and compute it by simultaneously diagonalizing a set of matrices obtained from the fourth-order cross-cumulants of the input and output of the equalizer. Simulation results show that this equalizer works well with a short symbol sequence, even if the channel time span is not accurately estimated.


In the approximation of the fast Debye relaxation of a nonlinear Kerr medium, the nonlinear finite-difference time-domain method is derived to simulate numerically the one-dimensional nonlinear photonic crystal sandwiched by the Kerr medium. Bistable switching with a low threshold intensity of 0.01kW/cm2 is obtained, and the corresponding refractive index change of the Kerr media is about 0.038.


In December 31st 2019, an episode of Acute respiratory Disease syndrome (ARDS) was first noted in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. On 11th February 2020 WHO office gave the name as COVID-19 and universal advisory group on scientific classification of infections named SARS-COV-2. In view of the mass of the contaminated population that were wide opened to the creature meat advertise in Wuhan City, China, recommended that it is likely of the zoonotic starting point and has influenced 186 nations and regions .About 25% and 75% of the confirmed cases were from China and outside China separately with most elevated mortality and dreariness in Italy. Spurting hereditary qualities and clinical confirmation advocate a homology pathogenesis model as that of SARS CoV and MERS CoV in which the cytokine tempest and raised chemokine's trigger safe structure in exaggerated way prompting various organ disappointment and lead to death in extreme cases. Individual to-individual course of COVID-19 contamination prompted the isolation of patients that were in this way regulated a decent variety of treatment. Extra special Surveillance and endeavour's to diminish flow ought to be applied in hazard residents including youngsters, medicinal services suppliers. Confirmation of COVID-19 contamination requires nucleic corrosive testing by RT-PCR of tests of respiratory tract and clinical determination assume an indispensable job in early examination and assessment of ailment way. We systematically survey the sources, aetiology, disease transmission, pathogenesis, clinical indications, examination and prevention of COVID – 19, inspected from significant conveyed articles to provide extraordinary reference to expert.


Summary The aim of this study was to examine high-sensitivity troponin T and I (hsTnT and hsTnI) after a treadmill run under laboratory conditions and to find a possible connection with echocardiographic, laboratory and other assessed parameters. Nineteen trained men underwent a standardized 2-hour-long treadmill run. Concentrations of hsTnT and hsTnI were assessed before the run, 60, 120 and 180 minutes after the start and 24 hours after the run. Changes in troponins were tested using non-parametric analysis of variance (ANOVA). The multiple linear regression model was used to find the explanatory variables for hsTnT and hsTnI changes. Values of troponins were evaluated using the 0h/1h algorithm. Changes in hsTnT and hsTnI levels were statistically significant (p<0.0001 and p<0.0001, respectively). In a multiple regression model (adjusted R2: 0.60, p=0.005 for hsTnT and adjusted R2: 0.60, p=0.005 for hsTnI), changes in both troponins can be explained by relative left wall thickness (LV), training volume, body temperature after the run and creatinine changes. According to the 0h/1h algorithm, none of the runners was evaluated as negative. Relative LV wall thickness, creatinine changes, training volume and body temperature after the run can predict changes in hsTnT and hsTnI levels. When medical attention is needed after physical exercise, hsTn levels should be tested only when clinical suspicion and the patient's history indicate a high probability of myocardial damage.


The present work studied the effect of the antithyroid drug, methemazole (MMI) in testis of rat. Moreover, the effect of MMI on testicular macrophages was studied. The MMI-treated rats received diet food and 0.1% methimazole drinking water for 30 days. The results showed that MMI caused reduction in body weight of the animals. Histological examination of the testis revealed significant decrease in diameter of seminiferous tubules and inhibition of spermatogenesis. A significant increase in the number of macrophages was recorded in the testicular interstitium. The highest number of macrophages was found in close proximity to Leydig cells followed by peritubular location. The lowest number was observed in perivascular location. Macrophages are necessary to remove cellular remnant like apoptotic material or cell debris in inflammable tissue. So the increase in macrophage number recorded in this work suggests that either apoptotic or inflammable processes rise in rat testicular interstitium after exposure to methimazole.


Major export countries use a matrix of quality attributes of fruit at harvest to support decisions on the travel potential of key cultivars. However there is uncertainty whether levels of firmness and soluble sugars at harvest are indicative of these attributes postharvest. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of manipulating tree carbohydrate availability through girdling or defoliation on fruit quality at harvest and postharvest. Trunk girdling and limb defoliation treatments were applied five weeks after full-bloom in trees of 'Kordia' and 'Lapins' cultivars in order to manipulate carbohydrate supplies to fruit. Fruit were harvested at commercial maturity and analysed for fruit quality and chemistry parameters at harvest and after 28 days of postharvest storage. Girdling in 'Kordia' resulted in fruit that were significantly firmer, higher in TSS, and larger in diameter which was further pronounced after postharvest storage. Defoliation in 'Kordia' resulted in fruit that were softer, had lower TSS, and were smaller in both mass and diameter. The 'Lapins' treatments often didn't respond in the same way that 'Kordia' did and thus the results of this study indicate a distinct carbohydrate source: sink relationship in 'Kordia' relative to 'Lapins', which may be due to differences in sink competition. Therefore this study indicates that girdling can lead to increased carbohydrate availability resulting in higher quality fruit, particularly following postharvest storage which could improve outcomes when exporting.


A visible-light induced dearomative cascade cyclization of biaryl ynones with diselenides under photocatalyst and external additive-free conditions has been explored, giving a series of selenated spiro[5.5]trienones in moderate to good yields. The Se-Se bond in diselenides could be cleaved to generate arylselenyl radicals under visible light irradiation in the absence of a photocatalyst. This protocol provides a facile and green method for the synthesis of spiro[5.5]trienones.


This paper reviews recently obtained results related to Fresnel's reflection coefficients which play a central role in the optics of light reflection by surfaces and thin films. Topics include conjugate and reciprocal interfaces between transparent media, reflectance matching between normal and oblique incidence, and reflectance switching. For light reflection at interfaces between transparent and absorbing media, contours of constant pseudo-Brewster angle and of constant principal angle are presented in the complex plane, along with a discussion of a condition of maximum minimum parallel reflectance at oblique incidence. Conformal mappings that describe the transformation of the Fresnel coefficients between normal and oblique incidence, and between the s and p polarizations at the same angle, are included. Reflectance for incident light of arbitrary polarization is also considered. Finally, trajectories that describe the evolution of the Fresnel coefficients with angle of incidence are presented.


