Face restoration is important in face image processing, and has been widely studied in recent years. However, previous works often fail to generate plausible high quality (HQ) results for real-world low quality (LQ) face images. In this paper, we propose a new progressive semantic-aware style transformation framework, named PSFR-GAN, for face restoration. Specifically, instead of using an encoder-decoder framework as previous methods, we formulate the restoration of LQ face images as a multi-scale progressive restoration procedure through semantic-aware style transformation. Given a pair of LQ face image and its corresponding parsing map, we first generate a multi-scale pyramid of the inputs, and then progressively modulate different scale features from coarse-to-fine in a semantic-aware style transfer way. Compared with previous networks, the proposed PSFR-GAN makes full use of the semantic (parsing maps) and pixel (LQ images) space information from different scales of input pairs. In addition, we further introduce a semantic aware style loss which calculates the feature style loss for each semantic region individually to improve the details of face textures. Finally, we pretrain a face parsing network which can generate decent parsing maps from real-world LQ face images. Experiment results show that our model trained with synthetic data can not only produce more realistic high-resolution results for synthetic LQ inputs but also generalize better to natural LQ face images compared with state-of-the-art methods.


We describe genetic mixture models and goodness-of-fit statistics for evaluating the joint effects of genetic and environmental factors on the risk of chronic diseases. We focus particularly on situations wherein the gene(s) of interest play roles in several diseases, and death due to one disease can censor the occurrence of others. We use the methods to investigate the risks of cancers of the breast and ovary associated with germline mutations of BRCA1, using data pooled from three population-based U.S. case-control studies of ovarian cancer. We evaluate the goodness-of-fit of the genetic models by comparing the predicted numbers of diseased mother-daughter and sister-sister pairs to the numbers observed. We also use simulations to examine the performance of estimates obtained from such complex mixture models, and the contribution of control families to the precision of parameter estimates.


Motivation: Overexpression of HER2 (the product of the ERBB2 gene) occurs in about 15% of all breast tumors. We have undertaken to use next generation transcriptome sequencing technology to identify genomic features that are unique to HER2+ tumors. Interactome mapping was then used to integrate the genes associated with these features into a transcriptome landscape model, with a view towards identifying nodes of interaction that might be targeted in HER2+ tumors. Methods: We performed 50nt paired-end RNA-sequencing for 24 breast tumors: 8 each HER2+, ER+, triple negatives (TN). In addition to breast adenocarcinomas, we also sequenced 8 early passage non-transformed HMEC cell lines as normal controls. Reads from RNA sequencing were aligned to the genome and exon junctions using TopHat software. Gene counts were summarized and annotations were performed using our in-house programs. Tukey9s test was used to obtain genes or transcripts that are specific to HER2 tumor group compared to other tumors/normal. A combination of bioinformatics softwares and algorithms were used to identify SNVs. Results: Only 13527 genes with median gene count greater than 16 reads in at least one of the 4 groups were considered for differential gene expression and splicing analysis. Some 696 genes were differentially expressed in HER2+ tumors compared to ER+, TN tumors and HMECs. We identified 272 alternately spliced transcripts for which the HER2+ tumors exhibited a mean transcript expression ratio significantly different from the means of other tumor groups. We also identified 4735 expressed single nucleotide variants that are uniquely associated with HER2+ tumors compared to other tumors/normal groups. Among these 3579/4735 sequence polymorphisms were not present in the 1000 genome germline sequence database or in the dbSNP132 database of naturally occurring germline polymorphisms. Integration of all the genes obtained from genomic feature analyses (differential expression, alternative splicing, single nucleotide variance) has been carried out to indentify biological processes that are specific to the HER2+ tumor subtype. Key nodes and pathways that are specific to HER2+ tumors will be evaluated for association with clinical outcome in a large series of patients who have received HER2-targeted therapy. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4926. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4926


Direct comparisons between perceptual performance and reports made under imagery instructions are uninterpretable except in cases where (a) the perceptual phenomenon is well understood and (b) experimental constraints are sufficient to establish imagery causally in the effect. Neither condition seems to be satisfied in Finke and Kurtzman's article. Furthermore, if imagery is an internal medium conceived in introspective terms, the second condition can never be met because the medium is not accessible to operational definition. Perhaps the basic problem with this research is that the instructions used to create conditions in imagery experiments do not qualify as operational definitions. Reports of successful compliance with imagery instructions are logically equivalent to introspective reports.


Abstract. Calving is one of the main controls on the dynamics of marine ice sheets. We solve a quasi-static linear elastic fracture dynamics problem, forced by a viscous pre-stress describing the stress state in the ice prior to the introduction of a crack, to determine conditions under which an ice shelf can calve for a variety of different surface hydrologies. Extending previous work, we develop a boundary-element-based method for solving the problem, which enables us to ensure that the faces of crevasses are not spuriously allowed to penetrate into each other in the
model. We find that a fixed water table below the ice surface can lead to two distinct styles of calving, one of which involves the abrupt unstable growth of a crack across a finite thickness of unbroken ice that is potentially history-dependent, while the other involves the continuous growth of the crack until the full ice thickness has been penetrated, which occurs at a critical combination of extensional stress, water level and ice thickness. We give a relatively simple analytical calving law for the latter case. For a fixed water volume injected into a surface crack, we find that complete crack propagation almost invariably happens at realistic extensional stresses if the initial crack length exceeds a shallow threshold, but we also argue that this process is more likely to correspond to the formation of a localized, moulin-like slot that permits drainage, rather than a calving event. We also revisit the formation of basal cracks and find that, in the model, they invariably propagate across the full ice shelf at stresses that are readily generated near an ice shelf front. This indicates that a more sophisticated coupling of the present model (which has been used in a very similar form by several previous authors) needs modification to incorporate the effect of torques generated by buoyantly modulated shelf flexure in the far field.


The first sonic boom prediction workshop which was held in January 2014 has issued three test cases to be compared by a wide range of participants from the international sonic boom community, each one using their own numerical methodology. The present paper is dedicated to the analysis of the results obtained using three different solvers: CEDRE, ENGENIE and WOLF. What is meant here is to assess the sensitivity of the flow pressure perturbation used for acoustic propagation with respect to usual CFD ans mesh practices. Moreover, this work is a contribution toward building up the knowledge allowing being able to say what can be considered as a valid numerically predicted near field pressure.


Total shoulder arthroplasty is considered to be a safe procedure with a low complication rate. Cofield et al.1 reviewed the literature and reported that the overall complication rate for this procedure was 10.4% (123 of 1183). Associated complications that have been reported include infection, nerve damage, arterial injury, fracture, instability, and long-term loosening of the implant2-5. The rate of bleeding or hematoma formation after total shoulder arthroplasty has been reported as 0.17% (two of 1183)1, 2.78% (one of thirty-six)1,6, and 3.3% (five of 152)7. Most reviews of total shoulder arthroplasty have not listed bleeding as a complication of the procedure8-12.

The rate of bleeding after total hip and knee replacement has been reported as 1.3% (eighteen of 1414 wounds)13, 2.4% (six of 248 primary total hip arthroplasties)14, and 5.8% (fourteen of 243 revision total hip arthroplasties)14. Patients in whom a hematoma develops after total hip or knee replacement can experience higher-than-normal pain levels, are at increased risk for infection, and have poorer rehabilitation progress than those without a hematoma13,15-17. Hematoma formation has been reported to be more common in patients who receive prophylactic or therapeutic anticoagulation therapy in the perioperative period7 than in those who do not. The impact of anticoagulation therapy on hematoma formation after total shoulder arthroplasty has not been addressed in the literature. We report the cases of two patients who, as a result of anticoagulation therapy, had development of a substantial chest wall hematoma after total shoulder replacement.

These two cases represent 1.3% of the 158 shoulder arthroplasties that were performed by the senior author (E.G.M.) during the study period (from 1998 to 2005) and two …


This paper presents a study on a Dijkstra algorithm for shortest paths to destinations and a modified algorithm of Multicommodity Network Flow Problem Model with a network transformation for evacuation planning from railroad accident in a directed network.


The availability and sustainability of natural resources to support the human life, directly or indirectly are threaten by climate change. Therefore adaptation to climate change is a certainty. Formulation of adaptation strategies policy based on forest ecosystems in Indonesia are very likely to explore the knowledge of local communities, especially adaptive forest management at local level that sustain socio-economic and environmental sustainability. Adaptation initiatives that grow in the agrosilvo ecosystem of private forest (HR) arise from adaptive behavior to climate regime.
This study describes the characteristics of HR agrosilvo ecosystems and the forms of adaptive initiatives in HR management that can support the hydrological function and socio-economic protection of the agrosilvo ecosystem.
HR agrosilvo ecosystem are composed by multilayer and multi-species stratification planting concept in landscapes that are managed to meet everyday needs and economic investment of farm households. There is a adaptive harvesting pattern which use a concept of Reduce Impact Logging (RIL) in the process of Sengon harvesting without damaging the lower layer plant. Besides, there are modifications in sengon nursery, with a 3 meter high seeding models to anticipate embroidery or planting under zalacca.

Keyword: adaptive initiatives, HR agrosilvo ecosystem, adaptation to climate change.


