In this paper, a novel interpolation method is proposed, called the edge-contrast-guided interpolation (ECGI), which takes the edge contrast into consideration. Similar to the existing edge-guided methods, for those edge pixels under interpolation, the proposed ECGI will conduct the interpolation along their associated edge's direction. However, the novelty of our proposed ECGI lies in the treatment of non-edge pixels: We additionally view those non-edge pixels as 'edge' pixels, if they are locating in the vicinity of true edges. In this case, each 'edge' pixel is subject to conduct edge-guided interpolation along the same direction of the true edge that influences it. In our work, we use the edge contrast to determine how far a true edge could yield such influence on its nearby pixels; consequently, the stronger the contrast, the more pixels in its vicinity will be viewed as 'edge' pixels. To implement this idea, we apply a variational approach over the directional variation (DV) fields to obtain new diffused DV fields for conducting edge-guided interpolation. Compared with the state-of-the-art interpolation methods, our method is able to deliver superior performance, yielding more clear edges without introducing ringing or other artifacts, while enjoying fairly low computational complexity.


With the increasing use of uninhabited military vehicles in air, land, naval (surface and underwater) roles, we need to know more about factors affecting operator "engagement" cognitive/conative/behavioural task involvement with systems exploiting virtual media technology, in particular for reach-back, remote supervision of operations involving use of lethal force. UK experience in operating Predator has led to concerns about the operator needing emotional connectivity to "feel the granularity of the battle-space", about the "morality of altitude", and the potential for the "playground bully" to become the mode of control. Research has demonstrated the difficulty of providing sustained levels of cognitive engagement for operators at remote control stations providing supervisory targeting veto. It may be possible to mitigate these risks and to augment human involvement and engagement strategies through operator selection, training and system design. Consideration is needed of the relevance of mission and decision enabling technologies for augmenting engagement. These enabling technologies include advanced humancomputer interfaces, virtual media, multi-modal "immersive" synthetic environments, task and user monitoring and modelling, collaborative technologies and communication techniques such as semantic information/knowledge web approaches to decision effectiveness.


Some individuals with motor impairments communicate using a single switch — such as a button click, air puff, or blink. Our software, Nomon, provides a method for single-switch users to select between items on a screen. Nomon's flexibility stems from its probabilistic selection method, which allows potential options to be arranged arbitrarily rather than requiring they be arranged in a grid. As a result, Nomon can be used for a host of applications — including gaming, drawing, and web browsing. Focusing on accessibility, we updated the Nomon interface in collaboration with a switch user and with experts in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). We present our updated Nomon interface as an open-source web application.


In recent years, intensive studies on thermal control devices have been conducted for the thermal management of electronics and computers as well as for applications in energy conversion, chemistry, sensors, buildings, and outer space. Conventional cooling or heating techniques realized using traditional thermal resistors and capacitors cannot meet the thermal requirements of advanced systems. Therefore, new thermal control devices are being investigated to satisfy these requirements. These devices include thermal diodes, thermal switches, thermal regulators, and thermal transistors, all of which manage heat in a manner analogous to how electronic devices and circuits control electricity. To design or apply these novel devices as well as thermal control principles, this paper presents a systematic and comprehensive review of the state‐of‐the‐art of fluidic and mechanical thermal control devices that have already been implemented in various applications for different size scales and temperature ranges. Operation principles, working parameters, and limitations are discussed and the most important features for a particular device are identified.


Degradation of proteins that, because of improper or suboptimal processing, are retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) involves retrotranslocation to reach the cytosolic ubiquitin-proteasome machinery. We found that substrates of this pathway, the precursor of human asialoglycoprotein receptor H2a and free heavy chains of murine class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC), accumulate in a novel preGolgi compartment that is adjacent to but not overlapping with the centrosome, the Golgi complex, and the ER-to-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC). On its way to degradation, H2a associated increasingly after synthesis with the ER translocon Sec61. Nevertheless, it remained in the secretory pathway upon proteasomal inhibition, suggesting that its retrotranslocation must be tightly coupled to the degradation process. In the presence of proteasomal inhibitors, the ER chaperones calreticulin and calnexin, but not BiP, PDI, or glycoprotein glucosyltransferase, concentrate in the subcellular region of the novel compartment. The "quality control" compartment is possibly a subcompartment of the ER. It depends on microtubules but is insensitive to brefeldin A. We discuss the possibility that it is also the site for concentration and retrotranslocation of proteins that, like the mutant cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, are transported to the cytosol, where they form large aggregates, the "aggresomes."


Studies of unculturable microbes often combine methods, such as 16S rRNA sequencing, metagenomics, and metaproteomics. To apply these techniques to the microbial community inhabiting the surfaces of marine macrophytes, it is advisable to perform a selective DNA and protein isolation prior to the analysis to avoid biases due to the host material being present in high quantities. Two protocols for DNA and protein isolation were adapted for selective extractions of DNA and proteins from epiphytic communities inhabiting the surfaces of two marine macrophytes, the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa and the macroalga Caulerpa cylindracea. Protocols showed an almost complete removal of the epiphytic community regardless of the sampling season, station, settlement, or host species. The obtained DNA was suitable for metagenomic and 16S rRNA sequencing, while isolated proteins could be identified by mass spectrometry. Low presence of host DNA and proteins in the samples indicated a high specificity of the protocols. The procedures are based on universally available laboratory chemicals making the protocols widely applicable. Taken together, the adapted protocols ensure an almost complete removal of the macrophyte epiphytic community. The procedures are selective for microbes inhabiting macrophyte surfaces and provide DNA and proteins applicable in 16S rRNA sequencing, metagenomics, and metaproteomics.


The objective of this research was to measure the degree of tourism sustainability and the contribution to local well-being that Cabo Pulmo, Baja California Sur (BCS), Mexico has. This coastal community is subject to environmental protection due to the presence of reefs and the enormous diversity that counts, characteristics that are used for recreational purposes. Although studies on tourism in small communities near the coast are scarce at a national level, it is a fact that the measurement of indicators is a very useful tool to know to what degree or not the strategies are complied with raised. The research used a procedure based on three methodologies: those planned by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); the latter is applied by the Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR) in Mexico. To improve the methodology and generate information on new indicators, mixed techniques were applied. Subsequently, the scenarios were formulated and delimited using the Delphi Method. The results of 46 indicators (23 for the social component and 23 for the environment) revealed that the average Local Sustainability Index (ISL) is 0.70. When adjusted based on four weighting criteria proposed by experts, we obtained: ISLae₁ = .73, ISLae₂ = 70, ISLae₃ = .73, ISLae₄ = .84. According to the first three scenarios, Cabo Pulmo, BCS, is located at the "Good" level of sustainability and, exceptionally, in a "High" or "Excellent" range within the last scenario. The main findings indicated that Cabo Pulmo has a certain degree of social backwardness. However, this situation is not unique to the locality studied; rather, it is usually recurrent in small communities or areas near huge poles of tourism development. When comparing the results with other studies, it was found that the site presents the same level of sustainability as other entities in Mexico, such as BCS. Also, it is located above nations such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan. Derived from the results, it is recommended: 1) Pay special attention to improve the indicators categorized as critical, for example: health and education services, water quality for domestic use, housing with drainage, roads in good condition and the relationship visitors vs. inhabitants, and 2) Continue to generate information to evaluate the variation in the level of local sustainability, taking as reference different scenarios and incorporating the opinion of ex-experts (advisors, academics, government) and their own inhabitants.


The 'overactive bladder' is a common problem affecting the elderly female population especially after the menopause. Urgency with or without urge incontinence accompanied by frequency of micturition and nocturia are presenting symptoms. The diagnosis is established after excluding other diseases of the lower urinary tract which have similar presenting features. The aetiology is multifactorial and this problem often causes physical, psychological and emotional distress to the patient. Management can be provided by primary care physicians initiating behavioral changes which include life style interventions and bladder drills with or without antimuscarinic drugs. The recalcitrant patient not responding to conventional therapy should be referred for specialist care. Non-conventional treatment using acupressure, neuromodulation and surgical methods are only instituted in indicated cases.


Centred on the results of an original case study of 7 th Generation Image Makers, a Toronto-based Aboriginal street arts organization, this article contends that street art acts as a complex arrangement of urban cultural commons – represented through both knowledge and neighbourhood commons – where expressions of cultural production create space for resistance to the increased privatization of public space. This argument is based on Foucault's biopolitics which understands resistance as both alternative to, and independent of, the exercise of hegemonic power. The resistance of biopolitical labour is seen as a rupture rather than a collapse of capital such that alternative spaces are created. Commons, then, must be understood as both space and activity rather than a resource, a conception that Peter Linebaugh refers to as commoning .


Multi-layer barrier structure is suggested as an alternative approach to single-layer polarization matching barrier structure for the reduction of efficiency droop. Time resolved photoluminescence measurement showed that polarization field was reduced by 19% in the multilayer barrier light emitting diodes structures. Optical power measurements on packaged devices showed overall increase of external quantum efficiency for all currents up to the current density of 150 A/cm2. Increase of optical power is attributed to reduced polarization and decreased current overflow to p-side cladding layers. These results provide additional evidences that polarization is important in addressing the droop problem.


A nondestructive method is presented to determine the internal properties of vertical- cavity surface-emitting lasers. The refractive index and oxide radius are extracted from the laser modes and agree well with independently determined values.