Employees  are the human resources of company and its most valuable asset. Company need to concern to all the factors that can affect the performance of their employee. This research is purposed to analyze the effect of work stress and leadership styles on employee performance at PT. BNI (Persero) Tbk. Branch Manado. The study took 50 employees as a sample from PT. BNI (Persero) Tbk. The data was analyzed by using multiple regression analysis. Work stress and leadership styles have negative significant effect on employee performance at PT. BNI (Persero) Tbk. Branch Manado influence. Higher level of stress existed with no managerial concern for solution consequently lowering the employee performance. Company have to aware the relationship between their employees, because it partially can lead to the conflict. Conflict that can not be handle by the company can damage and destructive the company and employee's as well. Company should provide a comfortable working environment, give variety of task to employees that they are doing a good job and not demanding to much of their employees. Keywords: employee , performance, stress, leadership


Vibrio vulnificus most frequently causes wound infections contracted after exposure to seawater or primary septicemias resulting from the consumption of raw oysters. We report a case of endometritis caused by V. vulnificus. The infection was apparently acquired during the act of sexual intercourse in seawater in an area in which V. vulnificus has been frequently isolated. The efficacy of treatment with an antimicrobial regimen which included tetracycline is discussed.


A key factor in any power station is the choice of materials designed to operate at the highest possible steam temperature consistent with reasonable component weights and thicknesses. Over the last two decades a new generation materials, particularly in the form of modified 9Cr-1Mo steels, have been widely used for replacement equipment and for new constructions. This paper is concerned with the creep properties of modified P91 steel weldments, where the application of the small-punch test method for the assessment of material creep properties is used. Experiments have shown that the small-punch test can be used to describe the time-to-failure by means of an equation of the Dorn type, in which stress is replaced by load. The tests were carried out at temperatures from 560 °C to 640 °C and at loads from 460 to 610 N. The disc-shaped test specimens (φ 8m m x0 .5 mm) were machined from pure welds. There were three different states of welds: as-welded and with two different post-weld heat treatments (PWHTs). For small-punch tests less material is needed to establish creep activation energies and load exponents than with conventional creep tests. The conventional constant-load creep tests were performed at 600 °C and 620 °C under applied stresses ranging from 130 to 150 MPa. The microstructures of all the samples were also examined before and after the creep testing.


Theory and implementation of the periodic local MP2-F12 method in the 3*A fixed-amplitude ansatz is presented. The method is formulated in the direct space, employing local representation for the occupied, virtual, and auxiliary orbitals in the form of Wannier functions (WFs), projected atomic orbitals (PAOs), and atom-centered Gaussian-type orbitals, respectively. Local approximations are introduced, restricting the list of the explicitly correlated pairs, as well as occupied, virtual, and auxiliary spaces in the strong orthogonality projector to the pair-specific domains on the basis of spatial proximity of respective orbitals. The 4-index two-electron integrals appearing in the formalism are approximated via the direct-space density fitting technique. In this procedure, the fitting orbital spaces are also restricted to local fit-domains surrounding the fitted densities. The formulation of the method and its implementation exploits the translational symmetry and the site-group symmetries of the WFs. Test calculations are performed on LiH crystal. The results show that the periodic LMP2-F12 method substantially accelerates basis set convergence of the total correlation energy, and even more so the correlation energy differences. The resulting energies are quite insensitive to the resolution-of-the-identity domain sizes and the quality of the auxiliary basis sets. The convergence with the orbital domain size is somewhat slower, but still acceptable. Moreover, inclusion of slightly more diffuse functions, than those usually used in the periodic calculations, improves the convergence of the LMP2-F12 correlation energy with respect to both the size of the PAO-domains and the quality of the orbital basis set. At the same time, the essentially diffuse atomic orbitals from standard molecular basis sets, commonly utilized in molecular MP2-F12 calculations, but problematic in the periodic context, are not necessary for LMP2-F12 treatment of crystals.


The cardiothoracic surgery intensive care unit (CTICU) has evolved as a separate entity from the general surgical intensive care unit as management for cardiac surgery patients has become streamlined and algorithm driven. Critical care is best managed when the service is designed for a homogeneous population with a circumscribed set of medical and surgical issues. The repetition involved with the subspecialty care allows health care providers such as primary care nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other ancillary services to become appropriately focused on issues pertinent to this population. The goals of the CTICU include the attainment of rapid and safe recovery from surgery and anesthesia despite decreasing resources, increasing patient age and comorbidity, and increasing complexity of the operative procedure. The coordinated and systematic approach to the postoperative cardiac surgery patient under the direction of a staff physician offers the most effective opportunity to achieve these expectations at this time. The traditional model of staffing by a physician with responsibilities that conflict temporally with the immediacy often needed for the postoperative care of cardiac patients may expose patients to unnecessary risks. A responsible physician should be available in the CTICU, especially during the immediate postoperative period when physical assessment and direct hands-on involvement are essential. In an era when the operative team (ie, cardiac surgeon and cardiac anesthesiologist) must return to the surgical suite soon after the patient arrives in the intensive care unit, the presence of a physician dedicated to postoperative medical and surgical management becomes mandatory. According to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, "Each special care unit is properly directed and staffed according to the nature of the special patient care needs anticipated and scope of services provided." The assignment of staff is designed to match experience with patient acuity.


Owing to the outstanding physical properties of graphene, its biosensing applications implemented by the terahertz metasurface are widely concerned and studied. Here, we present a novel design of the graphene metasurface, which consists of an individual graphene ring and an H-shaped graphene structure. The graphene metasurface exhibits a dual-resonance response, whose resonance frequency strongly varies with the geometrical parameters of the proposed metasurface, the carrier density of graphene, and the analyte composition. The transparency window, including width and position, can be artificially controlled by adjusting the geometrical parameters or the Fermi energy. Furthermore, the sensing parameters of the graphene metasurface for cancerous and normal cells are investigated, focusing on two factors, namely cell quantity and position on the metasurface. The simulated results clearly show that the theoretical sensitivity, figure of merit, and quantity of the graphene metasurface for breast cells reach 1.21 THz/RIU, 2.75 RIU−1, and 2.43, respectively. Our findings may open up new avenues for promising applications in the diagnosis of cancers.


We study the effects of the strength of coupling between neurons on the spiking regularity and coherence in a complex network with randomly connected Hodgkin–Huxley neurons driven by colored noise. It is found that for the given topology realization and colored noise correlation time, there exists an optimal strength of coupling, at which the spiking regularity of the network reaches the best level. Moreover, when the temporal regularity reaches the best level, the spatial coherence of the system has already increased to a relatively high level. In addition, for the given number of neurons and noise correlation time, the values of average regularity and spatial coherence at the optimal strength of coupling are nearly independent of the topology realization. Furthermore, there exists an optimal value of colored noise correlation time at which the spiking regularity can reach its best level. These results may be helpful for understanding of the real neuron world.