One of the most mutated and deleted gene in cancer is the tumor suppressor gene pten (phosphatase and tensin homology, deleted on chromosome ten). To further understand how PTEN inactivation contributes to cancer predisposition, we investigated how PTEN regulates gene expression. We found that the histone chaperon protein Daxx (death domain-associated protein) associates with PTEN, in vivo and in vitro, and regulates PTEN stability through acetylation and ubiquitination. We observed that PTEN regulates Histone 3.3 (H3.3 variant) loading in the chromatin by limiting Daxx interactions, and thereby controls expression of several tumor driver genes. Furthermore, when Daxx expression is disrupted in pten-deficient glioma stem cells, we observed a dramatic diminution of pluripotency transcription factors, a decrease in differentiation and sphere-forming capacity, and an increase in radiation sensitivity. In conclusion, this work supports a novel chromatin-associated function for PTEN that regulates H3.3 deposition, and gene expression, through Daxx interaction. This nominates Daxx as a therapeutic target to treat patients with gliomas and other types of cancers in which PTEN is mutated. Citation Format: Jorge A. Benitez, Webster K. Cavenee, Frank F. Furnari. PTEN represses oncogene expression by regulating Daxx-H3.3 deposition in the chromatin. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5253. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5253


Abstract Coronary artery occlusions related to myocardial ischemia drive cardiac control system reactions that may lead to heart failure. The purpose of this study was to assess the autonomic nervous system (ANS) response during prolonged percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Continuous ECG data were acquired from 50 patients before and during PTCA, with occlusions in the left anterior descending, left circumflex or right coronary artery. Heart rate variability (HRV) was analyzed for 3-min segments of the R-R interval signal obtained from ECG data. The ANS behavior was evaluated by HRV analysis using fractal-like indices. The fractal scalar exponent α1 and power-law slope β decreased considerably during PTCA. This indicates that significant reactions of autonomic control of the heart rate occurred during coronary artery occlusions, with a reduction in complexity of the ANS.


Primary retroperitoneal masses are a rare but diverse group of benign and malignant processes. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is playing an increasing role in evaluating retroperitoneal soft-tissue masses. Since the MR imaging features of most retroperitoneal soft-tissue masses are nonspecific, prediction of a specific histologic diagnosis remains a challenge for the radiologist. However, there are certain specific MR imaging appearances that are helpful. Dynamic enhancement patterns can reflect the vascularity of masses, differentiating benign from malignant soft-tissue masses. This article pictorially illustrates the MR imaging features of various common and uncommon retroperitoneal masses.


. The main quality indicators of tractor trains (the number of trailers and their total load capacity, speed and stability of movement, braking distance, etc.) depends largely on the correct choice of the type of a base tractor. The existing methodological principles for optimizing the dimension range of agricultural tractors do not take into account the type of trailers. Therefore, the task of a rational choice of the base tractor type, taking into account the most complete utilization of the capacity of existing trailers and engine power, has become rather relevant. ( Research purpose ) Selection of a tractor model for hitching a group of 2PTS-4-793-03A two-axle trailers according to the criteria for carrying capacity and energy consumption of a tractor train. ( Materials and methods ) The authors have studied mass, weight and velocity parameters of the 2PTS-4-793-03A two-axle trailers, as well as the parameters characterizing the mechanical capabilities of the studied tractor. The studies employed the methods of implement mounting on machine-tractor units and elements of the theory of a tractor. ( Results and discussion ) The authors o ff er an algorithm of solving a problem of choosing a tractor. As a results, the ТТ Z 60.10 tractor with a wheel formula of 4 К 2 available at farm enterprises and included in machine-and-tractor fl eets and clusters has been selected as a power base of a tractor train. The authors have determined the number of trailers, which equals four, the tractor train speed ranges of 4-28 kilometers per hour, the tractor engine power amounting to 8.5-59.5 kilowatts, changes in critical values of the e ff ective engine power corresponding to 13.492-94.444 kilowatts, as well as speci fi ed some other criteria. ( Conclusions ) The ТТ Z 60.10 tractor with a wheel formula 4 К 2 and 46.7 kilowatt of e ff ective engine capacity has been considered the optimal choice. It has been proved that this tractor can move four 2PTS-4-793-03A two-axle trailers with a total weight of 15,600 kilograms along asphalt-concrete roads with a rational speed of 9.505 kilometers per hour. The rationality of choice has been proved by calculating energy saving criteria: full traction e ffi ciency accounts for 60 percent, engine load factor is 89 percent, and traction power utilization amounts to 96 percent.


As aging society makes rapid progress, various social problems arise. The drop of productive labor and the increase of welfare cost can be taken as examples. From this point of view, a use of aged labor is a matter of great Important to national productivity improvement. But, the participation rate of the aged in economical activity amounts to 49.8 percent and their unemployment rate does 2.1 percent. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the deterioration of skill and the lowering of adaption to new working environments due to aging. Since the aging effect is closely related to worker's productivity, it should be properly measured and analyzed. The coordination tester is used to find out activity limitations. Experimental results show that the expert skill of the workers can be improved through the effective of their experience. Therefore we can say that some operation is not influenced by aging.


In their effort to present a balanced and comprehensive view of the "biocultural" aspects of disease, the editors of this book have taken on an enormously difficult task, for at least three reasons. The subject itself is, of course, very broad. The contemporary organization of academia tends to keep anthropologists and geneticists far from the mainstream of clinical medicine and epidemiology. The concept of race, which is at the heart of this book, is controversial on all levels—scientific, social, and political. By taking on fundamental issues, however, and attempting to combine a broad range of social sciences, they have produced a most interesting book. For students of the social aspects of public health, it will prove provocative in its theoretical discussion and rich in detail about several important ethnic groups. But interest is in the mind of the reader, and certainly this book is not for everyone; the clinician may


Reasonable rational information processing is important in people's in everyday decision-making. A number of features affect how environmental messages are processed, including the presentation format and the reliability of the information source. One way to measure the importance assigned to the source reliability is to frame the question in terms of Bayes' theorem (Hahn & Harris, 2009). In two online experiments, we investigated how people process environmental messages in a Bayesian integration task where the participants rate the probability of an energy crisis. The information about the prior, likelihood ratio, and source reliability were presented either sequentially or simultaneously. The results showed that, as prescribed by Bayes' theorem, participants integrated the sentences multiplicatively. However, with sequential presentation they assigned more weight to source reliability, and this effect remained when the source reliability was presented next to last, suggesting that participants assigned more weight to the source regardless of its position.


There has been a significant amount of work over the past 5 years on chip scale packaging. The majority of this work has been an extension of conventional IC packaging technology utilizing either wire bonders and/or TAB type packaging technology. Handling discrete devices during the IC packaging for these type of CSPs has resulted in a relatively high cost for these packages and lower IC package yields than desired. This paper presents a new wafer scale packaging technology called the Ultra CSP. Advantages of this wafer scale packaging concept includes commonality with standard IC processing technology for the majority of the packaging process. This paper covers in detail the reliability results achieved for the Ultra CSP on a variety of package sizes and I/O counts covering the range typically seen in microcontrollers, flash and new DRAM architectures. There is also significant discussion on optimization work done on board pad size, solder paste volume and solder paste type.


The review of NPY functions summarizes so fare accumulated data of its physiological effects. The estimation of heterogeneity of NPY receptors in responding reactions is made. The analysis of possible direct and indirect NPY effects is performed including cascade mechanism of other peptides releasing. Peptide cascade regulation modeling software created on database programming language Visual FoxPro 5.0 allows to trace several induction steps and estimate possible contribution of each peptide into final spectrum of biological activity.


This study reports a mixed methods design investigation into language teachers' conception of research. The study drew on various sources of data, including teachers' responses to questionnaires items, qualitative comments in follow-up interviews, and contributions to e-mail inquiries. Results showed that the teachers' understanding of research is mainly associated with a standard view of research. From the teachers' perspectives, key elements of research include the existence of a priori research questions, objectives and rigorous data, a large number of participants, and the use of statistics for the analysis of results. Findings also pointed to the teachers' consensus on the idea that educational research must address practical problems and have pedagogical implications. In addition, the teachers seemed to see research as a producer of new knowledge, an activity that will result in discovering and offering new pedagogical alternatives. The study concludes with the discussion of the underlying factors that have shaped the teachers' views of research.


Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of peramivir trihydrate in patients with influenza. Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, placebo and positive control, multicenter clinical trial, comparing peramivir trihydrate with oseltamivir and placebo. The inclusive criteria were 15-70 years old, onset within 48 h, positive rapid influenza antigen test, and febrile (>38℃) accompanied with at least two associated symptoms. The severe cases complicated with chronic pulmonary and cardiac diseases, malignancies, organ transplantation, hemodialysis, uncontrolled diabetes, immunocompromised status, pregnancy and coexistence of bacterium infections were excluded. All patients were randomized 2∶2∶1 to receive peramivir, oseltamivir and placebo respectively. The primary endpoint was the disease duration, the secondary endpoints included time to normal axillary temperature and normal living activities, viral response, and adverse effects. Results: Following informed consent, 133 patients were included in this study. Four patients were exclude due to missing medical records, not fitting inclusion or exclusion criteria and poor compliance. A total of 129 patients were finally analyzed, including 49 cases, 54 cases and 26 cases in peramivir group, oseltamivir group and placebo group. The median disease duration were 96 (76, 120) hours, 105 (90,124) hours, and 124 (104, 172) hours in three groups respectively (P>0.05) . The time to normal axillary temperature, normal living activities and viral response were not significantly different in three groups (P>0.05) . Conclusion: The value of antiviral therapy in patients with mild influenza needs to be further determined.


INTRODUCTION
Sarcopenic obesity and hypertension are a public health problem that is increasing worldwide due to the progressive aging of the population and the increasing prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity. Sarcopenic obesity is characterized by the simultaneous presence of sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) and adiposity (increase in fat mass). Because symptoms are not specific, sarcopenic obesity remains largely undiagnosed. This review explores the latest research on sarcopenic obesity and its association with hypertension, with a focus on arterial stiffness.

METHODS
A comprehensive narrative review was conducted by systematically searching PubMed and Scopus databases for relevant scientific literature.

RESULTS
Sarcopenic obesity and hypertension are closely linked, sharing common factors such as inflammation, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress, with arterial stiffness playing a crucial role.

DISCUSSION
Given the lack of specific symptoms for sarcopenic obesity, early diagnosis and management are crucial. Treatment strategies should prioritize weight loss, adequate protein intake, and regular physical activity. Further investigation is warranted for pharmacological interventions.

CONCLUSION
Sarcopenic obesity and hypertension present significant challenges to global public health. Addressing arterial stiffness is paramount in managing these conditions effectively. Lifestyle modifications, including weight management and physical activity, remain central to the treatment of sarcopenic obesity, while additional research is needed to explore potential pharmacological options.


