We describe a 35-year-old woman with colonic phlebitis of unknown origin accompanied by effusion of serum protein into the peritoneal cavity. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography showed massive ascites and edematous wall thickness of the colon. Laboratory examination of the peritoneal fluid showed a high concentration of protein, probably due to nonselective efflux of serum protein. The main histopathological finding was extensive edema of the submucosa with vasculitis in the colon. This kind of phlebitis with massive ascites, but without systemic involvement, and with the ascitic fluid almost identical to the serum protein level, has not been reported previously.


As a result of studies the authors determined interrelation and area of application of the basic indicators of quality of career roads: rolling resistance, road pavement durability and deformability of road pavement. In the conditions of career «Yubileynyy» of «ALROSA» company and JSC «Uralasbest» the authors proposed and tested the method for estimating rolling resistance coefficient of dump trucks by consumption of diesel fuel using fuel consumption monitoring devices FMS and electronic combustion engine controllers. Authors also established close regression relationships of coefficients of rolling resistance with coefficients of road pavement durability and relative deformability of pavements. The research proves that insufficiency of pavements strength provides a good explanation for a large variation (change of 1.8...2.0-fold) and low stability over time of rolling resistance coefficient on quarry roads with the same type of coating. Obtaining a reliable assessment of the rolling resistance coefficients is possible only under the normative values of durability coefficients (k dur ≥ 0,95), which can be ensured by sealing road pavements. In order to improve quality of quarry roads and reduce their construction costs the authors propose sealing technology with the use of pit dump trucks without excluding them from the technological cycle. The technology consists in strict compliance with sealing modes by adjusting the number of passes of cars on the road width, speed and load of dump trucks. The technology was tested at the experimental site of career of JSC «Uralasbest». The article contains the developed technological regulations of sealing macadam road pavements by dump trucks with carrying capacity of 130 tons; as well as the dependences of road pavement density and durability ratio from the number of dump trucks passes over one track. 15-20 passes of car on compaction area provide the regulatory road pavement quality indicators (k dur ≥ 0,95).


One hundred and eighty-four undergraduate students participated in a discussion on common secondhand consequences of alcohol use, including concerns about personal safety and impact on living environments. Students participating in this discussion prior to completing an assessment of their support for change indicated significantly more support for education- and policy-based alcohol misuse prevention strategies than students completing the same assessment before the discussion. This easy-toimplement and brief intervention may strengthen student resolve to be more proactively involved in prevention of alcohol abuse for their campus community.


A key challenge to the effective utilization of solar energy is to promote efficient photoinduced charge transfer, specifically avoiding unproductive, circuitous electron-transfer pathways and optimizing the kinetics of charge separation and recombination. We hypothesize that one way to address this challenge is to develop a fundamental understanding of how to initiate and control directional photoinduced charge transfer, particularly for earth-abundant first-row transition-metal coordination complexes, which typically suffer from relatively short excited-state lifetimes. Here, we report a series of functionalized heteroleptic copper(I)bis(phenanthroline) complexes, which have allowed us to investigate the directionality of intramolecular photoinduced metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) as a function of the substituent Hammett parameter. Ultrafast transient absorption suggests a complicated interplay of MLCT localization and solvent interaction with the Cu(II) center of the MLCT state. This work provides a set of design principles for directional charge transfer in earth-abundant complexes and can be used to efficiently design pathways for connecting the molecular modules to catalysts or electrodes and integration into systems for light-driven catalysis.


Abstract WANG, P.; WU, T.; WANG, X., and ZHANG, Y., 2012. Novel method for in situ investigation of PAH adsorption onto mangrove leaves. A synchronous solid-surface fluorimetry (S-SSF) method combined with an optical fiber and a fluorescence spectrophotometer was established for in situ determination of anthracene and pyrene adsorbed onto Kandelia candel (L.) Druce and Aegiceras corniculatum (L.) Blanco leaves as single components and in mixture. Using the established approach, the linear dynamic ranges and detection limits for determination of anthracene and pyrene adsorbed onto the leaves of two mangrove species as single components and in mixture were investigated. The relative standard deviations were all less than 10% (n  =  6), and the experimental recoveries with S-SSF of adsorbed anthracene and pyrene on K. candel and A. corniculatum leaves as single components and in mixture were between 82.9% and 116.5%. Furthermore, with the established method, the spectroscopic behavior of anthracene adsorbed on the living K. candel leaves were studied in situ, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was also used to verify the accuracy of the S-SSF approach. The results demonstrated that in a certain period of exposure time to anthracene, the trends for quantity of adsorbed anthracene on the upper side of living K. candel leaves determined by the two methods were similar. The S-SSF approach proved to be a simple, fast, and easy method, without the necessity of sample pretreatment with a large amount of organic solvent. Therefore, the S-SSF method has great potential for use in the field, and experimental conditions were further optimized and the sensitivity of the method improved.


Oral Health Impact Profile in Edentulous (OHIP-EDENT) is an instrument that measures several aspects of oral health-related quality of life as it relates to edentulous patients. Numerous studies have shown that edentulous has an impact on an individual's quality of life. This instrument aids in detecting the impact of oral health on the quality of life of patients who wear prostheses. The purpose of this study was to develop the OHIP-EDENT in Indonesian version for edentulous patients. The questionnaire was translated into Indonesian, back-translated, pre-tested, and crossculturally adapted. The qualitative interviews were carried out of 12 subjects, 46-77 years old, with diverse levels of formal education. All subjects were undergoing complete or single complete denture treatments at Dental Hospital Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia. Since an expert committee agreed upon the original version, the questionnaire was translated, back-translated, and the outcomes of the qualitative interviews were used to finalize the revised instrument. After the pretesting, the adapted Indonesian OHIP-EDENT can be used as an instrument that is easy to use by edentulous patients undergoing complete or single denture treatments. Further analyses of the questionnaire's psychometric properties are needed to confirm its validity and reliability in target settings. Clinical article (J Int Dent Med Res 2021; 14(4): 1531-1536)


Foundations for Sustainability: A Coherent Framework of Life-Environment Relations challenges existing assumptions on environmental issues and lays the groundwork for a new paradigm, bringing a greater understanding of what is needed to help create an environmentally and economically sustainable future, which to date has been an uphill battle and not an obvious choice. The book presents the case for a paradigm based on a multi-model of life as organism, life as ecosystem, and life as biosphere, as opposed to the singular assumption that life can be viewed solely as an organism.

All backed with well-cited research from top investigators from around the world, this book is a must-have resource for anyone working in ecology, environmental science or sustainability.


On the model of musculocutaneous wound in rabbits, the effect of applicative sorption with the use of activated carbonic fibrous materials on the course of traumatic disease was studied. The total esterase activity of the blood serum, activity of alpha 1-inhibitor of proteinases, kallikrein content in the blood serum were defined. It is shown, that changes in biochemical indices are in agreement with the findings of clinical observations and outcome of traumatic disease. The use of activated carbonic fibrous material at the early period of traumatic disease contributes to its favourable course, prevents the development of complications and death of the animals from sepsis.


Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop segment was sequenced for a total of 98 individuals of domestic chicken from South Western Nigeria. Domestic chicken populations were: Anak titan (Israeli breed,n= 1), Frizzle (n= 16), Opipi (n= 5), FrizzleXOpipi (n= 5), Fulani (n= 4), Giriraja (Indian breed,n= 3), Normal (n= 55), Naked neck (n= 8), Yaffa (n= 1). The sequences of the first 397 nucleotides were used for the analysis. Seventeen haplotypes were identified in the samples, 15 for Nigerian indigenous chicken population, 1 for Giriraja and 1 for Anak titan from 23 polymorphic sites. Phylogenetic analysis shows that Nigerian indigenous and Anak titan chicken were all grouped under clade IV, while the Indian Giriraja was under clade IIIc. Clade IV had 16 haplotypes, while clade IIIc had one haplotype. AMOVA analysis indicates that 97.32% of the total sequence variation between haplotypes was present within population and 2.68% between populations. Our results suggest single multiple maternal origins for the South Western Nigerian domestic chicken.


ABSTRACT Exopolysaccharides (EPS) from the microalgae Porphyridium cruentum, Chrysotila dentata, Pavlova sp., Diacronema sp., Glossomastix sp., Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and Synechococcus sp. were isolated and depolymerized. First, EPS were submitted to a high pressure pre-treatment step, followed by a solid acid-catalyzed hydrolysis step carried out in a batch or recycle fixed-bed reactor, using a strong acidic cation-exchange resin. Twenty-eight different EPS forms were thus obtained. After characterization of their main structural features (weight- and number-averaged molecular weight, polydispersity index, sulfate and uronic acid contents), we investigated the structure–function relationship of their pro-collagen activity. We found that native microalgae EPS were able to inhibit until 27% of human matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) activity while the depolymerized forms were able to enhance collagen production by two different human fibroblast lines, used as cell models due to their major role in dermal collagen biosynthesis. The most active EPS forms, obtained by depolymerization in the recycle fixed-bed reactor of D. ennorea and Glossomastix sp. EPS, led to 390% increase in collagen production. Finally, principal component (PCA) and Pearson analyses indicated that MMP-1 inhibition was strongly correlated to the sulfate group content of EPS whereas collagen production by fibroblasts was mostly related to their proportion of low molecular weight polysaccharides (<10 kDa). Uronic acid content of EPS was also shown essential but only if the size of EPS was reduced in the first place. Altogether, these results gave new insights of the dermo-cosmetic potential of microalgae EPS as well as the key parameters of their activity.


INTRODUCTION
The pathogenic mechanisms of polyvythemia vera (PV) still remain unknown, although there is evidence that genetic parameters may play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease.

