Today's cloud databases offer strong properties, including serializability, sometimes called the gold standard database correctness property. But cloud databases are complicated black boxes, running in a different administrative domain from their clients. Thus, clients might like to know whether the databases are meeting their contract. To that end, we introduce cobra; cobra applies to transactional key-value stores. It is the first system that combines (a) black-box checking, of (b) serializability, while (c) scaling to real-world online transactional processing workloads. The core technical challenge is that the underlying search problem is computationally expensive. Cobra tames that problem by starting with a suitable SMT solver. Cobra then introduces several new techniques, including a new encoding of the validity condition; hardware acceleration to prune inputs to the solver; and a transaction segmentation mechanism that enables scaling and garbage collection. Cobra imposes modest overhead on clients, improves over baselines by 10× in verification cost, and (unlike the baselines) supports continuous verification. Our artifact can handle 2000 transactions/sec, equivalent to 170M/day.


Abstract Zebra chip disease (ZCD) of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) has caused significant economic losses to the potato industry in the USA. 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum' Liefting et al. has been associated with ZCD. This non-culturable bacterium dwells within the phloem of plants where other endophytic bacteria may also live. Knowledge concerning phloem colonization by 'Ca. L. solanacearum' and other endophytic bacteria may provide a better understanding about disease biology and could facilitate the development of novel disease management strategies. In this study, endophytic bacteria in potato tubers afflicted with ZCD were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in vitro cultivation, and PCR analyses. Bacillus, coccus, and filamentous bacterial cells were observed by SEM in phloem tissue of ZCD-diseased tubers, but were absent in healthy potato tubers. Fifty-one bacterial isolates were obtained in vitro from ZCD-affected tubers and 34 isolates were from non-ZCD tubers. Comparison of 16S rDNA sequences identified bacteria belonging to 16 genera. Seven (Brachybacterium, Enterobacter, Microbacterium, Paenibacillus, Staphylococcus, Stenotrophomonas and Variovorax) were only isolated from ZCD-affected potato tubers, whereas four (Bosea, Nocardia, Sphingomonas and Sphingopyxis) were only isolated from non-ZCD potato tubers. However, a more sensitive PCR analysis diminished the specific association of the bacteria to either ZCD or non-ZCD tubers, suggesting that infection by 'Ca. L. solanacearum' influenced the titres of other endophytic bacteria in potato tubers.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore predictors of successful aging in older Korean women based on a recent mid-range nursing theory, the Successful Aging Theory (SAT). Methods: This study utilized a descriptive correlational design. The convenience sample was composed of 174 older women living in the community. Successful aging was measured using the Successful Aging Inventory (SAI). Transcendence was measured using the Self-transcendence Scale (STS). Adaptation was measured using the Coping behavior scale. Stepwise multiple regression was used to identify significant predictors of successful aging. Results: Transcendence, adaptation, and religion were shown to be predictive of successful aging. This regression model explained 56% of the variance in successful aging. The factor with the highest influence was transcendence which explained 52% of the variance. Conclusion: Gerotranscendence-promoting interventions can be an important consideration in caring for older Korean women. Adaptation and spirituality should be included in a holistic aging care.


The neuroanatomy of the mammalian visual system has received considerable attention through electrophysiological study of cats and non-human primates, and through neuroimaging of humans. Canine neuroanatomy, however, has received much less attention, limiting our understanding of canine vision and visual pathways. As an early step in applying blood oxygenation level dependant (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for veterinary use, we compared visual activity in the thalamus and occipital cortex of anesthetized dogs presented with binocular and monocular visual stimuli. Activity in the left and right thalamus and occipital cortex during monocular stimulation was also compared. Six beagles were presented with a vertical grating visual stimulus and scanned at 4 Tesla. Each dog was scanned twice under each of 3 anesthetic protocols (isoflurane, propofol, and fentanyl/midazolam). We found: 1) significant BOLD activation in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the thalamus and the occipital cortex; 2) a significantly larger area of activation in the LGN during monocular stimulation than during binocular stimulation; and 3) that activity in the hemisphere contralateral to the stimulus was not significantly greater than that ipsilateral to it.


Scholars have often undervalued the problem of cultural contact in the Histories of Polybius, reducing the scope of this kind of approach only to the description of Barbarian peoples. It has even been argued that the historian had some inability to inquire about Rome as an object of cultural reflection resulting from a process of acculturation experienced by him in that city during his stay there. The purpose of this paper is to reconsider these ideas through an exploration of certain discursive devices that reveal us a complex cultural operation aimed at bringing the narrated world into the world where it is narrated.


The neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), which causes transcriptional changes associated with oxidative and proteotoxic stress, has been widely used to generate an experimental model of Parkinson's disease. The food-derived compound luteolin has multi-target actions including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neurotrophic activities. The aim of this study is to investigate how luteolin affects 6-OHDA-mediated stress response pathways. The results showed that when PC12 cells were pre-treated with luteolin (20 µM) 30 min prior to 6-OHDA (100 µM) exposure, 6-OHDA-induced ROS overproduction, cytotoxicity, caspase-3 activation, and mRNA expression of BIM, TRB3 and GADD34 were significantly attenuated. Moreover, 6-OHDA-mediated cell cycle arrest and transcription of p53 target genes, p21, GADD45α and PUMA, were reduced by luteolin. Luteolin also significantly down-regulated 6-OHDA-mediated unfolded protein response (UPR), leading to decreases in phospho-eIF2α, ATF4, GRP78 and CHOP. In addition, luteolin attenuated 6-OHDA-induced Nrf2-mediated HO-1 and GCLC. Taken together, these results suggest that diminishing intracellular ROS formation and down-regulation of p53, UPR and Nrf2-ARE pathways may be involved in the neuroprotective effect of luteolin.


Blood oxygen saturation is one of the important index of clinical care. In this paper, a pulse oximetry method based on android smartphone was proposed, by which oxygen saturation could be monitored anywhere. The non-intrusive reflective optical measuring principle was used in the new method. After the sampled images were analyzed and processed, value of blood oxygen saturation was calculated in real time. The experimental results show that the method has high reliability and consistency.


Phylogenetic relationships between four Phaseolus (P. angularis, P. calcaratus, P. coccineus and P. vulgaris (including six cultivars)) and two Vigna (V. sesquipedalis and V. sinensis) species were studied by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis using 15 restriction enzymes and two ribosomal DNA fragments from rice and mung bean as probes. Based on the RFLP data, phylogenetic trees were constructed by the distance matrix and maximum parsimony methods. The two trees constructed by the distance matrix method and one tree constructed by the maximum parsimony method had congruent topology and recognized three clusters: one containing V. sesquipedalis and V. sinensis; a second containing P. angularis; and a third containing P. calcaratus, P. coccineus and six cultivars of P. vulgaris. Grouping of the six species based on the molecular taxonomic data obtained is compared with grouping based on previously reported cytological data.


Correctly designed infiltration beds or phosphorus traps are advantageous for the treatment of wastewater in areas with a low population density. The efficiency can be increased by replacing the commonly used sand with materials that have a higher sorption capacity. Some of these materials are capable of delivering the sorbed phosphorus (P) to plants if subsequently used in agriculture, thereby recycling P in crop production in a sustainable way. A long-term column study was performed using municipal wastewater. Columns were filled with seven different filter media. PoloniteO, a product from the bedrock opoka, had the largest sorption capacity for P of the studied materials and its high pH resulted in a filtrate of good hygienic quality. No coliform bacteria was found in the effluent from four selected columns and the removal efficiency approached 99.5 %.


Light absorption in nanoparticles of semiconductors and metals excites electrons from ground states to high-energy levels, generating hot electrons with the addition of kinetic energy, and consequently, complimentary hot holes in the nanoparticles. These hot electrons are capable of injecting themselves into the empty antibonding orbitals of chemical bonds of reactant molecules adsorbed on the surface of the nanoparticles, thereby weakening the chemical bonds to trigger corresponding desirable chemical reactions. Hot-electron chemistry represents a fundamentally different mechanism of solar-to-chemical energy conversion compared to the traditional photochemistry that relies on the direct photo-excitation of electrons in reactant molecules and thermal catalysis. This issue of MRS Bulletin examines the generation and relaxation of hot electrons in typical nanoparticle systems, and the flow of hot electrons across the surfaces of the nanoparticles. The promise of hot-electron chemistry (and the complementary hot-hole chemistry) is supported by its application in many important reactions, including CO_2 reduction, water splitting, hydrogenation, and coupling reactions, highlighting its great potential in achieving high energy-conversion efficiency and product selectivity.


BACKGROUND
This study assessed safety and efficacy for intratumoral administration of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-SAM2) into the post-operative tumor cavity through an Ommaya reservoir for patients with malignant glioma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Seven patients with malignant glioma, comprising 3 cases with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), 3 cases with anaplastic astrocytoma (AA) and 1 case with malignant ependymoma (ME) were included in the study. All patients were pathologically diagnosed and initially treated with adjuvant therapy (radiation and/or ranimustine and/or systemic TNF-SAM2 infusion) following surgical resection. TNF-SAM2 was administrated into the post-operative tumor cavity through a reservoir at a concentration of 1x10(4) U/body when recurrence was detected, or as initial induction therapy concomitant with radiotherapy.

RESULTS
Partial response to this regional immunotherapy was seen in 4 out of 7 patients, and 1 patient with GBM has remained clinically stable for >184 weeks without tumor progression. With AA, 2 cases appeared to display slowed advance and longer times to tumor recurrence or regrowth. No serious adverse effects, such as brain edema, hemorrhage or seizure were observed, nor systemic toxicities.

