In upstream vectored DSL systems using zero-forcing generalized decision feedback equalizers (ZF-GDFE), different decoding orders cause performance tradeoffs among the users. In this paper, these tradeoffs are characterized by formulating optimization problems with practical constraints. Lagrange dual decomposition and a two-step algorithm are used to solve the dual problems optimally with the computational complexity linear in the number of DMT tones. However, solving the tonal subproblem, which is shared by all the proposed optimization problems, associates with a high-complexity exhaustive search of K\ orderings, where K is the number of users. Thus, this paper proposes two low-complexity algorithms in order to find suboptimal orderings: successive ordering search (SOS) with complexity O(K4) and modified greedy search (MGA) with complexity O(K3). Numerical results show that MGA performs well enough in finding the achievable rate region. For problems related to feasibility check, SOS is suitable for closely approximating the optimal solution.


Chitin was extracted from the exoskeleton of the short-horned grasshopper ( Schistocerca gregaria ). Chitosan was then obtained by alkaline deacetylation of chitin and physicochemically characterized using Fourier Transformed Infra red Spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Chitin and chitosan were extracted using the conventional Acid-base reaction methods. The FTIR Spectroscopy of the chitosan from male and female short-horned grasshopper revealed that the obtained chitosan is in alpha (α) polymorphic form. This fact was confirmed by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) which shows the morphology of the chitosans from both species of the grasshopper. Solubility test of the extracts have shown that male grasshopper chitosan is much more soluble in 10% acetic acid than the corresponding female grasshopper chitosan obtained under the same experimental conditions. Keywords: Chitin, chitosan, Deacetylation, solubility and percentage yield


Immunization is the process or the act of making individuals immune, which is usually done during childhood. Everyone is aware about immunization during childhood, however, very few know about adult immunization. This led us to review the adult immunization literature for the preventive strategies through various vaccination protocols. Adults do require vaccination protocols with booster doses for hepatitis B, Shingles, communicable diseases, traveler's diseases, etc. In this context, this article revises much of the available adult immunization literature and presents comprehensive guidelines. This article will increase the awareness regarding the importance of vaccination for adults to prevent a variety of conditions prevalent in our country as well as epidemics. The article comprehensively provides insights into the available vaccination and preventive strategy of human papilloma virus (HPV), hepatitis, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in this part of the review. We strongly recommend all the health care professionals to educate their co-professionals and the public to use the benefits of adult immunization. It is the need of the hour and reduces the burden of treatment and increases productivity.


Coumarin 6 (C6) briskly aggregates in water, and as a result, rapidly loses fluorescence. However, vicinal hydrophobic cavity can induce disintegration of the aggregates, and thus reviving the fluorescence. It is shown that carrier protein, such as bovine serum albumin (BSA), can disintegrate the microcrystals of C6 to smaller fragments and trap them inside the hydrophobic domain of the folded protein. This results into a 12-fold enhancement in the fluorescence signal of C6. However, on unfolding BSA by micelles, the C6 microcrystals break into single molecules by getting trapped in the micelles, and hence emission enhances by more than 100-folds.


One of the hydraulic flow types in pipes is transient flow, which is specifically called water hammer. Transient flows start from a steady state and end to another steady flow. Several calculation methods introduced to study water hammer phenomenon, and have been used since 1950. One of the applied methods is Joukowski equation, which has been selected as the manual solution in this study. Because of ignorance of momentum in most of the pipeline design software such as WaterCad and WaterGems, they can not calculate unsteady flow. So it is important to launch specific software to calculate unsteady flow especially water hammer. In fact Hammer and Hytran software are numerical simulations of hydraulic phenomenon of water hammer in conduits of water, sewage and industrial sewage. In this study the ability of these software are compared with Joukowski equation solution method. For this purpose maximum pressure of water hammer in pump at sudden shut-off condition with no control equipment is studied using Hammer & Hytran software and Joukowski equation. Results show an overestimated water hammer pressure in Joukowski equation solution. Hytran and Hammer software calculate the surge pressure rate 23% and 32% less than Joukowski equation, respectively.


Abstract We compared the 2-year major clinical outcomes between ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-STEMI (NSTEMI) in patients who are current smokers who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with newer-generation drug-eluting stents (DESs). The availability of data in this regard is limited. A total of 8357 AMI patients were included and divided into 2 groups: the STEMI group (n = 5124) and NSTEMI group (n = 3233). The primary endpoint was the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), defined as all-cause death, recurrent myocardial infarction (re-MI), or coronary repeat revascularization. The secondary endpoints were the cumulative incidences of the individual components of MACE and stent thrombosis (definite or probable). After propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis, 2 PSM groups (2250 pairs, C-statistics = 0.795) were generated. In the PSM patients, both for 1 month and at 2 years, the cumulative incidence of MACE (P = .183 and P = .655, respectively), all-cause death, cardiac death, re-MI, all-cause death or MI, any repeat revascularization, and stent thrombosis (P = .998 and P = .341, respectively) was not significantly different between the STEMI and NSTEMI groups. In addition, these results were confirmed using multivariate analysis. In the era of contemporary newer-generation DESs, both during 1 month and at 2 years after index PCI, the major clinical outcomes were not significantly different between the STEMI and NSTEMI groups confined to the patients who are current smokers. However, further research is needed to confirm these results.


The problem of recommending tours to travellers is an important and broadly studied area. Suggested solutions include various approaches of points-of-interest (POI) recommendation and route planning. We consider the task of recommending a sequence of POIs, that simultaneously uses information about POIs and routes. Our approach unifies the treatment of various sources of information by representing them as features in machine learning algorithms, enabling us to learn from past behaviour. Information about POIs are used to learn a POI ranking model that accounts for the start and end points of tours. Data about previous trajectories are used for learning transition patterns between POIs that enable us to recommend probable routes. In addition, a probabilistic model is proposed to combine the results of POI ranking and the POI to POI transitions. We propose a new F1 score on pairs of POIs that capture the order of visits. Empirical results show that our approach improves on recent methods, and demonstrate that combining points and routes enables better trajectory recommendations.


Coastal land management are expected not only serves as an erosion control (wind), but also serves to increase farmer's incomes. This study aims to analyze the income and the potential production of conservation farming system on coastal land in Bantul. The survey was conducted in the village of Srigading and Gadingsari Bantul. Income and potential production of four main commodities, namely red onions, red peppers, eggplant, and sweet potatoes were analyzed using Technical Efficiency Effect Model. Results of the study showed that from 0.1 hectares of coastal land, the farmers obtain the highest revenue of red pepper, which amounted to Rp 3.9 million in the dry season 1 and Rp 2.5 in the dry season 2; followed by red onions income, amounted to Rp 2.1 million in the rainy season and Rp1.6 in the dry season; while eggplant provide the lowest income, which amounted to Rp 98 thousand in the rainy season. The estimation results of Cobb-Douglas Stochastic Frontier Model with MLE method showed an increase in the potential of onion in the rainy season by 7.4%; eggplant 11.4% and 10.2% sweet potato. In the dry season 1, there is an increase in onion production by 10.6%; red Chili 4% and 5.6% sweet potato. While in the dry season 2, there is an increased production of red onion and eggplant by 4.1% at 6.1%.


Yutian (Cry to Heaven) is the third Chinese stage adaptation of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin between 1907 and 2007. The first, Heinu yutian lu (Black Slave's Cry to Heaven) by Zeng Xiaogu, was staged by Chinese students in Tokyo in 1907; the second, Heinu hen (Regret of the Black Slaves) by Ouyang Yuqian, was mounted as part of the fiftieth anniversary of the first production; and the third, Yutian (Cry to Heaven), commemorated the hundredth anniversary of Chinese spoken drama (huaju) in 2007. Each adaptation has a different focus that reflects the social, political, and cultural conditions of its time, and together the works provide a historical view of the development of Chinese spoken drama. The most recent production, by Nick Rongjun Yu, juxtaposes one hundred years of dramatic history with scenes from Uncle Tom's Cabin, making the American slaves' struggle to gain freedom a metaphor for Chinese dramatists' efforts to achieve their own.  Yu Rongjun, also known as Nick Rongjun Yu, is the author of more than twenty plays, including Renmo gouyang (Dog's Face), WWW.COM, and Tiantang gebi shi fengrenyuan (The Asylum Next to Heaven). His plays have won many prizes in China and have been performed in Hong Kong, Taipei, the United States, and other countries. Besides being a playwright, he is director of programming and marketing for the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center.  Shiao-ling Yu is an associate professor of Chinese at Oregon State University. Her research interests are Chinese drama (both classical and modern), modern Chinese literature, and Chinese women writers. She is the translator and editor of the anthology Chinese Drama after the Cultural Revolution, 1979–1989 (1996 ), which was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowship. Her other publications have appeared in various book anthologies and scholarly journals such as Asian Theatre Journal, TDR: The Drama Review, CHINOPERL Papers, Journal of Chinese Philosophy, The China Quarterly, Concerning Poetry, Renditions, Tamkang Review, Honglou meng yanjiu jikan (Studies of the Dream of the Red Chamber), and Dushu (Reading ).