The corporate environment has been changing drastically in recent years. New and more sophisticated manufacturing strategies, higher levels of quality demand or the appearance of small and medium sized companies on a global stage are some indications of the changes currently taking place. How can these changes, which sometimes seem to be very surprising, be explained? There are four major trends, which are currently influencing the global professional community, and the way business is carried out. These trends are affecting every company in one way or the other. They are leading to the necessity to change the process organization in order to gain efficiency and to increase the internal as well as external flexibility...


The paper deals with the development of ecological farmland in 2000–2008 in EU-27 (old members – EU-15, and new members – EU-12) and landuse structure according to the share of arable land, meadows and pastures, orchards and berry plantations as well as other utilised land. The problem of balance between ecological farmland and farming intensity of Lithuanian ecological farms in the context of other EU countries is revealed more in detail. It was determined, that already after the country's entrance to EU (in 2005) the landuse structure of Lithuanian ecological farmland tended to the direction of crop husbandry with dominated cereals. Thus the situation forces to rethink the ecological farming directions in our country in order to achieve the better balance between farming and landuse structure, firstly by stimulating mixed farming with integrated crop and animal husbandry. References 34. Figs 5. Tables 2. In Lithuanian, summary in English. keywords: ecological farms, landuse structure, farming, balance. Received: April 2013; accepted: December 2013


ABSTRACT Collision tumors have been reported in various organs like the gastrointestinal tract, lung, skin, adrenals, central nervous system, lymph nodes, uterus, but are rarely seen in the ovary. Collision tumors are two histologically distinct neoplasms in the same organ without any intermixture between them. Here we present a case of a collision tumor of the ovary represented by a mucinous cystadenoma and teratoma. It is imperative for a surgical pathologist to correctly diagnose the collision tumor components and differentiate them from mixed tumors as it will dictate the appropriate treatment based on the individual biological aggressiveness of each component.


Catastrophically degraded InGaAsP/InGaP double‐heterostructure lasers grown on (001) GaAs substrates by liquid‐phase epitaxy, emitting at 727 and 810 nm are investigated by photoluminescence topography, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive x‐ray spectroscopy. The degradation is mainly due to catastrophic optical damage at the facet, i.e., development of 〈110〉 dark‐line defects from the facet, and rarely due to catastrophic optical damage at some defects, i.e., development of 〈110〉 dark‐line defects from the defects inside the stripe region. These 〈110〉 dark‐line defects correspond to complicated dislocation networks connected with dark knots, and are quite similar to those observed in catastrophically degraded GaAlAs/GaAs double‐heterostructure lasers. The degradation characteristics of the InGaAsP/InGaP double‐heterostructure lasers are rather similar to those in GaAlAs/GaAs double‐heterostructure lasers concerning the catastrophic degradation.


We have conducted three-dimensional self-gravitating radiation hydrodynamical models of gas accretion on to high-mass cores (15–33 M⊕) over hundreds of orbits. Of these models, one case accretes more than a third of a Jupiter mass of gas, before eventually undergoing a hydrodynamic collapse. This collapse causes the density near the core to increase by more than an order of magnitude, and the outer envelope to evolve into a circumplanetary disc. A small reduction in the mass within the Hill radius (RH) accompanies this collapse as a shock propagates outwards. This collapse leads to a new hydrostatic equilibrium for the protoplanetary envelope, at which point 97 per cent of the mass contained within the Hill radius is within the inner 0.03RH which had previously contained less than 40 per cent. Following this collapse the protoplanet resumes accretion at its prior rate. The net flow of mass towards this dense protoplanet is predominantly from high latitudes, whilst at the outer edge of the circumplanetary disc there is net outflow of gas along the midplane. We also find a turnover of gas deep within the bound envelope that may be caused by the establishment of convection cells.


Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have emerged as a prime candidate for the light source of the future. To enable easy user interaction with a future lighting system consisting of many LEDs, this paper proposes a method to accurately measure and estimate the local light contributions of a large set of LEDs. This is enabled through tagging the light of each LED with an unique identifier. To this end, we propose a new family of modulation and multiple access schemes in this paper, named code-time division multiple access-pulse position modulation (CTDMA-PPM) and CTDMA-pulse width modulation (CTDMA-PWM). These schemes satisfy illumination constraints, are compatible with the commonly used PWM dimming of LEDs, and meet the multi-signal separation requirements for simultaneous measurement of illumination strengths. Based on these modulation methods, the paper develops algorithms to estimate illumination. Finally, performance analyses show that even for a very large number of LEDs, the sensing performance of the proposed system satisfies the requirements up to an adequate range.


To date, various neural methods have been proposed for causal effect estimation based on observational data, where a default assumption is the same distribution and availability of variables at both training and inference (i.e., runtime) stages. However, distribution shift (i.e., domain shift) could happen during runtime, and bigger challenges arise from the impaired accessibility of variables. This is commonly caused by increasing privacy and ethical concerns, which can make arbitrary variables unavailable in the entire runtime data and imputation impractical. We term the co-occurrence of domain shift and inaccessible variables runtime domain corruption, which seriously impairs the generalizability of a trained counterfactual predictor. To counter runtime domain corruption, we subsume counterfactual prediction under the notion of domain adaptation. Specifically, we upper-bound the error w.r.t. the target domain (i.e., runtime covariates) by the sum of source domain error and inter-domain distribution distance. In addition, we build an adversarially unified variational causal effect model, named VEGAN, with a novel two-stage adversarial domain adaptation scheme to reduce the latent distribution disparity between treated and control groups first, and between training and runtime variables afterwards. We demonstrate that VEGAN outperforms other state-of-the-art baselines on individual-level treatment effect estimation in the presence of runtime domain corruption on benchmark datasets.


The most commonly used single feature-based anomaly detection method for the complex machinery, such as large wind power equipment, steam turbine generator sets, and reciprocating compressors, exhibits a defect of low-alarm accuracy due to the non-stationary characteristic of the vibration signals. In order to improve the accuracy of fault detection, a novel method based on the Dirichlet process mixture model (DPMM) is proposed. First, the features of the mechanical vibration signals are used to construct the feature space of the equipment. The DPMM modeling method is then applied to self-learn the probabilistic mixture model of the feature space. The normal working condition model is used as the benchmark model. The early fault detection is realized by using a precise difference measurement method based on Kullback–Leibler divergence to calculate the difference between the real-time model and the benchmark model accurately, and by comparing the calculation result with a self-learned alarm threshold. The effectiveness and the adaptability of this novel early fault detection method are verified by comparing it to the single feature-based anomaly detection method and the Gaussian mixture model (GMM)-based early fault detection method.


The immunogenicity of a novel synthetic peptide consisting of an average of 40 (Asn-Ala-Asn-Pro) repeats of the circumsporozoite protein of Plasmodium falciparum, (NANP)40, was studied in mice without using any carrier proteins. First, high titers of anti-(NANP)40 antibodies could be obtained after immunization of C57BL/6 mice. These antibodies also reacted with an extract of mosquitoes infected with P. falciparum sporozoites. C57BL/6 nu/nu mice did not produce antibodies against (NANP)40. Secondly, when 14 strains of mice with nine different H-2 haplotypes were immunized with (NANP)40 without carrier, only H-2b mice were found to produce anti-(NANP)40 antibodies, whereas all non-H-2b mice were consistently unresponsive. This response was demonstrated to be I-A-linked by using recombinant and mutant mice. I-Ab [B10.A(5R)] mice produced anti-(NANP)40 antibodies as well as H-2b inbred mice. B6CH-2bm12 I-Ab-mutant mice showed only a very low response. Third, the antibody response against (NANP)40 could be induced in nonresponder mice by immunization with the peptide coupled to a carrier protein. In view of the existence of such an exceptional H-2b restriction in the response to sporozoite synthetic peptides in mice, the triggering of peptide-specific T cell responses in humans receiving sporozoite malaria vaccines might be difficult to achieve.


Platelet rich plasma(PRP) is coming up as a novel therapy that has been utilized in dermatology ,dentistry, orthopedics and sports medicine with the view that normally platelets are the inherent  blood contents that at the time of injury reach the point of injury and secrete multiple  growth factors and induce healing process  .With this in mind recently lot of trials are going on in the field of Gynaecology including reproductive medicine regarding its applications in Gynaecology and reproductive medicine .Thus we carried out a systematic search for articles related to PRP in Gynaecology ,and reproductive medicine till  july 2019.In this review we have tried to summarize the  beneficial effects of PRP in this field.


Given the high overweight prevalence among children with a migration background in Germany, this paper describes barriers to the treatment of paediatric obesity in a specialized clinic providing services to an ethnically diverse population. In a cross-sectional mixed-method design, a two-week participant observation was followed by a cultural competence survey among the healthcare professionals employed at the clinic. The present study revealed barriers related to all categories of social actors involved in the therapy process. A major difficulty encountered by providers when working with ethnically diverse patients was the lack of mutual understanding, often associated with language barriers. Language barriers were most prevalent between providers and ethnically diverse mothers. Targeted education programs for adults (particularly women) with a migration background and cultural competence training for healthcare providers are needed in Germany. Special attention should be paid to scheduling appointments and enhancing patients' engagement in the therapy process.


Abstract Anemia is a prevalent complication in patients with cancer, both at diagnosis and during treatment, with notable negative effects on quality of life and overall prognosis. Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia in the patients and can affect almost half of patients with solid and hematologic malignancies. The pathogenesis is complex and multifactorial, including bleeding, malnutrition, medications, and inflammation resulted from cancer and cancer treatment. In fact, either absolute or functional iron deficiency can occur. Most iron deficient cancer patients present with functional iron deficiency, a condition with adequate iron storage but insufficient iron supply for erythroblasts and other iron dependent tissues. Functional iron deficiency is the result of the cancer related cytokine release, but in absolute iron deficiency iron reserves are depleted leading to similar but often more severe symptoms of inadequate iron store. Current therapeutic options in cancer anemia consist of iron administration, erythropoietic stimulating agents, and blood transfusion. The latter should be administered to a minimum, because of problems regarding risks. Here, we present a review on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical outcomes, and therapeutic options of iron deficiency as well as the effect of iron therapy on tumor progression in anemic cancer patients.