Lamb rennet pastes were prepared by the procedure most commonly used by Idiazabal cheese manufacturers. We studied the effects on their coagulating and lipolytic activities of the state of the stomach at the time of death (full of milk or empty), the amount of NaCl added, the origin of the lambs and paste storage time. Coagulating activities were generally between 155 and 363 units/g tissue. Pastes prepared from stomachs of lambs from slaughterhouse flocks had significantly higher coagulating activities than those of lambs from separate flocks. No significant decrease in coagulating activity was observed after 1 year storage at 4 °C. Chymosin represented 75–80% of the total coagulating activity with the remainder being pepsin. Rennet paste extracts with pH < 4·7 did not have increased coagulating activities when their pH was lowered to 2·0, while those with pH > 5·2 had activities 1·5-fold those before treatment. Lipase activity was higher in extracts of rennet pastes prepared using the stomachs of lambs that arrived at the slaughterhouse in the morning just prior to slaughter than in those prepared with the stomachs of lambs that had arrived on the previous evening. However, the reverse was the case for esterase activity. Activating the coagulating activity by pH cycling completely destroyed both lipolytic activities. Storage at 4 °C for > 1 year did not affect esterase activity but lipase activity decreased substantially after 4–5 months. Lipase, but not esterase, activity was responsible for the liberation of short-chain free fatty acids from ovine milk fat.


Introduction
 Venetoclax (VEN), a potent BCL2 inhibitor, demonstrated favorable outcomes combined with hypomethylating agents and low dose cytarabine (AraC) in elderly patients (pts) newly diagnosed (ND) with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In order to improve both remission rates and survival in fit AML pts, we evaluated the combination of VEN with FLAG-IDA regimen in fit pts with ND or relapsed/refractory (R/R) AML.
 Objectives
 This phase (Ph) Ib/II single center clinical trial has dual primary objectives: (1) Safety and tolerability of the combination for pts with R/R AML (Ph Ib), and (2) Overall response rate (ORR) by modified IWG AML criteria in pts ND or R/R AML (Ph II). Secondary analyses include duration of response (DOR) and overall survival (OS).
 Methods
 Eligibility includes medically fit, ND or R/R AML pts of any age with adequate organ function, PS ≤ 2, and WBC < 25x109/L. Only R/R AML pts were eligible for Ph Ib dose escalation. Pts receive FLAG-IDA induction/consolidation (ind/cons), with VEN orally daily. The original FLAG-IDA ind consisted of fludarabine 30 mg/m2 IV D2-6, AraC 2 g/m2 IV D2-6, idarubicin 6 mg/m2 IV D4-6 (8 mg/m2 IV D4-6 for ND pts), and filgrastim 5 mcg/kg daily D1-7 (or pegfilgrastim 6 mg after day 5 to replace remaining injections).
 The 3+3 algorithm was applied for dose escalation. The first cohort (dose -1, n=8) received FLAG-IDA with VEN 200 mg on days 1-21 of ind, incorporating a 2-day VEN dose ramp up. After the observation of gram negative bacteremia and/or sepsis in 5 of 6 pts during cycle 1 nadir, an amended dose level -1 ind was designed with reduced AraC 1.5 g/m², with VEN 200 mg on D1-14 and dose level 0 with VEN 400mg on D1-14. After completion of ind/cons, single agent VEN at 400 mg continuously is provided as maintenance for pts not proceeding to alloSCT. The data cutoff was 6.10.2019.
 Results
 At data cutoff, 34 pts with a median age of 47 yrs (range, 21-72) have been enrolled: 16 pts in the Ph Ib, and 18 pts in Ph II (11 in ND, and 7 in R/R cohort). 23 pts had R/R AML with a median of 2 (range, 1-4) prior therapies, and 10 (43%) pts had received prior alloSCT. Additional demographics including molecular profile at study enrollment are provided in Table 1.
 The median number of cycles received is 2 (range, 1-4). VEN 400 mg on D1-14 was considered safe for Ph II dose expansion. Serious adverse events regardless of causality were infections (n=26), bacteremia (n=12), sepsis (n=5), hypotension (n=4) and typhlitis (n=3). No tumor lysis syndrome was identified. 30-day mortality was 0%, 60-day mortality was 0% in ND cohort and 13% in R/R cohort (2 pts died from progression and 1 pt from fungal pneumonia).
 All enrolled pts were evaluable for response. Of 23 R/R pts, 17 pts (74%) achieved a best response of CR/CRi (12 CR, 5 CRi: 3 CRh + 2 CRp). 12 (52%) pts attained MRD negative status by flow cytometry. 15 pts attained a best response after one cycle, and two attained blast reduction after cycle 1 followed by CR after re-induction. Among responders, 9 pts proceeded to alloSCT, 2 remain on study, 3 pts relapsed, and 3 pts died in CR at 1.7, 3.4 and 4.6 months on treatment. Median time to ANC recovery > 500/ul and platelet recovery > 50K in responders was 27 days (range, 20-90) and 33 days (range, 20-54) respectively. With a median follow-up of 5 months, median DOR is not reached and OS is 7.1 months. Median OS for pts in salvage 1, 2, and ≥ 3 is 9.4, 10, and 4.9 months, respectively.
 Of 11 ND pts, 10 pts (91%) achieved ORR (9 CR, 1 CRh) and all 10 pts became MRD negative by flow cytometry: 3 pts proceeded to alloSCT, and 7 pts remain on active treatment. Median time to ANC and platelet recovery with induction was 23 days (range, 19-31) and 25 days (range, 18-31) respectively. Both DOR and OS are not estimable.
 Of interest, responding pts demonstrated higher apoptosis priming, as shown by depolarization in response to Bid, PUMA and Bim peptides by BH3 profiling (Fig 1).
 Conclusions
 FLAG-IDA with VEN demonstrates notable activity in both R/R and ND medically fit pts. Improved safety and tolerability without decreasing efficacy was achieved by decreasing AraC to 1.5 g/m2, and administering VEN for 14 days in ind, and 7 days in cons cycles. Neither prolonged cytopenias nor early mortality were observed. Ph II portion for R/R and ND pts is ongoing. Correlative studies with genomic annotation, CyTOF analysis and BH3 profiling are being analyzed, with higher apoptosis priming identified in responding pts. Longer follow-up is necessary to establish long term survival benefit.
 Table 1

 Konopleva: Stemline Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Kisoji: Consultancy, Honoraria; Reata Pharmaceuticals: Equity Ownership, Patents & Royalties; Calithera: Research Funding; Ablynx: Research Funding; Astra Zeneca: Research Funding; Agios: Research Funding; Forty-Seven: Consultancy, Honoraria; Eli Lilly: Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Cellectis: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; F. Hoffman La-Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Genentech: Honoraria, Research Funding; Ascentage: Research Funding. Kadia:Jazz: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Bioline RX: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Genentech: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Research Funding; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Research Funding. Takahashi:Symbio Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy. Jabbour:Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Research Funding; Adaptive: Consultancy, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Cyclacel LTD: Research Funding. Garcia-Manero:Helsinn: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Astex: Consultancy, Research Funding; Onconova: Research Funding; H3 Biomedicine: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Amphivena: Consultancy, Research Funding. Ravandi:Xencor: Consultancy, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Selvita: Research Funding; Cyclacel LTD: Research Funding; Macrogenix: Consultancy, Research Funding; Menarini Ricerche: Research Funding. Cortes:BMS: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Daiichi: Consultancy, Research Funding; Astellas: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Biopath: Consultancy; BiolineRx: Consultancy, Research Funding; Merus: Consultancy, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; Jazz: Consultancy, Research Funding. Kantarjian:Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding; Immunogen: Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; Cyclacel: Research Funding; Daiichi-Sankyo: Research Funding; Agios: Honoraria, Research Funding; AbbVie: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Ariad: Research Funding; Actinium: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Honoraria; Jazz Pharma: Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Astex: Research Funding. DiNardo:celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; daiichi sankyo: Honoraria; notable labs: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; agios: Consultancy, Honoraria; syros: Honoraria; abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; medimmune: Honoraria; jazz: Honoraria.


Okara, a food by-product from the production of tofu and soy milk, is rich in three beneficial components: insoluble dietary fiber, β-conglycinin, and isoflavones. Although isoflavones and β-conglycinin have recently been shown to improve glucose tolerance, the effects of okara have not yet been elucidated. Therefore, we herein investigated the effects of okara on glucose tolerance in Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats, a representative animal model of Japanese type 2 diabetes. Male GK rats were fed a 10% lard diet with or without 5% dry okara powder for 2 weeks and an oral glucose tolerance test was performed. Rats were then fed each diet for another week and sacrificed. The expression of genes that are the master regulators of glucose metabolism in adipose tissue was subsequently examined. No significant differences were observed in body weight gain or food intake between the two groups of GK rats. In the oral glucose tolerance test, increases in plasma glucose levels were suppressed by the okara diet. The mRNA expression levels of PPARγ, adiponectin, and GLUT4, which up-regulate the effects of insulin, were increased in epididymal adipose tissue by the okara diet. These results suggest that okara provides a useful means for treating type 2 diabetes.


In this study, different mixtures of cones and wood chips of European black pine (Pinus nigra) were kraft cooked, and the resulting pulp and paper properties were investigated. Also, the chemical compositions and fiber dimensions of the cones and wood were examined. Cone chips were mixed in different ratios (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) with wood chips prior to pulping. Also, kraft pulping of 100% cone chips and 100% wood chips were conducted so the results could be compared. The kraft pulp of 100% cone chips had lower pulp yield, lower pulp strength, and higher kappa number than that of 100% wood chips. As the ratio of cone chips was increased in the mixture of cone chips and wood chips, higher kappa numbers and lower total screened yield were obtained. Additionally, the strength properties and brightness of the resulting kraft pulp were decreased gradually. However, the opacity of the pulp was increased slightly. Consequently, cone fibers of European black pine can be used as a raw material in the paper industry by mixing with wood fibers.


