The purpose of this paper is firstly to describe the literate practices within vocational education in Swedish upper secondary school, and secondly to discuss vocational literacy in terms of cultural historical activity theory (Leontiev 1986). The paper is based on a reanalysis of two previous studies (Lindberg 2003), where the assignments the students worked with were focused. Assignments in vocational subjects as well as so called infused tasks in academic subjects are included. In this paper, the issue is to illuminate the literacy required of the students in their working with assignments within these two kinds of subjects. Special attention is paid to the literate aspects of the assignments – what texts the students were given to read or write for the work with the tasks and how the texts were used in classrooms, workshops or kitchens. In both studies, classroom observations related to instructions for the assignments, and students' work with the assignments, were combined with sequential interviews with the teachers. In a first step, New Literacy Studies (Barton H Hull 1997; Street 2003) inspired the analysis. In a second step, the literacy practices identified where related to Cultural historical activity theory has been used for interpreting the results.In a broad sense, a variety of texts were used in the two studies. Most texts in the vocational subjects were vocational texts – texts produced for working life. These texts were used differently early in the programme and at the end of the programme. Early in the programme they were part of the content – the students were instructed how to use them. Later on they became used in similar ways as within the vocation – i.e. as tools. School texts (e.g. text books) were in minority. When they were used, it was for the purpose of introducing new subjects or new content within a subject. Many of the texts used for the work with infused tasks in academic subjects were also used for work within the vocation. These texts were, however, not the same as those used in vocational subjects. Instead they were either imposed by others (e.g. national or local authorities) or informative texts about a company or a vocational area. In all, students within vocational education in Sweden read a lot during their education. The tasks they are given to work with in vocational subjects require 'reading for learning' as well as 'reading for doing' (Sticht et al 1977) – often these two ways of reading a text are used for the same texts but at various stages in the programme. In academic subjects, the texts were read for informing the students' writing. is mostly different from practices described within school. Occasionally, writing also occurred. Here school texts dominated and vocational texts were few. The tasks indicate that changes in working life have had consequences for the content of work. This, in turn is reflected in the tasks within vocational education, within vocational subjects as well as within academic subjects. Further, the infused tasks within this study are proposed as possible boundary objects between the two cultures. As a whole, the result problematises the mainstream division in practical versus theoretical knowledge and vocational key competencies versus general key competencies on the other hand within VET-research.


The purpose of the present study was to describe the relationship between the metabolic rate (W.kg-1 b.m.) and the oxidation rate (mg.kg-1.min-1) of exogenous glucose and fructose during prolonged exercise in 18 healthy active male volunteers (VO2max = 43-71 ml.kg-1.min-1). Each subject performed three 120-min exercises at 60% VO2max (8.5-15.0 W.kg-1.min-1) on cycle ergometer while ingesting water only or 1.33 g.k-1 (97 +/- 9 g; mean +/- SE) of 13C-glucose or 13C-fructose in water (7%). The oxidation rate of exogenous glucose and fructose increased linearly with increasing metabolic rate (r = 0.71 and 0.70, respectively, p < 0.05), the amount of exogenous glucose oxidized being significantly higher than the amount of fructose oxidized (56.1 +/- 14.2 vs 35.7 +/- 9.2 g, respectively). The respective contributions of exogenous glucose and fructose oxidation to the energy yield remain remarkably similar over the range of metabolic rate studied (14.0 +/- 2.1 and 8.9 +/- 1.6%). These observations suggest that the rate of absorption of glucose and fructose and the rate of conversion of fructose into glucose by the liver are not limiting factors for their oxidation, which could simply follow the oxidation rate of circulating glucose. From a practical point of view, these results confirm that fructose is a less efficient energy supplement than exogenous glucose for any metabolic rate sustained.


Offshore structures operating at sea are severely affected by slamming pressure. This slamming pressure significantly shortens the design life of offshore structures including offshore wind turbines and results in personal and material damage. This slamming load has to be fully considered in the design phase of the structure, and therefore good quality of experimental results should be supported.
 In Korea, offshore wind turbines have excellent conditions geographically. In the West sea, the construction of the jacket-type wind turbine is advantageous because the water depth is low, and in the East sea, which is relatively deep, the floating wind turbine is possible; thus, it is easy to generate a large-scale wind farm. For offshore wind turbines, several technical aspects should be considered. Among them, the damage of the structure caused by the slamming load should be studied.
 In the case of FOWTs operating in large waves, slamming can cause structural damage, and repeated slamming loads reduce the structural strength and shorten the design life. The slamming load should be calculated by applying the maximum peak, its width, duration and the dynamic load according to the natural period of the structure, and the importance of structural design.
 The results of the experiments can be used to determine the structural design, and the slamming load can be estimated to provide the design techniques offshore wind turbines as the design variables.
 In this study, we investigated experimentally the elastic effects of a cylindrical model on the slamming load characteristics by free drop test at height 1.0m and 1.7m.


Adverse consequences from having a faulty circadian clock include compromised sleep quality and poor performance in the short-term, and metabolic diseases and cancer in the long- term. However, our understanding of circadian disorders is limited by the incompleteness of our molecular models and our dearth of defined mutant models. Because it would be prohibitively expensive to develop live animal models to study the full range of complicated clock mechanisms, we developed Per1-luc and Per2-luc endogenous circadian reporters in a validated clock cell model, U2OS, where the genome can be easily manipulated, and functional consequences of mutations can be accurately studied. Using these reporter cells, we uncovered critical differences between two paralogs of Per and Cry, as well as working principles of the circadian phosphotimer. Our system can be used as an efficient platform to study circadian sleep disorders such as Familial Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome (FASPS) and their underlying molecular mechanisms.


Native fauna of the tropical volcanic part of Guadeloupe is amphidromous: juveniles born in rivers but that grow in the sea need to migrate upstream to colonise their adult habitat in rivers. This migration is affected by any human-made obstacles placed in their way. Moreover, on volcanic tropical islands, streams are the main source of water catchment for the human population. This deeply affects river hydrology and characteristics. Both damming and water catchment potentially affect community diversity and species demography, but they may also alter the trophic ecology of the river fauna. Using stable isotopes and the stable isotope Bayesian ellipses approach in R (SIBER), this study aimed to assess the isotopic niche variability of riverine fauna of three persistent small rivers of Basse-Terre Island (Guadeloupe) affected by damming and water catchment. Using electrofishing, decapods and fishes (gobies) of three rivers were sampled upstream and downstream of dams. Our results demonstrated that the variability of the isotopic niches was extremely high between rivers but varied less between stations of the same river. Our results revealed complex and river-specific effects and a pattern merged with natural variability. Our two hypotheses (i.e., increase of resources upstream of dams and differential responses of trophic guilds to damming and water catchment) were only weakly supported and never in an unambiguous manner. Our study showed that it is necessary to consider the 'noise' generated by natural variability to observe and understand changes in the trophic ecology of associated fauna in relation to damming and water catchment.


Model Order Reduction (MOR) is a powerful tool to simulate very large scale system. To integrated circuit system, passive and stability are major criteria. The paper presents the Truncation Balanced Reduction (TBR) which can guarantee passive and stability algorithm based on the Hankel singular parameters. About how to select the truncated states, the paper presents the 102 rule with a example.


Any engineering activity is characterized by contradictions: social – between engineering problems and technical solutions and technological – between laws of nature and artificial engineering objects. This leads to the ethical dilemma of engineering work: when creating something new, social and environmental problems usually arise. This explains the "Janus-headedness" of the engineering profession: although the original intention is to do good, however, there are negative consequences that must be mitigated through new technical solutions that have the effect of creating improvements. "Leonardo's oath" not only highlights this need, but also serves as a reference point for developing the engineering training programs which should be prepared specifically for this task. As a starting approach, the article suggests using the "sustainability triangle" – a model of social transformational effects in relation to the definition of the variables "social", "economy" and "ecology" and their corresponding interdependence. It is shown that digitalization changes the "economy" setting in the sustainability triangle, which inevitably leads to consequences for the currently dependent variables "social " and "ecology". Digitalization requires, first, an economic approach, not environmental. It does not solve the fundamental problem: participation in the formation of a society to achieve socio-ecological balance is faced with the duality between the ethical necessity of forming and lack of real balance.


We evaluate the accuracy of the satellite-based surface solar radiation dataset called Surface Solar Radiation Data Set - Heliosat (SARAH-E) against in situ measurements over a variety of sites in India between 1999 and 2014. We primarily evaluate the daily means of surface solar radiation. The results indicate that SARAH-E consistently overestimates surface solar radiation, with a mean bias of 21.9 W/m2. The results are complicated by the fact that the estimation bias is stable between 1999 and 2009 with a mean of 19.6 W/m2 but increases sharply thereafter as a result of rapidly decreasing (dimming) surface measurements of solar radiation. In addition, between 1999 and 2009, both in situ measurements and SARAH-E estimates described a statistically significant (at 95% confidence interval) trend of approximately −0.6 W/m2/year, but diverged strongly afterward. We investigated the cause of decreasing solar radiation at one site (Pune) by simulating clear-sky irradiance with local measurements of water vapor and aerosols as input to a radiative transfer model. The relationship between simulated and measured irradiance appeared to change post-2009, indicating that measured changes in the clear-sky aerosol loading are not sufficient to explain the rapid dimming in measured total irradiance. Besides instrumentation biases, possible explanations in the diverging measurements and retrievals of solar radiation may be found in the aerosol climatology used for SARAH-E generation. However, at present, we have insufficient data to conclusively identify the cause of the increasing retrieval bias. Users of the datasets are advised to be aware of the increasing bias when using the post-2009 data.