In this paper, we formalize a novel multirate multidimensional folding (MMF) transformation, which is a tool used to systematically synthesize control circuits for pipelined very large scale integrated (VLSI) architectures that implement a restricted but immensely practical class, namely, rectangular decimators/expandors with line-by-line scan, of multirate multidimensional algorithms. Although multirate multidimensional algorithms contain decimators and expanders that change the effective sample rate of a discrete-time signal, it is possible using MMF to time multiplex the algorithm to hardware in such a manner that the resulting synchronous architecture requires only a single-clock signal. MMF constraints are derived, and these constraints are used to address two related issues. The first issue is memory requirements in the folded architectures. We derive expressions for the minimum number of memory units required by a folded architecture that implements a multirate multidimensional algorithm. The second issue is retiming. Based on the noble identities of multirate signal processing, we derive retiming for folding constraints that indicate how a multirate multidimensional data flow graph must be retimed for a given schedule to be feasible. The techniques introduced in this paper can be used to synthesize architectures for a wide variety of DSP applications that are based on multirate multidimensional algorithms, such as signal analysis and coding based on subband decompositions and wavelet transforms. Many design examples are considered to demonstrate the viability of MMF. It is shown that MMF is able to save 18-25% area for 1-4 level two-dimensional (2-D) discrete wavelet transforms (DWTs). A tradeoff between computational and storage area is highlighted by our study of a 2064/spl times/2064 4-level 2-D DWT. We also present a few 2-D IIR filter designs, where we are able to exploit the throughput bottleneck of these filters to derive extremely low area designs.


Due to its high machining precision, EDM technology is nowadays very important in the production of high-precision parts for various industries. The high precision of the machined surface in combination with the ability to machine circular surfaces brings, in addition to several advantages, some negatives. The most significant negative of this machining technology is the relatively low productivity as well as the overall production efficiency. The latter is affected by many accompanying phenomena. The main accompanying phenomenon that contributes to the decline in the overall economic efficiency of EDM is the microgeometry errors that occur due to the non-homogeneity of the EDM process. Another accompanying negative phenomenon is the geometric accuracy errors of the machined surface, as a consequence of systematic destruction of the wire tool electrode, faulty interpolation in its guidance, and, last but not least, its vibration. These aspects consequently lead to the requirement for multiple applications of additional finishing cuts, which significantly reduces the overall economic efficiency of the machining process. Therefore, the experimental research aimed to search for options that can effectively help to achieve higher productivity but especially the overall economic efficiency of the machining process.


Using daily census block group level data from the U.S., this paper investigates the welfare costs of staying at home due to COVID-19 across socioeconomic and demographic groups. The investigation is based on an economic model of which implications suggest that the welfare costs of staying at home increase with the stay-at-home probabilities of individuals. The empirical results provide evidence for significant heterogeneity across census block groups regarding the welfare effects of staying at home. This heterogeneity is further used to obtain measures of welfare changes for different socioeconomic and demographic groups at the national level.


This article is devoted to the study of marketing approaches to decarbonization to the energy sector of Kazakhstan. Obviously, it is important for Kazakhstan, with its economy based on the export of raw materials, to boost the use of technologies and approaches for decarbonization already now. These include technologies for carbon capture and storage, energy conservation, as well as the transfer of electricity generation to renewable sources and the use of offset mechanisms. The authors substantiated the need for the formation of a marketing strategy at the enterprises of the energy market of Kazakhstan to promote the ideas of decarbonization, green economy and ecology. Most of The Group of Twenty countries have set ambitious climate change targets that must be translated into clear strategic actions to bring about the needed change. Achieving carbon neutrality requires collaboration across sectors. Implementing climate change action on the scale needed requires marketing approaches that incentivize action on climate change. Servitization is not just a service offering, but a fundamental organizational and cultural change in an enterprise. The purpose of the research is to form a marketing approach of servitization for decarbonization. The SPSS software was used to test the hypotheses put forward in the article. The results of the research can be used to develop and implement strategies for the servitization of a energy market. Companies need to carry out motivational transformations related to the need to introduce servitization.


Modern spatial navigation requires fluency with multiple representational formats, including visual scenes, signs, and words. These formats convey different information. Visual scenes are rich and specific but contain extraneous details. Arrows, as an example of signs, are schematic representations in which the extraneous details are eliminated, but analog spatial properties are preserved. Words eliminate all spatial information and convey spatial directions in a purely abstract form. How does the human brain compute spatial directions within and across these formats? To investigate this question, we conducted two experiments on men and women: a behavioral study that was preregistered and a neuroimaging study using multivoxel pattern analysis of fMRI data to uncover similarities and differences among representational formats. Participants in the behavioral study viewed spatial directions presented as images, schemas, or words (e.g., "left"), and responded to each trial, indicating whether the spatial direction was the same or different as the one viewed previously. They responded more quickly to schemas and words than images, despite the visual complexity of stimuli being matched. Participants in the fMRI study performed the same task but responded only to occasional catch trials. Spatial directions in images were decodable in the intraparietal sulcus bilaterally but were not in schemas and words. Spatial directions were also decodable between all three formats. These results suggest that intraparietal sulcus plays a role in calculating spatial directions in visual scenes, but this neural circuitry may be bypassed when the spatial directions are presented as schemas or words.


The business intelligence and decision-support systems used in many application domains casually rely on data warehouses, which are decision-oriented data repositories modeled as multidimensional (MD) structures. MD structures help navigate data through hierarchical levels of detail. In many real-world situations, hierarchies in MD models are complex, which causes data aggregation issues, collectively known as the summarizability problem. This problem leads to incorrect analyses and critically affects decision making. To enforce summarizability, existing approaches alter either MD models or data, and must be applied a priori, on a case-by-case basis, by an expert. To alter neither models nor data, a few query-time approaches have been proposed recently, but they only detect summarizability issues without solving them. Thus, we propose in this paper a novel approach that automatically detects and processes summarizability issues at query time, without requiring any particular expertise from the user. Moreover, while most existing approaches are based on the relational model, our approach focus on an XML MD model, since XML data is customarily used to represent business data and its format better copes with complex hierarchies than the relational model. Finally, our experiments show that our method is likely to scale better than a reference approach for addressing the summarizability problem in the MD context.


Left ventricular mass (LVM) and hypertrophy (LVH) are important parameters, but their use is surrounded by controversies. We compare LVM by echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), investigating reproducibility aspects and the effect of echocardiography image quality. We also compare indexing methods within and between imaging modalities for classification of LVH and cardiovascular risk.


INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Stress incontinence surgery is common and was revolutionized by the midurethral sling. In the wake of regulatory warnings, unsubstantiated claims regarding mesh have permeated public discourse. Despite no supporting evidence, concerns continue to exist regarding a link between mesh and malignancy. We sought to evaluate the association between stress incontinence surgery, including transvaginal mesh, and carcinogenesis in a large population-based cohort. METHODS: A retrospective cohort of adult women who underwent stress incontinence surgery from 1994-2016 in Ontario was captured from the Institute for Clinical Evaluation Sciences database. Women were identified using physician billing codes in Ontario for the different stress incontinence procedures. The primary outcome of interest was the diagnosis of pelvic cancers. These were defined using ICD-9 and ICD-10 billing codes. Pelvic cancers included urological and gynaecological malignancies. The standardized incidence rate (SIR) was calculated as the ratio of the observed number of pelvic cancer cases divided by the age-stratified expected number of pelvic cancer cases based on the Ontario population. Subgroup analyses were performed for individual malignancies and midurethral sling patients. Multivariable logistic regression modeling examined for risk factors of pelvic malignancy. RESULTS: A total of 120,999 women underwent a procedure for stress incontinence in the form of urethropexy, combined abdominal/vaginal sling, bulking agent or midurethral sling in Ontario during the study period. Midurethral sling accounted for 63% of procedures performed. Median follow up was 9.3 years (IQR 5.4-14.4). Expected cancer cases over a total exposure time of 1,221,668 person-years was 1,146. 935 pelvic cancers were observed with a frequency of 0.77%. The SIR for any cancer diagnosis compared to the general population of Ontario was 0.816, 95% CI 0.764-0.870. In patients who underwent a midurethral sling only, the expected number of cancer cases over an exposure time of 562,457 person-years was 576. 479 pelvic cancers were observed with an SIR of 0.831, 95% CI 0.758-0.909. On multivariable analysis, midurethral sling was not associated with an increased risk of pelvic cancer when compared to the other stress incontinence procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Stress incontinence surgery including the transvaginal implantation of mesh was not associated with an increased risk of pelvic malignancy in a large population-based cohort. Source of Funding: None


Thirty-three highly cellular leiomyomas of the uterus from patients 29 to 65 (mean, 46) years of age and six endometrial stromal nodules from patients 41 to 53 (mean, 46) years of age are described. The patients usually presented with irregular uterine bleeding. Twenty-eight of the leiomyomas were intramural and five, submucosal. Eleven of 18 whose consistency is known were soft, fish-flesh, or rubbery, 10 were yellow or yellow-tan; one had a prominent cystic component. The tumors ranged from 0.5 to 15 cm (mean, 4.6 cm) in maximum dimension. On microscopic examination, they were densely cellular and composed of cells that ranged from round to spindle-shaped and had scanty cytoplasm. A focal fascicular pattern was present in all of the cases. Blood vessels were typically large; thick muscular walls and focally dilated lumens were a conspicuous feature of the majority of the neoplasms. Arterioles were evident focally in most of the tumors but were prominent in only one of them. Cleft-like spaces, some representing compressed vessels, others due to internodular edema, were present in 24 of the tumors and were conspicuous in 15 of them. The neoplasms typically exhibited focal irregular extension into the adjacent myometrium, and this feature was conspicuous in 18 of them. They often merged almost imperceptibly with the adjacent myometrium. All tumors were immunoreactive for desmin and 32 of 32 for alpha-smooth muscle actin. Two of the stromal nodules were polypoid intracavitary masses, three were submucosal, and one intramural. Five were completely or predominantly solid with cysts present focally in three of them; one tumor was predominantly cystic. The solid tissue was frequently yellow. Microscopic examination disclosed a diffuse growth of closely packed small cells with scanty cytoplasm and nuclei that lacked atypia. Three neoplasms contained cells with abundant foamy cytoplasm that were immunoreactive for CD68, indicating that they were histiocytes and not neoplastic cells. All the neoplasms had a prominent component of arterioles, which in one tumor had hyalinized walls. Five tumors were entirely well circumscribed and one predominantly well circumscribed with limited extension into the adjacent myometrium. The tumors were immunohistochemically negative for desmin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


This study examined the relationships of mentoring and satisfaction with mentoring with work attitudes of nurses and the moderating roles of gender and social support in the relationships. Questionnaires were used to collect data on mentoring, satisfaction with mentoring, social support (from friends, family, professional association members, co-workers and supervisors) work attitudes, (job involvement, job satisfaction, organizational commitment) and demographic factors from 470 nurses (males =230, females = 240) from five states in Southwestern Nigeria. Data analysis included regressing work attitudes on mentoring, satisfaction with mentoring, social support and gender. Results revealed that mentoring, satisfaction with mentoring and social support predicted work attitudes and social support moderated the relationships but gender did not. The relationships were stronger for nurses who scored high on social support than for nurses who scored low on social support. The implication of the findings is that mentoring programmes should be developed by counselling and personnel psychologists for work organizations and these should be complemented with social support from family members, friends, and co-workers, professional association members and supervisors to improve the nurses' work attitudes.


DNGR-1 is a C-type lectin receptor that has been implicated in the regulation of endocytic trafficking and cross-presentation of dead cell-associated antigens. Dendritic cells deficient in DNGR-1 are impaired in priming effector T-cell responses against cytopathic viruses and other dead cell-associated antigens. The ligand for DNGR-1 is the polymerized form of actin (F-actin) revealed in dead cells upon loss of membrane integrity. In this study we set out to determine biophysical, biochemical, and structural properties of DNGR-1 and its interaction with F-actin. First, we describe a conformational change that occurs in the neck region of the receptor in a pH- and ionic strength-dependent manner. Notably, the conformational change happens between conditions corresponding to the extracellular environment and the environment present in the vesicles of the endosomal pathway respectively, suggesting a possible role in the spatial regulation of the DNGR-1 function. Second, in collaboration with Keichii Namba and Takashi Fujii (RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center, Osaka, Japan) we used electron cryomicroscopy to solve the structure of DNGR-1 bound to F-actin at 7.7 A resolution. Interestingly, DNGR-1 binds into the groove between actin protofilaments, making contacts with three actin subunits that are helically arranged in the F-actin structure. We identify the residues directly involved in the interaction, confirm their contribution to the binding and demonstrate the importance of avidity of the multivalent interaction between DNGR-1 and F-actin. Additionally, in collaboration with David Sancho and Salvador Iborra (Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, Madrid, Spain) we formally demonstrate that ligand recognition is prerequisite for the biological function of DNGR-1 in dendritic cells. Third, by using heterodimeric DNGR-1 proteins in which one half of the dimer is incapable of binding to ligand, we demonstrate that DNGR-1 can bind with both ligand binding domains to a single actin filament, suggesting an exceptional flexibility of the neck region, and demonstrating an absence of rigid dimerization interface between the ligand-binding domains. In summary, we provide a comprehensive description of the structural and biophysical properties of DNGR-1, offering novel insights into its function and shedding light into innate immune mechanisms involved in recognition of cell death.


The species composition, timing of the harvest, sex, age, breeding status, and numbers of geese and swans shot during the spring hunt by residents of Tuktoyaktuk, Paulatuk, and Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories were studied in each community hunting area for three consecutive years (1987 to 1990). Investigators visited hunters repeatedly in the field, conducting interviews and examining >=27% of the reported harvest. Snow geese ( Anser caerulescens caerulescens ) accounted for 70% of the harvest, followed by white-fronted geese ( Anser albifrons frontalis , 19%), Canada geese ( Branta canadensis hutchinsii , 5%), brant ( Branta bernicla nigricans , 4%), tundra swans ( Cygnus columbianus , 2%), and Ross' geese ( Anser rossii , <1%). Sex ratios varied by species and community. Age ratios (yearlings per adult) also varied, and were inversely correlated with the size of the previous year's continental recreational harvest for white-fronted geese. Breeding status of geese with adult plumage varied, but was generally near 80% breeders. Average annual harvest of geese and swans were estimated at 5986 for Tuktoyaktuk, 1605 for Paulatuk, and 2790 for Sachs Harbour. Regional spring harvests, as a percent of continental harvests of regional populations, were 19% for lesser snow geese and 15% for white-fronted geese. Harvest levels require consideration in all stages of management of the resource, from local to continental. Action is required in Canada, through cooperative wildlife management mechanisms of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement and other land claims legislation, and through new regional bodies, to ensure that the spring harvest is incorporated into regional, national and international management of migratory birds.