CONCLUSION
Local immunotherapy with TNF-SAM2 may safely contribute to therapeutic efficacy in some patients with malignant glioma.


In this discussion paper, aimed at promoting debate within the profession of Art Therapy and Art Psychotherapy, I argue that mentalization provides us with a narrow intellectualist account of mind and represents a poor alternative to thinking. I give examples of how mind might appear in everyday verbal exchanges, and I suggest that attending to the use of words that refer to the mind and thought, would enable us to see how the cultural and social was necessary to our thinking, both in everyday situations, and in the clinical space. I then argue that art therapy in adopting the mentalization construct might distract practitioners from the social, cultural, material and political understanding that enables us to explore and critique clinical practices. Keywords: Mentalize, Thinking, Art Therapy and Art Psychotherapy.


This paper proposes a framework to construct indexes of activity which links two strands of the index literature – the traditional business cycle analysis and the latent variable approach. To illustrate the method, we apply the framework to Australian regional data, namely to two resource-rich and two service-based states. The results reveal differences in the evolution and drivers of economic activity across the four states. We also demonstrate the value of the Index in a broader context by using a structural vector autoregression (SVAR) approach to analyse the effects of shocks from the US and from China. This Index-SVAR approach facilitates a richer analysis because the unique feature of the index method proposed here allows impulse responses to be traced back to the components.


Al2O3-TiO2 materials are very attractive materials for the manufacturing of wear resistant ceramics coatings. Moreover, nanostructured coatings show superior properties (higher hardness and enhanced fracture toughness) as compared to their counterparts containing microscale grains. The aim of this study is to produce nanostructured Al2O3-TiO2 coatings through the plasma spraying technique that can lead to metastable transformations. The starting powders containing 13wt% and 44wt% of titania, have been mechanically activated by high energy ball milling with a planetary mill, (Model P4 by Fritsch, Germany) using steel vials and balls in such conditions to obtained the high pressure TiO2 II phase. The milled powders were then plasma sprayed with an Ar:H2 gas mixture, by varying the plasma parameters (gas flow rates, nozzle diameter, aggregates size). The effect of the milling and the spraying conditions on the crystalline phases and the microhardness of the coatings are evaluated.


a b s t r a c t This study analyses the role played by emotions in protest. In the current explanatory models, anger is the sole emotion associated with these actions. But is anger the only emotion capable of mobilising citizens to defend a cause? We believe not. Hence, we postulate that anger, along with other emotions of positive valence, must act jointly to facilitate protest. To test this hypothesis, a questionnaire was applied to 316 university students in a setting of cut-backs in education. The results highlight several interesting aspects. Firstly, anger correlated significantly and positively with the positive emotions. Secondly, the mediation analysis performed showed: a) the relevance of positive emotions for explaining the intention to participate; and b) the influence of anger on the intention to participate is fundamentally through positive emotions. We will also discuss the role of emotions and the need to extend the motives involved in political actions.


The patient was 47 years old on his first visit in 1969 and has been treated at our outpatient clinic until now, at the age of 79. The initial blood pressure was 164/98 mmHg without abnormalities on electrocardiogram or urinalysis. He was followed-up for 8 years with non-pharmacologic treatment, which was eventually changed to antihypertensive drug treatment. At the age of 71 he was admitted because blood pressure increased to 210/110 mmHg, with marked fluctuation. At admission bilateral ocular (right < left) and carotid bruits (right < left) were detected. At the age of 75 he had cerebellar infarction with reversible neuro-logic deficits. At the age of 76 he was again addmitted because the labile hypertension was difficult to control. Cerebral angiography which was performed to clarify the relationship between labile hypertension and cerebral ischemia revealed significant bilateral stenosis at the portion of the cavernous sinus in the internal carotid arteries. The stenosis was more remarkable on the left side than the right side. Based on the angiographic findings we considered the ocular bruits to be not a murmur of augmentation flow but a stenotic murmur.


AIM
To elucidate the efficacies of tolvaptan (TLV) as a treatment for refractory ascites compared with conventional treatment.

METHODS
We retrospectively enrolled 120 refractory ascites patients between January 1, 2009 and September 31, 2014. Sixty patients were treated with oral TLV at a starting dose of 3.75 mg/d in addition to sodium restriction (> 7 g/d), albumin infusion (10-20 g/wk), and standard diuretic therapy (20-60 mg/d furosemide and 25-50 mg/d spironolactone) and 60 patients with large volume paracentesis in addition to sodium restriction (less than 7 g/d), albumin infusion (10-20 g/wk), and standard diuretic therapy (20-120 mg/d furosemide and 25-150 mg/d spironolactone). Patient demographics and laboratory data, including liver function, were not matched due to the small number of patients. Continuous variables were analyzed by unpaired t-test or paired t-test. Fisher's exact test was applied in cases comparing two nominal variables. We analyzed factors affecting clinical outcomes using receiver operating characteristic curves and multivariate regression analysis. We also used multivariate Cox's proportional hazard regression analysis to elucidate the risk factors that contributed to the increased incidence of ascites.

RESULTS
TLV was effective in 38 (63.3%) patients. The best cut-off values for urine output and reduced urine osmolality as measures of refractory ascites improvement were > 1800 mL within the first 24 h and > 30%, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that > 25% reduced urine osmolality [odds ratio (OR) = 20.7; P < 0.01] and positive hepatitis C viral antibodies (OR = 5.93; P = 0.05) were positively correlated with an improvement of refractory ascites, while the total bilirubin level per 1.0 mg/dL (OR = 0.57; P = 0.02) was negatively correlated with improvement. In comparing the TLV group and controls, only the serum sodium level was significantly lower in the TLV group (133 mEq/L vs 136 mEq/L; P = 0.02). However, there were no significant differences in the other parameters between the two groups. The cumulative incidence rate was significantly higher in the control group with a median incidence time of 30 d in the TLV group and 20 d in the control group (P = 0.01). Cox hazard proportional multivariate analysis indicated that the use of TLV (OR = 0.58; P < 0.01), uncontrolled liver neoplasms (OR = 1.92; P < 0.01), total bilirubin level per 1.0 mg/dL (OR = 1.10; P < 0.01), and higher sodium level per 1.0 mEq/L (OR = 0.94; P < 0.01) were independent factors that contributed to incidence.

CONCLUSION
Administration of TLV results in better control of refractory ascites and reduced the incidence of additional invasive procedures or hospitalization compared with conventional ascites treatments.


Biometric features are widely used in real time applications for unique human identification. Iris is one of the physiological biometric features which are regarded as highly reliable in biometric identification systems. Often iris is combined with other biometric features for robust biometric systems. It is also observed that biometrics is combined with cryptography for stronger security mechanisms. Since iris is unique for all individuals across the globe, many researchers focused on using iris or along with other biometrics for security with great precision. Multimodal biometric systems came into existence for better accuracy in human authentication. However, iris is considered to be most discriminatory of facial biometrics. Study of iris based human identification in ideal and non-cooperative environments can provide great insights which can help researchers and organizations that depend on iris-based biometric systems. The technical knowhow of iris strengths and weaknesses can be great advantage. This is more important in the wake of widespread use of smart devices which are vulnerable to attacks. This paper throws light into various iris-based biometric systems, issues with iris in the context of texture comparison, cancellable biometrics, iris in multi-model biometric systems, iris localization issues, challenging scenarios pertaining to accurate iris recognition and so on.


In the loop approach to quantum gravity the spectra of operators corresponding to such geometrical quantities as length, area and volume become quantized. However, the size of arising quanta of geometry in Planck units is not fixed by the theory itself: a free parameter, sometimes referred to as the Immirzi parameter, is known to affect the spectrum of all geometrical operators. In this paper I propose an argument that fixes the value of this parameter. I consider rotating black holes, in particular the extremal ones. For such black holes the `no naked singularity condition' bounds the total angular momentum J by , where is the horizon area and G is Newton's constant. A similar bound on J comes from the quantum theory. The requirement that these two bounds are the same fixes the value of the Immirzi parameter to be unity. A byproduct of this argument is a picture of the quantum extremal rotating black hole in which all the spin entering the extremal hole is concentrated in a single puncture.


Diffraction imaging is important for high-resolution characterization of small subsurface heterogeneities. However, due to geometry limitations and noise distortion, conventional diffraction imaging methods may produce low-quality images. We have adopted a periodic plane-wave least-squares reverse time migration method for diffractions to improve the image quality of heterogeneities. The method reformulates diffraction imaging as an inverse problem using the Born modeling operator and its adjoint operator derived in the periodic plane-wave domain. The inverse problem is implemented for diffractions separated by a plane-wave destruction filter from the periodic plane-wave sections. Because the plane-wave destruction filter may fail to eliminate hyperbolic reflections and noise, we adopt a hyperbolic misfit function to minimize a weighted residual using an iteratively reweighted least-squares algorithm and thereby reduce residual reflections and noise. Synthetic and field data tests show that the adopted method can significantly improve the image quality of subsalt and deep heterogeneities. Compared with reverse time migration, it produces better images with fewer artifacts, higher resolution, and more balanced amplitude. Therefore, the adopted method can accurately characterize small heterogeneities and provide a reliable input for seismic interpretation in the prediction of hydrocarbon reservoirs.