EXEGESIS
In 2005, many international research groups have identified an acquired mutation in the Janus kinase (JAK2) gene of chromosome 9; the mutation is defined by a valine-to-phenylalanine substitution at amino acid position 617 (V617F) in the JAK2's pseudokinase domain. JAK2 V617F mutation has been found in as high as 65 to 97% of patients with PV. Both in vitro and in vivo functional studies have further indicated that JAK2 V617F mutation leads to dysregulation of kinase activity, explaining, in part, clinical and biochemical features of PV.

CONCLUSION
These data suggest that JAK2 V617F mutation may be a novel diagnostic marker of PV. Moreover, JAK2 V617F mutation finding may permit promising therapeutic approaches in patients with PV, particularly tyrosine kinase inhibitors; preliminary series have, in fact, underscored the potential efficacy of imatinib mesylate in PV.


Learning Objectives: Weaning prolonged opioid infusions in the pediatric critical care setting remains problematic. Methadone is traditionally used in this population, but the potential for dosing errors is high due to the lack of a standard liquid concentration and the need to manually manipulate doses based on the desired weaning schedule. In addition, methadone's long half-life leads to complicated dose titrations and the potential for side effects and breakthrough withdrawal. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of fentanyl patches for weaning in critically ill pediatric patients. Methods: A single-center, retrospective, Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved chart review was conducted of patients under 18 years old who were treated with a fentanyl patch for weaning between July 1, 2012 to July 31, 2017. The primary end point was the rate of treatment failure defined as requiring a change from a fentanyl patch to oral methadone. The secondary endpoint was the rate of withdrawal episodes requiring treatment with shortacting opioids. Results: Seventeen patients were identified for inclusion in this study. The median duration of fentanyl infusion was 13.5 days (range 8.5–16 days) with dosing ranging from 9 to 167 mcg/hr. Among the 14 patients that had overlapping IV and transdermal fentanyl, the median overlap was 7 hours (range 5.7–12.8 hours). The median duration of transdermal fentanyl treatment was 11 days (range 2–23 days). For the primary outcome, 2 (12%) patients experienced treatment failure requiring a transition from a fentanyl patch to methadone. Of these patients, one required 13 doses of a short-acting opioid during the 53 hours leading to therapy change, and one patient did not receive breakthrough analgesia during the 124 hours of fentanyl patch therapy, with an unclear reason for therapy change. Twelve patients (71%) required breakthrough analgesia during fentanyl patch therapy, while 5 (29%) received no breakthrough medication. On average 1.36 doses/ day (range 0.1–6.5 doses/day) of breakthrough analgesia were required during fentanyl patch therapy. Among the patients treated with a fentanyl transdermal patch, none experienced respiratory depression requiring reversal with naloxone. One patient received a dose of naloxone after being transitioned from a fentanyl transdermal patch to methadone. Conclusions: The use of fentanyl patches for weaning in the pediatric intensive care population may be a viable alternative to methadone if appropriately dosed and monitored.


Proliferation of 5G devices and services has driven the demand for wide-scale enhancements ranging from data rate, reliability, and compatibility to sustain the ever increasing growth of the telecommunication industry. In this regard, this work investigates how machine learning technology can improve the performance of 5G cell and beam index search in practice. The cell search is an essential function for a User Equipment (UE) to be initially associated with a base station, and is also important to further maintain the wireless connection. Unlike the former generation cellular systems, the 5G UE faces with an additional challenge to detect suitable beams as well as the cell identities in the cell search procedures. Herein, we propose and implement new channel-learning schemes to enhance the performance of 5G beam index detection. The salient point lies in the use of machine learning models and softwarization for practical implementations in a system level. We develop the proposed channel-learning scheme including algorithmic procedures and corroborative system structure for efficient beam index detection. We also implement a real-time operating 5G testbed based on the off the-shelf Software Defined Radio (SDR) platform and conduct intensive experiments with commercial 5G base stations. The experimental results indicate that the proposed channel-learning schemes outperform the conventional correlation-based scheme in real 5G channel environments.


PURPOSE
Increased radiation dose for recently developed clinical total marrow irradiation (TMI) facilitates bone marrow transplants for high risk leukemia patients but its mechanism and role is completely unknown. To initiate this high impact, clinically relevant, investigation, a murine TMI-like system has been developed and benchmarked. Detailed dosimetric characterization of the irradiator, toxicity to critical organs, and molecular imaging biomarkers were evaluated.

METHODS
An orthovoltage x-ray unit was commissioned and calibrated following TG-61 protocol. A special irradiation jig utilizing compensators has been developed to reduce the dose to eyes, brain, lungs, heart, and gastrointestinal tract. Validation of the dosimetry has been performed using TLDs, Gafchromic film, ionization chamber, and Monte Carlo calculations. Mice were irradiated for TBI and TMI. Live and longitudinal pre and post radiation (day 2) FDG microPET/CT imaging was performed. Certain organs such as lungs, liver, kidney, gut and brain were harvested post radiation for the purpose of cellular and histological studies using thymidine analog 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU).

RESULTS
The dose is verified by performing TLD and film dosimetry on the entrance and exit sides, as well as placing dosimeters inside the subjects. Both absolute doses and planar dose distributions have been determined providing an extensive set of data representing the dose within the subjects. Dose to critical organs was reduced by a factor of two in TMI cases. As a Result metabolic and cellular activities were reduced in TMI mice at the GI and brain compared to TBI mice. Bone marrow proliferation remains the same as bone marrow dose is unchanged.

CONCLUSION
Properly characterized x-ray beam, accurate dosimetry, and detailed molecular and cellular studies are of importance in radiobiology investigations in support of TMI model which may lead to new therapies for humans. Reduction in side effects such as GI toxicity from radiation is promising for transplantation. This project is supported by NIH.


There has been a growing demand for a low-cost, low-maintenance signaling system on cash-strapped secondary lines. To meet this demand, we have developed the new Computer and Microwave Balise-Aided Train Control System (COMBAT). Specific features of COMBAT are the application of microwave radio balises for train detection and centralized interlocking and block functions. This paper introduces the system configuration, its basic functions, and its benefits.


The practice of traditional bone setters can no longer be denied in this environment as some of the complications resulting from their treatment are still seen commonly in orthopaedic surgical practice.
This study was undertaken at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria to find out about knowledge, attitude and practice about the traditional bone setters (TBS) among health workers. A pre-tested questionnaire was distributed among the health workers through their heads of departments for ease of collection. The response rate was 88.2% with a male to female ratio of 1:1.7.
88.1% were aware of the TBS practice in our environment and 32.7% got to know about them through the mass media; constituting the greatest percentage proportion. Only 19.6% of the respondents claimed the knowledge of how traditional bone setters acquired their skills, 73.6% of these responded that it was innately acquired. While most of the respondents assessed their care as inadequate and that they should not be allowed to treat patients with fractures; 12.9% believed that the TBS possessed special powers to treat fractures that is lacking in orthopaedic surgeons. Health assistants were the most likely to be believe in the possession of such powers.
It was recommended that the TBS should be banned from unvented access to the use of the mass media. Within the hospital environment, there is need to organize regular update or instructional lectures for health workers, especially the health assistants who are most likely to give wrong interpretations to events surrounding the patient treatment by the orthodox practitioners.
(Key words: Chronic suppurative otitis media, Pseudomonas aerugi nosa, Hearing loss).
Sahel Med. J. Vol.6(3) 2003: 79-82


There is little evidence of sensation in individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) in the dental research field. We investigated whether pain thresholds (PTs) differ between individuals with and without DM (non-DM; NDM). To this end, we assessed whether PTs obtained from the oral cavity, hands, and feet differed from each other and across groups, and whether PTs differed for the three current frequencies used for testing (2000 Hz, 250 Hz, and 5 Hz). Pain threshold measurements were obtained from the oral mucosa and the tips of the fingers and toes of 56 volunteers, including 21 individuals with DM (12 men and 9 women, average age: 72.1 ± 4.7 years) and 35 NDM individuals (17 males and 18 females, average age: 51.2 ± 23.9 years) using the Neurometer CPT/C® device to deliver electrical stimulation. A single operator obtained PT measurements from around the left greater palatine foramen and from the tip of the left first finger and of the left great toe. Individuals with DM had significantly lower PT values than those without DM. The PT values for the oral cavity, hands, and feet differed significantly from each other (foot > hand, foot > oral cavity, hand > oral cavity). Moreover, there was a significant difference in the PT values for 5 Hz and 2000 Hz, as well as for 250 Hz and 2000 Hz. This study concluded that PT values derived from DM participants are lower than those from NDM participants, although PT measurements varied across regions and with current frequency.


This prospective study aimed to evaluate the success rate of partial pulpotomy using mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), in permanent molars with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. Moreover, this study aimed to investigate the effect of carious lesion depth and activity and bleeding time on the outcome of partial pulpotomy. Forty permanent molars with deep and extremely deep carious lesions clinically diagnosed with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis were included. The status of the carious lesion was evaluated clinically and radiographically to determine its activity (rapidly or slowly progressing) and depth (deep or extremely deep). A partial pulpotomy was performed and MTA was used. Clinical and radiographic analysis were performed at 3, 6 and 12 months. Chi-square analysis and Fisher's exact test were used. Scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-rays were used to investigate the crystalline structures and their chemical composition onto MTA surfaces after immersion in several conditions. The partial pulpotomy was 88.9% successful, with no significant difference in outcome between deep and extremely deep carious lesions (p = 0.22) or between rapidly and slowly progressing lesions (p = 0.18). Nevertheless, all failed cases were associated with rapidly progressing lesions and extremely deep lesions. All failures occurred when the bleeding time was more than 3 min (p = 0.10). Different crystalline structures were detected on MTA surfaces, with higher calcium percentages in PBS conditions. Within the limitations of the present study, favorable results demonstrated that MTA might be recommended as a suitable agent for partial pulpotomy in permanent molars with irreversible pulpitis. The depth and activity of the carious lesion as well as the bleeding time are important factors in the success of partial pulpotomy treatment. The prolonged bleeding time and the extremely deep rapidly progressing caries could be related with the failure cases in partial pulpotomy treatment of irreversible pulpitis.