Abstract 2875 Background: Chronic infection by B-cell tropic viruses can lead to B-cell malignancy via the direct transformation of infected B-lymphocytes or indirectly via cell transformation consecutive to chronic antigen-driven stimulation. In the context of infection by Hepatitis C virus (HCV), the monoclonal immunoglobulin (Ig mc) that arise are typically directed against the virus ( Blood 2008; 112 :4357). Moreover, the two mechanisms may occur simultaneously ( New Engl J Med 2003; 348 :178 ). Here we studied 11 patients diagnosed with monoclonal Ig of undetermined significance (MGUS, 3 cases) or multiple myeloma (MM, 8 cases) for whom HCV and/or Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) serologic status was known. Aim: To determine the specificity of monoclonal Ig of MGUS and MM patients chronically infected with HCV or EBV. Methods: Monoclonal Ig were purified as described ( Blood 2008; 112 :4357) . Three of the 11 patients were positive for HCV. For the 8 HCV-negative patients, EBV tests showed that 4 had a positive serology (IgG) for both Epstein Barr Nuclear Antigen (EBNA) and Viral Capside Antigen (VCA); the 4 other patients were negative for both EBNA and VCA. Sera and purified monoclonal Ig were tested using novel HCV and EBV specific epitope arrays generated by spotting affinity-purified recombinant proteins (either core and non structural HCV proteins or EBNA and VCA epitopic peptides) in 4 replicates on nitrocellulose-coated slides. After saturation with blocking solution, slides were incubated with serum or purified monoclonal Ig. After washing, slides were incubated with a labelled secondary antibody (Dylight™ 680 Labelled Goat anti-human IgG (H+L) (KPL)) in the dark, washed, scanned and fluorescence signals were detected using a ScanArray Microarray Analysis system (PerkinElmer). Results: Using the HCV/EBV antigen array described above, purified monoclonal Ig from the 3 HCV-positive patients (1 MGUS, 2 MM) specifically recognized HCV, either the core protein (2 patients) or the NS-4 protein (1 patient). For 3 of the 4 EBV-positive patients (1 MGUS/smoldering myeloma, 2 MM), purified monoclonal Ig specifically recognized EBNA. The HCV/EBV arrays were specific as no significant fluorescent signal was observed in the following control conditions: sera or purified monoclonal Ig from HCV-negative patients, tested on HCV proteins; purified monoclonal Ig of patients with a negative serology for EBNA and VCA, tested for EBV epitopic peptides; EBNA-specific purified monoclonal Ig, tested for EBV VCA epitopes. Conclusion: Certain monoclonal Ig of EBV-positive MM patients are specific for EBNA, and monoclonal Ig of HCV-infected MGUS and MM patients are directed against HCV. Thus for subsets of MM, the first events triggering progression toward plasma cell malignancy can be viral infection and abnormal –monoclonal- response to it. Since anti-viral therapy could help eradicate the virus-driven plasma cell clone, efforts should be made to identify such patients, preferably at the MGUS stage. The novel HCV and EBV antigen arrays we developed should be tests of choice. Disclosures: Moreau: Janssen: Advisory board, Honoraria; Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Advisory board, Honoraria.


305 measured on the SF-36. In general, depression was not associated with a diagnosis of either asthma or COPD. Conclusions: The prevalence of depression was higher than in previous studies. Importantly, depression was more common in people with signifi cant health risk factors but not with chronic lung diseases. Regular exercise was associated with a reduction in rates of depression. The possible reasons for this will be examined.


Triphalangeal thumb is characterized by the interposition of an extra-phalanx between two normal ones. In this article the authors present the case of a 24-year-old man with bilateral triphalangeal thumb of opposable type, without any other associated anomaly or genetic syndrome. The patient had triangular delta extra-phalanxes that caused ulnar deviation of both thumbs. Surgical procedure for the correction of the congenital anomaly consisted of a closing wedge osteotomy and distal interphlangeal joint arthrodesis in the left thumb, and a wedge osteotomy in the deformed distal phalanx of the right thumb. Appearance and precision function of hands considerably improved 6 months after the operation, and there was no major stiffness in proximal interphalangeal joints of thumbs.


The thermal diffusivity of gadolinium in the temperature range 25-900 degrees C has been measured with application of the laser flash method. The thermal conductivity has been deduced by using published specific heat and density data. Despite the debated values at room temperature, the thermal conductivity of gadolinium is very low compared with that of almost any other pure metal.


Tailor Welded Blank (TWB) is a top-welding technique (by unconventional processes) of sheets of different specifications (materials, thicknesses and/or coatings). Because it allows localised distribution of mechanical properties and mass, it can optimise the relationship between structural rigidity and total weight. The great challenge of this technique is to combine two processes with completely different demands, welding and mechanical forming. This work investigates the mechanical behavior of sheets obtained by the Tailor-blank process from the determination of the optimum angle. We performed tensile tests on sheets with different weld line inclinations, as the general objective is to consolidate knowledge about the process, characterise the conditions for sheet formation obtained by the technique, in a safe conformation range, with complex contours, dimensional qualities and free of catastrophic failure. Steel sheets, interstitial free (IF), of 1.10mm and 0.65mm thick were used. The TWB was applied with a welding line oriented from 0º to 90º (ranging from 15° to 15°). The optimum angle obtained was 30º, where there was a good relationship between the breaking load, purely tensile and shear stresses, and the total elongation. In relation to the angle of 0º, the optimum angle presented a superior elongation of approximately 40%. It was still possible to notice that the thickness of the plates influenced the optimum angle, even if the LSR (Limit Strength Ratio) is close.


The obvious advantages resulting from the improved thermal performance achieved with enhanced heat-exchanger tubes are a reduction of the energy consumption and/or a reduction in the heat- exchanger size and cost. On the other hand, the improvement in the heat-transfer performance comes with an increased pressure-drop penalty. It is equally important to be able to predict both the pressure-drop and the heat-transfer performance of enhanced tubes in order to properly evaluate their effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that numerical modeling can be used to predict the pressure drop in heat-exchanger tubes with transverse, repeated ribs. The maximum departure from experimental results was about 50% but for most cases the departures were much less, especially for the smaller rib heights and larger rib spacings. This successful demonstration of numerical modeling was obtained, however, for one of least complicated enhancement flow fields. 28 refs., 6 figs.


Theoretical methods, emphasizing on various physical effects with a variety of accuracy, have been employed to obtain the atomic data for opacity calculations. For energy levels and oscillator strength, one‐ and multi‐ configurational self‐consistent schemes in both full relativistic and non‐relativistic forms have been used to show how the detailed treatment of the electronic correlations and the relativistic effects, affects the finally calculated opacity. Quantum mechanical and semi‐classical approaches have been used to deal with the electron impact broadening of the spectral lines. One channel and multi‐channel close‐coupling approaches have been applied in the calculations of the photoionization cross sections. With the channel coupling, we have shown the importance of the autoionization effects for the transmission spectra. As examples, x‐ray transmission spectra and the spectra‐resolved opacities of Al, Fe, and Au are presented based on the so‐called detailed‐term (or level)‐accounting treatments for the atomic data.


Secret sharing is an efficient method of transmitting the image securely. This paper discusses an efficient secret sharing scheme. It has been shown through the experimental result that the proposed scheme transmits the image secretly and then efficiently recovers the same at the receiver end. The scheme is general in nature and can be applied on any image size. The scheme comprises of the important algorithms namely share generation algorithm and combination algorithm. The share generation algorithm generates the share of secret image and the combination algorithm combines the secure parts to get the original image within a very short time with a high level of security.


Objectives Our study aimed to apply the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values to quantify the differences between low- and high-grade glioma tumors. Methods We conducted a multicenter, retrospective study between September to December 2019. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diffusion-weighted images (DWIs), and the pathologic findings of 56 patients with glioma tumors (low grade = 28 and high grade = 28) were assessed to measure the ADC values in the tumor center, tumor edema, boundary area between tumor with normal tissue, and inside the healthy hemisphere. These values were compared between the two groups, and cut-off values were calculated using the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results We saw significant differences between the mean ADC values measured in the tumor center and edema between high- and low-grade tumors (p< 0.005). The ADC values in the boundary area between tumors with normal tissue and inside healthy hemisphere did not significantly differ in the groups. The ADC values at tumor center and edema were higher than 1.12 × 10-3 mm2/s (sensitivity = 100% and specificity = 96.0%) and 1.15 × 10-3 mm2/s (sensitivity = 75.0% and specificity = 64.0%), respectively, could be classified as low-grade tumors. Conclusions The ADC values from the MRI DWIs in the tumor center and edema could be used as an appropriate method for investigating the differences between low- and high-grade glioma tumors. The ADC values in the boundary area and healthy tissues had no diagnostic values in grading the glioma tumors.


The complex mitochondrial network makes it very challenging to segment, follow, and analyze live cells. MATLAB tools allow the analysis of mitochondria in timelapse files, considerably simplifying and speeding up the process of image processing. Nonetheless, existing tools produce a large output volume, requiring individual manual attention, and basic experimental setups have an output of thousands of files, each requiring extensive and time-consuming handling. To address these issues, a routine optimization was developed, in both MATLAB code and live-script forms, allowing for swift file analysis and significantly reducing document reading and data processing. With a speed of 100 files/min, the optimization allows an overall rapid analysis. The optimization achieves the results output by averaging frame-specific data for individual mitochondria throughout time frames, analyzing data in a defined manner, consistent with those output from existing tools. Live confocal imaging was performed using the dye tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester, and the routine optimization was validated by treating neuronal cells with retinoic acid receptor (RAR) agonists, whose effects on neuronal mitochondria are established in the literature. The results were consistent with the literature and allowed further characterization of mitochondrial network behavior in response to isoform-specific RAR modulation. This new methodology allowed rapid and validated characterization of whole-neuron mitochondria network, but it also allows for differentiation between axon and cell body mitochondria, an essential feature to apply in the neuroscience field. Moreover, this protocol can be applied to experiments using fast-acting treatments, allowing the imaging of the same cells before and after treatments, transcending the field of neuroscience.


We introduce the notion of defocusing gravitational lens considering a MACHO located behind a light source with respect to an observer. The consequence of defocusing effect is a temporal variability of star luminosity which produces a gap instead of a peak as tell-tale signature in the light curve. A general theory of (de)focusing rays (geodesics) in a gravitational field is presented. Furthermore, we give estimations of the mass of the lens and the optical depth connected to such phenomenon.