The effects of the activation of cyclic AMP-dependent Cl- current (ICl,cAMP) on cell volume were studied at various [K+]o under isosmotic conditions in guinea-pig ventricular myocytes. The area of the cell image obtained with videomicroscopy was used as an index of cell volume. I(Cl,cAMP) was activated by adrenaline (5.5 microM). Measurements of the membrane potential (Vm) were performed by the gramicidin-perforated patch-clamp method. At 5.4 mM [K+]o with low [Cl-]o, where Vm was negative to the predicted equilibrium potential of Cl- (ECl), adrenaline sizably decreased the cell area. At high [K+]o with normal [Cl-]o, where Vm was positive to ECl, adrenaline increased the cell area; at 145.4 mM [K+]o the cell area was increased to 110% of control on average (n = 22). The cells swollen in this manner shrank when [Cl-]o was reduced to a low level in the presence of adrenaline. The results indicate that the induction of Cl- influxes (outward I(Cl,cAMP)) or effluxes (inward I(Cl,cAMP)) can lead to a cell swelling or shrinkage, respectively. The addition of BaCl2 (1 mm), a blocker of K+ channels, attenuated the adrenaline-dependent cell swelling, supporting the view that Cl- fluxes must be accompanied by cofluxes of K+ ions to affect the cell volume. The adrenaline-dependent cell swelling was inhibited by antagonizing beta-adrenergic stimulation with acetylcholine or by blocking I(Cl,cAMP) channels with glibenclamide, confirming the involvement of I(Cl,cAMP) in the adrenaline response. The results show that the activation of I(Cl,cAMP) can shrink or inflate the cardiac cells under isosmotic conditions, depending on Vm and ECl.


1. A study has been made of the effects of sudden changes of temperature on the contractile vacuole of the suctorian Discophrya piriformis Guilcher. 2. A sudden increase of temperature from below 15° C. by 5° or more causes a temporary fall in the rate of output, followed by a rise to a new level higher than the original. During the depression in activity the body swells slightly. 3. The vacuolar frequency increases immediately but briefly when the temperature is raised, falls steeply when the depression sets in, and when secretion is re-established rises again to a level above the original. 4. A sudden fall in temperature causes an immediate decrease in vacuolar frequency, followed by a partial restoration. The rate of output falls rather more slowly and remains low. In several cases a small decrease in body volume was observed. 5. It is suggested that the contractile vacuole is really contractile. 6. The observations on vacuolar frequency described in this paper are interpreted in terms of an inherent vacuolar rhythm which is modified by temperature and which is partially linked with rate of secretion.


This paper presents an unsupervised Bayesian algorithm for hyperspectral image unmixing accounting for endmember variability. Each image pixel is modeled by a linear combination of random endmembers to take into account endmember variability in the image. The coefficients of this linear combination (referred to as abundances) allow the proportions of each material (endmembers) to be quantified in the image pixel. An additive noise is also considered in the proposed model generalizing the normal compositional model. The proposed Bayesian algorithm exploits spatial correlations between adjacent pixels of the image and provides spectral information by achieving a spectral unmixing. It estimates both the mean and the covariance matrix of each endmember in the image. A spatial classification is also obtained based on the estimated abundances. Simulations conducted with synthetic and real data show the potential of the proposed model and the unmixing performance for the analysis of hyperspectral images.


Since the advent of VLSI circuits capable of data rates in excess of 30 MWords/s, real time digital RF synthesis has become an interesting and viable avenue to be used with accelerators. This technique builds up RF signals from a real-time sequence of digital words with minimum use of analog components. With digital RF, hitherto not achieved agility, precision, and reproducibility for frequency and phase are now possible. This permits optimum acceleration ramp functions, subject to any desired constraints in longitudinal phase space, as given phase or voltage or acceptance, or yet another bucket quantity. Since phase fidelity is crucial with accelerator applications, a high degree of over-sampling is mandatory, posing the only actual limitation to these new techniques. However, with clock rates of more than 1 GHz, today's component technology limits the RF carrier to some 10 to about 100 MHz, depending on which signal-to-noise ratio is acceptable. This range can further be extended by means of analog up-conversion. A number of digital RF techniques have been developed at the cooler synchrotron COSY, e.g. for RF acceleration and ultraslow extraction, and were made available also for the acceleration with TSR, Heidelberg. Further possible applications are being explored.<<ETX>>


We present stellar evolutionary sequences of stars in the mass range 5–12 M☉, having solar-like initial composition. The stellar models are obtained using updated input physics, including recent rates of thermonuclear reactions. We investigate the effects of a modification of the 14N(p, γ)15O reaction rate, as suggested by recent evaluations, on the formation and extension of the blue loops encountered during the evolution of the stars in the above mass range. We find that a reduced 14N(p, γ)15O rate, as described in the text, has a striking impact on the physical conditions of burning and mixing during shell hydrogen burning when the blue loops are formed. In particular, we find that the efficiency of shell hydrogen burning is crucial for the formation of an extended blue loop. We show that a significantly reduced 14N(p, γ)15O rate affects severely the extension of the blue loops and the time spent by the star in the blue part of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram in the mass range 5–7 M☉ if the treatment of convection is based on the Schwarzschild criterion only. In this case, envelope overshooting helps to restore well-extended blue loops as supported by the observations of the Cepheid stars. If core overshooting is included during the core hydrogen and core helium burning phases, the loop formation and its properties depend on how this overshooting is treated for a given stellar mass range, as well as on its efficiency.


In a double‐blind crossover pilot study with placebo, choline chloride, the physiologic precursor of acetylcholine, was tested in six patients with cerebellar ataxia. Neither subjectively nor objectively could any statistical significant difference be demonstrated.


Let D and D' be two digraphs with the same vertex set V, and let F be a set
 of positive integers. The digraphs D and D' are hereditarily isomorphic
 whenever the (induced) subdigraphs D[X] and D'[X] are isomorphic for each
 nonempty vertex subset X. They are F-isomorphic if the subdigraphs D[X] and
 D'[X] are isomorphic for each vertex subset X with |X|? F. In this paper,
 we prove that if D and D' are two {4,n-3}-isomorphic n-vertex digraphs,
 where n ? 9, then D and D0 are hereditarily isomorphic. As a corollary, we
 obtain that given integers k and n with 4 ? k ? n-6, if D and D' are two
 {n-k}-isomorphic n-vertex digraphs, then D and D' are hereditarily
 isomorphic.


Moral framing and sentiment can affect a variety of online and offline behaviors, including donation, pro-environmental action, political engagement, and even participation in violent protests. Various computational methods in Natural Language Processing (NLP) have been used to detect moral sentiment from textual data, but in order to achieve better performances in such subjective tasks, large sets of hand-annotated training data are needed. Previous corpora annotated for moral sentiment have proven valuable, and have generated new insights both within NLP and across the social sciences, but have been limited to Twitter. To facilitate improving our understanding of the role of moral rhetoric, we present the Moral Foundations Reddit Corpus, a collection of 16,123 Reddit comments that have been curated from 12 distinct subreddits, hand-annotated by at least three trained annotators for 8 categories of moral sentiment (i.e., Care, Proportionality, Equality, Purity, Authority, Loyalty, Thin Morality, Implicit/Explicit Morality) based on the updated Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) framework. We use a range of methodologies to provide baseline moral-sentiment classification results for this new corpus, e.g., cross-domain classification and knowledge transfer.


This study was conducted to establish the reliability and validity of the Dunn, Dunn, and Price Productivity Environmental Preferences Survey (PEPS) with baccalaureate nursing students and to identify differences between subpopulations ( age, class level, sex, type of student (RN versus generic)) and students at risk. The findings have implications for nurse educators who choose teaching-learning experiences for a diverse student population.


Four-month-old sugarcane plants were subjected to low levels of nitrate, potassium, and water in sand culture to induce variable sugar levels. Leaf samples were frozen for enzyme assay at intervals of 7 or 14 days following treatment. The objective was to study interrelationships cf enzymes responsible for the synthesis and hydrolysis of sucrose, starch, and glucose phosphate. Enzymes measured included sucrose phosphorylase, starch phosphorylase, invertase, amylase, hexokinase, peroxidase, and the phosphatases hydrolyzing s-glycerophosphate, glucose-1-phosphate, and ATP. A slight but generally consistent increase of sucrose was obtained by each of the three treatments. Sucrose phosphorylase and invertase were unaffected by any of the treatments, which placed the causes of sucrose changes upon systems less closely related to sucrose level. Phosphatases and amylase were generally suppressed by every treatment. Both the high and low extremes of sucrose content were followed, after 7 or 14 days, by starch-phosphorylase changes which were inversely related to the sucrose levels. Preliminary evidence suggests that starch phosphorylase fluctuated as a result, rather than as the cause, of sucrose changes. Availability of glucose- 1-phosphate seems to have been the key factor for both the sucrose-and starch-forming systems. Periods of high amylase activity were accompanied, or followed closely by concurrently high starch-phosphorylase activity. No starch was detected in either leaf or sheath extracts. The role of amylase in cane is discussed in detail, particularly as a means of preventing the loss of glucose from pathways of active metabolism, or from sucrose formation. Hexokinase varied independently of sucrose level. The enzyme was particularly active among low-potassium plants at the periods when glucose was abnormally high.