The complete amino acid sequence of muscle hemerythrin (myohemerythrin) from the sipunculid Themiste (syn. Dendrostomum) pyroides has been determined by analysis of tryptic, chymotryptic, and cyanogen bromide peptides. The primary structure of myohemerythrin differs substantially from that of coelomic hemerythrins of Phascolopsis (syn. Golfingia) gouldii and Themiste pyroides, the amino acid sequence of the muscle protein being only 46 and 45% homologous with the respective coelomic hemerythrins. The most extensive regions of homology between muscle and coelomic proteins occur near the terminii. These and other shorter regions of homology are interpreted in terms of the essential iron ligand residues of the active center.


This essay adopts an international relations perspective in understanding Southeast Asia as a region and stresses regionalism as the chief agent in regional construction. It argues that the modern, post-Second World War concept of Southeast Asia resulted from a deliberate effort by a group of governments in the region to develop a regional identity based on political and strategic considerations. Regionalism and regional identity were seen by these governments as an important way of furthering nationalism and national interests. This, in effect represented a shift from the colonial, orientalist and geopolitical views of Southeast Asia's regionness to a more indigenous and essential political idea of Southeast Asia emerging out of the evolution of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). "Nations come and go - why shouldn't regions?" Don Emmerson (Emmerson, 1984:20)


The purpose of this paper is to determine the contributions of school principals as constructivist leaders in their schools' according to teachers' opinions. This study is qualitative research based on a phenomenological model. Researchers collected data through the semi-structured interview method. The study group was determined by a maximum variation sampling and composed of 13 teachers working in the province of Sanliurfa, Turkey. Researchers analyzed the data using the content analysis method. The research found that school principals as constructivist leaders contributed to their schools' organizational change. These contributions are collected under six categories: learning and teaching, sharing leadership, communication and interaction, a safe school environment, encouragement, and strategic planning. This paper makes two contributions to extant literature on this topic. Firstly, this paper facilitates the understanding of constructive leadership roles among principals. Secondly, this paper helps us determine the contributions of school principals as constructive leaders to the organizational change in their school, thus contributing to a better understanding of school leadership.


The sediments of the Argo and Gascoyne abyssal plains are generally lean in organic matter, are immature, and contain hydrocarbons trapped during sediment deposition rather than those generated during sediment catagenesis. TOC concentrations in the Argo Abyssal Plain Cenozoic sediments are 0.5 wt%, and organic matter appears to be from mixed marine and reworked, degraded, organic matter sources, with the latter being contributed by turbidity flows from the nearby continental margin. TOC concentrations within the Cenozoic sediments of the Gascoyne Abyssal Plain are mostly undetectable (<O.l wt%). Biomarker distributions determined by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) indicate that organic matter extracted from the Lower Cretaceous sediments from both sites is predominantly marine with varying contributions from terrestrial organic matter. The specific marine biomarker, 24-n-propylcholestane is in relatively high abundance in all samples. In addition, the relatively high abundance of the 4-methylsteranes with the 23, 24-dimethyl side chain (in all samples) indicates significant dinoflagellate contributions and marine organic matter. The ratios of n-C27/«-C17 reflect relative contributions of marine vs. terrestrial organic matter. TOC, while generally low at Argo, is relatively high near the Barremian/Aptian boundary (one sample has a TOC of 5.1 wt%) and the Aptian/Albian boundary (up to 1.3 wt% TOC), and two samples from the Barremian and Aptian sections contain relatively high proportions of terrestrial organic carbon. TOC values in the Lower Cretaceous sediments from Gascoyne Abyssal Plain are low (<O.l wt%) near the Aptian/Barremian boundary. TOC values are higher in older sediments, with maxima in the upper Barremian (1.02 wt%), the Barremian/Hauterivian (0.6 wt%), and Valanginian (1.8 wt%). Sediments from the upper Barremian contain higher amounts of terrestrial organic carbon than older sediments.


Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication systems can offer high data rates through spatial multiplexing or substantial diversity using transmit diversity. In this letter, switching between spatial multiplexing and transmit diversity is proposed as a simple way to improve the diversity performance of spatial multiplexing. In the proposed approach, for a fixed rate, either multiplexing or diversity is chosen based on the instantaneous channel state and the decision is conveyed to the transmitter via a low-rate feedback channel. The minimum Euclidean distance at the receiver is computed for spatial multiplexing and transmit diversity and is used to derive the selection criterion. Additionally, the Demmel condition number of the matrix channel is shown to provide a sufficient condition for multiplexing to outperform diversity. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate improvement over either multiplexing or diversity individually in terms of bit error rate.


Motor is the key part of the air conditioner compressor. And the production process of the motor will often encounter some quality defects. One of the most common defects is machine winding paint film injury. In the past, salt pinhole test and brush test are common means for product quality control in many companies. Although in such trials, some quality problem can be found, it is a single method for site quality management and is a kind of method of remedying afterwards. It often cannot find or visualized find by chart the bad trend timely. Statistical process control (SPC) is a different method, which can implement real-time monitoring and evaluation in each stage of the production process. It is a kind of preventive method. It can carry out the paint damage monitoring and evaluation in the motor manufacturing process very well, using SPC control diagram method.


Cleaning equipment for processing liquids containing organic matter involves contacting the equipment with a solution of a periodate compound, where one of the following steps is performed, (A) where the solution has a pH value of = 6, the method further involves contacting the equipment with a solution having a pH value of >= 6; and (B) where a solution of a periodate is used at a pH value of >= 6, the method involves an additional oxidizing agent such as peroxydisulphate, hydrogen peroxide or a peracid.


Abstract Animals living in extremely high elevations have to adapt to low temperatures and low oxygen availability (hypoxia), but the underlying genetic mechanisms associated with these adaptations are still unclear. The mitochondrial respiratory chain can provide >95% of the ATP in animal cells, and its efficiency is influenced by temperature and oxygen availability. Therefore, the respiratory chain complexes (RCCs) could be important molecular targets for positive selection associated with respiratory adaptation in high-altitude environments. Here, we investigated positive selection in 5 RCCs and their assembly factors by analyzing sequences of 106 genes obtained through RNA-seq of all 15 Chinese Phrynocephalus lizard species, which are distributed from lowlands to the Tibetan plateau (average elevation >4,500 m). Our results indicate that evidence of positive selection on RCC genes is not significantly different from assembly factors, and we found no difference in selective pressures among the 5 complexes. We specifically looked for positive selection in lineages where changes in habitat elevation happened. The group of lineages evolving from low to high altitude show stronger signals of positive selection than lineages evolving from high to low elevations. Lineages evolving from low to high elevation also have more shared codons under positive selection, though the changes are not equivalent at the amino acid level. This study advances our understanding of the genetic basis of animal respiratory metabolism evolution in extreme high environments and provides candidate genes for further confirmation with functional analyses.


NiW alloys were electrodeposited under a super gravity field. The effects of super gravity on the partial current density, W content, and cell voltage were studied. The surface morphologies of the NiW films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The anti-corrosion properties and stability of the NiW films in NaOH solution were also studied by Tafel, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and 144 h exposure test. The results indicate that the W content increases with the gravity coefficient (G) and no cracks are produced on the surface of the NiW alloys electrodeposited under the super gravity field. Compared with those electrodeposited under normal gravity conditions, the self-corrosion potentials of the NiW alloys electrodeposited under a super gravity field shifts in a positive direction and the self-corrosion current densities become smaller. Meanwhile, the corrosion resistance also increases from 865 to 2305 Ω·cm2 with an increase in the G value from 1 to 256. After 144 h exposure in 10% (w) NaOH solution, no surface peeling or damage occur. We conclude that when the NiW alloy is electrodeposited under a super gravity field, both the anti-corrosion resistance and the stability of the NiW alloy in the NaOH solution are improved obviously.


Immune checkpoint inhibitors are now implemented into the standard therapy of an increasing number of tumor entities and elicit remarkable durable therapy responses. However, gliomas seem resistant to checkpoint inhibition as recent evidence from a randomized clinical trial did not show a therapeutic benefit of PD-1 blockade in an unselected population of patients with recurrent glioblastoma. The blood-brain barrier per se does not seem to be a hurdle in transducing an effective peripheral immune response into tumors as evidenced by responses seen in selected glioma patients and patients with brain metastases treated with checkpoint inhibitors. This project investigates the mechanisms of response and resistance to checkpoint blockade targeting CTLA-4 and PD-1 in an experimental syngeneic Gl261 glioma model, where we found a clear and unanticipated dichotomy between responders and non-responders. We demonstrate that response to PD-1 and CTLA-4 blockade is driven by increased numbers and effector function of cytotoxic tumor-infiltrating T-cells as well as an enhanced TCRβ repertoire clonality of tumor infiltrating CD8 T-cells. Surprisingly, little overlap of the TCRβ repertoire between responder CD8 TILs was detected with only one shared TCRβ sequence motif, suggestive of a common tumor-antigen driving the expansion of reactive clones in responding mice. Moreover, we identified putative tumor neoepitopes that were predominantly abundant in non-responding tumors and thus might have undergone effective targeting by tumor-reactive T-cell in responding tumors. Resistance to PD-1 and CTLA-4 blockade was associated with increased frequencies of intratumoral macrophages (TAMs) expressing high levels of immunosuppressive markers such as PD-L1, CD38 and CD73. TAMs of nonresponding mice induced enhanced suppression of CD4 T-cell proliferation which was partially restored by PD-L1 blockade. Strikingly, additional PD-L1 blockade enhanced response rates to PD-1 and CTLA-4 blockade in Gl261-bearing mice, potentially by inhibiting the ligation of PD-L1 on TAMs to its alternative interaction partner CD80 on TILs. Collectively, we suggest a syngeneic mouse model for assessing mechanisms of response and resistance to checkpoint blockade in gliomas demonstrating a surprising heterogeneity of the TCRβ repertoire of tumor-infiltrating CD8 T-cells despite strict syngeneicity. We also provide evidence for a suppressive TAM subset associated with resistance to immune checkpoint inhibition in glioma, providing a rationale for combinatorial therapy strategies to overcome resistance to checkpoint blockade. Citation Format: Katrin Deumelandt, Jens Blobner, Jana K. Sonner, Mirco Friedrich, Edward Green, Michael O. Breckwoldt, Manuel Fischer, Jochen Meyer, Felix Sahm, Daniel Schrimpf, Andreas von Deimling, Michael Platten. Modeling response and resistance to immune checkpoint blockade in syngeneic mouse glioma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fourth CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; Sept 30-Oct 3, 2018; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2019;7(2 Suppl):Abstract nr B075.