: Qualitative assessments of landscape resources can best be approached through direct measurement of landscape perceptions. Results from a survey of one District in Hertfordshire, England, show this approach not only to be viable but also to yield much information relevant to plans for landscape improvement and protection. Consensus was high and the socio-economic variables generally had little effect on evaluations. Residential location was important in affecting landscape perceptions, resulting in an urban/rural variation in results. For detailed surveys of landscape resources prior to planned landscape change this public-participation approach to landscape resources is recommended in preference to methods based on statistical prediction or professional judgment alone.


Objectives To explore the gene polymorphism of a new susceptibility gene Anoctamin 6 (ANO6) related to disease risk of Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), and the abnormal expression of ANO6 in AS patients. And provide theoretical basis for ANO6 involved in the pathogenesis of AS. Methods Direct sequencing was performed to explore disease-related SNP in exon and transcription regulatory region of ANO6 between 417AS patients and 541 healthy controls (HCs), and linkage disequilibrium and haplotype analysis was used with candidate SNP. RT-PCR was performed to test the difference of the expression of mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) between 40 AS patients and 32 HCs. Immunohistochemistry was employed to discover the difference of protein expression in tendon tissues between 9 AS patients and 5 control subjects. Results Age and sex were not significantly different between AS cases and controls. Our study found that risk alleles of 5 SNP loci (rs79662606, rs76186361, rs17095830, rs80224086 and rs75712006)had a significant correlation with the susceptibility of AS, and strong linkage disequilibrium among each two of SNP loci. Haplotype analysis dicovered a higher proportion of GTGCG, CATGTA and ACGTA in cases (p<0.001). The expression of mRNA of peripheral blood mononuclear cells is 0.49±0.21 in AS cases and 0.86±0.38 in HCs, and the difference is significant (p<0.001). The expression of ANO6 protein went up in tendon tissues (p=0.001), and average Histoscore of IHC in 9 AS patients (182.22±30.732) was significantly higher than in 5 controls (62.00±35.637)(P=0.001). Conclusions ANO6 is the new susceptibility gene of AS and risky haplotype is GTGCG, ATGTA and ACGTA. The risky haplotype have no relationship with phenotype of AS. The expression of mRNA of PBMCs decreased while the expression of ANO6 protein went up in tendon tissues, which suggested that ANO6 might participant in the generation and development of AS. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Communication latencies and delays are a major source of performance degradation in parallel computing systems. It is important to "mask" these communication delays by overlapping them with useful computation in order to obtain good parallel performance. This article proposes speculative computation as a technique to mask communication latencies in synchronous iterative algorithms. Processors speculate the contents of messages that are not yet received and perform computation based on the speculated values. When the messages are received, they are compared with the speculated values and, if the error is unacceptable, the resulting computation is corrected or recomputed. If the error is small, the speculated value is accepted and the processor has masked the communication delay. The technique, applied to N-body simulations yielded a performance improvement of up to 34%.


Abstract:  Transcriptional profiling and functional genomics experiments using E11.5 metanephros organ cultures from Ahr–/– and Ahr+/+ have shown that aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) transcription factor is involved in the regulation of mesenchymal‐to‐epithelial transition (MET) during nephrogenesis. This response is mediated by alterations in the post‐transcriptional control of Wilms' tumor suppressor (Wt1) gene and Wt1 splicing. In this article, biologically relevant gene predictor sets of the nephrogenic response were calculated for target genes of interest. The predictability of the gene set for each target was quantified by the coefficient of determination which provided a good criterion for identification of predictor sets that define the complex gene–gene interactions co‐regulated by Ahr and Wt1. A subset of the signature genes was found to be co‐regulated by Ahr and Wt1 and was responsible for shifts in renal cell transdifferentiation.


This work presents an overview over heterogeneous photocatalysis performed in gas phase towards the degradation of o-xylene, n-hexane, n-octane, n-decane, methylcyclohexane and 2,2,4-trimethylpentane. The experimental set-up composed by a titanium plug flow reactor vessel contained a quartz tube with a 100 W UV lamp placed at center position from 1.7 cm to the quartz wall. A titanium dioxide film was immobilized on the internal walls of the reactor and used as catalyst. All measurements were taken after reaching steady state condition and evaluated at the inlet and outlet of the system. Conversion rates were studied in a wide range of residence times yielding to a 90% or above conversion as from 20 seconds of residence time. During experiments the temperature of reactor's wall was monitored and remained between 52 and 62 °C. Temperature influence over degradation rates was negligible once a control experiment performed at 15 °C did not modify outgoing results. Humidity effect was also evaluated showing an ideal working range of 10 - 80% with abrupt conversion decay outside the range. By varying inlet concentration between 60 and 110 ppmv the VOC degradation curves remained unchanged. Loss over catalytic activity was only observed for o-xylene after 30 minutes of reaction, the catalyst was reactivated with a solution of hydrogen peroxide and UV light followed by additional deposition of the catalytic layer. The kinetic study suggests a first order reaction rate. Implications: The study of effective and economically viable techniques on the treatment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has being highlighted as an important parameter on the environmental research. The heterogeneous photocatalysis in gas phase was proved to be an effective process for the degradation of the nonaromatic VOCs tested, yielding high conversion values for the optimized systems.


Indices of the functional activity of specific serum antibodies (IFAA) before and after outbreaks of influenza A (H3N2) and B were determined in 164 subjects of 18-20 years of age from the military communities observed in 1987-1988. The IFAA were calculated on the basis of kinetic HI tests followed by computer processing according to the program developed by the authors. The IFAA were found to indicate the protection of human subjects against influenza, reflecting the state of resistance to influenza more exactly than antibody titres. High initial IFAA correlated with lower severity of influenza infection. The IFAA to the same strain may differ significantly in individual subjects. In patients with influenza the time course of antibody titres did not coincide with dynamic changes in IFAA.


Dementias of the Alzheimer type seem to be frequently accompanied by language disturbances. These may represent a feature which can be of help in distinguishing them from other types of dementias. We used the Aachen aphasia test in 32 patients suffering from Alzheimer dementia according to research criteria, and a mixed sample of 35 patients suffering from other dementias. From these 2 groups 2 subsamples of 21 patients each were gathered which were comparable with regard to age, disease onset, level of education, verbal intelligence and severity of senility. Nevertheless it was possible to distinguish the groups to a certain degree on grounds of psychometric language criteria alone. Alzheimer patients were more severely handicapped communicatively, less dysarthric, produced more automatisms and discretely more phonemic paraphasias with fluent speech which was sometimes paragrammatic. A relatively better level of repetition compared to the Token test and written language was fairly specific. A computer-assisted classification yielded language disturbances similar to Wernicke's aphasia more often than with non-Alzheimer dementias. We found no Alzheimer patients with a Broca's type of language disorder, while amnestic and global types were bound to the level of overall impairment to a certain degree. The significance of these results with regard to the use of psychometric language test in the dementias, particularly Alzheimer's dementia, and to differential diagnostic considerations are reviewed briefly.


The high standards of performance required by a professional athlete can only be achieved by a totally healthy individual, so that oral health becomes very important. The aim of this article is to describe the relationship between oral health and sports performance and the role that sports dentistry plays in improving it. Food changes, characterized by high carbohydrate consumption, qualitative and quantitative variations of saliva, as well as the need to improve oral hygiene are all aspects to be considered by professional and amateur athletes. Sports Dentistry is the specialty responsible for the study, revision, control, prevention and treatment of orofacial injuries with their manifestations and related diseases, for maintenance of oral health in the athlete, as well as, the dissemination and information of new knowledge related to oral health and sport, applied in the world of sports competition, both amateur and professional, as the study of non-dental injuries that occur during a dentofacial trauma. In the case of professional teams it is recommended that the oral examination be performed before the beginning of the season, as well as periodic monitoring by the dentist which is important to prevent, the appearance of decay, periodontal disease, trauma and other dental pathologies that may interfere with the health and performance of professional athletes.


Three simple procedures were developed to determine strain energy release rates, G, in composite skin/stringer specimens for various combinations of uniaxial and biaxial (in-plane/out-of-plane) loading conditions. These procedures may be used for parametric design studies in such a way that only a few finite element computations will be necessary for a study of many load combinations. The results were compared with mixed mode strain energy release rates calculated directly from nonlinear two-dimensional plane-strain finite element analyses using the virtual crack closure technique. The first procedure involved solving three unknown parameters needed to determine the energy release rates. Good agreement was obtained when the external loads were used in the expression derived. This superposition technique, however, was only applicable if the structure exhibits a linear load/deflection behavior. Consequently, a second modified technique was derived which was applicable in the case of nonlinear load/deformation behavior. The technique, however, involved calculating six unknown parameters from a set of six simultaneous linear equations with data from six nonlinear analyses to determine the energy release rates. This procedure was not time efficient, and hence, less appealing. Finally, a third procedure was developed to calculate mixed mode energy release rates as a function of delamination lengths. This procedure required only one nonlinear finite element analysis of the specimen with a single delamination length to obtain a reference solution for the


BackgroundNon-invasive identification and characterization of mildly stenotic atherosclerotic lesions is an increasingly important focus of coronary imaging. DesignWe examined the accuracy of multi (16)-slice computed tomography (MSCT) for imaging of these lesions in comparison with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). MaterialsMildly stenotic segments of the left coronary artery were identified by coronary angiography and analyzed using IVUS and contrast-enhanced MSCT. Independent reviewers evaluated the accuracy of MSCT for presence, composition and distribution of atherosclerotic plaque and remodeling response in comparison to IVUS using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) data analysis. ResultsOf 46 segments in 14 patients, diagnostic characterization by MSCT was possible in 37 (80.4%) segments. In these segments the accuracy of MSCT for identifying plaque presence, calcification, distribution and positive remodeling was consistently greater than 0.90 (reader 1) and 0.87 (reader 2). ConclusionState-of-the-art MSCT can accurately identify mildly stenotic coronary atherosclerosis and provide an assessment of morphology and remodeling response.