In recent years, in political linguistics, intercultural communication, sociology and other humanities, ideologemes have been widely studied. In many studies, they are often regarded as a worldview setting, expressed in a linguistic form, as a cognitive-pragmatic tool to promote ideology, and as an effective way to influence public consciousness in political communication. In any public political speech, ideologemes are a means of categorizing the world and translating value coordinates – a certain axiological model in the public mind. Ideologemes usually convey the main ideological and value related orientations of a society. In crucial moments, ideologemes can be a tool for reshaping the public opinion and forming the "right" attitude on the part of the speaker. They are also widely used in various subcultures that try to stand out. In other words, ideologemes help form axiological categories, whose analysis is necessary when describing the mentality of a particular society and its accepted behavior patterns. This article focuses on the ideologemes of the Spanish King Felipe VI, who, like his predecessor Juan Carlos I, is the embodiment of the traditional Spanish mentality. We have analyzed the King's speeches not only from the point of view of their content, ideologically and politically speaking, but also within the pragmatic framework of the selected speeches, looking at the socio-political context and the addressee. The analysis has shown that the frequent use of ideologemes helps the leader promote the ideas of national unity, justice, sacrifice, international cooperation, etc. Due to the Catalonian separatism, the national unity narrative is widely used by the monarch and plays a very important role in modern Spain. With the help of ideologemes, taking into account the multicultural Spanish society, which was deeply fractured, the King conveys ideas about (a) the political foundations of the state, (b) basic values, (c) the national character, and (d) the current socio-political situation in Spain. On the international stage, the main functions of ideologemes are (a) to proclaim the need for international cooperation, (b) to create a positive political image of Spain as a reliable partner, and (c) to declare commitment to the basic principles of democracy.


In recent years, several studies have used the measurement of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) as a marker of early atherosclerosis: IMT has been shown to correlate significantly with the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and to predict fatal and not fatal cerebro- and cardio-vascular events. These findings highlight the importance of recognizing and managing early stages of atherosclerosis for effective cardiovascular prevention. Beyond traditional established cardiovascular risk factors, inflammation has been shown to be crucial throughout atherosclerosis from endothelial dysfunction to plaque rupture and thrombosis. Several studies have shown the existence of a strong relation between CAD and fibrinogen or highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels and their predictive role has been examined through stratification or multivariable statistical analyses: levels of these markers of inflammation have been independently associated with the incidence of coronary events after adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Recent studies have further addressed the importance of therapeutical modulation of hs-CRP levels in high-risk patients for the prevention of vascular events. The strong relationship between hs-CRP and IMT may potentially account for the complex role of hs-CRP and IMT in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular events. However, beyond the utility of measuring markers of inflammation to assess patients with subclinical carotid atherosclerosis at higher risk of vascular events, further studies are needed to evaluate the therapeutic implications in this category of patients.


This paper aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture for qualities of life (QoL) in patients suffering from pain associated with the spine (PAWS). Acupuncture has been shown to reduce pain severity, but its effect on QoL is unknown. PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials as well as EMBASE were searched. Published randomized controlled trials on PAWS comparing acupuncture with waiting-list or sham interventions were considered. Eight out of 186 trials were included. For physical functioning, acupuncture was better than waiting-list at immediate and short-term followups; and was better than sham interventions at immediate assessment (SMD = 0.40. 95% CI 0.06 to 0.74). For mental functioning, acupuncture was better than waiting-list at short-term followup and sham interventions at intermediate-term followup (SMD = 0.27. 95% CI 0.03 to 0.51). A similar effect was observed on pain reduction. Discrepancies in point selection for relieving anxiety and insufficient training of trial acupuncturists were also identified. Acupuncture has a moderate effect on the improvement of physical functioning and pain for PAWS patients in the short term; but the effect for mental functioning is small and delayed. Future trials should address point selection and consistency in the qualifications of trial acupuncturists.


This study seeks to build an explanation of the multiple meanings of resilience in a social work context, centralising the interplay between human agency (meaning-making, motivations and intentionality) and social structures (enduring patterns, social rules, norms and laws). Specifically, this research provides insight into how care-experienced people (aged 17–50 years old) and social workers and affiliated practitioners in England make sense of 'resilience' and 'resilient' behaviours. Critical realist informed grounded theory (CRGT) provides unique opportunities here, with critical realist's primacy of ontology as the starting point and grounded theory providing the epistemological force, contextualising research and imbedding this more firmly into practice. Drawing on the four stages of retroductive argumentation proposed by Kempster and Parry (2014) and developed by us, we identify a number of key themes, namely, 'Having/Building an Ability' – 'Rocky Road' and 'Brick Walls' – Resilience as Resistance – 'Compliance', as well as causal factors impacting upon the themes (such as traumatic life experiences, protective factors, external support systems, political agendas, structure-agency relationships and stigma, discrimination and marginalisation). The research highlights how multiple causal mechanisms, including interpretations of situations by individuals (in this case care-experienced individuals and social workers/affiliated practitioners) interact and generate multiple meaning in relation to process and outcomes of resilience. The research thus provides insight into deeply embedded interpretations of resilience, which should be viewed in light of the stratified non-linear dynamics of embodied experiences, material/institutional forces and social relationships, that co-constitute subjectivity, as well as having an ongoing influence on body–brain systems.


BACKGROUND
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is frequently diagnosed at late stages when curative treatments are no more appliable. Many studies have proved the active role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancers' biology; here, the functional role of lncRNA NCK1-AS1 in HCC was identified.

METHODS
Gene expression in tumor tissues of HCC was evaluated by examining online databases and 88 collected HCC samples from our hospital. The interactions of miR-22-3p with NCK1-AS1 and tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (YARS) were tested by conducting bioinformatics analysis, luciferase report, and RNA pulldown experiments. CCK-8, colony formation, flow cytometry, wound healing, transwell experiments were used to dissect the role of the NCK1-AS1/miR-22-3p/YARS axis in HCC.

RESULTS
NCK1-AS1 was overexpressed in HCC cells and tissues. Functional assays depicted that depletion of NCK1-AS1 hampered malignant character of HCC cells. NCK1-AS1 controlled the availability of miR-22-3p, resulting in YARS upregulation. YARS was found to have a clinical value for HCC diagnosis. Moreover, rescue experiments revealed that miR-22-3p inhibition or YARS overexpression partially blocked the function of NCK1-AS1 deficiency in HCC cells. As for the downstream signaling pathway, we discovered that NCK1-AS1 activated PI3K/AKT signaling by the miR-22-3p/YARS axis.

CONCLUSION
The present study verified that NCK1-AS1 could promote HCC progression via the miR-22-3p/YARS axis to activate PI3K/AKT signaling.


There has been a paradigm shift in the way how organizations are moving towards enterpriselevel adoption of Rich Internet Applications and Platforms with the evolution of internet. Earlier the webpages were more of static content and involved lot of traversing through pages to complete a transaction, now the web applications are very much dynamic, interactive and help the user complete the same transaction in a few clicks. In the near term, such adoption will favor The deployment of Rich Internet Applications and technologies added more twist to these changing terrains by providing desktop like features, sandbox security and many more capabilities there by creating an integrated rich user experience where most of the business users want to access their RIA applications on Mobile and tablet devices. This paper also presents key trends to understand the evolution of different RIA technologies and also harness the power of RIA in creating an interactive and converging user experience across domains and industries.


Summary: Poland's syndrome is a rare congenital disorder that is characterized by hypoplasia of the pectoralis muscles and ipsilateral webbing of the fingers. The name of this condition pays homage to Dr. Alfred Poland of Guy's Hospital, who in 1841 described a case of these two deformities during the autopsy of a 27-year-old convict. An exploration of the historical series reveals a clear progression of knowledge about this syndrome, accumulated by scientists across Europe and America. As such, the name "Poland's syndrome" stands as a point of contention to those who oppose the injudicious use of eponyms in medicine. An analysis of the relevant literature reveals a stepwise understanding of what has come to be known as Poland's syndrome.


BackgroundDeaths certification remains a challenge mostly in the low-resources countries which results in poor availability and incompleteness of vital statistics. In such sceneries, public health and developmental policies concerning the burden of diseases are limited in their derivation and application. The study aimed at developing and evaluating appropriate cause-specific mortality risk scores using Verbal Autopsy (VA) data. MethodsA logistic regression model was used to identify independent predictors of NCDs, AIDS/TB, and CDs specific causes of death. Risk scores were derived using a point scoring system. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to validate the models by matching the number of reported deaths to the number of deaths predicted by the models. ResultsThe models provided accurate prediction results with sensitivities of 86%, 46%, and 40% and false-positive error rates of 44%, 11%, and 12% for NCDs, AIDS/TB, and CDs respectively. ConclusionThis study has shown that, in low- and medium-income countries, simple risk scores using information collected using verbal autopsy questionnaire could be adequately used to assign causes of death for Non-Communicable Diseases and AIDS/TB


The cercozoan amoeba Paulinella chromatophora contains photosynthetic organelles - termed chromatophores - that evolved from a cyanobacterium ∼100 million years ago, independently from plastids in plants and algae. Despite its more recent origin, at least one third of the chromatophore proteome consists of nucleus-encoded proteins that are imported by an unknown mechanism across the chromatophore double envelope membranes. Chromatophore-targeted proteins fall into two classes. Proteins exceeding 250 amino acids carry a conserved N-terminal sequence extension, termed the 'chromatophore transit peptide' (crTP), that is presumably involved in guiding these proteins into the chromatophore. Short imported proteins do not carry discernable targeting signals. To explore whether the import of protein is accompanied by their N-terminal processing, here we used a mass spectrometry-based approach to determine protein N-termini in Paulinella chromatophora and identified N-termini of 208 chromatophore-localized proteins. Our study revealed extensive N-terminal modifications by acetylation and proteolytic processing in both, the nucleus and chromatophore-encoded fraction of the chromatophore proteome. Mature N-termini of 37 crTP-carrying proteins were identified, of which 30 were cleaved in a common processing region. Our results imply that the crTP mediates trafficking through the Golgi, is bipartite and surprisingly only the N-terminal third ('part 1') becomes cleaved upon import, whereas the rest ('part 2') remains at the mature proteins. In contrast, short imported proteins remain largely unprocessed. Finally, this work sheds light on N-terminal processing of proteins encoded in an evolutionary-early-stage photosynthetic organelle and suggests host-derived post-translationally acting factors involved in dynamic regulation of the chromatophore-encoded chromatophore proteome. One sentence summary Proteins targeted to the evolutionary-early-stage photosynthetic organelle of Paulinella carry a bipartite N-terminal targeting sequence that is only partially removed upon protein import.