This article will address methodological issues concerning the making of knowledge.Drawing on a recent case study from an early childhood educational setting, I will give detailed descriptions of the process of video analysis including the process of transcription and the uses of logs. An aspiration is to create transparency by displaying an analytical process as dynamic, and show how theoretical positions and the researcher her/himself is intertwined in the construction of the empirical base, and thereby in the construction of knowledge. A meta-case is made, and will thereby serve as an example of epistemological reflexivity; how a process of analysis gives certain views and certain truths. To put it in a narrative idiom, this article contains a researcher's learning story about the importance of looking at someone looking through a pirate's telescope, to put it in words indicating a meta perspective on a case study called Captain Andreas and his Crew (Odegaard 2006a, 2007). The article will also, on the basis of a creation of a meta-case, contribute to rethinking truths of children's meaning-making, gender- and identity-work; boys using swords for battles, as the mention of pirates indicates. The article will problematize whether boys using swords for play battles necessarily can be seen as gendering stereotype masculinity.


Ninety-four cases of a hereditary retinal degeneration in household Abyssinian cats were found in Sweden, mainly during a 3-year period. The disease was investigated by ophthalmoscopy, fluorescein angiography, electroretinography, and light microscopy. A bilateral retinopathy was usually first seen in affected cats at the age of 1.5-2 years. Fluorescein angiography did not demonstrate abnormalities of etiological significance to the disease process. A reduction mainly of a- and b-wave amplitudes in the ERG indicated a generalized photoreceptor disease. Light microscopy showed that the photoreceptor layer was primarily affected, while other retinal layers were mainly normal. The midperipheral and peripheral retina was affected more severely than the retina of the posterior pole until late stages of disease, when there was a generalized loss of photoreceptors. The clinical and laboratory findings suggest that PRA in these Abyssinian cats is a heritable photoreceptor degenerative disease with a fairly slow rate of progression.


The prompt diagnosis and therapy of bacterial meningitis remain enduring clinical challenges, for no physician would knowingly delay appropriate therapy. However, whether a delay in the initiation of antimicrobials in fact causes a worse outcome is a separate and tangential question. In clinical medicine a treatment decision involves a bedside estimate of the risk and potential severity of illness balanced against the benefits and adverse effects of therapy. For severe infections, the inexorable damage of untreated disease is presumed, and antimicrobials properly are given without hesitation. In contrast the methodical weighing of evidence regarding the issue of causation is for the purpose of characterizing biologic phenomena. Although legal and medical implications may be contained in such an analysis, its relevance to any particular clinical case is only retrospective. To judge responsibly the strength of a causative link, all available scientific evidence must be analyzed by established criteria. Such as analysis suggests that any connection between a delay in the treatment of bacterial meningitis and outcome depends on the presenting clinical pattern. If the presentation is that of a nonspecific illness with general symptoms, then a short delay of < 3 to 5 days does not appear to alter the risk of sequelae or death. In the case of fulminant meningitis a delay in initiating therapy seems unconnected to outcome. Finally for patients with a history of clinically overt meningitis, an inappropriate delay in commencing therapy incrementally increases the risk of permanent injury.


ABSTRACT A novel sociocognitive theory of dissociation and dissociative disorders is proposed. The model, which is both theoretical and clinical, is based on "functional dissociation of the self." A new concept is introduced in this paper: the sociological self. While the sociological self may have cultural and societal dimensions, it is regarded here as a universal phenomenon rather than a culture-bound one; as an individual psychological instance rather than a sociological concept per se. It is proposed that the main sources of dissociation are trauma-related detachment of the sociological and psychological selves and the subsequent amplification of the sociological self. Thus, effective psychotherapy must curtail the enlargement of the sociological self and reactivate the psychological self. It is hoped that this conceptualization will contribute to efforts both toward understanding the everyday dissociation of the average contemporary individual and toward developing novel psychotherapeutic approaches which might shorten the length of treatment of dissociative disorders.


In this paper we present the concept of activity-centric collaboration using service-oriented architectures (ACCUSO), which addresses the requirements arising from ad-hoc collaboration in mobile teams. In ACCUSO, activities are used to map human actions to Web services exploiting the potential benefits of SOA, such as service discovery and binding at run time. The possibility to compose activities hierarchically from sub-activities and to redesign running activities provides the process-flexibility required in ad-hoc collaboration. We expand the notion of service orientation by introducing human-provided services (HpS) which provide functionality not realizable through software services. HpS are "implemented" by human actors (possibly being mobile), which remains transparent to the system, thereby allowing for the provisioning of HpS based on conventional WS-infrastructure. The feasibility and applicability of ACCUSO is demonstrated through a proof-of-concept implementation.


Abstract Purpose: To study the clinical profile and predictors of outcome in children undergoing decompressive craniectomy (DC) for non-traumatic intracranial hypertension (ICH). Materials and methods: Mixed observational study of children, aged 1 month-12 years, who underwent DC for non-traumatic ICH in a tertiary care pediatric intensive care unit from 2012 to 2017. Data on clinical profile and outcome were retrieved retrospectively and survivors were assessed prospectively. The primary outcome was neurological outcome using Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOS-E) at minimum 6 months' post-discharge. GOS-E of 1–4 were classified as a poor and 5–8 as a good outcome. Results: Thirty children, median (IQR) age of 6.5 (2, 50) months, underwent DC; of which 26 (86.7%) were boys. Altered sensorium (n = 26, 86.7%), seizures (n = 25, 83.3%), pallor (n = 19, 63.3%) and anisocoria (n = 14, 46.7%) were common signs and symptoms. Median (IQR) Glasgow Coma Scale at admission was 9 (6,11). Commonest etiology was intracranial bleed (n = 24; 80%). Median (IQR) time to DC was 24 (24,72) h. Eight (26.7%) children died; 2 during PICU stay and 6 during follow-up. Neurological sequelae at discharge (n = 28) were seizures (n = 25; 89.2%) and hemiparesis (n = 16; 57.1%). Twenty-one children were followed-up at median (IQR) duration of 12 (6,54) months. Good neurological outcome was seen in 14/29 (48.2%) and hemiparesis in 10/21 (47.6%) patients. On regression analysis, anisocoria at admission was an independent predictor of poor outcome [OR 7.33; 95%CI: 1.38–38.87; p = 0.019]. Conclusions: DC is beneficial in children with non-traumatic ICH due to a focal pathology and midline shift. Evidence on indications and timing of DC in NTC is still evolving.


In a previous paper (C. Cafaro et al., 2012), we compared an uncorrelated 3D Gaussian statistical model to an uncorrelated 2D Gaussian statistical model obtained from the former model by introducing a constraint that resembles the quantum mechanical canonical minimum uncertainty relation. Analysis was completed by way of the information geometry and the entropic dynamics of each system. This analysis revealed that the chaoticity of the 2D Gaussian statistical model, quantified by means of the Information Geometric Entropy (IGE), is softened or weakened with respect to the chaoticity of the 3D Gaussian statistical model due to the accessibility of more information. In this companion work, we further constrain the system in the context of a correlation constraint among the system's micro-variables and show that the chaoticity is further weakened, but only locally.


The eleotrid fishes of Lake Kutubu in the Southern Highlands district of Papua New Guinea are reviewed. Six species, including Mogumda variegata Nichols, Oxyeleotris fimbriata (Weber), and four new species of Mogumda described herein, were collected by the senior author during a visit to the lake in 1983. Mogumda kutubuensis sp. novo is related to a close knit complex of species restricted to New Guinea and northern Australia. It differs from the members of this group by a combination of features which include coloration and counts for fin rays and scales. The three remaining new species, M. furva, M. spilota, and M. vitta are allied to At variegata. They differ from each other primarily with regards to their distinctive colour patterns and from other species of Mogumda by having a more elongate snout which except for M. vitta has a distinctive concave profile. All species except Oxyeleotris fimbriata are apparently endemic to Lake Kutubu. Diagnoses, descriptions and illustrations are provided for both new taxa and pre· viously described species.


Smart cities are the future development direction of cities and are a comprehensive expression of the development of the organic life body of cities. The organic life form of a smart city relates to viewing the city as an organic life self-organizing system based on the wholeness and systemic nature of the smart city life form itself, to construct a holistic spatial linkage of the functions and mechanisms of the city life system, and to enhance the overall vitality of the space. This study is based on the literature of "smart city" research in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database, and the current situation and related themes of smart city research in China are discussed through co-word analysis and cluster analysis using software such as SPSS and VOSviewer, among which there are four themes in co-word cluster analysis, namely, intelligent technology supporting smart city research; research on the integration of the social system of a smart city; research on the top-level strategic design and planning and construction of a smart city; and research on the development, evaluation, and concrete practice of smart city construction. Four conclusions are drawn from the development of smart city research in China: Firstly, smart city research has attracted the attention of multiple disciplines, and the research themes are scattered and integrated across disciplinary systems. Secondly, smart city construction, development rules, and characteristics need to be further explored, and the problems, future trends, and policy support for the modernization of China's cities and towns have been focused on engineering and technology, with a lack of practical research in non-technical areas such as humanities and ethics. Thirdly, the philosophical humanism and ecological ethics of smart cities need to be systematized, and their construction and development needs to be humanistic, systematic, and comprehensive, thus contributing to the sustainability, livability, ecology, and wisdom of future urban development. Fourthly, the development of the smart city system is supported by theories related to global cities and innovative cities, and the world city, a product of globalization, is undergoing a transformation into a digital and intelligent organic urban life form.


The letter discusses a fast implementation of the conjugate gradient iterative method with E-field multilevel preconditioner applied to solving real symmetric and sparse systems obtained with vector finite element method. In order to accelerate computations, a graphics processing unit (GPU) was used and significant speed-up (2.61 fold) was achieved comparing to a central processing unit (CPU) based approach. These results indicate that performance of electromagnetic simulations can be significantly improved thereby enabling full wave optimization of microwave components in more manageable time.