This article forms part of the ESCalate Help Directory for Teacher Educators and was written by Dr Alison Hramiak, of Sheffield Hallam University. The purpose of this document is to share some ideas on assessment and feedback in Higher Education - although the principles described could just as easily be implemented in other types of educational institutions. It is not intended as a formal academic document, rather, it is intended that the document be used to refresh practitioners on the whys and hows of assessment and feedback, with some practical advice on how to go about applying the principles described within the article. It is presented as an online article and a single Word document of some 4 pages


This paper examines China's outward foreign direct investment into Malaysia invested into the country, a relatively underexplored topic. Based on personal interviews with parties familiar with the investment of mainland Chinese linked companies (GLCs) in their cross-border investments, while a smaller GLCs in the Malaysian economy, a direct result of the country's ethnocentric economic redistribution model. However, the preference of mainland Chinese across the economic sectors. The preference for the GLCs decreases from the construction, to the manufacturing, and to the other services, agriculture, increases from the construction sector, to the manufacturing, and the other the capitalist development and state-society relations of Malaysia, outcomes of the country's decades-old political economic mantra of wealth redistribution along ethnic lines.


To the military State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), renamed the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)1 on 15 November, 1997 was probably viewed as a year of significant achievements even as it encountered some set-backs. Internationally, Myanmar2 entered the Association of South east Asian Nations (ASEAN), much to the chagrin of the regime's internal and external opposition, thereby conferring on the government an important added degree of international legitimacy it badly wanted and needed. Ethnic insur gencies continued to decline, removing a serious military drain on, if not threat to, the Yangon regime; only the Karen rebellion remained active, but it also was in increasing disarray. In these two areas SLORC was significantly strengthened. Yet there were serious internal and external problems that were exacer bated during this same period. A monetary crisis occurred when the exchange rate temporarily collapsed by almost one-half in June-July, but whether this reflected the general financial crisis in Southeast Asia or incessant internal economic anomalies, or both, is a matter of some dispute. This was followed by a devastating flood in lower Myanmar that was said to be the worst in fifty years and that destroyed a significant portion, some estimates say up to 20 per cent, of the total national rice crop. Rice in Myanmar is not simply the staple and a major traditional source of foreign exchange; its price is a critical indi cator of political stability or crisis. SLORC internally seemed to underplay the severity of the losses, apparently for this reason. Although urban economic expansion was evident, the opposition claimed that the economy was in an emergency. The government asserted that foreign investment of over US$6.3 billion had been approved, but only perhaps one third had actually been invested. Political stasis seemed evident internally, with the military-mandated Constitutional Convention in recess from approving the principles of a new Constitution mandated by the military, and no dia logue between SLORC and the leader of the opposition National League for


Extrinsic compression of the left atrium (LA) due to esophageal achalasia has been considered a rare occurrence. Patients might present with dysphagia, dyspnea, and even hemodynamic compromise simultaneously. Prompt detection with a thorough differential diagnosis is crucial for subsequent management. In this case report, we present a patient with LA compression by esophageal achalasia and performed a literature review to gather information as regards the clinical manifestation, diagnosis, and treatment strategy of this rare disease.A 59-year-old man with intermittent palpitation, heartburn sensation, and difficulty swallowing came to our emergency department due to acute onset of chest compression and breathlessness after a large meal. As per his chest X-ray, dilated mediastinum and small gastric bubble were noted. Electrocardiogram implied left atrial enlargement, and the Holter monitor reported one episode of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation attack during his meal. Transthoracic echocardiogram showed a round-shaped, well-bordered, hyperechogenic, and heterogeneous mass compressing the LA irrespective of the systolic or diastolic phase. A chest contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan was then performed, wherein it showed diffuse esophageal dilatation with a smoothly thickening wall aligned compressing the LA. Meanwhile, the barium swallow esophagogram revealed contrast pooling at the esophagogastric junction with a bird beak shape. Accordingly, extrinsic compression of LA by esophageal achalasia was diagnosed.Esophageal achalasia compressing LA has been considered rare. Remarkably, given that a patient is presenting with dysphagia and concurrent chest tightness, palpitation, and dyspnea after swallowing food, the clinicians should keep this diagnosis in mind. Careful history review to clarify the causal relationship between the symptoms, specific findings on electrocardiogram and chest X-ray, and utilization of echocardiography and esophagography are beneficial for a prompt and accurate diagnosis.


Given an indirected graph G = (V;E), a Vertex k-Separator is a subset of the vertex set V such that, when the separator is removed from the graph, the remaining vertices can be partitioned into k subsets that are pairwise edge-disconnected. In this paper we focus on the Balanced Vertex k-Separator Problem, i.e., the problem of finding a minimum cardinality separator such that the sizes of the resulting disconnected subsets are balanced. We present a compact Integer Linear Programming formulation for the problem, and present a polyhedral study of the associated polytope. We also present an Exponential-Size formulation, for which we derive a column generation and a branching scheme. Preliminary computational results are reported comparing the performance of the two formulations on a set of benchmark instances.


Cashing in on scientific discoveries in Russia is a formidable task. Products must be matched to the market, new channels of communication must be established, and Russia's image must develop from lumbering outsider to businesslike band of technologists, and all without a marketing budget. The author discusses the drive to market Russian technology abroad through small, regionally-based units. The role of Zelenograd Technopark in this process is discussed.


A novel approach to measure the dielectric constant of fabric substrate materials used for the development of wearable antennas (also called textile antennas) is presented in this paper. The technique reported here is based on the resonance method and focused on the use of microstrip patch radiator, which contains fabric material as its substrate. The accurate value of the dielectric constant of the fabric material can easily be extracted from the measured resonant frequency of the patch radiator. The dielectric constant values of six fabric materials, including jeans cotton, polyester combined cotton, and polyester, have been determined by this way. As an extended objective of this paper, initial investigations are done to study the performance/behavioral characteristics of wearable antennas in the Bluetooth industrial, scientific, and medical band. Two of the six textile antenna structures, developed to meet out the primary objective of determining the dielectric constant of fabrics, are tested, and their performance characteristics, such as impedance bandwidth, gain, efficiency, etc., are measured. In addition, another Bluetooth antenna employing polyester fabric substrate is designed considering its measured accurate value of dielectric constant and subjected to radiation pattern measurements. In general, all the measured antennas yield very good results, fulfilling the requirements for practical applications, and in particular, the third fabric antenna utilizing the accurate value of the dielectric constant determined shows superior performance characteristics compared to others, indicating the correctness of our approach. Thus, the suitability of fabric substrate materials for the development of textile antennas with microstrip patch configuration is also well demonstrated.


Blood smears of 27 cases of hemolytic disease of the newborn were studied intensively for erythrophagocytes. In 25 cases, the smears were positive for this phenomenon.

In a control series of 30 normal newborn infants, these cells were not found.

Prolonged search and optimum magnification of the smears were important factors in determining the presence or absence of erythrophagocytes in the cases under study.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For help and interest in this study, grateful acknowledgment is made to the late Dr. William A. Groat, to Dr. Tyree C. Wyatt, to Dr. Eugene L. Lozner and to the pediatric services of Crouse-Irving Hospital, Syracuse Memorial Hospital and The General Hospital of Syracuse. Special thanks are given to Viola Grant for technical assistance and to Stella Zimmer for the photomicrographs.


Part of the problem with people's ability to learn and retain information is physical and hereditary. It is because of a switch in your brain called the Reticular Activating System, and most people are unaware it even exists. I speak all over the world and have been asking my audiences for 20 years if they know what the Reticular Activating System is and 99 percent of the attendees have no idea that it exists. The Reticular Activating System does not just impact only a few people; it controls and dominates every one of them but certainly in different ways and on different levels.


This paper discusses the contribution of multipolarization radar data in monitoring flooding events in wetland areas of the Delta of the Parana/spl acute/ River, in Argentina. The discussion is based on the comparison between radiative transfer model simulations and ENVISAT Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar observations of two types of marshes: junco and cortadera. When these marshes are flooded, the radar response changes significantly. The differences in radar response between the flooded and nonflooded condition can be related to changes in the amount of emerged biomass. Based on this, we propose a vegetation-dependent flooding prediction scheme for two marsh structures: nearly vertical cylinders (junco-like) and randomly oriented discs (cortadera-like).


Strains of all Xanthomonas species, X. campestris pathovars pathogenic for cereals and grasses and strains of X. campestris pv. campestris were compared by SDS-PAGE of proteins, gas chromatography of fatty acid methyl esters and DNA-DNA hybridization. The groupings derived using all three methods correlated well with each other. Strains of X. axonopodis and X. campestris pv. vasculorum were heterogeneous, each comprising two groups (A and B); group A contained the type strain and pathovar reference strain, respectively. Besides the recognized Xanthomonas species X. albilineans, X. campestris, X. fragariae, X. maltophilia, X. oryzae and X. populi, the following five centres of variation could be delineated at DNA-binding levels of above 60%: (i) a group consisting of X. campestris pathovars translucens, hordei, cerealis, secalis, undulosa (the 'translucens group'), graminis, poae, arrhenatheri, phlei (the 'graminis group') and phleipratensis; (ii) X. axonopodis type A together with X. campestris pv. vasculorum type A and X. campestris pv. coracanae; (iii) a group of X. campestris pv. vasculorum type B and X. campestris pv. holcicola; (iv) Xanthomonas strains isolated from Bromus; and (v) strains isolated from sugarcane in Guadeloupe. The type B strains of X. axonopodis appeared to be misclassified in Xanthomonas. An interim proposal for an improved classification of Xanthomonas is presented on the basis of the data.