Finding anonymization mechanisms to protect personal data is at the heart of machine learning research. Here we consider the consequences of local differential privacy constraints on goodness-of-fit testing, i.e. the statistical problem assessing whether sample points are generated from a fixed density $f_0$, or not. The observations are hidden and replaced by a stochastic transformation satisfying the local differential privacy constraint. In this setting, we propose a new testing procedure which is based on an estimation of the quadratic distance between the density $f$ of the unobserved sample and $f_0$. We establish minimax separation rates for our test over Besov balls. We also provide a lower bound, proving the optimality of our result. To the best of our knowledge, we provide the first minimax optimal test and associated private transformation under a local differential privacy constraint, quantifying the price to pay for data privacy.


Modern communication devices demand challenging specifications in terms of miniaturization, performance, power consumption and cost. Every new generation of radio frequency integrated circuits (RF-ICs) offer better functionality at reduced size, power consumption and cost per device and per integrated function. Passive devices (resistors, inductors, capacitors, antennas and transmission lines) represent an important part of the cost and size of RF circuits. These components have not evolved at the same level of the transistor devices, especially because their performance is strongly degenerated when they scale down in size. The low resistivity silicon used to build the transistors also imposes prohibitive levels of RF losses to these passive devices. Radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) are enabling technologies capable to bring significant improvement in the electrical performances and expressive size and cost reduction of these functions, with unparallel introduction of new functionalities, unimaginable to attain when using bulky, externally connected discrete components. High quality factor (Q) inductors are amongst ones of the most needed components in RF circuits and at the same time ones that are most affected by thin metallization and substrate related losses, demanding considerable research effort. This thesis presents a contribution toward the development of thick metal fabrication technologies, covering also the design, modeling and characterization of high quality factor and high self-resonant frequency (SRF) RF MEMS passive devices, with a special emphasis on spiral inductors. A new approach using damascene-like interconnect fabrication steps associated to low κ dielectrics (polyimide), highly-conductive thick copper electroplating, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) and tailored substrate properties delivered quality factors in excess of 40 and self resonant frequencies in excess of 10 GHz, performances in the current state-of-the-art for integrated spiral inductors built on top of silicon wafers. Furthermore, the developed process steps are compatible with back-end processing used to fabricate modern IC interconnects and have a low thermal budget (< 250 °C), what makes it a good choice to build above-IC passives without degenerating the performance of passivated RF-CMOS circuits. Deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of quartz substrates was also studied for the fabrication of spiral inductors, offering excellent RF performances (Q exceeding 40 and SRF exceeding 7 GHz). A new doubly-functional quartz packaging concept for RF MEMS devices was developed. This technique process both sides of the packaging wafer: the top is used to embed high quality factor copper inductors while the bottom is thermo-mechanically bonded to another RF MEMS wafer, offering a semi-hermetic SU-8 epoxy-based seal. The bonding process was optimized for high yield, to be compatible with SF6-plasma-released MEMS and to present low level of RF losses. Band pass filters for the GSM (1.8 GHz) and WLAN (5.2 GHz) standards were fabricated and characterized by RF measurements and full wave electromagnetic simulations. Although further development is need in order to predict the frequency response accurately, insertion losses as low as 1.2 dB were demonstrated, levels that cannot be usually attained using on-chip passives. Systematic analysis, RF measurements, electromagnetic simulations and equivalent circuit extraction were used to model the behavior of the fabricated devices and establish a methodology to deliver optimum performances for a given technological profile and specified performance targets (quality factor, inductance and frequency bandwidth). A simple yet accurate physics-based analytical model for spiral inductors was developed and proved to be accurate in terms of loss estimation for thick metal layers. This model is capable to accurately describe the frequency-dependent behavior of the device below its first resonant frequency over a large device design space. The model was validated by both measurements and full wave electromagnetic simulations and is well suited to perform numeric optimization of designs. The proposed models were also systematized in a Matlab® toolbox.


ploying her and that this in a way determines the type of service rendered to the client but we could not regard this factor as an integral part of case work or feel that it should be a barrier between the fields. We recognized certain distinct services such as relief giving and child placing as being special skills but felt that they were ones which had been refined through experience and were based on generic case work content. It is our feeling that


1 The effects of nepalolide A on the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) caused by incubation with lipopolysaccharide/interferon-gamma (LPS/IFN-gamma) or tumour necrosis factor-alpha/interleukin-1beta/IFN-gamma (TNF-alpha/IL-1beta/IFN-gamma, mixed cytokines) in C6 glioma cells and primary astrocytes of rat were investigated. The mechanisms by which nepalolide A confers its effect on iNOS expression were also elucidated. 2 Treatment with LPS/IFN-gamma and mixed cytokines for 24 h elicited the induction of iNOS activity as determined by nitrite accumulation in the culture medium and assay of enzyme activity. Nepalolide A at 10 microM abrogated the LPS/IFN-gamma- and mixed cytokines-mediated induction of iNOS by more than 90% in C6 glioma cells, and by 80% for mixed cytokines-induced induction of iNOS in primary astrocytes. The effect of nepalolide A (2-10 microM) was concentration-dependent. 3 The inhibition of iNOS induction by nepalolide A was attributed to decreases in the content of iNOS protein and the level of iNOS mRNA, as measured by immunoblotting and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. 4 Electrophoretic mobility shift assay was used to evaluate the effect of nepalolide A on the activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). Results showed that nepalolide A diminished the LPS/IFN-gamma-mediated association of NF-kappaB with consensus oligonucleotide in a concentration-dependent manner. The activation of NF-kappaB by mixed cytokines was modulated both in the extent of activation and in its time-course by nepalolide A. 5 The ability of nepalolide A to inhibit NF-kappaB activation was further confirmed by studies on the degradation of the inhibitor of NF-kappaB, IkappaB, as measured by immunoblotting. 6 The present study demonstrates that the attenuation of NF-kappaB activation by nepalolide A was mediated by blockade of the degradation of IkappaB, leading to suppression of the expression of iNOS.


Background Serological testing continues to be a crucial tool for syphilis diagnosis and control. The commonly accepted syphilis screening algorithm is screening with non-treponemal tests such as RPR or VDRL, and confirming with treponemal tests such as TP-PA. Recently, automation has been introduced whereby serological screening using treponemal tests has resulted in reduced labour time and removal of the subjectivity associated with the traditional testing algorithm. The objective of this study was to compare the performance characteristics of two FDA approved automated tests, the BioRad BioPlex 2200 Syphilis IgG and the DiaSorin LIAISON treponemal assays, with known predicate tests. The BioPlex 2200 syphilis IgG is a multiplex test that utilises three analytes (15-, 17-, & 47-kDa) to detect specific IgG antibodies, whereas the LIASION treponemal assay uses only one analyte (17 kDa) in a single step sandwich method to detect both syphilis IgG and IgM antibodies. Methods A total of 1086 commercially obtained sera tested in this study consisted of: 430 from pregnant women, 409 from HIV positive individuals, and 111 from known syphilis patients of various disease stages. Characterised syphilis samples (n=140) were also obtained from the CDC serum repository. All samples were screened by the Bioplex IgG, Liaison, RPR and TP-PA tests. Any indeterminate results were repeated at least once. Results Of the 1086 samples tested, the syphilis reactivities were the following: 551 (50.7%) by BioPlex IgG, 528 (48.6%) by LIAISON, and 509 (46.9%) by TP-PA. The sensitivity and specificity when compared to TP-PA for LIASION was 98.8% and 90.5% respectively. The BioPlex IgG sensitivity and specificity when compared to TP-PA was 85.1% and 80% respectively. Overall, 443 (40.8%) samples were found to be reactive and 450 (41.4%) non reactive to both LIAISON and BioPlex IgG. All three tests agreed on 877 (81%) samples. On the 209 discordant samples TP-PA agreed with LIAISON 85.2% (n=178), BioPlex 7.2% (n=15), but disagreed with both tests 7.7% (n=16). Conclusion Both tests have high throughput, walk-away capability, and would be useful in low prevalence settings. There was good agreement between the LIAISON and the BioPlex IgG in 893 (82%) samples (Cohen's κ=0.64). The LIAISON had higher sensitivity most likely due to its detection of both IgG and IgM, while the BioPlex detected only IgG antibodies. Both tests show significant promise in the future of syphilis serology.


PurposePast work on the role of brands in the acceptance of organic products is partial and inconclusive. Research has failed to examine the consumer sense-making process underpinning fit assessment, despite the centrality of this assessment in the acceptance of line extensions. This study reconceptualizes the fit construct, showing the relationship of the fit dimensions (noncompensatory) and contributes to the literature with a deeper understanding of the role of a brand's association in the assessment process, which has been poorly examined in the past.Design/methodology/approachGrounded theory was used to unearth the process followed by consumers to assess the fit of organic line extensions. The study was based on 14 in-depth interviews.FindingsThe findings show that the dimensions of fit that consumers consider in assessing organic line extensions depend on the schema used in the assessment process. Moreover, it demonstrates that these dimensions have disparate structural relationships with one another, depending on consumers' previous commitment to organic products. Finally, the paper identifies three possible behavioral reactions by consumers toward organic line extensions.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this research concerns the settings in which it was developed. Therefore, and as stated by Strauss and Corbin (1990) the model applies to the situation analyzed and not to others. Future research could study if there are cultural differences in the assessment process of an organic line extension. Moreover, the contribution presented in this paper needs further empirical testing; specifically, the configuration of dimensions needed to accept an organic line extension and the relationship among dimensions.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature by studying the impact of brand association on assessing an organic line extension and reconceptualizing the fit construct by showing the dimensions and the relationship between them that are not additive to the overall fit, as shown in past literature. Additionally, it provides a guide to brands wishing to launch an organic product using a line extension strategy and the potential implications for the parent brand that should be considered.