The pharmacokinetics of meperidine was studied in Beagle dogs following intravenous, peroral and buccal administration of a meperidine hydrochloride solution. The elimination half-life after I.V., P.O. and buccal routes was 0.75 +/- 0.14 hours, 0.93 +/- 0.18 hours and 0.36 +/- 0.10 hours, respectively. The volume of distribution and total clearance following I.V., P.O. and buccal administration were 2.41 +/- 0.34 L/kg and 42.5 +/- 8.9 ml/min/kg, 2.84 +/- 1.24 L/kg and 34.6 +/- 7.8 ml/min/kg, 1.01 +/- 0.52 L/kg and 34.7 +/- 8.0 ml/min/kg, respectively. The absolute bioavailability after P.O. and buccal administration was 11.0 +/- 6.8% and 11.9 +/- 6.6%, respectively. This paper discusses the observed low bioavailabilities on hypothesis of hepatic and lung first-pass effect. A hypothesis is presented to explain the delayed onset of absorption following buccal administration.


This paper demonstrates how neural networks can be applied to model and predict the functional behaviour of disordered nano-particle and nano-tube networks. In recently published experimental work, nano-particle and nano-tube networks show promising functionality for future reconfigurable devices, without a predefined design. The nano-material has been treated as a black-box, and the principle of evolution-in-materio, involving genetic algorithms, has been used to find appropriate configuration voltages to enable the target functionality. In order to support future experiments and the development of useful devices based on disordered nano-materials, we developed simulation tools for predicting candidate functionalities. One of these tools is based on a physical model, but the one described and analysed in this paper is based on an artificial neural network model. The advantage of this newly presented approach is that, after training the neural network to match either the real material or its physical model, it can be configured using gradient descent instead of a black-box optimisation, speeding up the search for functionality. The neural networks do not simulate the physical properties, but rather approximate the nano material's transfer functions. The functions found using this new technique were verified back on the nano material's physical model and on a real material network. It can be concluded from the reported experiments with these neural network models that they model the simulated nano-material quite accurately. The differentiable, neural network-based material model is used to find logic gates, as a proof of principle. This shows that the new approach has great potential for partly replacing costly and time consuming experiments with the real nano-material. Therefore, this approach has a high relevance for future computing, either as an alternative to digital computing or as an alternative way of producing multifunctional reconfigurable devices.


The city of L'Aquila (Italy) includes a significant amount of masonry palaces erected from the middle of the 13th century up to the first half of the 20th century. This paper focuses on the seismic response of a masonry palace built during the first half of the 20th century and characterized by regularity in plan and elevation. The authors investigate the seismic response by varying a suite of modelling parameters that express the actual scatter of the mechanical properties typical of the masonry palaces erected in L'Aquila. The authors discuss the seismic performance exhibited by this building during the 2009 earthquake. Then, they assess the sensitivity of the selected building's seismic performance via non-linear static analysis to the mechanical properties of masonry, the in-plane stiffness of the floors, and the mechanical resistance of the spandrels. The parametric analysis shows that the three variables markedly affect the shear resistance, the ultimate displacement, and the behavior factors. The fragility functions were then estimated from the results of non-linear static analysis. A significant scatter of the probability of collapse for the considered limit states reveals the limitations of typological approaches for masonry palaces.


Ribosomal peptide synthesis begins almost exclusively with the amino acid methionine, across all domains of life. The ubiquity of methionine initiation raises the question; to what extent could polypeptide synthesis be realized with other amino acids, proteinogenic or otherwise? This highlight describes the breadth of building blocks now known to be accepted by the ribosome initiation machinery, from subtle methionine analogues to large exotic non-proteinogenic structures. We outline the key methodological developments that have enabled these discoveries, including the exploitation of methionyl-tRNA synthetase promiscuity, synthetase and tRNA engineering, and the utilization of artificial tRNA-loading ribozymes, flexizymes. Using these methods, the number and diversity of validated initiation building blocks is rapidly expanding permitting the use of the ribosome to synthesize ever more artificial polymers in search of new functional molecules.


Simultaneous detection of multiple molecular targets can greatly facilitate early diagnosis and drug discovery. Encoding micron-sized beads with optically active tags is one of the most popular methods to achieve multiplexing. Noble metal nanoparticle labels for optical detection by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) exhibit narrow bandwidths, high photostability and intense Raman signals. In this study, we demonstrate the feasibility of spectral multiplexing by SERS using micron-sized polystyrene (PS) beads loaded with SERS-active nanoparticles. The silica-encapsulated SERS nanotags comprise gold nanocrystals with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of aromatic thiols as Raman reporter molecules for spectral identification. SERS microspectroscopic images of single Raman-encoded PS microbeads indicate the homogeneous spatial distribution of the SERS-active nanoparticles on the surface of the beads. By using up to five different Raman reporters, 31 spectrally distinct micron-sized beads were encoded and characterized spectroscopically at the single-bead level.


Previous research has shown that narcissism is associated with risk-taking. However, little is known about the factors that may contribute to narcissistic individuals being more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviour. The present research examined whether social worldviews would mediate the associations that specific narcissistic personality features had with risk-taking across life domains in a sample of Iranian community members (N = 489). Our results revealed that
the extraverted, antagonistic, and neurotic aspects of narcissism had positive indirect associations with risk-taking in certain life domains through the competitive social worldview. These results suggest that the
tendency to view the social environment as intensely competitive may play an important role in the associations that narcissistic personality
features have with risk-taking in certain life domains.


Context: New systems have emerged within the Industry 4.0 paradigm. These systems incorporate characteristics such as autonomy in decision making and acting in the context of IoT systems, continuous connectivity between devices and applications in cyber-physical systems, omnipresence properties in ubiquitous systems, among other's. Thus, the engineering of these systems has changed, drastically affecting the manner of their construction process. In this context, to identify simple and playful alternatives to teach how to build them is a difficult task. Objective: To present how to teach IoT systems using games, to reveal challenges and opportunities obtained through a literature review. Method: A Structured Literature Review, supported by the Snowballing technique, was executed to find empirical studies related to teaching, games and IoT systems. Results: 12 papers were found about teaching IoT systems using games. As challenges and opportunities, many issues were identified related to Io T systems programming, modularity, hardware constraints, among others. Conclusion: In this work, research challenges and opportunities were found in the context of IoT systems teaching. Due to specific features of these systems, teaching their construction is a difficult activity to carry out.


A number of banks have recently undertaken a reassessment of their credit-lending process. The banksâ¬" endeavors coincided with the efforts of a small, but growing number of vendors who have developed systems to assess both public and private corporations. The purpose of this article is to define the qualities of a carefully developed and rigorously tested credit modeling system for assessing the attractiveness of lending opportunities. We identify and discuss several types of credit evaluation systems and their relative importance. These systems are classified as primary (â¬Sgroup upâ¬? or â¬Sfirm-intrinsicâ¬? approach) and supplementary (â¬Stop-downâ¬? or â¬Sfirm capital marketâ¬?) approaches. The crucial step in evaluating any of these systems is the thorough testing of the results and the establishment of rigorous standards for acceptance. In addition to these standards, we discuss the role that an acceptable credit system can play as the link between individual loan assessment and logically derived estimates of expected loss rates and loan pricing criteria.


This paper investigates the possibility of integrating the combination of nanofillers, titanium dioxide (TiO2) and carbon nanotubes (CNT) into the thermoplastic polymer matrix. This combination of fillers can possibly modify the physico-chemical properties of composites compared to the pure polymer matrix. The composites were blended using the extrusion method. The composite filament produced was used to manufacture static mixers on a 3D printer using the additive manufacturing technology fused filament fabrication (FFF). The aim of this work was to inspect the influence of the filler addition on the thermal and mechanical properties of glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate (PET-G) polymer composites. The fillers were added to the PET-G polymer matrix in several ratios. Tensile test results showed an increase in the overall strength and decrease in the elongation at break of the material. Melt flow rate (MFR) showed a decrease in the viscosity with the initial filler addition and reaching a plateau after 2 wt% filler was added. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed minor changes in the thermal properties. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) results showed homogenous distribution of the filler in the matrix and strong filler–matrix adhesion. The results indicate suitable properties of new functional composites for the 3D printing of static mixers for application in tubular reactors.