The high temperature reaction between the superconducting Nd123(x) (Nd1+xBa2−xCu3O7−δ+x/2) phase and Nd422(z) (Nd4−2zBa2+2zCu2−zO10−2z), leading to substitutions of Nd in the Ba sites of Nd123, was analysed. For this purpose, differential thermal analysis (DTA) was performed on powders with different Nd422 addition. Measurement results were compared with the values, reported in the literature, of the peritectic temperatures in function of Nd123 substitution. The superconducting transition critical temperature analysis of melt-textured samples shows that the use of Barium rich Nd422 allows significant improvements of the superconducting parameters of produced samples, avoiding the occurrence of the Nd–Ba substitutions.


Time-resolved nonlinear absorption modulation due to two-photon absorption (TPA) and free carrier absorption (FCA) was demonstrated in GaAs/AlGaAs waveguides at 1.06 mu m. For a peak input intensity of 4.5*10/sup 11/ Wm/sup -2/, there was a maximum absorption modulation of 35%. This was caused by TPA, so that the recovery time was limited by the laser pulsewidth alone. At a peak input intensity of 1.5*10/sup 12/ Wm/sup -2/, a 65% absorption modulation was observed. This consisted of two components: an instantaneous effect due to TPA and also a slower component, attributed to FCA, whose recovery time was limited by the carrier lifetime. A theoretical model was also derived which provided a good fit to the experimental data.<<ETX>>


Commercial use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones, promises to revolutionize the way in which consumers interact with retail services. However, the further adoption of UAVs has been significantly impeded by an overwhelming public outcry over the privacy implications of drone technology. While lawmakers have attempted to establish standards for drone use (e.g., No-Fly-Zones (NFZs)), at present a general technical mechanism for policy enforcement eludes state-of-the-art drones. In this work, we propose that Proof-of-Alibi (PoA) protocols should serve as the basis for enforcing drone privacy compliance. We design and implement AliDrone, a trustworthy PoA protocol that enables individual drones to prove their compliance with NFZs to a third party Auditor. AliDrone leverages trusted hardware to produce cryptographically-signed GPS readings within a secure enclave, preventing malicious drone operators from being able to forge geo-location information. AliDrone features an adaptive sampling algorithm that reacts to NFZ proximity in order to minimize the processing cost. Through laboratory benchmarks and field studies, we demonstrate that AliDrone provides strong assurance of geo-location while imposing an average of 1.5% overhead on CPU utilization and 0.3% of memory consumption. AliDrone thus enables the further proliferation of drone technology through the introduction of a trustworthy and accountable compliance mechanism.


In this article, the author explores the concept of terquedad or waywardness as a blueprint towards gender/queer justice in education. Using María Lugones's (2003) theorizing resistance against multiple oppressions, the author presents Gloria Anzaldúa's' writings in Borderlands/La Frontera (1987) and This Bridge Called My Back (1981/2015) as a project of storying the plurality of terquedad. In doing so, the author calls for a theory and praxis of terquedad as a framework to understand the embodied resistances queer and trans-Latinx/e students deploy as textual inconveniences to push back and resist the "institutional grammars" of U.S. universities (BonillaSilva, 2012; Crawford & Ostrom, 1995). Through a plática methodology (Fierros & Delgado Bernal, 2016), the author introduces Quiahuitl, a doctoral student engaging with a praxis of terquedad when confronted with institutional and sexual violence as she moves within and against the geographies and power structures of the university.


A precise measurement of the elastic and inelastic π±-scattering from 32S and 34S at Tπ = 50 MeV has been performed with the LEPS spectrometer at PSI. Exploiting the enhanced isospin sensitivity of low-energy pions, we obtain a difference in neutron r.m.s.-radii between isotopes of 34rn - 32rn = 0.06(1) fm from the elastic scattering. Analysis of the angular distributions of inelastic scattering to the 21+- and 22+-excitations in 34S yields a ratio of neutron to proton matrix elements of Mn/Mp = + 1.17(9) and - 0.4(2), respectively. The latter result is at variance with previous investigations, but agrees with recent shell model calculations.


With the aim of preparing topographic descriptions and illustrations of the perineaj muscles of the black Bengal does, 12 adult animals were used. The animals were anaesthetized and bled to death by giving incision on the right common carotid artery. Whole vascular system was flashed with 0.85% physiological saline solution and then 10% formalin was injected through the same route for well preservation. After preservation, the muscles of the perineum were surgically isolated, transected and studied. It revealed that muscles of the pelvic diaphragm were M. levator ani and M. coccygeus. The M. levator ani was originated entirely from the sacrosciatic ligament and M. coccygeus from the medial side of the ischiatic spine and from the inside of the sacrotuberal ligament. M. levator ani was poorly developed and was blended with coccygeus for some distance at their insertion. Muscles of the urogenital diaphragm were M. urethralis, M. ischiourethralis and M. bulboglandularis. M. bulboglandularis was a small circular muscle which enclosed the major vestibular gland. Anal musculature of the perineum were M. sphincter ani externus, M. rectococcygeus and M. rectractor clitoridis. M. sphincter ani externus completely encircled the anus. Its fibers crossed ventral to the anus and continued into the opposite labium and the labium on the same side. M. rectococcygeus inserted on the ventral surface of the 5th and 6th caudal vertebrae. M. retractor clitoridis was originated from the 3rd and 4th caudal vertebrae. Urogenital musculature of the perineum were M: transverses perinei superficialis, M. constrictor vestibuli and M. constrictor vulvae. M. constrictor vestibuli covered the ventrolateral surface of the vestibule. M. constrictor vulvae was continuous, with external anal sphincter at the decussation. The overall findings of this work will be helpful for the veterinarians, veterinary students, teachers and research personnel in the relevant technical fields.


Since the beginning of operation of China's /spl plusmn/500 kV Gezhouba-Nanqiao (GZB-NQ) HVDC link, the smoothing reactor and the capacitors of its DC filters have faulted many times due to reasons of design, construction and others. In order to solve these problems, a method of harmonics suppression and passive filter regulation is presented using an active DC filter on the DC-side of the GZB power converter substation. The active DC filter is connected at the bottom of one existing passive DC filter at the GZB converter station. The construction and control strategies of the active DC filter, as well as the principle of regulating passive filter load are presented. Digital simulation results show that the practical feasibility of the control technique and load regulation scheme for passive filters proposed in this paper.