Introduction: A high number of emergency (999) calls are made for older people who fall, with many patients not subsequently conveyed to hospital. Ambulance crews do not generally have protocols or training to leave people at home, and systems for referral are rare. The quality and safety of current practice is explored in this study, in which for the first time, the short-term outcomes of older people left at home by emergency ambulance crews after a fall are described. Results will inform the development of care for this population. Methods: Emergency ambulance data in London were analysed for patterns of attendance and call outcomes in 2003–4. All older people who were attended by emergency ambulance staff after a fall in September and October 2003, within three London areas, were identified. Those who were not conveyed to hospital were followed up; healthcare contacts and deaths within the following 2 weeks were identified. Results: During 2003–4, 8% of all 999 calls in London were for older people who had fallen (n = 60 064), with 40% not then conveyed to hospital. Of 2151 emergency calls attended in the study areas during September and October 2003, 534 were for people aged ⩾65 who had fallen. Of these, 194 (36.3%) were left at home. 86 (49%) people made healthcare contacts within the 2-week follow-up period, with 83 (47%) people calling 999 again at least once. There was an increased risk of death (standard mortality ratio 5.4) and of hospital admission (4.7) compared with the general population of the same age in London. Comment: The rate of subsequent emergency healthcare contacts and increased risk of death and hospitalisation for older people who fall and who are left at home after a 999 call are alarming. Further research is needed to explore appropriate models for delivery of care for this vulnerable group.


Abstract. Knowledge‐intensive services are seen to have an increased importance for learning and innovation activity in a more knowledge‐based economy. This paper compares the relevance of two complementary approaches as analytical tools in studying the exchange of knowledge‐intensive services in innovation processes. The first approach focuses on the importance of expert knowledge from companies in the KIBS (knowledge‐intensive business services) sector as input in innovation processes. The other approach focuses on the role of knowledge‐intensive service activities (KISA) in innovation processes. The latter approach regards a wider set of players as potentially important knowledge‐intensive service providers than just KIBS firms, it focuses on knowledge exchange beyond market relations, and it emphasizes the mix and match of internal and external knowledge‐intensive services. This paper analyses the relevance of the two approaches by studying the use of knowledge‐intensive services in two Norwegian industries dominated by different knowledge bases, that is, the aquaculture and the software industry, respectively. Empirical studies in the two industries demonstrate that the KISA approach certainly brings new elements into the investigation of the role of knowledge‐intensive services in innovation activity. The approach focuses on how knowledge exchange occurs (in static or dynamic ways), and how it relates to firms' own innovation processes. However, innovation studies can also benefit from differentiating more between different types of firms, for example, firms in different phases of their life cycle.


The hydrodynamic performance of Backward Bent Duct Buoy (BBDB), a floating-type wave energy converter, was evaluated in the time-domain simulation by using a two-dimensional fully-nonlinear numerical wave tank (NWT) technique. The developed NWT was based on potential theory, boundary element method with constant panels, and the mixed Eulerian-Lagrangian (MEL) approach to capture the nonlinear free-surfaces. The viscous damping at the chamber entrance due to oscillating water column and the shape of body causing generation of vortex shedding were modeled and applied to the free surface boundary condition inside the chamber. The calculated surface elevations inside the chamber with open chamber condition were compared with experimental data to select a proper viscous damping coefficient. Then, the surface elevations with a tuned viscous damping coefficient were calculated for various wave conditions. The results of linear and nonlinear time-domain simulation with two different corner-shaped BBDBs were compared to investigate the mean drift force of BBDB. Energy conservation in the computational domain was checked for all cases.© 2012 ASME


BACKGROUND
Judging whether a youth is at risk for suicide-related behavior (SRB) is considered an extremely challenging task. There are only few studies of helpline counselors, and little is known about their ability to accurately determine the level of risk for SRB.

AIMS
To examine whether helpline counselors can agree on judgments of risk for SRB, and whether their judgments are consistent with youths' actual behavior in a 6-month period following intake.

METHODS
34 helpline counselors, recruited from three helplines, were studied. Information was collected on their judgments of risk for SRB for each of 45 youths over a 6-month period following initial intake.

RESULTS
Contrary to expectations, the counselors had a high rate of agreement (k = .56), and their risk judgments could be used quite successfully (80.0% correct classification) in identifying youths who later engaged in SRB.

CONCLUSIONS
Unlike most other groups represented in the decision-making literature, helpline counselors agree and are accurate in their judgments of risk for SRB. Our findings suggest that it might be beneficial to apply some of the procedures used to train helpline clinicians to other types of clinicians. Further studies of helpline clinicians are suggested.


Understanding changes in urban vegetation is essential for ensuring sustainable and healthy cities, mitigating disturbances due to climate change, sustaining urban biodiversity, and supporting human health and wellbeing. This study investigates and describes the distribution and dynamic changes in urban vegetation over a 15-year period in Greater Melbourne, Australia. The study investigates how vegetation cover across Melbourne has changed at five-yearly intervals from 2001 to 2016 using the newly proposed dynamic change approach that extends the net change approach to quantify the amount of vegetation gain as well as loss. We examine this question at two spatial resolutions: (1) at the municipal landscape scale to capture broadscale change regardless of land tenure; and (2) at the scale of designated public open spaces within the municipalities to investigate the extent to which the loss of vegetation has occurred on lands that are intended to provide public access to vegetated areas in the city. Vegetation was quantified at four different times (2001, 2006, 2011, 2016), using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Dynamic changes of gain and loss in urban vegetation between the three periods were quantified for six local government areas (LGAs) and their associated public open spaces using a change matrix. The results showed an overall net loss of 64.5 square kilometres of urban vegetation from 2001 to 2016 in six LGAs. When extrapolated to the Greater Melbourne Area, this is approximately equivalent to 109 times the size of Central Park in New York City.


To investigate the morphological variations 12 morphometric and 11 meristic characters were studied for 100 individuals of the same age of traditional strain GIFT (5th generation) and recently developed 11th generation strain (GIFU) of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. No significant difference was found between total length and other body measurements at 5% level. However, GIFU showed faster linear growth on body depth, maximum body circumference and minimum body circumference where GIFT showed faster linear growth on standard length and head length. On meristic characters, notable variations were observed in case of scale above and below the lateral line, where GIFU individuals showed greater number of scales in both cases. The total length and body weight relationship of both the strains were found to be straight line in logarithmic scales. The mean values of condition factor (K) have been found to be 1.671 for GIFT and 1.711 for GIFU and the mean values of relative condition factor (Kn) were 1.001 and 1.002 for GIFT and GIFU respectively. Findings of the present study suggested the variability of strain GIFU and GIFT in some important parameters.


The "Belt and Road" Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, is an audacious economic and geopolitical project aimed at expanding and strengthening regional cooperation in the Eurasian context and in the Pacific and Indian Ocean basins. The project has two axes: land and sea, respectively the Economic Belt of the Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road in the 21st century. This Initiative provides an opportunity to analyze the context of China's foreign policy and the strategies established to achieve its long-term goals such as its "peaceful development", the creation of a multipolar world order and the reaffirmation of "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence ", means with which it seeks to build a new model of relationship between great powers that helps overcome a supposed inevitability of the "Thucydides Trap". For this, this article is divided in three sections, besides theintroduction and the concluding remarks. In the first section, we will seek to raise some ground on the historical foundations of China's current foreign policy formulation. In the second section, we will discuss the evolution of Chinese foreign policy by analyzing the documents and statements of its leaders since 1978, when the "Reform and Openness" process begins. Finally, we will look at the Belt and Road Initiative as an example of how in practice China seeks to create the means to reaffirm its pacifist and inclusive intentions in a rather troubled geopolitical context.


The instabilities in a two parallel channel forced-convection boiling upward flow system have been investigated using Freon-11 as the test fluid. Two major modes of oscillations, similar to those encountered in single channel boiling flows, have been identified. The first, the density-wave mode, occurs with relatively high exit vapor fractions for one or both of the channels, and also when the working fluid is completely evaporated and superheated. The second, the pressure-drop mode, occurs when the pressure drop across the test section decreases with increasing flow rate and the exit vapor fraction for one of the channels is low. Whenever both of the criteria are met, the two modes of oscillation are found to be superimposed on each other. The system could be stabilized by introducing pressure drop(s) at heater inlet(s) of either channel or both channels. An analytical study has been made of the pressure-drop oscillations by linearizing the governing equations and using Routh's criterion. The conditions for occurrence of these oscillations are predicted by the theoretical analysis.