In education, quiz questions have become an important tool for assessing the knowledge of students. Yet, manually preparing such questions is a tedious task, and thus automatic question generation has been proposed as a possible alternative. So far, the vast majority of research has focused on generating the question text, relying on question answering datasets with readily picked answers, and the problem of how to come up with answer candidates in the first place has been largely ignored. Here, we aim to bridge this gap. In particular, we propose a model that can generate a specified number of answer candidates for a given passage of text, which can then be used by instructors to write questions manually or can be passed as an input to automatic answer-aware question generators. Our experiments show that our proposed answer candidate generation model outperforms several baselines.


Patients with peripheral nervous system disorders were tested for the presence of cellular hypersensitivity to peripheral and central nervous system antigens by means of the in vitro lymphocyte transformation technique. Lymphocytes sensitized to the neuritogenic peripheral nervous system P1L basic protein were found in pure polyradiculitis of the Guillain-Barré syndrome type. Lymphocytes from patients with myeloradiculitis underwent transformation by peripheral P2 basic protein and by central nervous system basic encephalitogenic protein. In cases of chronic relapsing polyneuropathy response was shown to the central nervous system basic encephalitogen and to both of the peripheral nerve basic proteins. Lymphocytes from patients with other neurologic conditions showed no response to any of these antigens. These findings suggest that cell mediated immunity to specific basic proteins of the myelin plays a role in the pathogenesis of the above-mentioned demyelinating disorders and may lead to a new approach in their classification and diagnosis.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the expression patterns of ZEB2 and C-myc in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and the associations between their expressions and the pathological features of EOC.

METHODS
The expressions of ZEB2 and C-myc proteins were detected immunohistochemically in 191 cervical cancer tissues and 13 normal ovarian tissues. The relationship between ZEB2 and C-myc protein expressions and the clinicopathological features of EOC was evaluated.

RESULTS
ZEB2 positive expression ratea in EOC tissues and normal ovarian tissues were 49.2% (94/191) and 30.8% (4/13), respectively (P=0.007), and C-myc positive expression rates in the two tissues were 53.9% (103/191) and 15.4% (2/13), respectively (P=0.001). A high expression of ZEB2 was positively correlated with the pathological type of the tumor (P=0.003), FIGO stage (P=0.028), T stage (P=0.002), and N stage (P=0.04), and a high expression of C-myc was positively correlated with FIGO stage (P=0.035), histological grade (P=0.039), and T stage (P=0.002). C-myc and ZEB2 expressions were positively correlated in EOC (P<0.001), and their co-expression in EOC was significantly correlated with T stage (R=0.358, P<0.001) and FIGO stage (P=0.008).

CONCLUSION
ZEB2 and C-myc can promote the progression, invasion and metastasis of EOC, and their combined detection may assist in early diagnosis of EOC.


In our globalised, interconnected and increasingly competitive world, the importance of public space is often highlighted. This article aims at connecting the concept of public space to the concept of social infrastructure to point to the underlying and indispensable nature of public space. It builds on the assumption that public space is the physical manifestation of the interconnection between global urban processes and local tendencies where dynamics of festivalization and restricted access are on the rise. The town hall square in Vienna and its seasonal use for different festivals and events serves as the empirical case. The square, situated in the centre of the city, shows powerful dynamics within the production of public space and gives interesting insights into the prevalent global and local tendencies of urban politics. A two-step approach towards the deconstruction of social infrastructure for the conception of public space is introduced. Using the notion of social infrastructure allows to connect public space as a product as a physical place and organizational structure, which allows people to interact to its process its interpretative context, where meaning and value is assigned through the material context. The notion of the right to the city is applied to formulate an alternative approach for a right to public space. This allows for a multi-dimensional approach, which is necessary to grasp the multiplicity of perspectives and complexity of issues manifesting in public space. The aim of the paper is to understand how representational public space is used and which role the understanding of the right to the city plays in reclaiming public space as a form of social infrastructure.


Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental disorder whose late diagnosis is based on subjective tests. In seeking for earlier diagnosis, we aimed to find objective biomarkers via analysis of resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) images obtained from the Autism Brain Image Data Exchange (ABIDE) database. Thus, we estimated brain functional connectivity (FC) between pairs of regions as the statistical dependence between their neural-related blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signals. We compared FC of individuals with ASD and healthy controls, matched by age and intelligence quotient (IQ), and split into three age groups (50 children, 98 adolescents, and 32 adults), from a developmental perspective. After estimating the correlation, we observed hypoconnectivities in children and adolescents with ASD between regions belonging to the default mode network (DMN). Concretely, in children, FC decreased between the left middle temporal gyrus and right frontal pole (p = 0.0080), and between the left orbitofrontal cortex and right superior frontal gyrus (p = 0.0144). In adolescents, this decrease was observed between bilateral postcentral gyri (p = 0.0012), and between the right precuneus and right middle temporal gyrus (p = 0.0236). These results help to gain a better understanding of the involved regions on autism and its connection with the affected superior cognitive brain functions.


The purpose of this study is to know about the effectiveness of integrating knowledge management and business intelligence for increasing the financial performance of Petroleum Development Oman Company. Based on the impact of this integration to increase the organization's performance, the data have been collected through primary and secondary sources. The main objective of this study is the integration between knowledge management and business intelligence and its effect on the financial performance of the company. In this research, two methods were discussed as direct influence and indirect influence. In the direct influence method, the company will use information that is generated by the process of knowledge management system and prepare the reports through business intelligence system for the company's financial plans and activities. Afterwards, the company can make appropriate financial decision to improve and develop the current financial plan and strategies. Another way is the indirect influence of the integration through focus on intellectual capital and human resources development through education and training, enhancing innovation, and using their capacities and skills in work. However, both influences contribute to increase efficiency, productivity, sales, profits, and reduced cost. Thus, improving the company's performance and its financial performance, which contributes to making sustainable the company in its business field market and maintains its competitive advantage


Under 2003 programming by the French Embassy in Port Moresby, a multidisciplinary mission by an entomologist, Dr L. Ollivier, and an agronomist, Mr J. Ollivier from the CIRAD Tree Crops Department, was undertaken from 3 to 16 March 2004 at the Cocoa and Coconut Institute's Stewart Research Station in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. The mission was used to take stock of the agronomy and farming systems activities being conducted by CCI at SRS, and in the COGENT participatory research network. Observations of the ongoing trials continued in 2003 and data were collected for analysis, the main results of which are presented in this report. Given budgetary restraints, it was not possible to fulfil some of the recommendations made at the time of the previous mission (fertilizer applications, leaf analyses). Some reorganization of the experimental design is proposed. In methodology terms, a presentation of the first results obtained using Olympe software to manage experimental data (also presented in the report) aroused a great deal of interest from our agronomy partners. Its use could be extended to processing data from on-farm participatory trials. The budget awarded by MOFA for 2004, which is in sharp decline, will not be enough to fund a CIRAD support mission in 2004 but could contribute towards our Papuan partners attending an international conference in Australia next August, where they would present work undertaken jointly with CIRAD. Restructuring of the research and extension services and their merger in 2003 to form the Cocoa and Coconut Institute (CC[) has led to a certain number of organizational changes: creation of a new organizational flow chart with 5 divisions (Cocoa Division, Coconut Division, Industry, Commercial and Corporate services). Mr. W. Akus, Coconut Division Head, expressed his desire to see collaboration with CIRAD continue in the form of regular support missions and training for CCI researchers at CIRAD. These links would make it possible to support CCI research activities in experimental data management and processing, draw up new research projects together, and disseminate the results obtained in scientific publications and articles.


Preferred water temperatures and acute temperature tolerance limits of two salmonids in California were assessed: juvenile Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, a native anadromous species, and sub-adult brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis, an introduced game species. These two species preferred similar temperatures across an 18 h temperature preference experiment and showed similar critical thermal tolerance limits, suggesting a substantial thermal habitat overlap in the wild.


This chapter addresses unplanned teenage pregnancy from a human-rights-based perspective. Many programmes focus only on the negative aspects of young people's sexual and reproductive health; putting rights at the centre of teenage sexual health avoids treating adolescents as a homogeneous collection of discrete problems. Taking a rights-based approach to adolescent sexual and reproductive health encompasses the inter-relationships and complexity of factors influencing choices and decisions. In this chapter we explore the meaning of a rights-based approach and examine its implementation in the provision of sexuality, education and health services. We provide examples of international strategies for ensuring the participation of diverse young people and generating youth-friendly services to meet their sexual and reproductive needs and rights.


Without Prescription. By Erwin DiCyan and Lawrence Hessman. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1972. Pp. 321. $7.95. People generally want to be healthy. Toward this end, different peoples use drugs differently. In Japan, almost all drugs are openly available for purchase without prescription. Japanese druggists are well trained and the drugs are well packaged with all essential information regarding them on the label or in the package insert. In Russia, however, no one can purchase a drug. There, drugs are dispensed only at the ubiquitous clinics in accordance widi the judgment of the attendants. Only those drugs are available in Russia which have been approved by a central committee. The people of both Japan and Russia are generally healthy. In the United States, we follow a middle course with drugs; most, however, are prescribed by attending physicians. Many, if reasonably safe and effective (according to the judgment of bureaucrats of the Food and Drug Administration), are available for over-the-counter sale. Advertising for some of these drugs is often annoying and confusing, so that it is difficult to make a rational choice of what to use to alleviate some minor pain or discomfort. A really useful guide to the selection and use of medicines available over the counter for self-medication is now offered by Erwin DiCyan, long a respected pharmaceutical consultant, and Lawrence Hessman, a competent internist. This is a helpful reference work. The format is clear and convenient, the discussion is comprehensive, and the information is accurate. The various drugs are classified simply into those commonly used for common disorders. There are helpful comments on various aspects of health and disease, including biological rhythms, fever, anxiety, and side effects of drugs. Various products are clearly described, and the index is comprehensive. This is a useful and accurate guide to self-medication.