Summary. Long-term complex monitoring medical-biological researches of the human's functional systems status at the prolonged stay in the conditions of isolation at the off-shore (coast) Antarctic station were focused on finding out of mechanisms of dysadaptative disorders development of integrative and oxygen-transport systems of organism in the absence of essential reduction of the oxygen content in atmospheric air. Work was based on the results of medical-biological studies, which were conducted with participation of the crew members of the Antarctic station Academician Vernadskiy (Vernadsky – 65 ° 14'43"S; 64 ° 15'24"W). The average age of examinees was 39,8±2,4 years (130 men). The medical-biological studies included the modern clinic-laboratory, functional, instrumental, biochemical, immunologic, genetic, statistical methods. The participants' examinations of the expedition were conducted before expedition, at a period of transatlantic transition, on Antarctic station (in mode of the monitoring by means of telemedical connection), after returning from expedition. In Antarctic the unique complex of physical, chemical, biological, of social, nature (the metheoheliogeophysical, biorhythmological, deprivation) factors, exceeding by power and duration, affect a human. Long influence of there factors brings to the adaptation processes disorders and dysadaptative development. It is shown that the mechanisms of dysadaptative disorders of oxygen-transport systems of the human organism at the long stay under the influence of the complex of extreme factors of Antarctic expedition developed on the background of the chain neurohumoural, neuroimmune, metabolic, celluar dysfunctions, which indicated on the presence of signs of long stressful condition (the stress-syndrome) that brings to adaptative mechanisms exhaustion of compensation and requires using the methods of correction. At the long stay of a human on the coast Antarctic station, there was revealed the seasonal dynamics of adaptative-dysadaptative rebuildings of regulative and oxygen-transport systems, there was revealed the presence of signs of stressful status and development of tissue hypoxia. It was shown the pathogenic mechanisms of development of dysadaptative disorders of integrative systems (change in cerebral electrogenesis, the activation of sympathoadrenal system, immune malresistance), respiratory, circulatory and hemic mechanisms of regulation of organism oxygen modes (the fall in efficiency and economy of the regulation mechanisms). It is shown the role of biorhythmologic and heliophysical factors of environment in development of dysadaptative disorders. It is for the first time fullfilled the genetic typization of the participants of Antarctic expedition on the presence of an allele polymorphism of specific genetic factor (hypoxia inducted factor - HIF-1 ? ). The significance of such human gene HIF-1 polymorphism is studied in correction to development of adaptative-dysadaptative rebuildings of the functional systems at a continuous stay in Antarctic. It is shown the stabile reduction of regulation mechanisms of an organism oxygen modes under influence of Antarctic factors and hypoxia loading among winterers with Ñ/Ò polymorphism of the gene HIF-1 ? , that has prognostic importance and opens way to deepened study of the molecular mechanisms role in development adaptative-dysadaptative processes in a human in extreme conditions.


PURPOSE
The current study was done to determine the role of lipocalin-2 (LCN2) in the pathogenesis of demyelinating optic neuritis using an experimental autoimmune optic neuritis (EAON) model.

METHODS
The EAON was induced by subcutaneous immunization with an emulsified mixture of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG35-55) peptide in mice. The LCN2 expression was examined in the optic nerve after MOG peptide injection. Degree of demyelination, inflammatory infiltration, glial activation, and expression profile of inflammatory mediators in the optic nerve were compared between LCN2 knockout (KO) animals and wild-type littermates by histological analysis and real-time PCR following EAON induction. Plasma levels of LCN2 in patients with optic neuritis were measured by ELISA.

RESULTS
The expression of LCN2 was notably increased in the optic nerve after EAON induction. Expression of LCN2 was colocalized with reactive astrocytes. A significant reduction of demyelination, inflammatory infiltration, and gliosis was demonstrated in the optic nerve of LCN2 KO mice. The LCN2 KO mice also showed markedly reduced gene expression associated with the M1-polarized glia phenotype and toll-like receptor signaling in the optic nerve. The LCN2 levels in plasma were significantly higher in optic neuritis patients (71.6 ± 10.6 ng/mL) compared to healthy controls (37.4 ± 9.1 ng/mL, P = 0.0284).

CONCLUSIONS
In this study, we demonstrated a significant induction of LCN2 expression in astrocytes of the optic nerve following EAON induction. Our results imply that astrocyte-derived LCN2 may have a pivotal role in the development of demyelinating optic neuritis, and LCN2 can be a therapeutic target to alleviate immune and inflammatory damage in the optic nerve.


Background: Membranous nephropathy (MN) is the most common histological diagnosis in adults with nephrotic syndrome and a leading cause of end-stage kidney failure from glomerulonephritis. Little is known about the underlying aetiology, although anti-glomerular antibodies have been implicated. No specific underlying genetic defect has yet been identified. Methods: In a family with four members in three generations affected by primary MN, the serum of affected members and their mothers were assessed for anti-glomerular antibodies. Results: All four affected are male and connected through the maternal line, indicative of X-linked inheritance. Age of onset of nephrotic syndrome varied between 1 and 67 years of age, suggesting that a potential underlying gene may confer a genetic predisposition to MN, but other factors, genetic or environmental, are necessary to trigger the disease. Serologic studies revealed antibodies against glomerular and peritubular endothelial cells in the mother of the youngest patient. Conclusions: We have identified the largest reported family with a potential X-linked susceptibility to MN. Foeto-maternal alloimmunization may have triggered the disease in the youngest individual. Considering that the majority of patients with sporadic MN are male, identification of an X-linked predisposing factor may have implications well beyond this family and could provide a target for treatment.


Purpose
A suitable dress form is necessary for patternmaking when manufacturing a garment for the global market. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the similarities and differences in visual impressions and preferences of dress forms between Japanese and British female university students.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors carried out sensory evaluations of the visual impressions of dress forms using images of four forms made in Japan, France, the UK and the USA. The participants (18 Japanese and 11 British female university students in their 20s) assessed them using the semantic differential method. In total, 22 adjective pairs concerning style, image and preference factors were used. The authors performed a principal component analysis on the results for style and image. For preference factors, one-way analysis of variance was used to analyze whether there was a difference in preference between the dress forms.

Findings
The Japanese students evaluated dress forms by considering balance and cool (fashionable) as the first principal component, and frailty and delicacy as the second. A large bust-to-waist ratio strengthens the impression of the latter component. The Japanese preferred dress forms of the kind worn by fashion models. Their preference was heavily influenced by the first principal component, but this preference decreased when the dress form evinced a weak impression. The British students assessed dress forms using healthy and cool (fashionable) as the first principal component, and frail and thin body as the second. A ratio of the width of the shoulder to that of the waist (at the front) of 1.6:1 and a rounded back shape from the side view were considered healthy.

Originality/value
These results can help understand the Japanese and British customers' impressions and preferences on the dress form. Moreover, apparel manufacturers choose a suitable dress form to manufacture garments for the global market, by considering similarities and differences in people's preferences.


In the theoretical part of this paper, the author gives answers to the question of whether a real attachment relationship can exist between a child and a non-maternal caretaker. She mentions the established methods of measuring the child's attachment to the kindergarten teacher. She presents The scale of child's attachment to his/her kindergarten teacher (CAKT), which is based on authors previous findings and the experience of other authors in the forming of psychological instruments of this type. The scale was tested in a research which involved twenty-five kindergarten teachers who participated in the evaluation of 178 children (49.4% boys). Children ranged in age from 3 to 6 years. The purpose of the study was to investigate the dimensionality and internal consistency of the Scale. It was established that the psychometric characteristics of the Scale were adequate. This paper also presents the limitations of the research, which should be considered in the interpretation of the obtained results. Replication studies using clinical groups and samples from different cultures will be needed to assess a possible generalization of the presented results.


This article reassesses the "mechanical" style of playing featured in Carl Czerny's pedagogical works and keyboard arrangements—specifically, the Complete Theoretical and Practical Piano Forte School, op. 500 (1839), its supplementary text Letters to a Young Lady (ca. 1840), and the four-hand transcription of Beethoven's Symphony no. 9 in D Minor, op. 125 (the "Choral"). The first part of the article situates opus 500 within the larger pedagogical milieu of Biedermeier music culture and Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi's progressivist educational reforms, exploring the way it tasked predominantly women amateurs with assembling basic finger sensations in an exercise-by-exercise—"progressive"—fashion. I propose that this cumulative logic reflects an early-century epistemic norm—what Friedrich Kittler dubs a "mechanical program" of assembly and augmentation. The second part considers Czerny's transcription of the finale of Beethoven's Ninth from the perspective of ludo-musicology and cultural techniques media analysis, outlining the reductive and replicative—"reproductive"—techniques by which Czerny accommodated his former teacher's work to the hands he shaped in the private sphere. I argue that his pedagogies and transcriptions were recursively interrelated. Czerny was simultaneously a mechanic of the hand pedagogically and a mechanical reproducer of symphonies transcriptively, creating a multivalent corpus that forces us to rethink the media-theoretical concept of "mechanical reproduction" vis-à-vis "Discourse Network 1800."


Recent advances in the research on erectile dysfunction (ED) has more clearly explained the mechanism of penile erection, which is a hemodynamic process involving relaxation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle and related arterials, and NO-cGMP signaling pathway proven to play an important role on modulating the relaxation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle. Studies on NOS and PDEs not only provide strong evidence for the clinical treatment of ED, but also provide the chance to develop Sildenafil. Although the gene therapy for ED is still in the laboratory stage by now, it may be one of the effective clinical therapies for ED in future.


the purpose of this article was to examine the role of culture in credibility assessment and determine to what extent it was applicable to media studies. Existing quantitative research in media credibility neglects cultural dimensions in communication process. This article addresses this gap by offering a theoretical, multidimensional model of cultural and communication components that influence media credibility across and within cultures. The main consideration for future studies includes testing the model components of this paper in different contexts.


