That the Church of Norway has now adopted gender equality as its policy, is a new situation in a historical perspective, and is the result of a long process within the framework of the state church system. In this context, the way in which the Storting (the Norwegian parliament) dealt with the issue of admitting women to clerical offices in the 1930s was important. The purpose of this thesis has been to examine the argumentation of the members of the Storting, and the way in which this argumentation was related to developments within the Church and within society. The arguments for and against allowing women to be ministers in the debate in 1934 and in 1938 are expounded and systematized with the help of methodology inspired by the "pro et contra" method of Arne Naess, whilst material from the intermediate debate in 1936 is mainly included in parts of the rest of the analysis, where the arguments are accounted for within their context. The understanding of the debate in this thesis is that it was basically a battle for gender equality. The study classifies the debate in the following way: the view of women, the view of the Church, the view of the role of the parliamentarians and contemporary understanding. The contextual examination of the debate is organized in corresponding sections. The presentation is based on a more general historical background, involving a thematic analysis of the debate in the Storting in 1912 on admitting women to public offices. The thesis shows that the debate took place at a time when sharply opposing views of women were in evidence. It examines the relationship between the fight for equality and the gradual shift in the Church's view about women's service, and how the issue of formal and actucal power within the Church was made vivacious. The Labour Party was unanimously in favour of women ministers, the Christian Democratic Party of Norway was opposed, whilst the compromise proposal, which provided a provisional solution to the matter in 1938, came from the Liberal Party. The conclusion of the thesis is that the underlying reasons for the main divisions in the points of view about women ministers are to be found in the diverging views about the relationship between the sexes, understanding of Christianity, insight as a parliamentarian and the historical development. From a methodological point of view, as reflected upon in the thesis, the main pattern is that the question of how the members of the Storting argued is answered by using an analysis that has its basis in a positivistic orientation, whilst the question of how the argumentation was related to developments within the Church and within society is answered by using a more hermeneutical approach. (Less)


Routing is one of the most challenging problems in Delay-Tolerant Networks (DTNs) due to network partitioning and intermittent connectivity. Most existing protocols are based on unlimited bandwidth. Previous protocols based on limited bandwidth (MaxProp, RAPID, etc) only consider the scenario that each node has at most one contact opportunity during any time interval, and discuss the packet scheduling mechanisms for each separate contact to minimize the average delivery delay. However, in many applications of DTNs, more than one contact opportunities with the same source node, which are called as related contact opportunities, may arise in the same time interval. But previous scheduling algorithms cannot apply to such applications. Therefore, we propose a more general scheduling algorithm to optimize the delivery delay in bandwidth limited DTNs including the scenario that multiple related contact opportunities may arise in the same interval, called Flow-Based Transmission Scheduling (FBTS). We evaluate it on publicly available data sets against MED, MaxProp and RAPID. The results show that the delivery delay of FBTS is at least 35% shorter than that of existing works.


Polydnaviruses associated with ichneumonid parasitoid wasps (Ichnoviruses) encode large numbers of genes, often in multigene families. The Ichnovirus Vinnexin gene family, which is expressed in parasitized lepidopteran larvae, encodes homologues of Innexins, the structural components of insect gap junctions. Here, we have examined intracellular behaviours of the Campoletis sonorensis Ichnovirus (CsIV) Vinnexins, alone and in combination with a host Innexin orthologue, Innexin2 (Inx2). QRT‐PCR verified that transcription of CsIV vinnexins occurs contemporaneously with inx2, implying co‐occurrence of Vinnexin and Inx2 proteins. Confocal microscopy demonstrated that epitope‐tagged VinnexinG (VnxG) and VinnexinQ2 (VnxQ2) exhibit similar subcellular localization as Spodoptera frugiperda Inx2 (Sf‐Inx2). Surface biotinylation assays verified that all three proteins localize to the cell surface, and cytochalasin B and nocodazole that they rely on actin and microtubule cytoskeletal networks for localization. Immunomicroscopy following co‐transfection of constructs indicates extensive co‐localization of Vinnexins with each other and Sf‐Inx2, and live‐cell imaging of mCherry‐labelled Inx2 supports that Vinnexins may affect Sf‐Inx2 distribution in a Vinnexin‐specific fashion. Our findings support that the Vinnexins may disrupt host cell physiology in a protein‐specific manner through altering gap junctional intercellular channel communication, as well as indirectly by affecting multicellular junction characteristics.


Background Longitudinal analyses of comorbid conditions in women with breast cancer are few. Methods Using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results–Medicare data, we included 51 950 women aged ≥66 years with in situ and stage I to IV breast cancer diagnosed in 1998–2002. We identified the prevalence and incidence of 34 comorbid conditions in these women, as well as in a matched cohort without cancer whose rates were standardized to the age and race/ethnicity distribution of the cancer patients. We also estimated rates of office encounters and diagnostic or testing procedures during the 12 months before diagnosis. Results The prevalence of most conditions at diagnosis was comparable among breast cancer and noncancer patients. New conditions after diagnosis were more common in breast cancer patients, and the incidence rates increased with higher stage at diagnosis. Before diagnosis, women presenting with stage IV disease had 41% [95% confidence interval (CI) 38% to 43%] fewer physician encounters and 34% (95% CI 24% to 31%) fewer unique diagnostic tests than women diagnosed with carcinoma in situ. Conclusions Many comorbid conditions are identified as a consequence of the breast cancer diagnosis. There appears to be an important contribution from a lack of interaction with the health care system before diagnosis.


To support the development and implementation of evidence-based crime reduction, we systematically identified and appraised 70 systematic reviews of single crime reduction measures published between 1975 and 2015. Using the EMMIE framework, we find that the quality of reporting on the Effectiveness of crime reduction measures is reasonably strong, particularly in systematic reviews published by the Cochrane and Campbell Collaborations. In contrast, evidence concerning the Mechanisms underpinning a crime reduction intervention, the conditions that Moderate effectiveness, Implementation challenges and the Economic costs and benefits of crime reduction was largely absent from the assessed systematic reviews. We conclude that there is a distinct lack of systematic review evidence in crime reduction that currently speaks to the knowledge needs of practitioners (i.e., how to make an intervention "work" for them).


The aim of this study was to find out if it is possible to predict the clinical response to bilateral oophorectomy in premenopausal patients with advanced breast cancer. Two methods of determination were used before oophorectomy: 1) the presence of estrogen receptors in the tumor tissue; 2) the urinary concentration of androgens. The clinical response to oophorectomy was evaluated after a six-month follow-up. Determinations carried out on 49 patients showed that a significant correlation exists between clinical response to oophorectomy and androgenic activity alone or in combination with estrogen receptors when both tests give concordant results.


The popularity of stereo images and various sizes of display screens pose the need of stereo image retargeting techniques which resize stereo image pairs to desired sizes. Many content-aware stereo image retargeting methods adapt the images through non-uniformly resizing regions. However, these methods often make the depth of retargeted version inconsistent with the original one, since they do not explicitly consider different effects of resizing distinct regions on the depths of 3D scenes. In this paper, we analyze the effects of region-wise resizing on the depths of 3D scenes. With such insights, we can properly edit or maintain the depth of a stereo image pair via region-wise resizing. In addition, by taking into account the effects on different regions, we propose a grid-based retargeting model for stereo images, which simultaneously preserve the depths of 3D scenes and the shapes of salient objects. Experimental results demonstrate the superior performance of our method.


New Essays on the Normativity of Law is a collection of essays aiming to introduce new writings that belong to one of three types of approach to the problem of legal normativity, namely (i) the theory of planning agency, (ii) legal conventionalism, and (iii) constitutivism, and to stimulate the readers to engage with and learn from writings in a different tradition of thinking than their own (1). The book is divided into three parts. Each part deals with one of the three types of approach to the problem of legal normativity and features one lead essay in which the author provides a positive account of the normativity of law, and two or three shorter essays in which the positive account is critically discussed. The lead essays are Scott Shapiro's "Planning Agency and the Law" (Part I), Andrei Marmor's "The Conventional Foundations of Law" (Part II) and Stefano Bertea's "Law and Obligation: Outlines of a Kantian Argument" (Part III).I focus in this review on the lead essays in Parts 1 and 2, in which the authors attempt to account for the normativity of law within the framework of legal positivism. I begin with a few words about degrees of normativity (Section 2) and about Hans Kelsen's proposed solution to the problem of legal normativity (Section 3). Having done that, I turn to consider Shapiro's and Marmor's essays (Sections 4-5). The review concludes with some thoughts on the significance of the idea of conditional normativity – which appears indirectly in Shapiro's essay and explicitly in Marmor's – and on the relation of the problem of the normativity of law to the old problem of the conceptual connection between law and morality (Section 6).


This paper discusses the absurd character types that exist in Samuel Beckett's play, Waiting for Godot. Vladimir, Estragon, Pozzo and Lucky are the four contradictory yet dependent characters in the play. The absurd characters reflect the social condition of the time, post – World War II. The characters are pictured waiting for the completion of the war in the hope that it will come. Their fate can be changed instantly, the same as the state of war. Besides discussing the characters in the drama, this paper also discusses the characteristics of the language used by the characters. The language used is unreasonable, not in accordance with what is said or how they act; it is called "verbal nonsense". The interpretations of the dialogue among the characters in the play will give a better picture of each character and how they can be related to societal conditions.