The wide availability of networked devices has become one of the main challenges for designers of collaborative applications. Mobile devices are not as "standardized" as stationary computers but much more diverse with respect to computing resources, connection bandwidth and display capabilities. This paper presents a framework for development of applications adaptive to the client's computing platform. The framework supports adaptation of both shared data and user interface to user preferences and display characteristics. Shared data and the user interface are each specified by an XML document. The user interface XML document species the interface by a generic "interface graph", which also includes the list of the valid data types. The generic interface graph is transformed into a device-dependant interface graph for individual client devices, using predefined device-specific mapping rules.


The purpose of the article is to show scientific contribution of Vassiliy Grigorovich-Barskiy into research of Christian monuments of Syria, namely of Hauran and maybe to bring to light possible goals of his wanderings. Methods applied are critical reading Barskiy's text as source. We will try to find sources which he could use and consider his principles for describing buildings and publishing inscriptions. The author concludes that Barskiy seems to be the first Russian and maybe European who made scientific description of 6th century churches of Izra (Syria, Hauran).


The interaction of the alkaline-earth metal ions Mg2+, Ca2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+ with the symmetrical octamethyl-substituted cucurbituril, OMeQ[6], in the presence of [CdCl4]2−/[Cd2Cl8]4− anions as structure-directing agent(s) in 3 M HCl has been investigated. Ca2+ and Sr2+ yielded closely related metallosupramolecular assemblies whose X-ray structures show that in the former, [Cd2Cl8]4− anions are arranged to form parallelogram-like frameworks that surround linear OMeQ[6]/Ca2+ polymeric units. The structure of the OMeQ[6]/Sr2+ assembly is similar except that the [Cd2Cl8]4− anions in the OMeQ[6]/Ca2+ assembly are replaced by [Cd2(H2O)2Cl8]4− anions. In contrast to the above structures, interaction of the larger Ba2+ ion with OMeQ[6] gives rise to a different assembly type displaying a porous linear polymeric arrangement incorporating two different Ba2+ coordination modes; [Cd2Cl4]4− anions are associated with the Ba2+ bridges linking adjacent OMeQ[6] units in the polymeric chain. In contrast to Ca2+ and Sr2+, the smaller Mg2+ ion under similar synthetic conditions failed to yield a solid product. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) studies revealed that OMeQ[6] interacts with Ca2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+, but not Mg2+, in neutral aqueous solution. The respective X-ray structures reveal the presence of both channels and other voids in the three assemblies. Following application of a vacuum until constant weight was obtained, samples of the Sr2+ and Ba2+ assemblies were subjected to the saturated vapour of each of the following volatile ligands: acetonitrile, methanol, ethanol, acetone, diethylether, dichloromethane, cyclohexane and n-hexane. The respective absorption profiles show maximum absorption for methanol, with reduced uptake for the remaining larger and/or less polar guest molecules.


Salvage logging operations often occur after large disturbances and usually leave behind a substantial quantity of residues, which is fundamental for maintaining soil fertility and facilitating ecosystem dynamics. This study aims to estimate the amount of logging residues following salvage operations categorized by two wood harvesting systems: Cut-To-Length (CTL) and Full-Tree System (FT). Logging residues in the harvested areas were sampled using linear transects and the data collected were divided into classes based on diameter. The quantity of residues was estimated using the Brown method for Fine Wood Debris (FWD) and the Van Wagner method for Coarse Wood Debris (CWD). Furthermore, the carbon and nutrient content associated with logging residues were also determined, considering their interaction with the soil organic layer. Overall, a higher quantity of FWD was detected in the sites cleared with the FT system and a higher quantity of CWD in the sites logged with the CTL system. Differences could be observed for all three years and systems considered, but only the third year reported statistically significant results (p<0.01). The soil and residue chemical analysis for carbon and nutrient contents revealed a high amount of carbon stored in a potential layer of 10 cm of soil (up to 85 Mg·C·ha -1 ), while only up to 15 Mg·C·ha -1 for the woody material.


Arts teacher competency refer to the collection of professional skills and personality traits that contribute to excellent working performance in accordance to occupation requirements. The education has a huge changed from traditional face-to-face classroom to online environment when the epidemic normalization of COVID-19, and the change has a profound impact on teaching method and puts forward higher requirements for arts teacher's competency. In this paper, we adopt analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to establish an evaluation model for arts teacher competency. The model contained ethic, teaching skills, IT application and non-technical skills (NTS), which provided a theoretical basis for arts teacher selection and continuing education.


Deviance is built into the very idea of a last will and testament. From its earliest usages, this legal instrument has provided individuals with a means of departing from conventional rules of inheritance. The freedom of a testator to do what he wills with his own was cast in especially expansive terms in the wake of the American Revolution. Yet antebellum American courtrooms were inundated with the petitions of disappointed heirs, charging that the testator's unnatural disposition was the product of an insane delusion or other improper influences. This Article seeks to account for the rising tide of testamentary litigation in this era, offering a doctrinal story that departs from conventional instrumentalist analyses of the phenomenon. Through a reconstruction of these will contests, it becomes apparent that they were more than merely material struggles over the testator's property - that they were also animated by deeper metaphysical concerns about the source and significance of human perversity. Each case confronted judges with the same fundamental dilemma: was the testator's deviant will best read as evidence of moral depravity or mental unsoundness? Answers to this question were eagerly supplied by a new band of medical men, specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of insanity. As their medical hypotheses were increasingly deployed in mid-century contests, however, judges came to fear they proved too much, threatening to obscure the distinction between sin and disease, leaving the law with no metaphysical basis for assigning responsibility. In the face of this threat, postbellum judges came to appreciate the importance of distinguishing the eccentric from the insane will as a means of safeguarding the ideal of human autonomy. In their opinions, they performed important cultural work, elaborating a new way of thinking about the timeless problem of evil, anticipating what would be called Pragmatism by the century's end.


The estimation and analysis of large-scale bulk flow moments of peculiar velocity surveys is complicated by non-spherical survey geometry, the non-uniform sampling of the matter velocity field by the survey objects and the typically large measurement errors of the measured line-of-sight velocities. Previously, we have developed an optimal 'minimum variance' (MV) weighting scheme for using peculiar velocity data to estimate bulk flow moments for idealized, dense and isotropic surveys with Gaussian radial distributions, that avoids many of these complications. These moments are designed to be easy to interpret and are comparable between surveys. In this paper, we test the robustness of our MV estimators using numerical simulations. Using MV weights, we estimate the bulk flow moments for various mock catalogues extracted from the LasDamas and the Horizon Run numerical simulations and compare these estimates to the moments calculated directly from the simulation boxes. We show that the MV estimators are unbiased and negligibly affected by non-linear flows.


Background. The purpose of this study was to prove efficacy and safety of systemic immunosuppression with rapamycin following penetrating high-risk keratoplasty. Rapamycin has shown its immunosuppressive potential in the rat keratoplasty model and is a component of several immunosuppressive protocols after solid organ transplantation. In this pilot study, we compared the efficacy and safety of rapamycin and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). Methods. Ten patients (group 1) undergoing high-risk keratoplasty were included in this study, receiving rapamycin as postoperative immunoprophylaxis. Rapamycin was administered orally once daily (blood trough level 4–10 ng/ml) for 6 months. Thereafter, it was tapered over 2 weeks. The control group (group 2) consisted of 24 patients who received 1000 mg MMF twice daily for 6 months. All of the patients received postoperative medication with fluocortolone 1 mg/kg/day (tapered over 3 weeks) and prednisolone acetate eyedrops 5 times per day (tapered over 5 months). Results. Mean follow-up of all patients (n=34) was 739 days. No immune reaction was observed in groups 1 and 2 during the first 6 months under immunosuppression. Two immune reactions occurred in group 1, and five in group 2 within a 2-year follow-up. All of the immune reactions were reversible. The side effects observed in both groups were mostly reversible. Conclusions. Rapamycin and mycophenolate mofetil seem to be similarly efficacious in preventing immune reactions after high-risk keratoplasty, as long as they are administered. However, we observed a broad spectrum of side effects from rapamycin.


High out-of-pocket (OOP) spending on cancer drugs is a known contributor to "financial toxicity" among cancer patients. Many predict that this problem will only worsen as patients continue to bear more responsibility for the cost of their medical care and as the use of oral chemotherapeutic agents increases. Although foundations and pharmaceutical companies offer patient assistance programs (PAPs) to improve drug affordability, the degree to which these programs are used is poorly understood. There are several barriers to the use of PAPs that not only affect access to patients who may benefit but also create limitations on the research and study of these programs.


To clarify the relationship between heat shock protein (Hsp) 70 expression and dioxin toxicity, we studied the effect of quercetin, which is an inhibitor of the biosynthesis of Hsp70, on the acute toxicity of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in C57BL/6J mice. Contrary to our expectation, results showed that continuous administration of quercetin could attenuate the reduction in body weight gain produced by TCDD (100 μg/kg, p.o.). In addition, the hepatomegaly was also significantly reduced by treatment with quercetin for 1 and 30 day(s) after TCDD treatment in spite of having no effect on thymic atrophy. On the other hand, quercetin showed no notable effects on TCDD-induced changes in hepatic Hsp70.1 mRNA, ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity and lipid peroxidation. Although we failed to clarify the exact protective mechanisms, our data suggest that quercetin has a protective effect against some forms of dioxin toxicity.


In the present study, we report on the case of a 43-year-old male patient seeking for fertility assistance, who showed a seminal analysis and testicular biopsy of complete azoospermia. Peripheral blood culture for chromosome studies revealed a karyotype of 46 chromosomes with a ring-Y-chromosome that lost the long arm heterochromatin. Molecular analysis of genomic DNA from the patient detected the presence of the sex-determining region of the Y-chromosome (SRY) but the complete absence of regions involved in spermatogenesis (AZFa, AZFb, AZFc). Several molecular markers distributed along the Y-chromosome were tested through PCR amplification, and a breakpoint was established close to the centromere, predicting the deletion of the growth control region, in agreement with the short stature observed in this patient. All results obtained through molecular cytogenetic characterization are in accordance with the clinical features observed in this patient.