Doxorubicin (Dox) has widely been used as an anticancer drug, but its use is limited by serious toxicity to the heart, kidney and liver. Mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the potential mechanisms of toxicity but not fully understood. Fenofibrate, one of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARα) ligands, is involved in lipid metabolism which takes place primarily in the mitochondria, so mitochondrial function may be affected by fenofibrate. Therefore, we investigated the effects of DOX and fenofibrate on activities of both mitochondrial citrate synthase and NADH oxidase, which are marker enzymes in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and a measure of the complex I-III-IV activity in electron transport chain, respectively. Dox (15 mg/kg) and/or fenofibrate (100 mg/kg/day) were administered to mice for 3 or 14 days, and the activities of citrate synthase and NADH oxidase were measured. Our study showed that Dox significantly inhibits the activity of citrate synthase while fenofibrate induces the activity. Similar to citrate synthase, NADH oxidase activity was also induced by fenofibrate except in spleen but inhibited by Dox except in the heart and liver. Furthermore, fenofibrate not only protects citrate synthase activity from Dox-induced toxicity in the ventricle but also significantly rescues NADH oxidase activity in the kidney. These results reveal the actions of fenofibrate and Dox on the mitochondria, and the underlying mechanism may be related to the toxicity of Dox, which has clinical implications in the side effects of Dox treatment by modulation of mitochondrial function.


Background: Conventional wisdom holds that hyperextension of the metacarpophalangeal joint of the thumb is secondary to degenerative subluxation of the trapeziometacarpal joint as occurs in osteoarthritis. We propose that a hypermobile metacarpophalangeal joint may have a causative role in the development of primary osteoarthritis at the base of the thumb by concentrating forces on the palmar aspect of the trapeziometacarpal joint. Methods: Twenty fresh-frozen cadaveric forearm specimens were obtained post mortem from donors with no history of connective-tissue disease. Each specimen was categorized by its passive range of metacarpophalangeal joint motion. Testing was conducted with Fuji ultra-low-pressure‐sensitive film while the hand was in the lateral-pinch mode with the metacarpophalangeal joint in each of the following positions: unrestrained, pinned in neutral, pinned in 30° of flexion, and pinned in maximal hyperextension. Quantitative analysis of the trapezial contact surface at each of the metacarpophalangeal joint positions was performed, and the center of pressure was determined. Each specimen was then classified according to the extent of arthritic disease (nonarthritic, moderately arthritic, or affected by end-stage arthritis). Results: In specimens affected by end-stage osteoarthritis, the center of pressure on the trapeziometacarpal joint moved dorsally by 56.8% of the length of the trapezial surface with metacarpophalangeal joint flexions of 30° (p < 0.01), whereas the corresponding values were 28.2% and 40.9% in the hyperextended and neutral metacarpophalangeal joint positions, respectively. In specimens with moderate osteoarthritis, 30° of metacarpophalangeal joint flexion also produced the most dorsal trapeziometacarpal center of pressure (44.8%); however, this center of pressure was not significantly different from the centers of pressure at the other metacarpophalangeal joint positions. In nonarthritic specimens, the center of pressure was again significantly more dorsal with metacarpophalangeal joint flexion of 30° than it was at the other positions (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Metacarpophalangeal joint flexion effectively unloaded the most palmar surfaces of the trapeziometacarpal joint regardless of the presence or severity of arthritic disease in this joint. Clinical Relevance: The presence of hyperextension laxity of the metacarpophalangeal joint may identify individuals who are predisposed to the development of arthritis of the trapeziometacarpal joint; such individuals might benefit from early intervention to stabilize the metacarpophalangeal joint and thus to retard the natural progression of osteoarthritic disease at the base of the thumb. Likewise, in symptomatic patients with a hypermobile metacarpophalangeal joint, fixation of the metacarpophalangeal joint in flexion by either splinting or surgical stabilization may alleviate basal joint symptoms by redirecting trapeziometacarpal joint forces away from the palmar compartment and onto the healthier dorsal aspect of the joint.


Ti-Nb base alloys have been proposed as prospective candidates for Ni-free biomedical superelastic alloys due to their excellent mechanical properties with good biocompatibility, and many kinds of Ti-Nb base alloys exhibiting shape memory effect or superelasticity have been developed up to now. However, typical Ti-Nb base superelastic alloys show a small recovery strain which is less than one third of the recovery strain of practical Ti-Ni superelastic alloys. Over the last decade there have been extensive efforts to improve the properties of Ti-Nb base superelastic alloys through microstructure control and alloying. Low temperature annealing and aging are very effective to increase the critical stress for slip due to fine subgrain structure and precipitation hardening. The addition of interstitial alloying elements such as O and N raises the critical stress for slip and improves superelastic properties. In this paper, the roles of alloying elements on the martensitic transformation temperature, crystal structure, microstructure and deformation behavior in the Ti-Nb base alloys are reviewed and the alloy design strategy for biomedical superelastic alloys is proposed. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.M2014454]


Background:
 Unmanipulated T-cell replete haploidentical allogeneic stem cell transplantation has become an attractive alternative choice for patients with no HLA matched sibling or unrelated donors. However data of outcome in patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is still scarce. The Acute Leukemia Working Party (ALWP) of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) conducted this study to compare the outcome of allogeneic transplantation (Allo-SCT) from haploidentical donor (Haplo) versus matched (MUD 10/10) or mismatched (MMUD 9/10) unrelated donor for patients with ALL in first Complete Remission (CR1).
 Methods:
 The outcomes of 1,234 adult patients with Philadelphia positive or negative (Ph+ / Ph-) B ALL or T ALL in CR1 who underwent Allo-SCT between 2007 and 2016 were analyzed. Comparison was made between Haplo (136 patients), MUD 10/10 (809 patients) and MMUD 9/10 (289 patients).
 Multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportional-hazard model. To control potential confounding factors between treatments that could influence outcome, propensity score matching was also performed between Haplo and the 2 other groups.
 Results:
 Main population characteristics are depicted in Table 1. Recipients of Haplo, MUD 10/10 and MMUD 9/10 were comparable concerning median age, time from diagnosis to Allo-SCT and myeloablative versus reduced intensity conditioning (MAC/RIC). However, Haplo transplants cohort differed in several characteristics from the MUD and MMUD patients groups. The percentage of female donors was higher in Haplo transplants and female to male mismatch was higher accordingly, CMV matched negative status was lower in Haplo. The source of stem cells was bone marrow (BM) versus peripheral blood (PB) stem cells in significantly higher percentage of Haplo transplants (53.7% vs 15.1% and 16.6% for MUD and MMUD respectively, p<0.0001). Most Haplo patients received post-transplant cyclophosphamide for graft versus host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis (77%) while this regimen was rarely used in the other groups (about 3%, p=0.0005).
 Univariate analysis showed similar results in Haplo, MUD and MMUD. Disease free survival (DFS) at 3 years was 49±11%, 53±4% and 55±7%, respectively (p=0.67) (Figure 1). Overall survival (OS) was 54±11%, 62±4% and 62±6%, respectively (p=0.11) (Figure 2). Relapse incidence (RI) and non-relapse mortality (NRM) at 3 years were not different either, RI was 28±9%, 28±4% and 25±6%, respectively (p=0.7) and NRM was 23±8%, 19±3% and 20±6%, respectively (p=0.6). Acute GVHD (AGVHD), either grade II-IV or grade III-IV and chronic GVHD (CGVHD) did not differ between the 3 groups (p=0.1, p=1.0 and p=0.6 respectively). The GVHD-relapse free survival (GRFS) was also not statistically different between the groups, 43±10%, 43±4% and 46±7%, respectively (p=0.7).
 After adjustment for center effect, patient age, donor/patient gender, donor and patient CMV serostatus, ALL type (B Ph- vs B Ph+ vs T), time from diagnosis to SCT, type of conditioning and cell source (PB vs BM), the multivariate Cox model showed that Haplo recipients did not experience worse outcomes compared to MUD 10/10 and MMUD 9/10. Indeed, compared to Haplo, the Hazard Ratio (HR) for DFS was 1.1 for MUD (p=0.7) and 1.1 for MMUD (p=0.8). The HR for OS in MUD and MMUD did not differ from Haplo either (HR=0.9, p=0.4 and HR=1.0, p=1.0 respectively). Moreover, compared to Haplo, SCT from MUD and MMUD were not associated with lower hazards for RI (HR=0.9, p=0.8 and HR=0.7, p=0.2 respectively), NRM (HR=0.7, p=0.2 and HR=0.8, p=0.4 respectively), AGVHD II-IV (HR=1.1, p=0.8 and HR=1.2, p=0.3 respectively) and CGVHD (HR=0.8, p=0.2 and HR=0.9, p=0.6 respectively).
 Propensity matching confirmed the results of the multivariate Cox analysis with no difference in outcome between Haplo, MUD and MMUD. Compared to Haplo the HR for DFS and OS were 1.04 (p=0.84) and 0.85 (p=0.50) for MUD and 0.9 (p=0.66) and 0.82 (p=0.48) for MMUD.
 Conclusions:
 Outcomes of adult patients with ALL in CR1 receiving Haplo Allo-SCT are comparable to MUD or MMUD transplants. Haplo should be considered as an additional option for patients lacking a matched sibling donor.

 Tischer: Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Other: Jazz Advisory Board. Mohty:MaaT Pharma: Consultancy, Honoraria.


ABSTRACT Streptococcus pyogenes is a major cause of pharyngitis in humans and encodes several fibronectin-binding proteins. M protein and protein F1 (PrtF1/SfbI) are differentially regulated by CO2 and O2, respectively, and both mediate the invasion of epithelial cells. This study examined whether PrtF1/SfbI shares other properties with M protein. Expression of the PrtF1/SfbI protein by an M-negative mutant conferred resistance to phagocytosis and partial inhibition of C3 deposition on the S. pyogenes surface.