INSPIRE has without doubt been successful in creating the motivation, and in many cases stimulated the funding of national spatial data infrastructures within the EU and beyond. eSDI-NET plus has demonstrated the existence, effectiveness and importance of sub-national SDI. EuroGeographics is, through the ESDIN project, helping with the implementation of INSPIRE at local, regional and national level and in particular is helping to ensure that NSDIs can be aggregated to achieve the ambition of a European SDI. ESDIN aims to maximise the outcomes from the investments being, or to be made, within member states but also aims to provide cost effective solutions for the significant challenge of harmonising geo-information to provide useable and useful pan-European reference data. INSPIRE is in essence of course merely a piece of legislation which demands that member states do certain things in particular ways to encourage the sharing and use of information for a range of topics or domains. It is fundamental for the long term success of INSPIRE, GMES, SEIS and other important initiatives that we ensure that there is one location framework comprising authoritative, reliable, high quality and consistent reference information. We refer to this as the European Location Framework. Duplication, or substitution of the national geo-spatial reference framework and this harmonised at European level, is unnecessary and unjustified. It leads to a waste of public money, your money and mine, and creates uncertainty and eventually chaos for the effective analysis and reporting of vital environmental, social, economic and other information and would result in weak, ineffectual and costly policy and service decisions. This principle underlies INSPIRE, it must be recognised and respected by us all. Good progress has been and continues to be made in implementing INSPIRE, particularly in Annex I themes, and a few others as we see in the eContentplus project OneGeology Europe, but the biggest challenge yet to come is harmonising domain data using a consistent reference layer – the European Location Framework. Legislation is a matter for governments. At the European level government is made up of the European Council, Commission and Parliament. They have created the legislation – INSPIRE but the role of government in creating and managing SDIs goes further than legislation. At the GSDI Conference in last month, experts from public administrations, corporations and academia concluded that the responsibility of governments, in addition to providing legislation, included: providing coordination, encouraging standardisation, promoting awareness, encouraging and exploiting best practice and more besides. When government, and by this I mean the bodies forming the European Government, are unable or unwilling to fulfil all these roles others must do so on their behalf. In the coming period many of these roles can, with supporting funding, become the role of strong associations such as EuroGeographics and other representative organisations. Success in implementing SDI at local, regional, national, European and at the global level requires sustained and substantial funding and a substantial and sustained commitment to working together. Working together is required by individuals, by organisations, by associations and between many professional disciplines. Working together it required because 'together we are stronger'. Keywords: European Location Framework, Cooperation and Harmonisation


This paper proposes a measure of equipment dependability (reliability) that is related to statistical loss and is suitable for application to complex systems. The relation of this concept, termed effectivity, to other measures is explained and its use is illustrated by application to a specific space system. A prediction of effectivity is described and demonstrated using analytical means and also by applying a novel Monte-Carlo procedure. The results of testing are also presented and compared with the predicted values.


Complex Fenestration Systems (CFS) are window systems used to redirect daylight into a room with the objective of increasing the daylightling performance for the space. Prismatic light redirecting glass or plastic is a type of CFS which has been proposed to help redirecting daylight into a room in order to optimize its luminous properties. Daylighting designers and researchers usually use physical and virtual models to analyse daylighting performance of these prismatic surfaces. This presentation provides a detailed step-by-step procedure for the design of prismatic surfaces for light redirection specifically for the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region using RADIANCE. The workflow using the BSDF functionality of RADIANCE, as well at the details of the geometric modeling are introduced. Results from RADIANCE are compared to other ray tracing software. Also specific measures used as criteria for the design of prismatic and other light redirecting surfaces are proposed. These measures focus on the duration and the power of the redirected light. A detailed case study is described and the results are analyzed and presented.


Good service is defined when it meets the expectations of its customers. Likewise, nursing is a profession that aims at meeting patients' needs and expectations. Many studies have been done at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) in Nairobi, Kenya regarding customer care satisfaction in various departments. However, little is known on patients' expectations regarding nursing care. Therefore, this study was carried out to examine surgical patients' expectations of nursing care in surgical wards. A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted at Kenyatta National Hospital in general surgical wards from April to June, 2012. The study population were adult postoperative patients admitted in the general surgical wards. The sample size was 168 and systemic random sampling technique was used in selecting the participants. The data collection tool was a structured questionnaire with open and closed questions. Ethical clearance was obtained from University of Nairobi and Kenyatta National Hospital Ethics Committee. Participation in the study was voluntary and based on patients' ability to give informed consent. A total of 167 adult patients from general surgical wards responded to the questionnaire. Most patients agreed that they expected nurses to be knowledgeable with an average response of 86% and strongly disagreed that nurses should be rude and harsh (44%). 46% of participants agreed that they expected nurses to be responsive with mean of (M=3.61). It was found that most patients' expectations were met and because of this, many felt satisfied with the nursing care provided. It is recommended that nurses should pay more attention to what patients expect from nursing care.


Family and life takaful play an important role in providing individual financial security especially for 40 percent of households with the lowest income (B40) who are considered to be a vulnerable group in the event of financial depression. The household income for B40 is below RM3,860 per month and is expected to increase to RM5,270 in 2020 as stated in the 11th Malaysia (Economic) Plan. The importance of family and life takaful becomes more significant with increasing risks faced by the B40 such as the higher cost of living, lower savings and high indebtedness, which in turn expose this group to the risk of economic insecurity. Some initiatives have been introduced in order to help the B40 groups such as giving financial aid to encourage them to be involved in entrepreneurship, providing special training sessions to enable them to manage their finances, and providing special takaful coverage (group takaful) for the B40. The objectives of this paper are to explore the viability of establishing a takaful fund for this target group by leveraging on the waqf model; to investigate the extent of the ownership of family and life takaful among the B40; and to identify how the waqf fund can potentially become a mechanism to initiate an exclusive takaful coverage for the B40. This research has been conducted using the qualitative method by focusing on articles, journals and library-based sources. The paper also identifies the Takaful as providing the element of savings and security to policy owners, who usually the main income earner or breadwinner, if something untoward happens and they require financial aid in the future. Besides, takaful is also presented as a savings mobilizer, financial intermediary and promoter of investment activities.


A 20 year old man with no previous history of heart disease presented with acute left ventricular failure following extensive anterior wall myocardial infarction. Selective angiography revealed multiple aneurysms in the renal, mesenteric and hepatic arteries with an infarct in the lower pole of the right kidney. These findings, along with the presence of circulating hepatitis B surface antigen favoured the diagnosis of polyarteritis nodosa. In view of normal coronary angiogram and absence of myocardial vasculitis, coronary vasospasm was implicated as the cause of myocardial infarction. Such an occurrence, which could have different therapeutic and diagnostic implications, has not, to our knowledge, been previously described in polyarteritis nodosa.


SiC particulate reinforced 6066 aluminium alloy metal matrix composites (MMCs) were prepared by multi-layer spray forming. The preparation technology and process parameters were discussed. It is shown that SiC particulate can be continuously and evenly fed and co-deposited in the spray forming process. The reciprocally scanning movement of spraying system can make the SiC particulates distribute homogeneously in the composite. The ratio of SiC particulates captured by the metal matrix is influenced by process parameters, especially the metal flow rate. 6066/SiCp composite preforms of d300 mm×540 mm and tubes with a size of up to d650/d300 mm×1 000 mm were made by the same process. After extrusion and T6 heat treatment, the multi-layer spray deposited 6066/SiCp composites can achieve improved properties.


Low dielectric constant polyetherimides have been synthesized by incorporating a bisphenol A dianhydride, BPADA, and 2,7-bis(4-aminophenoxy) naphthalene (BAPN), a phenylene ether diamine. The flexible ether and larger planar naphthalene structure of BAPN led to more spacing between polymer molecules, resulting in less efficient chain packing and an increase in the free volume, thus decreasing the dielectric constant. New PEI/silica hybrid nanocomposites were prepared from this novel polyetherimide via sol-gel process. The dielectric constants were further decreased with the incorporation of silica. These synthesized PEI and nanocomposites have high thermal stability and good mechanical properties.


Following the successful design in 1974 of a 256-channel battery-powered pulse-height analyzer system, we have completed a second-generation analyzer with advanced features, lighter weight, and more rugged construction. The 17-kg analyzer includes a NaI detector and is packaged as a small suitcase; it has high stability and accuracy to allow use over the temperature range from -30 to +70°C. The waterproof unit has many features not found on any commercial unit to allow sophisticated analysis by non-electronics oriented personnel. Its 36-button keyboard will allow manipulation of multiple spectra, integrations, and expanded energy scale with readout in keV. If its self-contained SX70 display camera is not sufficient for record keeping, the unit will telemeter all data onto analog tape or send to a remote computer via phone coupler.


This experiment was conducted to study the effects of anthropogenic stressor on the spatial variability of secondary metabolites from marine sponge Aaptos suberitoides. Samplings were conducted at 7 sites in Marine National Park of Thousand Islands that are extended within 30 km off Jakarta bay on late February 2011. Sponges were collected and quantified by means of liquid chromatography coupled with photo-diode array detection, whereas, cytotoxicity of sponges extracts was determined against T47D (breast) cancer cell lines. Results showed that the spatial production of aaptamine and isoaaptamine did not correlate with the quality of their surrounding habitat, despite nitrite and nitrate levels significantly affected the bioactivity of crude extracts.