This study investigates Turkish primary schools' administrators' organizational commitment level in terms of gender, branch, marital status, seniority, education level, school size and the school district. Data of the study are collected through 'Organizational Commitment' scale, developed by Balay (2000), which implemented by EARGED to 678 school administrators coming from 23 cities of Turkey. In the dimension of compliance, school administrators' views significantly varied depending on their gender, school type and school size. The school administrators' views also significantly varied in terms of identification and internalization dimensions based on marital status, school type, seniority, educational level, school size and the school district variables.


There are limitations on the shape of models that can be measured with commonly used temperature sensors. These disadvantages are difficult to measure temperatures of the curved surface. To overcome the shortcomings, a smart paint for temperature measurement is proposed in this work. A polymer solution was prepared for viscosity of the paint and dispersion of materials. The BaTiO₃ and Ag nanopaste are used for PTC characteristics and conductivity of the paint, respectively. Smart paint were analyzed the arrangement and shape of particles according to the processes and production methods. Also, the change of resistance was measured while increasing the temperature. The results show that resistance increased as the temperature increased. The performance of the manufactured smart paint was confirmed as a surface temperature sensor.


Cytological studies using a tissue imprint method and Romanowsky staining have been performed on the periureteric biopsies from 9 patients with idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis. In the early active phase of this disease process, large, bizarre, histiocytic forms are identified which appear to undergo a fibro-blastic metamorphosis. The suggestion that this is a granulomatous fibrosis is supported by this study.


UNLABELLED
Hypertension is a common and difficult clinic problem in patients undergoing cronical hemodialysis and exerts a deleterious effect on mordibidy and mortality in end stage renal disease. Identification of potentially reversible factors associated with hypertension would be rational fist step in designing and effective therapeutic strategy. Our study aimed to document the prevalence of hypertension in hemodialysis patients in Andalucia and identify and characterise the demographic, epidemiological, clinical factors and dialysis regimens associated with hypertension.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
The study population included 2,789 patients enrolled in 46 hemodialysis centers in Andalucia on 2002. Hypertension was defined as requiring the use of antihypertensive drugs. Patients wre classified as hypertensive and no hypertensive. Demographic, comorbidity, anaemia, inflammatory and nutritional data were collected in both groups. Hypertensive patients were divided into 4 groups of severity according to the number of antihypertensive drugs received. Comparisons between groups were done.

RESULTS
Our results show a hypertension prevalence of 53.8% in comparing clinical data of no hypertensive and hypertensive patients, we observed that patients with hypertension were significantly younger (60.2 +/- 15.6 vs 63.5 +/- 15 years; p < 0.001) and had shorter time on dialysis (months) (56.5 +/- 60 vs 67.3 +/- 68.2; p = 0.001). Coronary heart disease (p < 0.001) and diabetes (p < 0.001) were associated with hypertension. Hypertensive patients had higher levels of creatinine (mg/dl) (8.8 +/- 2.3 vs 8.5 +/- 2.3; p = 0.006) and serum albumin (g/dl) (3.9 +/- 0.4 vs 3.8 +/- 0.4; p < 0.001), and lower C-reactive protein (CRP) (mg/dl) (12.3 +/- 19.7 vs 16.1 +/- 25.15; p < 0.001). Hypertensive patients received less time of dialysis (233 +/- 25 vs 237 +/- 25 minutes/session; p < 0.001 and 703 +/- 85 vs 718 +/- 88 minutes/week; p < 0.001) and lower dialysis dose (urea reduction ratio (URR), Kt/V Daugirdas 2.a gen) (70.7 +/- 7.8 vs 72.0 +/- 7.8; p < 0.001; 1.33 +/- 0.28 vs 1.37 +/- 0.29; p < 0.001). A significative correlation existed between hypertension and the use of low-flux membranes. Interdialytic weight gain (kg) was higher in hypertensive patients (2.1 +/- 0.9 vs 2.0 +/- 0.9; p = 0.002). In a multiple logistic regression analysis the independent risk factors defining hypertension in hemodialysis patients were: age (OR = 0.98; CI = 0.976-0.988, p < 0.001), time on dialysis (OR = 0.99; CI = 0.997-0.999; p = 0.006), creatinine (OR = 1.07; CI = 1.024-1.116; p 0.002). CRP (OR = 0.99; CI = 0.989-0.998; p = 0.003). Albumin (OR = 1.36; CI = 1.106-1.668; p = 0.004). Interdialytic weight gain (OR = 1.11; CI = 1.000-1.224; p = 0.049), duration of the session (OR = 0.99; CI = 0.986-0.993; p < 0.001), low-flux membranes (OR = 0.74; CI = 0.618-0.883; p = 0.001), diabetes (OR = 1.81; CI = 1.435-2.274; p < 0.001) and coronary hear disease (OR = 1.52; CI = 1.218-1.900; p < 0.001). There was a relationship between hypertension severity and age (p < 0.001), interdialytic weight gain (p < 0.001) and albumin (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
1) Hypertension prevalence in hemodiaysis patients in Andalucia was 53.8%. 2) Hypertensive patients: are younger; have shorter time on dialysis; receive shorter hemodialysis sessions; show excessive interdialytic weight gain. 3) Coronary heart disease and diabetes are risk factors for hypertension. 4) There are a relationship between hypertension severity and age, interdialytic weight gain and serum albumin. 5) An effective hypertension therapeutic strategy in hemodialysis patients must include: increase time of hemodialysis, strict control of dry weight and prevention and treatment of others cardiovascular risk factors.


(At Left) Evening ensemble of brown silk shantung. The camisole is sleeveless, with a boat neckline. Center back closure with 10 small circular buttons covered with matching fabric. The blouse is lined in dark brown silk, and has an inner structure of net and metal boning. The understructure extends below the top to give structure to the skirt. The inner net and boning layer has a center back closure of 14 hook-and-eyes, matching along same line as outer closure.

The skirt is of matching materials, A-line, below-the-knee length. It has a 2" waistband decorated with horizontal ruching. Center-back zipper closure with two hook-and-eyes in waistband. The skirt has an attached black rayon gorgette underslip, and an attached black nylon petticoat. The petticoat has a horsehair braid incorporated in the hem for stiffening.

The matching swing coat is calf length, with a rolled collar and short sleeves. It is constructed with several layers of organza for structure and a tuck panel around the coat for decoration and flounce. Lined in brown silk.

There are no labels in the garment.

Photograph is from the exhibition "Haute Couture - The Great Paris Designers", held at The Grace Museum, Abilene Texas, October 17 - December 30, 2000, and shows suit as displayed.

From the original collection of the Dallas Museum of Fashion, which later became the Texas Fashion Collection.


A 47-year-old man was admitted with suddenly developed chest pain. Coronary arteriography could not identify the right coronary orifice at the right coronary sinus. Left coronary arteriography revealed that the right coronary artery originated from a proximal segment of the left anterior descending artery with subtotal obstruction at the segment just distal to the bifurcation of the right and anterior descending arteries. Coronary artery bypass grafting to the middle segment of the left anterior descending artery was carried out with satisfactory result. To our knowledge, only seven cases with a diagnosis of single coronary artery who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting have been reported.


Background Intergroup dialogue (IGD) is a prominent social justice pedagogy that engages diverse groups of students in sustained, facilitated dialogues on social issues. Decades of IGD research have informed the development of the critical–dialogic theoretical framework of intergroup dialogue, which describes how IGD engages students in communicative, cognitive, and affective processes that promote intergroup understanding, intergroup relationships, and intergroup collaboration and action. Scholars have recently highlighted the need to better understand the relationships between students' developmental capacities, their corresponding attitudes and dispositions, and IGD processes and outcomes in order to discern how students at different levels of development respond to and experience IGD. Study Purpose Grounded in the theory of self-authorship, theories of epistemological development, and corresponding research suggesting that dispositions associated with students' epistemological assumptions of knowledge and knowing can moderate students' engagement and development in matters that are interpersonal and intrapersonal in nature, the purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships between students' openness to multiple perspectives (a disposition associated with epistemological development) and the interpersonal and intrapersonal processes and outcomes associated with IGD. Research Design In this secondary data analysis of the multi-institutional, longitudinal dataset constructed as part of the multi-university intergroup dialogue research project, structural equation modeling was used to discern how the relationships between IGD's communicative, cognitive, and affective processes and outcomes vary for groups of students with different levels of openness to multiple perspectives. Results In line with previous research on college student development, the results of this study illuminate a moderating relationship between students' openness to multiple perspectives and the intergroup processes and outcomes associated with IGD. The patterns of moderation observed suggests that IGD's communicative, cognitive, and affective processes and outcomes are most strongly (although not exclusively) associated with matters of pedagogy and cognition for students who are less open, and matters of communication and affect for students who are more open. Conclusions and Recommendations The results of this study suggest that as IGD facilitators are able to increase their understanding of epistemological development and related dispositions, pass on their understanding to their students via readings and activities, assess their students' epistemological dispositions, and augment their preparation and facilitation accordingly, an IGD group's collective ability to increase intergroup understanding, relationships, collaboration, and action is enhanced. This can be accomplished as what is known about college students' epistemological development and dispositions is more fully integrated into IGD curriculum, facilitation, and facilitator training.


'Being true' to Shakespeare constitutes a highly fallacious consideration in our post-modern cosmovision, as the notion of the text itself is no longer a stable solid category but a space where a wide range of writings intermingle and blend. Thus, both Baz Luhrmann and Michael Almereyda deauthorise Shakespeare and appropriate the Bard's texts—Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet—in order to construct post-modern multifaceted products that fuse contemporary cinematic devices with the editorial intention of transposing the adapted work's universality in order to be understood and digested by the post-popular and glo-cali-zed 21st century culture.