Telecom companies utilize data mining algorithms and tools to understand the behaviors of their customers. Cluster analysis is one of the techniques used to identify homogenous groups of customers from a heterogeneous group based on the customers' service usage records. Clustering algorithms aim to find natural groupings of subscribers and are widely applied for customer profiling and market segmentation. As telecom customers use services like cellular Internet, huge amount of data is generated in the form of call detail record (CDR) primarily for billing purpose. This data can also be a source of information for marketing and network management tasks. Previously, different algorithms have been studied and implemented by researchers to understand how, why, when and where people access mobile Internet using already available data from the telecom systems. In this thesis, two clustering algorithms namely K-means and Two-Step were implemented on real CDR and CRM datasets of a telecom company in Ethiopia to segment mobile Internet users. Behavioral segmentation was performed using aggregated data of sample number of customers based on derived features. Moreover, the insights obtained from each segment were analyzed before suggesting marketing strategies for personalized services and targeted campaigns. K-means was applied on CDR dataset and meaningful clusters showing characteristics of users were obtained and explained. Two-Step clustering was found to be more suitable for segmenting user groups and has a better silhouette score than K-means. The results of the analysis show the possibility of using data stored by mobile operators for market segmentation purposes. It was examined from this research that clustering algorithms like K-means and TwoStep are applicable to observe patterns among ethio telecom customers based on service usage and demographic information of subscribers from database systems .


Purpose

This paper explores the perceptions and experiences of women and men who work as informal waste collectors in four different cities. The purpose of this paper is to map out how and to what extent occupational, political-legal, economic and social dynamics are experienced differently by gender in a highly vulnerable segment of the urban informal economy, and explore gender differences in these workers' coping strategies and the levels of action they develop to protect their livelihoods.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is based on a mixed methods study which combined a quantitative survey of informal workers with a qualitative participatory methodology. Study participants were drawn from a purposive sample of informal workers who belong to, or are affiliated with, membership-based workers' organisations. The sample consists of waste pickers (n=614) from Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Bogota, Colombia; Durban, South Africa; and Nakuru, Kenya.

Findings

The data show that despite significant differences between women and men upon entry into (informal) employment, their perceptions of key drivers and impacts are largely similar, with the exception of concerns around various types of physical security among women. They also indicate that levels of action among men and women waste pickers are only moderately influenced by gender, but are strongly influenced by the degree of organisation in the sector and the symbolic assets held by workers. The findings also illustrate the way in which gendered power dynamics operate within the informal recycling sector and how different levels of sector organisation and development often contribute to opportunities for collective action and, in turn, a reduction in gendered vulnerabilities.

Originality/value

The study offers a new policy angle which connects the level of sector organisation and development with the levels of action taken by informal workers in adapting to different types of shocks, as well as what this means in terms of gender empowerment.


This study examines Lewis Carroll's Alice through the cultural glass of the Arabic translations of Alice in Wonderland by Amira Kiwan (2003), Shakir Nasr Al Deen (2012), Siham Bint Saniya (2013), and Nadia Al Kholy (2013), and of Through the Looking-Glass by Siham Bint Saniya (2013). It seeks to explore the engagement of several issues of language and meaning, and of foreignness and otherness, in both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass with the aid of a simultaneous examination of how key moments in the works are translated into Arabic. This exploration, in a cross-disciplinary study that combines both close-reading post-colonial literary analysis and Venuti's identification of domestication and foreignization as strategies of translation, sheds light both on the original works or source texts (STs) and on the translations or target texts (TTs) that transmit them to their respective Egyptian, Jordanian, and Moroccan Arab readers. The Alice that emerges is a divided one, simultaneously both language learner and guardian of the rules of language, explorer-foreigner and imperialist, vulnerable child, and tyrannical queen. In the TTs there is also a split between literary sophistication and playful childhood nonsense, difficult post-colonial text and celebration of local childhood culture. Further, the TTs are treated by their translators as at once entertaining childhood adventure domesticated to local tastes and also as complex literary allegory whose political source-text is preserved and adjusted for a more sophisticated adult target audience.


M2bMφ demonstrated in the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) of whole body γ-irradiated mice (WBI-mice) have been characterized as responsible cells for the increased susceptibility of them to gut bacteria-associated sepsis. In our previous studies, MLN-Mφ from WBI-mice treated with GL have been characterized as non-M2bMφ. In this study, we determined how GL suppresses the γ-irradiation-associated M2bMφ polarization. WBI-mice were treated with GL (10 mg/kg, i.p., twice a day) 8 and 9 days post-irradiation. The antibacterial resistance of WBI-mice to Enterococcus faecalis oral infection (a model of sepsis caused by bacterial translocation) was evaluated by a bacterial growth in organs. F4/80+ cells (Mφ) were isolated from NMLs of GL-treated WBI-mice 10 days post-irradiation, and analyzed for the expression of miR-222 and GAS5 by real-time PCR. Serum HMGB1 level was measured by ELISA. In the results, the pathogen vigorously grew in various organs of WBI-mice, while the bacteria did not grow in organs of the same mice treated with GL. HMGB1, increased in sera of WBI-mice 2–15 days post-irradiation, stimulated the expression of miR-222 with a function to degrade GAS5 RNA (a factor to control the M2bMφ polarization). However, miR-222 was not expressed in the same Mφ cultures supplemented with GL. GL has been shown to bind to HMGB1 directly and inhibit its cytokine activity. The reduction of GAS5 and the M2bMφ polarization were not demonstrated in Mφ from WBI-mice treated with GL. These results suggest that GL improves host antibacterial resistance of WBI-mice against gut bacteria-associated sepsis through the modulation of HMGB1/miR-222-associated M2bMφ polarization.


This study examined the association between Veterans Administration (VA)-Medicare dual beneficiaries' HMO enrollment and factors including sociodemographics, access/attachment to VA, self-reported health status, and characteristics of Medicare HMO markets. The results showed that availability of Medicare HMOs and less access to VA care were the major predictors of VA-Medicare dual beneficiaries' HMO enrollment. Other significant predictors of HMO enrollment were age (65-69), having no college education, VA priority status (low income; less than 50 percent service disability). There was some evidence of favorable selection measured by self-reported health status. The identified HMO enrollment profile can position VA better in attracting and managing the care of these beneficiaries and in meeting potentially large shifts in their need for VA care if Medicare benefits or policies change markedly.


: Cultural tourism is an important part of the tertiary industry, and cultural tourism is known as the most promising way of tourism. Zhaoqing is rich in cultural tourism resources, but its cultural tourism development is still in its primary stage. In this paper, for the purpose of integrating and sharing tourism resources in Zhaoqing, a system model of cultural tourism industry based on Web services is proposed by using artificial intelligence (AI) and intelligent media technology, which can effectively realize information exchange, data sharing and online transaction of tourism products, and proposes to combine them to form a comprehensive service platform, so that tourism consumers can really enjoy one-stop service. The realization of this system is of great significance to the development of regional tourism.


Arachidonic-acid metabolites appear to participate in skin penetration by and transformation of schistosome cercariae and in the pathogenesis of schistosomiasis. With this in mind, mice were treated with one of two cyclooxygenase inhibitors before and/or after infection with Schistosoma mansoni. The effects of the treatment on liver morbidity and the parasitic infection were then evaluated, using infected, untreated and uninfected, treated mice as controls. Treatment with ibuprofen (20 mg/kg.day) or diclofenac sodium (2.5 mg/kg.day) for 7 days before infection led to significantly lower liver weights, worm loads and hepatic hydroxyproline contents than in the untreated mice. If treatment with either drug was continued after infection, for 28 days, there was an additional significant decrease in hepatic gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity. All these parameters except liver weight were similarly affected when treatment with either drug was begun on the day of infection and continued for 28 days. There was no significant change in liver weight or worm load when treatment was delayed until day 28 post-infection but faecal egg counts were reduced in the treated groups. In additional experiments, using a smaller dose of diclofenac sodium (1.25 mg/kg.day), all the measured parameters of infection were significantly decreased when the treatment was initiated 7 days before infection and continued until day 28 post-infection. The results indicate that the treatment of S. mansoni-infected mice with ibuprofen or diclofenac sodium was effective in reducing the severity of infection and in attenuating hepatic fibrosis, particularly when the treatment was started early in relation to the time of infection.


Beliefs are central constructs in every discipline which deals with human behaviour and learning. In addition to learner beliefs about language learning, language teachers themselves may hold certain beliefs about language learning that will have an impact on their instructional practices and that are likely to influence their students' beliefs about language learning. This article reports on a study of beliefs held by 217 full-time undergraduate students (142 females and 75 males) enrolled in English Language Teaching (ELT) programmes at seven state universities in Turkey. Horwitz' BALLI was used to collect data. The data reveal that where some of the results carried by pre-service teachers might surprise language teaching educators and teacher trainers, some others probably confirm their experiences and intuitions.


The productivity of agricultural systems and the ecological distribution of plants are strongly influenced by salinity in arid and semi-arid regions. In this context, two pistachio species, Pistacia vera L. (P. vera) and Pistacia atlantica Desf. (P. atlantica), have been exposed to NaCl (between 0 and 80 mM) to study the effect of salinity on plant water status, chlorophyll fluorescence and leaf gas exchanges. A specific pattern of response to salinity has highlighted different mechanisms of tolerance. Reductions in stomatal conductance (gs), photosynthesis (A) and total chlorophyll content (TCC) are similar to reductions in the relative water content (RWC) for both species and the NaCl treatments. The shape of the multiphasic fluorescence kinetics curves (OJIP) varies according to the severity of stress, indicating an earlier effect upon addition of NaCl for P. vera, but later in P. atlantica. The dynamic functioning of PSII depends on the toxicity by NaCl, altering plant water status, light conversion and CO2 assimilation by the mesophyll. The impact of salinity is clear at J and especially at I and P, which greatly increases for high NaCl concentrations, reflecting a decrease in the photochemical efficiency of PSII and electron transport. The chlorophyll fluorescence in P. atlantica reflects a lower sensitivity to salinity due to the maintenance of higher cell turgor, chlorophyll content and assimilation of CO2 than P. vera, explaining the agricultural practice based on its use as rootstock for P. vera for a better rusticity.