Two groups of subjects, one with stress management training and one without, were exposed to two types of psychological stress, one with a dominance in cognitive activity (including memorizing events), one with a dominance in physical activity (including precision shooting) and concentration. Speech samples were recorded in two stress conditions and in two non-stress conditions. Measurements were made of the parameters F0-mean, F0-standard deviation, and syllable duration. Means and standard deviations of F0 were determined both on the intra-syllable and on the utterance level. It was found that F0-mean and intra-syllable F0 standard deviation were most important as indices of psychological stress. Higher values for these parameters were obtained in stressed than in unstressed speech and higher values under physical than under cognitive stress. Experience in stress management training leads to an overall reduction of the verbal stress response, in particular in the cognitive condition.


Fixtures are essential elements of production processes as they are required in most of the automated manufacturing, inspection, and assembly operations. Mass production methods demand a fast and easy method of positioning work for accurate operations on it. Jigs and fixtures are production tools used to accurately manufacture duplicate and interchangeable parts. This paper aims at the Design of milling fixture using CATIA software. A milling fixture is used to hold and support the work piece in proper position during the milling operation. It is the manually operated simple milling fixture. Use of this milling fixture causes ease in operation, cost reduction, easy maintenance and replacement. In today's fast growing industrial sector this milling fixture plays very important role by saving time to achieve quality work pieces and components.


Oxidative processes play an important role in atherogenesis. Because superoxide anion and nitric oxide (NO) are important mediators in vascular pathology, we studied the expression of extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in human and rabbit atherosclerotic lesions by using simultaneous in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry and EC-SOD enzyme activity measurements. We also analyzed the presence in the arterial wall of oxidized lipoproteins and peroxynitrite-modified proteins as indicators of oxidative damage and possible mediators in vascular pathology. EC-SOD and iNOS mRNA and protein were expressed in smooth muscle cells and macrophages in early and advanced lesions. The expression of both enzymes was especially prominent in macrophages. As measured by enzyme activity, EC-SOD was the major SOD isoenzyme in the arterial wall. EC-SOD activity was higher in highly cellular rabbit lesions but lower in advanced, connective tissue-rich human lesions. Despite the abundant expression of EC-SOD, malondialdehyde-lysine and hydroxynonenal-lysine epitopes characteristic of oxidized lipoproteins and nitrotyrosine residues characteristic of peroxynitrite-modified proteins were detected in iNOS-positive, macrophage-rich lesions, thus implying that malondialdehyde, hydroxynonenal, and peroxynitrite are important mediators of oxidative damage. We conclude that EC-SOD, iNOS, and the balance between NO and superoxide anion play important roles in atherogenesis. EC-SOD and iNOS are highly expressed in lesion macrophages. High EC-SOD expression in the arterial wall may be required not only to prevent deleterious effects of superoxide anion but also to preserve NO activity and prevent peroxynitrite formation. Modulation of arterial EC-SOD and iNOS activities could provide means to protect arteries against atherosclerotic vascular disease.


This brief editorial focuses on the contribution in this volume titled 'Machines Will Never Replace Humans!' compiled by GPT-3. The brief text is provocative. It is provocative in demonstrating the potential efficiencies and complexities of machine-produced natural language text for 'writing' professions like law and the academy. It is further provocative as it reflects back the image and representation of the human within the digital. There is a denotive suggestion that humans are valuable and significant as lawyers because they possess intuition. There is a further suggestion that humans, or more precisely the imprint of humans in the digital, are televisual consumers of dated sitcoms, revealing the disconnect between existent digital archives and the totality of humanity.


Subtelomeric rearrangements are one of the main causes of multiple congenital anomalies and mental retardation, and they are detected in 5% of patients. We report on a 6.5-year-old boy with mental retardation, dysmorphic features, and behavioral problems, who revealed 1q44-qter trisomy and 22q13.3-qter monosomy due to a maternal cryptic translocation t(1;22). We compared the clinical and cytogenetic data of our patient with those of another case presenting a pure 22qter monosomy and with those of all 1qter trisomy cases reported in the international literature. To the best of our knowledge, the subterminal 1q trisomy found in the present case has been reported in only 12 patients to date (including five familial cases). This report aims to contribute to our understanding of 1q44-qter trisomy.


We consider an industry where firms produce goods that have different quality levels but firms cannot differentiate themselves from rivals. In this situation, producing low-quality generates a negative externality on the whole industry. This is particularly true when consumers cannot identify producers. In this article, we show that under a "Laissez Faire" situation free entry is not socially optimal and we argue that the imposition of a Minimum Quality Standard (MQS) may induce firms to enter the market. The authors are very grateful to an anonymous referee and Quan Wen as an Associate Editor for their helpful comments and suggestions. We have also benefited from comments from Eric Brousseau, Julie Caswell, Gilles Grolleau, Emmanuel Raynaud, Alban Thomas, Antoine Soubeyran, Hubert Stahn, and Isabelle Vagneron on previous versions. Citation: Elodie Rouviere and Raphael Soubeyran, (2011) ''Competition vs. quality in an industry with imperfect traceability.


Diets based solely on sugar cane, urea and minerals support only maintenance in ruminants and provision of supplements for production appears to be essential, As part of a study of the role of these supplements, a number of measurements of rumen function were examined in bulls given sugar cane diets with or without rice polishings (a supplement which has given consistent responses in terms of production). Determinations were made of pH, ammonia, total and VFA proportions and protozoan biomass in rumen fluid on several days and for 28 hr consecutively. A new method of assessing protozoan biomass is put forward. There were no apparent differences due to the rice polishings in any of the parameters of rumen function measured over 28 hr or between days. The outstanding findings were that large holotrich protozoa populations existed in the rumen of these animals and that concentrations varied within and between days. The reasons for, and the effects of such fluctuations are discussed. It is concluded that the value of rice polishings in sugar cane diets is not mediated through an effect on rumen function but is probably due to its ability to supply essential nutrients.


Despite obvious differences, certain historical and conceptual underpinnings of Catholic death penalty teaching parallel core elements of U.S. death penalty jurisprudence, particularly given the Supreme Court's expansive yet contested moral reasoning in Kennedy v. Louisiana, which stressed that Eighth Amendment analysis "necessarily embodies a moral judgment." This Article compares that jurisprudence with the Catholic Church's present, near-absolute opposition to capital punishment, assessing how the death penalty, as a quintessential law and morality question, implicates overlapping sources of moral reasoning. It then identifies substantive concepts that permit Eighth Amendment jurisprudence and the Catholic perspective to be mutually translated, presenting this approach as a means to advance death penalty discourse.


Background: Of the ten recognised groups of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus allergens, the group 4 is the only group that has not been characterised at the molecular level. Methods: Primers were designed to PCR amplify Der p 4 (D. pteronyssinus) and Eur m 4 (Euroglyphus maynei) cDNA. These fragments were used to screen the corresponding cDNA libraries and the cDNA clones obtained were subsequently sequenced. The coding regions of Der p 4 and Eur m 4 were cloned into the pET expression vector and recombinant histidine–tagged proteins expressed in Escherichia coli. Results: cDNA clones which included the mature protein coding sequence for Der p 4 and Eur m 4 were sequenced. The Der p 4 and Eur m 4 genes were found to code for 496 amino acid mature proteins with residues important for the function of α–amylase highly conserved. Der p 4 and Eur m 4 were calculated to be 90% identical and a BLAST search of the GenBank database found these sequences to be approximately 50% identical to insect and mammalian α–amylases. The calculated molecular weights of Der p 4 and Eur m 4 were approximately 57,000, although recombinant Der p 4 and Eur m 4 migrate on SDS–PAGE at about 60,000. Der p 4 recombinant protein was found to bind specific IgE in 3 of the 10 house dust mite allergic patients tested. Conclusions: This paper describes the first cDNA sequence of Der p 4 and Eur m 4 confirming that this allergen is house dust mite α–amylase.


INTRODUCTION
The aim of this study was to monitor adherence to hand hygiene by health professionals working in critical sections and to assess the factors that influenced adherence, such as physical structure of the units, use of procedure gloves, employment bond of the worker, and perception of patient safety climate.

METHODOLOGY
Observational and correlational study carried out in critical areas of a university hospital in the Midwest region of Brazil.

RESULTS
The overall hand hygiene adherence rate was 46.2% (n = 3,025). Adherence was higher among nurses 59.8% (n = 607) than among nursing technicians (p < 0.001), and the section with the greatest adherence was the neonatal Intensive Care Unit 62.9% (n = 947) (p < 0.001). Unlike the neonatal unit, in the adult unit the dispensers of alcohol-based handrubs were poorly located, without arms reach, and the taps were manual. In this section, a greater frequency of procedure glove use was also observed, 90.6% (n = 536), as compared to the other sections (p < 0.001). Regarding safety climate perception, temporary employees had higher means as compared to regular employees (p = 0.0375).

CONCLUSIONS
Hand hygiene adherence was affected and/or influenced by the physical structure, use of procedure gloves, work regime, and patient safety climate.


Intracranial teratomas are rare entities that can present as a pure type or as mixed germ cell tumor. Cases of mixed germ cell tumor composed of immature teratoma and choriocarcinoma have been reported. Also, immature teratoma can be mixed with only syncytiotrophoblasts. We report a case of immature teratoma with syncytiotrophoblasts of the brain discovered in a 3-year-old male baby. Serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) was normal and serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was elevated. The tumor was mainly composed of intestinal glands, and neither endodermal sinus tumor nor embryonal carcinomatous elements were found. The cells lining the intestinal glands were positive for hCG and AFP. These findings suggest that the syncytiotrophoblasts are differentiated from the endoderm and AFP is not necessarily a marker exclusive to endodermal sinus tumor or embryonal carcinoma.