A design of experiments was conducted to determine the reliability of plastic ball grid array packages under various manufacturing and multiple environmental loading conditions. Parameters included conformal coating methods, underfill, solder mask defined, and non-solder mask defined pads. Board-level temperature cycling, vibration, and combined temperature cycling and vibration testing were performed to quantify the reliability and identify preferred design parameters. Through the main effects and interaction analysis, test results show underfill is the key parameter related to the solder joint reliability improvement. Conformal coat method and printed circuit board pad design are not main effects on solder joint reliability. No interactive relationship exists among these three factors under temperature cycling loading, but some interactive relationship between printed circuit board pad type and the conformal coating method exists under vibration and combined loading conditions.


Numerous studies focusing on genetic variants in order to find cetuximab subpopulation biomarkers have emerged, yet the significance of each biomarker is diverse. Based on these results, we carried out a meta-analysis to assess the correlation between epidermal growth factor (EGF) A61G polymorphism and clinical outcomes of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients treated with cetuximab. We aim to prove that EGF polymorphisms may be potential biomarkers for cetuximab therapeutic strategies. We identified 6 previously published studies including 569 patients treated with cetuximab-based regimens. Outcomes included clinical response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). GG homozygote showed association with better response rates (GG vs. AA+AG, OR = 2.82; 95% CI = 1.58-5.04) and than AA+AG genotypes. This meta-analysis showed that mCRC patients harboring GG genotype of EGF A61G polymorphism inclined to have a better response rate with cetuximab treatment.


Experimental allergic sensitization of the human skin by the application of simple chemicals of known structure has been reported by several authors (1, 5).
 Among the advantages of such experiments are the following: The allergens are of definite, known chemical constitution and concentrations, and are therefore free of all the varying, unknown constituents and contaminants that inevitably accompany allergens from natural sources (so-called proteins and other allergens of animal, vegetable, bacterial, or fungous origin). Hence, as far as the allergens are concerned, the conditions of the experiment are exactly reproducible at any time and at any place. This circumstance makes experiments with simple chemicals particularly suitable for the study of factors that may influence the host's susceptibility to sensitization.The allergens are externally applied to the grossly normal skin: thus, the disturbing influence of trauma (injection, scarification, etc.), is excluded.


Introduction: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare neoplasm. It has closed association with occupational asbestos exposure. Symptoms are commonly due to local invasion of pleura and mediastinal structures. MPM may have local or rarely distant organ metastasis by haematogenous spread in different organs such as liver, adrenal gland, kidney and contralateral lung. However, gastrointestinal involvement is very rare. Case Report: We report herein a 58-year-old female patient who was presented with back painand finally was diagnosed as MPM with distant metastasis to the stomach. Conclusion: Clinical, imaging and histopathologic findings play an important role in influencing the prognosis as well as treatment.


The history of Uyghurs, the Turkic Muslim people indigenous to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, also known as East Turkestan, is represented differently in historiographies of many countries. Chinese historiography depicts Uyghurs as migrants in their homeland, referring to the migration of nomadic Uyghurs from the present territory of Mongolia in 840 ce, in contrast to the Han Chinese who started settling down in this region much earlier. The history of Uyghurs is interpreted in Chinese works based on the concept of a "Chinese nation," according to which all peoples populating the country have comprised one nation since ancient times. Uyghurs are therefore depicted as people who never set up their own independent states. The Uyghur ethnocentric vision of the past, on the contrary, substantiates the indigenousness of Uyghurs to their homeland. It highlights the Central Asian origin of Uyghurs, who belong to the family of Turkic nationalities and have a history much longer than that of the Han Chinese. As an oppressed ethnic minority in China, Uyghurs were excluded from writing their own history; therefore, a Uyghur national narrative was developed mainly outside China. Soviet historians made significant contributions to the formulation of the main principles of Uyghur national history. The process of writing Uyghur history is influenced by dominating narratives in üüü and other countries that have sizable Uyghur communities (Turkey and post-Soviet Central Asian nations). Despite the domination of narratives on the history of Uyghurs in many countries, academic research on Uyghur history has gained significant achievements, although as a field of research Uyghur and Xinjiang studies occupy peripheral positions in Central Eurasian studies.


The popularity of football across various continents and nations has allowed it to be distinguished as the "world's game." However, in countries like the United States and the Philippines, football has failed to be recognized as a major spectator sport. The creation of professional leagues, such as the North American Soccer League (1968–1984) and the United Football League (2009–present), is clearly an attempt to popularize the sport in countries that have previously shown little interest. Beginning with a brief historical overview of the events that shaped the creation and legacy of both leagues, this research note shall aim to identify key similarities and differences between both leagues and highlight how these have affected the emergence of football as a major spectator sport within these societies.


It is known that the positivity condition plays an important role in theorems of Hardy-Littlewood type. In the multi-dimensional case this condition can be relaxed significantly by replacing it with the condition of sign-definiteness on trajectories along which asymptotic properties are investigated. A number of theorems are proved in this paper that demonstrate this effect. Our main tool is a theorem on division of tempered distributions by a homogeneous polynomial, preserving the corresponding quasi-asymptotics. The results obtained are used to study the asymptotic behaviour at a boundary point of holomorphic functions in tubular domains over cones.


A combination of multigenic thrombophilia with antiphospholipid syndrome is a high risk factor as venous and / or arterial thromboembolism, and a variety of obstetric and perinatal complications.


The object of this invention is to provide a high-output type nitride light emitting device. The nitride light emitting device comprises an n-type nitride semiconductor layer or layers, a p-type nitride semiconductor layer or layers and an active layer therebetween, wherein a gallium-containing nitride substrate is obtained from a gallium-containing nitride bulk single crystal, provided with an epitaxial growth face with dislocation density of 10 /cm or less, and A-plane or M-plane which is parallel to C-axis of hexagonal structure for an epitaxial face, wherein the n-type semiconductor layer or layers are formed directly on the A-plane or M-plane. In case that the active layer comprises a nitride semiconductor containing In, an end face film of single crystal AlxGa1-xN (0≤x≤1) can be formed at a low temperature not causing damage to the active layer.


BACKGROUND
There is a high rate of co-occurrence between anxiety and alcohol-use disorders in humans that may arise from the inheritance of common genes that increase the risk for both psychiatric disorders. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a genetic relationship exists between innate alcohol preference and propensity to develop learned fear, using the fear-potentiated startle (FPS) paradigm, in 2 mouse lines selectively bred for high or low alcohol preference.

METHODS
Alcohol-naïve, male, and female mice from replicate pairs of lines selectively bred for high alcohol preference and low alcohol preference were randomly assigned to a fear-conditioned or control group. Mice in the fear-conditioned group received 20 pairings of a light stimulus and footshock; the control group received the same number of exposures to light and footshock, except that these stimuli were explicitly unpaired. During testing for FPS, acoustic stimuli were presented both in the presence and in the absence of the light stimulus.

RESULTS
In both replicate pairs of lines, mice selectively bred for high alcohol preference showed greater FPS than mice selectively bred for low alcohol preference. No sex differences in FPS were found in any line. Control groups did not show FPS.

CONCLUSION
These findings suggest that common genes mediate both innate alcohol preference and propensity to develop learned fear in these selected mouse lines.


In combatants who have received firearms wounds during hostilities in the East of Ukraine, treatment of post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) in 82.1% does not have a positive result. The peculiarities of its course are not studied, depending on the type of anesthesia during the implementation of reconstructive surgical interventions. In the long run, after such surgical interventions, the intensity of pain in the postoperative period may cause deepening of the PTSD and the development of its resistance to the intended treatment.


The autoxidation, periodate oxidation, and tyrosinase-mediated oxidation of 6-hydroxydopamine, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine were studied by absorption spectroscopy. Autoxidation and tyrosinase-mediated oxidation of the three catecholamines resulted in dopachrome analogues—aminochrome from dopamine, noradrenochrome from norepinephrine, and adrenochrome from epinephrine—without evidence for the expected intermediates, the o -quinones and the corresponding leukochromes. The use of periodate as an oxidant, on the other hand, allowed visualization of the o -quinone intermediates and the subsequent conversion to the dopachrome analogues. Cyclization of the o -quinones appeared to occur in the order epinephrine > norepinephrine > dopamine, while the rate of autoxidation occurred in the reverse order. The oxidation of 6-hydroxydopamine to its p -quinone was visualized under all three oxidizing conditions. However, the oxidation of 6-hydroxydopamine by periodate gave evidence for a transient intermediate, the o -quinone, which rapidly tautomerized to the p -quinone. The p -quinone product of 6-hydroxydopamine was seen to undergo cyclization to aminochrome, with subsequent polymerization.


Small pulmonary nodular opacities are usually visible only due to the summation of several small foci. The size of a single focus and its number per area determine their radiographic appearance either that of small nodular lesions, or of a reticular pattern or of diffus opacification. The small nodular pattern is primarily observed in lung disease beginning in the interstitium rather than the alveoli. Pattern and course of small nodular lung lesions give important differential diagnostic clues.


Afghanistan is among the world's largest importers of fl our. Afghan fl our producers face challenges from inadequate domestic supplies of wheat and competition from imported fl our, much of it from neighboring Pakistan where wheat producers and fl our millers benefi t from Government support. Efforts to support Afghanistan's fl ourmilling sector by increasing border protections—if enforceable along the country's rugged borders— would lead to higher prices that harm consumers. Similarly, efforts to boost domestic production of wheat for milling through import policies would require a diffi cult-to-enforce combination of fl our and wheat tariffs or other restrictions that would also impose costs on consumers. Free trade, entailing unhindered wheat and fl our imports, including imports from Pakistan, may lead to stronger growth in domestic fl our production and consumption, with relatively small losses in farm output.