Open-source hardware and software technology can redefine data collection Many science research projects rely on specialized electronic devices and software to gather data that often come with a high price tag. Advances in open-source hardware and software are occurring at an astounding rate, but scientists are often slow to take advantage of these for purposes beyond their original scope. Here, we advocate that open-source technology can be easily applied in science research to collect large data sets, at the same time reducing costs and increasing the repeatability of experiments.


The thermal inactivation and storage behaviour for horseradish and spinach peroxidases were investigated in defined systems, in spinach also within its natural environment. The inactivation curves of either enzyme show a sharp bend which is clearly visible at low, but not at higher temperatures. The D-values were taken from the inactivation curves. z-values resulting from the D-values were 25.5 degrees C for horseradish peroxidase, 13 degrees C for isolated peroxidase and 18 degrees C for peroxidase in spinach extract. Horseradish peroxidase was relatively heat-resistent at pH 6.0, spinach peroxidase at pH 5.0-6.0; both enzymes were found to be highly susceptible to heat at pH 4.0. Peroxidase isolated from spinach responded differently to heating than the enzyme in spinach extract or suspension. This discrepancy indicates that certain model experiments cannot be transferred to foods. Heated peroxidase from horseradish and spinach were found to regenerate during storage; the extent of regeneration depended on the pH.


The existence of systems of indigenous knowledge depend greatly on the existence of indigenous languages. Processes of language revitalisation seek to uphold indigenous knowledge by restoring endangered indigenous languages. Historical processes of colonisation and globalisation in Chile and Aotearoa New Zealand have impacted and threatened each country's indigenous language. This dissertation describes language revitalisation processes of te reo Maori in Aotearoa New Zealand and Mapudungun in Chile in order to further understand the implications of language on effectively revitalising indigenous culture and knowledge. The research and analysis presented implements comparative methodology through the use of case studies, direct observations, primary and secondary data sources. In an effort to evaluate and compare outcomes of indigenous language revitalisation schemes of te reo Maori in Aotearoa New Zealand and Mapudungun in Chile, this thesis focuses on case studies in the context of how education programmes in each country approach indigenous language revitalisation.


The El Paso Group and at least the upper part of the underlying Bliss Sandstone at their type sections in the southeastern Franklin Mountains probably is the most complete Canadian section exposed in northern Chihuahua, New Mexico, and west Texas. The El Paso Group represents deposits of a general, but complex, west-to-east transgression of the Cambrian and Early Ordovician seas across Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas. The group thins to a feather-edge in central New Mexico as a result of post-Canadian erosion of the upper part of the sequence. Flower (1964) has given 10 formational names for the El Paso Group that represent not only rock-stratigraphic units, but also distinct sequential biostratigraphic units. Seven of these El Paso Group units are regional in extent and recognizable in the southern Franklin Mountains. They are (in order from oldest to youngest): the early Canadian Sierrite Formation; the middle Canadian Cooks, Victorio Hills, and Jose Formations; and the late Canadian McKelligon Canyon, Scenic Drive, and Florida Mountains Formations. The basal middle Canadian Big Hatchet Formation may be present and unrecognized because of facies changes in the southern Franklin Mountains area. The uppermost middle Canadian Mud Springs Mountain and Snake Hills Formations are believed to be absent because of nondeposition or erosion. The El Paso Group overlies the Bliss Sandstone disconformably. The Late Ordovician Montoya Group overlies the El Paso Group with a regional angular unconformity in the west Texas-New Mexico area. The End_Page 208------------------------------ Middle Ordovician Simpson equivalents are not present because of nondeposition or erosion. The nearshore to supratidal El Paso Group section faunal zones have been correlated tentatively with the deeper water, miogeosynclinal, western standard section (Ibex and Garden City, Utah composite sections) of Hintze (1951, 1952) and Ross (1951). Paleoecological studies of the sabkhas to nearshore sediments of the El Paso Group strata show excellent examples of digitate algae, stromatolithic algae, and cyclic reefoid mound structures. Recent sedimentation in the Khor al Bozam (Persian Gulf) and Shark's Bay (Australia) probably are modern analogues. End_of_Article - Last_Page 209------------


Abstract
Aim: This study aims to investigate the incidence and clinical particulars of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
infection in infants hospitalized with bronchiolitis diagnoses between the years of 2006 and 2009.
Material and method: From October 2006 to October 2009, the registers of a total of 112 patients (< 2 years old)
who were diagnosed with bronchiolitis and for whom RSV antigen was scanned in the nasopharyngeal swab sample
were screened retrospectively and their clinical and laboratory particulars were evaluated. RSV antigen was sought
through the enzyme immunoassay method by using Respi-Strip RSV (Coris Bioconcept).
Results: RSV infection was detected in 31 (27.6%) cases. The families of the RSV-positive patients were larger
and their parents were older. The CRP positivity of RSV-positive cases was of a higher rate than that of RSV-negative
patients. RSV infection was most frequently detected in January. The rate of hospitalization and treatment of RSVinfected
infants in the intensive care unit was statistically and significantly higher than that of the RSV negative patient
group.
Conclusion: We have detected a high rate of RSV infection in the cases hospitalized with bronchiolitis diagnosis,
which is in line with the literature. The detection of RSV infection in these patients will prevent unnecessary antibiotic.
In addition, virus-related hospital infections will be controlled more easily.


Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been used as an excellent and highly efficient catalyst for one pot
synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted imidazole derivatives in presence of ethanol as a solvent. This synthetic
route involves multicomponent reaction of benzil, substituted aromatic aldehydes and ammonium
acetate under reflux. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy
(UV-visible), X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern, scanning electronic microscope (SEM) analysis. The
process was simple and environmentally benign with high to excellent yield. The methods provides
several advantages such as simple operation, clean reaction profile, short reaction time and high yield
of product. The synthesized silver nanoparticles as catalyst was non-toxic, eco-friendly, low cost and
green synthetic method.


A semiclassical dynamical simulation for medium and highenergy heavy ion collisions is presented and used to discuss in detail the features of evolution for 12C(25GeV; b = 0.0fm)+63 Cu reaction. From the calculated results it is shown that the model proposed can give a reasonable picture of the compression, expansion and fragmentation processes of the system in heavy ion reaction.


We investigated the clinicopathologic and oncoprotein expression characteristics of 11 pure mucinous and 76 non-mucinous infiltrating ductal carcinomas in the human female breast. We compared patient age, tumor size, axillary lymph node status, and the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), deleted-in-colon cancer (DCC), HER-2/neu, and p53. Mucinous carcinoma with axillary lymph node metastasis occurs less frequently than non-mucinous carcinoma (0% vs 63.1%; p = 0.0018). Compared with the non-mucinous type, mucinous carcinoma specimens have more DCC expression (100% vs 48.7%; p = 0.0027) and more ER expression (90.9% vs 26.9%; p = 0.0023), but less HER-2/neu overexpression (0% vs 38.1%; p = 0.0302). We confirmed that mucinous carcinoma samples from the breast reveal distinct clinicopathologic and oncoprotein expression features compared with non-mucinous carcinoma and, therefore, it seems reasonable to suggest different biologic characteristics and manifestations.