BackgroundBlood eosinopaenia was one of the earliest reported findings in hospitalised patients with COVID-19, questioning whether eosinophils could have an anti-viral or deleterious role in the immune response against SARS-CoV2. Benralizumab is an anti-IL5R monoclonal antibody licensed for the treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) and causes the near-complete depletion of blood and tissue eosinophils. As such, it offers the opportunity to explore the impact of eosinopaenia at the time of infection on outcome with COVID-19.MethodPatients started on treatment with benralizumab (up until April 2021) for SEA at our regional asthma centre were contacted by telephone throughout May and June 2021 to establish whether they had experienced a confirmed (PCR-positive) SARS-CoV2 infection since commencing benralizumab. Clinical and demographic characteristics were recorded along with the outcome of infection, including the need for hospitalisation or intensive care admission. Patients requiring hospitalisation were compared to those experiencing mild infections.ResultsData on 268 patients treated with benralizumab was collected with 24/268 (9%) confirming SARS-CoV2 infection with a positive PCR test. Of these 18/24 (75%) experienced mild infections that did not require hospitalisation. Of the 6/24 requiring hospitalisation, the median (IQR) length of stay was 6 (1–8) days. No patients required ICU admission or mechanical ventilation. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics between hospitalised and non-hospitalised patients. However, it is noteworthy that a higher proportion of hospitalised patients were male (50.0% vs 38.9%) and had a higher mean BMI (32.1 vs 29.5).DiscussionIn the context of drug-induced eosinopaenia with benralizumab, 75% of patients with severe asthma experienced mild COVID-19 disease. This is likely to be an underestimate given that other patients may have experienced an asymptomatic infection or not pursued PCR testing in the context of mild infection. Although caution is needed due to the small sample size, these results do not support a significant role for eosinophils in SARS-CoV2 infection.


In this article, we employ Spencer's (1995) Phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory (PVEST) as a framework to examine risk and resilience, with a specific focus on understanding hypermasculine attitudes among low-resource urban, adolescent males. In the article, we highlight the need to understand normative human development processes in context and to consider risk and resilience in conjunction with these processes. We describe findings from a study of risk, social supports, and hypermasculinity. In the discussion, we outline the implications of these findings for theory and practice.


Located in a subtropical zone, Taiwan has intense summer sunlight that affects beefsteak tomato cultivation. In this study, beefsteak tomatoes were grown net-house under photo-selective netting of different colors to investigate netting performance. A significantly higher photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) was observed under the 24-mesh white (W24) and 24-mesh pink (H24) netting. A difference between the four net-house was only observed for wavelengths of 500–599nm. In 32-mesh blue (B32), the red to blue (R/B) and red to far-red (R/FR) ratios were significantly lower across canopies. The photosynthetic capacity of photosystem II of leaves in W24 was the lowest among the four treatments. In all four, fruit growth was relatively low under the impact of high temperatures, with the lowest single fruit weight and the smallest number of fruits per plant observed in W24. In H24 and 24-mesh pink (HH24), the yield per plant was significantly higher. Significantly fewer whiteflies were observed in the netting houses in H24, HH24, and B32 than in W24. However, the netting still failed to prevent high temperatures at noon. In H24 and HH24, the amount of light retained in the canopies was greater, the photosynthesis capacity was unchanged, the fruit yield was greater and the number of whiteflies in the netting houses was significantly lower. Therefore, pink netting is recommended for beefsteak tomato cultivation.


We have measured the current-voltage characteristics of overdamped long YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ biepitaxial Josephson junctions. The velocity-matching step was observed in the current-voltage characteristics with an applied magnetic field. The presence of velocity-matching steps suggests that the biepitaxial Josephson junction is formed around a dielectric-like barrier between superconducting grains. Anomalous subharmonic voltage steps were found under microwave irradiation. The relations between anomaly steps and fluxon motion are discussed.


We ask whether statistical averages in chaotic systems can be computed or measured reliably under the influence of noise. Situations are identified where the invariance of such averages breaks down as the noise amplitude increases through a critical level. An algebraic scaling law is obtained which relates the change of the averages to the noise variation. This breakdown of shadowability of statistical averages, as characterized by the algebraic scaling law, can be expected in both low- and high-dimensional chaotic systems.


Approximately 500 nucleotides of 28S rRNA of 31 species of gnathostomes have been sequenced in order to study the phylogeny of the major fish lineages. In maximum parsimony trees, nodes congruent with those of the morphologically based cladogram were found to be robust (chondrichthyans, neopterygians, euteleosteans), but some expected monophyletic groups were not found to be so (lissamphibians, tetrapods, osteichthyans). Possible causes for these discrepancies are discussed. Some non-congruent nodes were significantly supported (elopomorph-osteoglossomorph sister-group relationships and clupeomorph-ostariophysan relationships) and the need for new morphological character analysis is discussed. In addition, the relationships of major gnathostome lineages (chondrichthyans, actinopterygians, sarcopterygyans) could not be resolved and the possibility of their rapid evolutionary radiation is examined. This result is strikingly similar to those obtained from approximately 1800 nucleotides of 18S rRNA. Variations in the robustness of some nodes depending on the species sample were observed. This has led to a systematic study of the effect of species sampling on bootstrap values described in a companion paper (G. Lecointre, H. Philippe, H. L. V. Lê, and H. Le Guyader, submitted for publication).


I read with interest the case report on the clinical experience of the use of chlorinethiazole in a patient with Alzheimer's disease (1). On discussing previous admissions with a confusional state assumed to be related to alcohol withdrawal, no mention is made of sleep abnormalities. Alcohol is a powerful REM suppressor, and alcohol withdrawal and acute alcohol psychosis are associated with REM rebound (2). Greenberg and Pearlman (3) argued that delirium tremens was the 'overflow' of REM sleep into wakefulness. Hashikawa et a]. (4) propose that in alcohol withdrawal delirium, REM sleep intrudes into stage 1 sleep without concomitant muscle atonia. They conclude that a similar pattern is seen on withdrawal from sedative-hypnotics, a group that would include oxazepam. Whatever the aetiology of a delirium, the model of a 'fragmentation and disorganization' of the sleep-wake cycle can be used. Delirium is associated with disturbances of respiratory control as well as abnormal psychomotor control. In conclusion, Mr HR's symptoms may be explained at least in part by his delirium. The attribution of his sleep apnoea to the use of chlormethiazole may be erroneous, despite the close temporal correlation between its use and the onset of sleep apnoea.


B-type oligomeric procyanidins in apples constitute an important source of polyphenols in the human diet. Their role in health is not known, although it is suggested that they generate beneficial bioactive compounds upon metabolization by the gut microbiota. During apple processing, procyanidins interact with cell-wall polysaccharides and form stable complexes. These interactions need to be taken into consideration in order to better assess the biological effects of fruit constituents. Our objectives were to evaluate the impact of these interactions on the microbial metabolization of cell walls and procyanidins, and to investigate the potential anti-inflammatory activity of the resulting metabolome, in addition to analyzing the taxonomical changes which the microbiota undergo. In vitro fermentation of three model apple matrices with microbiota from 4 healthy donors showed that the binding of procyanidins to cell-wall polysaccharides, whether covalently or non-covalently, substantially reduced procyanidin degradation. Although cell wall-unbound procyanidins negatively affected carbohydrate fermentation, they generated more hydroxyphenylvaleric acid than bound procyanidins, and increased the abundance of Adlercreutzia and Gordonibacter genera. The best results in terms of production of anti-inflammatory bioactive metabolites were observed from the apple matrix with no bonds between procyanidins and cell wall polysaccharides, although the matrix with non-covalent bonds was not far behind.


Objectives Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia; however, there is a paucity of data on Chinese AF patients. The objective of this study is to describe patient characteristics, risk factors, comorbidities, management strategy, and control of different types of AF in the emergency department (ED) daily practice. Methods We conducted a prospective registry among 2016 participants presenting to an emergency department (ED) at 19 sites in China. AF cases were identified by the 12-lead body surface electrocardiogram. Patients demographics, medical history, type of AF, treatment, and outcome of emergency room visit were collected at baseline by the treating physicians using a standardised questionnaire. Results Of the 2016 Chinese patients enrolled in this registry, the mean age was 68.5 ± 13.3 years, and 54.8% were women. 617 (30.6%) had paroxysmal, 449 (22.3%) had persistent, and 945 (46.9%) had permanent AF. The most common concomitant condition was hypertension, present in 1121 (55.6%) patients, followed by a history of coronary artery disease (41.8%), heart failure (37.3%) and current smoking (21.5%). In addition, rheumatic valve disease, diabetes mellitus, and history of stroke/transient ischaemic attack. History of stroke and transient ischaemic attacks were reported in 15.7%, 15.6% and 18.8% of patients, respectively. And some of these risk factors or comorbidities were present in patients with an increase as the AF progression.. The mean CHADS2 [cardiac failure, hypertension, age, diabetes, stroke (doubled)] score in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) was 1.9 ± 1.4, and 869 (53.8%) patients with CHADS2≥2 were qualified for oral anticoagulants (OACs), while only 109 (12.5%) did so, but 121 (15.9%) of those with CHADS2<2 received anticoagulation therapy. And in 322 patients with valvular atrial fibrillation (VAF),133 (41.4%) actually used OACs. However, INR value was measured in only 254 patients (69.6%), and within the target INR range (2.0–3.0) in 96 patients (26.3%). Almost one sixth of patients received ≥1 antiarrhythmic agents (AADs), while rate-control agents were used more frequently, especially in patients with permanent AF. Chemical cardioversion was performed over 30% of patients with paroxysmal and persistent AF. Conclusions This registry provides insight into baseline characteristics and current primary medical care of patients with AF in China. The risk profile of Chinese patients was different from previous studies in other countries, and the use of oral anticoagulants was inadequately deviate from current guidelines.