Smooth muscle is unique in its ability to maintain force at low MgATP consumption. This property, called the latch state, is more prominent in tonic than phasic smooth muscle. Studies performed at the muscle strip level have suggested that myosin from tonic muscle has a greater affinity for MgADP and therefore remains attached to actin longer than myosin from phasic muscle, allowing for cross-bridge dephosphorylation and latch-bridge formation. An alternative hypothesis is that after dephosphorylation, myosin reattaches to actin and maintains force. We investigated these fundamental properties of smooth muscle at the molecular level. We used an in vitro motility assay to measure actin filament velocity (nu(max)) when propelled by myosin purified from phasic or tonic muscle at increasing [MgADP]. Myosin was 25% thiophosphorylated and 75% unphosphorylated to approximate in vivo conditions. The slope of nu(max) versus [MgADP] was significantly greater for tonic (-0.51+/-0.04) than phasic muscle myosin (-0.15+/-0.04), demonstrating the greater MgADP affinity of myosin from tonic muscle. We then used a laser trap assay to measure the unbinding force from actin of populations of unphosphorylated tonic and phasic muscle myosin. Both myosin types attached to actin, and their unbinding force (0.092+/-0.022 pN for phasic muscle and 0.084+/-0.017 pN for tonic muscle) was not statistically different. We conclude that the greater affinity for MgADP of tonic muscle myosin and the reattachment of dephosphorylated myosin to actin may both contribute to the latch state.


America Encounters India: 1941-1947. By Gary R. Hess. (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1972. Pp. xi, 187. $9.50.) Professor Hess has produced a relatively brief chronicle of an America awakening to an emergent India. From the point of view of general histories, he has opened the way to virgin territory. His straightforward narrative should be welcomed by students interested in the foundations of contemporary Indo-American relations.


Perceived social support is important for numerous health outcomes in people with serious medical conditions; however, previous studies have targeted different assessment contexts (including single people or partnered people reporting on either general or relationship-specific support) and different components of perceived support (including positive and negative interactions and support availability). The present study investigated potential functional differences across these contexts and components. A sample of 340 people with serious medical conditions were recruited via market research panels to complete online questionnaires. The sample included three assessment context groups and participants completed scales assessing three components of perceived support along with criterion variables regarding treatment adherence, affect, coping, and aspects of general psychological functioning. Results suggested a high degree of functional invariance across the different assessment contexts, but important distinctions between the different components of perceived support. Following theoretical expectations, each component explained unique variance in different sets of criterion variables. Results suggest that it is meaningful for researchers to generalize across assessment contexts, but important to distinguish between components of perceived support.


Purpose: We evaluated the power of the Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS) for predicting hospital mortality in trauma patients. Then, we compared the REMS with two other scoring systems, the Emergency Trauma Score (EMTRAS) and the Injury Severity Score (ISS) for predicting prognosis. Methods: We examined data from a prospectively collected registry in a single trauma center from January 2010 to November 2011. Patients enrolled in the registry were trauma patients who were predicted to have an ISS>15 or who required urgent multiple surgical consultations as soon as possible. Pediatric patients (<18-years-old) who were referred after initial care or death on arrival, and those with injuries due to burns, asphyxia, or drowning were excluded. The study population was divided into two subgroups according to hospital mortality, and the differences in clinical characteristics and calculated scores were examined. The odds ratio (OR) of REMS for predicting In-hospital mortality was calculated and the prognostic power of the three scoring systems for predicting hospital mortality by drawing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves was compared. Results: A total of 103 patients were included in the analysis. Of these, 44 died during hospitalization. All three prognostic scores were significantly higher in the hospital mortality subgroup. The OR of the REMS for predicting hospital mortality was 1.35 (p<0.001). The areas under the ROC curves of the REMS, EMTRAS, and ISS were 0.815 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.727-0.884), 0.872 (95% CI, 0.793-0.930), and 0.693 (95% CI, 0.595-0.780), respectively. The area under the ROC curve of the REMS was not different from that of the EMTRAS or ISS. Conclusion: The REMS showed good prognostic power for predicting hospital mortality in severely injured patients. Consecutive prospective studies are warranted to determine the utility of this scoring system for trauma patients.


A B ST R A C T The deterioration of the flexible pavements are also due to extreme climatic conditions prevailing in the country in addition to the heavy traffic. The polymer modification of the bitumen can improve the quality of binders and enhance the properties of binders used for the construction of pavements. Ageing of bitumen is one of the principal factors causing the failure of bituminous pavement components due to the prolonged exposure to air and environmental conditions. Ageing are of two types i.e. short term and long term. Short-term ageing occurs when binder is mixed with aggregates in a mixing plant. Long-term ageing occurs after pavement construction and is generally due to environmental exposure and loading. The properties of bitumen mainly depend on the age of bitumen. Therefore there is a need to study the properties of modified bitumen before and after ageing. In this paper the the physical properties of EVA (Ethyl Vinyl Acetate) modified bitumen is discussed, optimum dose is determined and the effect of ageing on the binder prepared using the optimum dose is evaluated.


Abstract The NASA/DLR Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a 2.5-meter infrared telescope on board a Boeing 747-SP, will conduct 0.3 - 1,600 μm photometric, spectroscopic, and imaging observations from altitudes as high as 45,000 ft., where the average atmospheric transmission is greater than 80 percent. SOFIA's first light cameras and spectrometers, as well as future generations of instruments, will make important contributions to the characterization of the physical properties of exoplanets. Our analysis shows that optical and near-infrared photometric and spectrophotometric follow-up observations during planetary transits and eclipses will be feasible with SOFIA's instrumentation, in particular the HIPO-FLITECAM optical/NIR instruments. The airborne-based platform has unique advantages in comparison to ground- and space-based observatories in this field of research which we will outline here. Furthermore we will present two exemplary science cases, that will be conducted in SOFIA's cycle 1.


We propose that optical packet switching networks are better implemented through space division switching (SDS) approaches than through wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) approaches. We show that active optical networks designed from optically controlled nonblocking networks can provide higher efficiency and lower latency advantages compared to other approaches. Our self-routing optical crossbar network, VIPER+, is realized from locally controlled 2/spl times/2 electrooptic switches that use a simple distributed routing algorithm that avoids input buffering. The switch design is also unique in that it provides solutions to both the network access and conflict arbitration problems optoelectronically. We show the effectiveness of VIPER+ through projected performance using analytical modeling. Finally. We comment on the applicability of VIPER+ network architectures for implementing different switched network standards.<<ETX>>


Plasmid pKM101 affects the I type restriction EcoK in E. coli. The gene ard responsible for alleviation of EcoK restriction was shown to be located within the BglIIB fragment of pKM101. Here we have cloned ard gene into high copy vectors pBR322 and pUC12. Plasmid pD12 was constructed by introducing into pUC12 a 1.87 kb HindIII-Pst fragment, carrying ard gene. Tn5 and Tn1000 insertions were obtained in the ard gene region.


Seasonal variation of the distribution pattern, enrichment and contamination of some heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Fe, Pb, Zn, Ni and Cu) in surface water of Qua Iboe river estuary and adjoining creeks were investigated using physicochemical parameters. The results of wet season mean concentrations (mg/l) were: Cd (0.09 ± 0.02), Cr (0.05 ± 0.02), Cu (0.05 ± 0.01), Fe (10.68 ± 1.91), Pb (0.06 ± 0.01), Zn (0.08 ± 0.03) and Ni (7.4 ± 1.31) while the dry season mean concentrations (mg/l) revealed Cd (0.06 ± 0.02), Cr (0.04 ± 0.02), Cu (0.02 ± 0.004), Fe (7.36 ± 1.94), Pb (0.03 ± 0.008), Zn (0.03 ± 0.01) and Ni (5.17 ± 1.73). The wet season mean concentration of heavy metals were higher than the dry season. Concentration data were processed using Pearson correlation matrix to identify the inter-relationships between physicochemical parameters as well as the sources of heavy metals. The results showed that salinity, pH and temperature among others played a significant role in the adsorption/desorption and dissolution of heavy metals in the surface water. The Enrichment factor (EF) calculated during the wet season in surface water ranged from 0.2 to 2.9 while the EF calculated during the dry season ranged from 0.2 to 1.9. During wet season, Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn showed minor surface enrichments while Cr and Ni showed no enrichment. During dry season, Cd, Fe and Zn were moderately enriched in surface water while Cr, Cu, Pb and Ni were not enriched. Surface enrichment was attributed to atmospheric deposition, released of sediment bound metals to the surface, dissolution/erosion of coastal sediments as well as anthropogenic input. The computed degree of contamination indicated that the river system was moderately contaminated during dry season but highly contaminated during wet season. The implication is that during flooding which is consequent upon climate change, there will be higher degree of contamination of Qua Iboe River estuary and adjoining creeks.


Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005

5993

Background: In previous studies from our lab we have transformed surgical suture from its classical purpose of wound closure into a vehicle, which carries immune-stimulants. Bioactive sutures of IFNγ, IL-2, anti-CD3/CD28, anti-CD3/CD28 + IL-2, or anti-CD3/CD28 + IFNγ sutures have been generated. These sutures are unique in that it may be placed in vivo to target the regional lymphatics or tumor bed of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients in hopes of stimulating an anti-cancer immune response. We have demonstrated the generation of a prolong TH1 response. Purpose: To define the mechanism by which bioactive suture generate a prolonged TH1 immune response in vitro . Experimental Design: Bioactive sutures of anti-CD3/CD28, anti-CD3/CD28 + IL-2, or anti-CD3/CD28 + IFNγ sutures were used to stimulate PBMCs or T cells from normal donors and advanced stage HNSCC patients in vitro . Cellular supernatants were harvested over a 6-day period and analyzed by ELISA for IL-12 (TH1), IFNγ (TH1) and IL-5 (TH2) to characterize the immune response generated. In addition, T cells were phenotyped on day 6. Lymphocytes alone or in the presence of MG-132 inhibitor were phenotyped at 24, 48 and 72 hrs for expression of CD40L. Results: Anti-CD3/CD28, anti-CD3/CD28 + IL-2 or anti-CD3/CD28 + IFNγ stimulated PBMCs to generated high levels of IL-12 and IFNγ in vitro. Only minimal levels of IL-5 were demonstrated. T cells alone did not generate any IL-12 and moderate levels of IFNγ. Bioactive sutures expanded all populations of T cells tested (CD3, CD4, CD8, CD28, CD45RO). There was increased T cells expression of CD40L (10-15%) within 72 hours of stimulation, which was inhibited by MG-132. MG-132 also suppressed IL-12 expression. Conclusion: Bioactive sutures can generate a TH1 immune response in vitro demonstrated by increased levels of IL-12 and IFNγ. Anti-CD3/CD28, anti-CD3/CD28 + IFNγ or anti-CD3/CD28 + IL-2 sutures not only direct stimulate T cells but also enhances their expression of CD40L which in turn stimulates APCs to secret IL-12. This further drives the TH1 immune response forward.


Vulnerabilities in distributed applications are being uncovered and exploited faster than software engineers can, patch the security holes. All too often these weaknesses result from implicit assumptions made by an application about its inputs. One approach to defending against their exploitation is to interpose a filter between the input source and the application that verifies that the application's assumptions about its inputs actually hold. However, ad hoc design of such filters is nearly as tedious and error-prone as patching the original application itself. We have automated the filter generation process based on a simple formal description of a broad class of assumptions about the inputs to an application. Focusing on the back-end server application case, we have prototyped an easy-to-use tool that generates server-side filtering scripts. These can then be quickly installed on a front-end webs server (either in concert with the application or., when a vulnerability is uncovered), thus shielding the server application from a variety of existing and exploited, attacks, as solutions requiring changes to the applications are developed and tested. Our measurements suggest that input filtering can be done efficiently and should not be a performance concern for moderately loaded web servers. The overall approach may be generalizable to other domains, such as firewall filter generation and API wrapper filter generation.


Background: The aim of this study was to examine the relative age effect of the countries which attended the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup and to research the relative age effect in terms of continents and the players' position. Material and methods: 504 male football players from 24 countries which participated in the U-17 World Cup in India in 2017 were included in the study. Football players' dates of birth were grouped into periods of three months in quarter years (Q): Q1 – January-March, Q2 – April-June, Q3 – July-September, Q4 – October-December. To study the sub-group differences of the relative age effect, meaningful chi-square (χ²) values were followed by calculating the odds ratio and %95 confidence intervals. To determine the effect size, Cramer's V was used. Results: The relative age effect was based on quarter years' distributions. Significant differences were found among age quartiles for all teams in FIFA U-17 World Cup. However, when the variables analysed were according to the continents, the relative age effect disappeared in Africa, Asia and Oceania. Conclusions: In the comparison of the players' continents, a relative age effect was observed in Europe, North America, and South America. When the players' positions are compared, a relative age effect was found in defenders, midfielders and forward players.


A five-body classical trajectory Monte Carlo model has been developed to study fragmentation of H2 and HD after double electron removal collisions by highly charged ions. The theoretical model includes all two-body Coulomb interactions in the post-collision regime. A systematic study of the energy partitioning between the nuclei has been made for C6+ impact from 1 eV/u to 1 MeV/u. Major deviation from isolated molecule Franck-Condon behavior is found for impact energies E ≤ 1 keV/u. At the lowest impact energies the target ions are very energetic with a strong contribution being from collisional transfer from the projectile. The target ion energy spectra at high impact energy is due to the Coulomb explosion of the isolated doubly ionized molecule in the known Franck-Condon transition, resulting in a distinct separation of the energy peaks for the HD isotope. At energies around 10 eV/u to 1 keV/u, or projectile charge divided by speed of q/v ≈ 30–300, both slow and fast target ions are observed which result from the competition between the momentum transfered during the collision with that from the Coulomb dissociation of the two ions.


Quantum state tomography (QST) for reconstructing pure states requires exponentially increasing resources and measurements with the number of qubits by using state-of-the-art quantum compressive sensing (CS) methods. In this article, QST reconstruction for any pure state composed of the superposition of $K$ different computational basis states of $n$ qubits in a specific measurement set-up, i.e., denoted as $K$-sparse, is achieved without any initial knowledge and with quantum polynomial-time complexity of resources based on the assumption of the existence of polynomial size quantum circuits for implementing exponentially large powers of a specially designed unitary operator. The algorithm includes $\mathcal{O}(2 \, / \, \vert c_{k}\vert^2)$ repetitions of conventional phase estimation algorithm depending on the probability $\vert c_{k}\vert^2$ of the least possible basis state in the superposition and $\mathcal{O}(d \, K \,(log K)^c)$ measurement settings with conventional quantum CS algorithms independent from the number of qubits while dependent on $K$ for constant $c$ and $d$. Quantum phase estimation algorithm is exploited based on the favorable eigenstructure of the designed operator to represent any pure state as a superposition of eigenvectors. Linear optical set-up is presented for realizing the special unitary operator which includes beam splitters and phase shifters where propagation paths of single photon are tracked with which-path-detectors. Quantum circuit implementation is provided by using only CNOT, phase shifter and $- \pi \, / \, 2$ rotation gates around X-axis in Bloch sphere, i.e., $R_{X}(- \pi \, / \, 2)$, allowing to be realized in NISQ devices. Open problems are discussed regarding the existence of the unitary operator and its practical circuit implementation.


Abstract To evaluate the risk to nurses of childbearing age of acquiring cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during the care of patients at high risk of the infection, 374 female hospital employees (288 nursing personnel) were interviewed and screened for antibody to CMV. Fifty-six percent of the population surveyed had antibody to CMV as measured by an immunofluorescent assay. Among nursing personnel, analysis of antibody prevalence by job title, work area, and duration of work showed no association between seropositivity and either current or past exposure to "high-risk" patients, such as infants and immunosuppressed individuals. Age, race (non-white), and the number of pregnancies reported by participants were significantly associated with the presence of antibody. Among 73 employees of a children's hospital, the prevalence of CMV antibody was 41%. This survey suggests that hospital nursing is not a major risk factor for acquiring CMV infection. However, this finding needs further evaluation in a prospective study of seroconversion rates among seronegative nurses.


The relevance of the paper is determined by the need to modernize social dialogue in Ukraine as a means of increasing the social responsibility of business organizations and a prerequisite for the country's sustainable socio-economic development. The paper is aimed at reviewing and systematizing effective practices of modernization of social dialogue, which are revealed in the publications of foreign and Ukrainian scientists, high-ranking officials and public figures. These practices are considered from the standpoint of their expediency and the possibility of their implementation in the processes of social interaction of organizations of employees, employers and public authorities in Ukraine.A review of the foreign experience in organizing social dialogue convincingly demonstrates a fairly high level of efficiency in the European Union, which contributes to achieving a balance of interests of major economic actors, increasing their social responsibility. For Ukraine, it is expedient to introduce the European practice of the so-called broad approach to the organization of social dialogue, which provides for the expansion of its subjects at the expense of representatives of territorial entities, environmental, women's, youth, cultural and other public organizations. The involvement of local governments, public and NGOs in solving the most important socio-economic problems will contribute to the spread of the practice of differentiating between social and public dialogue. In Ukraine, employee participation in corporate governance should be strengthened, access to shareholder income should be expanded, and institutional tools for regulating the collective bargaining process should be improved.


In recent years, nutraceuticals and functional foods have become part of our vocabulary and increasingly, part of our menu. Because of their particular function, functional foods constitute the fastest growing part in the world food market. 'Functional Foods' and 'nutraceuticals' currently lack a uniform definition and include any food that has a positive impact on an individual's health, physical performance or state of mind in addition to its nutritive value (Goldberg, 1994). Functional foods perform particular functions such as improvement of biological defense mechanisms, prevention or recovery of specific disease, control physical conditions and slow aging process. Foods can be modified by addition of bioactive peptides, omega-3, poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and probiotics and/or prebiotics to become functional. New recognized food products with explicit health claims have also been introduced in the market, including yogurt, cheese and fermented drinks or beverages with probiotic bacteria that improve digestion, and margarines and herbal ghee that lower blood cholesterol.New trends are using today's to develop new functional foods with great health benefits.


The scope of this article is to present a theoretical-methodological model as the basis for the analysis of the potential provision of Brazilian public health services (SUS) using an approach based on complex network theory. The model sought to analyze the potential provision of health services through the relationship of Euclidean distance between census sectors and services offered by health facilities, as defined in the National Register of Health Establishments (CNES). Two types of metrics are proposed for the analysis of the relationship network: the average distance of health services to the census sectors and the importance of the health unit in the potential provision of each type of service based on the centrality and availability of this service. To demonstrate the application of the model, a network was built based in the Metropolitan Area of Brasilia, including the Federal District and 12 surrounding municipalities. The model was able to map and analyze CNES data with census sectors defined in the CENSUS, opening up the possibility of constructing new perspectives of analysis in the understanding of the potential distribution of health resources and services according to socioeconomic variables, as well as an important evidence-based management tool.