Clinical study findings of recent years support the notion that patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) should be treated earlier and more aggressively. Monotherapy with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) is effective in some cases, but triple DMARD therapy is superior to double therapy or monotherapy in early or late RA. Leflunomide is at least as effective as methotrexate (MTX) and sulfasalazine and more effective than placebo.


The study of diversity and distribution of spiders was carried out at Obafemi Awolowo University, Southwestern Nigeria, in wet and dry seasons between October 2012 and April 2014. Spiders were collected from five different sampling sites in the study area: cultivated land, open field, hill area, house dwelling and aquatic habitat. We found 1824 individuals belonging to 19 different spider families in the study area. 9 families of spiders were present in the hill habitat; 12 families of spiders were present in the open field habitat; 6 families of spiders were present in house habitat; 9 families of spider were present in aquatic habitat. All the 19 families of spiders were present in cultivated habitat. Therefore, cultivated habitat hosted the largest number of spider families in the area of study while house dwellers hosted the least number of spider families. Spiders are evenly distributed among the five habitats in this study and the fifth habitat, teaching and research farm representing cultivated area has the highest distribution of spider species. All the species recorded in Southwestern Nigeria were found in this habitat. In conclusion, 19 different spider families are recorded in Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, during this study. These have enriched the collection of spider in Natural History Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, Southwestern Nigeria.


With the development of information technology, the cloud computing service has become a new paradigm for the business and industry. In a cloud computing environment, the computer network (CN) can be constructed as a multistate network with several possible states due to failure, partial failure, or maintenance of edges (physical lines) and nodes (switches or routers). In order to guarantee the CN retains a good quality of service, the maintenance action is needed to be taken while the CN falls to a specific state such that it cannot provide sufficient capacity to meet clients' demand. This paper proposes a performance indicator, the maintenance reliability, to evaluate the capability that a CN can send d units of data from the cloud to the client through multiple minimal paths under both the maintenance budget and time constraints. An adjusting procedure based on the branch-and-bound approach is developed to evaluate the performance indicator. According to different maintenance budgets and the corresponding maintenance reliabilities, the system supervisor could determine a reasonable maintenance budget to maintain the CN for retaining a good quality level.


Depth-area-duration (DAD) analysis has been used in a lot of papers about temporal and spatial distribution of heavy rainfall for long years. In this paper, similar analytical method is used in order to clarify characteristics of temporal and spatial distribution of scarce precipitation that is main cause of drought. First, normalized precipitation by mean annual rainfall is defined. Next, depth-duration curve that is linear approximation is obtained. By this approximation and the result of depth-area analysis, DAD curve that represents fairly the data is obtained. Furthermore, the seriousness of drought is evaluated statistically by the similar method as drought-duration curve method.


The burden of death and disability attributable to lack of access to surgical care for traumatic injuries, as well as of nontraumatic chronic conditions and soft tissue and bone infections, falls most heavily on people in lowand middle-income countries (LMICs) (Ozgediz and others 2008; Spiegel and others 2008). Human and technical capacities are insufficient to address the existing burden of injuries in these countries. Selected surgical interventions for trauma have proven costeffective in these settings, and innovative low-cost programs and interventions have improved trauma care outcomes at individual hospitals. It is critical that LMICs create or strengthen existing trauma systems to improve outcomes. Identifying effective and cost-effective interventions and strategies to inform the future direction of these resource-challenged countries is an essential step in this process. The chapter on surgery in the Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries, second edition (DCP2) (Jamison and others 2006) exposed the scarcity of relevant evidence on outcomes, effectiveness, and costeffectiveness in the literature from the developing world; unfortunately, this situation has improved only mildly. Although some interventions and strategies have been identified (Tollefson and Larrabee 2012), deficiencies in both the quantity and the quality of data remain glaring (Vos 2009). This chapter addresses the surgical aspects of care for these conditions. It presents available epidemiological data, as well as data on systematic approaches to trauma and interventions in specific anatomic areas.


Prof. Burnett opens his article with a retrospective glance at recent air-age educa tion, and makes a plea that education for the atomic age will not duplicate some of the shortcomings committed in the previous effort. He then discusses the charac teristics of the atomic age, including both its social implications, as well as the threats and promises it offers along more purely scientific lines.Turning then to the responsibilities of modern science teachers, the writer dis cusses them in terms of the knowledge which he must assimilate and organize and the general education which he must pass on to all his pupils. The article is concluded with a list of major teaching objectives for literacy in the atomic age, including the principles which pupils should know, the skills which they should possess, and the behaviors which they should exhibit if the objectives of education for the atomic age are to be realized.


Vertical deceleration injuries represent a distinct form of urban blunt trauma. We reviewed 161 adult patients, admitted over 36 months, who jumped or fell from a height of one to seven stories and survived emergency department resuscitation. Charts and radiographs were analyzed to identify common injuries, complications, and causes of death. Those who fell five or more stories had a mean ISS of 41, for a predicted survival of 50% but actual survival of 83%. Virtually all these patients had multiple fractures. Sixty per cent of them presented in shock, yet more than two thirds had angiographically demonstrated retroperitoneal hemorrhage as their major source of bleeding. Thirteen patients had significant intra-abdominal injuries, with only one associated with major hemorrhage. Utilizing early diagnostic peritoneal lavage, ten of 13 patients explored had a therapeutic laparotomy. Hollow viscus perforations accounted for about one half of the abdominal injuries, including three duodenal injuries. Conclusions. 1) Patients who present in shock after falls from height are much more likely to be bleeding from retroperitoneal than intraperitoneal sources. 2) Early tap and lavage followed by emergency angiography and transcatheter embolization is the treatment of choice in this group of patients. 3) Although these patients often have multiple complex injuries, the prognosis for long-term survival is good. Therefore, we advocate early aggressive operation stabilization of fractures to permit patient mobilization, facilitate pulmonary toilet and nursing care, and to decrease long-term disability.


We present the design and evaluation of a novel low-cost palpation probe for Robot assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery (RMIS) for localizing subcutaneous blood vessels. It measures probe tip deflection using a Hall Effect sensor as the spherical tip is moved tangentially across a surface under automated control. The probe is intended to be single-use and disposable, built from 3D printed parts and commercially available electronics. The prototype has a cross-section of less than 15mm×10mm and fits on the end of an 8mm diameter needle driver in the Intuitive Surgical da Vinci® Research Kit (dVRK). We report experiments for quasi-static sliding palpation with silicone based tissue phantoms with embedded cylinders as subcutaneous blood vessel phantoms. We analyzed signal-to-noise ratios with multiple diameters of silicone cylinders (1.58-4.75 mm) at varying subcutaneous depths (1-5 mm) with a range of indentation depths (0-8 mm) and sliding speeds (0.5-21 mm/s). Results suggest that the probe can detect subcutaneous structures in phantoms of diameter 2.25 mm at a depth of up to 5mm below the tissue surface.


Resistance to imatinib (Gleevec®) in cancer cells is frequently because of acquired point mutations in the kinase domain of BCR-ABL. Ponatinib, also known as AP24534, is an oral multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), and it has been investigated in a pivotal phase 2 clinical trial. The histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid) has been evaluated for its significant clinical activity in hematological malignancies. Thus, treatments combining ABL TKIs with additional drugs may be a promising strategy in the treatment of leukemia. In the current study, we analyzed the efficacy of ponatinib and vorinostat treatment by using BCR-ABL-positive cell lines. Treatment with ponatinib for 72 h inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in K562 cells in a dose-dependent manner. We found that ponatinib potently inhibited the growth of Ba/F3 cells ectopically expressing BCR-ABL T315I mutation. Upon BCR-ABL phosphorylation, Crk-L was decreased, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was activated in a dose-dependent manner. Combined treatment of Ba/F3 T315I mutant cells with vorinostat and ponatinib resulted in significantly increased cytotoxicity. Additionally, the intracellular signaling of ponatinib and vorinostat was examined. Caspase 3 and PARP activation increased after combination treatment with ponatinib and vorinostat. Moreover, an increase in the phosphorylation levels of γH2A.X was observed. Previously established ponatinib-resistant Ba/F3 cells were also resistant to imatinib, nilotinib, and dasatinib. We investigated the difference in the efficacy of ponatinib and vorinostat by using ponatinib-resistant Ba/F3 cells. Combined treatment of ponatinib-resistant cells with ponatinib and vorinostat caused a significant increase in cytotoxicity. Thus, combined administration of ponatinib and vorinostat may be a powerful strategy against BCR-ABL mutant cells and could enhance the cytotoxic effects of ponatinib in those BCR-ABL mutant cells.


Background and Aims: Increasing the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the internal jugular vein (IJV) improves the success rate of cannulation and decreases complications. Application of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) may increase the CSA of IJV beyond that achieved in Trendelenburg position. However, the optimum PEEP to achieve maximal increase in CSA of IJV and the effect of PEEP on IJV and CA relationship is not known. Methods: In this prospective, blinded, randomised controlled study, 120 anesthetised paralysed patients of the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical Status I–II were placed in 20° Trendelenburg position. Patients were randomised into four groups as follows: PEEP of 0, 5, 10 and 15 cmH2O. CSA, anteroposterior (AP) diameter and transverse diameter (Td) of IJV and overlapping of IJV with CA were assessed using two-dimensional ultrasound. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS version 21.0 software using Chi-square/Fisher's exact test (categorical data) and analysis of variance (continuous data) tests and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There was significant increase in AP diameter, CSA and Td with the application of PEEP 10–15 cmH2O. Increase in CSA up to 25% with PEEP 10 and 44% with PEEP 15 was noted. There was a significant decrease in the overlapping of the internal CA with an increase in PEEP. It ranged from 21% at P0 to 17% P15. Conclusion: Application of PEEP 10–15 cmH2O in Trendelenburg position significantly increased CSA and AP diameter of IJV and decreased CA overlap of IJV in anesthetised paralysed patients.