The main objective of this study is to examine the influence between integrated marketing communications toward marketing performances. In order to measure that, five dimensions of integrated marketing communications management which were interactivity, mission marketing, organizational infrastructure, strategic consistency and planning and evaluation were used. While, only one marketing performance dimension were used for marketing performances. Data were gathered through questionnaire survey on food and beverages small medium-sized enterprises in Northern Malaysia (Pulau Pinang, Kedah, and Perlis). Correlation and regression analysis were used to examine influence of between integrated marketing communications management toward marketing performance. The results indicated that all dimensions of integrated marketing communications management are not significant influence toward marketing performance. Moreover, the results showed that there is relationship between three dimensions of integrated marketing communications (interactivity, mission marketing, and organizational infrastructure) toward marketing performances. The findings from this study will help the small medium-sized enterprises to seriously look at the importance of integrated marketing communication to boost their marketing performances. It would be a promising topic to study IMC in Malaysian SMEs to find further insights and approaches to implement IMC efficiently. By undertaking this study, we can counter the rapidly changing integrated marketing communications environment effectively.


It is widely known that a self-field MPD thruster changes from an electrothermal acceleration mode to an electromagnetic one as the discharge current is increased. Such transitional behavior is numerically studied with argon propellant using a two-dimensional TVD Lax-Friedrich scheme incorporating multiple ionization processes. As the discharge current J is increased from 4 to 10kA under a mass flow rate of 0.8g/s, a steep rise of the voltage, which indicates the transition, occurs between low and high current modes of operation around J=7kA, which is equivalent to the Alfven's critical ionization current. The steep voltage rise is attributed to the increase in the work of the Lorentz force around the cathode. The radial distributions of the heavy particles and electrons are examined and compared with the past experimental results. Additionally, in the electromagnetic mode, the ratio of the ionization energy to the input power decreases with increasing input power, and the maximum ratio of the kinetic energy to the input power is 0.57. This high thrust efficiency can be attributed to the idealized model, in which the effects of the sheath as well as the heat loss to the electrodes are neglected.


Trabecular bone tissue is a three-dimensional structure that is difficult to duplicate with in vitro cell cultures or animal models. In an attempt to better understand the underlying mechanisms of tissue response to load, a system to load isolated bone preparations was developed. This ex vivo bone culture and loading system, given the name of ZETOS, compressively loads trabecular bone (10 mm diameter, 5.0 mm height) to evaluate its morphological and physiological responses while keeping cells viable. Compliance of the system may change with time, thus requiring recalibration. The purpose of this research was to develop and validate a recalibration protocol for the ZETOS system. Ten reference bodies (RBs) were designed and machined out of aluminum 7075-T6, with a structural rigidity range representative of trabecular bone (0.628‐28.3 N /m, or apparent elastic modulus of 40 MPa‐1.80 GPa). Finite element analysis (FEA) was used to calculate the rigidity of each RB and was validated with physical testing in a universal testing machine. Results from FEA were then used to calibrate the system and relate force, piezoelectric actuator expansion, and specimen compressive deformation through a surface generated by spline interpolation, thus creating a calibration table. Calibration of ZETOS was verified by testing the RBs as well as three custom-made, metal springs and comparing measured rigidity to that calculated by FEA. Mean percent difference of FEA results with respect to those from physical testing was 3.28%. The mean percent difference of RB rigidity found with ZETOS with respect to rigidity found with FEA was 1.12% and for the metal springs, the mean percent difference was 1.74%. The calibration procedure for the ZETOS bone loading system has been successfully applied and verified. The use of RBs and FEA allows users to easily and periodically evaluate and recalibrate the system. Accuracy in studies of human bone mechanotransduction in a controlled environment can therefore be achieved. The recalibration procedure is relevant for other ZETOS users and may serve as the basis for calibration of other testing systems for small specimens of compliant materials. DOI: 10.1115/1.2889059


YONE who teaches knows there are two questions to steer clear of on exams: the one about evolution, to which there is no certifiable answer; and the one about gene control, to which every conceivable answer is correct. Or so it seems at times. The profusion of transcriptional and posttranscriptional controls that have emerged in recent years can be simplified by recognizing categories. One category involves the regulation of mRNA stability. Short sequence motifs that confer sensitivity or resistance to nucleases, thereby controlling mRNA turnover, have been identified in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes (reviewed by Brawerman, 1987). Here I would like to focus attention on three other categories of gene regulation: (a) programmed variations in mRNA structure, particularly in ways that affect translation; (b) translationlinked control of mRNA metabolism; and (c) regulation of translation by RNA-binding proteins.


Australian NCAP (ANCAP) began in 1992 with full frontal 56 km/h barrier tests and added the 40% offset deformable barrier test shortly afterwards. In 1999 ANCAP decided to harmonise its testing and evaluation procedures with EuroNCAP (ENCAP). This was so ANCAP could use the results of ENCAP testing on European vehicles where the vehicle specifications were essentially similar to those of the Australian model, thereby reducing the number and cost of tests required to produce consumer information. The process has involved a joint Memorandum of Understanding, close communication between technical and management staff, auditing of ANCAP test results by ENCAP and has required very careful examination of vehicle specifications in the respective continents. Presentation of the results has been different to ENCAP based on Australian research. Training in vehicle inspection techniques to evaluate the subjective aspects of the crash test results required under ENCAP protocols has been an ongoing concern for ANCAP. The harmonisation process has been surprisingly smooth and has already benefited both groups by providing information which would not otherwise have been available. For instance, ANCAP has published consumer ratings for a range of expensive European car models which would not otherwise have been tested. There has been close liaison with the motor industry on the changes to the program. Future directions of the program will follow ENCAP in principle. The New Zealand Government and auto club joined the program in 2000 to form Australasian NCAP.


Abstract: The use of welding of dissimilar materials in the manufacture of different products, both in automobile and civil construction industry, is necessary and understanding the factors that may interfere in the quality of the final product is important for its correct development. So, the main aim of this work was to perform the capacitive welding of different steels, evaluating the effect of different energies on the microstructural evolution and hardness profiles of the welded region. Three different steels were used as base materials (SAE 1045 carbon steel, DOMEX 700MC steel, and DOCOL DP 1000 steel), which were attached to a SAE 10B22 steel pin. To weld, the steels, a bank of capacitors was used, which allows different energies. The characterization of the materials was carried out through hardness verification and metallographic characterization tests. The results show that the capacitive discharge welding process generates a heat-affected zone (HAZ) of short extension, regardless of the type of steel and the average welding energy. For the three types of steel that were used and for the different average welding energies, the microstructure formed in the HAZ was martensite.


Introduction: The purpose of our study was to examine relations among spasticity, weakness, force variability, and sustained spontaneous motor unit discharges in spastic–paretic biceps brachii muscles in chronic stroke. Methods: Ten chronic stroke subjects produced submaximal isometric elbow flexion force on impaired and non‐impaired sides. Intramuscular EMG (iEMG) was recorded from biceps and triceps brachii muscles. Results: We observed sustained spontaneous motor unit discharges in resting biceps on iEMG. Spontaneous discharges increased after voluntary activation only on the impaired side. The impaired side had greater matching errors and greater fluctuations in isometric force. Spontaneous discharges were not related functionally to spasticity, force variability, or weakness. However, greater strength on the impaired side correlated with less force variability. Conclusion: Weakness rather than spasticity is a main factor interfering with voluntary force control in paretic–spastic biceps brachii muscles in chronic stroke. Muscle Nerve, 2013


This paper develops the geometry and analysis of the averaged Euler equations for ideal incompressible flow in domains in Euclidean space and on Riemannian manifolds, possibly with boundary. The averaged Euler equations involve a parameter $\alpha$; one interpretation is that they are obtained by ensemble averaging the Euler equations in Lagrangian representation over rapid fluctuations whose amplitudes are of order $\alpha$. The particle flows associated with these equations are shown to be geodesics on a suitable group of volume preserving diffeomorphisms, just as with the Euler equations themselves (according to Arnold's theorem), but with respect to a right invariant $H^1$ metric instead of the $L^2$ metric. The equations are also equivalent to those for a certain second grade fluid. Additional properties of the Euler equations, such as smoothness of the geodesic spray (the Ebin-Marsden theorem) are also shown to hold. Using this nonlinear analysis framework, the limit of zero viscosity for the corresponding viscous equations is shown to be a regular limit, {\it even in the presence of boundaries}.


Establishment of Increased Stimulus Control for Bidirectional Naming Increased Stimulus Control for Other Derived Relations in 20to 40-Month-Old Toddlers Leah Faith Friedman Researchers across domains of behavior analysis agree that complexities of language acquisition can be defined by the degree to which an individual acquires language relations in the absence of direct training. In a series of studies, I examined the role of voluntary echoic responses on the onset of bidirectional naming (BiN) and the implications of the naming continuum, defined by accuracy of listener and speaker responses for familiar stimuli, on the emergence of untrained, language relations. Using a group descriptive analysis, I tested the correlations between storybook naming experiences and accuracy of listener (selection) and speaker (tact) responses across 24 toddlers, aged 20to 37-months-old. During the naming experience, I measured voluntary production of the target stimulus (saying the target word). During the naming probe, I measured accuracy of untaught listener and speaker responses. While there were not significant associations between voluntarily saying the target stimulus and the accuracy of listener/speaker responses and voluntary responses remained low across 3 naming experiences, there were significant associations among accuracy of listener/speaker responses across the 3 experiences. Listener responses significantly increased across the three experiences, suggesting the emergence of unidirectional naming (UniN); however, speaker responses remained low. In Experiment II, I tested the effects of echoic clarity (phonemic responses that each participant demonstrated) on accuracy of untaught listener/speaker responses using storybook naming experiences. Data remained consistent in suggesting that UniN was present, but echoic clarity was not functionally related to measures of BiN. In Experiment III, I tested the effects of temporal proximity of visual and auditory stimuli on voluntary echoics and accuracy of listener/speaker responses using Successive Naming Experiences with Novel Stimuli (SNENS). This consisted of presenting auditory and visual stimuli simultaneously or with a one-second delay between the visual and auditory stimuli. Data remained consistent across participants in showing that the accuracy of listener/speaker responses was not dramatically affected by temporal proximity of visual and auditory stimuli. Serendipitous findings of this experiment suggested that the joining of listener and speaker responses may be required for acquisition of more complex derived relations. I conducted Experiment IV to address the unanticipated findings of the pilot study, by testing if a functional relation exists between the naming continuum and the emergence of other arbitrarily applicable derived relations (AAR). Four of the 6 participants demonstrated mastery of mutual and combinatorial entailment relations following increased degrees of BiN, while 2 of the participants demonstrated increases in combinatorial entailment relations. Results suggested a functional relation exists between the accuracy of untaught listener/speaker responses for wordobject relations and the emergence of other AAR. I discuss these findings with regards to the essential stimulus control for untaught language relations as a history of reinforcement for correspondence.