An OFDM based wireless communication system with 'slow frequency hopping' (SFH) and TDMA is proposed. SFH-TDMA was found to be superior in performance compared to CDMA regarding intra-cell interference and simple TDMA regarding interference and frequency diversity. OFDM supports a high spectral efficiency and superior performance in various channel profiles without the need for complex equalising in any delay profile. Modulation schemes were developed to support specific C/I conditions for different environments (e.g. office, vehicular) and optimise the system capacity, spectral efficiency and data throughput. We compare coherent (4-PSK, 16-QAM and 64-QAM) and non-coherent (DQPSK, D8PSK, 16-DAPSK) modulation schemes in combination with variable forward error correction to support advanced services. Results of the research are proposed for the standardisation of the 3/sup rd/ generation mobile communication system in Europe and Japan.


A study of a serie of 45 cases of coarctation of the aorta associated with a severe cardiac lesion or malformation, and treated at a single operative session (18 cases) or in two consecutive stages (27 cases) has produced the following conclusions: --Treatment at a single operation is possible, usually at the cost of two consecutive surgical approaches, thus making the operation rather long. This plan, which has given good results in the 18 cases studied (only one death and no serious complications) should be adopted only for young patients who are well-balanced psychologically, and whose cardiac defect is well-compensated. --Treatment in two stages is a more reasonable course for the remainder of the patients, but it must be decided which lesion to treat first: this could be the coarctation if it is a difficult or poorly tolerated one and if the cardiac defect (especially when an aortic valve lesion) is well compensated. It will be the cardiac lesion if, by contrast, the coarctation is simple and well-tolerated, and the cardiac lesion is severe and decompensated (especially a mitral malformation with shunts and major pulmonary hypertension). Current techniques of open heart surgery allow us to employ extracorporeal circulation easily and safely with the coarctation still in place; this will then be treated later. In every case in which a two-stage treatment plan has been chosen, it should be carried out as a planned procedure so that the second stage of the operation is not put off unduly.


BACKGROUND
Chronic inflammation is implicated in the development of idiopathic adhesive capsulitis (IAC), whose association with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammation marker, is undetermined. This study's purposes were to investigate the association between high-sensitivity CRP levels and IAC and to determine the metabolic factors associated with high-sensitivity CRP.

METHODS
This case-control study examined a group of 202 patients with IAC and without intrinsic shoulder lesions or extrinsic causes and a control group of 606 age and sex-matched persons seeking general check-ups at our health promotion center during the same period as the case group. Control subjects had normal shoulder function and no previously diagnosed adhesive capsulitis; no medication for diabetes, dyslipidemia, and thyroid abnormalities; and no history of trauma or of shoulder surgery. The studied variables were body mass index; diabetes; thyroid abnormalities; dyslipidemias; triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein (TG/HDL) >3.5; serum levels of thyroid hormone, fasting glucose, and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c); and high-sensitivity CRP >1.0 mg/L. Multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis evaluated the matched sets of subjects. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined for the studied variables possibly affecting IAC.

RESULTS
Serum high-sensitivity CRP >1.0 mg/L was significantly associated with IAC (OR, 2.47 [95% CI, 1.65 to 3.70]) after adjusting for diabetes, fasting glucose level, HbA1c, dyslipidemia, TG/HDL >3.5, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (p ≤ 0.031). Diabetes (OR, 1.71 [95% CI, 1.09 to 3.33]), fasting glucose level (OR, 1.54 [95% CI, 1.12 to 2.12]), HbA1c (OR, 2.00 [95% CI, 1.25 to 3.22]), hypertriglyceridemia (OR, 1.70 [95% CI, 1.03 to 3.41]), hypo-high-density lipoproteinemia (OR, 1.98 [95% CI, 1.04 to 3.79]), and TG/HDL >3.5 (OR, 1.37 [95% CI, 1.06 to 1.88]) were significantly associated with high-sensitivity CRP >1.0 mg/L in patients with IAC (p ≤ 0.039).

CONCLUSIONS
Serum high-sensitivity CRP >1.0 mg/L is an independent associated marker for IAC. Dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and hyperglycemia, which are recognized factors associated with IAC, are also associated with high-sensitivity CRP >1.0 mg/L in these patients, supporting the interaction of chronic systemic inflammation in IAC.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.


Monosyllabic rhyme words were dichotically presented to normal and complete split-brain subjects. In the normal adult population, only one of the words in the dichotic condition was identified. Hence, normal performance was about 50%, with a small but significant right-ear advantage. The split-brain patients yielded the expected marked left deficit, as seen on other dichotic speech tests, and demonstrated a right-ear enhancement, producing a large interear difference. This right-ear enhancement on the dichotic rhyme task (DRT) may suggest a release from central auditory competition in the left hemisphere. The dichotic rhyme task's normative data results and sensitivity to lack of callosal transmission make it worthy of further clinical and basic research.


Concentrations of 18 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water and surface sediments collected from the urban rivers of Wenzhou city in spring and summer were measured by GC-MS. The results showed that the total PAHs concentrations in water and sediments of the studied rivers varied in ranges of 146.74-3 047.89 ng x L(-1) and 21.01-11 990.48 ng x g(-1), respectively. Higher concentrations occurred in spring. The low and middle rings of 2-4-ring were dominant in both water and sediments, but the concentrations of 5-ring and 6-ring PAHs in sediments were relatively higher than those in water. The EBaP values of PAHs in water of the studied rivers in spring and summer were 1.69-51.95 ng x L(-1) and 0-3.03 ng x L(-1), respectively. Eighty percent of water samples in spring surpassed the limits of BaP in surface water of China. The concentrations of sigma PAHs in the sediments both in spring and summer were lower than the ERM value, but part of the components of PAHs had values higher than the ERM, suggesting possible toxic effect on living organisms. Based on the PAHs molecule ratios and principal component analysis, a mixed PAHs source of petroleum and combustion in water and sediments was diagnosed, while sediments showed a greater proportion of combustion sources.


Sibutramine, a combined norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitor, is effective in the management of obese patients requiring pharmacotherapy as part of a multimodal approach to weight loss. It improves insulin resistance markers, glucose metabolism, and atherogenic dyslipidemia in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients, most of these effects resulting from weight loss. However, sibutramine exerts a peripheral sympathomimetic effect that induces a moderate increase in heart rate and attenuates the reduction in blood pressure attributable to weight loss or even slightly increases blood pressure. Since 2002, several cardiovascular adverse events (hypertension, tachycardia, arrhythmias, myocardial infarction) were reported in sibutramine-treated patients. This led to a contraindication of the use of this antiobesity agent in patients with established coronary heart disease, previous stroke, heart failure, or cardiac arrhythmias. The recent Sibutramine Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial (SCOUT) confirmed that subjects with preexisting cardiovascular disease (CVD) on long-term (5 years) treatment with sibutramine (10–15 mg/day) had a significantly increased risk for nonfatal myocardial infarction and nonfatal stroke, but not cardiovascular death or all-cause mortality. Because the benefit of sibutramine as a weight loss aid seems not to outweigh the cardiovascular risks, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) recommended the suspension of marketing authorizations for sibutramine across the European Union (EU). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first stated that the drug should carry a "black box" warning because of an increased risk of stroke and heart attack in patients with a history of CVD. In October 2010, however, sibutramine was withdrawn from the U.S. market. After SCOUT, concern still persists about the effect of sibutramine on cardiovascular outcome.

Obesity is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, predominantly through CVDs (1,2). The metabolic consequences of obesity, more particularly abdominal obesity associated with increased visceral adipose tissue, include atherogenic dyslipidemia, impaired glucose metabolism, hypertension, and …


Fifty women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) were recruited from a legal advocacy program to participate in a study designed to assess current rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and alcohol and substance abuse among a sample of abused women and to examine the types of services survivors of IPV had used in the previous 12 months. In addition, the authors sought to understand how the presence of substance abuse, PTSD, and/or depression affects access and utilization of services by IPV survivors. Fifty-four percent of these IPV survivors were experiencing either PTSD, clinical depression, or both. While women with either PTSD or depression used a significantly larger number of services overall, the majority had not used any mental health services, even though they frequently reported services were accessible. Given the high rates of PTSD and depression in this sample, these abused women were clearly not receiving adequate mental health care. Furthermore, many reported having trouble accessing housing, legal services, crisis lines, and medical care—services that are fundamental to safety. Practitioners working with abused women should assess for PTSD and depression, and be prepared to either treat each condition or provide effective referrals.


Inflammation plays a major pathogenic role in atherosclerosis and its complications. Among the inflammatory cells that take part in this process, activated macrophages contribute significantly to atherosclerotic plaque progression, fibrous cap disruption and intracoronary thrombus formation. Neopterin, a pteridine derivative and a byproduct of the guanosine triphosphate-biopterin pathway, is mainly produced by activated macrophages. This article reviews the existing evidence suggesting an important role for neopterin as a marker for cardiovascular risk and also as a possible pathogenic factor in atherosclerosis.


The mu‐opioid system has a key role in hedonic and motivational processes critical to substance addiction. However, existing mu‐opioid antagonists have had limited success as anti‐addiction treatments. GSK1521498 is a selective and potent mu‐opioid antagonist being developed for the treatment of overeating and substance addictions. In this study, 28 healthy participants were administered single doses of GSK1521498 20 mg, ethanol 0.5 g/kg body weight, or both in combination, in a double blind placebo controlled four‐way crossover design. The primary objective was to determine the risk of significant adverse pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic (PK) interactions. The effects of GSK1521498 on hedonic and consummatory responses to alcohol and the attentional processing of alcohol‐related stimuli, and their modulation by the OPRM1 A118G polymorphism were also explored. GSK1521498 20 mg was well tolerated alone and in combination with ethanol. There were mild transient effects of GSK1521498 on alertness and mood that were greater when it was combined with ethanol. These effects were not of clinical significance. There were no effects of GSK1521498 on reaction time, hedonic or consummatory responses. These findings provide encouraging safety and PK data to support continued development of GSK1521498 for the treatment of alcohol addiction.