According to spillover theory (Engfer, 1988), disruptions in one relationship (e.g., interparental) may lead to perturbations in another (e.g., parent-child), and these boundary disturbances have been linked to child psychopathology. Yet few studies have explored spillover from both constructive and destructive interparental conflict in relation to children's symptoms of psychopathology, and fewer have differentiated mothers' and fathers' parenting in these investigations. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to explore mothers' and fathers' problematic parenting practices-specifically, their inconsistent discipline, unsupportive reactions, and control through guilt-as indirect pathways between constructive and destructive interparental conflict and children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Two sequential mediation models were constructed-one for destructive interparental conflict and another for constructive interparental conflict-using 3 waves of data collected annually beginning when children (N = 235) were approximately 6 years old. Direct effects of the 2 models showed that constructive conflict was associated with lower levels of problematic parenting practices, whereas destructive conflict was associated with higher levels. Indirect effects findings showed that mothers' control through guilt was an explanatory mechanism between constructive and destructive interparental conflict and children's externalizing symptoms, whereas mothers' unsupportive reactions were a significant intermediary process between constructive interparental conflict and children's internalizing symptoms. Therefore, results of the current study support the spillover hypothesis and suggest that differentiating mothers' and fathers' problematic parenting practices-as well as distinguishing between constructive and destructive interparental conflict-remain important, as each can have distinct relations to child adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Nothoscordum gracile is an apomitic tetraploid widely distributed throughout the Americas and naturalized in many temperate regions of other continents. It has been suggested to form a species complex with sexual and apomictic N. nudicaule and N. macrostemon. Tetraploids of these species also share a structurally heterozygous chromosome complement 2n = 19 (13M + 6A). In this work, the origin of N. gracile and its relationships with its related species was investigated based on cytological and molecular data.

METHODS
Cytogenetic analyses were based on meiotic behaviour, CMA bands, localization of 5S and 45S rDNA sites, and genomic in situ hybridization (GISH). Nuclear ITS and plastidial trnL-trnF sequences were also obtained for most individuals.

KEY RESULTS
Proximal CMA bands were observed in the long arms of all acrocentrics of 2x and 4x N. macrostemon but not in diploid and some tetraploid cytotypes of N. nudicaule. Samples of N. gracile showed a variable number of CMA bands in the long arms of acrocentrics. Analysis of ITS sequences, dot-blot, GISH, and 5S and 45S rDNA sites, revealed no differentiation among the three species. The trnL-trnF cpDNA fragment showed variation with a trend to geographical structuring irrespective of morphospecies and fully congruent with karyotype variation.

CONCLUSIONS
The 2n = 19 karyotype was probably formed by a centric fusion event occurring in N. nudicaule and later transmitted to tetraploid cytotypes of N. macrostemon. Diploids of N. nudicaule and N. macrostemon appeared as consistent recently diverged species, whereas tetraploid apomicts seem to constitute an assemblage of polyploid hybrids originating from multiple independent hybridization events between them, part of which are morphologically recognizable as N. gracile.


Simulation data on hydrogen‐like plasmas, modelled with the Kelbg pseudopotential, are treated within the classical theory of moments. The possibility is analyzed for the model inverse dielectric function to satisfy five convergent sum rules and other exact relations. The sum rules are the power frequency moments of the loss function and the latter are calculated using the hypernetted chain approximation with the Kelbg interaction potential. An approach to the reconstruction of the Nevanlinna parameter function is proposed and successfully tested against the simulation data. Conclusions on the applicability of the Kelbg potential are drawn and a model is put forward to define the Coulomb dielectric function with the space dispersion taken into account. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


Background: Ruta chalapensis and Rumex nervosus are used as an extensive household remedy for  various diseases in Eritrea. The components of these plants are of great interest in medicinal  chemistry. Leaves and young stems of Ruta and Rumex have been reported to contain alkaloids,  flavonoids, phenols, amino acids, furanocoumarins and saponins. Various solvents like ethanol,  acetone and aqueous extracts of the two plants were screened for the presence of bioactive  compounds. Methods: The antibacterial activities of these extracts were investigated against  Staphylococcus aureus , a gram positive bacteria and Escherichia coli, gram negative bacteria. The  antibacterial activity was tested using Muller Hinton Agar medium by disc diffusion method and  minimum inhibitory concentration assays. Results: After incubation, zone of inhibition was measured  in mm, a good inhibition (>5mm) was observed indicating the effective antibacterial activity of the  bioactive compounds in both the plant extracts.


More than a century ago, A.A. Griffith published the seminal paper establishing the foundational framework for fracture mechanics. The elegant theory creatively introduced the concepts of elastic energy and surface energy to the science of fracture, and solved the problem of brittle fracture of glass materials. Many subsequent milestone studies in fracture mechanics were motivated by the real problems encountered in different materials. The emergence of two-dimensional (2D) materials provides an exciting opportunity to examine fracture processes at the 2D limit. An important question to be addressed is whether the classic Griffith theory is still applicable to 2D materials. Therefore, recent progress in both experimental and theoretical studies of fracture of 2D materials will be briefly reviewed, with new developments and discoveries in relevant techniques and theories highlighted. Given the early stage of exploring fracture behaviors in 2D materials, more emphasis will be placed on challenges and opportunities for this budding field. Graphical abstract


Background The majority of palliative care needs (78%) are in low to middle-income countries; despite this, palliative care provision remains poor. Over the past 20 years, developing palliative services has increasingly become a priority for international organisations. Uganda has developed the most effective palliative care service in Sub-Saharan Africa. Globally, its palliative care services have been classed (alongside 20 other countries) as one of the most advanced palliative care services, in which 'hospice-palliative care services are at a stage of advanced integration into mainstream service provision'. Aims Explore the potential factors which aided the development of palliative care services in Uganda and consider the lessons we can learn from this successful case study. Methods Multi-source literature review. Results Hospice Africa Uganda (HAU) was established in Uganda (1993) by a UK based palliative care physician. The hospice aimed to create a model of palliative care which was affordable, culturally acceptable and could be adapted to other countries in Africa. Key factors this poster will explore, include: Ensured prescribing and giving opiates was not illegal and that there was sufficient supply at a reasonable cost to the service - this remains a barrier to the delivery of palliative care internationally; Strong research focus - service evaluation and improvement; Healthcare model - Integrated Community Home-Based Care which trained community volunteers supported and supervised by clinicians - care is delivered at a combination of hospitals, hospices and in the community; Integration of palliative care education into undergraduate and postgraduate programmes - this has led to a shift in attitudes towards palliative care and in the understanding of the importance of respect and individualised care; The social and political climate - Uganda was rebuilding itself with significant international financial support; the civil war had come to an end seven years before.


BACKGROUND
Measurement of antibodies to citrullinated peptides or proteins (CP) is a new test for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We analyzed the analytical characteristics and diagnostic accuracy of commercially available methods.

METHODS
We studied 11 commercially available 2nd- and 3rd-generation methods that used various citrullinated antigen substrates: synthetic cyclic peptides, recombinant rat filaggrin, mutated human vimentin, and Epstein-Barr virus- or IgG-derived peptides. We assessed imprecision by measuring samples with low, intermediate, and high concentrations 5 times on each of 5 days. We measured CPs by each of the assays in 100 serum samples from patients with RA and in 202 samples from healthy persons or patients with other autoimmune, viral, or neoplastic diseases.

RESULTS
The between-run imprecision (CV) of the methods was between 0.4% and 22%, and the repeatability (within-run imprecision) was 0.5%-19%. The areas under the ROC curves varied between 0.79 (95% CI, 0.72-0.85) and 0.92 (0.88-0.95). At a fixed specificity of 98.5%, the sensitivities ranged from 41% (95% CI, 31%-51%) to 74% (64%-82%). Sensitivities and specificities varied markedly at the manufacturer's suggested cutoffs. Most false-positive results were recorded in patients with viral infections. The methods that use the original synthetic cyclic CP gave the best and very similar performances, although these methods use different components in their reagent sets (conjugate, type of substrate, dilution, and washing buffers). This finding shows that the antigenic source is the most important variable in determining the diagnostic accuracy of the methods.

CONCLUSIONS
The analytical imprecision and diagnostic accuracies of commercially available methods for the detection of anti-CP antibodies differ. Careful selection of methods is needed.


Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a disease characterized by the deposition of amorphous lipoproteinaceous material in the alveoli secondary to abnormal processing of surfactant by macrophages. Whole-lung lavage often is performed as the first line of treatment for this disease because it is a means to wash out the proteinaceous material from the alveoli and reestablish effective oxygenation and ventilation. Whole-lung lavage is a large-volume BAL that is performed mainly in the treatment of PAP. In brief, it involves the induction of general anesthesia followed by isolation of the two lungs with a double-lumen endotracheal tube and performance of single-lung ventilation while large-volume lavages are performed on the nonventilated lung. Warmed normal saline solution in 1-L aliquots (total volumes up to 20 L) is instilled into the lung, chest physiotherapy is performed, then the proteinaceous effluent is drained with the aid of postural positioning. The sequence of events is repeated until such time as the effluent, which is initially milky and opaque, becomes clear. This procedure results in significant clinical and radiographic improvement secondary to the washing out of the proteinaceous material from the alveoli. The whole-lung lavage video details all aspects of the procedure, including case selection, patient preparation and equipment, a step-by-step review of the procedure, and postoperative considerations.