A highly efficient and facile metal-free, one-pot reaction has been developed to afford diversely substituted N-arylbenzimidazoles through chemoselective in situ generation of N,N'-diarylamidines from arenediazonium salts, nitriles, and free anilines. The advantages of this protocol consist of the operationally easy and simple one-pot procedure under metal-free and mild conditions, the direct use of inexpensive and commercially available chemicals, and thus, a cost-effective and greener process.


The main objective of this study was to examine whether and how the Palliative Performance Scale (PPS), a measure of a patient's function, was predictive of survival time for those in receipt of home-based palliative care. This was a prospective study, which included 194 cancer patients from November 17, 2013, to August 18, 2015. Data were collected from biweekly telephone interviews with caregivers. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were estimated to assess how survival time was correlated with initial PPS scores after admission to the home-based palliative care program. A multivariate extended Cox regression model was used to examine the association between PPS and survival. The results showed that patients with higher PPS scores, that is, better function, had a lower hazard ratio (0.977; 95% confidence interval: 0.965-0.989) and hence longer survival times. The PPS can be used in predicting survival time for home-based palliative care patients.


GM1 is a major brain ganglioside that exerts neurotrophic, neuroprotective and antineuroinflammatory effects. The aim of this study was to obtain insights into the antineuroinflammatory mechanisms of exogenous GM1 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated MG6 mouse transformed microglial cell line. First, we found that GM1 prevented the LPS-induced transformation of microglia into an amoeboid-like shape. GM1 treatment inhibited LPS-induced expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in MG6 cells. In LPS-treated mice, GM1 also reduced striatal microglia activation and attenuated COX-2 expression. Subsequent mechanistic studies showed that GM1 suppressed LPS-induced nuclear translocation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and activator protein-1 (AP-1), two critical transcription factors responsible for the production of proinflammatory mediators. GM1 exhibited antineuroinflammatory properties by suppressing Akt/NF-κB signaling and the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), including p38 MAPK, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Furthermore, GM1 suppressed LPS-induced activation of transforming growth factor-β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) and NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2), upstream regulators of the IκBα/NF-κB and MAPK/AP-1 signaling pathways. GM1 also inhibited NOX-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and protected against LPS-induced MG6 cell death, suggesting an antioxidant role of GM1. In conclusion, GM1 exerts both antineuroinflammatory and antioxidative effects by inhibiting Akt, TAK1 and NOX2 activation.


Antiplatelet therapy, targeting the inhibition of platelet function, ameliorates the survival of patients with clini- cally evident cardiovascular disease. The cornerstone of therapy is aspirin which was found to reduce of about 20% the relative risk of death, myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. Clopidogrel in combination with aspirin is the recom- mended standard of care for reducing the occurrence of cardiovascular events in patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Despite the benefits of current antiplatelet therapies, there are significant shortcomings, including hyporesponsiveness, delayed platelet inhibition, individual variability in re- sponse, a prolonged time to recovery. In addition, a growing body of evidence is demonstrating that a residual platelet re- activity on antiplatelets is associated with a significant increased risk of adverse clinical events. The optimal level of platelet inhibition to prevent cardiovascular events is modulated by clinical situation and at the moment we do not have a platelet function cut-off which is widely accepted to identify patients at high risk for ischemic events in the different clini- cal models. Ongoing clinical trials are evaluating if an antiplatelet treatment tailored on the entity of platelet inhibition will be a good strategy in terms of safety and efficacy. These studies will give us the crucial information on the possible utility of a monitoring of antiplatelets in order to prevent clinical events.


As implied by their name, angiosperms (from the Greek, "seeds within a vessel") were originally defined by the nature of their female reproductive structures in which the seeds are enclosed within an ovary. The angiosperms are both the dominant group of land plants and by far the most important plants for human use. Although numerous specific adaptations were involved in the rise of the angiosperms to their current dominance, it is not surprising that severa1 of these adaptations relate specifically to the female parts of the flower. The unique morphology of angiosperm female reproductive structures has facilitated the evolution of highly diverse and sometimes complex mechanisms to ensure appropriate pollination. The ovary of angiosperms has also evolved into a range of elaborate forms that facilitate efficient dispersa1 of seeds by wind, water, or animals. In this paper, we review the structure and development of these critical components of the angiosperm flower and describe current efforts to determine the mechanisms governing their formation. The female parts of an angiosperm flower are collectively referred to as the gynoecium, which consists of one or more ovule-bearing unit structures, the carpels. Evolutionary modification and fusion of carpels makes the boundaries between carpels indistinct in many modern plants. The term pistil is also commonly used in describing the female parts of a flower. It refers to a single carpel when individual carpels of the gynoecium are separate (simple pistils) or to a single structure formed by fusion of multiple carpels (compound pistil). Thus, the gynoecium can consist of a number of free pistils or a single pistil. Although the overall morphologies of angiosperm gynoecia are highly variable, almost without exception the gynoecium occupies the central position or innermost set of whorls, or spirals, of a flower (Endress, 1992). In addition, most pistils exhibit a common set of structural features. At anthesis, the pistil can be considered to consist of three parts: the ovary, at the base of the pistil, which contains the ovules and which differentiates into the fruit following fertilization; the style, an extension above the ovary, through which the pollen tubes grow toward the ovules; and the stigma, at the top of the style, where pollen grains adhere and germinate (Esau, 1965). Figure 1 illustrates the basic components of the pistils of Arabidopsis


I have been living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for 20 years. For 20 years I have gone to sleep with MS, awakened with MS, worked with MS, fell in love with MS, got married with MS, went through five miscarriages with MS, gave birth to a beautiful son with MS, raised a son whose life would be marked by the MS of a parent, and most importantly, I will go on living with MS for as long as fate allows. My wife Rachel has MS.


Twenty-three preschool-age children, 3;6 (years; months) to 4;1, were videotaped separately with their mothers and fathers while each mother and father read a different unfamiliar storybook to them. The text from the unfamiliar storybooks was parsed and coded into story grammar elements and all parental extratextual utterances were transcribed and coded for (1) their relationship to the story grammar elements found within the storybook, and (2) the natural strategies parents used to direct their children's attention to these elements. Children's overall exposure to story grammar elements during book reading was also explored for its relationship to their language abilities. Results indicated that parents focused significantly more on the resolution, attempt, and consequence compared to the initiating event and plan, and most frequently used the text and pictures as strategies for recruiting their children's attention to the story grammar elements within the book. In addition, the frequency of parental utterances related to story grammar elements was negatively correlated with children's language abilities. This study did not examine the complexity or depth of parental utterances related to story grammar elements. These findings provide initial evidence that children may derive their understanding of story grammar at least in part through their parents' extratextual discussions during parent–child book reading.