RF-MEMS switch is a kind of electromechanical structure that is used to short or open a RF to millimeter-wave-frequency transmission line. Compared to traditional RF switches, RF-MEMS switches possess many significant advantages, such as negligible DC power consumption, small series capacitance, resistance and insertion loss, good isolation, as well as high linearity and cut-off frequency. RF-MEMS switch can be actuated by many different mechanisms, like electrostatic, electromagnetic, thermal, and piezoelectric; among them electrostatic mechanism is the most prevalent technique in use today. However, the main challenge of the electrostatic-actuated RF-MEMS switches is their comparatively high actuation voltage (20V~80V), which makes them unsatisfied for wireless communication systems; cannot be integrated with active CMOS circuitry; and lead them to have short lifetimes. The objective of this project is to design, optimize, simulate and analyze a low-voltage low-loss electrostatic-actuated RF-MEMS capacitive switch. The research methodology follows the steps of identifying the design specification, creating the novel 3D structure, optimizing the geometric dimensions, simulating and verifying the switch's properties, modeling the equivalent electric circuitry, and implementing it into the RF applications, namely MEMS phase shifters. The low-actuation voltage design is achieved by using novel combination of folded and spring beams which are used for supporting the switch's big membrane; and the low-loss property is realized by employing an inductive matching circuit, namely T-match or π-match circuit. The structure of the switch is optimized by using a new developed multi-response optimization method which is based on Taguchi method and weighted principal component analysis to accomplish the aims of low-actuation voltage, robust structure, and relatively short switching time simultaneously. The final optimized RF-MEMS capacitive switch has actuation voltage of 3.06V with spring constant of 0.2378N/m, switching time of 34μs~19.5μs with bias voltage of 4V~7V, the insertion loss and isolation of -0.5487dB and -23.02dB, respectively, at frequency of 20GHz. By using T-match circuit, the insertion loss and isolation can be enhanced by 76.47% and 25.07%, respectively; and by using π-match circuit, the insertion loss can be improved by 76.53%. Two low-voltage low-loss MEMS phase shifters, namely MEMS switched-line phase shifter and DMTL phase shifter, by using proposed RF-MEMS switches are presented. For the 3-bit MEMS switched-line phase shifter, its average phase error and insertion loss is 0.5056° and -1.51dB, respectively, at 20GHz; both return loss and isolation are better than -11dB at a wideband frequency range of 18GHz to 22GHz; the design area is 6mm × 4 mm. For the 3-bit DMTL phase shifter, its average phase error and insertion loss is 6.032° and -1.526dB, respectively, at 20GHz; the return loss is better than -10.05dB for all the phase shift conditions; the design area is 12.8mm × 1.4mm.


Continued use of petroleum-based fuels is now widely recognized as unsustainable because of depleting supplies and contribution of these fuels to pollute the environment. The challenge, therefore, is to secure adequate energy supplies at the least possible cost. Over 1.5 trillion barrels of oil equivalent have been produced since Edwin Drake drilled the world´s first oil well in 1859. Economic growth is always accompanied by commensurate increase in the transport. The high energy demand in the industrialized world as well as in the domestic sector, and pollution problems caused due to the widespread use of fossil fuels make it increasingly necessary to develop the renewable energy sources of limitless duration and smaller environmental impact than the traditional one. One possible alternative to fossil fuel is the use of oils of plant origin like vegetable oils and non-edible oils. Usage of biodiesel will allow a balance to be sought between agriculture, economic development and the environment. The aim of th
is article is to investigate to hidden possibilities of biodiesel utilisation in Hungary by the review of international literature.


This paper tracks the transition of "creative city" planning from the gentrified downtown to the disinvested inner-suburbs. It attends particularly to contradictory notions of community mobilized by proponents of inner-suburban revitalization and by residents and business owners who daily inhabit inner-suburban commercial streets where cultural planning interventions are typically targeted. It further argues that those contradictory notions indicate immanent displacement pressure. The argument builds around data gleaned from an action research project in Toronto's Mount Dennis neighbourhood, a former manufacturing neighbourhood that is now home to a large number of precariously employed new immigrants. We contend that community engaged research not only allows for an analysis of the race and class dimensions of creative city planning, it consolidates marginalized perspectives and opens up alternative possibilities for planning and development. We also claim that the relational, exploratory and sometimes fraught process of sharing knowledge with community-based researchers enriches critical research on the exclusionary politics of redevelopment planning.


The current computer-based instructional technologies found in schools around the world provide enormous opportunities for teachers to use them for effective and efficient lesson delivery. This study was aimed at comparing the level of computer use for teaching purposes by business and science stream teachers in the secondary schools of Maldives. A descriptive research methodology was conducted to collect data for this quantitative study. A survey questionnaire was administrated to 85 participants (43 business teachers and 42 science teachers). The findings of this study indicate that science stream teachers have higher level of computer use for teaching purposes in comparison with business stream teachers. An independent sample t-test analysis indicated that there is no significance in the perceived support for computer use between business and science stream teachers. To increase technology use for teaching purposes and decrease the differences between two groups of teacher, training programs need to be carried out separately to meet the training needs of the each group of teachers.


Background: Natural regeneration is critically important for the sustainable management of artificial forests. Studies have been investigated for the effects of seedlings height distribution and ontogenetic adaptability in a 60-year-old Quercus acutissima artificial pure forest in Mount Tai. Results: The results showed that the height distribution of seedlings under the forest was pyramidal-shape from the year 2010 to 2017. In 2017, the density of seedlings under the forest was only 61.63% of that in 2010, and the number of individuals at each height class was lower than that in 2010, especially the individuals at 20-40cm height class only 32% of that in 2010. With the increase of seedling height under the forest, seedling biomass (SB), ground diameter (GD), root mass ratio (RMR), total root length (TRL), root volume (RV), root average diameter (RAD) and nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) increased significantly, but leaf mass ratio (LMR), leaf area ratio (LAR), photosynthetic/non-photosynthetic tissue ratio (P/NP), specific root length (SRL) and specific root surface area (SRA) decreased significantly. Correlation analysis showed that SB was negatively correlated with LMR, LAR, P/NP, SRL and SRA, and positively correlated with RMR, TRL, RV, RAD and NSC. NSC was negatively correlated with LMR, LAR, P/NP, SRL and SRA. Conclusions: Therefore, with the increase of seedlings height, the increased carbon storage was helpful for the seedlings of Q. acutissima to survive under the forest for a long time, but the reduced ability of light interception, photosynthetic tissue ratio, water and nutrient absorption capacity contributed to their low survival ratio under the forest.


We present the results of our survey searching for new white dwarf pulsators for observations by the TESS space telescope. We collected photometric time-series data on 14 white dwarf variable-candidates at Konkoly Observatory, and found two new bright ZZ Ceti stars, namely EGGR 120 and WD 1310+583. We performed the Fourier-analysis of the datasets. In the case of EGGR 120, which was observed on one night only, we found one significant frequency at 1332 microHz with 2.3 mmag amplitude. We successfully observed WD 1310+583 on eight nights, and determined 17 significant frequencies by the whole dataset. Seven of them seem to be independent pulsation modes between 634 and 2740 microHz, and we performed preliminary asteroseismic investigations of the star utilizing six of these periods. We also identified three new light variables on the fields of white dwarf candidates: an eclipsing binary, a candidate delta Scuti/beta Cephei and a candidate W UMa-type star.


Anchor flanges are interface items which are used to connect pipelines to subsea in-line and end termination structures. They are forged and tend to be long-lead items; therefore, the design of an anchor flange should be completed at a very early project stage, possibly even during the tender phase. An optimised, analytical method for preliminary design would result in reduced design time overall and have beneficial cost implications.
 The analytical notch methods (i.e. Neuber's and Glinka's) that are presented utilise linear-elastic stress concentration factors to make realistic predictions of the ultimate load carrying capacity of an anchor flange in the non-linear regime.
 The linear-elastic stress concentration factor values are calculated with simple analytical formulae and graphs. The analytical notch methods are deployed to predict the anchor flange limit load and peak plastic strain and thereby ensure that the plastic strain remains within the allowable limits of design codes.
 The cost and time saving associated with the analytical notch methods, and the accuracy that is maintained, are assessed by comparison with the predictions results obtained from detailed finite element analyses.


Kleene's computability theory based on the S1-S9 computation schemes constitutes a model for computing with objects of any finite type and extends Turing's 'machine model' which formalises computing with real numbers. A fundamental distinction in Kleene's framework is between normal and non-normal functionals where the former compute the associated Kleene quantifier $\exists^n$ and the latter do not. Historically, the focus was on normal functionals, but recently new non-normal functionals have been studied based on well-known theorems, the weakest among which seems to be the uncountability of the reals. These new non-normal functionals are fundamentally different from historical examples like Tait's fan functional: the latter is computable from $\exists^2$, while the former are computable in $\exists^3$ but not in weaker oracles. Of course, there is a great divide or abyss separating $\exists^2$ and $\exists^3$ and we identify slight variations of our new non-normal functionals that are again computable in $\exists^2$, i.e. fall on different sides of this abyss. Our examples are based on mainstream mathematical notions, like quasi-continuity, Baire classes, bounded variation, and semi-continuity from real analysis.