Lymphocytes have been described to perform different motility patterns such as Brownian random walks, persistent random walks, and Lévy walks. Depending on the conditions, such as confinement or the distribution of target cells, either Brownian or Lévy walks lead to more efficient interaction with the targets. The diversity of these motility patterns may be explained by an adaptive response to the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM). Indeed, depending on the ECM composition, lymphocytes either display a floating motion without attaching to the ECM, or sliding and stepping motion with respectively continuous or discontinuous attachment to the ECM, or pivoting behaviour with sustained attachment to the ECM. Moreover, on the long term, lymphocytes either perform a persistent random walk or a Brownian-like movement depending on the ECM composition. How the ECM affects cell motility is still incompletely understood. Here, we integrate essential mechanistic details of the lymphocyte-matrix adhesions and lymphocyte intrinsic cytoskeletal induced cell propulsion into a Cellular Potts model (CPM). We show that the combination of de novo cell-matrix adhesion formation, adhesion growth and shrinkage, adhesion rupture, and feedback of adhesions onto cell propulsion recapitulates multiple lymphocyte behaviours, for different lymphocyte subsets and various substrates. With an increasing attachment area and increased adhesion strength, the cells' speed and persistence decreases. Additionally, the model can predict short-term persistent with long-term subdiffusive motility, showing a pivoting motion. For small adhesion areas, we observe that the spatial distribution of adhesions influences cell motility. Small adhesions at the front allow for more persistent motion than larger clusters at the back, despite a similar total adhesion area. In conclusion, we present an integrated framework to simulate the effects of ECM proteins on cell-matrix adhesion dynamics. The model reveals a sufficient set of principles explaining the plasticity of lymphocyte motility. Author summary During immunosurveillance, lymphocytes patrol through tissues to interact with cancer cells, other immune cells, and pathogens. The efficiency of this process depends on the kinds of trajectories taken, ranging from simple Brownian walks to Lévy walks. The composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM), a network of macromolecules, affects the formation of cell-matrix adhesions, thus strongly influencing the way lymphocytes move. Here, we present a model of lymphocyte motility driven by adhesions that grow, shrink and rupture in response to the ECM and cellular forces. Compared to other models, our model is computationally light making it suitable for generating long term cell track data, while still capturing actin dynamics and adhesion turnover. Our model suggests that cell motility is affected by the force required to break adhesions and the rate at which new adhesions form. Adhesions can promote cell protrusion by inhibiting retrograde actin flow. After introducing this effect into the model, we found that it reduces the cellular diffusivity and that it promotes stick-slip behaviour. Furthermore, location and size of adhesion clusters determined cell persistence. Overall, our model explains the plasticity of lymphocyte behaviour in response to the ECM.


Introduction: Cell-based assays using three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures may reflect the antitumor activity of compounds more accurately, since these models reproduce the tumor microenvironment better. Methods: Here, we report a comparative analysis of cell behavior in the two most widely employed methods for 3D spheroid culture, forced floating (Ultra-low Attachment, ULA, plates), and hanging drop (HD) methods, using the RT4 human bladder cancer cell line as a model. The morphology parameters and growth/metabolism of the spheroids generated were first characterized, using four different cell-seeding concentrations (0.5, 1.25, 2.5, and 3.75 × 104 cells/mL), and then, subjected to drug resistance evaluation. Results: Both methods generated spheroids with a smooth surface and round shape in a spheroidization time of about 48 h, regardless of the cell-seeding concentration used. Reduced cell growth and metabolism was observed in 3D cultures compared to two-dimensional (2D) cultures. The optimal range of spheroid diameter (300–500 μm) was obtained using cultures initiated with 0.5 and 1.25 × 104 cells/mL for the ULA method and 2.5 and 3.75 × 104 cells/mL for the HD method. RT4 cells cultured under 3D conditions also exhibited a higher resistance to doxorubicin (IC50 of 1.00 and 0.83 μg/mL for the ULA and HD methods, respectively) compared to 2D cultures (IC50 ranging from 0.39 to 0.43). Conclusions: Comparing the results, we concluded that the forced floating method using ULA plates was considered more suitable and straightforward to generate RT4 spheroids for drug screening/cytotoxicity assays. The results presented here also contribute to the improvement in the standardization of the 3D cultures required for widespread application.


BACKGROUND: Shared decision-making (SDM) is an approach to enable patient-centeredness and tailored treatment pathways, within the perioperative setting. This could bene�t frail and elderly patients, who suffer from multiple health issues and increased surgical vulnerability and postoperative complications, requiring individualized healthcare. However, little is known about facilitators and barriers to implementing SDM into clinical practice for the speci�c requirements of frail and elderly patients. The objective is to gain a comprehensive overview of original studies on facilitators and barriers to SDM perceived by clinical healthcare personnel and patients to SDM within the perioperative setting. Our aim is twofold: First, we aim at collecting and understanding facilitators and barriers regarding SDM addressed by elderly and frail patients and clinical healthcare personnel. Second, we aim at understanding the underlying approaches and methods employed in respective studies. METHODS: We conduct a scoping literature review, based on the databases MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science and report results with PRISMA-ScR. We follow the methodological framework developed by Arksey and O'Malley and the recommendations by the Joanna Briggs Institute. Restrictions relate to language: only English, French, and German language articles are considered. We developed a data charting template to organize the data extraction. We decided to conduct a scoping review to better understand key concepts and the implementation of SDM and to identify the evidence for barriers and facilitators of SDM as perceived by patients and clinical healthcare personnel. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, this is the �rst scoping review to address SDM for elderly and frail patients within the perioperative setting. A preliminary search has been conducted. After removing all duplicates, we found 984 results. We assessed that a su�cient body of literature exists to conduct this scoping review. The scoping review will provide a map of the research on facilitators and barriers perceived by clinical healthcare personnel and patients regarding SDM for perioperative care. The results are meant to support researchers and clinical healthcare personnel, in determining further research initiatives and the implementation of SDM within perioperative care for elderly and frail patients. Research gaps and future directions will be addressed in the forthcoming review. Registration:


The flow-induced translocation of polymer chains through a microfluidic channel is investigated using particle-based Dissipative Particle Dynamics and modified Langevin Dynamics approaches. Adaptive noslip wall boundary conditions have been implemented to model fluid flow in the microfluidic channel, paying attention to controlling fluid density fluctuations. By varying the magnitude of the external body force driving the flow, an extensive simulation study of the dynamics of flow-induced translocation of polymers with and without considering hydrodynamic interactions (HIs) was performed. The results show that the HIs can increase the translocation probability and reduce the translocation time. In addition, the results also demonstrate that the solid wall interfacial property exerts a considerable influence on the dynamics of polymer translocation, i.e., an attractive interaction between the solid wall and the polymer increases the translocation time, whereas a repulsive interaction decreases it. 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


Sustainable development of natural resources calls for utilizing these resources based on their potential and limitations. A remote sensing and geographic information system-based approach for the sustainable development of land and water resources has been developed. The approach involves the extraction of information on soils, water resources (both surface and ground water) and land use/cover from the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS-1A/1B) satellite's Linear Imaging Self-scanning Sensor (LISS-II) data, together with terrain and other information from ancillary sources, and integrating them with the social, cultural and economic needs of the people, and using a GIS as a tool. The integration helps in the generation of an action plan identifying specific interventions in a watershed based on contemporary technology, in consultation not only with scientific specialists in agriculture, horticulture, water resources, land use, forestry and soil conservation, but also with social scientists, non-governmental organizations and beneficiary farmers in the watershed. The early results of the implementation of action plans in some selected watersheds have been rewarding in that positive trends in slowing down land degradation, raising groundwater levels and greening of wastelands have been noticed. The paper concludes that, for sustainable development, a holistic and systemic approach is essential that takes into account analysis of multiple objectives, impact and risk analysis, and decision-making at the grass-roots level. Remote-sensing data plays a crucial and integral role in this endeavour.


Male sexual dysfunction involves sexual desire disorder, penile erection disorder, insertion disorder, and ejaculation disorder according to the process of sexual activity, among which, erection disorder, premature ejaculation, hypoactive sexual desire and other related diseases are very common. Oxytocin is a neuroendocrine hormone and benefits childbirth and breastfeeding. Recent studies show that oxytocin can induce penile erection in multiple brain regions, nasal administration of oxytocin can increase sexual desire, and there is a certain correlation between oxytocin and premature ejaculation, all indicating the potential value of the studies on the correlation of oxytocin and male sexual function. This review focuses on the role of oxytocin in male erection, ejaculation/premature ejaculation and sexual desire, as well as the specific brain regions involved and the action mechanisms of oxytocin.