A total of 23 uropodine species of the genus Trachytes (Acari, Mesostigmata) are reliably recorded to occur in Central Europe and included in identification keys for adults (23 spp.) and deutonymphal stages (9 spp.), respectively. For the first time, the diagnostic characters of deutonymphs of the species T. baloghi, T. minima, T. minimasimilis, T. mystacinus and T. splendida are figured. Ten species found in Slovakia are redescribed (T. aegrota, T. baloghi, T. hirschmanni, T. irenae, T. lamda, T. minima, T. minimasimilis, T. mystacinus, T. pauperior and T. splendida) and characterised by their external morphology, geographic distribution and ecological requirements in terms of habitat preference, affinity to merocoenoses and vertical distribution. The zoogeographic origin of Trachytes is analysed. Most species are found only in woodlands and have not been recorded in the distribution area of the Pannonian flora in Central Europe (except for T. aegrota and T. baloghi). Short taxonomic remarks are given for the species of dubious taxonomic status or whose occurrence is not reliably known.


The evolution of economic policies in Kenya dates back to the colonial era (period preceding 1954) that was characterized by settler targeted government assistance and exclusion of indigenous populations from commercial agriculture. The post liberalization era began in 2003 under which the Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation (ERS-WEC), Strategy for Revitalizing Agriculture (SRA) are being implemented. Trade liberalization was initiated through the Structural Adjustment Programs (SAP) of the transition period. These consisted of a set of policies designed to make production and resource allocation more efficient. The broad aim was to shift the economy from the inward oriented import substitution policy to a more open outward orientated policy which will encourage exports and imports of goods and services. Another aim of the SAPs was to encourage privatization, public sector reforms and the support of the private sector. The beginning of SAPs in the country was marked by the signing of the Structural Adjustment Loan (SAL) in 1980. The emphasis of SAPs was on the promotion of the non- traditional exports and market liberalization. The same time government embarked on vigorous export promotion strategy so as to increase returns from exports. This entailed reduction and restructuring of tariff, abolition of export duties, introduction of export retention schemes and export credit guarantee corporation. Incentives such as the Manufacture under Bond (MUB), green channel and export compensation were also introduced.


Author(s): Au, Anthony | Abstract: The ability to detect diseases during early progression greatly impacts the effectiveness of treatments, especially for cancers. Current research focuses on discovering specific biomarkers associated with the disease, but these are difficult to discover and present in very low concentrations. Conversely, immunosignaturing leverages the immense amplification provide by the immune system to examine antibody patterns on a random array of peptides. This thesis explores a new electrochemical detection method instead of the traditional optical detection for use with the immunosignaturing chip. I developed a software simulation in order to investigate the parameters of the system. The first part of the simulation tracked the concentration changes of the molecules of interest. These concentrations of molecules drove the electrochemical discharges modeled in the next part of the simulation. The efficacy of the simulated discharges was determined by comparison with experimental discharge data. The first two parts of the simulation showed that crosstalk occurs with adjacent non-active sensors and the time delay before it happens largely depends on array geometry and sensor capacitance. The last part of the simulation explored the ability of this method to discern various diseases. Classification of a transformed optical data yielded similar classification accuracy compared to the original optical data. A mock end to end simulation demonstrated high accuracy as well. This thesis outlines a few approaches for implementation of the physical device, while laying out the framework to further explore parameter variations and disease classification


Shape-stabilized phase-change composites (SSPCCs) have been widely applied for thermal energy storage and thermal management due to their excellent properties. To further improve their thermal conductivity and thermal cycling stability, we successfully designed and synthesized a series of SSPCCs with three-dimensional (3D) thermally conductive networks by exploiting the synergistic effect between one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). The interconnected thermally conductive network composed of h-BN and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) enhanced the SSPCCs performance. The micro-morphologies of the prepared SSPCCs revealed that well-dispersed MWCNTs, hydroxylated h-BN, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecular chains were effectively bonded into a 3D crosslinking structure for the SSPCCs. Moreover, the chemical and crystalline structural, thermal properties, and thermal cycling stability of the novel SSPCCs were systematically investigated by various characterization techniques. The presence of the 3D thermally conductive network in the as-synthesized SSPCCs evidently improved the shape stability, phase-change behavior, and thermal stability. Benefiting from the 3D nano-structural uniqueness of SSPCCs, the thermal conductivity of the SSPCC-2 was up to 1.15 W m-1 K-1, which represented a significant enhancement of 239.7% compared with that of pure PEG. Meanwhile, the efficient synergistic effect of h-BN and MWCNTs remarkably enhanced the heat transfer rate of the SSPCCs. These results demonstrate that the prepared SSPCCs have potential for applications in thermal energy storage and thermal management systems. The study opens a new avenue toward the development of SSPCCs with good comprehensive properties.


OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
To describe the use of the Prolair Autohaler (Prolair AH) in the conditions of "natural" prescription so as to define its place in the therapeutic arsenal available to practitioners. NATURE OF THE STUDY: Open study conducted in any practice of liberal chest physicians.

RESULTS
Three hundred and seventy six patients (56.1%) were treated by Prolair AH and 296 (43.9%) continued their usual treatment with a standard aerosol doser (BDP ADS) that contained the same active principle, used with an inhalation chamber (65 patients, around 22%) or without (231 patients around 78%). The comparisons between the two groups, made at the end of two months of treatment, showed significant differences in efficacy of the two therapies. The percentage of patients who presented a respiratory shortage was significantly lower at day 60 in the Prolair AH group than in the BDP ADS (33.6% vs 41.4%; p < 0.05) though the percentages were comparable at inclusion. Peak problems were significantly more frequent at inclusion in the Prolair AH group (45.5% vs 37.8%; p < 0.05) but at day 60 were significantly less frequent (14.6% vs 22.9%; p < 0.05). Up to day 60, in each treatment group, the same percentage of patients presented whistling (Prolair AH 21.8% vs 22.9%; p: NS) although initially they were significantly more frequent in the patients of the Prolair AH group (60.3% vd 49.8%; p < 0.01). Improvement of DEP measured theoretically was significantly more important (p < 0.05) in the Prolair AH group which passed from 67.6% to 78.8% against 70.5% to 75.6% in the BDP ADS group.

CONCLUSION
When prescribed to patients with a more evolutive asthma and poor coordinators, Prolair Ahas produced results that are comparable to or better than those of patients treated with ADS that contains the same active principle, together or not with an inhalation chamber.


This paper focuses on the prevention of technology induced errors in Health Information Technology (HIT) applications through usability tests in which patient safety-oriented usability goals have been included. A case study presents the evaluation of a web-based medication-related Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS). Systematically defining beforehand usability goals according to the potential use errors is an objective and replicable approach to identify the strengths and weaknesses of an application in terms of patient safety.


We estimate the Lipschitz constants of the gradient of a deep neural network and the network itself with respect to the full set of parameters. We first develop estimates for a deep feed-forward densely connected network and then, in a more general framework, for all neural networks that can be represented as solutions of controlled ordinary differential equations, where time appears as continuous depth. These estimates can be used to set the step size of stochastic gradient descent methods, which is illustrated for one example method.