This paper aims at verifying properties of generic fault-tolerance algorithms. Our goal is to enhance the testing process with information extracted from the proof of the algorithm, whether this proof is formal or informal: ideally, testing is intended to focus on the weak parts of the proof (e.g., unproved lemmas or doubtful informal evidence). We use the Fault-Tolerant Rate Monotonic Scheduling algorithm as a case study. This algorithm was proven by informal demonstration, but two faults were revealed afterwards. In this paper, we focus on the analysis of the informal proof, which we restructure in a semiformal proof tree based on natural deduction. From this proof tree, we extract several functional cases and use them for testing a prototype of the algorithm. Experimental results show that a flawed informal proof does not necessarily provide relevant information for testing. It remains to investigate whether formal (partial) proofs allow better connection with potential faults.


Actinomycetes are filamentous with Gram-positive bacterial characteristics and have a major contribution to the different sectors of agriculture. Actinomycetes are widely distributed and isolated from soil, ponds, lake sediments, tributaries, creek/tidewaters, and aquatic environments. Actinomycetes experience complex morphologic variation with the development of the substrate mycelia in the preliminary phase life cycle and subsequently of aerial mycelia, which leads to spores resilient to numerous environmental conditions. Both current and new natural bioactive compounds are mainstreamed by microorganisms. Bacteria have been established to be a rich source among the producers of commercially valuable metabolites, with a relatively small community of taxa comprising the preponderance of the compounds that are useful both economically and biotechnologically until now. A broad variety of biological functions such as antimicrobial, disinfectants, anticancer, immunosuppressant, fungicide, herbicidal, antioxidant, and antiviral agent is presented as secondary metabolites produced by different species of Actinomycetes. "Representative genera of Actinomycetes include Streptomyces, Actinomyces, Arthrobacter, Corynebacterium, Frankia, Micrococcus, Micromonospora, and several others.".


Madame Luce founded Algeria's first school for Muslim girls in 1845, claiming an ambitious mission: 'to change native morals, prejudices and habits, as quickly and as surely as possible, by introducing the greatest possible number of young Muslim girls to the benefits of a European education' (p. 1). Initially, this meant teaching maths and French, as well as some practical skills, but later the school came to focus on embroidery. This vocational turn, whose relation to wider currents in educational policy is carefully analysed by Rebecca Rogers, was also expressed in terms of a higher calling, namely the revival of indigenous arts. After Luce's time the school, or workshop, continued under the direction of her granddaughter Henriette, known later as Luce Benaben, and it is above all for the girls' craftwork that the two women are remembered now — when they are remembered at all. Henriette's workshop is described in a couple of texts by Leı̈la Sebbar; samples of the embroidery are preserved in the Musée national des antiquités in Algiers; and even today in Algiers, Rogers reports, there is a rue Luce Benaben. Other examples of the handiwork found their way to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, thanks to the interest taken in Luce by British women wintering in Algiers, and to Luce's skill in catering to the tourist market: as well as handkerchiefs, decorative hangings, and the like, the workshop sold dolls' clothing and souvenir busts of Luce herself. Among those impressed by Luce's work was Barbara Bodichon, a prominent early feminist, whose journalism spread Luce's reputation abroad. Nonetheless, Luce always had her critics. Especially in the school's early years, an air of immorality lingered around Luce and her pupils, at least in the eyes of colonists who feared that the inevitable product of European education was the déclassement of girls, who would end up unmarriageable or worse. Historians have been suspicious that behind the high-minded rhetoric of education, civilization, and revitalized tradition lay some canny commercial self-interest. To a certain extent, Rogers's book, which draws on her long-standing interest in girls' education and on meticulous new archival research, is meant as a corrective to one or two received views — above all, the negative assessment of Luce by historians such as Yvonne Turin, who gave Mme Luce short shrift in her Affrontements dans l'Algérie coloniale: écoles, médecines, religion, 1830–1880 (Paris: F. Maspero, 1971), still a standard reference point in the field. Rogers argues, too, that Luce's story complicates the widespread view that 1870 marked a clear turning point in the history of the mission civilisatrice. But in the end, even if Rogers is sympathetic to Luce's protofeminist credentials, the corrective her book offers is not conclusive and cannot be wholehearted — and not only because parts of Luce's story remain obscure. Just as colonial education policy emerges as volatile, inconsistent, and sometimes lukewarm, Luce herself appears to have been driven by a not uncommon mixture of idealism and opportunism.


In order to study the character and dynamic changes of HCV NS5 antigen in post-transfusion hepatitis C, EIA was established with fusion protein, and different groups of population were investigated. The results showed the positive rate of whole blood donor, normal people, chronic hepatitis C patients and post transfusion hepatitis C patients is 0.0%, 1.66%, 50.7% and 70.5%, respectively. Serial blood samples of 25 cases of acute or chronic post-transfusion hepatitis C were detected, and the results indicated that the antibody of NS5 appeared relatively late, and the serum conversion time was 182.9 +/- 168.5 days. The anti-NS5 positive rate in 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after HCV infection was 28%, 40%, 52%, 68% and 76%, respectively. The positive rate of anti-NS5 in sera with HCV RNA was 61.9%. Analysis on the appearance of antibody to the different antibody region of the gene, ALT and HCV RNA showed the dynamic changes of anti-NS5 were corresponding to the serum ALT in some cases, indicating antibody of NS5 appear later and may reflect the disease activity to some extent. The dynamic changes of anti-NS5 are of four kinds: transient positive, intermittent positive, persistent positive and persistent negative in during the two years period.


Purpose of review We examine the reasons for investigating gene–environment interactions and address recent reports evaluating interactions between genes and environmental modulators in relation to cardiovascular disease and its common risk factors. Recent findings Studies focusing on smoking, physical activity, and alcohol and coffee consumption are observational and include relatively large sample sizes. They tend to examine single genes, however, and fail to address interactions with other genes and other correlated environmental factors. Studies examining gene–diet interactions include both observational and interventional designs. These studies are smaller, especially those including dietary interventions. Among the reported gene–diet interactions, it is important to highlight the strengthened position of APOA5 as a major gene that is involved in triglyceride metabolism and modulated by dietary factors, and the identification of APOA2 as a modulator of food intake and obesity risk. Summary The study of gene–environment interactions is an active and much needed area of research. Although technical barriers of genetic studies are rapidly being overcome, inclusion of comprehensive and reliable environmental information represents a significant shortcoming of genetics studies. Progress in this area requires inclusion of larger populations but also more comprehensive, standardized, and precise approaches to capturing environmental information.


Mineral-coated microspheres were prepared via a bioinspired, heterogeneous nucleation process at physiological temperature. Poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) microspheres were fabricated via a water-in-oil-in-water emulsion method and were mineral-coated via incubation in a modified simulated body fluid (mSBF). X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy with associated energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy confirmed the presence of a continuous mineral coating on the microspheres. The mineral grown on the PLG microsphere surface has characteristics analogous to those of bone mineral (termed "bonelike" mineral), with a carbonate-containing hydroxyapatite phase and a porous structure of platelike crystals at the nanometer scale. The assembly of mineral-coated microspheres into aggregates was observed when microsphere concentrations above 0.50 mg/mL were incubated in mSBF for 7 days, and the size of the aggregates was dependent on the microsphere concentration in solution. In vitro mineral dissolution studies performed in Tris-buffered saline confirmed that the mineral formed was resorbable. A surfactant additive (Tween 20) was incorporated into mSBF to gain insight into the mineral growth process, and Tween 20 not only prevented aggregation but also significantly inhibited mineral formation and influenced the characteristics of the mineral formed on the surface of PLG microspheres. Taken together, these findings indicate that mineral-coated PLG microspheres or mineral-coated microsphere aggregates can be synthesized in a controllable manner using a bioinspired process. These materials may be useful in a range of applications, including controlled drug delivery and biomolecule purification.


The structure and relative configuration of koumine, the principal alkaloid of Gelsemium elegans Benth, has been determined as 2 by chemical and spectroscopic studies. The location of the etheral oxygen in koumine was established by reductive cleavage of 2 into dihydrokouminol (4) and the relative position of the basic nitrogen atom N(b) with respect to the vinyl group was elucidated via transformation of N (a)-acetyl-dihydrokoumine (5) into amine 6 by means of oxidation with aqueous permanganate and subsequent decarboxylation. iso-Dihydrokoumine (7) was oxidized with potassium permanganate in acetone to yield a neutral product 8 and a basic product 9 from which structural informations regarding the other side of N (b) were obtained. A series of 1H NMR decoupling experiments then led to the carbon skeleton of koumine. The relative configuration of 2 was determined by 1H NMR analysis aided by Dreiding model construction, and the proposed stereo structure of koumine has been confirmed by two indepentent X-ray diffraction studies, one of which also established the absolute configuration of koumine as shown in 2 and in Fig. 1. The detailed 1H and 13C NMR data of koumine and its derivatives are given in Tables 1—3 and the rationalization of the probable pathway of the MS fragmentation of koumine and its derivatives 8,9,4 and 3 are presented in Schemes 1—3.