This study was undertaken to determine whether there is market potential for Word-ofMouth Bakery to expand its current operation in food retailing in Modesto and the surrounding areas. A Case Study was conducted on Panera Bread Company to use as a competitive analysis to compare Word-of-Mouth Bakery with an established nationally known artisan bread company. An expert opinion poll was also conducted to assess the market potential in supermarkets from the observations of in-store bakery managers in Modesto and the surrounding areas. A SWOT analysis was used to determine the internal strengths and weaknesses, and external opportunities and threats that face the company in expansion. The results of the SWOT analysis, accompanied by the results of the expert opinion poll were used to create marketing strategies for Word-of-Mouth Bakery's expansion in food retailing. It is concluded that there is market potential for Word-of-Mouth Bakery to expand its current operation in food retailing. This conclusion is based off the research on the industry's growth and success on a national level, as well as from the results of the expert opinion poll of the in-store bakery managers' observations of the artisan bread sales at their individual stores.


Recent studies that use panel data to assess the impact of privatization on firm performance suggest that privatization positively affects growth in sales, productivity and, more surprisingly, employment. Using survey data on 90 enterprises in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan during 1993-1995, we also find that the typical privatized Kyrgyz firm had substantially higher rates of growth of sales revenue and labor productivity, and somewhat higher employment growth, than the typical state-owned firm in 1995. Empirical evidence to date thus suggests that privatization would have reduced Kyrgyz unemployment, they do show that state enterprises were quite willing to fire workers. We find no evidence that positive selection bias was important in our sample, and we do not find that outsider-owned firms outperformed insider-owned firms. Finally, there is some evidence that the better productivity performance of privatized firms was due to managerial human capital turnover.


In this paper, we study parametric optical rectification that is not due to material properties but emerges from the electrostatic near-field interaction between nanosized metallic domains. The ability to demonstrate this effect comes from samples based on a unique slab waveguide with deeply buried nanometer-thin metallic layers. These samples intensify the presumed rectification mechanism while suppressing competing effects. We describe three experiments that, combined, indicate a non-material-based nonlinear mechanism in our samples. The origin of the nonlinear mechanism responsible for rectification is elucidated by invoking a toy model whose sole nonlinearity comes from the interaction between strictly linear oscillators.


Background: Many positive biomechanical effects have been attributed to the use of a shoe with unstable sole in the anterior posterior direction. When tested, however, only minor changes have been found in relation to each of the investigated joints and muscles in the lower limb. The purpose of this study was to evaluate biomechanical effects on whole body gait characteristics during walking with the Masai Barefoot Technology shoe (MBT) with focus on lower limb and trunk kinematics. Methods: 18 healthy volunteers were tested using 3D gait analysis and force plates. Data were collected both for common training shoes and the MBT shoes. Joint and trunk specific data for the two different shoe types were compared using the non-parametric Wilcoxon matched pair test. Results: The overall gait patterns were very similar when the MBT shoes were compared to normal training shoes. Some angular differences were statistically significant but the absolute changes were very small. Interpretation: Many people experience positive effects when they use the MBT shoe but the biomechanical and kinematic changes are very small compared to common training shoes. Short Research Article Wretenberg et al.; BJAST, 6(5): 545-549, 2015; Article no.BJAST.2015.109 546


100% of patients avoided a neck scar, corresponding to zero conversions; length of operative procedures average 95minutes, ranging from 45-190 minutes;1 transient tongue paresthesias ( resolved in 3wks), 79% of patients had limitation in tongue movements (up to the 3rd postoperative day), 0 hypoglossal nerve dysfunction, 0 facial nerve dysfunction; hospital stay averaged 36 hours,2 patients stayed 48 and 62 hours due to elevated blood sugar and uncontrolled hypertension respectively, 5 patients discharged on the same day.


Abstract. The Institute of Seismology of University of Helsinki is building a new local seismic network, called OBF network, around planned nuclear power plant in Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland. The network will consist of nine new stations and one existing station. The network should be dense enough to provide azimuthal coverage better than 180° and automatic detection capability down to ML −0.1 within a radius of 25 km from the site. The network construction work began in 2012 and the first four stations started operation at the end of May 2013. We applied an automatic seismic signal detection and event location system to a network of 13 stations consisting of the four new stations and the nearest stations of Finnish and Swedish national seismic networks. Between the end of May and December 2013 the network detected 214 events inside the predefined area of 50 km radius surrounding the planned nuclear power plant site. Of those detections, 120 were identified as spurious events. A total of 74 events were associated with known quarries and mining areas. The average location error, calculated as a difference between the announced location from environment authorities and companies and the automatic location, was 2.9 km. During the same time period eight earthquakes between magnitude range 0.1–1.0 occurred within the area. Of these seven could be automatically detected. The results from the phase 1 stations of the OBF network indicates that the planned network can achieve its goals.


Åsa Edesten and Sara Almling are writing about business models in a post-Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) world. Will the implementation of the BEPS Actions impact the way multinational enterprises (MNEs) chose to organize themselves? Should it? And if so, was that something the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and its Member States wanted to happen?


Objective. To evaluate the gut mucosa and blood-brain barrier (BBB) pharmacokinetic permeability properties of the plant N-alkylamide pellitorine. Methods. Pure pellitorine and an Anacyclus pyrethrum extract were used to investigate the permeation of pellitorine through (1) a Caco-2 cell monolayer, (2) the rat gut after oral administration, and (3) the BBB in mice after intravenous and intracerebroventricular administration. A validated bioanalytical UPLC-MS2 method was used to quantify pellitorine. Results. Pellitorine was able to cross the Caco-2 cell monolayer from the apical-to-basolateral and from the basolateral-to-apical side with apparent permeability coefficients between 0.6 · 10−5 and 4.8 · 10−5 cm/h and between 0.3 · 10−5 and 5.8 · 10−5 cm/h, respectively. In rats, a serum elimination rate constant of 0.3 h−1 was obtained. Intravenous injection of pellitorine in mice resulted in a rapid and high permeation of pellitorine through the BBB with a unidirectional influx rate constant of 153 μL/(g·min). In particular, 97% of pellitorine reached the brain tissue, while only 3% remained in the brain capillaries. An efflux transfer constant of 0.05 min−1 was obtained. Conclusion. Pellitorine shows a good gut permeation and rapidly permeates the BBB once in the blood, indicating a possible role in the treatment of central nervous system diseases.


This paper presents a microgrid (MG) energy management strategy by considering renewable energy and battery storage systems. Renewable energy, including wind power generation and solar power generation, is integrated into the distribution network, for which is formulated the optimal dispatch model of mixed-power generation by considering the charging/discharging scheduling of battery storage systems. The MG system has an electrical link for power exchange between the MG and the utility during different hours of the day. Based on the time-of-use (TOU) and all technical constraints, an enhanced bee colony optimization (EBCO) is proposed to solve the daily economic dispatch of MG systems. In the EBCO procedure, the self-adaption repulsion factor is embedded in the bee swarm of the BCO in order to improve the behavior patterns of each bee swarm and increase its search efficiency and accuracy in high dimensions. Different modifications in moving patterns of EBCO are proposed to search the feasible space more effectively. EBCO is used for economic energy management of grid-connected and stand-alone scenarios, and the results are compared to those in previous algorithms. In either grid-connected or stand-alone scenarios, an optimal MG scheduling dispatch is achieved using micro-turbines, renewable energy and battery storage systems. Results show that the proposed method is feasible, robust and more effective than many previously-developed algorithms.


A U-shaped di-gold metallotweezer with two pyrene-imidazolylidene edges and a xanthenyl-bis-alkynyl connector was prepared. This metallotweezer acts as metalloligand in the presence of Cu+ , Tl+ , or Ag+ , showing three clearly distinct coordination patterns depending on the cation used. The coordination to Cu+ leads to a complex in which the metalloligand is coordinated in a pincer form. The reaction with Tl+ affords a complex in which the ligand is acting as a ϰ2 -(trans)-chelate ligand. The reaction with Ag+ leads to a self-assembled structure, with two silver cations encased inside the cavity of a duplex structure formed by two self-assembled metallotweezers.


History and Objective: Due to the variety of pathologic lesions of appendix and its unknown status is Kashan and in order to define the types of the pathologic lesions and their relationship with sex and age and detecting the positive cases, this study was performed on the specimens received by the word of pathology of Kashan University of Medical Sciences from 1372 to 1374. Materials and Methods: The present study was performed by existing data method on all of the received specimens. Patient's records were drawn out from the archive of the ward and those with the clinical diagnosis of appendicitis were enrolled into the study if their sex ad age were also recorded. The lesions were classified into seven independent groups and their relationship with age and sex were evaluated and presented by descriptive statistics. Results: From the 522 patients, 506 had complete information. 281 cases (55.5%) were female and 225 (44.5%) were male with the age of 27.2±13.6 years. From the 449 patients undergone surgery with the clinical diagnosis of appendicitis, 332 (79.2%) had positive results on pathological examination and 87 cases (20.8%) had negative results. The most common lesions were acute suppurative appendicitis (31.2%) and acute appendicitis (32%). Follicular hyperplasia was observed in 25% of cases. Appendix was normal in 10% of subjects. Conclusion: Appendectomy is more commonly performed in women than men. Appendicitis is more common in the third decade of life. Acute suppurative appendicitis, which was the most common pathological diagnosis, was more frequently observed among men. Correct diagnosis was observed in 79.2% of the patients with the clinical diagnosis of appendicitis. Negative results on pathological examination are more commonly observed among women, which are due to the special diseases that are mistaken with acute appendicitis.


CONTEXT/OBJECTIVE
Community-acquired pressure injuries (CAPrI) are a common and costly complication of spinal cord injury (SCI). Most studies and interventions focus on the prevention of pressure injuries acquired in the hospital. The goal of this study is to better understand SCI provider perspectives of the risks, actions and resources needed to prevent CAPrIs.

DESIGN
Qualitative descriptive, semi-structured interviews of SCI providers analyzed using a deductive-inductive approach.

SETTING
Three geographically different veteran health administration spinal cord injury/disorder centers.

PARTICIPANTS
30 interprofessional SCI providers.

INTERVENTIONS
Not applicable.

OUTCOME MEASURES
Provider perspective of risks, actions and resources for CAPrI prevention in veterans with SCI.