Mints are perennial aromatic herbs used both for medicinal and aromatic purposes. Flora of Pakistan has reported six species of genus Mentha. Taxonomy of genus Mentha is more complex and confusing due to inter specific hybridization. The present research is the first documented report from Pakistan for the purpose to dissect Mentha specimens using molecular tools. A total of 17 SCoT and SSR markers used to dissect genetic diversity among 41 Mentha specimens. The results revealed substantial variation among Mentha specimens. The molecular data analyzed through NTSYS and Power marker software's. Dendrogram constructed on the base of similarity coefficients generated using weighted pair group method of arithmetic means (UPGMA) recorded high level of polymorphism. Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) for molecular markers recorded in the range of 5-8. Mean genetic distance (GD) was estimated in the range from 0.35% to 100%. The minimum and maximum GD recorded in one combination each as P2-P4 and M41-P10. The present study was explored the efficiency of SCoT and SSR markers for evaluating the genetic diversity of medicinal plants. The present research was concluded that both morphological and molecular dendrogram determined considerable level of diversity among Mentha species. Furthermore, specific primers and DNA chloroplast technology could be needed for further molecular analysis to refine the data more up to varietal level.


Crown ratio (CR) is a characteristic used to describe the crown size, which is an important element of forest growth and yield. It is often used as an important predictor variable for tree-level growth equations. It indicates tree vigour and is an important habitat variable. It is often estimated using allometry. Modified versions of Logistics, Richards, Weibull and Exponential functions were used to predict CR for tree species in the Oban Division of the Cross River National Park. Systematic sampling technique was adopted in the three study sites (Aking; Ekang and Old-Netim) for plot locations. Two transects of 2km long with a distance of 600m apart were cut in each of the study sites. Four sample plots of 50m×50m were then laid alternately along each transect at 500m intervals. This procedure was repeated in the close-canopy and secondary forests in the three study sites. Forty-eight sample plots were used for the study. Tree variables (Dbh; diameter at the middle and merchantable top; crown diameter; total height; merchantable height; stem quality and crown length were measured on all the trees with Dbh>10cm. The canopy layer to which each tree belongs was noted. All the measured trees were identified. The Weibull and Exponential functions gave consistent and accurate results in almost all the canopy layers in the two forest types with R 2 ; SEE values of 0.72; 0.068 and 0.72; 0.067 respectively for the dominant canopy, 0.75; 0.075 and 0.75; 0.074 respectively for the co-dominant canopy. Exponential function produced the best fit models in the study except under intermediate canopy layer, where it was not found suitable for crown ratio predictions. However, the difference in results produced by the two functions is negligible. They are therefore recommended for crown ratio prediction studies in Oban Division of the Cross River National. Keywords : Tree-crown, predictions, functions, tree variables, canopy-layers


Extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) is a rare entity belonging to the category of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma. EMPs make up 4% of all plasma cell tumors and occur mainly in the upper aerodigestive tract (UAD). Seven patients with EMP included in this evaluation were under the authors' care and have been clinically followed since 1990. Because there are no general guidelines for the treatment of patients with EMP, the authors tried to obtain detailed data about the occurrence of this disease and also reviewed the therapies that have been used. To do so, they evaluated all EMP cases published in the medical literature until now and included their own experience.


The aroma of saffron has received much attention from scientists in recent years, not only for the compounds that make it up, but also for its glycosidic precursors. Despite it all, the volatile generation mechanisms of the spice are almost completely unknown. Only the generation of safranal, the major compound, from picrocrocin has been established. The great effort carried out to detect and identify the volatile compounds of saffron has not been enougth to clarify which compounds are responsible for saffron aroma. In general, scientists has devoted little attention to the sample analyzed, taking for granted that all saffron is the same, something that makes it difficult to establish a comparison between the results obtained by the different authors, to the point that saffron aroma has not been defined yet. It must be clarified whether saffron aroma is what the consumer perceives via nasally when a container of the spice is uncovered, or whether on the contrary, it is the aroma conferred to food, normally after a thermal cooking process, and perceived retronasally. After an extensive bibliographic research, simple assays are suggested to understand what could be considered as saffron aroma, results that may help to delimit the research for future studies.


Drawing on data from a research project that focused on the relationship between the biodiversity of grazing and food quality, this article explores the ecological dimensions of alternative food networks in the UK through the concept of 'styles of ecological engagement'. Context is provided by briefly reviewing two contrasting ways of envisaging the relationship between ecology, food and rural development in policy debates. A qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with actors at the centre of 38 alternative food networks and of associated promotional materials enables the identification of five styles of ecological engagement: ecological conserving, ecological harmonising, ecological breed enthusing, ecological localising and ecological re-cognising. The article argues that identification and discussion of these styles of ecological engagement is not only helpful in understanding the ecological heterogeneity of alternative food networks but also signals the ways in which their ecological benefits and contribution to rural development might be sustained and enhanced.


We consider a polling system where a group of an infinite number of servers visits sequentially a set of queues. When visited, each queue is attended for a random time. Arrivals at each queue follow a Poisson process, and the service time of each individual customer is drawn from a general probability distribution function. Thus, each of the queues comprising the system is, in isolation, an M/G/∞-type queue. A job that is not completed during a visit will have a new service-time requirement sampled from the service-time distribution of the corresponding queue. To the best of our knowledge, this article is the first in which an M/G/∞-type polling system is analyzed. For this polling model, we derive the probability generating function and expected value of the queue lengths and the Laplace–Stieltjes transform and expected value of the sojourn time of a customer. Moreover, we identify the policy that maximizes the throughput of the system per cycle and conclude that under the Hamiltonian-tour approach, the optimal visiting order is independent of the number of customers present at the various queues at the start of the cycle.


Background : Inadequate handoff education in prelicensure nursing programs may pose a significant latent safety risk. This pilot study evaluates a Nursing Handoff Educational Bundle (NHEB) for a cohort of Accelerated Bachelor of Science (ABS) nursing students. The Evidence-Based Bundle consists of an educational workshop, a standardized handoff format, clinical faculty education, and structured, formative evaluation of student handoffs. This study was implemented during Adult Health clinical experiences conducted at four different University-affiliated  healthcare institutions in the Northeastern United States. Methods : A pre-test, post-test design was used with a convenience sample of 28 ABS nursing students.  Fourteen students who received the NHEB were compared to a similar group (n = 14) who were not exposed.  Student handoffs were observed and rated using the Handoff Clinical Examination (CEX) tool while providing and receiving handoffs during clinical experiences. Data was obtained at the beginning and the end of a 15-week time period. Results : The provider handoff scores in the intervention group improved significantly (M = 4.64, SD = 1.3) over the comparison group change scores (M = 1.5, SD 1.34) when measured by independent samples t -test ( t = 7.33, p = .000). The handoff recipients ' scores in the intervention group also improved significantly (m = 5.5, SD = 1.01) compared to no improvement in the recipient control group (M = -0.36, SD = 1.39), ( t = 12.7, p = .000). Conclusions : Without structured handoff education, nursing students are passive recipients during handoffs and do not engage in safety communication practices. Exposure to a NHEB improves student handoff communication skills and provides an opportunity to practice evidence-based handoff skills with structured support during clinical experiences. The NHEB could be considered for incorporation into prelicensure programs. Further study using a larger sample size is recommended based on these preliminary findings. Additionally, this intervention should be evaluated in novice nurse cohorts.


Controlling non-affine nonlinear systems is a challenging problem in the control community. In this paper, an adaptive neural control approach is presented for the completely non-affine pure-feedback system with only one mild assumption. By combining adaptive neural design with input-to-state stability (ISS) analysis and the small-gain theorem, the difficulty in controlling non-affine pure-feedback system is overcome by achieving the so-called "ISS-modularity" of the controller-estimator. The ISS-modular approach provides an effective way for controlling non-affine nonlinear systems with uncertainties. Simulation studies are included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach


The reductive quenching of photoexcited photosensitizers is a very efficient way to achieve challenging reduction reactions. In this process, the excited photosensitizer is reduced by a sacrificial electron donor. This mechanism is rarely observed with copper(I) bis(diimine) complexes, which are nevertheless acknowledged as very promising photosensitizers. This is due to the fact that they are very poor photooxidants and prove unable to react with common donors once promoted in their excited state. In this article, we evidence the rare reductive quenching cycle with two specially designed copper(I) complexes. These complexes exhibit improved photooxidation power thanks to an optimized coordination sphere made of strongly π-accepting ligands. Reductive quenching of the excited state of the latter complexes with a classical benzimidazoline sacrificial donor is monitored, and reduced complexes are accumulated during prolonged photolysis. Trials to utilize the photogenerated reductive power are presented.


The electron motions inside a magnetron can be understood by dividing them into three stages. At low voltage the turbulent nature of electron motion may produce high electron temperature which, in turn, causes both violation of Hull's cutoff condition and back bombardment of the cathode. As the voltage reaches such a value that the average back bombarding energy makes the coefficient of secondary emission greater than one, a process of cyclic multiplication at the cathode surface may happen, and it has the property to transform the disorder motion into space-charge oscillation which has been repeatedly observed in smooth-bore magnetrons. When the predominating mode of the space-charge oscillation synchronizes with the π mode frequency of the cavity resonators, the magnetron oscillates.


The ATLAS and CMS collaborations reported the first signal of Lepton Flavor Violating (LFV) Higgs decay into τ and µ leptons. Standard Model forbids such processes at the renormalizable level because of lepton flavor symmetry. On the other hand, many extensions of the Standard Model do not exhibit such a symmetry and the models beyond the Standard Model (BSM) yield such processes. Hence, any signal for LFV processes can be interpreted as a direct probe for the BSM models. In this work, we consider LFV Higgs boson decays in a class of supersymmetric models including minimal supersymmetric extension of the SM (MSSM), Supersymmetric Type I Seesaw, and U(1)B−L extended MSSM supplied with the inverse seesaw mechanism for non-zero neutrino masses.