UNLABELLED
Despite a steep rise in the evidence base for third-wave cognitive and behavioural therapy approaches over the past decade, a scarcity of change measures relevant to these therapies as applied to psychosis is arguably slowing empirical progress in the area. The Voices Acceptance and Action Scale (VAAS), a measure of acceptance of voice experiences, is a notable exception. However, there are no published data on its psychometric properties outside of that provided by the scale developers. The current study explored the psychometric properties of two brief versions of the VAAS in a sample of psychotic voice hearers in a routine outpatient mental health service. Evidence from the current study suggests that both brief versions are robust measures of acceptance of voice experiences. Some limited support for the shortened VAAS-9 as being a marginally improved scale over the original brief VAAS-12 was also found. The current study found acceptance of voices to be highly related to depression, anxiety, stress and general negative affect and to predict unique variance in depression and general negative affect beyond that attributable to negative beliefs about voices and thought suppression. It was also found that acceptance was positively related to the use of reappraisal, indicating that the distinctiveness of acceptance from appraisal processes may be less pronounced in this context than what was has been reported previously. Implications for future research, as well as the practice of second-wave and third-wave cognitive and behavioural approaches to psychosis, are discussed.

KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE
Two brief versions of the VAAS instrument were found to be robust measures of acceptance of psychotic voice experiences. The construct of acceptance of voices is highly related to indices of well-being and negative appraisal processes in psychosis and appears to offer an alternative route to therapeutically addressing the toxic effects of negative beliefs about voices. The recent focus on acceptance-based techniques within cognitive and behavioural approaches to psychosis was supported.


A 16‐by‐16 element array is operated at a center frequency of 2.25 MHz using a 256‐channel transmitter system. Reception is performed with a subset of elements of the array or with a separate single element probe. The beam fields generated in water have been simulated and compared to experiments with excellent agreement. 3D imaging of defects inside components has been addressed only by electronic steering and focusing to various depths of the inspected component.


IgG transport within and across cells is essential for effective humoral immunity. Through a combination of biochemical and in vivo analyses, the MHC class I-related neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) is known to play a central role in delivering IgGs within and across cells. However, little is known about the molecular and cellular mechanisms that are involved in the exocytosis of IgG from cells that express FcRn. Here, we use single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to analyze exocytic processes in FcRn-GFP-transfected human endothelial cells. We show that exocytosis can occur by means of multiple modes that range from complete fusion of the exocytic vesicle with the plasma membrane to a slower-release mode ("prolonged release") that only involves partial mixing of membrane contents. Even for prolonged release, diffusion of FcRn into the plasma membrane can occur, indicating that FcRn is directly involved in IgG exocytosis. The slower-release mode is characterized by periodic, stepwise release of IgG, rather than the rapid burst that is observed for complete-fusion events. Analyses of single-molecule tracks suggest that IgG may be bound to FcRn for several seconds after exocytosis. Unexpectedly, after diffusion out of the exocytic site, IgG and FcRn molecules can also migrate back into the epicenter of the release site. Such retrograde movement may represent a mechanism for FcRn retrieval. Our studies provide insight into the events that lead to IgG exocytosis.


Background: Chronic renal failure patients undergoing dialysis suffer from various side effects and complications where skin ailments are one of them. Skin is the largest and one of the most dynamic organs of the body and can be used as a window since it is easily accessible for observation and reflects changes seen in multiple organs including kidneys. Objective: The objective of this study is to describe various cutaneous manifestations in chronic kidney disease patients undergoing hemodialysis. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based, cross-sectional, observational study was conducted in the department of dermatology, venereology, and leprosy at a tertiary care center from November 2019 to May 2021. The demographic details and clinical manifestations were recorded. Data were recorded as numbers and percentages. For categorical data, the number and percentage were used in the data summaries, and data were analyzed by the Mann‒Whitney U test for the comparison of two data. Results: A total of 94 patients were included in the study. The most common manifestation observed was pruritus (85.1%), followed by xerosis (84%). Other findings seen in the study were mainly nonspecific changes such as pallor (59.57%), diffuse hyperpigmentation (3.2%), and ecchymosis (16%). Nail changes (56.38%) observed were half-and-half nails (22.6%), onycholysis (11%), and Beau's lines (9%). Mucosal changes (36.17%) included depapillated tongue (12.8%) and macroglossia (8.5%). Other findings such as skin infections and keloid were also noted. New finding such as angina bullosa hemorrhagica was seen in one patient. Specific change like Kyrle's disease was seen in 6.4% of the study group and 50% of these patients had concomitant diabetes mellitus. Conclusion: Patients on hemodialysis present with an array of cutaneous manifestations. The most common include pruritus and xerosis. Prompt diagnosis and early treatment help alleviate many of the cutaneous manifestations posed due to hemodialysis.


The popularity of 802.11-based WLANs is greatly increasing and to keep up with new throughput demands the interaction of some of the protocols (MAC and TCP) is being scrutinized. In order to properly simulate protocol behavior, accurate frame loss models are needed for 802.11 networks. This paper discusses measurements taken to help characterize the frame loss process and compares Markov models with different numbers of states whose parameters have been estimated using the Baum-Welch algorithm. It is shown that higher-order state hidden Markov models provide a better fit to measured data than the traditional 2-state Gilbert models.


Background : The aim of this work is to assess the role of breast sonography and ductography in the evaluation of different causes of nipple discharge. Methods : The study will be carried out on twenty-five female patients referred to the Radiodiagnosis department at Alexandria Main University Hospital presenting with nipple discharge. They were divided into two groups: Group I include 10 patients (40%) with surgically significant nipple discharge who were the patients with unilateral, uniorificial surgically significant colour type nipple discharge .They were investigated by mammography, sonography, and ductography. Group II include 15 patients (60%) with surgically insignificant nipple discharge. They were further subdivided into 9 patients (36%) with unilateral multiorificial and 6 patients (24%) with bilateral nipple discharge. They were subjected to mammography ,sonography without ductography. Results Nipple discharge is the release of fluid from the nipple. It is the third most common breast complaint for women seek medical attention, after lumps and breast pain. It is a symptomatic problem that causes many women both discomfort and anxiety. Conclusion : The current study showed certain diagnostic sonographic features for patients of multiple papillomatosis was agreed with studies carried out


We present spatial and dynamic information on the s = 1/2 distorted kagome antiferromagnet volborthite, Cu3V2O7(OD)(2) center dot 2D(2)O, obtained by polarized and inelastic neutron scattering. The instantaneous structure factor, S(Q), is dominated by nearest-neighbor pair correlations, with short-range order at wave vectors Q(1) = 0.65(3) angstrom(-1) and Q(2) = 1.15(5) angstrom(-1) emerging below 5 K. The excitation spectrum, S(Q,omega), reveals two steep branches dispersing from Q(1) and Q(2), and a flat mode omega(f) = 5.0(2) meV. The results allow us to identify the crossover at T* similar to 1 K in V-51 NMR and specific-heat measurements as the buildup of correlations at Q(1). We compare our data to theoretical models proposed for volborthite, and also demonstrate that the excitation spectrum can be explained by spin-wave-like excitations with anisotropic exchange parameters, as suggested by recent local-density calculations.


The title of this article is taken from Abbas Kiarostami's commentary on his 1990 film CloseUp ( Nemaye Nazdik ), one of the most memorable meditations on the medium of film and its relationship to the law. Kiarostami's commentary posits cinema's approach to the human subject to be superior to that of the law in its ability to defer judgment while allowing a close-up approach to the subject—an approach that, he wagers, can ultimately not only just(ly) represent but also transform that subject. However, an attentive reading of the movie itself complicates the easy dichotomy between law and art, nuancing their differences and showing the legal and artistic approaches to the human subject to be entangled, nowhere more closely than in the charged stylistic and ethical choice of the close-up itself. This essay follows the movie's complex interrogation of that encounter between law, art, and its subject. In the process, we see Kiarostami redefine cinema as a medium whose primary task is precisely to mediate: between law and its subjects, as between people and their clashing fantasies. To be able to do this, however, the film itself is transformed by the encounter with the law and its subject, opening the way for a new type of documentary filmmaking—not just antimimetic, but blatantly interventionist, interpersonal, and interactive.


The discussions permeate the municipal emancipation of Icoaraci, the current administrative district of Belém, capital of the state of Pará, and gain prominence due to its historical context, where there are several attempts that propel in this same direction, district emancipation. In this sense, the purpose of this work is to try to understand the discourses that promoted these movements, in order to examine the regionalist issue employed in them, together with the icoaraciense indemnity process. For this, a bibliographical and documentary research was carried out, also starting with digital media. There is a strong influence of the power groups present in the region, which end up shaping the regionalist and emancipationist discourse, selling them to the rest of the population.


: Introduction: The Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II instrument was developed in English and in Spanish to examine health-promoting lifestyle profiles. Several reports question the validity of its Spanish version; it is thought that the translation employed requires changes according to the cultural context in which it is intended to be used. The proposal was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the six dimensions proposed by the original version of the instrument in Mexican university students. Method: Ex post facto design with 478 students from a public university in northeastern Mexico. The analysis was performed in LISREL 8.1 and in SPSS 21.0. A psychometric analysis was performed of the six dimensions with factor homogeneity, validity, and reliability indices in two models. Results: Descriptive data and results of the factor analysis are presented with a moderate fit model and a distribution that explains 49.93% of the variance. The 52-item version presented low convergent and discriminant validity values; by removing six items, these values reached normalization for five of the six dimensions. In opposition to that, reliability of the scores was good. Conclusions: In this sample from the Mexican context, some problems of the Spanish version's factor solution are confirmed with a model that presents moderate fit given the six-dimension structure. However, the predicted structure shows acceptable reliability values. In the experts' opinion, the six-dimension structure seems to be the most adequate to be used in Mexican university students.