RESULTS
30 interviews revealed a model of provider perspectives of CAPrI prevention including veteran risk characteristics, veteran preventive activities and provider, family, community caregiving resources.

CONCLUSION
Understanding provider perspectives of Veteran CAPrI preventive risks, actions and resources guides more appropriate interventions to prevent CAPrIs in individuals living with SCI.


The past few decades have heralded a paradigm shift in the psychology, oncology, and trauma literature. This shift has involved a re–focusing of the empirical lens from the distress and pathology of traumatic experiences to a focus on growth and thriving in response to adversity or traumatic events. Multiple studies have identified that individuals recognise positive changes following their experiences of adversity to the extent that many individuals report development beyond their pre–trauma functioning. These positive changes have been broadly conceptualised as growth, a multidimensional concept, which typically involves an increased appreciation for life, more meaningful relationships, an increased sense of personal strength, a change in priorities, and a richer existential and spiritual awareness. Growth following adversity, or adversarial growth, is still relatively new in sport, and specifically elite sport, and accordingly the purpose of this doctoral research was to explore adversarial growth in elite athletes with a particular emphasis on the experiences of elite level swimmers.
The research was grounded in a constructivist paradigm which assumes changing and sometimes conflicting social realities, and seeks to understand people's constructions of their lived experiences. [Continues.]


The electric drive is a main component of industrial equipment designed for small or large complexity, because the achievement of finished goods implies the adjustable mechanical energy available at the output of the system. Among the electric machines available on the market, the induction machine is widespread used because of its simplicity and light sustenance. Because the static converters are needful in such a system, the evolution of the converter's command sub-systems was also needful, to improve their performance. The aim of this paper is the experimental comparative analysis of the three PWM modulation methods for a voltage inverter fed drive system using induction motors (space-vector modulation, sinusoidal modulation and trapezoidal modulation). The comparative analysis is done under form of dependencies of efficiency, power factor and supplementary loses introduced by each method versus sinusoidal voltage supplying. The experimental data processing under Matlab Simulink highlights the load torque and frequency influence on power quality indicators.


Eight oxamato-bridged heterotrinuclear Ni(II)Cu(II)Ni(II) complexes of formula ([Ni(H(2)O)(dpt)](2)(mu-Cu(H(2)O)(opba)))(ClO(4))2 (1), ([Ni(H(2)O)(dien)](2)(mu-Cu(pba)))(ClO(4))(2).6H(2)O (2), ([Ni(H(2)O)(Medpt)](2)(mu-Cu(OHpba)))(ClO(4))(2).4H(2)O (3), ([Ni(H(2)O)(dien)](2)(mu-Cu(Me(2)pba)))(ClO(4))(2).2.5H(2)O (4), ([Ni(H(2)O)(dpt)](2)(mu-Cu(Me(2)pba)))(ClO(4))(2).2H(2)O (5), ([Ni(H(2)O)(dien)](2)(mu-Cu(OHpba)))(ClO(4))(2).4H(2)O (6), ([Ni(2)(dpt)(2)(mu-Cu(H(2)O)(pba))](2)(mu-N(3))(2))Na(2)(ClO(4))(4).6H(2)O (7), and ([Cu(H(2)O)(2)(dpt)Ni(2)(H(2)O)(dpt)(2)](mu-H(2)Me(2)pba(2-)))(ClO(4))(4).3H(2)O (8) in which opba = o-phenylenbis(oxamato), pba = 1,3-propylenebis(oxamato), OHpba = 2-hydroxy-1,3-propylenebis(oxamato), Me(2)pba = 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propylenbis(oxamato), dpt = 3,3'-diaminodipropylamine, dien = 2,2'-diaminodiethylamine, and Medpt = 3,3'-diamino-N-methyldipropylamine were synthesized and characterized. The crystal structures of 1, 7, and 8 were solved. For complex 1, the trinuclear entities are linked by hydrogen bonds forming a one-dimensional system, and for complex 8, the presence of van der Waals interactions gives a one-dimensional system, too. For complex 7, the trinuclear entities are self-assembled by azido ligands, given a hexanuclear system; each of these hexanuclear entities are self-assembled through two [Na(O)(3)(H(2)O)(3)] octahedral-sharing one-edge entities, given a one-dimensional system. The magnetic behavior of complexes 2-7 was investigated by variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements. Complexes 2-6 exhibit the minimum characteristic of this kind of polymetallic species with an irregular spin state structure. The Jvalue through the oxamato bridge varied between -88 cm(-1) (for 6) and -111.2 cm(-1) (for 5). For complex 7, the values obtained were J(1) = -101.7 cm(-1) (through the oxamato ligand) and J(2) = -3.2 cm(-1) (through the azido ligand).


The paper deals with the etiopathogenetic, clinical and epidemiological aspects of listeriosis with due regard for the latest advances in medical science. Current approaches to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of this infection have been analysed.


When empirical research provides incomplete data, it is often not accepted, especially if the primary data is slightly controversial. This article investigates this situation exactly, where there is little data and quite unexpected results. A conceptual modeling approach is applied here to supplement the empirical research and to examine the yield obtained from the Silphium perfoliatum energy plant under certain environmental conditions in Lithuania. The designed conceptual model is based on an analysis of informational relationships within the "donor-acceptor" ("source-sink") plant (sub)system. It was found, that the chlorophyll-a amount did not affect the yield, what according to the model, may be determined by the different acceptor activity. Nitrogen and potassium influenced the biomass positively, possibly through the activation of acceptor metabolism and assimilate transport, and the consequent signaling on the photosynthetic apparatus (via cytokinin and sugar). Meanwhile, the high phosphate amount in soil negatively influences the yield. A hypothesis of yield limitation by signaling through the high phosphate levels in the case of slowed down photosynthesis is proposed. In addition to determining the causality of the yield formation, the conceptual modeling enables us to make use of limited empirical data to design future experiments, aimed at testing the hypothesis and verifying the model.


"German employment protection legislation has recently come under criticism. Some complain that the employment protection legislation no longer protects the employment relationship against the arbitrary termination by the employer. Others emphasize that dismissal protection restricts firms' capacity to act and is at least one reason for Germany's persistent mass unemployment. The parties agree, however, that the extensive and complex case-law creates considerable legal uncertainty for both parties. The present study examines the costs generated by employment protection legislation and identifies the factors influencing the incidence and magnitude of severance pay. Empirical research on the labour market consequences of employment protection does not reach clear-cut results. If dismissal protection has any effect on economic outcomes at all, then these effects may be more negative. An economically efficient dismissal protection must create incentives for both parties of the employment contract to choose an efficient adjustment path that minimises the expected damage caused by the dismissal. Which reform proposal fulfils this demand is finally discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))


Capacity-Oriented Behavior Therapy in Mental Disorders Mental disorders come along with the impairment of activities and capacities of daily live. Behavior therapy often uses capacity trainings for improving compensatory behavior, beside symptom reduction as such. This article gives an overview on how behavior therapy techniques can be used to improve compensatory behavior in different capacity domains that were conceptually derived from the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and which are often impaired in mental disorders.


AJA Manufacturing Company is a firm that would be known as a manufacturer of a cream organically made from Aloe Vera extracts with petroleum jelly and benzyl alcohol. Specifically, the product is a 2-in1 anti-fungal and scar removal cream good for a year. The project has long-range objectives of presenting local ingredients effective as an anti-fungal and scar removal cream and distinguishing the company as a producer of anti-fungal and scar removal cream in the local market as well as making it stable, reliable, and dependent at the same time. The plant would be located at Carmelray Industrial Park, Canlubang, Calamba City, Laguna. The project was proven feasible with a payback period of one year and 277 days.


To obtain high yields of toxin for the preparation of purified neurotoxoids, we examined the time of appearance and the quantity of toxin produced by the Bean strain of Clostridium botulinum type B under various conditions by using a fermentor system. The medium employed consisted of 2.0% casein hydrolylsate and 1.5% yeast extract plus an appropriate concentration of glucose. The maximum toxin concentration (4 x 10(5) to 5 x 10(5) mouse median lethal doses per ml) was attained within 48 h under the following fermentation conditions: an initial glucose concentration of 0.5 or 1.0%, a temperature of 35 degrees C, a nitrogen overlay at a rate of 5 liters/min, and an agitation rate of 50 rpm.


Dry fermented sausage innovation trends are linked to consumer preferences for clean label and sodium-reduced foods. This study aims to evaluate the effect of the formulation and production process temperature on the dynamics of bacterial communities in fuet-type dry fermented sausages using metataxonomics. Six fuet batches were manufactured, including formulations without and with the addition of nitrifying salts (replaced or not by pork liver auto-hydrolysate as a colouring agent), processed at 3 to 12 °C, and a partial replacement of NaCl by KCl, processed at 12 °C. Fermentation was performed spontaneously or by a starter culture. Physicochemical characterisation and culture-dependent and independent bacterial analyses were performed at day 0, 4 and 12, at the end of ripening (aw < 0.90) and after storage. Temperature was the most important factor determining the change in pH, aw and lactic acid bacteria levels while the presence of a starter culture promoted a pH decrease. Metataxonomic analysis showed that low temperature processes and the absence of nitrifying salts allowed the growth of spoilage-related species, while sausages submitted to a mild temperature containing a starter culture and nitrifying salts showed less bacterial diversity. Liver auto-hydrolysate added putative probiotic species to the product. This study provides valuable information to manufacturers who want to innovate safely.