This investigation scrutinizes the economic features and potential of propylene and methanol production from natural gas in Iran because greenhouse gas emissions released by natural gas-based production processes are lower than coal-based ones. Considering the advantage of Iran's access to natural gas, this study evaluates and compares the economic value of different plans to complete the value chain of propylene production from natural gas and methanol in the form of four units based on three price scenarios, namely, optimistic, realistic, and pessimistic, using the COMFAR III software. Iran has been ranked as the second most prosperous country globally based on its natural gas reserves. Methanol and propylene production processes via natural gas will lower the release of greenhouse gas. This, increasing the investment and accelerating the development of methanol and propylene production units driven by natural gas will lead the world to a low emission future compared to coal-based plants. The economic evaluation and sensitivity analysis results revealed that the conversion of methanol to propylene is more attractive for investment than the sale of crude methanol. The development of methanol to propylene units is more economical than constructing a new gas to propylene unit because of the lower investment costs.


As the feature size shrinks to the nanometer scale, SRAM-based FPGAs are increasingly vulnerable to soft errors. Checkpointing is an effective fault recovery technique that can restore the faulty system to its previous fault free state. Since the function of the system needs to be suspended during checkpoint saving and checkpoint restoring, so the Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) of the system is critical to the system performance. In this work, we propose a hierarchical hardware checkpointing (HHC) technique that contains a high-speed on-chip checkpoint and a low-speed off-chip checkpoint to accelerate fault recovery for SRAM-based FPGAs. Most of single event effect (SEE) faults can be recovered by the high-speed on-chip checkpoint, which significantly reduces the MTTR of the system. The memory resource occupation of the on-chip checkpoint is low because HHC only stores the logic states of user bits and check information for configuration bits. Experimental results show that, compared with traditional off-chip checkpoint strategies, the proposed technique can reduce the MTTR of the system by 94.30%. In addition, the memory resource occupation is 11.11% of FPGAs, a little high but can be further optimized.


With a large quantity of data and services existing in virtual organization, query routing is an efficient approach to satisfy entities on community for their requirements of knowledge. The entities, which are organized according to the semantic relationship of each other, together with the query routing method under the guidance of semantics, endeavor to meet the querist with the most relevant answer. This paper proposes an extended query routing method that draws on the relationships between different concepts on Domain Ontology to mine the relationship between the knowledge querist holds and the knowledge querist wants. Through Related Segmentation of Ontology Algorithm, this paper tries to explore a cognitive chain to get the querist to fully understand how the knowledge in answer comes about, and to infer the answer querist wants to know.


Two outstanding books have recently been published about the archaeology and history of the Outer Hebrides. Andrew Fleming's St Kilda and the Wider World is one; Parker Pearson et al's is the other. South Uist presents the results of a major interdisciplinary and collaborative research project undertaken principally by the Universities of Sheffield and Cardiff for over a decade from 1990, and co-ordinated by Mike Parker Pearson and Niall Sharples. The project led on from an earlier Sheffield University initiative in the Outer Hebrides – the SEARCH project, begun in 1987 and led by Keith Branigan – and by the end of the fieldwork phase in 2004, some 6 large-scale and 15 smaller-scale excavations had been undertaken (as well as landscape and palaeoenvironmental surveys), involving over 1000 archaeology students and volunteers from Britain and America. With substantial funding from Historic Scotland and support from a variety of other sources, this project has revolutionised our understanding of the prehistory and history of this island, offering us a richly textured longue duree narrative spanning nearly eight millennia


Shoulder pain is common among elite swimmers due to the tremendous stress over shoulders during swimming. Supraspinatus muscle is one of the major prime movers and stabilizers of shoulder and is highly susceptible to overloading and tendinopathy. An understanding of the relationship between supraspinatus tendon and pain; and between supraspinatus tendon and strength would assist health care practitioners for developing training regime. The objectives of this study are to evaluate 1) the association between structural abnormality of supraspinatus tendon and shoulder pain and 2) the association between structural abnormality of supraspinatus tendon and shoulder strength. We hypothesized that structural abnormality of supraspinatus tendons positively associated with shoulder pain and negatively associated with shoulder muscle strength among elite swimmers. 44 elite swimmers were recruited from the Hong Kong China Swimming Association. Supraspinatus tendon condition was evaluated using diagnostic ultrasound imaging and shoulder internal and external rotation strength was evaluated by the isokinetic dynamometer. Pearson's R was used to study the correlation between shoulder pain and supraspinatus tendon condition and to evaluate the association between isokinetic strength of shoulders and supraspinatus tendon condition. 82 shoulders had supraspinatus tendinopathy or tendon tear (93.18%). However, there was no statistically significant association between structural abnormality of supraspinatus tendon and shoulder pain. The results showed that there was no association between supraspinatus tendon abnormality and shoulder pain and there was a significant correlation between left maximal supraspinatus tendon thickness (LMSTT) and left external rotation/ concentric (LER/Con) and left external rotation/ eccentric (LER/Ecc) shoulder strength (p < 0.05) while internal rotation/ external rotation (IR/ER) ratio can also be a significant predicator on LMSTT >6mm (R2 = 0.462, F = 7.016, df = 1, p = 0.038). Structural change of supraspinatus tendon was not associated with shoulder pain, but could be a predictor on MSTT >6mm in elite swimmers.


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Ocean Drilling Program Hole 896A was drilled 1 km southeast of the ODP deep-basement Hole 504B, 200 km south of the Costa Rica Rift. The magnetic properties (intensity of remanence, bulk susceptibility, inclination of stable remanence, and median destructive field) of 166 minicores from Hole 896A are presented. The basement in Hole 896A can be divided into three sections on the basis of its magnetic properties. The upper part, to 330 m below seafloor (mbsf), has relatively high intensity of remanence (Jo) and low susceptibility values. The middle section, between 330 and 360 mbsf, has high (Jo) and intermediate susceptibility values, and the lower section, below 360 mbsf, has low (Jo) and high susceptibility values. The magnetic mineralogy was investigated by monitoring the effect of heating on susceptibility. These results suggest that titanomaghemites occur throughout the hole and that titanomagnetites occur mainly below 330 mbsf. Some samples have evidence for minor amounts of hematite. The main cause of variation in the susceptibility and the median destructive field can be related to grain size. Grain size also controls Jo, although the degree of maghematization and the remanence mechanism of the magnetization also contribute. The magnetic properties of the upper part of Hole 896A, above the massive flow Unit 24, correlate with the upper part of Hole 504B above Unit 2D, at depths of 3796 and 3773 m below sea level, respectively. We suggest that the upper section corresponds to a late volcanic pile extruded onto a ponded flow that masks the earlier basement topography. This flow has probably acted as a major barrier to hydrothermal circulation. These results have significant implications for the interpretation of magnetic field data from ridges. The uppermost layer of late extrusive rocks has a high magnetization and a highly variable thickness, and may be an important contributor to variations in the magnetic signal at ridges.


Power electronics are efficient for conversion and conditioning of the electrical energy through a wide range of applications. Proper life consumption estimation methods applied for power electronics that can operate in real time under in-service mission profile conditions will not only provide an effective assessment of the products life expectancy but they can also deliver reliability design information. This is important to aid in manufacturing and thus helps in reducing costs and maximizing through-life availability. In this paper, a mission profile-based approach for real-time life consumption estimation which can be used for reliability design of power electronics is presented. The paper presents the use of electrothermal models coupled with physics-of-failure analysis by means of real-time counting algorithm to provide accurate life consumption estimations for power modules operating under in-service conditions. These models, when driven by the actual mission profiles, can be utilized to provide advanced warning of failures and thus deliver information that can be useful to meet particular application requirements for reliability at the design stage. To implement this approach, an example of two case studies using mission profiles of a metro-system and wind-turbines applications is presented.


There has been recently a lot of interest for functional data analysis [1] and extensions of well-known methods to functional inputs (clustering algorithm [2], non-parametric models [3], MLP [4]). The main motivation of these methods is to benefit from the enforced inner structure of the data. This paper presents how functional data can be used with RBFN, and how the inner structure of the former can help designing the network.


Objective To explore the clinical significance of changes of serum NO,NOS and TNF-α levels in patients with acute brain injury at early stage and two weeks later.Methods Radioimmunoassay was used for determing serum TNF-α concertration and biochemistry methods for serum NO and NOS levels in 35 controls and 31 patients with acute brain injury at admission and two weeks later.Results Before treatment,the serum TNF-α and NOS levels in the patients were significantly higher and serum NO levels significantly lower than those in the controls(P0.01).After 2 weeks' treatment,the levels were approaching normal(P0.05).Conclusion Serum NO,NOS and TNF-α levels were related to the pathophysiological process of acute brain injury and might be taken as indicator of the severity of the diseases.


An experiment was conducted to compare and explore the relationship between the way people perceive real and virtual spaces. Twenty-four architects toured either a real museum gallery or a realtime computer generated model of the same gallery under one of three increasingly inclusive viewing conditions, i.e., looking at a monitor, viewing through stereoscopic head-mounted displays without and with head-position tracking. Subjects were asked to perform spatial dimension, orientation and evaluation tasks. The most significant results indicate that subjects consistently underestimate the dimensions of the gallery in all three computer simulation conditions when compared to touring the real gallery. The most inclusive viewing condition yields underestimates for spatial dimensions which are significantly greater than the other two simulation conditions.<<ETX>>


Nicaraguans have become the most numerous and fastest increasing minority in Costa Rica: at present they represent around 6% of the total population of the country. We have analyzed the allele and genotype frequencies of six PCR-based genetic markers (LDLR, GYPA, HBGG, D7S8, GC, and HLA-DQA1) in 100 unrelated Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica. All loci studied were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Some statistical parameters of forensic interest were also calculated (h, PD and CE). Allele frequencies of the markers HLA-DQA1 and GYPA were found to be significantly different between the populations of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Nevertheless, genetic distances showed that Nicaragua is close to other Hispanic-admixed populations like those from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and USA Hispanics. The loci set was assessed to be useful for paternity testing and individual identification in the Nicaraguan population residing in Costa Rica.