In the U.S., lower income households have a less healthy consumption basket than higher income ones. This paper studies the drivers of such nutrition inequality. I use longitudinal home-scanner data to estimate a demand system on food products, and measure the contribution of prices, disposable income and preferences to nutrition inequality. Disposable income and preferences have a predominant and quantitatively similar role in explaining consumption basket differences across income groups. Instead, prices have a limited effect. Further, I merge nutritional label information to assess, through a series of counterfactual exercises, the effect of income subsidies on nutrition quality. For example, I show that increasing the budget of a low-income household to the average level of the higher income households (a 45% increase in food expenditures) leads to an increase in protein consumption of approximately 5% and a decrease in sugar consumption of approximately 10%.


Introduction: DNA barcode, a molecular marker, is used to distinguish among the closely related species, and it can be applied across a broad range of taxa to understand ecology and evolution. MaturaseK gene (matK) and rubisco bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase form I gene (rbcL) of the chloroplast are highly conserved in a plant system, which are used as core barcode. This present endeavor entails the comprehensive examination of the under threat plant species based on success of discrimination on DNA barcode under selection pressure. Result: The family Dipterocarpaceae comprising of 15 genera is under threat due to some factors, namely, deforestation, habitat alteration, poor seed, pollen dispersal, etc. Species of this family was grouped into 6 clusters for matK and 5 clusters and 2 sub-clusters for rbcL in the phylogenetic tree by using neighbor-joining method. Cluster I to cluster VI of matK and cluster I to cluster V of rbcL genes were analyzed by various codon and substitution bias tools. Mutational pressure guided the codon bias which was favored by the avoidance of higher GC content and significant negative correlation between GC12 and GC3 (in sub-cluster I of cluster I [0.03 < P], cluster I [0.00001 < P], and cluster II [0.01 < P] of rbcL, and cluster IV [0.013 < P] of matK). After refining the results, it could be speculated that the lower null expectation values (R = 0.5 or <0.5) were less divergent from the evolutionary perspective. Apart from that, the higher null expectation values (R = >0.85) also showed the same result, which possibly could be due to the negative impact of very high and low transition rate than transversion. Conclusion: Through the analysis of inter-generic, inter/intra-specific variation and phylogenetic data, it was found that both selection and mutation played an important role in synonymous codon choice in these genes, but they acted inconsistently on the genes, both matK and rbcL. In vitro stable proteins of both matK and rbcL were selected through natural selection rather than mutational selection. matK gene had higher individual discrimination and barcode success compared with rbcL. These discriminatory approaches may describe the problem related to the extinction of plant species. Hence, it becomes very imperative to identify and detect the under threat plant species in advance.


This dissertation was inspired by my own passion for the books and films of "The Lord of the Rings" and by a desire to examine the wider context and aspects of the film fandom. This has been done by looking at the work of academics who have studied fan reception, such as Henry Jenkins, Matt Hills and Lincoln Geraghty, and this forms the basis of the investigation. From it a sense of the intense personal relationship fans form with the text has been built up and their significance has been explored further by looking at specific LotR fan academic studies, such those of Kirsten Pullen and Jennifer Brayton. This also leads onto discussing the activities of the fan community, which forms when fans come together to share their attachments to the text. Within this community they are found to produce meaning, participate in fan activities, and support each other both emotionally and creatively, as shown by research on Internet fan forums. However, as the work of John Fiske, Mark Jancovich and Nathan Hunt reveals, the fan community also demonstrates discrimination and rivalry, through the formation of subgroups and competition to gain cultural capital. Finally, this is argued to be exacerbated within LotR fandom due to the need for fans to reassert their own personal attachments in the vast and rapidly expanded fan community of the LotR text due to the release of Peter Jackson's blockbuster trilogy.


Activation of CD1d-restricted Natural Killer T (NKT) cells with the CD1d-binding glycolipid α-galactosylceramide (α-GC), promotes humoral immunity against co-administered T-dependent and T-independent antigens. The discovery of a Bcl6hi/CXCR5+/PD-1hi, IL-21-secreting 'follicular helper' NKT subset (NKTfh) led to the hypothesis that NKTfh cells promote humoral immune responses to vaccine candidates including bacterial toxins and surface polysaccharides. We used Cre-Lox technology to ablate Bcl6 expression by CD4-expressing cells in mice and examine the impact on NKT-driven humoral immunity to Clostridium difficile-derived Toxin B (TcdB) and surface carbohydrates (PSI, II, and III) as well as model polysaccharides (Ficoll). In the CD4Cre;Bcl6fl/floffspring, we observed ablation of Bcl6hi/CXCR5+/PD-1hi NKT cells without depleting the parent NKT population. Adoptive transfer of NKT cells from B6 donors capable of NKTfh differentiation demonstrated a contribution to the T-dependent TcdB-specific antibody response. As expected, NP-conjugated Ficoll produced a strong NP-specific IgM and IgG3 response when administered alone, and selective class switch to IgG1 was observed when α-GC was co-administered. In NKTfh cell-ablated mice, the IgG1 response was abolished while the IgM and IgG3 responses remained intact. Experiments are underway to determine if this result will be replicated using C. difficile-derived polysaccharides. In conclusion, NKTfh differentiation driven by glycolipid adjuvants can enhance and/or broaden humoral immune responses against pathogen-derived T-dependent and T-independent antigens.


In the past, and still today it has been hard to find good methods to locate and determine the magnitude of the iron losses in stator cores and from that obtain an overall quality check. In order to meet the future demands on high-effeciency motors with high power density it is essential to have a good knowledge where the stator losses are located and what size they have in specific parts of the stator. This paper presents a method to measure the stator core losses in different parts of the stator by means of a measurement device and determine the relative stator losses in the different parts. The paper gives a hint how to design an appropriate measurement device for a stator with certain dimensions. In the end of the paper results from measurements on sttator cores with different sheet qualities are presented.


In Bangladesh, are were a total of seventeen types of raptors including species and sub species. These raptors only belongs  to one order of Falconiformes and three different families- Falconidae (5), Accipitridae (11) and Pandionidae (1). Among these numbers, they are divided into eight categories, namely, merlin, kestrel, hobby, falconet, baza, vulture, kite and eagle. There are some differences among these birds. The merlin catches their prey in the time of dawn or twilight and its tail narrow during flight. Pointed wing were found in kestrel and broad tail. In case of hobby, their body was almost streamlined and wing is scythe-shaped. Falconets are small in size than the falcon and it differs from falcon; only their swallow-shrike like flying. The tail of baza was exceptional which is equaled tetragonal. Vultures are now endangered species in Bangladesh, its hind tow is reduced and their perforate nostril is their distinguishable characteristic. In sitting condition, the wing of kite is crossed order and larger than the tail; and finally, eagles showed the excess feather in flank, and when it flies, the middle portion of the wing is broad and feathers are loosely arranged.

 Key words: Abundance, birds of prey, Bangladesh, distribution.


We investigate a hypothesis for explaining maintenance of forest canopy dominance: bamboo (Guadua weberbaueri and Guadua sarcocarpa) loads and crushes trees, resulting in a self-perpetuating disturbance cycle. Forest inventory data revealed a peculiar pattern of tree form and size class distribution in bamboo-dominated plots within the Tambopata River watershed, Madre de Dios, Peru. Bamboo disproportionately loaded trees 5–29 cm in diameter, and this size class had over seven times more canopy damage than trees in control plots without bamboo. These differences were accompanied by reduced tree basal area and tree density in the 5–29-cm-diameter size class in the presence of bamboo. Elevated tree canopy damage was not apparent for trees ≥30 cm dbh, which are beyond the reach of bamboo. Additional evidence for the impact of bamboo was revealed by an experiment using artificial metal trees. Artificial trees in bamboo-dominated forest plots had nine times higher frequency of physical damage and nine times more plant mass loading as compared with control plots. Our results support the hypothesis that bamboo loading causes elevated physical damage to trees and suppresses tree recruitment, particularly for trees 5–29 cm in diameter.


Different elevation of lands can affect environmental conditions such as light intensity, temperature, and humidity. The environmental conditions will affect the growth and species of weeds. The aim of this study was to compare the diversity and species composition of weed comunities on highland and lowland of cacao plantation.  The study was conducted by colecting the weed species from 25 plots with a size of 2 x 2 m. Every plot was placed by purposive sampling. The result showed that there were 26 species of weeds on highland while only 15 species of weeds were found on lowland. Weeds on highland was dominated by Ageratum conyzoides with  important value index (IVI) of 62.07% while on lowland was dominated by Euphorbia hirta with IVI of 26.56%. The weeds community has a medium diversity index while the value of Similarity Index (IS) was low (4.87%) between weeds community on highland and lowland. It could be concluded that different environmental condition would affect the number  and species of weeds.


Abstract Recirculation of nitrogen (N) from crop residue and green-manure biomass resources may reduce the need to add new reactive N to maintain crop yield and quality. The aim of this study was to determine how different strategies for recycling residual and green-manure biomass influence yield and N concentration of the edible parts of food crops in a stockless organic cropping system. For this purpose, three biomass distribution treatments were investigated in a field experiment, based on a cropping system designed to produce both high-quality food crops and biomass resources from crop residues, cover crops and a green-manure ley. The three treatments, applied at the cropping system level, were: (1) incorporating the aboveground biomass resources in situ (IS); (2) harvesting, ensiling and redistributing the same biomass resources to the non-legume crops (biomass redistribution, BR); and (3) harvesting, ensiling and using the biomass resources as substrate for production of bio-methane via anaerobic digestion (AD) followed by distribution of the digestate as bio-fertilizer to the non-legume crops. The redistribution of ensiled (BR) and digested (AD) biomass did not increase the yield of the edible parts in winter rye (Secale cereal L.), white cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.) or red beet (Beta vulgaris L.) compared with leaving the biomass on the ground at harvest (IS). The BR treatment increased the yield of lentil intercropped with oat, compared with IS treatment in one of the two studied years. The total biomass yield of the cover crop following winter rye was significantly higher in the BR treatment than in IS in both years. The legume proportion in the green-manure ley was significantly higher in the AD and BR treatments as compared with IS in one of the experimental years. This study showed that strategic biomass redistribution has the potential to enhance biomass productivity while maintaining food crop yields, thereby enhancing whole system productivity. Biomass redistribution systems both with and without biogas digestion offer a new strategy for the development of multifunctional arable cropping systems that rely on internal nutrient cycling.