In recent years, along with continuous urbanization, traditional villages in rapidly urbanizing areas have encountered difficulties like "constructive destruction," "material decay," imbalance of the natural environment, and loss of historical culture due to modernization. Under the requirement of "comprehensively strengthening the protection and utilization of historical and cultural heritage and coordinating the protection of historical and cultural heritage with urban and rural construction, economic development, and tourism development" in the new era, it is crucial to study the protection and development of historical and cultural heritage. Since traditional villages are a living heritage, their sustainable development while respecting history is indispensable. Coordinating the relationship between heritage conservation and socioeconomic development to achieve sustainable development is currently the biggest challenge for traditional village conservation. Taking Jiangbian village as an example, based on the cultural heritage value of the village, this paper combines the traditional village with the general direction of urban development and proposes strategies of cross-regional development, linkage, and integration of surrounding resources, complementing the shortcomings of public facilities, and utilizing unused resources, so that Jiangbian Village can be actively integrated into the development of the city, the synergistic development of the village and the city can be promoted, and the dynamic protection and utilization of traditional villages can be realized, with the goal of enriching the research on the dynamic protection and utilization of traditional villages in rapidly urbanizing areas.


Recent experiences with robots in Iraq have proven that robotic technology is useful to the warfighter, but tools are needed to rapidly respond to evolving missions. This paper details a methodology for generation of software wrappers using JAUS to simplify prototyping and development of robotic systems (distributed, embedded and real-time system software modules). Software wrappers will allow insertion of modules into a visual prototyping environment. The wrappers will intercept module functions and bind them with functions needed to exercise the modules outside of the native environment. Generation of JAUS wrappers will enhance the development environment by reducing rote work and producing consistently behaving module interfaces. The resulting methodology will provide a rapid prototyping environment for use in sensor integration, Operator Control Unit (OCU) development and autonomous vehicle control.


This research focused on the study of the influence of different sintering temperature of physical and mechanical behaviour of Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites (Al MMC) reinforced with alumina (Al2O3). Al MMC reinforced with rigid ceramic particulates have become increasingly important for structural applications in aerospace, automotive and other transport industries, because of their high specific strength and modulus, good wear resistance as well as ease of processing. In this project, the influence of sintering temperature was investigated on its hardness and microstructure. These Al MMCs have been traditionally fabricated by powder metallurgy (PM) method. There are three main steps in PM which are blending, compacting and sintering. The experiments were performed on 10% weight percentage of Al2O3 on different sintering temperature. In this study, five specimens of the composite were sintered with different temperature which are 400 C, 450 C, 500 C, 550 C, and 600 C. Then, the influence of different sintering temperature on physical and mechanical behavior of the composite was studied. The specimens were investigated on their hardness and microstructure. The hardness of the composites was examined using Vickers Hardness Test and Image Analyzer was used to study the microstructure of the composite. The result shows that the hardness of the composite decreased with the increasing of sintering temperature. Then from the microstructure observation, the grains of alumina increased when the sintering temperature increased. Furthermore, the result of this study also was compared with the other published work, and it shows the correlation each other.


The pharmacokinetics (PKs) and safety of medications in particular groups can be predicted using the physiologically‐based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model. Using the PBPK model may enable safe pediatric clinical trials and speed up the process of new drug research and development, especially for children, a population in which it is relatively difficult to conduct clinical trials. This review summarizes the role of pediatric PBPK (P‐PBPK) modeling software in dose prediction over the past 6 years and briefly introduces the process of general P‐PBPK modeling. We summarized the theories and applications of this software and discussed the application trends and future perspectives in the area. The modeling software's extensive use will undoubtedly make it easier to predict dose prediction for young patients.


This paper gives the algorithm and implementation details of a sliding real time 3/spl times/3 median filter. The design is implemented on a Xilinx XC4010 FPGA chip. It is tested and integrated at ER&DC, Trivandrum. The design is tailored to exploit certain features of sliding windows. The Algorithm used to implement median filter is very efficient and implementation results show the significant improvements in operating frequency and hardware requirements over general purpose techniques.


Hypochlorous acid (HOCl), a reactive oxygen species (ROS), plays a significant biological role in living systems. However, abnormal levels of HOCl are implicated in many inflammation-associated diseases. Therefore, the detection of HOCl is of great importance. In this work, we describe the HOCl-promoted cyclization of rhodamine-thiosemicarbazides to rhodamine-oxadiazoles, which is then exploited as a novel design strategy for the development of a new fluorescence turn-on HOCl probe 2. On the basis of the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) signaling mechanism, 2 was further converted into 1a and 1b, which represent the first paradigm of FRET-based ratiometric fluorescent HOCl probes. The outstanding features of 1a and 1b include well-resolved emission peaks, high sensitivity, high selectivity, good functionality at physiological pH, rapid response, low cytotoxicity, and good cell-membrane permeability. Furthermore, these excellent attributes enable us to demonstrate, for the first time, the ratiometric imaging of endogenously produced HOCl in living cells by using these novel ratiometric probes. We expect that 1a and 1b will be useful molecular tools for studies of HOCl biology. In addition, the HOCl-promoted cyclization reaction of rhodamine-thiosemicarbazides to rhodamine-oxadiazoles should be widely applicable for the development of different types of fluorescent HOCl probes.


In order to make a thorough evaluation of the security against eavesdropping in heterogeneous radio access network (RAN) with relays, this paper proposes a novel secrecy graph-based secrecy evaluation scheme for distributed wireless relay networks with eavesdropping present. Our scheme firstly models user and eavesdropper with the nonuniform distributions in a discrete system and decides the best path choice of users and relays for the purpose of security. Secondly, we derive the average eavesdropping effect (AEE) based on the known distribution and arrangement of uplink path, and investigate the derived results and the different relay deployment plans. Taking into account various factors (fluctuation of user traffic, burden limitation of relay etc), we efficiently utilize the available resources to simulate the real scenarios to implement the accurate secrecy evaluations. Finally, the simulation results prove that our proposed scheme outperform the other existing ones.


Background: Although studies have documented increased mortality during heat waves, little information is available on the subgroups most susceptible to these effects. We evaluated the effects of summertime high temperature on daily mortality among population subgroups defined by demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, and episodes of hospitalization for various conditions during the preceding 2 years. Methods: We studied a total of 205,019 residents of 4 Italian cities (Bologna, Milan, Rome, and Turin) age 35 or older who died during 1997–2003. The case-crossover design was applied to evaluate the association between mean apparent temperature (same and previous day) and all-cause mortality. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of dying at 30°C (apparent temperature) relative to 20°C were estimated accounting for time, population changes, and air pollution. Results: We found an overall OR of 1.34 (CI = 1.27–1.42) at 30°C relative to 20°C. The odds ratio increased with age and was higher among women (OR = 1.45; 1.37–1.52) and among widows and widowers (1.50; 1.33–1.69). Low area-based income modestly increased the effect. Among the preexisting medical conditions investigated, effect modification was detected for previous psychiatric disorders (1.69; 1.39–2.07), depression (1.72; 1.24–2.39), heart conduction disorders (1.77; 1.38–2.27), and circulatory disorders of the brain (1.47; 1.34–1.62). Temperature-related mortality was higher among people residing in nursing homes, and a large effect was also detected for hospitalized subjects. Conclusions: Subsets of the population that are particularly vulnerable to high summer temperatures include the elderly, women, widows and widowers, those with selected medical conditions, and those staying in nursing homes and healthcare facilities.


Peritoneovenous shunt (PVS) is used to treat refractory ascites. Here, we identify predictive factors for inhospital death after PVS placement. Thirty-five patients with refractory ascites related to liver cirrhosis and/or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent PVS placement between February 2005 and February 2013 were included in the study. Group A comprised 13 patients for whom the PVS placement outcome was inhospital death. Group B comprised 22 patients who were discharged after PVS placement without complications. Patient background and laboratory data were analyzed to identify risk factors for inhospital death. HCC prevalence in Groups A and B was 92 and 55 per cent, respectively (P = 0.02) and that of portal venous tumor thrombus (PVTT) was 54 and 9 per cent, respectively (P = 0.003). The mean des-γ-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) level in both groups was 15,553 ± 49,330 and 787 ± 2600 mAU/mL, respectively (P = 0.009). Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of PVTT was the only independent predictor of inhospital death (P = 0.007). The presence of PVTT, HCC, and elevated des-γ-carboxy prothrombin levels are predictors of inhospital death after PVS placement. Therefore, PVS should not be used to treat refractory ascites in patients with these predictors, particularly with PVTT.


The influence of the thermal diffusivity of the ceramic tile on the thermal energy distribution was analysed using one dimensional heat equation, which was solved by using method of separation of variables. In the analysis, heat was assumed to be propagated along a rectangular moulded ceramic tile with length (l) and the width being considered negligible with different temperatures ranging from 300 0 c to 1300 0 c, within a specified time frame. Some parameters such as thermal conductivity, specific heat and mass per unit length of the material were specified. The variation of thermal conductivity and diffusivity with temperature were analysed while that of thermal energy flux u(x,t) variation with position and time for different lengths werealso take into consideration. The distribution of temperature as a function of time for different values of thermal diffusivity was also considered.


Despite decades of intense research, the complex biology of glioblastoma (GBM) is not completely understood. Progression-free survival and overall survival have remained unchanged since the implementation of the STUPP regimen in 2005 with concomitant radio-/chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy with temozolomide. In the context of Hanahan and Weinberg's six hallmarks and two emerging hallmarks of cancer, we discuss up-to-date status and recent research in the biology of GBM. We discuss the clinical impact of the research results with the most promising being in the hallmarks 'enabling replicative immortality', 'inducing angiogenesis', 'reprogramming cellular energetics' and 'evading immune destruction'. This includes the importance of molecular diagnostics according to the new WHO classification and how next generation sequencing is being implemented in the clinical daily life. Molecular results linked together with clinical outcome have revealed the importance of the prognostic biomarker isocitratedehydrogenase (IDH), which is now part of the diagnostic criteria in brain tumours. IDH is discussed in the context of the hallmark 'reprogramming cellular energetics'. O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase status predicts a more favourable response to treatment and is thus a predictive marker. Based on genomic aberrations, Verhaak et al have suggested a division of GBM into three subgroups, namely, proneural, classical and mesenchymal, which could be meaningful in the clinic and could help guide and differentiate treatment decisions according to the specific subgroup. The information achieved will develop and improve precision medicine in the future.