The aim of this study was to provide
a retrospective overview of injuries during one basketball season and to
analyse injury rates and potential risks among professional male and female
basketball players in the First Croatian National league. A hundred and
forty-two (89 males and 53 females) of 223
basketball players (64%) sustained an injury during the previous season. Body height,
total game exposure and total on-court time per game (p<.05) were the identified
risk factors for females, while the number of training hours per week was found
to be a risk factor for males (p<.05). The highest proportion of injured
players was found among centers for men (74%) and forwards (70%) for women. Forty-three
percent of injuries were moderately serious, 31% were minor, and 20% serious
injuries. Majority (80%) of all injuries were to the lower extremities and men
sustained fewer lower extremity injuries compared to women (IRR=0.88 95% CI=0.6
to 1.3). Ankles were the most prevalent injury site for both men and women followed
by the knee. Men sustained significantly fewer knee injuries compared to female
athletes (IRR=0.44 95% CI=0.17 to 1.11). The most common injury type was
ligament injuries (31%), followed by muscle tears/strains (20%). Game incidence
injury rate for males was significantly lower than for females (IRR=0.55,
p=0.01 [95% CI=0.34-0.89]). Those athletes who, on average, played more than 20
minutes in games were almost twice more exposed to an injury (OR=2.09,
95%CI=1.17,3.72). This is the first descriptive epidemiological study
estimating rates and risks of injuries among the Croatian professional
basketball players.


We have previously identified and cloned BST-1 as a molecule which is overexpressed on the bone marrow stromal cell lines derived from patients with rheumatoid arthritis and which has the ability to support the pre-B cell growth. BST-1 is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored ectoenzyme having ADP-ribosyl cyclase and cyclic ADP-ribose hydrolase activities. In this report, we demonstrate that human BST-1 was expressed on monocytes, granulocytes in the peripheral blood of healthy donors, and macrophages matured in vitro. Cross-linking of BST-1 with a polyclonal anti-BST-1 antibody induced tyrosine phosphorylation of a 130-kDa protein (p130) in the human myeloid cell lines U937 and THP-1. Cross-linking of BST-1 overexpressed on a transfectant induced tyrosine phosphorylation of p130, dephosphorylation of the 100-kDa protein, and growth inhibition. These results suggest that BST-1 can deliver signals into cells and function as a receptor.


Coccydynia is a common condition that has been difficult to treat effectively with conventional pain relief methods. There has been previous research demonstrating safety and efficacy of prolotherapy to treat coccydynia. Many of the original descriptions were performed utilizing landmark or palpation guided techniques. However, there is evidence that imaging guidance improves accuracy of injections for axial and appendicular injections. We describe the use of ultrasound guidance for prolotherapy to accurately guide treatment into the coccyx in three patients leading to pain relief, improvement of motor function, and decrease in analgesic usage after treatment.


This case examines a large technology firm, anonymized as TECHSERV, as they plan, manage, and implement robotics process automation. The organization was seeking ways in which to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity through technology management. Robotics process automation was strategically deployed to automate their business processes. Even though many benefits are associated with robotics process automation, the details of how robotics process automation can be implemented successfully into existing infrastructure are not well known. This teaching case focuses on problems with how to automate processes in two locations, and deals also with the resources and tools and techniques related to project execution. In addition, the case also points to future issues and challenges related to robotics process automation, cognitive tools, and blockchain integration. Students, researchers, and practitioners will obtain an understanding of the benefits and project activities required for robotics process automation and learn how to anticipate future issues and challenges including how to leverage the current implementation into future intelligent automation initiatives.


The present analysis aims to highlight the different methods of verification of the data obtained by judicial bodies through technical surveillance methods provided by the Criminal Procedure Code. Although the current legislative framework as interpreted by the Constitutional Court of Romania provides specific guarantees in order to prevent using forged evidences in the criminal trial, we believe that the court, after the indictment, needs to verify on  its own the authenticity of such means of evidence. Therefore, the doctrine and the recent jurisprudence of national courts stated in this context the need for an independent expertise that can analyze the data obtained through technical surveillance in order to be used as evidence in a criminal trial. Also, the present context of the Romania legislative reform and the context in which several cooperation protocol between criminal investigation bodies and Romanian Intelligence Service were declassified, led to a stringent need for such an expertise. We tend to believe that without an independent expert that can assess whether the recordings are authentic or not, the court cannot in good faith decide to convict a person. Present paper is of interest to any law practitioner as it tries to highlight in a concise manner both the framework for such an expertise and the means to obtain it.


Specific, sensitive and direct RIAs for the measurement of melatonin and its major urinary metabolite, aMT6s have been developed and applied to investigations of the effects of depression, anorexia nervosa and antidepressant drug treatment upon melatonin secretion.A normal range of melatonin levels was defined from 24-hour plasma melatonin profiles collected from 81 healthy volunteers. In clinical studies controlled for the variables known to affect melatonin secretion, neither the amplitude nor timing of the melatonin rhythm was altered in endogenous (unipolar) depressed patients, whereas patients with seasonal affective disorder displayed elevated morning melatonin levels and greater interindividual variation in the timing and duration of melatonin secretion. Only in patients with anorexia nervosa were changes in amplitude of the melatonin rhythm observed. Increased nocturnal plasma melatonin and urinary aMT6s excretion were found in anorectics compared to healthy women of either normal or low body weight.The noradrenergic control of melatonin secretion in man was demonstrated by an acute stimulation of evening melatonin and aMT6s production in normal volunteers following treatment with specific noradrenaline uptake inhibitors, DMI and oxaprotiline. Furthermore, the administration of rolipram, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, increased night-time urinary aMT6s excretion in normal subjects, suggesting that cyclic AMP may influence the production of melatonin in man.The role of the pineal as an index of β-adrenergic function was investigated. Chronic (3 weeks) DMI treatment stimulated nocturnal melatonin secretion in depressed patients although melatonin levels in normal subjects were no different from pretreatment values. In addition, repeated DMI injections (22 days) increased day- and night-time rat pineal melatonin concentrations in conjunction with a decrease in pineal and cortical β-adrenoceptor density. Contrary to some popular theories of antidepressant drug action our findings do not provide evidence for reduced noradrenergic neurotransmission during DMI therapy.Plasma melatonin and urinary aMT6s provide unique markers in psychiatric studies for rhythm disturbances and the effects of antidepressant drugs. It appears from the present studies that melatonin production, at least in the rat, is not a good index of antidepressant-induced changes in β-adrenergic receptors. Melatonin production probably reflects the functional status of the noradrenergic synapse in the pineal gland. Whether it has any relevance to central noradrenergic activity is open to question.


Prior research shows that companies repurchase stock during quarters with low returns, presumably because the stock is undervalued. We focus on repurchase increases and investigate another motive: Are repurchases increased to provide price support for a stock that, despite recent low returns, remains overvalued? Using an increase in short selling to indicate overvaluation, we regress quarterly changes in share repurchases on quarterly changes in short interest. Consistent with price support, the association is positive and statistically significant each year from 2003 to 2014. We find that the price support quarter is followed by a sharp multi-quarter decline in ROA (return on assets), but the corresponding decline in EPS (earnings per share) is modest due to the reduction in outstanding shares. Abnormal returns after the price support quarter are positive, indicating that price support is effective. We also examine trading by insiders. While insiders generally sell when shorts sell, they hold onto shares during the price support quarter. This indicates that insiders are confident that they can maintain the current stock price.


The constructive trust is gradually emerging in Anglo-Australian law as a very effective remedy for the specific restitution of property acquired by fraudulent, unconscionable or inequitable conduct. It is therefore appropriate to consider in more detail the general principles which are applied by the courts to determine whether a person holding title to property can be charged as a constructive trustee of the property because the property was acquired by fraudulent, unconscionable or inequitable conduct. It is also necessary to examine particular applications of these general principles. In this article the use of the constructive trust as a remedial device for restoring property acquired by mistake, fraud, duress and undue influence is considered as a specific category in which these general principles are applied as a justification for charging the holder of title to property as a constructive trustee of the property.


The 1997 DT experiment (DTE1) at the Joint European Torus included studies of the behaviour of alpha particles in high temperature plasmas. Alpha particle heating was clearly observed in a series of 10 MW hot ion H modes by scanning the DT mixture from 0% T to 93% T. Maxima in central temperature and energy content were obtained which corresponded with the maximum in fusion yield. Alfvén eigenmodes (AEs) have been detected in JET, driven by NBI or ICRH fast ions. However, in agreement with theory, no AE activity was observed in DT plasmas which could be attributed to alpha particle drive, except in the afterglow of some optimized shear pulses. Ion cyclotron emission (ICE) was detected at harmonics of the alpha particle cyclotron frequency at the outer edge of the plasma. The ICE is interpreted as being close to magnetoacoustic cyclotron instability, driven by inverted alpha distributions at the plasma edge. The high energy neutral particle spectra showed features which are ascribed to a mixture of alphas, neutralized by helium-like impurities, and deuterons born from elastic collisions with alpha particles and neutralized by hydrogen-like impurities. The results of all these studies are consistent with classical alpha particle trapping and slowing down. Future DT experiments will aim to increase alpha particle pressure so that interactions with plasma instabilities can be studied. The measurement of knock-on neutral triton spectra offers an unambiguous way to determine confined alpha densities in these future experiments.