A Leaky-wave antenna based on a rectangular waveguide with partially dielectric filling and transverse slots is investigated. The Green's function method for dispersion equations and antenna radiation analysis is suggested. A protective dielectric cover on the screen with slots is taken into account. The complex propagation constant is defined by matching of magnetic field in slots. Two different waves' expansions for Green's functions with TE, TM and LE, LM are considered.


Wasteful work repetition in the process of development of a complex product is easily reduced. A product development process supporting system (10) is used for analyzing the dependence relationship between requirements of a product development process each belonging to one of layers. The system (10) comprises an input receiving section (12) for receiving information representing the dependence relationship between two requirements belonging to adjacent layers and information representing the degrees of influence of the requirements on the product requirement and a dependence relationship deriving section (13) for deriving the dependence relationship between any two requirements belonging to the same layer according to a predetermined dependence relationship deriving rule from the information representing the dependence relationship between the two requirements received by the input receiving section (12) and the other requirements and the information representing the dries of influence of the two requirements.


In this study, we demonstrate a new insight into the growth stage of aqueous semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs); namely, that the experimental variable-dependent growth rate and photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) are understandable according to electrostatics. In this context, the aqueous NCs possess (from core outwards) an inorganic core, ligand layer, adsorbed layer, and a diffuse layer. The presence of an electric double-layer not only makes the NCs dispersible in the colloidal solution, but also governs the migration of monomers and monomer adsorption on the NC surface. To maintain NC growth, monomers need to migrate through the double-layer. Consequently, the nature of the diffuse layer influences the ability of monomer diffusion and hence the growth rate of NCs. Systematic studies reveal that the experimental variables, including precursor concentrations, pH of the solution, additional NaCl concentrations, ratio of Cd to ligand, and the nature of the ligands significantly govern the nature of the NC electric double-layer. The experimental variables, which reduce the thickness of the diffuse layer, benefit from monomer diffusion and a rapid growth of NCs. However, on the other hand, the diffuse layer also presents a charge-selective transfer of Cd monomers. The neutral monomers, such as the complex of Cd(2+) and 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) with 1:1 molar ratio [Cd(MPA)], migrate through the diffuse layer more easily than the charged ones [Cd(MPA)(2) (2-) or Cd(MPA)(3) (4-)], thus facilitating the growth of NCs. The nature of the adsorbed layer inside the diffuse layer, defined as the assumed interface of solid NCs and the liquid environment, also affects the growth rate and especially the PLQYs of NCs through the adsorption and coalescence of monomers on this interface. Strong interaction between the adsorbed layer and Cd monomers provides the opportunity to accelerate NC growth and to obtain NCs with high PLQYs.


This study reports results of sediment bioslurry treatment and earthworm bioaccumulation for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminants found in sediment dredged from Milwaukee Harbor. A significant finding was that bioslurry treatment reduced PAHs on the sediment clay/silt fraction but not on the sediment coal-derived fraction and that PAH reduction in the clay/silt fraction correlated with substantial reduction in earthworm PAH bioaccumulation. These findings are used to infer PAH bioavailability from characterization of particle-scale PAH distribution, association, and binding among the principal particle fractions in the sediment. The results are consistent with work showing that the sediment comprised two principal particle classes for PAHs, coal-derived and clay/silt, each having much different PAH levels, release rates, and desorption activation energies. PAH sorption on coal-derived particles is associated with minimal biodegradation, slow release rates, and high desorption activation energies, while PAH sorption on clay/silt particles is associated with significant potential biodegradability, relatively fast release rates, and lower desorption activation energies. These characteristics are attributed to fundamental differences in the organic matter to which the PAHs are sorbed. Although the majority of the PAHs are found preferentially on coal-derived particles, the PAHs on the clay/silt sediment fraction are more mobile and available, and thus potentially of greater concern. This study demonstrates that a suite of tests comprising both bioassays and particle-scale investigations provide a basis to assess larger-scale phenomena of biotreatment of PAH-impacted sediments and bioavailability and potential toxicity of PAH contaminants in sediments. Improved understanding of contaminant bioavailability aids decision-making on the effectiveness of biotreatment of PAH-impacted sediments and the likelihood for possible reuse of dredged sediments as reclaimed soil or fill.


To the Editor: —We are going through a period of health revival and it is good to look a little at our inconsistencies: we may derive benefit from so doing. We all admire the noble, scientific and disinterested work done by investigators. From their researches we know how diseases are disseminated, carried through or by this or that insect; we understand the germ theory and the methods of proliferation of these parasites. We wage war on disease by waging war on flies, mosquitoes, rats, etc. We are extremely careful about keeping everything clean around us—at least we believe we are. Laws have been passed to quarantine (?) infected people or cause a segregation of diseased from healthy ones. In large cities isolation hospitals have been built and their construction for small towns is being agitated. To all appearances we could well rest on the work done; but let us see to


Abstract In the field of content generation by machine, the state-of-the-art text-to-image model, DALL⋅E, has advanced and diverse capacities for the combinational image generation with specific textual prompts. The images generated by DALL⋅E seem to exhibit an appreciable level of combinational creativity close to that of humans in terms of visualizing a combinational idea. Although there are several common metrics which can be applied to assess the quality of the images generated by generative models, such as IS, FID, GIQA, and CLIP, it is unclear whether these metrics are equally applicable to assessing images containing combinational creativity. In this study, we collected the generated image data from machine (DALL⋅E) and human designers, respectively. The results of group ranking in the Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT) and the Turing Test (TT) were used as the benchmarks to assess the combinational creativity. Considering the metrics' mathematical principles and different starting points in evaluating image quality, we introduced coincident rate (CR) and average rank variation (ARV) which are two comparable spaces. An experiment to calculate the consistency of group ranking of each metric by comparing the benchmarks then was conducted. By comparing the consistency results of CR and ARV on group ranking, we summarized the applicability of the existing evaluation metrics in assessing generative images containing combinational creativity. In the four metrics, GIQA performed the closest consistency to the CAT and TT. It shows the potential as an automated assessment for images containing combinational creativity, which can be used to evaluate the images containing combinational creativity in the relevant task of design and engineering such as conceptual sketch, digital design image, and prototyping image.


Introduction: The mass-harvesting of digitized medical data has prompted their use as a clinical and research tool. The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy and reliability of artificial intelligence derived cephalometric landmark identification with that of human observers. Methods: Ten pre-treatment digital lateral cephalometric radiographs were randomly selected from a university post-graduate clinic. The x- and y-coordinates of 21 (i.e., 42 points) hard and soft tissue landmarks were identified by 6 specialists, 19 residents, 4 imaging technicians, and a commercially available convolutional neural network artificial intelligence platform (CephX, Orca Dental, Hertzylia, Israel). Wilcoxon, Spearman and Bartlett tests were performed to compare agreement of human and AI landmark identification. Results: Six x- or y-coordinates (14.28%) were found to be statistically different, with only one being outside the 2 mm range of acceptable error, and with 97.6% of coordinates found to be within this range. Conclusions: The use of convolutional neural network artificial intelligence as a tool for cephalometric landmark identification was found to be highly accurate and can serve as an aid in orthodontic diagnosis.


Investigations into the possibility that X (an antigen consistently present in aspirated odontogenic keratocysts, but not in most fluids from other cyst types), represented a keratinocyte component failed to identify the antigen as a keratin, involucrin, or one of the blood group substances. Antigen X was detected in human mixed and parotid saliva and in colostrum, as well as in a commercially obtained preparation of colostral IgA. The antigen was similar biochemically to both secretory component and lactoferrin but proved to be identical antigenically with lactoferrin. The origin of lactoferrin in keratocyst fluids remains uncertain, though the lining epithelium seems a more likely source than does the very variable, and often negligible, inflammatory infiltrate found in these lesions.


The purpose of this paper is to report about received experience in the field of creating the actual methods and algorithms that help to simplify development of applied decision support systems. It reports about an algorithm, which is a result of two years research and have more than one-year practical verification. In a case of testing electronic components, the time of the contract conclusion is crucial point to make the greatest managerial mistake. At this stage, it is difficult to achieve a realistic assessment of time-limit and of wage-fund for future work. The creation of estimating model is possible way to solve this problem. In the article is represented an algorithm for creation of those models. The algorithm is based on example of the analytical model development that serves for amount of work estimation. The paper lists the algorithm's stages and explains their meanings with participants' goals. The implementation of the algorithm have made possible twofold acceleration of these models development and fulfilment of management's requirements. The resulting models have made a significant economic effect. A new set of tasks was identified to be further theoretical study.


Studies on the causes of income differences between the rich and the poor have received an extensive attention in the inequality empirics. While ethnic diversity has also been identified as one of the fundamental causes of income inequality, the role of institutions as a mediating factor in the ethnicity-inequality nexus has not received the scholarly attention it deserves. To this end, this study complements the existing literature by investigating the extent to which institutional framework corrects the noisy influence originating from the nexus between "ethnic diversity" and inequality in 26 sub-Saharan African countries for the period 1996–2015. The empirical evidence is based on pooled OLS, fixed effects and system GMM estimators. The main findings reveal that the mediating influences of institutional settings are defective, thus making it extremely difficult to modulate the noisy impacts of ethno-linguistic and religious heterogeneity on inequality. In addition, the negative influences orchestrated by ethno-linguistic and religious diversities on inequality fail to attenuate the impact of income disparity even when interacted with institutions. On the policy front, institutional reforms tailored toward economic, political and institutional governances should be targeted.