Crop acreage estimation is important for advanced planning and taking various policy decisions. The present study was carried out in Indore district using AWiFS sensor satellite data from sowing to maturity period as well as single date LISS-III sensor satellite data of maximum vegetation growth stage of wheat crop. The technique used for single date LISS-III data classification is complete enumeration approach based on supervised classification. While Multi-date AWiFS data classification technique is based on two-stage classification of multi-date dataset by unsupervised Iterative Self Organizing Data Analysis Technique (ISODATA). The acreage estimated using the LISS- III sensor data is 98.41 000'ha while using AWiFS sensor data is 105.70 000'ha. It was found that LISS – III results shows -6.89 percent underestimation as compared to AWiFS estimates. The comparison of both (LISS-III and AWiFS) sensor's acreage estimates with the actual acreage data (viz. 97.20 000'ha) shows that higher spatial resolution (LISS-III) sensor satellite data have more accuracy than low spatial resolution (AWiFS) sensor.


This panel is organized by the Prometheans SIG of the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) and by the International Network for Engineering Studies (INES). This panel introduces the FIE audience to our work in utilizing history, and humanistic-social perspectives more generally, to enhance engineering education. Specifically, we will use this panel to demonstrate and discuss how the history of technology can be used to help teach engineering to engineering students. Beginning with an overview by Atsushi Akera, Director of the First Year Studies Program at Rensselaer and co-editor of Using History to Teach Computer Science and Related Disciplines, the individual panelists, J. Douglass Klein (Union College), Frederik Nebeker (IEEE History Center, Rutgers), and Aristotle Tympas (University of Athens, Greece) will briefly describe the specific pedagogic techniques and strategies they use before opening up the panel to general discussion on the efficacy of these and other techniques.


Mobile offloading overcomes the resource limitations of offloader devices by splitting resource-intensive tasks and allocating subtasks to nearby offloadee devices. In processing its subtask, each offloadee effectively executes foreign and untrusted code which might both harm the device and exhaust its resources. Given the personal nature and constrained resources of offloadee devices, such as smartphones, precise control at the offloadee over the execution environment of offloaded tasks as well as the provided and consumed resources then is a natural requirement for the success of offloading approaches. We thus contribute a mechanism for fine-grained resource control of local task execution, benefitting allocation approaches by precisely assessing, advertising, and guaranteeing offloadee processing resources. Our design protects local device integrity and usability by isolating the execution of each task in a dedicated Linux container with precisely defined resource constraints. We highlight the performance and immediate applicability of our design through a prototypical implementation using LXC containers on COTS Android smartphones that achieves controllable task execution at minimal costs: Each container starts up in only 2 ms, imposes less than 5 % computation overhead, and consumes only 10MB of memory.


The true reliability and the fatigue life of a connecting link made of low-alloy high-strength steel have been estimated from go-no-go fatigue test. Tests were conducted on a sample size of 130 randomly selected from a population of different heats. Test results were statistically evaluated using binomial, log-normal, and weibull distributions; the sample reliability was compared with the reliabilities estimated from all three of these distributions. It was observed that for a go-no-go test binomial distribution is preferred for more conservative estimation of the true reliability. The results also show that the life of the link follows a Weibull distribution.


PURPOSE
To describe the meaning of mentorship among Canadian orthopaedic physiotherapists.

METHODS
As part of a phenomenological qualitative study, 14 registered physiotherapists (13 women, 1 man) each participated in a single 60-minute, semi-structured face-to-face interview. Participants reflected on their experiences in receiving and providing mentorship and described the impact of mentorship on their careers. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a phenomenological approach.

RESULTS
Participants described mentorship as any nurturing process in which they used their skills and experience to guide, teach, and encourage a less skilled or less experienced colleague for the purpose of promoting professional and personal development. Participants experienced mentorship as a positive, reflective phenomenon. According to participants, the true essence of mentorship in physiotherapy consists of building passion, keeping fresh, making us stronger, and promoting deeper learning.

CONCLUSIONS
Building a shared passion for learning, as well as a mentor's commitment to the mentee's success, forms the foundation of meaningful mentorship in physiotherapy. These mentoring relationships enable physiotherapists to adapt to the changing health care system, advance patient care, and develop the profession.


The aim of this study was to determine some design-related properties of Irish potatoes commonly grown in Nigeria that may be useful in designing, handling and processing equipment of the product. Two varieties were selected: Nicola and Diamant. The measured properties were length, width, thickness, bulk density, solid density and angle of repose. Other parameters were arithmetic mean, geometric mean, surface area, volume, porosity and kernel weight. The mean length, width and thickness obtained for Nicola variety were 66.5, 37.3 and 32.4 mm respectively; while 57.4, 35.2, and 31.7 mm were obtained for Diamant, respectively. The mean angle of repose of Nicola and Diamant varieties were 27.20 and 26.40°, respectively. Mean roundness of Nicola and Diamant varieties were also obtained as 0.6 and 0.7 respectively. The mean surface area and volume of Nicola variety was determined to be 58.55 cm2 and 42.61 cm³ while that of Diamant variety was 50.31 cm² and 34.08 cm³, respectively. Moisture contents of Nicola and Diamant varieties used were obtained as 76.3 and 85.9%, respectively. Mean hardness of Nicola and Diamant varieties was 1.52 and 1.7 HV, respectively; indicating that Diamant is a harder variety than Nicola. These properties may be useful and serve as a guide on major engineering design of handling and processing equipment.


This article looks at Bernard Williams's relevance to particular debates in constitutional theory about the legitimacy of two competing models of institutional design: political constitutionalism which endorses giving the final say on the meaning of constitutional rights to legislatures; and legal constitutionalism which endorses giving the final say on the meaning of rights to courts. Recent defences of political constitutionalism have made claims about the realism of their accounts when compared with legal constitutionalism and have co-opted Bernard Williams's realism to support their case. This article examines these claims, concluding that these accounts of political constitutionalism rely on a distinctly non-Williamsian form of political moralism in that they assume a legitimacy for political constitutionalism which is prior to politics and political disagreement. It offers an alternative defence of political constitutionalism, a partial defence, which, it argues, is closer to the realism of Bernard Williams than these accounts.


BACKGROUND
Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) is a non-receptor type tyrosine kinase originally identified as the genetic signature responsible for X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) when mutated. Its functional form is required for B lymphocyte maturation in both humans and mice, whereas loss-of-function causes a different form of developmental defect in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster.

METHODS
Ibrutinib and other therapeutic inhibitors of BTK have been extensively used to successfully treat various leukemias and lymphomas. Btk29A type 2 is the ortholog of BTK in the fruit fly. We show that feeding wild-type flies an ibrutinib-containing diet induces phenocopying of Btk29A mutants, i.e., failure in the fusion of left and right halves of the dorsal cuticles, partial loss of wing tissues and dysregulation of germ cell production.

RESULTS
We have previously reported that Btk29A phosphorylates Drosophila Arm (β-catenin), and ibrutinib reduces phosphorylation at Tyrosine142 of endogenously expressed β-catenin in Cos7 cells transfected with Btk29A type 2 cDNA.

CONCLUSIONS
Thus, Drosophila is suitable for screens of novel BTK inhibitor candidates and offers a unique in vivo system in which the mode of action of BTK inhibitors can be examined at the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels.


Background: Reduced quality of life, limited performance and fatigue are commonly observed side effects of breast cancer systemic treatment. In previous studies sport therapy could improve these symptoms. Sport has also been reported to positively impact the clinical course of the disease. So far it has remained unclear if these influences on clinical outcome are caused by alterations in the immune system or in tumor biology or in glucose or fat metabolism. The aim of this study is to analyse the implications of individual interventions in exercise therapy on endurance, muscle strength, fatigue and quality of life, alterations in the immune system or in tumor biology or in glucose or fat metabolism for breast cancer patients during chemo therapy. Method: The trial is prospectively randomised and controlled and will involve 60 breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. 20 patients each are randomized into a strength training group, an endurance training group or a control group (with standard care). At the beginning and after 12 weeks the following tests are undertaken: isometric maximum strength test, a PWC 150 test to determine the endurance of patients. The standardised questionnaire EORTC QLQ C30 including module BR23 to measure quality of life and the questionnaire MFI-20 to determine symptoms of fatigue are filled in. Questionnair D2 measures ability to concentrate. Immunologic parameters as CD4, CD8 and T-REG-cells (FACS-Analysis), the number of the circulating tumour cells (measured by density gradient centrifugation) and also the concentration of glucose, insulin, leptin and adiponectin are being measured at study entry and after 12 weeks. Momentarily patients are being screened, recruited and randomised into the trial. The final evaluation of the results is planned II/ 2013. Discussion: The purpose of this study is to show if additional value can be added by individualized strength- or endurance training. Stabilisation or improvement of maximum strength and endurance during chemotherapy, as well as increase of quality of life and reduction of symptoms of fatigue would be a major improvement. Knowledge about effects of physical activity on circulating tumour cells as well as on immunologic alterations and on glucose and fat metabolism under chemotherapy could lead to a more specific counseling of patients and an individualized training program during chemotherapy. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr OT3-2-01.