The species Treponema pallidum includes three subspecies (pallidum, pertenue, and endemicum) that cause syphilis, yaws, and bejel, respectively. A closely related species, Treponema paraluiscuniculi, is the etiologic agent of venereal syphilis in rabbits but does not infect humans. Although these treponemes cause distinct diseases, no laboratory method for differentiation has been reported. Genetic signatures were defined in the 5' and 3' flanking regions of the 15-kDa lipoprotein gene (tpp15) that distinguish the human pathogens and T. paraluiscuniculi, as well as distinguishing T. pallidum subsp. pallidum from the causes of human nonvenereal treponematoses. A single Eco47III restriction site in the 5' flanking region differentiates T. pallidum subsp. pallidum from the other subspecies and species, and an XcmI site in the 3' flanking region differentiates T. paraluiscuniculi from the human pathogens. Polymerase chain reaction methods and restriction polymorphism were used to analyze 27 strains of pathogenic Treponema species.


The response of complex molecules to sequences of femtosecond infrared pulses provides a unique window into their structure, dynamics, and fluctuating environments. Herein we survey the basic principles of modern two-dimensional infrared (2DIR) spectroscopy, which analogous to those of multidimensional NMR spectroscopy. The perturbative approach for computing the nonlinear optical response of coupled localized chromophores is introduced and applied to the amide backbone transitions of proteins, liquid water, membrane lipids, and amyloid fibrils. The signals are analyzed using classical molecular dynamics simulations combined with an effective fluctuating Hamiltonian for coupled localized anharmonic vibrations whose dependence on the local electrostatic environment is parameterized by an ab initio map. Several simulation methods, (cumulant expansion of Gaussian fluctuation, quasiparticle scattering, the stochastic Liouville equations, direct numerical propagation) are surveyed. Chirality-induced techniques which dramatically enhance the resolution are demonstrated. Signatures of conformational and hydrogen-bonding fluctuations, protein folding, and chemical-exchange processes are discussed.


Cyber threat intelligence (CTI) sharing is the collaborative effort of sharing information about cyber attacks to help organizations gain a better understanding of threats and proactively defend their systems and networks from cyber attacks. The challenge that we address is the fact that traditional indicators of compromise (IoC) may not always capture the breath or essence of a cyber security threat or attack campaign, possibly leading to false alert fatigue and missed detections with security analysts. To tackle this concern, we designed and evaluated a CTI solution that complements the attribute and tagging based sharing of indicators of compromise with machine learning (ML) models for collaborative threat detection. We implemented our solution on top of MISP, TheHive, and Cortex—three state-of-practice open source CTI sharing and incident response platforms—to incrementally improve the accuracy of these ML models, i.e., reduce the false positives and false negatives with shared counter-evidence, as well as ascertain the robustness of these models against ML attacks. However, the ML models can be attacked as well by adversaries that aim to evade detection. To protect the models and to maintain confidentiality and trust in the shared threat intelligence, we extend our previous research to offer fine-grained access to CP-ABE encrypted machine learning models and related artifacts to authorized parties. Our evaluation demonstrates the practical feasibility of the ML model based threat intelligence sharing, including the ability of accounting for indicators of adversarial ML threats.


The need to train health social workers to practice interprofessionally is an essential goal of social work education. Although most health social workers have exposure to multidisciplinary practice within their field work, few social work education programs incorporate interprofessional learning as an integrated component of both course work and field experiences (McPherson, Headrick, & Moss, 2001; Reeves, Lewin, Espin, & Zwaranstein, 2010; Weinstein, Whittington, & Leiba, 2003). In addition, little is written about the kinds of curricula that would effectively promote interdisciplinary training for social work students. These findings are particularly puzzling since there is increasing and compelling evidence that interdisciplinary training improves health outcomes (IOM, 2001). This article describes a social work education program that incorporates an Interprofessional education and leadership curriculum for Maternal and Child Health Social Work (MCHSW) at the University of Maryland's School of Social Work. The University of Maryland's Interprofesisonal Training Model is described along with the components needed to formulate an interdisciplinary learning experience. Various outcomes and lessons learned are discussed.


This paper proposes a new non-intrusive measure for objective speech quality assessment in telephony applications and evaluates its performance. The measure is based on estimating perception-based objective auditory distances between voiced parts of the degraded speech under test and an appropriately formulated artificial reference model of clean speech signals. The reference model is extracted from one or many preformulated speech reference books. The reference books are formed by optimally clustering large number of parametric speech vectors extracted from a database of clean speech signals, using an efficient K dimensional tree structure. The measured auditory distances are then mapped into objective listening quality scores. Reported evaluation results show that the proposed measure offers sufficiently accurate and lowcomplexity assessment method of speech quality, making it suitable for real time applications.


It is claimed by philosophers as diverse as Burke, Walzer, Dworkin, and MacIntyre that our political obligations are best understood as "associative" or "communal" obligations -- that is, as obligations that require neither voluntary undertaking nor justification by "external" moral principles, but rather as "local" moral responsibilities whose normative weight derives entirely from their assignment by social practice. This paper identifies three primary lines of argument that appear to support such assertions: conceptual arguments, the arguments of nonvoluntarist contract theory, and communitarian arguments (which emphasize both an "identity thesis" and a "normative independence thesis"). However, each of these lines of argument fails to show that political obligations are associative obligations.


We investigate the crustal thickness under the Peninsular Ranges using P-to-S converted phases of teleseismic body waves recorded on a temporary broadband seismometer array and isolated by the receiver function method. Ps minus P times at sites west of a compositional boundary that separates the Peninsular Ranges batholith into east and west zones indicate a relatively flat, deep Moho. Ps minus P times at sites east of the compositional boundary decrease eastward, Moho depth estimates (made from the Ps delays and crustal velocities from seismic tomography) indicate a relatively constant 36 to 41 km thick crust in the western zone. In the eastern zone the crust thins rapidly from 35 km thick at the compositional boundary to 25 km at the edge of the Salton trough, a lateral distance of 30 km. The lack of correlation between topography and Moho depths suggests compensation via lateral density variations in the lower crust or upper mantle. We propose that the compositional boundary decouples the eastern and western portions of the batholith, and that the eastern portion has thinned in response to regional Miocene extension, or Salton trough rifting, or both.


This review highlights some achievements by regional, national and sub-national Human development Reports (HDRs) in influencing policy debate. Examining a sample of regional, national and sub-national HDRs released over the past 18 years, one concludes that several HDRs influenced the application of the human development concept and measurement to policy analysis at the national level. For the purpose of this exercise, few typologies of HDR influence have been identified, such as the national application of the human development paradigm; the contribution to the human development debate on specific themes; the development of national capacity for policy formulation and assessment; the revision of national policies and budget allocations according to human development priorities; extensive media attention generated by some reports; and the introduction of human development materials in national education curricula in developing countries. The paper dedicates a section to each category, providing examples from HDRs to illustrate the type of influence.


Objectives To explore the clinical value of subendometrial enhancement (SEE), irregular thin-layered peritumoral early enhancement (ITLPE) and focal irregular peritumoral early enhancement (FIPE) on dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) for myometrial invasion in patients with low-risk endometrial carcinoma. Methods Seventy-seven patients with low-risk endometrial carcinoma who preoperatively underwent DCE-MRI were included. Two radiologists independently evaluated and recorded the occurrences of SEE, ITLPE and FIPE on DCE-MRI in all patients. Interobserver agreement was calculated between the two radiologists, and the relationships between SEE, ITLPE, FIPE, and myometrial invasion were analyzed based on histologic findings. For statistically significant findings, the sensitivity and specificity were calculated, and the differences in myometrial invasion evaluations were analyzed. For those with no statistical significance, images were compared with the histopathologic sections. Results Inter-observer agreement was good (k = 0.80; 95%CI, 0.577–0.955) for SEE, and very good (k = 0.88; 95%CI, 0.761–0.972) (k = 0.86; 95%CI, 0.739–0.973) for ITLPE and FIPE. After consensus, SEE was identified in 12/77 (15.6%) patients; ITLPE and FIPE were found in 53/77 (68.8%) and 30/77 (39.0%) patients, respectively. SEE and ITLPE were significantly correlated with myometrial infiltration (P = 0.000), but FIPE were not (P = 0.725).The sensitivity and specificity of SEE and ITLPE for myometrial invasion in patients with low-risk endometrial carcinoma were 95.0 and 52.9%, and 85.0 and 88.0%, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) of SEE and ITLPE for myometrial invasion were 0.740 (95%CI, 0.584–0.896), and 0.866 (95%CI, 0.763–0.970), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity were statistically different between SEE and ITLPE for the detection of myometrial invasion (P = 0.031, 0.016). According to the comparison between FIPE and histopathologic findings, the irregular endomyometrial junction was found in 30/77 (38.9%) cases, 24/30 (80.0%) with myometrial infiltration and 6/30 (20.0%) cases without myometrial infiltration. Conclusions FIPE was the irregular endomyometrial junction. It can be found in patients with or without myometrial infiltration and may lead to the overestimation of myometrial invasion by SEE on DCE-MRI. ITLPE presented high diagnostic performance and specificity for myometrial invasion in patients with low-risk endometrial carcinoma.


INTRODUCTION
A considerable number of double-blind randomized controlled studies investigating the effects of pharmaceutical intervention on female sexual functioning have been published in recent years. However, a comparison between outcomes of various studies is difficult as no generally accepted/correct approach to research has been established yet. To be able to translate trial results to daily clinical practice, current limitations and issues in drug intervention studies in female sexual dysfunction (FSD) need to be clarified.

AIM
To evaluate the needs in research into intervention in FSD by reviewing published studies.

METHODS
A systematic review of double-blind randomized controlled intervention trials on FSD.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Definitions of study populations, inclusion and exclusion criteria, use of power calculations, outcome measures and treatment duration.

RESULTS
A total of 25 double-blind randomized controlled trials investigating the effects of pharmaceutical intervention on female sexual functioning have been published. Of these, 11 studies required the diagnosis of FSD as an inclusion criterion. A standard methodology for research in this field is lacking. Significant differences in population inclusion requirements and tools for the measurement of change in sexual functioning were identified as major limiting factors.

CONCLUSIONS
The investigation of FSD is an evolving area in that new definitions and a new model for female sexual functioning have been recently proposed. There is a need for experts in the field and regulating authorities to reach a consensus regarding appropriate inclusion and exclusion criteria for FSD trials and main outcome measures appropriate for the evaluation of drug interventions. This consensus should also determine which treatment effect is considered to be clinically relevant. Treatment efficacy and clinical relevance should be related to outcomes which are meaningful for affected women.


Groundwater conservation as a vital resource is very important (1). One of the threats that currently exist in many areas is increasing number of soluble chemicals from urban and industrial activities (2); also, from modern agricultural practices. Groundwater resources are a crucial component of the ecosystem. This water supply is essentially a renewable resource generated within the global water circulation system (3). In many cases, groundwater is polluted by industrial wastewater and sewage (4). In such cases, persons drinking contaminated water suffer from diseases (5). The life of many regions in the world is entirely depending on groundwater for the various uses. Groundwater contaminated with various A-R-T-I-C-L-EI-N-F-O A-B-S-T-R-A-C-T Article Notes: Received: Jan 12, 2018 Received in revised form: Mar 28, 2018 Accepted: Apr 27, 2018 Available Online: May 1, 2018 Background & Aims of the Study: Groundwater resources are a crucial component of the ecosystem. Management and cleanup of contamination from groundwater resources requires a long term strategy and a huge amount of investments. Artificial neural networks (ANN) and Geographic Information System (GIS) can be useful in determining management strategies. To protect these valuable resources, groundwater hydrochemistry (Fe, Ca and PO4 ) spatial distribution is evaluated; also, the important parameters that affect their rate and spatial distribution are identified. Materials and Methods: This study employed GIS technique and Modeling technique based on artificial neural network for identification and investigation of important factor on groundwater hydrochemistry such as Fe, Ca and PO4 . The case study is Ghareh-su basin of Golestan province of Iran. The maps of land use, soil, geology, population density, digital elevation model, distance from built-up areas, roads and rivers, cultivated land density and water table are the parameters that used for running ANN model. Sensitivity analyses were also performed to identify the effective parameters of ground water hydrochemistry Results: The results show that the concentration of the parameters around Gorgan and Kordkuy cities, and areas where the cultivated land is denser, is high. Results indicated that the highest concentrations of these parameters were located around Gorgan and Kordkuy cities and where the cultivated lands have a high density. The present contribution confirms that a significant relation between the concentration of pollutants in groundwater resources and different land uses/land covers is found. Soil type, geological structure and high groundwater level in the north of Ghareh-su basin have a great impact on groundwater quality. Conclusion: These techniques have successfully implemented in groundwater hydrochemistry mapping of Ghareh-su basin.


Metastasis accounts for majority of cancer deaths in many tumor types including breast cancer. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the driving force for the occurrence and progression of metastasis, however, no targeted strategies to block the EMT program are currently available to combat metastasis. Diverse engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have been reported to exert promising anti-cancer effects, however, no ENMs have been designed to target EMT. Palladium (Pd) nanomaterials, a type of ENM have received substantial concern in nanomedicine due to their favorable photothermal performance for cancer therapeutics. Herein, Pd nanoplates (PdPL) were found to be preferentially biodistributed to both primary tumors and metastatic tumors. Importantly, PdPL showed a significant inhibition of lung metastasis with and without nearinfrared (NIR) irradiation. Mechanistic investigations revealed that EMT was significantly compromised in breast cancer cells upon the PdPL treatment, which was partially due to the inhibition of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signaling. Strikingly, the PdPL was found to directly interact with TGF-β proteins to diminish TGF-β functions in activating its downstream signaling, as evidenced by the reduced phosphorylation of Smad2. Notably, TGF-βindependent pathways were also involved in undermining EMT and other important biological processes that are necessary for metastasis. Additionally, NIR irradiation elicited synergistic effects on PdPL-induced inhibition of primary tumors and metastasis. In summary, these results revealed that the PdPL remarkably curbed metastasis by inhibiting EMT signaling, thereby D ow naded rom http/academ ic.p.com /nsr/advance/doi/10.1093/nsr/nw aa225900996 by gest on 08 Sptem er 2020


Diffuse liver disease, including all causes of chronic liver disease, affects tens of millions of people worldwide. There is a growing need for diagnostic evaluation as treatments become more readily available, particularly for viral liver disease. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides unique capabilities for noninvasive characterization of liver tissue that rival or surpass the diagnostic utility of liver biopsies. There has been incremental improvement in the use of standardized MRI sequences, acquired before and after administration of contrast for the evaluation of diffuse liver disease, and this includes study of the liver parenchyma and blood supply. More recent developments have led to methods for quantifying important liver metabolites, including fat and iron, and liver fibrosis, which is the hallmark for chronic liver disease. In this study, we review the MRI techniques and diagnostic features associated with common and uncommon etiologies of diffuse liver diseases, including processes that lead to abnormal perfusion (e.g. Budd-Chiari syndrome, congestive hepatomegaly), deposition diseases (e.g. fatty liver, hemochromatosis, Wilson's disease), and abnormalities that are related to inflammation and fibrosis (e.g. primary sclerosing cholangitis, sarcoidosis).


Globalization is an important phenomenon that has affected the entire world in the contemporary era. Its impact on the education system of a country is intrinsic. In the context of India, globalization has impacted upon the education system in complex and conflicting ways. There is an increased emphasis on preparing global citizens who are ready to face the highly competitive world. There is a huge upsurge in the demand for learning English language, growing popularity of international schools, need for curriculum restructuring and inclusion of ICTs etc. While the basic aims of education are to enable children develop their potentials, define and pursue a meaningful purpose; globalisation has put an extra pressure on the education system to create 'winners' who are ready to battle in the race for the survival of the fittest. The present paper is an attempt to unveil the impact of globalisation on the school system as a whole. The paper is based on an empirical research conducted in sixteen government and private schools of Delhi, India. It explores their overall resources- physical infrastructure, human and non-human assets and various facilities that are intrinsic in order to provide quality education to the children. It attempts to present the contrasting revelations across the two categories of school education with respect to diverse variables such as strength of teachers and pupils, available infrastructure and its maintenance, co-curricular activities etc. It dwells into an investigation of attempts by the schools to provide a pro-social learning environment to pupils for indulging in innovative and creative accomplishments and providing a platform to explore and nurture their hidden talents. An interesting component that emerges is the strident diversity in the broad Art Education and Health and Physical Education school activities that are indeed significant for overall personality development. It also seeks to compare and critique the two categories of schools in terms of their inherited inequalities and explore their efforts as well as challenges to provide high standards of education. Last but not the least, the paper links the outcomes of the research with globalisation. It seeks to suggest few areas significant for developing an ideal knowledge base for a global education within the contemporary Indian school system keeping in mind the child and human rights perspective.


The "classic" debate in contemporary comparative politics is over what matters more in shaping political behavior: culture or institutions. The clear answer is that both are important, it's just that their relative import depends to a large degree on contextual, temporal factors. Iavor Rangelov seeks to straddle—or bridge?—the two theoretical orientations, demonstrating the iterative lives between institutions and society. Rangelov addresses the eternal (or, at least, for the past couple of decades) question: do institutions really matter in emerging democracies? Or, do other intrinsic factors determine democracy's course? Privileging the rule of law, Rangelov, through three cases from the Balkans, pairs nationalism and institutions, and their impact on liberal governance. Rangelov's unique combination and engaging cases combine to make Nationalism and the Rule of Law a solid contribution to the field.


The fifth generation (5G) and beyond networks promote new business opportunities not only for mobile network operators but also for industrial verticals. However, most currently deployed 5G networks are public mobile networks developed for generalized purposes, limiting their adoption for various industrial fields demanding specialized quality of service. The new trend in applying 5G and beyond networks to industrial fields requires a new design paradigm shift calling for customized network structure, network resources, and network management. In customized 5G and beyond private networks (C5GBPN), network structure can be designed to be standalone or integrated; network resources can be designated to be exclusive or shared; and network management, including access control, data control, and governance, needs to be revisited. The flexibility of C5GBPN is of paramount importance for various application scenarios of industrial verticals, such as ultra-reliable low-latency communications, enhanced mobile broadband, massive machine-type communications, and positioning. In this regard, we first present the background and motivation of developing C5GBPN in this article. Then we provide three types of C5GBPN and discuss their pros and cons. Also, we provide feasible solutions to deal with these foreseeable design challenges of C5GBPN.