In most writing on contemporary Bushman art the art is discussed as a tool of development, a tourism endeavor and an income generator. While these are aims both legitimate and beneficial to the communities involved, they also work (implicitly yet effectively) to separate the art, artist and subsequently the community out of which the art is produced from "the rest of us," defining these communities as "other." This article attempts to engage with contemporary Bushman art as art objects. Using criteria of judgment based on a functional semiotics of art, two works will be analyzed to prove that the works may be discussed as Art. The premise is that once people recognize the aesthetic intelligence imbued in these artworks they will be able to engage with the work in a way that is similarly intelligent and contemporary. The art and its people will then stand a better chance of being accepted into the realm of the everyday as opposed to being relegated to the sarcophagi of history. Once taken from this starting position, goals of community development and tourism endeavors linked to indigenous art can become that much more beneficial and life-changing for the communities concerned.


Recently, philosophers and social scientists have turned their attention to the epistemological shifts provoked in established sciences by their incorporation of big data techniques. There has been less focus on the forms of epistemology proper to the investigation of algorithms themselves, understood as scientific objects in their own right. This article, based upon 12 months of ethnographic fieldwork with Russian data scientists, addresses this lack through an investigation of the specific forms of epistemic attention paid to algorithms by data scientists. On the one hand, algorithms are unlike other mathematical objects in that they are not subject to disputation through deductive proof. On the other hand, unlike concrete things in the world such as particles or organisms, algorithms cannot be installed as the objects of experimental systems directly. They can only be evaluated in their functioning as components of extended computational assemblages; on their own, they are inert. As a consequence, the epistemological coding proper to this evaluation does not turn on truth and falsehood but rather on the efficiency of a given algorithmic assemblage. This article suggests that understanding the forms of algorithmic rationality employed in such inquiry is crucial for charting the place of data science within the contemporary academy and knowledge economy more generally.


The students in class X 2 of MAN 3 Kediri generally consider PKN less important lesson. As a result, the students are reluctant to know the material. In class, they become passive, unexcited, and have difficulty in understanding the material of PKN given by the teacher. Therefore, special learning strategyis needed to enhance students' motivation to learn PKN materials. Learning strategy in this study is "In The News". The procedure of"In The News approach" is that students are divided into groups in which each group has to bring articles, headlines, editorials or certain caricatures as teachers expected.Each group chooses one article of their interest to be presented and discussed; Another student noted the key points of the presentation the discussion. The research data shows that an increase in students' motivation and comparedto the results of the previous and the last cycle. Thus we can conclude that from the aspect of affective (motivation) approaches used have positive impact. Keywords : PKN, class X of MAN 3 Kediri, In The News, Motivation introduction


Introduction: Continuous one-to-one support for women in childbirth has been demonstrated through a meta-analysis and several studies to improve maternal and infant outcomes and yet is not implemented in most public sector health facilities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the opinions of women, community members and health professionals in an urban Zimbabwe setting, towards the notion of lay birth companions present during labour and delivery. Methods: Brief interviews were conducted with key informants and service-users selected using convenience sampling at an urban polyclinic. The opinions of obstetricians were obtained through consultations held at a central government hospital. Responses were recorded, analysed and grouped under themes that focused on the desirability of the intervention, opinions on who would be suitable candidates for such roles as well as the opinions of the relevant health professionals. Results: Overall 73.3% of all respondents supported the idea of birth companions and 43.6% of respondents opted for the husband as the best person to assume the role. About 80% of health professionals support the concept but cited logistical and cultural issues as barriers. Those against the idea felt it was unnecessary, the support from nurses was sufficient, and the presence of husbands in the delivery room would be culturally inappropriate. Conclusion: The involvement of birth companions supporting women during childbirth could be promoted as a low cost preventive intervention to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes, though cultural and structural barriers still remain to be overcome. Women relatives or trained lay supporters may be more acceptable as birth companions than male partners for privacy reasons.


This article examines the linguistic appropriation and deflection of blame in the witness testimonies and evidence-gathering processes of the South Yorkshire Police (SYP) following the 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster. It specifically focuses on patterns of stylistic features, such as negation and syntactic foregrounding, which, it is argued, function to encode alternative institutionally congruent stories. It employs schema theory to explore how a 'hooligan' narrative was readily invoked and accepted by the SYP. Moreover, it addresses instances of both self-incrimination and the upgrading of police efficacy within statements produced by the South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service (SYMAS), and offers a linguistic analysis that points to police involvement in the construction of the SYMAS testimonies.


An unlogged and ungrazed ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir landscape in the Colorado Front Range provides critical information for restoring forests in the South Platte watershed. A frame-based model was used to describe the relationship among the four primary patch conditions in the 35-km2 Cheesman Lake landscape: (1) openings, (2) ponderosa pine forest, (3) ponderosa pine/Douglasfir forest, and (4) persistent old growth. Each condition is possible over time at any nonriparian site, with fire and tree recruitment the primary processes causing changes from one condition to another. The Forest Vegetation Simulator model was used to estimate forest conditions at Cheesman Lake in 1900, prior to fire suppression effects. These results and 1896 Cheesman Lake photographs indicate that more than 90 percent of the historical landscape had a crown closure of 30 percent or less, compared with less than 50 percent of current nearby forests affected by logging, grazing, tree planting, and fire suppression. The historical fire regime was mixed severity, and passive crown fire was probably more common than active crown fire. Currently, surrounding forests have almost no openings, little old growth, high tree density, and increased Douglas- fir. Fire behavior has switched to a crown fire regime with sometimes catastrophic results. Historical Cheesman Lake forest landscape conditions are being used to guide restoration of surrounding forests.


Involuntary clenching is common during physical exercise; therefore, the purposeof this study was to elucidate the relationship between stomatognathic function and physical exercise as well as role and mechanism of involuntary teeth clenching during physical exercise.In 15 healthy, fully dentate males (mean age 26.5±2.1), electromyographic activities from jaw closing (JM), sternocleidomastoid, biceps brachial (BB), and rectus femoral (RF) muscles; mandibular positions; and muscle strength during both isometric elbow flexion and knee extensionexercises were recorded and analyzed.From the analysis of electromyographic activities and mandibular position, the subjects were divided into two groups, Clenching group (n=9) and Non-clenching group (n=6). The subjects in the Clenching group showed involuntary clenching during the exercise and their mandibular positions were located at the inter-cuspal position. The onset of electromyographic activity of JM was earlier than that of the agonist (BB, RF) in the 7 subjectsof the Clenching group. In the Clenching group, both elbow flexion and knee extension strength with involuntary clenching were lowered when voluntary mouth opening was directed during the exercise.These results suggested that stomatognathic function and physical exercise had an interdependent relationship and involuntary clenching during physical exercise could be explained by a so-called feedforward mechanism.


Images or videos recorded in public areas may contain personal data such as license plates. According to German law, one is not allowed to save the data without permission of the affected people or an immediate anonymization of personal information in the recordings. As asking for and obtaining permission is practically impossible for one thing and then again, manual anonymization time consuming, an automated license plate detection and localization system is developed. For the implementation, a two-stage neural net approach is chosen that hierarchically combines a YOLOv3 model for vehicle detection and another YOLOv3 model for license plate detection. The model is trained using a specifically composed dataset that includes synthesized images, the usage of low-quality or non-annotated datasets as well as data augmentation methods. The license plate detection system is quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated, yielding an average precision (AP) of 98.73% for an intersection over union threshold of 0.3 on the openALPR dataset and showing an outstanding robustness even for rotated, small scaled or partly covered license plates.


The goals of this study were to evaluate the persistence and the virulence potential of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from beef carcasses obtained in processing facilities in the Southern region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, based on pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), invasion ability in human colorectal carcinoma cells (HCT-116), InlA expression by western blot (WB) and identification of mutation points in the inlA . PFGE profiles demonstrated that L. monocytogenes isolates were grouped based on their previously identified lineages and serogroups (lineage I: serogroups IIb, n = 2, and IVb, n = 5; lineage II, serogroup IIc, n = 5), isolates with indistinguishable genetic profiles by this method were obtained from different slaughterhouses and sampling steps, with up to 3-year interval. Seven isolates showed high invasion ability (2.4 to 7.4%, lineage I, n = 6, lineage II, n = 1) in HCT and expressed InlA. Five isolates showed low cell invasion ability (0.6 to 1.4%, lineage I, n = 1, lineage II, n = 4) and did not express InlA, and two of them (lineage II, serogroup IIc) presented mutations in inlA leading to a premature stop codon (PMSC) type 19, at position 326 (GAA → TAA). The results demonstrated that most of L. monocytogenes isolates from Lineage I expressed InlA and were the most invasive in HCT indicating their high virulence potential, while most isolates from Lineage II showed attenuated invasion due to non-expression of InlA and the presence of PMSC type 19 in inlA . The obtained results demonstrated that L. monocytogenes with indistinguishable PFGE profiles can be persisting or being reintroduced in beef processing facilities in the studied region and differences on their virulence potential based on their lineages and serogroups.


Spontaneous regression of a bulla in the lung is rare. We describe a case of spontaneous regression associated with the development of adenocarcinoma of the lung in a 59-year-old male smoker. The bulla had begun to regress spontaneously at least six months before lung cancer was detected on a chest radiograph. He underwent left upper lobe lobectomy with mediastinal node dissection. The tumor arose within the bulla, extending along the bulla wall. He has been alive for more than eight years with no evidence of recurrence. This case suggests that spontaneous regression of a bulla should be recognized as one of the early radiographic signs of the development of lung cancer in patients with bullous lung disease.