In a group of rats decompressed from an ambient pressure of 520 mm Hg to 30 mm Hg in 0.075 sec, 72% died. Only 12–37% of animals treated before decompression with drugs acting on the nervous system died. No rats given a local anesthetic agent intraperitoneally prior to decompression died, and no rats whose abdomens were tensely distended with intraperitoneal saline before decompression died. In each experimental group, mortality was significantly correlated with increased lung weight. These observations lead to the speculation that, in rats, the sudden distention of gas-containing abdominal viscera has indirect, perhaps reflex, effects which are related to the development of pulmonary edema and to the survival of the animals.


The leaching of trace elements from tailings of an antimony mine in Guangxi Autonomous Region, China, was investigated through column leaching under wet-dry cycling and complete immersion conditions. Simulated acid rain (pH 4.0-4.4) and river water (pH 8.0) were used as the leaching solution. No matter the simulated acid rain or river water was used, the leachate always showed a slightly alkaline pH between 7.2 and 8.0, suggesting an acid neutralization capacity of the tailing. Compared to As and Pb, Sb was leached out to a much higher extent in this circumstance. Furthermore, Sb release was largely enhanced in wet-dry cycle compared to the complete immersion condition. In contrast, As was leached more readily in the complete immersion condition, and the longer the tailings were immersed in water, the higher the As concentration in the leachate. The leachate on day 5 and day 10 showed 1-2 times higher As concentration as compared with the leachate on day 1 and day 2. The leaching of Mn and Zn by simulated acid rain was much stronger than that by river water, and the release of Mn and Zn was more significantly affected by pH than by O2 (i.e., the difference between the wet-dry cycle and complete immersion condition). Sr showed a high release rate that was not affected by leaching solution or air-exposure condition. Basically, Pb showed a very low leaching potential. In general, an alkaline circumstance combined with wet-dry cycle forms the favorable condition for the release of Sb in the tailings.


Abstract : The primary purpose of the low cost competent munitions (LCCM) program was to improve the effectiveness of indirect fire support from cannon artillery (D'Amico 1996). With the advances in microelectronics, sensor technology, and packaging design, the reality of a range correction device for artillery is conceivable. One of the main objectives of the range correction device concept was to contain all the mechanical and electrical components within a fuze-like envelope, while maintaining certain constraints that would allow the fuze to fit into a variety of artillery shells used by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries. Another objective of the range correction device concept was to avoid any changes within the ogive of any of the projectiles in the existing stockpile. This report is a culmination of many design iterations, numerical analyses, shock tests, and actual cannon launchings. Most of the design iterations and numerical analyses are not mentioned in this report simply because they were stepping stones that led to the final design. Structural analyses indicated that the overall prototype design was durable enough to withstand the most severe artillery cannon launching available today. The design should be capable of withstanding a 15,000 g inertial set-back load with 150,000 rad/s2 of angular acceleration. In addition, the design should be capable of deploying while the projectile has velocity of 650 m/s and is spinning at 250 cycles per second. The next step would be to fabricate and test the design in order to truly verify the integrity of the structure and to determine the overall effect of the deployed drag blades on the range of flight.


Ionic-transport processes govern performance in many classic and emerging devices, ranging from battery storage to modern mixed-conduction organic electrochemical transistors (OECT). Here, we study local ion-transport dynamics in polymer films using time-resolved electrostatic force microscopy (trEFM). We establish a correspondence between local and macroscopic measurements using local trEFM and macroscopic electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). We use polymer films doped with lithium bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide (LiTFSI) as a model system where the polymer backbone has oxanorbornenedicarboximide repeat units with an oligomeric ethylene oxide side chain of length n. Our results show that the local polymer response measured in the time domain with trEFM follows stretched-exponential relaxation kinetics, consistent with the Havriliak-Negami relaxation we measure in the frequency-domain EIS data for macroscopic samples of the same polymers. Furthermore, we show that the trEFM results capture the same trends as the EIS results-changes in ion dynamics with increasing temperature, increasing salt concentration, and increasing volume fraction of ethylene oxide side chains in the polymer matrix evolve with the same trends in both measurement techniques. We conclude from this correlation that trEFM data reflect, at the nanoscale, the same ionic processes probed in conventional EIS at the device level. Finally, as an example application for emerging materials syntheses, we use trEFM and infrared photoinduced force microscopy (PiFM) to image a diblock copolymer electrolyte for next-generation solid-state energy storage applications.


The raindrop size distribution (DSD) is crucial for understanding the relationships which link the radar reflectivity factor to rainfall rate. In this study, we propose a dimensionless gamma probability density function (pdf ) with two parameters to model the general distribution of the DSD. A relationship between two parameters in the gamma pdf is derived based on self-consistency. As a result, only one shape parameter, called, is necessary to describe the variability of the general distribution. For each DSD spectrum, we apply a new method, which uses the ratio of consecutive moments to estimate. For the whole DSD time series data, with a global value of, this gamma pdf model can be easily adapted to both the one- and two-moment normalisation approach presented in the literature. Our theory has been implemented for a four-month DSD time series observed in the Cevennes region, France. Results - show the gamma pdf and its self-consistency to be a good approximation to the observed general distribution. The uncertainty in the moment estimations (e.g. the Z-R relationship) is partly explained by the variability of the general distribution. Thus, a classification of the DSD spectra by can improve the quality of moment estimation. Further research is needed to investigate the physical meaning of the variability of the general distribution.


Aim of study: This research attempts to quantitatively describe the pollarding process in the northern Zagros, western Iran. Material and methods: An inventory of all trees was conducted in three representative stands in the pollarded section (DBH ≥ 5 cm): DBH, total height, trunk height and crown diameters were measured. At the time of pollarding, 10% of the foliage stacks were randomly selected and weighed. The positions of each store tree ( i.e. special trees capable of enduring the weight of a certain number of leafy branches (average 600 kg)) and horizontal distance of pollarded trees associated with each store tree was recorded. Main results : The number and weight of foliage stacks resulting from pollarding of each tree correlated (0.48 and 0.43, respectively) with their crown diameter. The average dry weight of leaf biomass was 1,525.6 ±108.1 kg/ha and there was a significant difference between the selected stands. The average pollarded area and the average number of trees in the pollarded area of each store tree was 501.1±210.4 m 2 and 9.4±3.5 trees, respectively. Research highlights : The number of pollarded trees associated with each store tree and the weight of stored foliage stacks on them are determined by the distance between pollarded trees and store trees, the number of trees around the store trees and the ability of selected store trees to bear the weight of foliage stacks.


ABSTRACT The respiratory system is essential for health and high athletic performance in horses. Respiratory diseases have been recognized as having a major impact on training equine animals and are commonly cited as the second most common cause of wasted training time. Inflammatory airway disease (IAD) is an important cause of poor performance in young racehorses. Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) is considered a major issue for the equine industry because of its high prevalence and association with reduced athletic performance. In Brazil, polo is a growing equestrian sport, but studies on it are still scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of EIPH, the association between EIPH and IAD, and EIPH influence on the tracheal cytological profile of polo ponies. Thirty-seven horses regularly used for polo were included in this study. Endoscopic examination was performed every 30 to 90 min after practice, and tracheal lavage was performed after 18 to 24 hr. Sixteen animals (43.2%) presented a score of 0 for mucus in endoscopy; twelve animals (32.4%) presented a score for 1 and nine animals (24.3%) presented score 2 of mucus. IAD was characterized by tracheal cytology in 12 animals (32.4%). The occurrence of EIPH in this study was 29.7% (11/37). No significant difference was found in the cell types in tracheal cytology when EIPH-positive and EIPH-negative horses were compared. Polo ponies are affected by IAD and EIPH in relevant proportions, but there was no association between EIPH and tracheal cytological profile.


In this article, we canvass some of the ideas around Hein Willemse's focus on hidden histories, conscious oppositionality, and literature that falls outside the canon, which began to coalesce following contemporary calls for decolonial approaches in the (South) African academy. While the decolonial turn has focused attention on shared histories within Global South contexts, it is through Willemse's postcolonial teachings that we first came to understand the importance and meaning of reclaiming the lost African ontological space. This article is, therefore, located in postcolonial and decolonial scholarship in the sense that it is not driven by a particular method but rather by questions that emerged from larger social contexts. We draw on Willemse's visionary understanding of the importance of hidden histories and what it might mean to listen with postcolonial and/or decolonial ears. This, amongst other things, requires an acute awareness of history, heritage, and legacies both in society and in the academy. We incorporate a random selection of his work to unpack how his disruptive intervention serves to reformulate the idea of Afrikaans and Afrikaans literature in ways that are more inclusive of those silenced by the apartheid project, including Africa and the Global South at large.


Phytotherapeutic treatments have been on the ascendancy over the years as the quest for alternate and easily accessible health care is on the rise. Tulbaghia acutiloba has been used by both traditional healers and the South African population for the management of chronic conditions, but lacks scientific authentication. Hydro-methanolic extracts (roots, rhizomes, leaves and flowers) of the plant were evaluated for their antioxidant activities, biochemical and phytochemical profile. Additionally, the heavy metal content and antihypertensive effects including Angiotensin 1-Converting Enzyme Inhibitory (ACEI) activities were investigated. The antioxidant ability of the hydro-methanolic extracts were determined by 2, 2- diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl ( DPPH ), hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide scavenging activities. Phytochemical profile was assessed using qualitative and quantitative methods whereas the heavy metal toxicity was determined by using Inductively- Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). In vitro ACEI activity was determined by the hydrolysis of the tripeptide, hippuryl –L-Histidyl-L-leucine (Hip-His-Leu ). All the extracts showed potent antioxidant activities which was concentration dependent. Phytochemical analysis showed the presence of phenols, amino acids and alkaloids in all the extracts. The leaves showed a relatively higher total phenolic content of 43.26±1.15 mgGAE/g. Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis showed the presence of major compounds such as α-linolenic acid in the leaves as well as oleic acid and palmitic acid in other parts of the plants. Toxicity of heavy metal was undetected in all extracts of the plant. All the extracts of the plants showed a >50% ACE inhibition at different concentrations with the leaves showing a relatively higher inhibitory activity (76.66 ± 1.65, IC50 ; 154.23 μg/ml) compared with the other parts of the plants. It is therefore concluded in this study that the biological activities and phytochemical component of the hydro-methanolic extracts of T. acutiloba is indicative of its possible use for the treatment as well as prevention of hypertension and oxidative stressrelated diseases.


The uplink capacity evaluation of cellular multiple input multiple output (MIMO) system is of great interest but not straight forward. This paper presents a framework to evaluate the uplink cellular capacity. In this framework, the effects of co-channel interference (CCI) as well as the effects of transmit power control (TPC) have been taken into consideration. The uplink capacities assuming various frequency reuse factors (FRF) and different TPC schemes are evaluated and demonstrated by simulation results.


Since the Internet became widely available in the 1990s, scholars have studied the online discourse around public affairs and politics. Davis (1999, p. 162) studied political conversations on the now little-used Internet message board system Usenet and found what he calls "discussion dominance" in which posters "launch into rhetorical excess" and talk not to one another but past one another. Chait (2007), is his examination of the "netroots" movement, reported that bloggers avoid moderate ideas and language at all costs, seeing moderation as a concession. Johnson and Kay (2004) surveyed blog readers online and found that two-thirds wanted not fairness from blogs but bias that supports their views. Writers in both the popular press and academic journals have argued that political blogs have increased the rancor and divisiveness in public life. Keen (2007, p. 3) writes that blogs have "perfected" political extremism. Habermas (1999) believes that rational public discourse requires sincerity in a deliberative space, but Sunstein (2007) argues that the challenge to Habermas' view is that blog readers who read primarily like-mind points of view are more extreme in their political stances. Utych (2011) found that readers of political blogs are more likely to hold extreme opinions than citizens who get their news from the traditional media. In a study of incivility in online media, Borah (2012) found that divisive rhetoric on political blogs could lead to polarization of attitudes and erode deliberative discourse. Over the past few years, scholars have begun to focus the language and rhetoric of American political discourse online. Sobieraj and Berry (2011), continuing a strain of research into incivility in American political life, had independent coders looks for incidents of "outrage" on cable TV, talk radio, political blogs and newspaper columns using 13 categories of outrage incidents, including "name calling," "emotional display," "mockery/sarcasm," and "emotional language." One hundred percent of TV episodes and 98.8% of talk radio programs contained outrage, while "only" 82.8% of blog posts incorporated outrage writing. Serfaty (2011) argues that political blogs thrive on strong emotions and that posts on these blogs are devised to arouse intense political emotion.


Encouraging experimental results have been obtained from a two-way load management system for large commercial as well as governmental customers on the Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCo) system. This paper presents these results and describes the inovative two-way load management system that was developed and installed to achieve them. The Robinton Products, Inc. system operates from a central processor located in PEPCO's control center and it communicates with the customer locations through a telephone system called ``Select-A-Station''. Future plans for the expansion of the system are presented along with experimental results.


Background 30% of patients leaving acute hospitals die within 12 months. When patients leave hospital, the discharge summary letter must give adequate, appropriate information to primary care providers so they can optimise ongoing care. The standard of discharge summaries is variable; evidence suggests that quality improvement projects can enhance their value. Methods This single centre, retrospective, repeat audit carried out by F2 doctors across an acute hospital examined the quality of 58 discharge letters written between 1st August and 31st October 2017 for patients discharged home with 'fast-track' support, anticipated to be at the end of their life. Written information in discharge summaries was audited against standards from the Royal College of Physicians as well as supplementary local standards developed for use when patients are believed to be in the last weeks of their life. Results There is still room to improve the quality of discharge summaries for patients being 'fast-tracked' home. Compared with a baseline audit in 2015, more patients were prescribed anticipatory medications on discharge and more 'sensitive discussions' were documented. However, fewer summaries contained documentation of a patient's preference for place of care and fewer had instructions to GPs regarding care at the end of life. There was no documentation about provision of patient information leaflets. Conclusions Engaging junior doctors in a repeat audit cycle has an impact on quality of discharge summaries. Stickers to prompt content of discharge summaries have been developed and refined. Additional teaching has been provided to Foundation Year doctors. An information leaflet for patients explaining the fast-track process has been created. A further re-audit is planned in 2019 to determine the impact of these interventions.


This investigation deals with the production of consonant sequences in French, with particular focus on overlap of labial, apical, tongue-dorsum and velar gestures. X-ray and acoustic data are obtained for two speakers, at two speaking rates, normal-conversational and fast. Speech rate is varied in order to explore gestural overlapping possibilities, when places of articulation differ between plosives. Results show that: anticipatory coarticulation is not systematically predominant; anticipatory or perseverative coarticulation may or may not occur depending on similarity/dissimilarity in place of articulation between contiguous consonants; vowels are less resistant than consonants to velar coarticulation; speech rate facilitates gestural overlap. Findings are explained in terms of biomechanical and viable linguistic constraints.


This topical review discusses magnetic microelectromechanical systems (MagMEMS). A number of exemplars are drawn from the authors' own work, and a review is given of other significant literature in the area. The case is made that MagMEMS offer unique features over conventional MEMS, such as remote interrogation and self-test. A review of the key magnetic principles and magnetic materials is included by way of a guide to the general reader. Finally, a roadmap for the future development of MagMEMS is set out.


This study examined citizens' use of poll aggregation Web sites over the last nine weeks of the 2016 United States presidential campaign. The results suggested that usage frequency increases as election day approaches. Moreover, those with high levels of political interest and those that actively use media to obtain political information are most likely to access poll aggregation Web sites.


Abstract This review describes the technique and applications of an emerging bronchoscopic approach utilizing three-dimensional reconstructions of chest computed tomography scans to facilitate electromagnetic guidance to peripheral lung nodules. This approach, electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy, is useful for biopsy, placement of fiducial markers, or dye marking of overlying pleura prior to thoracoscopic wedge resection. This technique offers some potential advantages over other forms of biopsy. The design, application, relative advantages and pitfalls of this system are the subject of this review.


Planning decisions have considerable impacts on both natural and built environments. The impacts of these decisions may remain for many decades and many are irreversible. In order to gain a better understanding of these long-standing impacts, planners require a systematic approach to evaluate the planning policy instruments utilised. The literature on planning evaluation shows that most studies have taken a conformance-based evaluation approach, where the success of a planning policy instrument is based on the degree of conformity between the policy outcomes and its intended objectives. While evaluating such criteria is necessary, it is hardly ever sufficient largely because of unintended effects. This paper proposes an impact-based approach to planning evaluation that incorporates all the impacts, intended and otherwise, that a planning policy instrument may bring about, irrespective of the initial objectives of the policy. Using a number of economic and planning theories, this paper argues that, in addition to conformance and performance, other normative evaluation criteria, such as, efficiency, equity, social and political acceptability, and institutional arrangements, should be included to emphasise the importance of planning decisions and their substantial impacts on quality of life, social justice, and sustainability.


Pharmacy technicians are essential for inner workings of pharmacy teams and their depth of involvement in roles continues to evolve. An innovative role for pharmacy technicians, administration of vaccines, has emerged. With Idaho, Rhode Island, and Utah recently implementing changes that allow pharmacy technicians to safely perform this role, the need arose for a detailed examination of the law climate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. A nine-question survey was sent out to all 51 state boards of pharmacy inquiring to legislative and regulatory environment of pharmacy technician vaccine administration. Additionally, a protocol driven, peer-reviewed process of state-specific regulations and statutes revealed categorized trends pertaining to this topic. Each state was classified per protocol into four different categories. The categorization resulted in identification of nine states in which pharmacy technician administered vaccination may be considered "Not Expressly Prohibited". A majority of states were categorized as prohibited (either directly or indirectly). Board of pharmacy respondents (43%) reported varying viewpoints on technician administered vaccines. While three states (Idaho, Rhode Island, Utah) have already made changes to allow for pharmacy technician administered vaccinations, opportunities exist for other states to consider changes to statutes or rules.


Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy, and it is imperative to develop new treatments to ameliorate patient survival. Using an anti-cancer drug library containing 180 small molecule inhibitors, we performed a high-content image-based screen and found that BET and MEK inhibitors are among the candidates which were able to effectively inhibit ovarian cancer cell growth. However, BET inhibition alone was largely cytostatic, possibly due to feedback activation of the MAPK pathway. Consequently, the combination of MEK and BET inhibitors suppressed both cell proliferation and survival, and was more efficacious than single agent. Mechanistically, BET and MEK inhibitors exerted synergistic effects on apoptosis regulators including BIM and BAD. Our findings support concomitant BET and MAPK blockade as an effective therapeutic strategy in ovarian cancer.


We report three-dimensional helical Au nanostructures using anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) and the embedded Pd nanosprings, serving as primary and secondary templates, respectively. The resulting Au nanohelices exhibit strong SERS signals due to the electromagnetic field enhancement originating from the helical morphology; this behavior is seemingly analogous to that of a nano-gap enhancer. Nanospring electrochemical lithography (NEL) represents a new method for synthesizing complex helical nanostructures and has potential for application in materials science.